To touch the hearts of all
The following are quotations from the writings of Leo John Dehon, SCJ, appropriate for use in church bulletins, newsletters, correspondence, bulletin boards and other Dehonian communications. Feel free to copy them and use them in ministry or personal communication.
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FEBRUARY
Tuesday before Ash Wednesday: Our Lord Praying in the Garden [SCJ Liturgical Calendar]
“The Divine Heart chose to love us to the point of undergoing all the agonies of sadness, terror, and anxiety in order to preserve us from them. What a tender Heart!”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart II, 1st Mystery 3rd Meditation
Ash Wednesday
“With ashes today, the priest traces on my forehead the sign of penitence and the sign of death. What am I? Dust and ashes. I am but nothingness; however, I will go to God and I will go with humility. I will go with the awareness of my weakness, but confident anyway, because God is good, because the Son of God took on a Heart to love me, and he broke this Heart to let flow on my soul the fragrance of his mercy.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, February 20
The Season of Lent
“There are no big or small crosses; there is only very little love or great love. Let us love, and then it will be easy for us to climb the hill of Calvary and heavy crosses will become light.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart II, 1st Mystery, 1st Meditation
MARCH
March 14: Dehonian Vocations Day
“It is our fervor, that is our spiritual exercises well done, which will attract divine blessing, and vocations will come by the influence, not of our qualities and natural talents, but of our virtue.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Cahiers Falleur
“Pray for our vocational recruiting; our missions require a large amount of personnel. And it is not only members we desire; it is above all the fervor and generosity of those who come to us.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Circular Letters, #32, June 29, 1922
March 25: The Annunciation of the Lord
“Let us profit from the great example of Mary to submit to grace, from the moment that it presents itself. As soon as God speaks to our soul to inspire a good deed or keep us away from a bad deed, let us follow the attraction of this grace, humble ourselves, and recognize the greatness of God and our lowliness, God’s authority and our dependence. Let us say with Mary, ‘Let it be done to me according to your Word.’ Let us obey promptly and execute immediately what grace asks of us. This is how we can have our Lord reign in us.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, December 9
“The Ecce ancilla [‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word’ (Luke 1:38)] sums up the life of Mary as the Ecce venio [‘See God, I have come to do your will’ (Hebrews 10:7)] sums up the life of Jesus. Only after these words of Mary was the Word made flesh.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Spiritual Directory, Part Two, Chapter 2
Good Friday
“O Peter, poor disciple, you swear you do not know Jesus? How beautiful was the glance of Jesus, who looks at Peter. What expression in those divine eyes, whose love and tender reproach penetrate the heart of St. Peter. How good Jesus is to those who have the misfortune of offending him through weakness! How compassionate he is to those who fall! The glance of Jesus reveals to us his merciful Heart.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 2nd Mystery 4th Meditation
“It is at the foot of the Cross that we must search for knowledge and wisdom. In the Heart of Jesus, we shall find the most inexhaustible and sublime lessons. Each beat of this Heart is an act of infinite justice, mercy, power, and wisdom. Let us unite ourselves with this divine Heart whenever we are tempted or troubled.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Notes on the History of My Life, 1867
“The Passion is the masterpiece of the love of the Heart of Jesus. His agony is particularly the Passion of his Heart.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Life of Love towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 7th Meditation
Easter Sunday
“Like Peter and John, let us run towards the risen Jesus. This race will last as long as our short life, with temporary pauses granted by the mercy of God and the love of our Lord. Let us run, let us leave everything behind for the greater good, and let us never look back.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, “Easter Saturday”
“Because things did not go with Jesus as they thought, the disciples from Emmaus give up everything. This is often our reality. Like them, we have little faith and we want Providence to accommodate our plans.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, “Easter Saturday”
APRIL
Divine Mercy Sunday [Second Sunday of Easter]
“The Heart of Jesus speaks of mercy when he depicted himself in the guise of the father filled with bounty who, in spite of the rejection of his son, doesn’t know how to resist him when he sees him coming in repentance, but who embraces him tenderly, and forgets all the injuries he has received from him.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Day 19
“The mercy of the Sacred Heart is profound. It shines forth in the entire Gospel. Neither the denials of Peter, nor the crimes of the good thief found his mercy wanting.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart, Volume II, 5th Mystery, 1st Meditation
“Is it possible to doubt the goodness of our Lord, his solicitude, his mercy? He who became human for us and died for us, will he neglect to do anything that may be advantageous to us?”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Spiritual Directory
Good Shepherd Sunday [Fourth Sunday of Easter]
“The symbol that recurs most often in the catacombs is that of the Good Shepherd. He is always a loving shepherd, a shepherd with a devoted and generous heart; he is gentle, humble, kind. Place a heart on the chest of this picture of the Good Shepherd and you could not have a better expression of the full mystique of the Sacred Heart.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, January 18, 1891
The Ascension of the Lord
“Let us adore our Lord who ascends into heaven, blessing us in the person of his apostles. Jesus goes to heaven to prepare a place for us. Let us respond to the graces of our Lord and we shall be glorified with him in heaven.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Notes on the History of My Life, Spiritual Notes from 1867-1868
Pentecost
“I will prepare myself for Pentecost, so that afterwards I will take up the apostolate with new zeal. The wounds of Jesus teach me that one doesn’t win heaven except through the cross. His open Heart particularly attracts my love.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, May 17
“Above all, it is the Spirit of love that our Lord wants to give us on this day of Pentecost so that we fulfill his commandments through love. The Holy Spirit is the bond of love. He strengthens us in love, in order to make it obedient and devoted on our part, merciful and generous on his part. It is a bond of friendship and gentle intimacy. Can we conceive anything more desirable that this union, than this love?”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, May 27
April 22: Earth Day
“Do you see this globe which is like the garden of humankind? It has been adorned by a great artist and his students. The artist is God; his students are the people—the artists of Earth. Contact with beauty beautifies the soul; and imposing sights elevate it.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “On the Study of Geography” July 31, 1886
“I am finding it easier to rise up to God through the contemplation of nature. The beauty of the heavens, and the infinity of the stars and the heavenly worlds make a deep impression on me.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, February 1919
MAY
The Most Holy Trinity
“Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Here we have the glorious name which, when invoked, opened the doors of the Church to us; the name which made the treasures of grace descend upon us; the name which produces life and which conserves it; the name which will open heaven to us: it is the name of the Majestic Trinity.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “Sermon for the Feast of the Holy Trinity,” June 8, 1873
“Holy Trinity, it is from your womb that we have all come, and it is to your breast which you wish to call us all to return!”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “Sermon for the Feast of the Holy Trinity,” June 8, 1873
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
“All the sacraments are marvelous gifts of our Lord, but the Eucharist far surpasses the others. For in the others, he gives us his grace; in the Eucharist, he gives us himself.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Life of Love Towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 8th Meditation
“There is a difference between bodily food and spiritual food. In the first, this bread is transformed into us; while in the second, it is we who have the happiness to be transformed into Jesus, as much as our dispositions and our weakness permit.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, September 12
“The Eucharist unites us to the Savior in an intimacy that is symbolized by the union of food with the body. It also unites Christians one to another, as people who participate at the same table.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, September 10
“The purpose of Holy Communion is to associate ourselves with the divinity by uniting ourselves to the holy humanity of Jesus, to his divine Heart.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart III, 1st Mystery, 2nd Meditation
“When we adore the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist, our adoration does not always require many words; there are moments when silence itself is eloquent.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart III, 4th Mystery, 4th Meditation
“Our heart must become a ciborium in which the Eucharistic Heart alone reposes.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart III, 2nd Mystery, 1st Meditation
JUNE: Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
“I leave you the most wonderful of treasures: the Heart of Jesus.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Circular Letters, #40
“Draw near in peace and with confidence. The Heart of God opens to you in the Heart of Jesus.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 2nd Mystery, 1st Meditation
“The Sacred Heart of Jesus is more brilliant than the sun, all aglow with burning love.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart III, 1st Mystery, 4th Meditation
“The Heart of Jesus is always beating for us. Let us love him and have recourse to him.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, January 21, 1868
“In difficulties, let us turn to the Heart of Jesus, and let us strive at every moment to do the will of God, even in little things, so that we may be able to do it in greater matters and become the instruments of his will.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, January 28, 1868
“During this life, the Heart of Jesus will always remain a friendly Heart to us, the Heart of a tender father, of a spouse. He will exercise all his mercy toward those who hasten to him with confidence. Jesus possesses the heart of friend, of a physician, and not the heart of a judge.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart, Volume I, 5th Mystery, 2nd Meditation
“The Sacred Heart of Jesus is all good and filled with love for us. He must, then, sympathize with our miseries—all our infirmities, spiritual and corporal—with infinite tenderness. He has done all this because he is in reality our heart, as we are his Mystical Body.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart, Volume I, 5th Mystery, 1st Meditation
“Let us keep ourselves peacefully and meekly in the presence of the Sacred Heart, under his rays of love, near this hearth of love; let us contemplate his works of love, and a reciprocal love will be born in our heart.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart, Volume I, 2nd Mystery, 3rd Meditation
“The Heart of Jesus is overflowing with tenderness and compassion for all those who suffer, all those who struggle, all those who are hungry, all those who are sick. His is a father’s heart, a mother’s heart, a shepherd’s heart.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Priestly Heart of Jesus, 14th Meditation
“The Sacred Heart of Jesus is all good and filled with love for us. The Sacred Heart sympathizes with all our infirmities, spiritual and corporal, with infinite tenderness. He suffered more from them than we do.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 5th Mystery, 1st Meditation
“Union with the Sacred Heart sums up all the forms of the interior life. It is an act of faith; it tends to the imitation of our Lord; it solicits our love, our reparations; it leads us to intimacy with the Savior.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Interior Life
Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
“The immense love that the Sacred Heart of Jesus holds for the sinner would make Jesus the Lamb of God, who bears all the sins of the world; the Good Shepherd, who runs after the lost sheep; the father of the family, who joyfully receives a repentant prodigal. The work of this love is eternal.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Day 29
“The fruits which our Lord promised through devotion to his Sacred Heart are marvelous: for sinners, it is an ocean of mercy; for indifferent souls, it is a source of fervor; for pious souls, rapid progress toward perfection.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “Devotion to the Heart of Jesus, Gift of Our Time,” June 12, 1885
“The Heart of Jesus is open to receive us. May he be our refuge in times of danger. It is there that we will rediscover the advice and consolation that he had given to us in prayer. May God take hold of our entire heart.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, March 6, 1868
The devotion to the Sacred Heart acts like the sun in the natural world. It warms and revives the spirits of those who understand it. For us, faith in the love of God will bring us back to life, and with it, hope and charity will be reawakened.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “Lenten Sermon,” 1855
“To know Jesus intimately and to love him, is this not the entire basis of the devotion to the Sacred Heart?”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “My Retreat at Braisne,” October 25, 1893
“In imitation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus we must take part in the sufferings of our brothers and sisters. And as we are ‘one heart and one soul in the Heart of Jesus,’ we too, ought to be in some small way the heart of all our brothers and sisters.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 5th Mystery, 3rd Meditation
Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“The first temple and tabernacle in which the Word of God made flesh reposed, in which he reigned with delight and joy, was the purest bosom, the virginal heart, the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Spiritual Directory, Part II, Chapter Two
“Each beat of the Heart of Jesus, has so to speak, its echo in the heart of Mary, so that the love of these two hearts is one, and has one object, one desire; namely, to give oneself to humankind.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 1st Mystery, 6th Meditation
JULY
July 22: St. Mary Magdalene
“Mary Magdalene knows neither fear nor hesitation. The great Sabbath keeps her away from the sepulcher, but she returns to it as early as possible after the Sabbath. She seeks her crucified Jesus. Let us seek Jesus with the eager love of Mary Magdalene.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Spiritual Directory, Part II, Chapter Five
July 29: Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus [SCJ Calendar]
“I love the mystery of Bethany. The pious family of the house in Bethany was dear to the Heart of Jesus. St. John says, ‘Jesus loved Martha, her sister Mary, and Lazarus.’ How happy we would be if we could say that of ourselves—that the Heart of Jesus loves us!”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, July 29
July 31: St. Ignatius of Loyola
“St. Ignatius of Loyola is a model of ardent zeal for the glory of God. He would do everything to restore the glory due to God and to gain souls who would honor and love God. We, too, should burn with desire to gain souls for the Heart of our Savior, and to make amends to him by serving him with fervor.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Spiritual Directory, Part I, Chapter 6
AUGUST
August 28: St. Augustine
“Who better than Augustine has sung the love of God? ‘O God,’ he said, ‘is it possible for someone to know that you are God and not love you?’ No one has better spoken of the side of Jesus opened by the lance in order to let flow blood and water, symbol of the sacraments of the Church. He saw in the wounds of Jesus a refuge for our soul.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, August 28
SEPTEMBER
Labor Day
“Work is the duty of all, a noble duty, which enables us to participate in the creative act of God. Intelligence, will, and hands are images and likenesses of divine activity. Let us work according to our vocation.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, February 16: “The Life of Work”
“Jesus, the maker of the world, strains to lift a piece of wood to assist Joseph. How his youthful Heart must have sympathized with the work, the privations, and the sufferings of the laboring classes of all times.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 2nd Mystery, 6th Meditation
“The hidden life of the Sacred Heart at Nazareth is the ordinary life comprising only obscure acts that attract no attention. It is in these ordinary actions, disdained and scorned as they sometimes are, that we ought to find our sanctity.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 3rd Mystery, 3rd Meditation
“Justice is the foundation of social relationships, and its purpose is to insure individual rights. These rights, whose violation is a crime of outrage against humanity, must be protected. The right to life; the right to a fair remuneration for work; the right not to be crushed by excessive work; the right to the joys of family life; the right of the woman and child not to be consumed by murderous work; and finally, the right to freedom of duty and conscience: these are rights which we ask for, not as a charitable grant, but whose respect and protection we imperatively demand.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Christian Social Manual, Part One, Chapter 7
“Despite a certain amount of superficial progress, the worker is, in many places, less happy than formerly; his needs have grown more than his resources have, if in fact, the latter have not diminished.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Christian Social Manual
“Many workers are experiencing conditions of undeserved misfortune and poverty. We must take prompt and effective measures to help them. The question is not one of charity, but of justice.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “Social Role of the Church and the Priest”
September 15: Our Lady of Sorrows
“The Blessed Virgin Mary was there on the road to Calvary and at the foot of the cross. She is our model. Let us imitate her in our faithfulness, in our devotion to Jesus.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart II, 2nd Mystery, 3rd Meditation
“Mary is the Mother of Sorrows, she is the Queen of Martyrs; she suffered more than others did. A few moments in the amphitheater, a few hours of suffering were enough to make martyrs. The martyrdom of Mary lasted her whole life. The prophecy of Simeon has been fulfilled: ‘your soul will be pierced by a sword’.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, March 30
OCTOBER
October 4: St. Francis of Assisi
“Certainly, of all the similar features between the Heart of Jesus and the heart of Francis, the principle one is love for God. Francis’ life was one of prayer and contemplation; he never tired of conversing with the person who was the object of his affections. Above all, he loved to ponder the mysteries of the Incarnation and Passion, which are the most perceptible manifestations of the great love of our Lord for us. Francis had wanted to give his life to Jesus and Jesus gave his for us.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, October 4
October 16: St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
“Margaret Mary must be very great in heaven. Who, next to Mary, Joseph, and St. John has better understood the Heart of Jesus, sounded its depth, shared its love, and alleviated its sadness?”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, October 16, 1886
“St. Margaret Mary held herself before our Lord as an expectant canvas. On this canvas, our Divine Savior, after the manner of a skilled painter, designed the image of his Heart. It was no lifeless painting, but a living image reproducing in detail the traits of the Divine Master.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, Preliminary Meditation.
NOVEMBER
November 2: The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed
“Our Lord does not ask each day for the sacrifice of our life; but he desires a free and loving offering for the glory of his Sacred Heart. This offering will help to sanctify the hour of our death.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart II, 4th Mystery, 6th Meditation
“Our life is a continuous dying. Every moment slips away from us until we have exhausted all the time that God has allotted to us. Our life is a short series of relations with God, with others, and with ourselves. Our actions have an almost infinite value if they are done in the grace of Jesus Christ because then they are united to his.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, March 26, 1868
“Life is short, and soon it will be necessary to appear before our Lord. Let us carry out each of our acts as we would wish to have done it at the moment of death.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, February 26, 1868
“From time to time, it is a good practice to prepare for death. We must eradicate the past through contrition and absolution, then keep guard over ourselves, and always be ready. In several of his parables, our Lord advises us to do this.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, September 1923
November 16: St. Gertrude
“Jesus took delight in the heart of St. Gertrude because he found there the same outpourings of love, of fidelity, of compassion, of devotion, that he had found in the midst of his friends at Bethlehem, Nazareth, Bethany, and the Cenacle, at Gethsemane, and on Calvary.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Spiritual Directory, “Advice and Counsels: V”
DECEMBER
The Season of Advent
“The Word of God is going to take a heart of flesh to deify matter in some manner. Human love makes it beat; divine love fills it. It is in this Heart that mercy and truth have met, that justice and peace have embraced; it is the place of the eternal kiss between God and humanity.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 1st Mystery, 3rd Meditation
“We simply cannot fathom God’s love; his love cannot be grasped by the human mind; we can only marvel and rejoice gratefully at its generosity towards us. In this plan of love, God deigned to live more intimately with us and make himself one of us. God exalted us by making himself our brother.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 1st Mystery, 2nd Meditation
December 3: St. Francis Xavier
“St. Francis Xavier was not concerned for himself, but sought only the glory of God and the good of souls. He is a powerful protector for our missionaries. Let us not forget to ask his intercession for them.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Spiritual Directory, Part I, Chapter 6; and The Year of the Sacred Heart, December 3
December 25: The Nativity of the Lord
“The mystery of the Incarnation is a mystery of love. It is the mystery of a God so loving humanity as to become human himself. In becoming human, the Son could not cease to be all love, for he would have ceased to be God.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Life of Love towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 6th Meditation
“When we consider all the natural gifts and the marvels of grace, which God has bestowed upon us, it would seem to us that God has been most liberal with us, and that God had given us all that he could give. Yet, God gave us an even greater gift in the Incarnation of his Son.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 1st Mystery, 2nd Meditation
“The contemplation of God’s love for humanity is easy. We live in the midst of the prodigious benefits of his love, for the greatest sign of God’s love for us is the gift of his only begotten Son.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Life of Love towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 30th Meditation
“The Sacred Heart is the incarnate love of God for humanity and of humanity for God. If we examine well all the teachings of our Lord, we shall always find there the teaching of this devoted, generous, and filial love for God. And for all humanity, Jesus as Master, Friend, Brother, and Savior shows a tender, sweet, and strong love.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 4th Mystery, 4th Meditation
“Lord, you want me to become holy like you, merciful like you, patient like you, gentle and generous like you, God like you.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “My Retreat at Braisne,” November 1, 1893
“The Word of God is going to take a heart of flesh to deify matter in some way and to redeem it, as well as the soul of humanity. This Heart is the true mediator between God and humanity; it is the center where everything meets, where all converges: material creation, intelligence, human life, and divine life. Human love makes it beat; divine love fills it. It is in this Heart that mercy and truth have met, that justice and peace have embraced; it is the place of the eternal kiss between God and humanity.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 1st Mystery, 3rd Meditation
December 27: St. John, Apostle and Evangelist
“St. John, being the apostle of love, is the apostle of the Sacred Heart. The purity of his heart permitted a most intimate union with our Lord. Let us study his life and teachings in order to know our Lord, in order to become true disciples and apostles of the Sacred Heart.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Spiritual Directory, Part II, Chapter IV
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, Joseph
“With confidence, pious souls often pronounce these sacred names: Jesus, Mary, Joseph. But don’t content yourself in invoking them; imitate them.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, January 24
SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS
“The Church is the common mother of the rich and poor, it is true, but are not the poor her special children? Does she not have a natural and legitimate preference for them? Is it not for them that she has established the majority of her works?”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “An Ecclesiastical Congress at St. Quentin”
“We are disciples of Christ, whose Heart seems to be more inclined towards the unfortunate classes, and who embraces the small and oppressed with a more tender charity.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “Religious Liberty, Yes, But Economic Liberation Also”
“Christ does not give the poor charity alone, but also justice, esteem, and respect.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Notes on the History of My Life, XI: 34
“What is the politics of the Gospel? What were the social goals of the Savior? He came to uplift the humble.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “Christian Democracy,” 1900
“Nothing has a foundation without justice. Nothing endures except through justice.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “The Pope: Hopes and Forebodings,” 1894
“The reform of society requires multiple and persistent efforts. More than one instrument is necessary: prayer, study, action. We are not exempted from acting because the evil is great and our capabilities limited.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “Religious Liberty, Yes: But Economic Liberation Also,” 1897
“Contemporary society has surrendered to capitalism and money fever. The Stock Exchange is becoming the center of national life in its entirety. Humble, patient work has been forsaken. The lure of easy profits turns everyone’s head.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “Capitalism in Modern Societies,” 1895
“Purely private and personal Christianity is a false, or at least seriously incomplete Christianity. We must be social Christians who bring about the reign of Christ in social life as in private life.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “Social Action of the Third Order of St. Francis”
“Social justice is willed by God, for the same reason as private virtue. And furthermore, private virtue will be sterile without social justice.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “Christian Democracy”
“There are still some fine people who are visibly upset at the very term, ‘social programs,’ so afraid are they, undoubtedly, of being obliged to do something.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “The True Causes and Remedies of the Contemporary Malaise”
“One of the purposes of society is precisely to assist members of the human family, through good social organization, to escape from the grip of misery. The earth is rich enough to sustain us all and even to allow us to live in modest comfort. No sensible person can believe that the poverty of the majority is a law of nature.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Christian Social Manual, Chapter 2
“Those whose mission it is to devote themselves to the works of mercy ought to be inspired by the tender compassion of the Heart of Jesus. In imitation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we must take part in the sufferings of our brothers and sisters.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 5th Mystery, 3rd Meditation
“Christ has been dismissed from political life and economic life. He wants to return with the benefits he can bring, with the reign of justice and charity.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Christian Social Renewal, “Preface”
“Every person has inalienable dignity, duties, and rights. Whatever social class one belongs to, every person is endowed not only with a living body, but also with an intelligent, free, and immortal soul which God created. Having come from God, this soul should serve God and return to God.”
Leo John Dehon, Christian Social Manual, Chapter One
“The Providence of God never puts us in a relationship with our neighbor without the purpose of being a benefit to him.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, February 17, 1868
“Charity is not enough for the people. They demand social justice, and with good cause.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Chronique des Comités #10, October 1898
SPIRITUALITY
“God is above us to protect us; below us to support and carry us; around us to look after and to meet our needs; in us to preserve us and to show us his love.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, December 21
“Those who have little confidence in Jesus have unfortunately too much confidence in themselves.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 5th Mystery, 6th Meditation
“There is nothing that God would not do to draw the sinner out of the pit into which he has fallen. The sinner’s conversion has such a great effect on God’s happiness that you would think that God is asking him for a favor.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Retreat with the Sacred Heart, 5th Meditation
“Our whole vocation, our purpose, our duties, our promises are found in these words: ‘Behold, I come, O God, to do your will’ and ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Spiritual Directory, Part I:3
“I noticed that the saints generally had a motto that served to inspire them. For myself, I adopted, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’ I could find nothing more suitable for solidifying and maintaining union with God.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Notes on the History of My Life, 1866
“Holiness consists in carrying out the simple actions of one’s state in life in union with God.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, May 20, 1868
“God derives more honor and we reap greater benefit from a simple act done in accord with his will than from an extraordinary deed which he did not ask of us.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, February 1, 1868
“What you have understood and have experienced when the grace of God poured out upon you, put this into practice, bring it to fulfillment at every moment with faith and fear, with hope, but above all with love.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, November 20, 1869
“I will welcome everything as coming from the hand of God. I will submit to his holy will with resignation and I will count on his goodness with a full and complete confidence.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, My Retreat at Braisne, October 19, 1893
“In order to be humble, we do not have to deny the good that is in us, but we have to direct the honor to God.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, My Retreat at Braisne, November 5, 1893
“People err in seeing sanctity only in its outward manifestations. Our Lord, in his hidden life at Nazareth, gives us a different lesson; it is to perform, in an uncommon manner, the most ordinary actions with perfect love.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 3rd Mystery, 3rd Meditation
“The simplest way of serving God is to serve by love. It is, indeed, the gentlest way. Fear intimidates; hope is not without a certain uneasiness, but love knows neither the torments of fear nor the alarm of hope.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Life of Love towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 2nd Meditation
“We can be without anxiety; the will of God will make itself known at every moment. But, should darkness and uncertainty fill our mind and heart, let us persevere with patience and love, until it pleases the wisdom and goodness of God to enlighten us again with his light.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Spiritual Directory, Part I:3
“Heaven is the abode and the reward of love. The measure of your love here below will be the measure of your love in heaven. There is no other distinction among the elect than that of charity.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Retreat with the Sacred Heart, 16th Meditation
“Those who give themselves to works of charity ought not to omit contemplation if they wish to accomplish these works as true disciples of the Heart of Jesus in the tender and continuous remembrance of this divine Heart. Love for the Sacred Heart is profitable in all good works.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 5th Mystery, 3rd Meditation
“We cannot work effectively at the reign of the Sacred Heart in souls if we do not first make him reign fully in ourselves.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ
“When we offer our prayers to God—and every good work is a prayer—we unite them to those of our brother whose Sacred Heart is a thousand times more loving than our own.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Priestly Heart of Jesus, Introduction
“We have only one thing to do to be holy: the will of God. This is the secret of happiness and holiness.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Cahiers Falleur, September 10, 1886
“We should fix our gaze on Jesus and see him everywhere and always. We should give the greatest care to all our duties, even in small things, doing all for the love of Jesus and in the spirit of reparation.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Spiritual Directory, Part II, Chapter Three
“The heart which is meek loves to make alms of a smile, to provide people a bit of joy and happiness. Let us be like a ray of sunshine in spring, among the annoyances, the sufferings, the thousand pains of life, which afflict our brothers and sisters; like a ray that enlightens, that warms, that dispels the clouds, which pleases the poor, the sick, the abandoned. The meek soul is a force, a power; nothing can resist it.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, July 7
“The soul in which peace resides knows to forgive an offense, not to raise a hurtful word, let pass a behavior that offends, and sacrifice oneself in silence. In his family or his community, this soul is an angel of peace, reconciliation, and union.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, July 13
“Many souls complicate matters in the practice of pure love, but it’s quite simple. Our Lord has taught us, first of all, to offer to God the homage of pure love, then to pray to him for our needs. It is all there in the Lord’s Prayer. The first half is all about pure love: ‘Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done.’ The second half of the prayer is for our needs: ‘Give us this day our daily bread’.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, March 1925
“Love is a soaring of the soul toward God.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart II, 5th Mystery, 4th Meditation
“We must swim in the love of the Sacred Heart as a fish in water; we must immerse ourselves in this celestial atmosphere like the birds of the air.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart III, 1st Mystery, 4th Meditation
“We do willingly that which we do out of love. Love closes its eyes to difficulties; it sacrifices its own interests; it makes and believes everything possible.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Life of Love towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 2nd Meditation
“Nothing so expands the heart as love.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Life of Love towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 23rd Meditation
“Nothing is too costly for the heart which loves.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Life of Love towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 31st Meditation
“Let us be like a white canvas before our Lord so that he may imprint the seal of his Heart upon us.”
Leo John Dehon, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, Preliminary Meditation
“I belong to Jesus more than the painting belongs to the painter, because he has drawn me from nothingness and I always depend on him.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Cahiers Falleur VI:18
“Because we often fall again, should we be discouraged? Not at all if we know how to get up immediately and show a fidelity, if not constant, at least constantly being renewed. The fall is quickly forgotten by our Lord, when we always get up courageously.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Cahiers Falleur II:13
“Always stay young at heart, in action and in zeal.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “Speech to Alumni of St. John Institute,” August 8, 1907
“Let us live the life of faith before God, considering our life as a day that is given to us to determine our eternity.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, March 5, 1868
“This is sanctity: to perform, in an uncommon manner, the most ordinary actions with perfect love.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 3rd Mystery, 3rd Meditation
“The universe will pass away, but God remains forever. If you possess God you are far richer than if the entire world were at your disposal.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Life of Love Towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 4th Meditation
“In order to be humble, we do not have to deny the good that is in us, but we have to direct the honor to God.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, “My Retreat at Braisne,” November 5, 1893
“Peace of heart is the fundamental point of holiness and happiness. It results from the absolute submission of abandonment to the will of God.”
Leo John Dehon, Daily Notes, March 26, 1888
“Charity is like the Heart of God beating in our heart. We contemplate his love in all its great manifestations: creation, the Incarnation, Redemption.”
Leo John Dehon, Daily Notes, January 1919
“Each one of our hearts should be a fiber of the Heart of Jesus and ought no longer beat except under the impulse of the beatings of the Heart of Jesus.”
Leo John Dehon, Crowns of Love for the Sacred Heart I, 3rd Mystery, 4th Meditation
“Since pride is often the rock against which charity happens to be bruised, let us keep our eyes open to our own faults and closed to the faults of others.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Spiritual Directory, Part VI:5
“God’s will is known at all times, but if at some time darkness and uncertainty fill the heart and mind, let us persevere in this state with patience and confidence until it pleases the divine wisdom and goodness to let its light shine again.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Year with the Sacred Heart, March 25
FRIENDSHIP
“What a great gift of God a pious friend is!”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Notes on the History of My Life, 1843-1864
“A good friendship is such a pleasant and holy thing.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Notes on the History of My Life, 1869
“If our friendships are holy, they will be eternal, and the absence of friends will be less noticeable because they will be present to us in the Heart of Jesus.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, January 19, 1870
PRIESTS OF THE SACRED HEART
“Let us resolve to be apostles to the extent that grace calls us to this, and let us respond to this grace as did the apostles, without hesitating for a single instant.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, The Retreat with the Sacred Heart, 33rd Meditation
“I would like to see no one come to us who does not leave a better person. Is not the special grace of the Priests of the Sacred Heart to touch the hearts of all?”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Daily Notes, November 19, 1886
“Where does charity most fittingly belong than in the family of the Heart of Jesus? Therefore, let brotherly union, mutual support, and affability exist among us at all times; and if through human weakness any trace of unfriendliness should ever arise in our relations, let us rival one another in eagerness to repair the harm by humbly apologizing.”
Leo John Dehon, SCJ, Circular Letters, #1
“Truth and charity have been the two great passions of my life, and I have only one desire, that they may be the only two attractions of the Congregation that I leave behind, if this be pleasing to God.”
Leo John Dehon, Daily Notes, March 29, 1887
