Table Of ContentPRAISE FOR
In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart
—The Journal of a Priest at Prayer
“The immeasurable and unceasing love of God, revealed to us in the
glorious pierced Heart of Jesus, ever present in the Holy Eucharist,
must be the foundation of the life of every priest. In Sinu Jesu
recounts the graces experienced in the life of one priest through the
healing and strengthening power of Eucharistic adoration. At the
same time, it issues an urgent call to all priests—and, indeed, to all
Christians—to be renewed in holiness through adoration of the Most
Blessed Sacrament and consecration to the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces. It is my fervent hope that In Sinu
Jesu will inspire many priests to be ever more ardent adorers of the
Eucharistic Face of Jesus, and thus find the strength and courage to
show forth the Face of Christ in the midst of our profoundly
secularized society.”—HIS EMINENCE RAYMOND LEO
CARDINAL BURKE, Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of
Malta
“Reading In Sinu Jesu has opened my heart to a deeper awareness of
what occurs when I spend time before the Savior hidden and revealed
in the Holy Sacrament. This can be summed up in one word:
Friendship. Deep consolation and a renewed gratitude for Him as He
draws His friends to Himself—these are the fruits of following the
meditations of this book. It will fill hearts with encouragement and
joy.”—FR. HUGH BARBOUR, O.Praem., Prior, St. Michael’s
Abbey of the Norbertine Fathers
“Upon first reading the words of the Journal of a Priest at Prayer, a
seed was planted deep within me. The words spoken to him in the
intimacy of the chapel bring such comfort, courage, and light—a
longing to be with the Lord, gazing upon and adoring His Eucharistic
Face and offering ourselves and our lives in reparation for sins
against Love. I rejoice that the Lord has chosen this moment in time
to share His desire for Eucharistic adoration through the publication
in its entirety of In Sinu Jesu .”—FR. DAVID ABERNETHY C.O.,
Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, Pittsburgh
“ In Sinu Jesu has the power to inflame the desire for Eucharistic
adoration. It is a powerful expression of Our Lord’s thirst to draw us
deeper into His friendship, to heal wounds, and thus to renew the
Church. For several years now its inspired words have accompanied
me in my priestly ministry: attracting, comforting, strengthening, and
touching my heart whenever I am in danger of forgetting my ‘first
love.’ May this book cause a revolution of Love and conquer many
hearts!”—FR. JOACHIM SCHWARZMÜLLER, Krefeld, Germany
“ In Sinu Jesu is a beautiful and powerful work saturated with the
kind of contagious love and holiness that can only come from
reclining—like His beloved disciple—upon Christ’s breast, hearing
Him whisper words of consolation and encouragement for us all. Its
pages breathe a Johannine spirituality that welcomes also the Blessed
Mother into our homes and hearts, drawing us toward more intimate,
joyous union with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”—KEVIN
VOST, Psy.D., author of The Porch and the Cross
“We sometimes dismiss the interior voice, thinking that because it is
within, it must be our own. But does God not dwell deep within us?
Can he not speak, then, to the heart? This listener has heard Christ
invite priests and all the faithful back to the Sacrament of Love. He
has heard a call to draw near to the place where Christ tabernacles in
the midst of his people, there to adore the Eucharistic Face of Christ.
Here the power bestowed in the sacrament of orders is strengthened
for a more selfless ministry.”—DAVID W. FAGERBERG,
University of Notre Dame, author of Consecrating the World
In Sinu Jesu
When Heart Speaks to Heart—
The Journal of a Priest at Prayer
In Sinu Jesu
When Heart Speaks to Heart—
The Journal of a Priest at Prayer
By
A Benedictine Monk
Introduction by
A Benedictine Oblate
First published in the USA
by Angelico Press
© Angelico Press 2016
All rights reserved
NIHIL OBSTAT
Peter A. Kwasniewski, PhD
Censor Deputatus
IMPRIMATUR
+ Most Reverend Michael Smith, DCL
Bishop of Meath
Mullingar, October 11, 2016
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, without permission
For information, address:
Angelico Press
4709 Briar Knoll Dr.
Kettering, OH 45429
angelicopress.com
ISBN 978-1-62138-219-5 (pb)
ISBN 978-1-62138-220-1 (cloth)
ISBN 978-1-62138-221-8 (ebook)
Cover photograph of a stained glass window
from the Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart
at Georgetown University, by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.
Cover design: Michael Schrauzer
CONTENTS
Introduction
IN SINU JESU
Appendix I: Prayers from In Sinu Jesu
Appendix II: Words about These Words:
Introduction
by a Benedictine Oblate
THIS BOOK is a remarkable testament of a friendship that transcends all earthly
measures. In its pages, we see the Hound of Heaven pursuing a priest with the
exquisite gentleness of one who would win his heart’s love, the inexorable
purpose of one who would show him mercy, and the compassion of one who
would bring healing and peace.
It also resoundingly demonstrates the truth that when God chooses one out
of many—when He chooses an Abraham or a Moses, the blessed Virgin Mary,
or the founders of monastic movements and religious congregations—He always
does so in order to bless a multitude, fashion a people, form a nation. He does
something extraordinary for one, so that His word may radiate outward to
countless souls and His grace be sought with renewed eagerness. He chooses the
one not as an isolated exception or arbitrary preference, but as the humble centre
around which a great circle will be drawn, a blazing hearth around which many
can gather, be warmed, and find fellowship.
We could call it the principle of incarnation: God does not save us one-
sidedly or generically, He does not speak vaguely or at random. He comes to us
as a man, as this man, with His own voice, articulate words, clear doctrine, and
commandments of life, to which we must respond with the very powers He
placed within us for that response. He comes with the offer of His friendship,
and invites us to reciprocate. In spite of our smallness, our weakness, and our
unworthiness, He seeks us as His own, and grants us His precious and very great
promises, that we may escape from the corruption that is in the world, and
become partakers of His divine nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4).
In 2007, Our Lord and Our Lady began to speak to the heart of a priest
who was greatly in need of their intervention—something that could truthfully
be said of all of us in our spiritual poverty. The priest was prompted to write
down what he heard, first and most obviously for his own benefit, but
increasingly, for the benefit of others who would be touched by these words and
find light and strength in them. 1 Concerning the genesis of the manuscript
reproduced in these pages, he shared with me the following:
Here is the text as I have transcribed it over the years from the
notebooks that I started keeping in 2007. The vocabulary and the
style are mine, but the substance of what I wrote came during prayer,
Description:In 2007, Our Lord and Our Lady began to speak to the heart of a monk in the silence of adoration. He was prompted to write down what he received, and thus was born In Sinu Jesu, whose pages shine with an intense luminosity and heart-warming fervor that speak directly to the inner and outer needs of
