Does the Eastern Church have a devotion to the Sacred Heart?

[choliks]

I don’t know if this was asked before.

I was looking for images of the Sacred Heart online, and I found this icon. Since I am always drawn to the spirituality and theology behind icons, I wonder if there is a devotion to the Sacred Heart in the Eastern Churches.

I also wonder if you can help me find the theological/spiritual significance of each element in the icon.

drive.google.com/open?id=0B7uX37byGoWBaEdHQkhyU0VVNFk

Thanks!

 

[adamhovey1988]

I don’t know if this was asked before.

I was looking for images of the Sacred Heart online, and I found this icon. Since I am always drawn to the spirituality and theology behind icons, I wonder if there is a devotion to the Sacred Heart in the Eastern Churches.

I also wonder if you can help me find the theological/spiritual significance of each element in the icon.

drive.google.com/open?id=0B7uX37byGoWBaEdHQkhyU0VVNFk

Thanks!

Generally no, but it IS possible to find an icon of the Sacred Heart if you look hard enough.

 

[rcwitness]

I always thought the red and blue “rays” coming out from Jesus’ heart, symbolizes Baptism and the blood of our Communion sacrifice. I’m pretty sure the EO has valid devotions to these

Edit: Sorry, I saw your linked image and thought it was a Divine Mercy image!

 

[Gorgonius]

saintjonah.org/services/akathists.htm

I don’t know about the religious imagery but if you look at the standard prayers used by Orthodox Christians you’ll find a rich devotional heritage focussing on the compassion of Jesus, especially in the Akathist of our Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, the Akathist to the Divine Passion of Christ and the Canon of our Lord Jesus Christ.

While Eastern rite Catholics know these prayers, it’s a shame they are not well known among us in the Western rite.

 

[Casilda]

An Eastern Orthodox monk I know was a little horrified by the image, no sacred heart devotion amongst them. They tend to view anything after the Great Schism in the Latin church as a novelty and therefore suspect. Eastern Catholics are free to accept/reject new Latin revelation/devotions.

 

[Wesrock]

I have seen some Orthodox object to the Sacred Heart devotion as being a revival of the Nestorian heresy, and some seem genuinely repulsed (theologically) of devotion to a human part of Christ (seemingly) apart from the whole of Jesus united to His divinity.

I don’t know if all Orthodox have such a stance, but I’d be interested in the position of Eastern Churches in communion with Rome.

 

[Seamus_L]

Jesus Christ Lover Of Mankind stnicholaschurch.ca/2016/Bulletin%20June_5_2016.pdf

 

[Hospodi_pomilui]

Jesus Christ Lover Of Mankind stnicholaschurch.ca/2016/Bulletin%20June_5_2016.pdf

The Ukrainian Catholics seem, to me at least, to be the Eastern Catholics, or at least Byzantine rite Catholics, most likely to have a devotion to the Sacred Heart. The only Ukrainian Catholic prayer book I have does not include anything, but have seen one Ukrainian pray book with Sacred Heart prayers.

As a private devotion, Eastern Catholics are free to have a devotion to the Sacred Heart. I don’t have a devotion. I view it as a Latin devotion, and avoid mixing Byzantine and Latin devotions. Plus, I am simply not interested. Byzantine practices supply what I need spiritually: icons, the Jesus Prayer, akathists, the liturgical cycle/calender, the Byzantine office, etc. However, I would not criticize an Eastern Catholic who practiced a devotion from another Church. If it is good for the spiritual life, and their spiritual director approves, then it is not my place to interfere. Now, I might introduce them to Eastern practices if I realized they were ignorant of Eastern traditions.

I am bothered when I find a Sacred Heart or Immaculate Heart icon in a Byzantine rite church, but I realize that these are past developments, something from a time when to be “Catholic” meant to do what Latin Catholics did. These types of Latinizations are slowly going away as we find our roots again.

Now if I were part of a Byzantine parish where praying the Rosary before Divine Liturgy existed, I would push to replace it with one of the small hours or better yet Matins. We have a rich liturgical life, and we should not be replacing it with private devotions from outside our own rite.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Mongo]

saintjonah.org/services/akathists.htm

I don’t know about the religious imagery but if you look at the standard prayers used by Orthodox Christians you’ll find a rich devotional heritage focussing on the compassion of Jesus, especially in the Akathist of our Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, the Akathist to the Divine Passion of Christ and the Canon of our Lord Jesus Christ.

While Eastern rite Catholics know these prayers, it’s a shame they are not well known among us in the Western rite.

There is no devotion to a particular part of Jesus or a stage of his life. The mercy of but there is no particular devotion.

 

[Mongo]

I have seen some Orthodox object to the Sacred Heart devotion as being a revival of the Nestorian heresy, and some seem genuinely repulsed (theologically) of devotion to a human part of Christ (seemingly) apart from the whole of Jesus united to His divinity.

I don’t know if all Orthodox have such a stance, but I’d be interested in the position of Eastern Churches in communion with Rome.

Generally it is probably similar among byzantines as it is with the orthodox, but the maronites might be a little more accepting.

 

[Vico]

I don’t know if this was asked before.

I was looking for images of the Sacred Heart online, and I found this icon. Since I am always drawn to the spirituality and theology behind icons, I wonder if there is a devotion to the Sacred Heart in the Eastern Churches.

I also wonder if you can help me find the theological/spiritual significance of each element in the icon.

drive.google.com/open?id=0B7uX37byGoWBaEdHQkhyU0VVNFk

Thanks!

In general no. Catholic Encyclopedia shows it is a western devotion:

Hence the devotion is based entirely upon the symbolism of the heart. It is this symbolism that imparts to its meaning and its unity, and this symbolism is admirably completed by the representation of the Heart as wounded. Since the Heart of Jesus appears to us as the sensible sign of His love, the visible wound in the Heart will naturally recall the invisible wound of this love. This symbolism also explains that the devotion, although giving the Heart an essential place, is but little concerned with the anatomy of the heart or with physiology. Since, in images of the Sacred Heart, the symbolic expression must dominate all else, anatomical accuracy is not looked for; it would injure the devotion by rendering the symbolism less evident. It is eminently proper that the heart as an emblem be distinguished from the anatomical heart: the suitableness of the image is favourable to the expression of the idea.

…

Little by little the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on 31 August, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated with great solemnity in the Grand Seminary of Rennes … However, in 1765, it [The Holy See] finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast [of the Sacred Heart] was received quasi officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the universal Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Church to the double rite of first class.

Bainvel, J. (1910). Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. newadvent.org/cathen/07163a.htm

Also from Modern Catholic Dictionary:

In 1925, Pope Pius XI ordered a formal Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to be publicly recited annually on the feast of Jesus Christ the King.

 

[Kielbasi]

I’m would be surprised if there wasn’t some devotion to the Sacred Heart- among Greek Catholics living in America and elsewhere in the west.

Greek Catholics have lived among their Latin neighbors for more than a century in America, often marrying them and attending their schools, I think it would be intuitive that such a popular devotion would rub off to a degree.

 

[Kenny_Kamel]

Now if I were part of a Byzantine parish where praying the Rosary before Divine Liturgy existed, I would push to replace it with one of the small hours or better yet Matins. We have a rich liturgical life, and we should not be replacing it with private devotions from outside our own rite.

Just my 2 cents.

I would like to chime in to say that as a Latin Rite Catholic in a Byzantine Catholic Parish this is one of the things that I find most attractive in regards to Eastern Christianity. In my experience it seems like the Western Church, Roman Rite in particular, has an overwhelming focus on daily Eucharistic liturgy and regular practice of private devotions with little else.

 

[Seamus_L]

People will argue this till doomsday, but the reality is that Sacred Heart devotions can be found in a fair number of Eastern Catholic churches around the world.

 

[Kielbasi]

People will argue this till doomsday, but the reality is that Sacred Heart devotions can be found in a fair number of Eastern Catholic churches around the world.

I haven’t been “around the world”, but I’ll take your word for it.

I’m not surprised that you’d see it in areas like the United States or Canada because of the overall demographics of the areas, but a little bit curious as to its roots in majority-Greek Catholic areas.

 

[Augustine]

I always thought the red and blue “rays” coming out from Jesus’ heart, symbolizes Baptism and the blood of our Communion sacrifice. I’m pretty sure the EO has valid devotions to these.

In the East, red, a fleshly color, symbolizes the humanity of Jesus and blue, a heavenly color, His divinity.

 

[twf]

An Eastern Orthodox monk I know was a little horrified by the image, no sacred heart devotion amongst them. They tend to view anything after the Great Schism in the Latin church as a novelty and therefore suspect. Eastern Catholics are free to accept/reject new Latin revelation/devotions.

Some Orthodox are more ecumenically minded when it comes to such matters. A reaction of “horror” seems a bit much…
There are post-schism novelties among the Orthodox as well…even if they like to deny it. Believe it or not 21st century Orthodox is not 100% identical to 10th century Orthodoxy.

 

[MorEphrem]

Some Orthodox are more ecumenically minded when it comes to such matters. A reaction of “horror” seems a bit much…

To be honest, the reaction of horror is fairly ubiquitous outside the Latin Church. The Oriental Orthodox are also generally perturbed by the Sacred Heart devotion. I find it disturbing when taken past a metonym for the mercy of Christ.

Is there an organic Sacred Heart devotion in the East? No.

 

[twf]

To be honest, the reaction of horror is fairly ubiquitous outside the Latin Church. The Oriental Orthodox are also generally perturbed by the Sacred Heart devotion. I find it disturbing when taken past a metonym for the mercy of Christ.

Is there an organic Sacred Heart devotion in the East? No.

I think those who act with “horror” are taking it much too literally. There’s also a big difference between being perturbed and being horrified. The Sacred Heart represents His divine love and mercy united with his humanity. The heart has long been used as an icon of sorts for the seat of man’s love. I have never in any context come over anything that remotely suggests a literal devotion to the beating flesh and blood organ in Our Lord’s chest… though of course there is powerful symbolism even there for His physical heart was pierced and from it gushed water and blood…the fonts of the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. That is an Eastern image…taught by the Eastern Fathers. If Eastern Fathers like St. John Chrysostom meditated on the Lord’s pierced heart and made the connection between the water and blood with the sacraments, as they did, I would argue that a sort of mystical Sacred Heart devotion existed in the East long, long, long before it did in the West. The only issue the East has here seems to boil down to the depiction of a visible red heart on Our Lord’s chest in iconography / statuary.
I’m pretty sure images of the Sacred Heart have made their way into some Oriental Orthodox circles? Much more so than in the Byzantine world anyway.