St John Eudes and the Sacred Heart
St. John Eudes (1600s) was a saintly priest in France at a time when the Church suffered corrupt clericalism among the rich and powerful. Many Catholics had turned to the heresy of Jansenism, which, stating that human nature was depraved, claimed that perfection was necessary to enter Heaven.
It is only in the union with our Lord’s humanity, where salvation is to be found, that true perfection of living is realized.
St. John Eudes was devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He was one of the first people to promote this devotion. Why? Because the Sacred Heart of our Lord is the source and salvation of life.
He once wrote:
While we live, we are responsible to the Lord, and when we die, we die as his servants. Both in life and death we are the Lord’s. That is why Christ died and came to life again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Finally, you are one with Jesus as the body is one with the head. You must, then, have one breath with him, one soul, one life, one will, one mind, one heart. And he must be your breath, heart, love, life, your all.
These great gifts in the follower of Christ originate from baptism. They are increased and strengthened through confirmation and by making good use of other graces that are given by God. Through the holy Eucharist they are brought to perfection.
There is much to learn from St John Eudes. It’s so easy to convince ourselves we are living in a the worst of times and the case is already lost. The fact is that holiness is the cure for a wounded society. It is the cure for our own sinfulness.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a place of peace in which if we stay, we can be faithful in a world that is lost.
© 2026, Lawain McNeil, Mission Surrender, LLC.