Sign of Salvation The Sacred Heart of Jesus

includes index and biblioraphy

I. Age-old liturgical cult :Salvific images II. Exergesis of saint John : The sign of the one pierced 1. The sign of saint John is cultic 2. The sign of the pierced heart sums up sthis central idea of christianity. 3. The entire Gospel of saint John is structured to bring out the revelation of this sign of salvation . (a) The episode of the piercing of the heart is the key to the Johannine message . (b) Saint John expressly wished to make the pierced heart a salvific symbol III. Progress in the tradition : the symbol of the heart 1.Worship of the heart of jesus as indicated in John 19:37 (a) Saint John directs the attention of the church to the one who hasbeen pierced. (b)Saint john predicts that this attention of the church will be turned unfailingly to the sign of salvation . (C) For saint John it is the sign of the one pierced which will direct the development of chridtian worship. (d) The attention of believers to the pierced christ ought to be one of love and reparation. (e) This attention to the one pierced will bring spiritual benefits . (f) This loving and fruitful attention will entall a certain from of contemplation. 2. Tradition reveals the secret of the heart . (a) The legitimate transition from worship of the wound in Christ`s side to that of his heart surpasses all human logic (b) Only the holy spirit could reveal to the church the meaning hidden in the piercing of christ`s side . (C) One cannot discover the secret of the heart of jesus except through personal contact with the saviour (d) The secret of the heart gives us the secret of the furitfulmess of the paschal mystrey.