A Letter on Practice of Devotion to Sacred Name of Jesus

The eternal God asks a favor of his bride: "Hold me close to your heart, close as locket or bracelet fits."

My dear children, I send you this letter so that you will always have something in your souls' mouth which will nourish and encourage your heart and spirit with love for the tender, delightful Eternal Wisdom. This is the source of the most perfect occupation we can have in this world, while we await the pure vision, the immediate embrace, and the unending participation of the Godhead. We should often think of God's love, languish for his love, often speak about him, often meditate on his words, perform all our actions for him, and think of him alone.

The eye should look at him; the ear should listen to his desires; heart, soul, and emotions should tenderly embrace him. If we have offended him, we should supplicate him; if he exercises us, we should bear with him; if he hides himself, we should seek our Beloved and not desist until we have found him; when we have found him, we should embrace him tenderly and reverently.

No matter whether we walk or stand still, eat or drink, we should at all times wear the golden locket "Jesus" upon our heart. If we are unable to do anything else, we should press his image upon our souls with our eyes and revolve this gracious name in our mouth. We should think of it so often during the day that we will dream of it during the night. We should fervently exclaim with the prophet Jeremiah: "Good is the Lord to one who waits for him, to the soul that seeks him.” (Lam 3:25) Behold, this is the best practice you can acquire. The crown of all spiritual exercises is fervent prayer, and everything else must be subordinated to it as to the final goal.

What else do they do in heaven except contemplate and love the gracious Beloved, love and praise him? Therefore, the more tenderly we press the divine love to our hearts, and the more often we gaze upon it and embrace it with the arms of our heart, the more will we be embraced by him here and in eternal bliss.

Take, for example, the great lover of God, St. Paul. He lovingly inscribed the sweet name of Jesus in the deepest depths of his heart. At his martyrdom, when his head had been severed from his holy body, the head spoke three times: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!” During his excruciating martyrdom, St. Ignatius repeated the Name of Jesus with intense fervor. When he was asked the reason for this, he replied that the Name of Jesus was engraved in his heart. After his death, the astonished executioners opened his heart and found written in golden letter: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”