Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey, Apostle of The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart

This is a replica of an image of the Sacred Heart that was very much loved by Father Mateo.

Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey,
Apostle of The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart

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A LIFE OF FAITH

-It is the spirit of faith that we lack the most. We ought to see Jesus everywhere: in our brothers, in the occurrences of life, in good fortune and bad. Let us be even wiser than the blind man in the Gospel who said to Jesus, "Lord, that I may see." Let us say, "Lord, that I may see YOU, and be blind to all the rest." We are too clever. We reason too much. We would be better off without a head. Then we would have more faith and more light, and we would act in consequence, especially if we had some cross to carry.

"There was once a poor girl confined to a bed of suffering in a Paris hospital. Upon her request, they made the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart in her room. Some time later she wrote to me: 'Father, it is so good to have Jesus near me! I can't move any longer, but I wish I had wings to go and preach to all those who suffer. But no, I don't need wings to love and suffer. I know that suffering is also an apostolate, and that from my bed, I can perhaps preach better than anyone else.' "

Father Mateo went on, saying, "You too have crosses-----happily so! Accept them with faith, yes; but also make the most of them. Suffering earns souls. Never forget it. If the sacrifice seems hard to you, say to Jesus, 'I accept it just the same, and joyously, so that You may reign.' Forget yourselves, think only of Jesus and His interests, and He will take yours in hand and make Saints of you."

LIFE OF LOVE

It is sad but so true that Jesus Christ, Love personified, is not loved. No, He is not loved, or very little. During His apparitions to Saint Margaret Mary, Our Lord said, "Behold this Heart which has so loved men that It has spared nothing, even going so far as to exhaust and consume Itself to prove Its love to them. And in return, I receive from the majority of men only ingratitude, by their irreverence, sacrileges, and by the coldness and contempt with which they treat Me in this Sacrament of love (the Holy Eucharist)."

Father Mateo said, "And you . . . do you want to love, do you want to be hosts for the triumph of Jesus? Belong to Him without reserve. He is the only reality in life; all the rest is nothing!

"Let me tell you about the love of Jesus Christ and His totally Divine charity. I ask the Heart of Jesus that each word I speak may be like a beat of His Merciful Heart . . . What will duplicate the miracle of Cana? What will change the common and perhaps muddy water of our life into generous wine? What will work this miracle? The charity of Jesus Christ! It possesses the almighty power to change, transform and transfigure our poor life and make it a wholly Divine life. His charity urges us. It insists, it wants to have complete control of our heart; it asks and implores us to give our hearts in exchange for His Heart!

"Let us have this science of sciences, the only great science of all the great Saints, the science of the love of Christ. That is really what matters most: to know Christ, His love for us, and to live by His love . . . But how can we prove that we believe in the love of Christ? By loving Him. The complement of faith is charity; for as Saint Thomas says, sanctity does not consist in knowing much, meditating much, thinking much. The great secret of sanctity is to love much. We know that there are great doctors . . . frigid and glacial, erudite men, walking libraries who have absorbed all the knowledge of the geniuses, of Saint Bernard and Saint Thomas, but who do not love like Saint Bernard and Saint Thomas. These frigid scholars have nothing of the charity of Christ . . .

"The charity of the Heart of Jesus is not and cannot be merely a savored joy, a sensation, an emotion. We must leave all of that to false devotion . . . The love of Our Lord is a strong, integral will that consists in wanting God's good pleasure, cost what it may. It is a burning flame that proceeds from the light of faith. It is said, and rightly so, that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. It is all too true! Many souls are content with feeble desires, wanting and not wanting, promising and not delivering, finally remaining midway along the road or exposing themselves to very great chastisements.

"Nevertheless, there are beautiful souls everywhere that nothing can separate from the love of Christ . . . How fine it is to find, even in the world and in the midst of its vanities, hearts in love like the illustrious lovers of Jesus: Lucy, Cecilia and Agnes. I have known one of these privileged souls intimately, and I will take the liberty to say something about it. There was nothing extraordinary about the piety of this child, who was of high social standing, except her wonderful docility to grace. Endowed with rare natural qualities, a fine mind, many talents and a charming simplicity, she was the unique little queen of her family. Her father especially was proud of his daughter. But since he was a rich and worldly man, he never had a thought about the obstacles to virtue his pious child might encounter in the world. He wanted to enjoy her presence and make her the center of attention at all costs. From the time she was barely fifteen, she had to accompany him everywhere. He took his little queen to every ball, every worldly gathering, every banquet, party and play.

"Now, along with her jewels, this young girl, dressed like a princess, wore a rough hair shirt beneath her silken gown. Whenever she was asked to go to a party, she would tearfully beg not to go, but her father would issue his command. So with tears in her eyes, she would dress and and put on her jewels for the occasion. Before leaving, she would cast herself at the feet of the Sacred Heart and exclaim, 'O beloved Jesus, I leave my heart in Your Heart!'

"Then she went where her father wanted her to, but it was the Master alone Who lived in her. Nothing distracted her, nothing diverted her, nothing disturbed her. Her union to Jesus was so deep that there were moments amid hundreds of people, in a theater or at a dance, when she seemed to be in ecstasy. She told me so without realizing it: 'I feel overcome by something like sleep.' It was Our Lord rewarding her courage and fidelity. When they returned at three o'clock in the morning, she would begin a holy hour and remove the hair shirt that had made her bleed . . . She was a holy child, as I can testify after having followed her for many long years. Very rarely have I encountered such a fervent soul. It puts us to shame! You can see, at least, the result ot a great love For the Master in a heart that He has ravished and captivated.

"Almost everywhere, even among pious persons, we find the Crucified One separated from the Cross. People want to love the One Who is crucified without loving His Cross, but the two are inseparable . . . It is regrettable that so many souls are in illusion on this point. Saint Teresa of Avila said that three-quarters of the prayers addressed to God could be summed up in the following invocation: 'From the cross and suffering, deliver us, O Lord!' And they want to be saints! People listen willingly when someone talks about mortification; they admire the penances of the Desert Fathers and can even say, 'My God, I love You.' But let them receive a pin prick or undergo some contradiction, let trials or sickness come their way, let the cross draw near, and they tremble with dread and do not understand how God can let His servants be so harshly tried . . .

"In conclusion, O apostles of the Heart of Jesus, be sources of life. May each of you be able to say, 'I have given myself to God; I am laboring and suffering so that all those I love may have life.' And you will obtain it by living the faith and love I have spoken to you about. Sacrifices, good works, little daily duties, prayers, trials, all become a source of grace for you with far-reaching consequences; and certain souls that Jesus knows and that you talk about to Him, receive the needed and awaited help, comfort and joy, light, courage and salvation. You act long-distance, like a Divine and very real telepathy. Countless supernatural fruits are communicated by the Communion of Saints and the reversibility of merits. You are conquerors, all the while living in peace and silence, escaping from the dangers of the exterior apostolate. And the principle of this fruitful apostolate, which is the principle of the Saints, is the intensity of a great love."
TAKEN FROM Visites et séjours du Père Mateo à l'Abbaye de Sept-Fons, August 1917 and February 1918.

VIEW THE PAINTING COMMISSIONED AND DISPLAYED AT PARAY-LE-MONIAL, FRANCE

Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey, Apostle of The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart

Father Mateo was a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. His health was restored at the shrine of the apparitions of the Sacred Heart in Paray-le-Monial, France, and that is where he conceived the bold plan of conquering the world, family by family, for the Sacred Heart. Pope Saint Pius X "commanded" him to devote his life to this work of Christian and social regeneration, and thus the Work of Enthronement of the Sacred Heart was born. Father Mateo's idea was that by entering a picture or a statue of the Sacred Heart into homes, each household member would be permeated with the love of Christ and would show it by a truly Christian family life. Extending his zeal even further, Father Mateo asked families to mount a successive nighttime honor guard for Jesus, King of their homes. Beginning in 1907, he traveled all over the world for forty years, imploring families not to leave Jesus standing on their doorstep. Until his dying day, he issued publications and launched campaigns in favor of reparatory Communion, daily Mass, the Rosary, and even of recognition of the rights of Christ in the UN. He preached more than seventy retreats in Canada alone.

Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey, the great Apostle of the Sacred Heart passed away in 1960. It is not hard to understand the impact created by his conferences. Though this particular one was addressed to a Trappist community, it nonetheless reveals where lies the true secret of the most beautiful apostolate, even in the world, for all fervent souls who do not preach but who can love, labor, pray and suffer with Jesus.

Can you be an apostle? This question asked by Father Mateo had already been formulated in the hearts of many among us [the Trappist monks in the Abbey of Sept-Fons], or rather in the hearts of all. Can anyone hear of the wonders wrought everywhere by the Work of the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart without wanting to do his little part? But what could we do? We are contemplative religious who have little or no relations with the outside world.

"What do you mean?" Father replied. "You have secluded yourselves for the love of Jesus, the prisoner of love. And as a result of this sacrifice, you would be deprived of the merits of an apostle? That is impossible. It would be unjust. Not only can you be apostles, it is your noble duty to be so!

"What is an apostle? A voice ringing out? Someone who bustles out? Someone who bustles about, who creates a sensation, a sower rushing here and there to sow the good seed? No, a thousand times no! Converting souls, winning them for Jesus Christ, is a supernatural work. Now, the supernatural operates only by means of the supernatural. Knowledge and eloquence alone cannot accomplish that work. It is not scholars or great orators that we need, especially at the present moment; it is Saints. An apostle is a chalice full of Jesus that pours out its overflow upon souls. Be full of Jesus, full of Divine life, and you will be apostles.

"And where can you fill up your soul? Is it not in contemplation, silence, mortification and prayer -----all things that your life is made of? Consequently, who can be an apostle more and better than you? Far from saying that a Trappist cannot be an apostle, I would dare to assert that no one can be one without having the spirit and heart of a Trappist."

This was certainly not the first time anyone had spoken to us about the fruitfulness of our way of life; but up until now, no one had ever done it in such a limpid and convincing manner. A few examples helped us to gain an even better insight into Father's thought.

In Switzerland a parish priest came to him and said, "If you are looking for a soul that could help you, I know one who can.

She is a young girl whose entire body is suffering. All that she has left is her head to think of God and her heart to love Him with. She can't come to church because she is paralyzed, but she would really like to meet you." Father went to see her, and he spoke to her about the apostolate, saying, "I want you to make me a gift of your illness and your sufferings. Are you willing to offer yourself as a victim of love to the Divine Heart in order to be an apostle?" With signs and eye movements, she showed that she understood, and that from then on she would offer herself for the extension of the Work of Enthronement.

Here is another example that provides obvious proof of the tender delicacy of the Heart of Jesus:

Father had gone to preach in Lyons. Although large crowds had come to hear him, when it was time to leave he was
disappointed and pained, and after his Mass the morning of his departure, he said simply to Our Lord during his thanksgiving, "Lord, You know I am leaving with a heavy heart, because I have not met a single soul here who is ready to pray, love and suffer for the Work. If this Work I am preaching is to bear any fruit here, send me one of those little and generous souls who, following the example of Sister Therese of the Child Jesus, will offer herself up to pray, love and suffer for the reign of Your Heart." He had said this prayer three or four times when someone came and interrupted him, saying, "Reverend Father, there's a poor working girl at the door, a little nuisance who insists on seeing you and talking to you. But don't bother, I'll tell her to go away. All right?"

"Oh no, bring her in."

And the young girl was brought in. "Father," she said, "I heard you speaking about the Work. I would like to do something, too. If you need a little soul who, following the example of Sister Therese of the Child Jesus, offers herself to pray, love and suffer, please tell me."

Stupefied, Father remained silent when he saw with what eagerness Jesus had answered his scarcely-formulated request. Thinking he had not understood very well, the young worker started over:

"Father, didn't you understand? I would like to be a little soul like Sister Therese of the Child Jesus, who prays, loves and suffers for the reign of the Sacred Heart . . . Will you accept me?"

"Yes, certainly, my daughter."

"In that case, Father, come to the chapel. I'll make my oblation to Jesus, and you will ask Him to ratify it."

Father Mateo could only bless the Lord. Now he could leave Lyons: the Work would be accomplished because there was a soul who accepted to pray and sacrifice herself unceasingly for the great cause. Father went on to say:
"Sometimes people say, 'Here is what Father Mateo is doing!' How simple can you be? Do you know who the true apostles of the Sacred Heart are, those who work the wonders I told you about and the others, far more numerous, that I am not at liberty to tell you about? It is these little souls, so very simple and above all very self-forgetful, that I encounter everywhere: in the Court of Spain and in castles, just as well as in little cottages and among the beggars at church doors. These are the ones who by offering themselves as a holocaust to the Sacred Heart in order to love, pray and suffer, are bringing about the reign of Jesus, King of Love.

"Do you also want to be counted as an apostle? From Father Abbot to the last Lay Brother, you can be one, but on one condition: you must be Saints, at least through effort and sincere desire. Now you will say, 'That is very difficult, very complicated!' On the contrary, nothing could be simpler."

And then, not without a hint of irony, Father Mateo told the Trappists about certain biographies that seemed to have been written for the express purpose of discouraging souls of good will. Stories of Saints who never sleep, never eat, never drink, never have any passions or undergo any temptations or combats, like the good foundress of a certain congregation who, if anyone were to believe her biography, had the genius of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the eloquence of Saint John Chrysostom, the purity of Saint Agnes, the meekness of Saint Francis de Sales, the seraphic soul of Saint Francis of Assisi, and on and on. And Father Mateo added, "If all that were true, surely the Blessed Trinity must not have known what to do when the time came to choose the Mother of God, and no doubt He was obliged to draw lots to decide whether it would the Blessed Virgin or that good soul.

"No, the Saints are not little Angels fallen ready-made from Heaven. With the exception of the most pure and most immaculate Virgin Mary, they all had to endure temptations and combats. And this ought to be an encouragement for us. If they did it, why can't I?

"So then, what is a Saint?" continued Father Mateo. "Here is the definition that I think is a sound one: A Saint is a person who lives by faith and love."