Episode Details

The Sacred Heart and the Contemplative Life – Building a Kingdom of Love with Msgr. John Esseff

In this reflection, Msgr. John Esseff explores the Sacred Heart through the lens of the contemplative life, asking why so many people fail to recognize God’s immense love. He explains that God continually calls every person into a deeper relationship with Him, yet the noise of self-centeredness often prevents us from hearing His voice. The contemplative, whether living in a monastery or in the ordinary circumstances of daily life, becomes a living bridge between heaven and earth by listening to God and responding with love.

Drawing from the witness of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and above all the Blessed Virgin Mary, Msgr. Esseff describes contemplation as a gift of the Holy Spirit rather than simply the study of theology. True prayer begins by recognizing God’s presence within, where the Holy Trinity already dwells through baptism. As the soul turns inward in humility and attentive listening, it discovers that every grace, every act of love, and every response to God flows from Christ living within.

The reflection concludes with a call to recover contemplation as the foundation of Christian life and evangelization. Msgr. Esseff teaches that the world’s deepest need is not more activity but more souls who truly know God through prayer. Only those transformed by the love of the Sacred Heart can become authentic witnesses, bringing Christ’s light to a world longing for hope, mercy, and communion with the Father.

Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions

1. What distractions keep me from hearing God’s voice in the silence of my heart?
2. How can I become more attentive to the presence of the Holy Trinity dwelling within me?
3. What does true contemplation mean in my daily life?
4. How does humility open my heart to receive God’s love more fully?
5. In what ways is God inviting me to become a witness to His love through a deeper life of prayer?

Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. He was ordained on May 30, 1953, by the late Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, PA. Msgr. Esseff served a retreat director and confessor to St. Teresa of Calcutta. He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity around the world. Msgr. Esseff encountered St. Padre Pio, who would become a spiritual father to him. He has lived in areas around the world, serving in the Pontifical Missions, a Catholic organization established by St. Pope John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world, especially to the poor. Msgr. Esseff assisted the founders of the Institute for Priestly Formation and serves as a spiritual director for the Institute. He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians and other religious leaders around the world.