Before getting to the thoughts on Delexit nos, I want to share an experience. We participated in the Funeral Vigil of our friend Deacon Stan last night. We embraced Paula to offer our condolences. She was thrilled to see us. She whispered in my ears that the day Stan died he raised his hands to Heaven and said, “Prepared.”

This was the first time that the superstitions of death did not linger as we viewed the body. It was also the first time my boys saw death. They saw their mom cry over the remains of a dear friend. They consoled mom very naturally.

My first born came to me and he asked if Stan was now a ghost. I said, “He is more like an angel now, in the sense that he is now with Jesus.” He went to sit next to other side of his mom and said, “Mommy, its okay. He is dead but is now with Jesus. Jesus lives in our hearts and that means he [Stan] is in our hearts too.”

I thought to myself, “From the mouth of babes … ” and offered a prayer of gratitude to the Holy Spirit for working in the life of my son. It was a meaningful evening to see many familiar places in a very familiar place.

Today, in reflecting on Delexit nos (125-128), we meet Saint Claude de la Colombière. He was a French Jesuit and confessor to Margaret Mary. As confessor, he helped Margaret Mary understand these apparitions in light of the Gospel. With his help, the feast of the Sacred Heart was established.

After his time in Paray-le-Monial his journey led him to be preacher of the the Duchess of York in London. King Charles II made a significant decision in the heart of a Protestant country. He allowed his brother, Duke of York, to have a chapel staffed by an outside chaplain. Claude de la Colombière preached the love of Christ with profound conviction. As a result, the Duchess took the unprecedented action. She was the first to ask the pope to inaugurate the Solemn Feast of the Sacred Heart.

After facing betrayl in France, Claude made his slow return to Paray-le-Monial. He preached the love of the Sacred Heart during his brief life. He died at the age of 41 in 1682.

Claude de la Colombière is a reminder of the importance of spiritual friendship. Like Benedict and Scholastica or Francis and Claire, we all need a companion. Such a companion can help us understand God’s will with clarity.

Find your spiritual friend who will walk with you on the journey of faith. Such a friend will share your joys and help you carry the cross. These are friends who at every stage in life point you to the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Such friends help us to cling to hope and utter a prayer as beautiful as the one below. It is prescribed by Claude de la Colombière:

My God, I am so convinced that you keep watch over those who hope in you, and that we can want for nothing when we look for all in you, that I am resolved in the future to live free from every care and to turn all my anxieties over to you… I shall never lose my hope.