Seeking the Heart of Christ

Margaret Rash reviews a collection of reflections by St. Claude La Colombière, the confessor to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. 

Seeking the Heart of Christ: Christian Reflections on the Interior Life

By Saint Claude La Columbière; compiled and translated by Brandon P. Otto

Published by TAN Books

The collection of reflections, Seeking the Heart of Christ: Christian Reflections on the Interior Life by Saint Claude La Colombière, compiled and translated by Brandon P. Otto, includes various reflections by Colombière on different aspects of prayer, repentance, the Mass, and more. 

The relatively brief chapters, broken up by topic, makes it easy to jump from topic to topic with ease. Also, the hardcover edition is beautiful and a delight to hold and read while you pray and journal along during your meditation time. 

Wisdom for the Ages  

Colombière doesn't pull any punches in his sermons compiled in this book. Some of the reflections from his sermons included here were quite difficult to read, but that doesn't make them less true.   

In particular, the sections “On Death” and “On Hell” were very encouraging of repentance, which is good for anyone; we should remember eternity and have the goal of heaven ever in mind. The “fire and brimstone” language, however, may or may not be beneficial for certain readers. While the wisdom and truth is there, different personalities will respond differently to this style of teaching. 

Again, the section, “On Adversities” was an honest look at how struggles and difficulties in life can bring us closer to God as we accept our crosses and offer up our sacrifices. However, there is an example given of losing a child that some may find a difficult approach to this truth. Full disclosure: I have personally had two miscarriages, and while I can see the truth in what Colombière is saying in this section, it was hard for me to not be a little hurt by the language. 

All that being said, there is beautiful wisdom and love of Jesus in these pages; these are the words of a saint inspiring us to become saints ourselves. The love, respect, and fear of God that Colombière exhibits are inspirational.   

I found, in particular, the sections on virtue, desire, and the Mass to be helpful. A quote that stuck with me, well after I finished the book, was this: 

Desire is the love of an absent good. (17) 

This short quote kept rattling around in my brain, as the section on desire expounds on this, explaining that the more we have something, the more we want, and the desire leads to unhappiness. The logical conclusion being to desire less or to desire God more.  This may be simplistic, but it really struck a chord with me. 

A Good Daily Devotional for Meditation 

I used this book as a devotional, reading it bit by bit and taking the content to prayer. The chapters are not too long, a handful of pages on each topic, so that it could be read a chapter a day. You could also break it down into smaller chunks, depending on how much time you set aside to read and really digest the information. 

I recommend this collection of reflections for someone wishing to dig deeper into their own interior life and relationship with God. 

Is this a book you'd like to read? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2025 Margaret Rash
Images: (top) detail from cover