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109. Gradually, the wounded side of Christ, as the abode of his love and the wellspring of the lifeof grace, began to be associated with his heart, especially in monastic life. We know that in thecourse of history, devotion to the heart of Christ was not always expressed in the same way, andthat its modern developments, related to a variety of spiritual experiences, cannot be directlyderived from the mediaeval forms, much less the biblical forms in which we glimpse the seeds ofthat devotion. This notwithstanding, the Church today rejects nothing of the good that the HolySpirit has bestowed on us down the centuries, for she knows that it will always be possible todiscern a clearer and deeper meaning in certain aspects of that devotion, and to gain new insightsover the course of time.110. A number of holy women, in recounting their experiences of encounter with Christ, havespoken of resting in the heart of the Lord as the source of life and interior peace. This was thecase with Saints Lutgarde and Mechtilde of Hackeborn, Saint Angela of Foligno and Dame Julianof Norwich, to mention only a few. Saint Gertrude of Helfta, a Cistercian nun, tells of a time inprayer when she reclined her head on the heart of Christ and heard its beating. In a dialogue withSaint John the Evangelist, she asked him why he had not described in his Gospel what heexperienced when he did the same. Gertrude concludes that %u201cthe sweet sound of those heartbeatshas been reserved for modern times, so that, hearing them, our aging and lukewarm world may berenewed in the love of God%u201d. [98] Might we think that this is indeed a message for our own times, asummons to realize how our world has indeed %u201cgrown old%u201d, and needs to perceive anew themessage of Christ%u2019s love? Saint Gertrude and Saint Mechtilde have been considered among %u201cthemost intimate confidants of the Sacred Heart%u201d. [99]111. The Carthusians, encouraged above all by Ludolph of Saxony, found in devotion to theSacred Heart a means of growth in affection and closeness to Christ. All who enter through thewound of his heart are inflamed with love. Saint Catherine of Siena wrote that the Lord%u2019s sufferingsare impossible for us to comprehend, but the open heart of Christ enables us to have a livelypersonal encounter with his boundless love. %u201cI wished to reveal to you the secret of my heart,allowing you to see it open, so that you can understand that I have loved you so much more than Icould have proved to you by the suffering that I once endured%u201d. [100]112. Devotion to the heart of Christ slowly passed beyond the walls of the monasteries to enrichthe spirituality of saintly teachers, preachers and founders of religious congregations, who thenspread it to the farthest reaches of the earth. [101]113. Particularly significant was the initiative taken by Saint John Eudes, who, %u201cafter preachingwith his confr%u00e8res a fervent mission in Rennes, convinced the bishop of that diocese to approvethe celebration of the feast of the Adorable Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the first timethat such a feast was officially authorized in the Church. Following this, between the years 1670and 1671, the bishops of Coutances, Evreux, Bayeux, Lisieux and Rouen authorized thecelebration of the feast for their respective dioceses%u201d. [102]25