THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
"Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word."(St. Luke 1:38)
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which was raised to an Obligatory Memorial for the whole world to celebrate by Pope John Paul II. Even the Gospel Reading for Mass, from St. Luke, is obligatory, and this Feast follows Our Lord's Feast of His Sacred Heart. Two Hearts joined together, like the image on the back of the Miraculous Medal, pictured above and of course I wear!
This Feast, then, is expressive of the holy harmony between the Heart of Mary and the Heart of God! Let's look at the beauty of Mary's Heart and how Her Heart was united with God and also Mary's love for all mankind.
Mary's Heart was excellent.
The heart is the center of our emotions and it is the most powerful organ of the human body. Those who understand its workings are in awe and admiration that God created such a thing. God was certainly pleased with His creation, but how much more pleased was He with the Heart of Mary because it was more like His own Heart, sinless!
Our Lady's Immaculate Heart was the conservatory of all the virtues: humility, detachment, lively faith, submission to the Will of God, burning charity, courage, constancy and every other virtue in the highest degree.
Mary's Heart was in harmony and union with God.
From all eternity God had chosen Mary because He knew She would be in perfect harmony with His plan. As a little child, Our Lady presented Herself in the Temple and consecrated Her life to Almighty God. Then in God's designated time, She left the Temple and in Her teenage years was told by the Angel that She was to become the Mother of God. At Her Fiat, She became the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, who overshadowed Her, causing three drops of Her Immaculate blood to leave Her Heart and form the body and blood of the God-Man, Jesus, in Her womb; uniting the soul and divinity of Our Lord to that body and blood. Our Lady gave Jesus, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, His human nature and She carried Jesus in Her womb for nine months. Is there a closer human bond than that of a mother and the child in her womb? So the Immaculate Heart of Mary was perfectly in harmony and union with God the Father and His plan; God the Son, in Her womb; God the Holy Spirit, her Beloved Spouse.
Mary's Heart is in love with us.
The Holy Spirit teaches us about Mary's love for us: "God so loved the world that He sent His only-begotten Son." God's best gift was Jesus. Mary's best gift is Jesus too! God's gift and love are echoed in the Heart of Mary; Mother Mary draws us to Her Son, especially in the Holy Eucharist, where we can consume this Gift and have Jesus in our heart just like Mother Mary did!
Mary's Heart suffered with Jesus for us.
Our Lady knew that Jesus was our Redeemer. At the Presentation She realized that the "Sword of Sorrow" would pierce Her Heart. She lived and consented to the calumnies, the outrages, the thorns, the nails, the Cross. And beneath that Cross, in harmony with the Father's Plan, She made Her complete offering and sacrifice, in union with Her dear Son's sacred Passion and death, to God the Father.
Mother Mary loves us so much that She was ready to imitate Her Divine Son and die for us! What will we do to show her how much we love Her!
For starters we could:
1. Imitate the virtues that were centered in Her Heart.
2. Read and meditate more about Mother Mary.
3. Pray Our Lady's Rosary.
4. Observe Her Feasts more devoutly.
5. Keep the First Saturday Devotion.
6. Have a picture or statue of Our Lady in your home.
7. Wear Her Brown Scapular.
8. Consecrate yourself and your family each day to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
9. Teach other's about Mary, especially children.
10. Go to Mass often so as to carry Jesus in your heart as Mary did.
Finally, here is a tribute to the Heart of Mary composed by Maria Evans, who believe it or not, was an atheist: May she rest in peace, in the Heart of Mary:
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which was raised to an Obligatory Memorial for the whole world to celebrate by Pope John Paul II. Even the Gospel Reading for Mass, from St. Luke, is obligatory, and this Feast follows Our Lord's Feast of His Sacred Heart. Two Hearts joined together, like the image on the back of the Miraculous Medal, pictured above and of course I wear!
This Feast, then, is expressive of the holy harmony between the Heart of Mary and the Heart of God! Let's look at the beauty of Mary's Heart and how Her Heart was united with God and also Mary's love for all mankind.
Mary's Heart was excellent.
The heart is the center of our emotions and it is the most powerful organ of the human body. Those who understand its workings are in awe and admiration that God created such a thing. God was certainly pleased with His creation, but how much more pleased was He with the Heart of Mary because it was more like His own Heart, sinless!
Our Lady's Immaculate Heart was the conservatory of all the virtues: humility, detachment, lively faith, submission to the Will of God, burning charity, courage, constancy and every other virtue in the highest degree.
Mary's Heart was in harmony and union with God.
From all eternity God had chosen Mary because He knew She would be in perfect harmony with His plan. As a little child, Our Lady presented Herself in the Temple and consecrated Her life to Almighty God. Then in God's designated time, She left the Temple and in Her teenage years was told by the Angel that She was to become the Mother of God. At Her Fiat, She became the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, who overshadowed Her, causing three drops of Her Immaculate blood to leave Her Heart and form the body and blood of the God-Man, Jesus, in Her womb; uniting the soul and divinity of Our Lord to that body and blood. Our Lady gave Jesus, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, His human nature and She carried Jesus in Her womb for nine months. Is there a closer human bond than that of a mother and the child in her womb? So the Immaculate Heart of Mary was perfectly in harmony and union with God the Father and His plan; God the Son, in Her womb; God the Holy Spirit, her Beloved Spouse.
Mary's Heart is in love with us.
The Holy Spirit teaches us about Mary's love for us: "God so loved the world that He sent His only-begotten Son." God's best gift was Jesus. Mary's best gift is Jesus too! God's gift and love are echoed in the Heart of Mary; Mother Mary draws us to Her Son, especially in the Holy Eucharist, where we can consume this Gift and have Jesus in our heart just like Mother Mary did!
Mary's Heart suffered with Jesus for us.
Our Lady knew that Jesus was our Redeemer. At the Presentation She realized that the "Sword of Sorrow" would pierce Her Heart. She lived and consented to the calumnies, the outrages, the thorns, the nails, the Cross. And beneath that Cross, in harmony with the Father's Plan, She made Her complete offering and sacrifice, in union with Her dear Son's sacred Passion and death, to God the Father.
Mother Mary loves us so much that She was ready to imitate Her Divine Son and die for us! What will we do to show her how much we love Her!
For starters we could:
1. Imitate the virtues that were centered in Her Heart.
2. Read and meditate more about Mother Mary.
3. Pray Our Lady's Rosary.
4. Observe Her Feasts more devoutly.
5. Keep the First Saturday Devotion.
6. Have a picture or statue of Our Lady in your home.
7. Wear Her Brown Scapular.
8. Consecrate yourself and your family each day to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
9. Teach other's about Mary, especially children.
10. Go to Mass often so as to carry Jesus in your heart as Mary did.
Finally, here is a tribute to the Heart of Mary composed by Maria Evans, who believe it or not, was an atheist: May she rest in peace, in the Heart of Mary:
"Heart of Mary, bless the way,
"Keep us all by night and day.
"Heart of Mary, Mystic Rose,
"Send us all a sweet repose.
"Heart of Mary, Morning Star,
"Ward off danger, near and far.
"Heart of Mary, by thy sorrow,
"Keep us upright through the morrow.
"Heart of Mary, by thy grace,
"Give us with the saints a place."
Amen
"Keep us all by night and day.
"Heart of Mary, Mystic Rose,
"Send us all a sweet repose.
"Heart of Mary, Morning Star,
"Ward off danger, near and far.
"Heart of Mary, by thy sorrow,
"Keep us upright through the morrow.
"Heart of Mary, by thy grace,
"Give us with the saints a place."
Amen
Deacon John
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