Saturday – 9th Week of Ordinary Time B – Immaculate Heart of Mary

Published on 7 June 2024 at 18:00

My dear friends, today we celebrate the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a feast that while dear to the hearts of many, should really be treasured by all Catholics. As we reflect on the Immaculate Heart, we are reminded of the immense love and devotion she has for the Trinity and how Jesus shared her vocation with us as well, in making her our own Heavenly Mother.

The Immaculate Heart is a symbol of Mary's purity and sinlessness, a gift that was given to her by God from the moment of her conception. This reality was mystically and symbolically captured in God’s details of how the Ark of the Covenant, the Tabernacle in and through which he would reside and be with his people was to be built. The construction of the Ark is commanded by God to Moses while the Jews were still camped at Sinai (Exodus 25:10-22; 37:1-9). The Ark was a box with the dimensions of two-and-a-half cubits in length, by one-and-a-half cubits in height, by one-and-a-half cubits in width (a cubit is about 18 inches). It was constructed of acacia wood, and was plated with pure gold, inside and out.

Saint Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria, in his Homily of the Papyrus of Turin, is credited with writing about the connections between the Ark and the Virgin Mary: "O noble Virgin, truly you are greater than any other greatness. For who is your equal in greatness, O dwelling place of God the Word? To whom among all creatures shall I compare you, O Virgin? You are greater than them all O (Ark of the) Covenant, clothed with purity instead of gold! You are the Ark in which is found the golden vessel containing the true manna, that is, the flesh in which Divinity resides." 

Yet even before the Ark of the Covenant, her immaculate purity was indicated in the first prophecy in scripture that God had made right in the beginning of salvation history, right after Adam and Eve’s fall, where in the Book of Genesis (3:15), he declares to Satan that he would make enmity between him and the woman who would bear an offspring that would crush him, and how she would play a big role as well in that triumph over evil. Her purity is not just a physical reality, but also a spiritual one. The word “enmity” that God uses, meant a total separation from Satan and his evil devices. Mary's heart was pure and untainted by sin, making her truly “full of grace” and therefore, a perfectly prepared vessel for God to dwell in and a model for all of us as we seek to allow God to purify us as well, and our own body, which as Saint Paul pointed out, is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Day by day we can continue to allow God to make us all “fuller” of that grace which pleases him. While God purifies us, through Baptism, removing original sin after our birth, he protected Mary from this before she could ever be tainted by sin in the first place as the prophecy details, and even before her birth was immaculately conceived, kept from the least infiltration of sin.

But Mary's heart was not just a symbol of purity; it was also a symbol of love and devotion. Her heart was filled with a deep love for God, and she responded with this love, in obedience and sacrifice, to perfectly fulfill his will at all times. She said "yes" to God's plan, even when it meant great suffering and hardship.

And speak of suffering! Mary's heart was pierced, as we know, by the sword of sorrow as she stood at the foot of the cross, watching her Son die for the sins of humanity. Yesterday we celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart and saw in the gospel, how the centurion pierced his heart with a lance to make sure he was deceased. This was symbolic of what was also happening to Mary’s heart while she saw and witnessed and stood by the Cross of her Son’s passion. She suffered alongside Jesus, sharing in his pain and sorrow. Mary's heart was broken by the knowledge of what her Son was enduring, and she cried out with a deep sense of sorrow and loss, but even in the midst of suffering, Mary's heart remained triumphant. She knew that Jesus' sacrifice was not in vain, and that he would rise from the dead on the third day. She knew that her Son would triumph over sin and death, and that she would be reunited with him in this life and the next. She had heard about the prophecy, that after three days he would rise, and it is no wonder therefore, that after they laid him to rest Friday afternoon, we never see our Blessed Mother near that tomb again in the gospels, because she believed that he would rise and that he would soon visit her thereafter.

As we reflect on Mary's Immaculate Heart, we are reminded of the power of love and devotion. We are reminded that even in the midst of suffering, we can find strength and hope in our love for God. And we are reminded that our own hearts can be transformed by the love of God, just as Mary's heart was continually aflame, by her love for him.

So let us ask ourselves today: What does it mean to have an Immaculate Heart like Mary's? How can we cultivate this kind of love and devotion in our own lives? How can we respond to God's love with obedience and sacrifice, even when it means suffering? Let’s take this all to prayer today.

As we pray to Mary today, let us ask her to pray for us, to intercede for us before God. Let us ask her to help us to have hearts like hers, hearts that are pure and untainted by sin, hearts that are filled with love and devotion for God. And let us ask her to help us to trust in God's goodness and mercy, even when we are faced with difficult circumstances.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire us to live our lives with greater love and devotion for God. May she help us to see the beauty and wonder of God's creation, and may she guide us on our journey towards eternal life. Amen.


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