…and his mother kept all these things in her heart.  Luke 2: 51b

The memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is celebrated on the Saturday following the second Sunday after Pentecost, the day after the feast of the Sacred Heart, which is celebrated on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost. The coming together in this way of the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary brings home to us the unique relationship between Jesus and his mother Mary. 

The word “Immaculate” comes from the Latin noun “macula”, which in English means a spot or stain, and the Latin adjective “maculatus’” which means stained. Immaculatus, then, is unstained. When we speak of the immaculate heart of Mary we are stating that her heart was free of all moral stain. It was a heart that was completely given over to God, and to her Son, who was God incarnate. 

Mary is to be found among “the pure in heart”, whom Jesus declares blessed because they will see God. Mary had that purity of heart or intention; she was single minded in her devotion to God and to her Son, who was also God’s Son. In this morning’s gospel reading, Jesus, at the young age of twelve, displays that single-minded devotion to God and to God’s purpose and work, as he says to his worried parents, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 

Jesus’ single-minded, single-hearted, devotion to God his Father, was a trial for Mary. The gospel reading says that she did not understand what her young son meant. She had to learn to let him go to God’s purpose, God’s work and the gospel suggests that it was a struggle for her at times. Yet, she allowed her own heart to be given over to what God wanted for Jesus and for herself, even though it did not always come easy to her. 

Her struggle to do this is the struggle of each one of us. When it comes to God and his Son, we are tempted to have a divided heart, to give just some of our heart to God. Today’s memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary places Mary before us as an inspiration and encouragement to us in our struggle. Her human heart is the perfect human response to Jesus’ Sacred Heart of love and that is why we can turn to her with confidence and ask her to pray for us sinners now, as we try to respond to the love of Jesus in the wholehearted way that she did.

Blessings, 

Deacon Jack

St. Clare of Assisi

Houston, TX