The month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The physical heart of Mary is venerated, not adored as the Sacred Heart of Jesus is. This is because the expression ‘Mary’s Heart’ is to be understood in a biblical sense: That is, it denotes the human person of the Blessed Virgin herself, her intimate and unique being (born without sin). Mary’s Heart is the center and source of her internal experiences, thoughts, feelings, and reflections that she has as an individual. It also denotes her mind, memory, her will and love; and the single-mindedness with which she loved God and the disciples and devoted herself wholeheartedly to the work of her Son.
This devotion has received renewed emphasis in this century from the visions given to Lucy Dos Santos, oldest of the visionaries of Fatima. In Lucy’s visions Our Lady asked for the practice of the Five First Saturdays to help make amends for the offenses committed against her heart by the blasphemies and ingratitude of men. This practice parallels the devotion of the Nine First Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The roots of this devotion to Mary’s Heart are in Scripture, where on two occasions reference is made to Mary’s heart by St. Luke, in Luke 2:19 “Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart,” and Luke 2:51 “His mother (Mary) meanwhile kept all these things in memory, meaning in her heart.”
The most beautiful biblical text about Mary’s heart is the Magnificat (taken from Luke’s Gospel (1:46-55)) because it reveals to us the wondrous riches of Mary’s humble and regal heart. Her heart sings the praises of God, but it is not a solitary song about the history of her soul. The Magnificat is a song of the history of salvation for all God’s people.
My
soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my
Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His
handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me
blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for
me,
and holy is His name;
And His mercy is from generation
to generation
on those who fear Him.
He has shown might
with His arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their
heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and
has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good
things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has given
help to Israel, his servant, mindful of His mercy
Even as he
spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.
the Magnificat is more than a prayer of praise. It also reminds us about the essential link between humility and holiness. Just as God has “regarded the lowliness of his handmaid” and “has done great things” for Mary in making her the Mother of his Son, so too “he has put down the mighty from their thrones (with his own might!) and has exalted the lowly.”
(Note also our Blessed Mother’s humility in referring to herself in this prayer, as she does in giving her consent to Gabriel mentioned earlier, as the Lord’s handmaid, his servant!)
In our devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart there is no more effective prayer than the Rosary which is about the mysteries of her Son’s life and hers. There is no better way to obtain through Mary’s intercession the help we desperately need to learn how to be loving and selfless.
