A Beacon Of Light… What Does Mary’s Immaculate Heart Signify?
By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON, JR.
(Editor’s Note: Fr. Richard D. Breton, Jr., is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn.)
- + + In last week’s column, we discussed the great devotion of the Sacred Heart and its significance in our spiritual lives. Today we will continue our discussion on the importance devotions have in our spiritual lives. We will pay particular attention to the gift of the Blessed Mother, and her Immaculate Heart. While the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus focuses on how Jesus’ heart is full of love for us, the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary reflects on how Mary’s heart is full of love for the Savior. In this sense, it is another way of honoring Mary as the Mother of God.
What does the Immaculate Heart of Mary signify? First and foremost, the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a sign of the great purity and love Mary has for God. The purity is linked to her “fiat” in becoming the mother of the Incarnate Lord. The love is manifest in the Incarnate Son as she participates in His redemptive mission of salvation. The Immaculate Heart of Mary, then, is the model of the interior life. Within her life, the Blessed Mother endured both joys and deep sorrows. And yet, she remained faithful to the vocation the Lord God had asked her to participate in.
Understanding this devotion requires us to take a step back in time to the years surrounding World War II. It was during this time that the Venerable Pope Pius XII was instrumental in freeing those in Nazi concentration camps. The world was in utter chaos, but Pope Pius XII saw it as opportune time to consecrate the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
This act of consecration coincided with the twenty-fifth anniversary of our Lady’s apparition at Fatima. The Blessed Mother had revealed to the children of Fatima the importance of this devotion saying that all the world’s souls needed to participate in it. The Blessed Mother showed the children a vision of Hell, where souls were perishing because of the lack of concern the people had for loving God.
In her apparition at Fatima, the Blessed Mother revealed how this devotion would be done. First she gave the children the rosary as the weapon to use in fighting against the evils of the time. It was to be prayed each day for the conversion of souls. Next, Mary spoke to the children about the First Saturday devotions. This devotion involved honoring the Blessed Virgin by incorporating five first consecutive Saturdays devoted to honoring the Blessed Mother, in union with the nine first Fridays devoted to the Sacred Heart. The First Saturday devotions include four requirements that must accompany this devotion.
The first requirement involves receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or Confession. If one of the gifts of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is purity, then it is important that this sacrament be included in the devotion. Confession frees the soul from the corruption of sin and temptation and puts us back on the right path leading toward the heavenly Kingdom.
The Church has always encouraged the faithful to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation as often as possible, and as often as monthly. Each time we participate in this sacrament of healing mercy, we become filled with the graces needed to persevere in living our faith. So, therefore, it is most fitting that the Blessed Mother asks us to frequent the sacrament of her Son’s mercy.
The second requirement of this devotion involves the reception of Holy Communion. Since the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of our faith, then it is important that we receive Him regularly.
Whenever I think of receiving Our Blessed Lord, I am reminded that the Eucharist is very different from earthly food. Earthly food is transformed into nutrients and vitamins we need to live healthy lives. The food of the Eucharist, however, is very different because it transforms us into being more like Christ. The Blessed Mother knows how important Jesus is in our lives, and so she wants us to participate in the devotion of her Immaculate Heart by receiving her Son Jesus.
Another one of the requirements is praying the rosary. At her apparition at Fatima in 1917, the Blessed Mother introduced the shepherd children to the rosary and its importance in fighting against the turmoil of the times. The prayerful recitation of the rosary helps fight against the relativism of day and helps us to refocus on what matters in life, and that is Christ. The recitation of the rosary should be done daily to keep us united in the love of Christ.
Reflect On God’s Love
The last requirement of the devotion to the Immaculate Heart invites us to reflect on the significance of the mysteries by praying for fifteen minutes with our Lady. This last requirement invites us to take the time needed to really reflect on the great love that God has for us all. It also allows us to reflect on the significant role Mary has played in our eternal salvation. In every devotion of the Church, we have the opportunity to reflect on how we experience these moments in our lives.
For example, when we pray the Seven Sorrows of Mary, we might ask ourselves when in our lives did we experience similar sorrows? In another way, when we pray the Stations of the Cross, do we see ourselves on the journey to Calvary in the exercise of our daily lives? The invitation from our Lady to reflect on the mysteries of the rosary is an invitation to reflect on ourselves.
In the end, we might ask ourselves, how does the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary make reparation? The Five First Saturdays were requested by our Lady to make reparation for five sins against her Immaculate Heart. First, for blasphemies committed against her Immaculate Conception, second for blasphemies committed against her perpetual Virginity, third for blasphemies committed against her Divine Maternity, fourth for blasphemies of those who seek to sow indifference, scorn, or hatred of Mary in the hearts of children, and finally for blasphemies committed by those who outrage her in her images.
The Ceremony Of Consecration
There are ways in which we can maintain the reminder of this devotion in our lives. One such way is the consecration of our homes to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
This devotion requires the involvement of our parish priest and his willingness to participate in this devotional action of God’s grace. The priest would visit our homes and bless the images of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart and enthrone them in a prominent place in our home.
Sometimes it can include the celebration of Holy Mass in the home, but also it can be just a Liturgy of the Word. The consecration of the home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a devotion promoted by four Popes of the twentieth century and consists in asking a priest to preside over the Ceremony of Consecration in one’s home. The ceremony should be prepared by three days of prayer and involves the enthronement of the images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in one’s home.
Today, the world really needs the graces of such great devotions. With the sanctity of life being compromised and the nucleus of family life being threatened, it is imperative that we all make known this great devotion and encourage every single Catholic to make use of it.
The future of civilization and mankind depends on this.