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Tag: Immaculate Heart of Mary

  • Keeping God closer to our Heart 

    Keeping God closer to our Heart 

    June 25, 2022 – Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062522.cfm)

    With all the complexities, strangeness and difficulties to understand the situation, Mary kept the Lord closer to her heart. She kept all those revelations from the Lord closer to her heart that she may be able to understand them in the way God desires them to be understood.

    This was how Mary would always find wisdom and strength because with the many events that happened in her life, she might not be able to bear them all. Mary was certainly confused, afraid and unable to decide and do anything if she chose to distance herself from the Lord by reacting out of impulse or mere emotions.

    “Keeping all those things in her heart” would mean that Mary tried to understand how God was uncovering and revealing to her the plan of salvation. Mary realized that God reveals Himself to her every day. Mary did not want to miss all of them. Thus, she sought the best way of understanding them by not reacting to every event through mere emotion or just out of compulsion.

    Mary did not react out of anger or through an emotional reaction in front of the young Jesus after losing him for three days. Though the words of the young Jesus were baffling for her, but she must have felt that there was something deeper in there. God must be behind it. In her confusion, she kept all those things in her heart, to ponder them, to seek wisdom and understanding in the way God wants her to understand them.

    Most of all, Mary was able to do that because within her heart, God is there already. She has welcomed the Lord and allowed the Lord to be always in her heart. This led her into that kind of understanding from God’s perspective and so she responded to every invitation of God for her, willingly and lovingly, because God has touched her heart.

    This is how we find Mary’s presence captivating in our Christian faith because her very life is an example of a perfect communion with God. This how we also find comfort in her, as a mother, because her human heart is touched by God’s heart. The human heart of Mary too, has given flesh to the human heart of Jesus.

    In today’s feast, God invites us to grow in this area, that like Mary, our heart too will be touched by God’s heart and to allow the Lord to be in our heart. This is an invitation to make God as the closest and dearest in our heart. It is in this way that we shall also find understating, wisdom and strength in the many unfolding of events that happen to us every day.

    As we allow God to be closer to our heart and to seek the Divine wisdom, we may also become more welcoming of others, more connected with people around us, by having a heart capable of loving, as Mary is to us. Kabay pa.

  • GOD’S RECONCILING PRESENCE IN THE HEART OF MARY

    GOD’S RECONCILING PRESENCE IN THE HEART OF MARY

    June 12, 2021 – Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Philippine Independence Day

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061221.cfm)

    “The love of Christ impels us.” Paul reminds us in his Second Letter to the Corinthians. This means that this love indeed urges and motivates us to go beyond and become the person God wants us to be. Hence, Paul also says, “whoever is in Christ is a new creation. The old things have passed away and new things have come.” This has been made possible because of God who came and initiated that we become reconciled with Him.

    Certainly, reconciliation with God transforms us from old into new, from death to life. Such transformation urges, impels and moves us to become a reconciling presence in our communities, in our Church and in the world.

    However, how does a reconciling presence influence others and bring change? Our Responsorial Psalm proclaims today of four main points.

    • First, it gives pardon to all our iniquities.
    • Second, it heals all our ills.
    • Third, it redeems our life from destruction.
    • And fourth, it crowns us with kindness and compassion.

    This is the experience of the Hebrew Community of which the Psalm speaks about. God’s presence in the midst of His people is a reconciling presence because the “Lord is kind and merciful.”

    Such confidence and faith in God must have filled the heart of Mary, whose Immaculate Heart we celebrate today. Her heart is immaculate because what we find there is the Lord who is kind of merciful made into man like us. Yes, the heart of Mary is filled with Jesus.

    This is the reason why Mary remained calm and at peace despite the fear and confusion she felt at the announcement of the Angel Gabriel to her, during the arrival of the shepherds when Jesus was born and now of being baffled and anxious when Jesus was lost but finding him in the Temple.

    Though she did not understand fully everything at an instant but Mary would always “keep everything in her heart.” With all the complexities, strangeness and difficulty to understand the situation, Mary keeps the Lord close to her heart. She keeps all those revelations from the Lord close to her heart that she may be able to understand them in the way God desires them to be understood.

    This was how Mary would always find wisdom and strength because with the many events that happened in her life, she might not be able to bear them all. Mary will surely remain confused, afraid and unable to decide and do anything if she chose to distance herself from the Lord by reacting out of impulse or mere emotions.

    “Keeping all those things in her heart” really means that she tried to understand how God was uncovering and revealing to her the plan of salvation. Mary realized that God reveals Himself every day. Mary did not want to miss all of them.

    Mary was able to do that because within her heart, God is already there. She has welcomed the Lord and allowed the Lord to be always in her heart. This led her into understanding from God’s perspective and so she responded to every invitation of God for her, willingly and lovingly.

    This is how we find Mary’s presence reconciling in our Christian faith because her life is an example of a perfect communion with God. We now find comfort in her, as a mother, because her human heart is touched by the Lord who is kind and merciful. Mary, indeed, has become a reconciling presence to us because we find in heart Jesus, the Lord.

    In the same way, we are called today that our hearts be also touched by the Lord, that we become more welcoming to the Lord and allow the Lord to be in our heart. Like Mary, as we allow the love of Christ to touch our hearts, it may impel us to become a reconciling presence in our homes, communities and in our beloved country, the Philippines. Hinaut pa.

  • Keeping God in our Heart

    Keeping God in our Heart

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    June 20, 2020 – Saturday, Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

    Click here for the readings (http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/060820.cfm)

    What is it that you consider as the dearest for you? Or who is it that you consider as the closest to your heart?

    Yesterday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and today, the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, his mother. The Sacred Heart of Jesus reminds us that God is indeed loving and forging, compassionate and merciful. And in that heart, we are the closest to God. We are God’s dearest people.

    In this feast, the Gospel of Luke tells us who is the dearest and closest in the heart of Mary. This is where we could also find the strength of Mary. Just look at the image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Her son Jesus carried by her left arm also rests on her chest where her heart is.

    Mary had been confused and afraid at the annunciation of the Angel. At that moment she too must have felt overwhelmed at God’s unfolding in her life. The events surrounding the birth of her son must have made her more confused at the amazement and joy she experienced. There were many events there that must be beyond her expectation.

    In today’s Gospel, we were told how the young boy Jesus spent his days in the temple sitting among the teachers. But the words of the young boy Jesus, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” has left Mary and Joseph baffled. They must have felt the pain of the seemingly indifferent words of Jesus after their days of anxious finding of him. Those words were difficult to understand at that time.

    However, just like at the annunciation, at the visitation of the Shepherds in the manger and now here, she kept all these things in her heart.

    With all the complexities, strangeness and difficulty to understand the situation, Mary has kept the Lord close to her heart. She kept all those revelations from the Lord close to her heart that she may be able to understand them in the way God desires them to be understood.

    This was how Mary would always find wisdom and strength because with the many events that happened in her life, she might not be able to bear them all. Mary will surely remained confused, afraid and unable to decide and do anything if she chose to distance herself from the Lord by reacting out of impulse or mere emotions.

    “Keeping all those things in her heart” really means that she tried to understand how God was uncovering and revealing to her the plan of salvation. Mary realized that God reveals Himself every day. Mary did not want to miss all of them. Consequently, she sought the best way of understanding them by not reacting to every event through mere emotion or just out of compulsion.

    Hence, Mary did not react out of anger or even disappointment in front of the young Jesus. Though she did not understand his words, but she must have felt that there was something deeper in there. God must be behind it. Thus, in her confusion, she kept all those things in her heart, to ponder them, to seek wisdom and understanding in the way God wants her to understand them.

    But most of all, Mary was able to do that because within her heart, God is there already. She has welcomed the Lord and allowed the Lord to be always in her heart. This led her into that kind of understanding from God’s perspective and so she responded to every invitation of God for her, willingly and lovingly.

    This is how we find Mary’s presence captivating in our Christian faith because her very life is an example of a perfect communion with God. This how we also find comfort in her, as a mother, because her human heart is touched by God’s heart.

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    Today’s feast, God’s invitation for us also is to grow in that area, that like Mary, our heart too will be more welcoming to the Lord and to allow the Lord to be in our heart. This is an invitation to make God as the closest and dearest in our heart. It is in this way that we shall also find understating, wisdom and strength in the many infoldings of events that happen to us everyday.

    In particular, these days of the pandemic has made us feel uncertain of the coming days and anxious of the present. Many of us felt insecure materially, emotionally and perhaps also spiritually by now. However, do not waiver, do not remain stunned by these difficult days, remain vigilant instead by pondering and keeping all the things in our hearts.

    May I invite you then, as we find our ways on how to live and adjust ourselves with the “New Normal” set aside a time to ponder, to listen deeper and carefully to the many events and circumstances happening in our life now. As we allow God to be closer to our heart and seek the Divine wisdom, we may also become more welcoming of the presence of others, more connected with people around us as Mary is to us. Hinaut pa.

    Jomil Baring, CSsR