Following on the heels of the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, today's optional memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary brings to mind our other loving advocate in heaven, the Mother of God herself. Devotion to the Heart or Mary rose in prominence at the instigation of St. John Eudes in the 1680's but it was only in 1944 that Pope Pius XII extended the feast to the universal Church. The "open heart" of Mary resembles the open heart of Jesus, and is usually depicted with seven wounds or seven swords, depicting the seven sorrows she endured at Mother of the Savior. The image reminds us that her role was not all bread and roses; indeed, the thorns pierced her heart throughout her life from the prophecy of Simeon to the placing of the body of Jesus in the tomb. Her heart also reminds us of the pondering she did of all the events and mysterious words of Jesus as she reflected on them to draw forth their deepest meanings. As such she is the model for us, particularly Marists so devoted to her and her "way". Her memorial takes precedence over the memorial of St. Anthony, but, himself a ponderer, he most likely raises no objection in deference to the Mother of God and our mother too.
Bro. Rene
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