Today’s Feast follows the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus celebrated yesterday.
Mary is the first Christian disciple. She is the one who first said ‘yes’ to Jesus by accepting to be His mother, making the incarnation possible.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus is about God loving us with a human heart.
This Feast of Mary is about the human heart responding to the Sacred Heart.
At the presentation of Jesus in the temple, Mary is told by Simeon that a sword will pierce her heart.
She pondered in her heart what Simeon said about Jesus and about her mission.
Mary kept on pondering throughout her life. She is the one who heard the word of God, pondered on it, and kept it. Here again Mary is a role model for the Christian disciple.
In responding to the Sacred Heart’s love for us we also are invited to ponder.
To ponder on:
Not to rush with reactions to life without reflection.
To use the Gospel and the teachings of Jesus and the Church as a guide when we make decisions in our life.
To help us keep a clarity of purpose and intention in all our actions.
To respond in love to the One who loves us first.
Mary always points to Jesus and leads us to Him. We also need not to push our own agenda in our ministry and service for others and be facilitators for them to meet Jesus.
Some times devotion to Mary can be sentimental and ‘flowery’ by some.
True love is much, much more than sentimentality.
Healthy Marian devotion always leads us to Jesus, and to a deep trust in God and love of God. It also helps to be faithful and genuine members of the ‘Body of Christ’, i.e. the Church, committed to the service of others.
It is about gutsy love and service.
Mary our Mother loved much and deeply. Nothing delights her more than to see us do the same.
