Showing posts with label Mary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mary. Show all posts

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Two Hearts Beat as One


Today’s memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary follows yesterday’s solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is only fitting. In honoring the Scared Heart of Jesus, we honor the God who is love. The image of the Sacred Heart shows a radiant heart surrounded by thorns, topped by a flame and a cross. A drop of blood is falling from it. Each of these reminds us of the different ways Jesus loves us: by his suffering, by his death on the cross, by his gift of the Holy Spirit, by his sharing his life with us. It is an image of his divinity and his humanity.

Jesus was truly God and truly man. In his divinity as the Son of God, he took on a human nature—and that human nature, that human heart, came from Mary.

When he was born, it was Mary’s heart he was born with. When he ran through the streets of Nazareth playing with the other children his heart beating fast with excitement, it was Mary’s heart beating. When he laid down his life on the cross and the soldier pierced his side with a lance so that blood and water flowed out, it was Mary’s heart that was pierced.

Because the incarnation really happened, we honor Mary’s Immaculate Heart as the source of Jesus’ Sacred Heart in its humanity.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Holy Thursday

Today is Holy Thursday. It is the day the Church celebrates the institution of the priesthood and the Eucharist. At Chrism Masses in dioceses around the country, the sacramental oils were blest and priests renewed their vows.

So on this day that honors the priesthood of Christ in the Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood of the Church; let us pray for our priests. Let us dedicate ourselves to support and encourage them this year. Let us create homes and churches that not only pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life but also know the joy of having their children serve the Church. Let us put aside our complaining that our priests are sometimes not all we want them to be and instead be willing to offer up our very selves for our priests, from our parochial vicars to pastors and chaplains to our bishops and for our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.

Mary, Mother of priests, pray for our priests that they grow in holiness and humanity as they learn the fullness of being in persona Christi. Amen.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

The Visitation

One of the questions regarding late vocations is "how late is late?" Some religious orders have a cut-off age of 35 or so. They want young postulants and novices because of the time needed not only for spiritual formation but also formation in the community. Diocesan vocations tend to be more flexible. 40 seems to be the usual cut-off age, but they will often consider older candidates who are well qualified.

Today, May 31st, is the Feast of the Visitation. Elizabeth, who was 6 months pregnant when Mary came to visit her, was an older woman. She had been barren, but the Lord had blessed her to be the mother of John the Baptist. Luke writes that Elizabeth was well "advanced in years". Her fruitfulness came late in her life! "Nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). Every time we pray the Hail Mary, we remember Elizabeth's words to Mary, "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" (Luke 1:42).

If Elizabeth and her husband Zachariah, a Levitical priest, could bring forth life in their later years, giving birth to John the Baptist, then clearly God is not limited by our mortal lifetime. It is never too late with God!