All this is in reparation for the sins committed against her
Immaculate Heart, which are also the sins committed against the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, because the two Hearts are closely and intimately connected. It is also
a way of expressing our union with the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and sharing in
their love for all people and praying for the conversion and salvation of
sinners.
Yes, we and all peoples are in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
May Jesus and Mary be in our hearts and in the hearts of all peoples too so
that all will be saved.
****
The Immaculate Heart of Mary—
the heart that felt troubled at the visit of the angel
the heart that surrendered to the Will of God
the heart that danced at the redemptive plan of God
the heart that wondered and shuddered at the prophesy of
Simeon
the heart that ached at the loss of her twelve-year-old
the heart that cherished all events around her
the heart that pondered on the mysteries of God and her
son
the heart that was pierced by sorrow at the death of her
son
the heart that prayed with the apostles
the heart consecrated to God and God alone
the heart that loves us as her own
the heart that the sin never dared to touch,
the heart that is immaculate through and through.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, re-form my heart in you!
****
Today’s feast day of the Immaculate Heart of Mary falls on
the day after the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus because devotion to these
two hearts was promoted together as a means of entering more deeply into the
mystery of God’s love.
IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY : Liturgy
Penitential Prayers:
-Because you have deserted the Lord, now he deserts you,
because of Mary’s obedience, the Lord was please with his people, CHM
-Because the Lord promised to keep his love for us always;
with him the covenant shall last, LHM
Opening Prayer
Lord our God, we thank you for the love with which you
filled the heart of Mary, the Mother of your Son and our mother. In your great
kindness, you have given her to us to open our hearts to your word and to your
love, so that we can seek your will in all we do. May she also let our hearts
be touched by the needs of people with sorrows and cares. We ask this through
Christ our Lord.
Mary’s “pondering in her heart” is surely the headline for
Christian contemplation. Therefore it may be appropriate to let Meister Eckhart
interpret today’s gospel passage for us in his distinctive way. “They had lost
the child Jesus in the crowd. And so they had to go back to where they had come
from. And when they got back to their starting point, the Temple, they found
him. And so in truth, if you would find this noble birth [of God in the soul]
you must leave the crowd and return to the source and ground whence you came.
All the powers of the soul, and all their works—these are the crowd. Memory,
understanding and will, they all diversify you, and therefore you must leave
them all: sense perceptions, imagination, or whatever it may be that in which
you find or seek to find yourself. After that, you may find this birth but not
otherwise—believe me! All must well up from within, out of God, if this birth
is to shine forth truly and clearly, and all your activity must cease, and all
your powers must serve His ends, not your own. If this work is to be done, God
alone must do it, and you must just allow it to be. Where you truly go out from
your will and your knowledge, God with His knowledge surely and willingly goes
in and shines there clearly.”
Let us raise our hearts in prayer to God our Father, and ask him to fill our world and our communities with the warmth of his love. We say: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– For the Church of Jesus Christ on earth, which is a community of weak people, that the power of God’s goodness may become visible in our love for one another, we pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– For our world with all its needs, that Mary may watch over it, pray for it and keep people from warring with one another and from making one another suffer, we pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– For people in lowly jobs, that they may learn from our humble Mother that God values all work done with love, we pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– For all missionaries, that like Mary, our dear Mother, we may give Christ to our world and have a heart loving all people and especially the poorest and the weakest, we pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
– For all of us united here, that our faith may produce in us, as in Mary, fruits of genuine love for one another, we pray: R/ Lord, hear your people.
Our loving God, these are the things we ask of you today. Let Mary enrich our prayers with hers and give us every good gift through Christ Jesus our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Generous and merciful God, we are sure you accept our
prayers wholeheartedly when there is peace among us and when we try to the best
of our ability to be one of heart and soul. Help us in our weak efforts on
account of the prayers of Mary. With her we offer you all honor and praise
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Preface: The Immaculate Heart of Mary (ICEL)
The heart of Mary is the heart of one who lives by the New Law.
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere
to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord. You gave the Blessed Virgin
Mary a wise and obedient heart, that she might perfectly carry out your will, a
new and gentle heart, in which you were well pleased and on which you inscribed
the law of the New Covenant. You gave her an undivided and pure heart, that she
might be worthy to be the Virgin Mother of your Son and to rejoice to see you
forever. You gave her a steadfast and watchful heart, so that she could endure
without fear the sword of sorrow and await in faith the resurrection of her
Son. With the whole company of the angels we sing your praises in their
canticle of joy: Holy, holy, holy Lord…
Good and loving Father, in this Eucharist we have enjoyed
the food of life and the drink of joy of your Son Jesus Christ. Fill us with
his Spirit of love, that our love, like that of Mary, may be reliable and
lasting, that no indifference may extinguish it, no flood of impatience nor
hatred may sweep it away. Let it be a flame warming the hearts of people and a fire
burning for you our living God, now and forever.
God has been very good to us. He has given us Jesus to save
us from our inability to love God and neighbour. He has given us Mary to watch
over us, to care for us, to pray with us and for us. Yes, Mary cares. Could our
thanksgiving not be that we too learn to care for one another and to render all
the service we can? May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and
the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen. Let us go and, like Mary, serve the Lord in one
another. R/ Thanks be to God.
