Immaculate Heart of Mary

First of all it is the immaculate heart  of Mary. Her heart is the center of her being. It stands for who she is and the essence of her being. The heart of Mary cuts right to the ‘heart of things’ if you see what I mean. Furthermore, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, like the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is burning with passion. All the images we think of associated with the heart are alive here. Passion, lover, fervor, devotion, suffering, bloodshed…all that is compounded in the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The next thing is that the heart is Immaculate. What is at the heart of Mary is purity and power. This is something that the world has never seen before. Mary’s perpetual virginity is not just the fact that she never had sexual relations, but the fact that she was completely pure. She was virginal as the unharvested forest is virgin. She was as fresh and pure and natural as a day in May, and furthermore, this purity is powerful. As the second Eve she holds great power within her purity. This is because she is a human being fully redeemed and restored. She shows us what we might be. She shows us the purity and power that is possible. Here is an article from the archives which takes you further into this idea of purity and power.

So why do I offer my day to Jesus through Mary’s Immaculate Heart? For a couple of reasons. Firstly, by offering my day to Jesus through Mary’s Immaculate Heart I claim the heart of who Mary is for my own. It’s a way to give my Mama a hug. I embrace her and all that she is. I say in this offering, “I want your purity and power in my life. In going through you I want my day to go through you and for you to go through my day.” Jesus’ power was made perfect in your life and in your purity and power. I want that to radiate through my day and through my life. Secondly, there is something about the role of Mary in the plan of redemption. It’s there in her statement, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” That’s what she does. She magnifies or makes bigger the Lord. She is Jesus’ zoom. Prayer through her makes him more real and powerful in our lives. Don’t ask me how this works, but it is my experience that it does.

Finally, we have a different relationship with Mother Mary than we do with Jesus. She is a human being made perfect by the power of redemption. He is the second person of the Holy Trinity. He is the Lord of Lords and King of Glory. She is a human being exalted. He is divinity humbled. We therefore have a different kind of intimacy and relationship with her–one which is that of mother and child.

As this opened up for me something new opened up in my spiritual life. The words became more real and a new power surged within me. This new power and awareness is part of God’s greater work, and it can be for you too.