Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Let’s say a little more about the Virgin Mary: we encounter the Virgin Mary quite a bit in the New Testament. Suppose it is always at a decisive stage of salvation history. We meet her at the Incarnation, the Resurrection, and the Ascension of the Lord Jesus. Mary is present at the manger and the cross of the Lord Jesus. Our Lady is often spoken of only in church. Is this not enough? The Second Vatican Council put the motherhood of Mary at the center of theology. It is appropriate today to remind ourselves that the Virgin Mary is truly the mother not only of Jesus-God, but of each one of us. The title “Mother” given to the Virgin Mary is not just an abstract title. Just as we cannot imagine our lives without the Redeemer and Savior, the Lord Jesus, our Lady, has a place in our lives.

Already the Council of Nicaea, in 325, defined that the Virgin Mary conceived the Lord Jesus by the action of the Holy Spirit. And the Council of Ephesus in 431 described the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God. The Second Vatican Council clearly defined the Virgin Mary as the Mother of the Church. If we believe that the Virgin Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was present at the sending of the Holy Spirit, she has an irreplaceable place in the Church. In the second reading, the Apostle Paul teaches us: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal 4:4-5).

Thus, whenever a person comes into the world as a brother and sister of Christ, he or she becomes a “son or daughter of the Virgin Mary.” Thus, we can say that we are children of Mary’s love. When Our Lady stood at the foot of the cross where our salvation was born, Jesus said to His mother in anguish, “Woman, behold, your son!” (Jn 19:26), and at that moment, Jesus expressed the desire that in the Mother of God we also see our Mother. And this is what we have to think about today. Our life is a gift of God. No one gave his life to himself. God shows His love for us through our parents. And just as God gives us natural life through a biological, bodily mother, so as believers, we realize that Jesus gives us a spiritual Mother, His Mother, on the way to eternal life. It is the wish and will of God that in earthly life, at the intercession of Mary, we draw graces and strength on the way to eternity. We find more feasts of Our Lady in the Church calendar so that in the ordinary moments of life, we m, we may have the strength of Our Lady.
On the first day of the civil year – like entering something great, Mother Church gives us Our Lady as a strength every month. She wants to give us new birth for the Kingdom of God.
On the feast of the Epiphany, Our Lady stands beside those searching for the meaning of their lives, who are searching for God in this world. Isn’t this a boost for kings, scientists, and scholars alike?
On the Sunday of the Baptism of the Lord, we remember that the Lord Jesus performed the first miracle in the Cana of Galilee at the intercession of the Virgin Mary. Let us not forget to ask Our Lady when we find ourselves in need.
On February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord – the Feast of Trumpets, we remember that even in the demanding situations of life, we are to do the will of God as faithfully as Jesus and Our Lady did. Especially we realize that in difficulties, we earn merits which, when we meet God the Judge, will be the basis for words: “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over little, I will set thee over much: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Mt 25:23).
On the feast of St. Joseph, the Bridegroom of the Virgin Mary, more than one man asks Our Lady to grant him the virtues that her bridegroom had. The Annunciation of the Lord reminds us not only of Our Lady’s encounter with the Archangel but also of the need for our response to God to fulfill our state obligations. Our “fiat” is the desire to follow the Mother of God.
In April, we see the Mother of God not only on the Stations of the Cross but also at the foot of the Cross and among the disciples in the Upper Room as they prayerfully awaited the promised Holy Spirit.
In May, it is a tradition to gather for Marian’s devotions. The Litany of Loreto, with its invocations, becomes an inspiration not only to the young people to whom the month of May belongs for their lives but to everyone who feels himself to be a generator of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Every month has other feasts, especially in many pilgrimage sites around the world, and especially in the summer months, they resound with the singing of Marian hymns.
And today, we commemorate the Saturday of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. From time immemorial, the Heart has been considered among people, of all the organs of the human body, as something extraordinary. On this feast, we remember the importance of the purity of our hearts. Especially at the beginning of holidays and vacations, when more attacks of the evil one are threatened when we are less vigilant during these days, the Mother of God becomes our protection. We begin July with the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To help, the encounter is an inspiration to grow or decline spiritually. Friendships and acquaintances are to be entrusted to the protection of Our Lady. We do not doubt the company is beautiful and valuable, but vigilance is necessary.
August 15 is one of the two commanded feasts when we are required to attend the entire Holy Mass. We are reminded that the Lord Jesus rewarded His mother’s faithfulness and took her to heaven with His body and soul. During the summer, we realize where our goal in life is. We pause and evaluate the path we are taking toward our goal. We ask for the strength to persevere in what Jesus intended for us on this earth.
The month of September reminds us of: the Nativity on 9/9, the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 9/12, and the Patroness of Slovakia, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, on 9/15. These are moments of repose. What mother does not rejoice at the visit of a son or daughter when they come to see her on her feast day, bring a flower, or exchange a few kind words? And we realize that although we cannot add anything to the glory given to our Heavenly Mother by her Son, we feel that it is we who receive many gifts from her.
The second month of the year, during which we especially pay attention to Our Lady, is October. The 7th of October is Our Lady of the Rosary. And we take the Rosary our hands-on that day and throughout the month. And not a few of us throughout the year keep this object always with us, in our pocket, on our finger, and often at least one dozen of the fifteen mysteries from the life of Our Lady and the Lord Jesus are recalled to our minds. And it is not only the Rosary that connects us daily with Our Lady. At the sound of the bell in the morning, lunch, or evening, we pause from work and greet the Mother of God with the Angelus prayer.
At the beginning of the Paschal month of November, when we remain standing in silence at the temporary resting places of our dear ones, more than one of us asks Our Lady, Queen of All Saints, to intercede for our departed ones. We trust in her powerful intercession. She said: “It has never yet been heard that one who has taken refuge under my protection has asked me for help and intercession, that I have not heard him.”
In December, we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Not an old feast, but in the Church from the very beginning, brothers and sisters have believed that the Lord Jesus preserved His mother from all sin, even original sin. Yet the Blessed Virgin Mary has always remained a person free and endowed with reason.
For us, this is a challenge to work on our sanctification. Chastity is a state in which a healthy man and woman can never stop struggling. We are not alone. There is the Mother of God. The most widespread image of Our Lady is that of her holding the Child Jesus in her arms or playing beside her. May this image become our inspiration for the whole New Year: to draw closer and closer to the Mother of God, place ourselves under her protection, and be guided and formed. And this is regardless of our age, status, and condition. We accept the Virgin Mary as the gift that Jesus gave us when he died on the cross. We realize that we must not, and we do not want to, underestimate this gift. Every day we have an opportunity where can start anew. Let us ask the Mother of God to be the inspiration of our lives.