Monday, June 22, 2009

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary


Additional Information about the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Readings for the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:
[3]

Reading 1:
2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Brothers and sisters:
I must boast; not that it is profitable,
but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.
I know a man in Christ who, fourteen years ago
(whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows),
was caught up to the third heaven.
And I know that this man
(whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows)
was caught up into Paradise and heard ineffable things,
which no one may utter.
About this man I will boast,
but about myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses.
Although if I should wish to boast, I would not be foolish,
for I would be telling the truth.
But I refrain, so that no one may think more of me
than what he sees in me or hears from me
because of the abundance of the revelations.
Therefore, that I might not become too elated,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,
to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.
Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,
but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness."
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
for the sake of Christ;
for when I am weak, then I am strong.
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Commentary on
2 Cor 12:1-10

As part of his defense of his own Apostolate, St. Paul describes, in rather convoluted terms, an out of body experience (although it is described as “a man in Christ” he is referring to himself) where he was taken to heaven (The “third heaven” is the place where God dwells –the first is earth, the second the stars.) in which he was given “Ineffable things” privileged information that could not be repeated. Rather than helping him, these revelations brought persecution “a thorn in the flesh”. The Apostle uses the Christ-like response to physical and rhetorical challenges by saying that through his weakness and humility he is given the power of the Holy Spirit to carry on the Lord’s work.

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Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 34:8-9, 10-11, 12-13

R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Fear the LORD, you his holy ones,
for nought is lacking to those who fear him.
The great grow poor and hungry;
but those who seek the LORD want for no good thing.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Come, children, hear me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Which of you desires life,
and takes delight in prosperous days?
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
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Commentary on
Ps 34:8-9, 10-11, 12-13

Psalm 34 supports the notion of strength through the power of God. The psalmist sings of God’s salvation and how He raises up the lowly. It becomes an invitation to the people to become instruments of God.

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Gospel:
Luke 2:41-51

Each year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
"Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety."
And he said to them,
"Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
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Commentary on Lk 2:41-51

From the Gospel of St. Luke we have the story of Jesus in the Temple. It is significant from a number of perspectives. First the story breaks the scriptural silence regarding the “lost years” of Jesus’ growth from infancy to adulthood. This story says Jesus is twelve, that would be the time when he would have celebrated his bar miswah, he would have been considered a man.

This story is at odds with the Apocryphal Gospels (such as the Gospel of St. Thomas) that attributed to Jesus many miracles during his early years, this story paints his childhood as fairly normal, the implication based on Joseph and Mary’s reaction is that they, at this point, do not completely understand their son’s mission.

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Reflection:

“…his mother kept all of these things in her heart.” This Gospel passage concludes the narrative about Jesus’ nativity and early years from St. Luke’s Gospel. Previously in this chapter Jesus’ birth was described as was the family’s visit to the Temple eight days later were described. When the chapter concludes with Mary keeping “all of these things in her heart”, the reference is likely to include his miraculous birth and accompanying signs, the prophetic statements of Simeon, as well as his return to the Temple in the passage provided today.

In the purest of ways, the Blessed Virgin held in her heart a faith in the Son of God and a love for him that surpasses any possibility of our love. Her Immaculate Heart was first in love, first in faith, first in fidelity for she never showed an instant of doubt and never faltered in her love for Jesus. Even today this incredible Heart shows us the way to her Son.

It is for this reason that we hold her up in memorial on this day. Her example to us is so profound that we may only pray to be given her strength, courage, and faith. Because she is our emblem of faith and favored by God as “full of grace” we ask for her prayers and support. In our most dyer need we can reach out to her for intercession. She, who was so loved by Jesus that from the Cross he gave her into the care of his Beloved Disciple, with a mother’s love will show us compassion and ask her Son to also have mercy on us.

Today we imagine that Immaculate Heart, full of wonder and love, complete with faith and pain, and pray that her example will inspire us to greater acts of love to the greater glory of God. May we seek to emulate in every way the humility, love, and fortitude that allowed all the Blessed Virgin saw to be kept in her Immaculate Heart.

Pax


[1] ALTRE
[2] The image is of “The Immaculate Heart of Mary” artist is UNKNOWN
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.

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