Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary Year 1 2023

Title

Seeing with the Heart

Outline

It is so easy to see the concrete, outward situation

It is also easy to read our inward, our hearts into it and not understand what is really going on in the heart of the other

We have a handicapped granddaughter, aged 21 with a mental age of 3. I do not know what she understands, especially about the faith. I cannot be empty enough of my own “stuff” nor can I observe her heart, only her behavior. Perhaps only Mary’s immaculate heart would be pure enough to grasp Arwen’s.

Paul tells us that recognizing that limitation is an asset

The outward, the observable is “dead” in Christ anyway so that the new life in Christ can spring up.

We have to stop regarding others according to such human measurements, for they are a new creation in Christ - their past does not count any more and we likely do not perceive what they are becoming.

How often has that happened in Church history. Some nun, perhaps a sickly or weak sister, is rejected or at least despised for their uselessness or perhaps thought crazy and then it turns out that they are a saint since they have a deep inner life with God. Some monk seems sinful, but in fact is doing better spiritually with limited resources than his companions who are outwardly far more upright.

Mary, of course, got to live this up close and personal

Surely there were many times when she did not “get” Jesus, but the festival trip to Jerusalem she had not expected to be one of them. He was twelve, so participating as a man among the other Jewish adults, alongside Joseph rather than helping Mary. The Passover was over, all had gone well, they were headed back, and then they discover Jesus was not there.

I think of her and Joseph’s guilt feelings: did we do something wrong? Or simply their questions: how in the world did this happen? What could have gotten into him? The fact is that they did not imagine the real answer, that he was announcing his calling, his deeper Father’s affairs. If they had, they would not have spent three days searching but would have gone straight to the Temple.

They find him acting as a mature man, even a young religious leader, something that they had not trained him to be. They wonder how he could have done this to them, and he returns, “How could you not have known that at 12 I would enter my Father’s business?” The inner man they knew about but have not taken into account was coming into his own.

But he then gave them a few more years of conventional behavior.

Sisters, this is good for us to observe

We do not have Mary’s immaculate heart that a single word from Jesus could call to a deeper awareness of the situation.

We are much more rooted in the outward and much more influenced by our own internal stuff.

Perhaps our daily prayer should be that Mary would pray for us from her immaculate heart so that we might be able to set aside our inner “stuff” and what is obvious to our eyes and see the new creation that God is producing in others, even in that least likely other who may be right under our nose, too close for us to notice.

Then, over time, our hearts would become like Mary’s immaculate heart, fully open to the deeper reality which is the true reality that God is doing in others and in the world.

Readings

Catholic Daily Readings 6-17-2023: Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

FIRST READING

2 Corinthians 5:14–21

14 For the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died. 15 He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

16 Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. 17 So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Catholic Daily Readings 6-17-2023: Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

RESPONSE

Psalm 103:8a

8 Merciful and gracious is the LORD,

slow to anger, abounding in mercy.

PSALM

Psalm 103:1–4, 9–12

1 Of David.

Bless the LORD, my soul;

all my being, bless his holy name!

2 Bless the LORD, my soul;

and do not forget all his gifts,

3 Who pardons all your sins,

and heals all your ills,

4 Who redeems your life from the pit,

and crowns you with mercy and compassion,

9 He will not always accuse,

and nurses no lasting anger;

10 He has not dealt with us as our sins merit,

nor requited us as our wrongs deserve.

11 For as the heavens tower over the earth,

so his mercy towers over those who fear him.

12 As far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our sins from us.

Catholic Daily Readings 6-17-2023: Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

(Proper)

Luke 2:19

19 And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.

GOSPEL

(Proper)

Luke 2:41–51

41 Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, 42 and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. 43 After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, 47 and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. 48 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.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he said to them. 51 He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

Notes

Catholic Daily Readings 6-17-2023: Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 2023 | MEMORIAL

IMMACULATE HEART OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Saturday following the second Sunday after Pentecost. The Gospel for this memorial is proper.

YEARS 1 & 2 | ROMAN MISSAL | LECTIONARY

From Saturday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time

First Reading 2 Corinthians 5:14–21

Response Psalm 103:8a

Psalm Psalm 103:1–4, 9–12

Gospel Acclamation Luke 2:19 (Proper)

Gospel Luke 2:41–51 (Proper)