First Prelude: Picture the Blessed Virgin opening her arms and her heart to all her children.
Second Prelude: O most benign Mother Mary, obtain for me the grace, by imitation of thy virtues, to be intimately united with the Heart of thy Divine Son.
First Point
THE HEART OF MARY IS AN ALTAR WHEREON THE FIRE OF DIVINE LOVE BURNS
The heart of our heavenly Mother is most intimately united with the Heart of Jesus and is, therefore, an immense furnace of love. It is the altar of holocausts whereon the divine fire incessantly burns and whereon the oblation of praise, of thanksgiving and love are offered to God unceasingly. This spotless Heart fulfills most perfectly the first and greatest command: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself” (Luke 10, 27). Therefore Holy Church places on the lips of the Blessed Virgin these words: “I am the Mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope” (Eccl. 24, 24).
St. Anselm says: “Where purity reigns, there love reigns also.” But there was no heart so pure as the Heart of the Immaculate Virgin, and the Son of God. Who had come upon earth, to cast the fire of divine love into the hearts of men, was in a position to enkindle the heart of His virginal Mother with this flame. Love controlled it so completely that no affection found room therein if it did not tend solely to the honor of God… It was an active love, which regulated her conduct so that in all her actions she sought only the greater honor of her Beloved. It was a magnanimous love, which thrives on sacrifices voluntarily accepted and cheerfully borne. It was a persevering love, whose fervor never abated, but increased with every moment of her life, till it had reached that sublime degree which severed her holy soul from her body and united her perfectly with her Beloved. Enter into yourself, my soul, and see whether you bear the characteristic of true love of God. If we are deeply conscious of our lack of love, let us hasten to the Mother of fair love and beg her to teach us to recognize and conquer the obstacles to true love of God in our hearts.
Have I at last cast an ardent desire for the love of Jesus? What means will I seek to increase it in my heart today?
Second Point
THE SACRED HEART OF MARY TEACHES US HOW TO IMITATE THE VIRTUES OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are most intimately united with each other. Through the heart of the Mother we will find the surest way to the Heart of the Son. The Sacred Heart of Mary is the most faithful mirror, the most perfect copy of all the virtues and perfections of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Jesus dwells therein with all the fullness of grace and infuses into it His own divine life. Do we wish to partake of this close union of love, do we wish to form our heart according to the Heart of Jesus, let us direct our attention to the Immaculate Heart of our Mother Mary. In this faithful image of the Divine Heart, that for thirty years labored with Him in the same cottage, prayed, sorrowed and rejoiced with Him, we see all His glorious virtues reflected in their brightest splendor. Jesus lived solely to fulfill the Will of His Father, and the same perfect resignation is discernible in the words of Mary: “Behold the hand-maid of the Lord!” Jesus was the Exemplar of meekness and humility. Who learned these virtues and practiced them in a higher degree than Mary? Who will count the souls that she has saved? If we have an ardent and tender love for Mary, then we will soon be penetrated with love for her Divine Son. This is the inestimable grace that she effects for her favorite children.
Let us learn from our holy Mother the virtues that she contemplated in the Heart of her Divine Son, and impressed deeply on her own heart. Let us beg her to imbue us in this manner with devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to confirm us therein. All graces come to us through Mary, of whom Holy Church very aptly says: “He that shall find me, shall find life; and shall have salvation from the Lord” (Prov. 8, 35).
Do I consider the Sacred Heart of Mary as my model?
Affections: O holy, Immaculate Heart of my dearest Mother, we offer thee our hearts, that thou mayest present them to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At thy hand, He will gladly accept them. Make them resemble thy heart, the faithful image of the Divine Heart. Impart to us thy pure emotions, that, wholly devoted to the love and honor of God, our hearts may be imbued with love of neighbor. O Mother of beautiful love, drop a spark of the holy fire that consumed thee into our cold hearts, that it may enkindle our love and render us worthy one day to share the treasures that God has reserved for those who love Him.
Resolution: I will frequently entreat the Blessed Virgin to obtain for me a great love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Spiritual Bouquet: “I am the Mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge and of holy hope.”
Prayer:
O Jesus, living in Mary
O Jesus, living in Mary, come and live in Thy servants, in the spirit of Thy holiness, in the fullness of Thy might, in the truth of Thy virtues, in the perfection of Thy ways, in the communion of Thy mysteries: subdue every hostile power, in Thy spirit, for the glory of the Father. Amen.
(Indulgence of 300 days, once a day—Pius IX, Oct. 14, 1859)
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