A HEART LIKE HER SON’S
>>> Note: Those who have the special Sacramentary and Lectionary of the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary will find there other readings, special prayers and a proper Preface for this celebration.
Introduction
The celebration in honour of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is closely linked to the solemnity of the Sacred Heart, which it follows by one day. This is not by accident. When we honour the Sacred Heart of Jesus we simply celebrate our Lord’s great love which he showed by dying for us and which he continues to give us day after day. Mary was close to her Son, not only because she was his Mother but because she loves everyone for whom her Son lived, died, and rose from the dead. Her heart is large enough to include us all in her love. She is with us in our sorrows and joys.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we thank you for the love
with which you filled the heart of Mary,
the Mother of your Son and our mother.
In your great kindness you have given her to us
to open our hearts to your word and to your love,
so that we can seek your will in all we do.
May she also let our hearts be touched
by the needs of people with sorrows and cares.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!
1 Reading: ISAIAH 61:9-11
Then their offspring will be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples. All who see them will recognize them because they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed. I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a groom puts on a turban, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth produces its sprouts, And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
Responsorial Psalm 74:1b-2, 3-5, 6-7, 20-21
R. (19b) Lord, forget not the souls of your poor ones.
Why, O God, have you cast us off forever?
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
Remember your flock which you built up of old,
the tribe you redeemed as your inheritance,
Mount Zion, where you took up your abode. R.
Turn your steps toward the utter ruins;
toward all the damage the enemy has done in the sanctuary.
Your foes roar triumphantly in your shrine;
they have set up their tokens of victory.
They are like men coming up with axes to a clump of trees. R.
With chisel and hammer they hack at all the paneling of the sanctuary.
They set your sanctuary on fire;
the place where your name abides they have razed and profaned. R.
Look to your covenant,
for the hiding places in the land and the plains are full of violence.
May the humble not retire in confusion;
may the afflicted and the poor praise your name. R.
Alleluia Cf. LUKE 2:19
Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is the Virgin Mary who kept the word of God
and pondered it in her heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: LUKE 2:41-51
His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up there according to the custom of the feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days required, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware of it. Instead, they thought that He was somewhere in the caravan, and they went a day’s journey; and then they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him. Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You!” And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” And yet they on their part did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
Commentary
Heart of a Mother
In February 2019, two events took place simultaneously in Rome. One was a meeting at the Vatican on the “Protection of Minors in the Church.” The other was a conference, “The Revolution of Tenderness: The Heart of Mary”, organized by three religious congregations who were Marian in their charisms. A touching observation was made at the conference that it was no coincidence that these two events were happening together: The only solution to the evil of child abuse is to have the tender heart of a mother, of the Mother. At the Protection of Minors meeting, journalist Valentina Alazraki observed that a mother’s heart would always bleed for the weakest children and protect them at any cost. The role of the Church, and by extension, of every member of the Church, is to be such a mother to the “weakest children” of the world: the poor, the sick, the needy, the victims. There is no better model to imitate than the Heart of Mother Mary.
Intentions
Let us raise our hearts in prayer to God our Father, and ask him to fill our world and our communities with the warmth of his love. We say:
R/ Lord, hear your people.
– For the Church of Jesus Christ on earth, which is a community of weak people, that the power of God’s goodness may become visible in our love for one another, we pray:
R/ Lord, hear your people.
– For our world with all its needs, that Mary may watch over it, pray for it and keep people from warring with one another and from making one another suffer, we pray:
R/ Lord, hear your people.
– For people in lowly jobs, that they may learn from our humble Mother that God values all work done with love, we pray:
R/ Lord, hear your people.
– For all missionaries, that like Mary, our dear Mother, we may give Christ to our world and have a heart loving all people and especially the poorest and the weakest, we pray:
R/ Lord, hear your people.
– For all of us united here, that our faith may produce in us, as in Mary, fruits of genuine love for one another, we pray:
R/ Lord, hear your people.
Our loving God, these are the things we ask of you today. Let Mary enrich our prayers with hers and give us every good gift through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen!
Prayer over the Gifts
Generous and merciful God,
we are sure you accept our prayers wholeheartedly
when there is peace among us
and when we try to the best of our ability
to be one of heart and soul.
Help us in our weak efforts
on account of the prayers of Mary.
With her we offer you all honor and praise
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
Preface: The Immaculate Heart of Mary (ICEL)
The heart of Mary is the heart of one who lives by the New Law.
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,
we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
You gave the Blessed Virgin Mary
a wise and obedient heart,
that she might perfectly carry out your will,
a new and gentle heart,
in which you were well pleased
and on which you inscribed
the law of the New Covenant.
You gave her an undivided and pure heart,
that she might be worthy
to be the Virgin Mother of your Son
and to rejoice to see you for ever.
You gave her a steadfast and watchful heart,
so that she could endure without fear the sword of sorrow
and await in faith the resurrection of her Son.
With the whole company of the angels
we sing your praises
in their canticle of joy:
Holy, holy, holy Lord…
Prayer after Communion
Good and loving Father,
in this Eucharist we have enjoyed
the food of life and the drink of joy
of your Son Jesus Christ.
Fill us with his Spirit of love,
that our love, like that of Mary,
may be reliable and lasting,
that no indifference may extinguish it,
no flood of impatience nor hatred may sweep it away.
Let it be a flame warming the hearts of people
and a fire burning for you
our living God, now and for ever. Amen!
Blessing
God has been very good to us. He has given us Jesus to save us from our inability to love God and neighbour. He has given us Mary to watch over us, to care for us, to pray with us and for us. Yes, Mary cares. Could our thanksgiving not be that we too learn to care for one another and to render all the service we can? May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go and, like Mary,
serve the Lord in one another.
R/ Thanks be to God.