Entering Jesus’ Heart Through Mary’s – Jun 28 – Homily – Fr John Lawrence
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Fr John Lawrence gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Jun 28, 2025, Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, on how devotion to Mary's Immaculate Heart leads to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, emphasizing her role as a purifier and model of gratitude.
Father explores the profound connection between the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, describing Mary’s heart as the door to Jesus’ heart, a concept rooted in the Gospel where Mary "kept all these things in her heart" (Luke 2:51). He cites Jesuit John Crossett, who emphasizes the inseparability of these hearts, noting that Mary purifies souls through grace to enter Jesus’ sacred sanctuary. Father underscores Mary’s role as the Mediatrix of all graces, referencing her Immaculate Conception (Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph 490), which ensures her heart remains pure and a model for imitation. Her gratitude, evident in the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), echoes the Canticle of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10), reflecting joy in God’s mighty deeds. Father interprets Jesus’ words, "I must be in my Father’s house" (Luke 2:49), as a foreshadowing of His passion and resurrection, a meaning Mary discerned through meditation. He urges devotees to store God’s Word in their hearts, grow in gratitude, and consecrate themselves to Mary’s heart, as she requested at Fatima in 1917, to avoid sin and find refuge (CCC 971). This devotion, Father stresses, is a remedy for a world where sin has grown since 1917, ensuring purification and union with Jesus.
For Further Reading:
Luke 2:51 - NAB - Mary kept all these things in her heart - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/2?51
Luke 1:46-55 - NAB - The Magnificat, Mary’s song of praise - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?46
1 Samuel 2:1-10 - NAB - Canticle of Hanna, prefiguring Magnificat - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1samuel/2?1
Luke 2:49 - NAB - Jesus in His Father’s house - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/2?49
Catechism of the Catholic Church #490 - Mary’s Immaculate Conception - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p122a3p2.htm#490
Catechism of the Catholic Church #971 - Devotion to the Blessed Virgin - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p6.htm#971
Catechism of the Catholic Church #966 - Mary’s Assumption and Mediation - http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a9p6.htm#966
Vatican - Fatima Message - Mary’s call for devotion - https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000626_message-fatima_en.html
00:00 - Opening Prayer
00:10 - Immaculate Heart Introduction
00:32 - Sacred Heart Connection
01:03 - Mary as Mediatrix
01:43 - Magnificat and Gratitude
03:18 - Treasury of Mary’s Heart
06:10 - Jesus’ Mission Explained
08:35 - Fatima’s Message
Ave Maria!
Mass: Immaculate Heart of Mary - Feast - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07168a.htm
Readings: - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/062825.cfm
1st: isa 61:9-11
Resp: 1sa 2:1, 4-8
Gsp: luk 2:41-51
More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=1875
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