In the End My Immaculate Heart will Triumph

May 30, 2015 by Peter Howard

“Hail, Holy Queen! Hail, our life our sweetness and our hope!” Mary is our hope. And the Church proclaims it every day at the end of every rosary and often at the end of the Church’s Night Prayer (or Compline). In our modern times, no other words draw our attention to this reality than the promise Our Immaculate Mother made to the world on July 13, 1917 when she said:

I shall come to the world to ask that Russia be consecrated to my Immaculate Heart, and I shall ask that on the First Saturday of every month Communions of reparation be made in atonement for the sins of the world. If my wishes are fulfilled, Russia will be converted and there will be peace; if not, then Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, bringing new wars and persecution of the Church; the good will be martyred and the Holy Father will have much to suffer; certain nations will be annihilated. But in the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and the world will enjoy a period of peace. In Portugal the faith will always be preserved…

Conversion brought about by consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary . . . Why through a heart? And more specifically, the Immaculate Heart of Mary? Mary is rightly called “most humble,” so

this request seems a bit strange, that Mary would seem to draw attention to herself. But, also remember that Mary is always the humble “handmaid of the Lord” and inseparable Spouse of the Holy Spirit. That means Mary does nothing without being prompted by the Holy Spirit. Her will is only what God wills of her and through her. So, with these words, Mary points to the cor (pun intended) of authentic Christian spirituality.

The heart embodies everything that makes up the human person. And when God became Man, he assumed a perfect human nature, at the center of which is the heart. And whose human nature did Christ assume?

Mary’s. Thus everything that made up the Sacred Heart of Jesus came from the human nature of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. That is why Mary can say even more truly than the priest: “This is my Body . . . This is my Blood” when speaking of the Holy Eucharist. There is such an inseparable union between the Hearts of Jesus and Mary that we come to the Sacred Heart of Jesus only through the Immaculate Heart of Mary – for the Sacred Heart of Jesus came to us through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. And we see this reality mystically continued at the Cross where the life-giving Blood and Water which flowed from the pierced Heart of Jesus is communicated to His Mystical Body through the pierced Heart of Mary to Whom Jesus entrusted His Church.

This is what is at the heart of Jesus’ final gift to the Church during His exchange between His Mother and every beloved disciple (represented by St. John who was deliberately unnamed): “Woman, behold your Son! . . . Behold your mother” (Jn 19:26-27). This exchange between Jesus, Mary and His Church was the central passage of St. John Paul II’s encyclical letter Redemptoris Mater, which sets out the strong biblical and theological foundations for why total consecration to Mary is at the heart of the Christian life. So much did St. John Paul II believe this that he took St. Louis De Montfort’s short prayer of consecration to Mary as his papal motto: Totus Tuus [sum Maria] and summarized its significance by his papal coat of arms which introduced a distinctive “M” under the Cross, directing our attention to John 19:26-27.

Now, what is the significance of adding “Immaculate” to Heart of Mary? Here, I encourage you to read the Marian teachings of St. Maximilian Kolbe whose insights into the relationship between Mary and the Holy Spirit are wrapped up in Mary’s self-revelation of her name at Lourdes in 1859 when she said: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” St. Maximilian saw in these words a

revelation of Mary’s union with the Holy Spirit that has yet to be explored with special attention by the Church because the Holy Spirit is rightly called the uncreated Immaculate Conception of the eternal Love between the Father and the Son. And now Mary at Lourdes is compelled by the Holy Spirit to reveal that she shares the same name. How is that? This takes the understanding of Mary as Spouse of the Holy Spirit to a whole new level, since spouses indeed share the same name. Mary the created Immaculate Conception is inseparably united to the uncreated Immaculate Conception where everything her Spouse is by nature is hers by grace – and she, in turn, is totally possessed by the Holy Spirit where everything she has is His. This is the essence of St. Maximilian’s teaching on Mary and the Holy Spirit of which St. John Paul II said:

. . . possesses a doctrinal accuracy that enchants those familiar with the keystone of Vatican II, the Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium. One is tempted to say that he had foreseen, even in its wording, the admirable eighth chapter consecrated to the Virgin Mary. (Immaculate Conception and the Holy Spirit, Monteau-Bonamy, 1977 ed., p. xxiii).

Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, therefore, inserts the Christian into the heart of the Life of the Spirit, and in the most perfect of ways. It is the most perfect of ways because it is “the Way” by which God chose to empty Himself upon humanity and give us His Divine Life. The Christian life is nothing less than returning to God by patterning itself on the Life of Jesus Christ Who came to us through Mary. And the mystery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary points to the Holy Spirit, whose spousal union with Mary makes her Immaculate. This spousal union points to Mary’s power since the fullness of grace dwells in her because she is the Holy Spirit’s unique spouse. Where Mary is, there is her Spouse, and the more Mary is present in a soul, the more the Holy Spirit is present with grace and power in that soul. What do we find where that spousal union is invited and nurtured? Jesus Christ, the God-Man, who is always the fruit of the union of Mary and the Holy Spirit.

This is why we consecrate ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and why the triumph over the evils of the world will come through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. And this is why St. Louis De Montfort could write with conviction:

No other devotion calls for more sacrifices for God, none empties us more completely of self and self-love, none keeps us more firmly in the grace of God and the grace of God in us. No other devotion unites us more perfectly and more easily to Jesus. Finally, no devotion gives more glory to God, is more sanctifying for ourselves or more helpful to our neighbour (True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, St. Louis Marie de Montfort, paragraph 118)

St. John Paul II singled out De Montfort as a reliable teacher of the spirituality of total consecration to Mary (cf. Redemptoris Mater, para 48). And he exhorts us to adopt this spirituality because of its immeasurable fruits:

It is well known that the more her children persevere and progress in this attitude [of total consecration to Mary], the nearer Mary leads them to the “unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph. 3:8) [Redemptoris Mater, 46].

Our Lady of Fatima therefore invites us directly to this crowning of Christian spiritualities. Let us humbly and prayerfully take this invitation to heart because it is a special gift that not all will understand and even fewer embrace. Why? St. Louis De Montfort explains:

As this devotion essentially consists in a state of soul, it will not be understood in the same way by everyone. Some—the great majority—will stop short at the threshold and go no further. Others – not many – will take but one step into its interior. Who will take a second step? Who will take a third? Finally who will remain in it permanently? Only the one to whom the Spirit of Jesus reveals the secret. The Holy Spirit himself will lead this faithful soul from strength to strength, from grace to grace, from light to light, until at length he attains transformation into Jesus in the fullness of his age on earth and of his glory in heaven (True Devotion to Mary, 119).

Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a secret? The Holy Spirit, through Our Lady at Fatima and the teachings of Sts. Maximilian and John Paul II, clearly doesn’t want it to remain so. And if this is the first time you are learning of it, consider yourself now privy to this secret.

But, there is a caveat emptor . . . Remember, knowledge is responsibility. What will you do with this knowledge

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for:May 30, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Grant us, O Lord, we pray, that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule and that your Church may rejoice, untroubled in her devotion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

o Cassoulet

ACTIVITIES

o Cenacle Project

o Elementary Parent Pedagogy: Two Homes, Heaven and Earth — Building up Family Unity and Security

o Marian Hymn: Stella Matutina

o May, the Month of Mary

o Wooden Doves for Pentecost

PRAYERS

o May Devotion: Blessed Virgin Mary

o Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Litany of Loretto)

· Ordinary Time: May 30th

· Saturday of the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: Ember Saturday after Pentecost; St. Felix I, pope and martyr; St. Joan of Arc, virgin

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Corpus Christi which traditionally is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. In the Ordinary Rite the Solemnity is celebrated on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday.

Also today is the feast of Pope St. Felix I, who governed the Church from 268 to 273. St. Felix I was buried in the "crypt of the popes," in the catacomb of St. Callixtus, and is often confused with the second century martyr St. Felix, a victim of persecution under the Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Also it is the feast of St. Joan of Arc (some places), Patron saint of France. In her day, the English were allied with the Burgundians in a war against the rest of France. Joan was compelled by voices of her favorite saints to take up arms in defence of her country. Dressed in a suit of white armor, she led the French in battle against the English, who retreated, believing that she was in league with the devil. She continued to battle against the English, with dwindling support, until she was eventually captured and tried as a witch. She was found guilty and at the scaffold she pleaded guilty in exchange for a pardon from the Church. However, since the English had no intention of releasing her from prison, she quickly renounced her confession and resumed wearing men's clothing. For this they publicly burned her at the stake for witchcraft and heresy. The Church reversed its decision in 1455, and she was canonized in 1920.

St. Felix I
The son of Constantius, Felix was a Roman by birth. He was elected to the papacy shortly after the death of St. Dionysius. It was Felix who received the letter from the Asiatic bishops announcing the deposition of Bishop Paul of Antioch, Dionysius having died before its arrival. Felix was also informed of the election of Domnus I to replace the deposed heretic. Unfortunately, Paul refused to vacate the church building and denied entrance to the newly appointed Domnus. Emperor Aurelian, who then sat on the throne, happened to be passing through Antioch when he was asked to intervene in the matter. Aurelian ordered the see to be turned over to whichever bishop was in true communication with the bishops of Italy and Rome. At long last, Paul was forced to make an undignified exit, while Timaeus, Domnus' successor, was able to take his rightful place among his flock.

Felix is said to have ordained that the celebration of Mass take place over the graves of martyrs. Although Felix reigned for nearly six years, little else is know of his pontificate, except that it was free from persecution. Felix died in December and was buried in the papal crypt located in the cemetery of Calixtus. His feast is kept on May 30.

— Excerpted from The Popes: A Papal History, J.V. Bartlett

St. Joan of Arc
Saint Joan was born on January 6, 1412, in the village of Domremy to Jacques and Isabelle d'Arc. Joan was the youngest of their five children. While growing up among the fields and pastures of her village, she was called Jeannette but when she entered into her mission, her name was changed to Jeanne, la Pucelle, or Joan, the Maid.

As a child she was taught domestic skills as well as her religion by her mother. Joan would later say, "As for spinning and sewing, I fear no woman in Rouen." And again, "It was my mother alone who taught me the 'Our Father' and 'Hail Mary' and the 'Creed;' and from none other was I taught my faith."

From her earliest of years Joan was known for her obedience to her parents, religious fervor, goodness, unselfish generosity and kindness toward her neighbors. Simonin Munier, one of Joan's childhood friends, tells how Joan had nursed him back to health when he was sick. Some of her playmates teased her for being 'too pious.' Others remembered how she would give up her bed to the homeless stranger who came to her father's door asking for shelter.

Joan was 'like all the others' in her village until her thirteenth year. "When I was about thirteen, I received revelation from Our Lord by a voice which told me to be good and attend church often and that God would help me." She stated that her 'Voices' were Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret. At first her 'Voices' came to her two or three times a week but as the time for her mission drew near (five years later), they visited her daily telling her to 'Go into France' to raise the siege of Orleans, conduct the Dauphin Charles to Reims for his crowning and to drive the English from the land.

Joan went to the neighboring town of Vaucouleurs, which means Valley of many colors. There she spoke to the loyal French governor by the name of Sir Robert de Baudricourt. After many rejections he finally agreed to send her to the Dauphin who at the time was living at the castle of Chinon.

On the evening of February 23, 1429, she began her mission for God. In the company of six men, she rode through the Gate of France on her way to Chinon. Joan reached this town on March 6th, but was not received by the Dauphin, Charles, until the evening of March 9th.

After being accepted and approved by a Church council headed by the Archbishop of Reims, Joan was allowed to lead the Dauphin's army. This part of her career was meteoric. She entered Orleans on the evening of April 29th and by May 8th the city had been freed. The Loire campaign started on June 9th and by June 19th the English were driven out of the Loire valley. The march to Reims started on June 29th and by July 17th Charles was crowned King of France in the cathedral of Reims.

From this time on, for reasons know only to King Charles, the king no longer valued Joan's advice and guidance. She had always told him that God had given her 'a year and a little longer' to accomplish His will but the king seemed to take no notice of it. For almost a year he wasted what time remained to Joan, until in frustration, she left the court. Her last campaign lasted from the middle of March until her capture at the town of Compiegne on May 23rd, 1430. Her 'year and a little longer' was over.

Abandoned by her king and friends, she started her year of captivity. As a prisoner of the Burgundians she was treated fairly but that all changed when on November 21st, 1430, she was handed over the English. How she survived their harsh treatment of her is a miracle in itself.

The English not only wanted to kill Joan but they also wanted to discredit King Charles as a false king by having Joan condemned by the Church as a witch and a heretic. To obtain this goal the English used those Church authorities whom they knew to be favorable to them and the staunchest of these was Bishop Cauchon.

Joan's trial of condemnation lasted from February 21st until May 23rd. She was finally burnt at the stake in Rouen's market square on May 30th, 1431.

Twenty-five years later the findings of Joan's first trial were overturned and declared 'null and void' by another Church court, who this time was favorable to King Charles. It was not until 1920 that the Church of Rome officially declared Joan to be a saint. Her feast day is celebrated on May 30th.

Excerpted from St. Joan of Arc Center

Patron: Captives; France; imprisoned people; martyrs; opposition of Church authorities; people ridiculed for their piety; prisoners; rape victims; soldiers; WACs; WAVES; Women Appointed for Voluntary Emergency Service; Women’s Army Corps

Symbols: Bareheaded girl in armor with sword, lance or banner

Things to Do:

Visit the St. Joan of Arc Center for more information.