For this Sacred Heart Friday, I bring to your attention the (perhaps unintended?) symbolism of May coming just before June, in the sense of who these months are dedicated to.
May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary; June to the Sacred Heart. The Church teaches that all authentic Marian devotion leads us to Jesus. Therefore, we can spend this month of Mary, with its holidays of Our Lady of Fatima (May 13th) Mary, Mother of the Church (right after Pentecost) and the Feast of the Visitation (May 31st) preparing for the Sacred Heart. We can focus on each of those days and meditate or reflect on their significance, all with a mind as to how they lead us to Jesus.
The message of Our Lady of Fatima is prayer, penance and reparation. War is punishment for sin; immodest fashions offend God; we must pray the Rosary every day for the conversion of Russia as well as the World. Mary said, ‘In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph!” This means the ultimate end of Satan’s free rein of terror and a period of peace before the Second Coming.
Mary, Mother of the Church :the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, therefore Mary is our Mother. The Church was established by Christ to facilitate our redemption. The Church has one job: to save souls. It was started out of love for us; without it, we would have no Shepherd and no way to authentically interpret Scripture. No Church and there would be the confusion and chaos as evidenced by the countless Protestant and Evangelical denominations.
The Feast of the Visitation celebrates when Mary made haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was miraculously pregnant with St. John the Baptist. What lesson can we derive from this? Hospitality, for one. Make time in your life to come to the aid of your family, friends, kindred, tribe, clan, whatever. Your neighbor! Also, it is the declaration from Elizabeth that Mary IS the Mother of God, with Mary’s response that her should magnifies the Lord and her spirit rejoices in God, her saviour; as well as that all generations will call her blessed. Does your soul magnify the Lord? Are you grateful for all the things He has done for you? Do you call Mary ‘Blessed?’
Don’t forget! One if the ways to honor the Blessed Mother is doing the Five First Saturday Devotions.
Next Sacred Heart Friday: The Alliance of the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
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