Homily for Saturday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 25th June, 2022. The Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 Homily for Saturday Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Year C, 25th June, 2022. The Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading: Lam. 2:2,10-14,18-19; Ps. 74; Matt.8:5-17

Rev.  Fr. Emmanuel Emenike  Onyia

IMMACULATE HEART : THE BEST DESCRIPTION OF THE INTERIOR LIFE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 

Biologically, the heart is the main organ in the circulatory system. It is the structure primarily responsible for the circulation of blood and transportation of nutrients in all parts of the body. This special task uplifts the role of the heart as a vital organ whose normal operation is constantly required. In biblical language, “heart” indicates the centre of the human person where his sentiments and intentions dwell. 

Yesterday we celebrated the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Heart where we embrace God’s infinite love and mercy for humanity and His will for our universal salvation. Following the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the Immaculate Heart of his Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Hence today, the liturgy invites us to venerate the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Immaculate Heart of Mary is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all people. 

Here we recall Mary’s great love for God, her faith and piety, her commitment to serve the Lord wholeheartedly, and how she loved her Son dearly from the moment conception, his birth, his finding in the Temple and even up to his passion of the Cross, when Mary followed her Son faithfully as he picked up his Cross and bore that burden of the Cross to Calvary, she bears and pondered all this sorrows deep within her Immaculate Heart. 

This is the event we celebrate today, where we recall how Mary having struggled to understand the mysterious events in the life of her Son Jesus, stored up all these events in her heart. A heart that is propelled by love and filled with genuine faith in God, a heart so pure and contemplative. For such is the immaculate heart of Mary, having been conceived without sin, and pure from any taints of evil and wickedness. 

Yet, this loving and caring Immaculate Heart has to endure great sorrows and in the midst of these sorrows she did not stop being loving, compassion and caring to her Son and also to all of us, as she fulfills the mandate entrusted to her by Jesus at the Cross of Calvary saying: Mother behold your son and son behold your mother. By this mandate all of us are blessed to have been placed under the maternal care of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a great saint and our role model.

Dear friends, today we are called to imitate and embrace the Immaculate Heart of Mary, whose maternal care we have been commended by Jesus at the Cross of Calvary. So, let us like Mary express our faith in God just like the Roman centurion in our Gospel passage today, who sorts help for his sick servant, he approached Jesus for healing, but when Jesus accepted to come to his home, the centurion hesitates, feeling unworthy of Jesus’ presence in his home, said to him “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed”.

  

What a great faith, unlike the people of Israel in our first reading who were lamenting over the destructions that had ravaged their land and their entire kingdom because of their faithlessness and  disobedience. But we are truly fortunate to have received such abundant love and compassion from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary his mother, who is also our loving mother. Let us therefore cultivate a heart that mirrors that of our mother, let us imitate the purity of her heart, let us be caring, loving, contemplative and compassion in our relationship with one another. 

LET US PRAY: Lord God, as we imitate the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, graciously grant that through her intercession we may be a worthy temple of your glory and make our hearts a loving, caring and compassionate vessel for all through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a fruitful weekend.