The devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is deeply connected with that to the Sacred Heart of Jesus .
The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are mentioned explicitly only briefly in the text of the New Testament. Nevertheless the many references to the love and compassion of Jesus and Mary, as well as implied references to their Hearts, provide a vivid revelation of the Two Hearts .
This Admirable Alliance of Hearts, which worked the salvation of the whole world : the Heart of Jesus, which suffered to the point of being pierced so as to pour forth upon all who believe in Him, the grace of the Holy Spirit, which makes them partakers of the Holy Eucharist in the communion of fellowship in the Catholic Church; and the Heart of Mary, always focused on Her Divine Son, which was predestined by God to suffer with Him for the salvation of mankind.
St. John Eudes (1601-1680) is the founder of the modern public devotion to the Two Hearts.
It was his mission to organize the scriptural, theological, patristic, and liturgical sources relating to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and to popularize them with the approbation of the Church. His chief writings on this topic were: The Admirable Childhood of the Most Holy Mother of God, The Admirable Heart of the Mother of God, the Life and Kingdom of Jesus, The Sacred Heart of Jesus, The Admirable Heart of Mary. Included among his works was a mass and office for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and one for the Admirable Heart of Mary.
He was the first to dedicate churches in the world to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
St John Eudes meditated awesomely :
"Jesus lives in her (Mary) soul and body..His Heart abides in Her heart, His Soul in Her soul .. His virtues, mysteries, and divine attributes are loving in Her heart.."
Their Hearts are One !
Honouring Mary's Immaculate Heart is really just another way of honouring Mary as the person who was chosen to be the Mother of God, recognising her extraordinary holiness and the immense love she bestowed on Jesus as his mother, the person who was called to share in and co-operate in his redemptive sufferings.
The whole aim of this devotion is to unite mankind to God through Mary's forever Immaculate heart, and this process involves the ideas of consecration and reparation. A person is consecrated to Mary's Immaculate Heart as a way of being completely devoted to God. This involves a total gift of self, something only ultimately possible with reference to God; but Mary is our intermediary in this process of consecration.
The expression of St. Louis Grignion de Montfort applies here: Through Mary to Jesus!
In the strict sense of the word, we can consecrate ourselves only to God, and therefore to Jesus, who is not only true man but also true God. However, we consecrate ourselves to the Virgin Mary only in the wider sense of the word, which is in accordance with newer instructions of the Apostolic See, using the term 'commitment', or 'offering'.
With consecration to Mary we commit ourselves to Jesus:our souls and bodies, our spiritual progress, our prayers, sacrifices, good deeds, hidden spiritual struggles, our state of health, our families, acquaintances and friends, our profession and all our material goods.
A new life starts in us, formed after the hearts of Jesus and Mary . Happy and blessed feast for each one of you !
Let us faithfully pray and consecrate ourselves to Holy and forever Immaculate Heart of Mary :
Most Holy Virgin Mary, tender Mother of men, to fulfill the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus , we consecrate ourselves and our families to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and we recommend to You, all the people of our country and all the world.
Please accept our consecration, dearest Mother, and use us as You wish to accomplish Your designs in the world.
O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and Queen of the World, rule over us, together with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, Our King. Save us from the spreading flood of modern paganism; kindle in our hearts and homes the love of purity, the practice of a virtuous life, an ardent zeal for souls, and a desire to pray the Rosary more faithfully.
We come with confidence to You, O Throne of Grace and Mother of Fair Love. Inflame us with the same Divine Fire which has inflamed Your own Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. Make our hearts and homes Your shrine, and through us, make the Heart of Jesus, together with your rule, triumph in every heart and home. Amen.
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