Et Contristátus Immaculati Cordis Mariae aka the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary

If you haven't noticed already, I like Latin. A lot. But that's not what this post is about today, so let's move along. It would be a shame to end the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus without contemplating its counterpart; the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. The specific devotion to the Alliance of the Two Hearts is particularly special to me. This is the devotion that brought about my reversion. It has and continues to pour out many graces in my life and the lives of the dear people around me; my beloved family, friends and community. 

Since I've saved the best for last, let's move forward to further discover the hidden treasures of this beautiful Heart. The Two Hearts are so unified that they beat as one; nothing can ever separate them. What rings on the Sacred Heart of Jesus also rings on His mother's Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. Being the mother of Jesus, His Heart is also hers, as He was formed in her womb, which makes the bond of the Two Hearts even stronger, because it is bonded by divine love and maternal/filial love. 

Not only their joys are shared, but also their pains. The pains which the Sacred Heart endures also affect the Immaculate Heart, as they are one. This is where the Sorrowful aspect comes in. The sword piercing her Immaculate Heart represents the prophecy of Simeon, which is also the first sorrow in the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (My Mater Dolorosa devotion is showing, isn't it?)

"And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be contradicted; And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed." Luke 2:34, DR

Simeon's prophecy foreshadowed Mother Mary and her Son's future suffering, for the sake of our salvation. For a sword to pierce her inner-most being; her pure and placid soul, her sufferings were to be great indeed. An example of this is during the Passion of Our Lord. While her pains were not physical like His, rather, they afflicted her gentle and ever-compassionate Heart. Since Our Blessed Mother is the epitome of absolute perfection, she is entirely untarnished throughout her whole being. Due to this wonderful work of God, Mother Mary feels and perceives everything much more acutely and powerfully than we ever could, including emotional anguish. She not only experienced deep sorrow in witnessing her only beloved Son suffer, but also to see her God suffering as well. To grasp how truly united the mother and Son are, think of the scourging at the pillar. On her tender Heart, Our Lady felt every single lash and strike that Jesus endured upon His bare flesh. When a mother sees her child suffering, she suffers even more. Regarding this, St. Alphonsus Ligouri says, "Two hung upon one cross." The sword penetrating her Heart not only reveals the suffering foreseen at the prophecy of Simeon, but all of her Seven Sorrows. The devotion to the Immaculate Heart is often combined with the devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows. I highly recommend taking up both, as they are recipes for sainthood and true love for Our Lord and Blessed Mother. 

While her Heart is Sorrowful, it is also bears the title of Immaculate. Besides Christ, there has been no other person to walk this earth, who loves as she loves. A perfect love that is pure, compassionate, endless and motherly. Her Immaculate Heart reveals her soul and interior life; like her Son it is also burning with love for us and the sword shows us her sorrows as the thorns reveal His. Her beautiful Heart is crowned in white roses, to expose her complete and total immaculate purity, in all she is and does. When faced with impurities, cling to the Immaculata for protection, she never fails to assist those in who humbly approach her. Not only is her Heart inflamed for love of us, most importantly, it is blazing with motherly love for her Son and a flawless, virginal love for God. With her Heart glowing and burning with perfect love for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, think of how she may also ignite our hearts with love. 

"My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge
and the way that will lead you to God."

As we have seen thus far, Our Lady's Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart is very powerful. During the Fatima apparitions in 1917, after promising to take Jacinta and Francisco to Heaven soon, Our Lady said to Lucia, "Jesus wants to use you to make me known and loved. He wishes to establish the devotion to my Immaculate Heart throughout the world. I promise salvation to whoever embraces it; these souls will be dear to God, like flowers put by me to adorn His throne." Our Lady is inviting us to be her flowers, why not accept the invitation?

While this is the last post related to the Sacred Heart for the month of June, I encourage you to keep a fervent devotion to the Two Hearts throughout the whole year, and better yet, for the rest of your life. This devotion creates saints and brings souls to Heaven. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus alone is fantastic, but as the saying goes, two is better than one. Especially when Our Blessed Mother is involved. At times devotions can be difficult to keep, but never cease to persevere. In times of trials and tribulations, please remember what Our Lady of Fatima also said, "In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph." 

I hope you all gained many blessings from the month of the Sacred Heart, and as always, you are in my prayers. I will be back soon with more reflections and ramblings on different Catholic-related topics, but for now I'll wait for the Holy Spirit to strike me with inspiration and then stay up very late typing away and making sure that I'm not saying anything heretical, relativistic, fallacious or nonsensical. Oh, the beauty of being confirmed (which was fairly recent, back in April, by the way). Veni Sancte Spiritus... until next time, pax. 

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us,
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us,
Mater Dolorosa, ora pro nobis.

-Yvonne Gemma