Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary 2015 and Reception of the First Associates of Canada
Venue: St. Pius X Parish, Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Rosary: The Joyful Mysteries
Celebrant: Father Andrew Czarny
First Reading Isaiah: 61:9-11
Gospel Reading: Luke 2:41-51
Prayer: Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Blessing
Presentation of the IHMMC Associate Medals by Sister Mary Angeleen and Sister Mary De Porres
Luncheon and Fellowship: Parish Hall
On June 6, 2015 our Associates of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Mother of Christ (IHMMC) celebrated the Feast by making our Consecration, our fiat, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The following are some highlights from Father Andrew’s homily with an introduction of the reason for the consecration by Sister Mary Angeleen.
Sister Mary Angeleen reminded us that in the words of St. Louis de Montfort, our consecration to
Mary is “the surest, the easiest, the shortest and most perfect means of going to Jesus Christ.”
To Jesus through Mary!
Mary does not keep anything and anybody that comes to her to herself. The ultimate destination and only purpose of Mary is to lead all back to Jesus.
What does this mean for us?
Our consecration changes our entire life views, our relationship to our family, parish and work place. We do everything and live our life in, with and for Mary and ultimately in, with and for Jesus.
How do we imitate Mary?
In his homily, Father Andrew spoke about the heart of Mary being a heart of love; a heart that is immaculate because it is pure – free from selfishness and sin. Mary’s life was Blessed and Full of Grace but that does not mean that she had no trials to face or sufferings to endure.
“… in spite of her sorrows, Mary’s heart never became bitter, cynical or hard. The love which filled it was never displaced by hatred or indifference.”
How did she respond to these trials and sufferings?
She contemplated them all in her heart (Luke 2:19, 51). Trials and Sufferings do not always have answers. Sometimes they are mysteries that can only be contemplated in one’s heart. For in the depths of one’s heart, one finds, “the Father of mercies and the God of all consolations … Who comforts us in all our afflictions” (2 Cor. 1: 3-7). The God Who can only be contemplated, not solved or figured out.
The trials and sufferings that Mary endured in her life are not too different from the ones we face. Mary’s Immaculate Heart gives us courage and strength to contemplate them all in the depths of our own hearts as she did, and to not lose hope; to have the Faith to face whatever cross may come.
By striving to love Christ above all else, our hearts can be purified to be like Mary’s, so that we might truly say to our Lord, “I love you with all my heart!”
In addition to our lay associates, this celebration was attended by men and women of the various parishes in the Brant Deanery in the Diocese of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
