The Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Every year the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the third Friday after Pentecost. The Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is celebrated the next day, on the third Saturday after Pentecost. When I think of these two feasts, one right after another, I am reminded of the messages of the Angel of Peace to the three children of Fatima, Lucia dos Santos and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, in 1916, the year before the apparitions of Our Lady to them in 1917.

I think of two statements in particular that the Angel made to the children. First, in the spring of 1916, the Angel taught them this prayer, “My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You!”  Kneeling with the children, the Angel repeated this prayer three times. Then he rose and said to Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, “Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.”

What a consolation it is to know that the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary are attentive to our prayers and supplications! As Catholics, we are all so very familiar with the images of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart in paintings and statues. We know that in our spirituality and theology, the “heart,” as in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, means the entire person. So, when we hear that the Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to our prayers, we realize that these persons so important in our life of faith are listening to us and are very willing to come to our aid.
    
The second statement of the Angel was made to Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta in the summer of 1916. The Angel came to the children and reminded them, “Pray! Pray very much! The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you.” In our relationship with the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart, they call us to redouble our efforts to pray. Certainly, the Sacred Heart, Our Lord, calls us to adore Him in our prayer. He calls us, as well, to make reparation for the sins and offenses committed especially against the Blessed Sacrament. The Immaculate Heart of Mary, as Mother of God and Mother of us all, calls us to pray to deepen our relationship with her Divine Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. We call to mind the words that Simeon said to Our Lady as she presented Jesus in the temple, “and your own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed” (Lk 2:35). This tells us that the role of Our Lady in God’s plan of salvation is to be intimately united with Jesus in His Passion and Death. Further, this leads us to gain insight into Our Lady’s standing at the foot of her Son’s Cross. She is no passive spectator, simply swooning in grief. She is lovingly united with this great act of redemptive love acted by her Son. 
    
In the end, there is a union between the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart. The proximity of the feasts of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary underlines this intimate union. 
    
So, what does this mean for us? What is the importance of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in our lives?
    
First, we remember that our relationship with them is founded in love. The image of the “heart” is the sign of love for us. The Sacred Heart speaks to us of the love of God. The Immaculate Heart of Mary demonstrates for us the tenderness of the maternal love of the woman chosen to be the Mother of God Himself, the Mother of the Incarnate Word, and our Mother. We see in the Immaculate Heart an intercessor who, as our Mother, protects us and draws us to the Heart of Jesus.
    
Second, we recognize that we, as members of Christ’s Body, the Church, are called to respond to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. We are invited to turn to them in prayer with great confidence. We should offer our prayer and sacrifice in reparation for those who do not love as they ought. We must share our love for the Hearts of Jesus and Mary with others so that they, too, will know they are loved.
    
We believe that as we persevere in prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we are able in union with them to transform a culture of death into a culture of life and a world of violence and hatred into a civilization of love.  By the love and mercy that comes to us through the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, we are compelled to reach out to others in love.
    
As we look forward to the celebration of the Feasts of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart, we hear the words of the Angel of Peace resounding in our own hearts, “Pray!  Pray very much! The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you!”

Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid
Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh