Homily 16 June 2007 Immaculate Heart of Mary

Today’s Gospel presents to us "Mary the Theologian."

A theologian is one who studies, reflects on, and ponders
the mysteries of God and the Church.

Luke presents to us the image of Mary reflecting on all that she sees and hears
and pondering them in her heart.
In her reflections and pondering…
Mary comes to know more and more intimately the person of Jesus.

Luke uses this phrase in two places.
When the shepherds come to adore the newborn Savior…
and…as we hear today…
after Jesus is found with the teachers in "His Father’s house."
Shepherds adored her Son.
At the age of 12 her son was among the learned men in the temple.

These and so many other mysteries about her Son…
became the food for much reflection in the recesses of Mary’s heart.
The more she reflected…the more she grew in wisdom and love.

As the theologian who has pondered the mysteries of God
then turns to teach those mysteries to the world…
so Mary has many lessons to teach us from her reflective heart.

Mary has known the pain and sorrow of seeing her Son die on the Cross…
and she has also known the triumph of the Resurrection.
Mary understands womanhood…parenthood…the realities of human life.

We can always turn to Mary in the face of life’s difficulties…
and here her motherly voice speak to our hearts the lessons she has learned.

Today we honor Mary’s reflective…pure…immaculate heart.
And we honor her most of all by committing ourselves to imitating her.

The recesses of our hearts
can also become places where the mysteries of God are pondered daily…
where the Lord speaks to us…
revealing to us His holy will for our lives.
We enter into the recesses of our own hearts
and find peace in prayerful union with Mary and Jesus.

Mary’s heart beats as one with the Sacred Heart of Jesus her Son…
and Mary’s love always leads us to Jesus.

May we pause each day and take quiet time alone
to ponder the mysteries of God and the Church in the recesses of our hearts
and to unite our hearts to Mary’s.

O Mary, whose Immaculate heart beats with love for us…pray for us!