In this month of May, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, we reflect once more on these words of Father Dehon, who sees the Virgin Mary as a central figure guiding us to become true disciples of the Sacred Heart.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary is the perfect model of the love we must have for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the very rosary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who is always alive in order to love him. In Nazareth, this Heart represents to us the love tenderly living in the presence and caresses of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; on Calvary, the afflicted Heart of Mary is the most accomplished model of reparation, as we must practice it. (CAM 3/249)
In Fr. Dehon’s reflection, the figure of the Virgin Mary is central to leading the disciples to the Eucharistic life to become true disciples of the Sacred Heart. For Fr. Dehon, it is the model par excellence for the soul in search of the Sacred Heart. Through her Immaculate Heart, she traces a spiritual path from Nazareth to Calvary, to finally end in the Upper Room in perfect Eucharistic prayer. This journey of contemplation, offering and thanksgiving is the one we are called to imitate in order to become true disciples of Christ.
Mary leads us infallibly to the Heart of her Son. Underlining the figure of the Virgin Mary as the Mother of all graces, Fr. Dehon sees that she plays a central role in shaping the soul according to the divine plans. At Mass and Holy Communion, to be united to Mary means to associate ourselves with the one who is perfectly united with the Savior, offering with Christ the sacrifice of the cross. Her pierced heart is inseparable from that of Jesus. By entrusting to her our prayers, our thanksgiving, and by praying the rosary, we enter into this living “rosary” of the Sacred Heart. Mary, Eucharistic Mother, is the guarantee of an ardent and faithful love, transforming our interior life and leading us, with gentleness and firmness, into the reparative intimacy of the divine Heart of Jesus.
