In the Jubilee year of Mercy, we contemplate the treasures that Mary, our Mother, cherished in her heart. Mary treasured divine mercy in her heart in perfect harmony with her Son Jesus (misericordiaeVultus 27). It is an art that St. Claret, our Founder, too knew well as the son of her immaculate heart.
Mary is the mother of mercy, the masterpiece of God’s mercy in the world. Transformed by God’s grace and immersed in the merciful love of God, her heart could exult in God whose mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear the Lord (Lk 1:50). We are part of the generation that sings of God’s mercy in our times.
For us Claretians, the feast of the heart of Mary is the occasion to celebrate gratefully and joyfully our filial identity. For, “we are called and are truly sons of her Heart” (CC 8). We need to take the adverb truly seriously, so that our actions befit our identity as sons of her heart.
I am reminded of the story of a sage who was taking bath in a river. A scorpion came floating, taken by the current, and was almost drowning. When the sage reached out his hand to save it, it stung him. However, he took the scorpion to the riverbank and let it go safe. The same happened with another scorpion and yet another. The disciples who were watching the scene could not bear it. They exclaimed, “master, master, let those ungrateful creatures drown. You are trying to save them, but they are hurting you”. The master replied, “it is their nature to sting, mine is to save. I do not want to exchange my nature with theirs”.
Yes, we shall not exchange our truth as sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and its implications with anything else. As her sons we will say “fiat” when we are entrusted with a mission. We shall not run away from challenging missions to settle down in our comfort zones. Our hearts too shall sing “magnificat” for all that happens in and through our lives. We will not entertain gossips and project blame on others to cover up our failures. We shall remain faithful and persevering under the foot of the cross rather than escape suffering. A son of the Immaculate Heart will have a heart big enough to welcome everyone into its embrace irrespective of their creed, colour and culture. Intercultural living and universal mission flow naturally from a missionary heart because our charismatic spirit is for the whole world.
We are truly the sons of the Mother of mercy when we radiate the merciful face of Jesus in the world. Today we shall pray with our filial hearts:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy
Shelter us, your sons, under the mantle of your love.
I wish you all a very happy Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.