28 June 2012: Zeal of the Heart of Jesus

‘Extent of this zeal’ Great was the zeal of our Lord. He restricted its exercise to inhabitants of Palestine because such was his Father’s will, to which he was in all things perfectly conformed. But his Heart embraced the whole world. He prayed always for its conversion during his hidden life. In the three years of his public ministry he prepared his Apostles for this great work, promising to be with them “even to the consummation of the world” (Mt 28:20). After the example of our Lord, let us learn -- 1st, to let our zeal be governed by obedience, even should this compel us to restrain it within the narrow bounds of a life apparently common and obscure; 2nd, not to envy those who may be called to a more brilliant career in the exercise of their zeal, but rather to do all we can to help them; and 3rd, to let our zeal embrace the whole world, taking part in the good work everywhere, as much as lies in our power by prayers and alms. Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp332-3 Triumph of the Zeal of the Sacred Heart “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself.” (Jn 12:32) This is the prophecy of the triumph of our Lord’s zeal. What a triumph! Idolatry vanquished and made despicable; the name of God known and adored everywhere; the way of salvation opened freely to all men. More than eleven million, in every condition of life, bearing witness for the faith by a cruel martyrdom! Still a triumph that so many persons, regardless of sex, draw from the heart of Jesus a zeal which gives them courage to forsake all things or go into distant and barbarous lands as missionaries. Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, p333 The Son and the Mother united in love Christ, the Eternal Incarnate Word, born from Mary, is always oriented towards the Father. Sent by Him into the world, Christ is in permanent union with the Father: He lives listening to His word, does only what ‘He sees the Father doing. ... always ready to fulfill His Will and seeks only His glory. ... the Father’s Will is the salvation of man.’ But Christ, though He is the only Mediator and the sole Saviour, though He does not need any help, does not act by Himself in the work of salvation of mankind because the Father arranged that to Him must be indissolubly conjoined the Mother and helper, Mary of Nazareth. The conciliar constitution, ‘Sacrosanctum Concilium’ which mirrors the style and the way of thinking of Liturgy, affirms that the Blessed Virgin was ‘conjoined indissolubly with the operation of salvation of her Son’. It is the intense and extremely pure love of the Mother: a love constantly nourished by the Spirit, who is the source of the Mother-Son relationship, between Mary of Nazareth and the Incarnate Word. Though pure, their love is not limited to their persons, but given to the whole mankind. Simeon’s prophecy on the tragic end of the Messiah; and of the sword that will pierce through the heart of Mary joins in a single pain, the Mother and the Son. The Virgin’s pain will be a ‘participation to the suffering for the resistance against the Son; it will be the pain of the Messiah’s Mother, who becomes involved in the dramatic event’. May’s pain will not cease even after the death of Jesus, because ‘every refusal from Israel suffered by the Messiah was also suffered by His Mother in her heart’. Christ and Mary are driven by the same Will to please the Lord. These two wills met simultaneously at the time of the Incarnation. To the joyful ‘Fiat’ of the Virgin: ‘Here I am, the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your word’ was joined to the divine ‘Fiat’ of the Word: ‘Here I am, O God, I come to do your Holy Will.’ To Jesus and Mary, two ‘anawim’ (poor in spirit), the observance of the ‘Law of the Lord’ and the fulfillment of His Will, shall be the constant rule and essence of their life, and ‘the mover’ of their action. The ecclesial tradition has understood that the consent of the Virgin in faith at the time of the Annunciation was maintained without hesitation even under the Cross. In light of the liturgy, this union is a fruit of the salvific plan of God-Father; a plan which in Christ-Mary changed the ingratitude of Adam-Eve into an obedient love; mysterious, merciful, inspired by providential goodness. Ref: I Calabuig in “Alliance of the Two Hearts”, pp118-21 Our Lady -- “Our Mother, our hope! How safe and sure we are when we keep close to you, even when everything around us is quivering and shaking.” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Forge”, 474) ‘Ad Iesum per Mariam’ When greeting Mary, Elizabeth in no way separated Mother and Son. She associated them intimately by adding, “and blest is the fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:42). We, too must address ourselves to the Lord Jesus with the readiness of lively faith and force of ardent love. The expression ‘Ad Iesum per Mariam’, must be shown to be true for us, too ... Let us reflect: What is the meaning of Mary’s presence in that house in the hill country of Judea? Was she there only through kindness and thoughtful concern for her kinswoman who had “conceived a son in her old age”? (Lk 1:36) Was it a purely human act of assistance? No. That was a much more significant and spiritually fruitful presence, because Mary brought her cousin the incomparable gifts of grace, of joy and of light, associating the future Precursor with this bearing of gifts to his mother. The moment Mary’s greeting sounded in her ears, the old woman not only felt the child leap in her womb but was also filled with the Holy Spirit and felt strengthened, indeed enthusiastic, in her reply to the greeting. Through illumination of that Spirit who had penetrated her, she above all acquired the superior capacity to see the very Mother of her Lord in her young cousin. Ref: Cf “Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II”, 1984, pp178-9 • Dedication of the church of the Carthusians of Paris, under the title of Our Lady, by John d’Aubigny, Bishop of Troyes in Champagne in the year 1325. — Du Breuil, Theatre des Antiquites, lib. ii. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Dedication of “Notre Dame de Paris” (1325). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html) • “Angelus” is instituted throughout Europe by Pope Callistus III in 1456, although its origins are hundreds of years earlier. The set of 2 or 3 daily prayers (6 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m.) commemorates the Annunciation. History and modern usage. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) • Institution of the “Angelus of Our Lady” (Europe, 1456). (www.divinewill.org/feastofourlady.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html) • Our Lady of the Angelus. (http://mariedenazareth.com)