Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Catholic Church continues to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary takes on a different character from that to the Sacred Heart of Jesus which signified the despised love of the Saviour for all mankind. The Heart of Mary also signifies love but it is the maternal love for her children.
The crucified Lord asked Mary to take care of the congregation of believers.
When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" (John 19:26)
From then on, Mary became the mother of the disciples who stayed on despite the apparent failure of the Christ movement . She prayed with the disciples after Jesus' ascension.
All these (the 11 remaining apostles) with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers (Acts 1:14).
Though her name was not explicitly mentioned, Mary must have been present on Pentecost.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place (Acts 2:1).
Why not? She was also the first person in the New Testament to receive the Holy Spirit. How could she be absent on the birthday of the Church on Pentecost? In a sense, just as she delivered Jesus on Christmas day, Mary delivered the Church on Pentecost. The Catholic Church rightly calls the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.
Many people reject the maternal love of Mary. Therefore, in a way, her love for mankind is similar to that of Jesus' despised love.
The late Pope Paul VI wrote a letter to all bishops in 1967, called Signum Magnum on the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It explains clearly why we should honour the Blessed Virgin Mary.
First of all, we should meditate the virtues of Mary. She is the first Christian and she brought Christ to the world. While the whole world rejects her son, Mary never deserts him. We Christians should follow her example to bring Christ to the world and never depart from him.
The BVM is privileged and unique among all mankind in nurturing Christ.
As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!"
But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" (Luke 11:27-28)
The BVM heard and keep the word of God. She kept pondering it in her heart (Luke 2:19, 2:51).
Let us follow her example to ponder Christ all the days of our life.

Dear Lord, I thank You for Your treating us as Your brethren, giving Your mother to us. We are unworthy servants and yet, You gave Your mother to us to share her maternal love. Blessed Virgin, pray for us sin, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.