23 Jun
Sat 		Immaculate Heart of Mary
Is. 61:9-11
(R.Ps.) 1 Sam. 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8
Lk. 2:41-51
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The devotion to the Heart of Mary started in the XVIII century as a consequence of the spiritual movement initiated by St John Eudes, priest, in relationship with the devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Before becoming a special feast, it began as a simple commemoration within the Mass of the Sacred Heart in the XIX century. In 1942 and on the occasion of the XXV anniversary of the apparitions in Fatima, Pius XII consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

"Mary kept all these things in her heart" (Lk. 2:51). This reflection of St Luke in the infancy narrative of Jesus is like a prelude to the liturgy of this feast and encourages us to enter into the "intimacy of Mary" to participate in her thanksgiving, and above all, in her openness to God, her Father. Mary is, in reality the image of the Church and the model of every Christian. If the Lord prepared her so that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and dwell on her, every christian, each one of us, is also a temple of the Spirit where the Three Divine Persons dwell within us. With Mary let us say, "let my heart rejoice in your saving help. Let me sing to Yahweh for the goodness he has shown me." (Ps. 13:5).


Lord I trust in Your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in You as Mary did.

DAILY OFFERING
Eternal Father, I offer You everything I do this day; my thoughts, words, joys and sufferings. Grant that, vivified by the Holy Spirit and united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, my life this day may be of service to You and to others. I also pray that all those preparing for marriage discover in Sacrament the source of Christ's grace for living a fithful and fruitful love. Amen.

PRAYING WITH THE CHURCH
INTENTION
That our every activity may have its beginning and its end in Christ present in the Eucharist
Elaboration

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P R A Y I N G    W I T H    T H E    C H U R C H    

INTENTION : That our every activity may have its beginning and its end in Christ present in the Eucharist

In this month, dedicated to the Sacred Heart, we are encouraged to contemplate the Heart of Jesus in the Eucharist. It will spur us to seek in that Heart the inexhaustible mystery of the priesthood of Christ and of the Church. It will enable us to taste the spiritual sweetness of charity at its very source. It will make us rediscover our baptismal promises and thus be made more aware of having to live our apostolic dimension by spreading love and participating in the mission of evangelisation.

We pray the Lord of the harvest to grant the Church "shepherds after His own Heart" who will be ready to go out into the highways of the world to proclaim that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We pray that today's young people, docile to the voice of the Holy Spirit, will let the great expectations of the Church and of humanity resonate in the depths of their hearts and respond to Christ's invitation to consecrate, themselves enthusiastically and joyously with Him "for the life of the world".

The entire devotion to the Heart of Jesus is rooted and finds its summit in participation in the Holy Mass where we fraternally assembled, listen to the Word of God and learn to offer with Christ our lives.



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