Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
June 17, 2023

Today’s Readings:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/061723.cfm

Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy, we celebrate Mary, our beautiful human kinswoman who allowed God to take flesh within her. In so doing, Mary taught us how to enflesh God in our own lives. Over a lifetime of prayer with her, we will continually learn her lesson.

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Concepts of Mary, and her role in Salvation History, abound in theology and culture.  

Madonna della Seggiola ~ Raphael

While many of these images introduce us to a particular understanding of Mary, some can also limit her to deficient descriptions as sweet, passive, and limited in her role as young mother and wife.

The hope is that Christians today will look beyond any limited definition to find the Prophet who voices a strong, faithful witness to Christ and to his Gospel for the poor and disenfranchised – a Mary whose life offers inspiration for the challenges we face in our own lives.

The Annunciation ~ Henry Ossawa Tanner

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Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ is distinguished Professor Emerita at Fordham University. In her ground-breaking book on Mary, Truly Our Sister, she says:

“Remembering Mary as a friend of God and prophet in the communion of saints, a woman who is truly sister to our strivings, allows the power of her life to play in the religious consciousness of the church, encouraging ever-deeper relationship with the living God in whom our spirits rejoice, and allying us with God’s redemptive designs for the hungry, the lowly, and all those who suffer, including in an unforgettable way women with their children in situations of poverty, prejudice, and violence.”

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Today, in our prayer, let’s invite ourselves to an ever deeper understanding and relationship with Mary who, with her Immaculate Heart, is nevertheless truly our sister.

Windsock Visitation ~ Michael O’Neil McGrath, OSFS

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Poetry: Women Weaving – from Incarnation by Irene Zimmerman, SSSF

Afterwards, Mary moved from fear
(Will they drag me to the stoning place?)
to pain (Will Joseph doubt my faithfulness?)
to trust (I fear no evil—Thou art with me.)
and back again to fear. “I must go to my cousin,”
she said, and set out in haste for Judea.

As her feet unraveled the warp and woof
of valleys and hills, darkness and days
from Nazareth to Elizabeth,
Mary wove the heart of her Son.

When her newly-womaned cousin came,
Elizabeth, wise old weaver herself
for several months by then, instantly
saw the signs and heavily ran to meet her.

‘Who am I,” she called, “that the mother
of my Lord should come to visit me?”
and helplessly held her sides as laughter
shuttled back and forth inside her.

Then Mary sang the seamless song
she’d woven on the way.

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Music:  Behold ( A modern Magnificat) ~ David Kauffmann ( Lyrics Below)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5FWTlQ6M_uc%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26fs%3D1%26hl%3Den%26autohide%3D2%26wmode%3Dtransparent

Behold, Behold
The mighty one has done great things for me
Behold, Behold
The mighty one has done great things for me
And Holy is your name
And Holy is your name

My soul exalts you
Behold my Lord whose mercy lies on me
My soul magnifies the Lord
My spirit rejoices in my savior
He looks at me with kindness
As with holy eyes of blindness
and all will call me blessed
Refrain

My soul exalts you
Behold my Lord whose mercy lies on me
Compassion inhabits those who fear him
He has done great deeds with his arms
Scattered the proud. Rulers are brought down,
and he has lifted the humble
Refrain

My soul exalts you
Behold my Lord whose mercy lies on me
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent away the selfish empty handed
He has sent his servant, in remembrance of his mercy
and he has kept his promise
Refrain

My soul exalts you
Behold my Lord whose mercy lies on me
Whose mercy lies on me.