Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas: Immaculate Heart of Mary

By Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas, The Catholic Thing, June 12, 2021

Father Peter Stravinskas holds doctorates in school administration and theology. He is the founding editor of The Catholic Response and publisher of Newman House Press. Most recently, he launched a graduate program in Catholic school administration through Pontifex University.

Yesterday the Church celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; today, the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  The two feasts are not situated alongside one another by coincidence, but by the careful plan of the Church.  The heart of Jesus began beating beneath the heart of His Blessed Mother; her heart, in turn, took form from the creative Word and Power of the Heart of God.  Two hearts beating as one.

The heart is a symbol with a rich biblical lineage.  In Hebrew, both the heart and the bowels represent the very depths of a person – where the cognitive and the affective meet in unity and harmony.  Hence, we find passages in the Bible which speak thus: “My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred.” (Hos 11:8) Far more than an organ of the body, then, the heart suggests the source of compassion, tenderness, kindness – in short, what we call “mercy.” …

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