“…AND HIS MOTHER KEPT ALL THESE THINGS IN HER HEART” (Luke 2:51)

⏰Saturday of the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time 2 (09 June 2018 – Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary)

📖2 Tim 4:1-8; Ps 71:8-9, 14-15ab, 16-17, 22 (R.v.15ab); Luke 2:41-51

My dear, St. Paul goes on encouraging us through his Second Letter to Timothy to be steadfast in faith and in the truth of the Gospel. He warned us beforehand of this period when many would no longer want to follow the truth but rather seek to twist the Gospel to suit their selfish interest (cf. 2 Tim 4:2-5).

That calls for a strong faith in the omnipotence of God to be able to stand against the noise, temptations and turbulence of the world. That kind of faith is only obtained from a silent meditation on the Word of God and an intimate union with him.

The Blessed Virgin Mary was a woman of great faith. In Luke 1:45, Elizabeth declared of her, “Blessed are you who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”

Jesus would also use her faith to raise her status, not just as his biological mother but also his mother through faith when he said, “Rather blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28).

So in the Immaculate Heart of Mary we celebrate the heart of faith and by extention, the heart of love. This is the heart that kept pondering and treasuring the word of God (cf. Luke 2:19, 51) in such a way that she was able to move in love to assist others in their need (cf. Luke 1:39ff; John 2:3-4).

That is the synthesis between faith and good works as the Letter of St James 2:14-26 encourages. Your faith must lead you to good work, otherwise it would be a dead faith.

May God grant us the grace to have a strong and living faith that will enable us join the psalmist in telling of his salvation (Ps 71:15). Amen.

Have a beautiful weekend. Amen. Peace be with you.