The Collect for the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary:
“O God, who prepared a fit dwelling place for the Holy Spirit in the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, graciously grant that through her intercession we may be a worth temple of your glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.”
Reflection
The devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary goes back to at least the 1600s when St. John Eudes preached it with devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It focuses on the fact that Mary was both without sin and a faithful disciple to Jesus. In particular, we think of two times in Luke’s Gospel that it says “and she pondered all these things in her heart.” As for the collect, we start by remembering that it is God himself who made Mary worthy to receive the Holy Spirit. From there, we ask to likewise be made worthy to be made God’s dwelling place.
So, for your daily contribution to the Church’s collection of prayer,
Consider how well you ponder the mysteries of God in your heart. This can be from reading Scripture and reflecting on it, or even meditating on how God has worked in your life. Pray and ask Mary to mentor you in this kind of reflective prayer. Then spiritually unite that prayer to all the Masses throughout the world today. That way, when the priest says “Let us pray,” you can be a part of that “us” even if you don’t get to attend Mass.
