Daily reflection _ kept all these things in her heart

KEPT ALL THESE THINGS IN HER HEART
She shows us what it means to love God with our whole heart, holding nothing back, and to be united together with "one heart and mind" (cf. Acts 4:32).  
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
Today the Church honors the Immaculate Heart of Mary. One's heart is the core of one's being, so to consider Mary's Heart is to meditate on who she truly was and is. At her first appearance we are aware that God is her Treasure; she had found favor with God and accepts willingly God's Will for her life (cf. Lk1:30,38). Where her treasure is, there is her heart as well. Twice in the Gospels we are told that "she kept all these things" - the mystery of Jesus Christ - "in her heart" (Lk 2:19, 51).
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary has a long history. It was popular but without much official recognition until the 20th century when, in 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal and told them, "God wishes to establish in the world a devotion to my Immaculate Heart." Twenty-five years later, on December 8, 1942, Pope Pius XII consecrated the Church and the human race to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.Today, on the grounds of our retreat house, we have a statue depicting that scene in our rosary terrace, offering prayerful reflection for our retreatants.
The beauty and the depth of our mother Mary's Heart are just two of some of the most profound mysteries of this world. She shows us what it means to love God with our whole heart, holding nothing back, and to be united together with "one heart and mind" (cf. Acts 4:32). May we imitate in our lives her singleness of heart!