Immaculate Heart of Mary

She revealed her heart to me on a beer can.

Whoa. Back up. Let me go ahead and say I hope this does not offend anyone. Although I've found that when you start a conversation with, "no offense but..." someone almost always takes offense.

Back to the beer can. I might have been a few of these in, but I will enthusiastically say that when your mind is a little bit loose you find yourself more open to receiving the messages being delivered to you.

So there I sit, drunkenly regarding the can of beer in my hand and marveling over its seriously cool label. That would make an awesome tattoo I think to myself. It reminds me of Mary's Immaculate Heart. Now maybe this thought was reaching a bit but it did cross my mind.

A few weeks later...out of town for an appointment I located Mary and visited with her. The next week I had to return to that town, kids in tow, and Stella and I stopped by to see her again. As we meandered up the busy tourist laden sidewalk, we window shopped and occasionally stepped in a funky boutique or sweet shop. When I saw this print it instantly jumped out at me as yet another sign of Mary showing her heart to me.

My apologies for the awful picture quality.

She is calling me that is for sure. Appearing in dreams, making herself known in little ways.

The catechism has this to say about her:
Paragraph 6. 963  "The Virgin Mary...is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and of the redeemer...She is clearly the mother of the members of Christ'...since she has by her charity joined in bringing about the birth of believers in the Church, who are members of its head."

969  Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside the saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation...Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.

So Mary didn't just relax when she ascended directly to heaven. After working so hard on earth she continues to work hard for us, to advocate for those who call on her, from her position as Queen of Heaven.

I read that Pope Francis has a special devotion to the Blessed Mother. It is said that he watched Pope John Paul II pray the rosary and experiencing this witness of his predecessor's devotion of the path of his Mother up to the sky had a lasting impact on him.

The rosary does not come easy for me. For one thing it takes a bit of time and that is something I am quite short on. For another, I have yet to memorize all the mysteries and when I do pray it I always have my phone handy to guide me. That in itself is uncomfortable for me. Our parish has rosary prayers before Mass sometime during the week and I have been itching to get there early enough to join in. I can truly feel Mary calling me to her and instructing me to take up the rosary as part of my spiritual health.

In what ways have you experienced the Blessed Mother's presence?