“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 worthy temple of your glory.” The Church’s prayer on the feast of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart, celebrated this year on June 13, asks God to make us worthy temples of His glory. One way for us to cooperate with God’s work in our soul is to cultivate the virtues that flourished in Our Lady’s.
For centuries, Christians have drawn on Mary’s words and actions in the Gospels as the source of devotion to her Immaculate Heart. Let us focus on three Marian characteristics that can guide us during these summer months: contemplation, generosity and thoughtfulness.
The key to Our Lady’s life lies in her prayer: “She kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). This “reflecting” was not simply an intellectual exercise but a loving pondering in God’s presence of the incredible mysteries of salvation being worked through her. Our daily dialogue with God, both during the tasks of our day and in quiet moments stolen with Him before the Blessed Sacrament or at home, is the fuel for our activities and the locus of our growth in holiness. As the late Edward Cardinal Egan of New York wrote in his pastoral letter on the Eucharist, “We move into a more loving relationship with Him when we kneel in prayer before Him present in the tabernacle … We are there. He is there. We speak to Him. He speaks to us. Love is exchanged, and the miracle of growth in holiness is worked quietly, tenderly, powerfully.”
The miracle of growth in love of God always issues in increased love of neighbor. Mary’s first action after conceiving Our Lord in her womb was to “go in haste” to lend Elizabeth her help. For those on an academic calendar, summer can provide more leisure. Some of it we should give to prayer and some to our neighbor. But even when we are busy, we can always be generous with the gift of faith given us. Mary brought Elizabeth the unborn God; we can bring God to others, and others to God, by inviting them to Mass or confession, teaching them how to offer up small daily sufferings, offering them an article or book that will nourish them spiritually.
And finally, Our Lady’s comment to Christ at the wedding of Cana: “They have no wine” (John 2:3). She noticed; do we? Do we notice a coworker’s or spouse’s need for a listening ear or a cheerful word? Our Lady was full of grace not only in the sense of divine grace, the life of God, but also human gracefulness, considerateness. She observed those around her and turned discreetly to her Son to call on His power. If we can nurture prayerfulness, generosity and attentiveness this summer, we will be on our way to becoming worthy temples of the God who desires to dwell in us.
Sr. Maria Veritas Marks is a member of the Ann Arbor-based Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist.
