
Reading 1: Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 135:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6
Gospel: Luke 2:41-51
The feast of the Sacred Heart is always followed by the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The church wants us to reflect on the human heart of Mary after reflecting on the Divine heart of her son. The closeness of the feasts show the closeness of Mary and Jesus in the mind of the church. Mary's heart was immaculate because of the Immaculate Conception. However, unlike Adam and Eve she did not give way to sin.
The gospel the church gives for today is Luke 2: 41-51, the story of Jesus getting lost in the temple. The important line for today's feast is 2:51, "and Mary stored all these things in her heart." Mary was the 1st true comtemplative. She spent her life reflecting on who this child could be, a child with no earthly father. Her love for him never wavered, her faith never doubted. Only a heart that was pure could have held steadfast in such trials. Jesus comes first in these two feasts because he is the Son of God. But Mary is the highest of our race and she is first among humans. Mary is all that we shall be when we reach the light of glory. There, in the beatific vision our hearts shall be made immaculate by the burning love ofGod.