𝕴𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖈𝖚𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊

𝕳𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖞

GROUP 3
Lorenzo, Dezscyrie Pearl
Magno, Judy Ann
Manalang, Samantha
Chung, Roxanne
Coronado, Camille
Tianio, Sabrine
 𝕴𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖈𝖚𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝕳𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝕸𝖆𝖗𝖞
BACKGROUND OF THE IMAGE

According to Catholic doctrine, Mary is the Immaculate Conception; that is, in

preparation for the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity in her womb,
Mary was conceived without the corruption of original sin, and was preserved from
committing any actual sins throughout the course of her life through the infinite merits of
her Son, Jesus Christ. She was virginal not only of soul, but also of body, both before and
after giving birth to Our Lord.

Our Lady was created literally “Full of Grace” as the Archangel Gabriel declared at the
Annunciation, meaning that her soul was literally adorned with all of the virtues at the
moment of her conception, as well as all the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.

This fullness of grace is said to emanate from the center of her being—her heart—
understood both physically and spiritually. It is Mary’s heart, in its unspoiled created
perfection, that is the source and wellspring of her purity . . . therefore her heart is called
Immaculate.

Our Lord took His sacred humanity from the flesh and blood of his Blessed Mother;
Christ’s heart is taken from her heart. At Calvary, the perfect hearts of Jesus and Mary
were united for the salvation of mankind. And this is why the Two Hearts are honored
together.

While the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the source of Christ’s burning love for humanity, and
is largely spurned by the indifference of mankind towards Him, the Immaculate Heart of
Mary is the source of Our Lady’s burning love for God and her desire to bring souls to
her Son, and is so often outraged by the offenses of mankind committed against her love.

Over the centuries, as the saints and theologians reflected on what it means for Our Lady
to have pondered and treasured the sacred events from the life of Jesus in her heart, as
attested in Scripture, Mary’s heart began to be recognized as something to be imitated in
daily practice.

Devotion to Mary’s holy heart then developed, in much the same way as it did for the
Sacred Heart, which was physically pierced by the lance on the Cross to give Eternal Life
to men. So also does Mary’s heart, which was also pierced (as prophesied by Simeon) in
union with her Son, give life—that is, grace—to the Christian soul.

Beginning in the Middle Ages, this devotion to Our Lady’s purity of heart began to
flower, culminating in St. John Eudes actively promoting the devotion in the 17th century
alongside that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He also worked to have a feast established for
the Immaculate Heart of Mary, beginning in his native France.

After the 1830 apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Paris, which gave rise to
the Miraculous Medal, efforts were renewed to have devotion to the Immaculate Heart
instituted as a feast for the universal Church. In this Marian apparition, Our Lady
showed St. Catherine Laboure an image of a medal to be struck which would obtain
many graces for those who wore it faithfully, especially the grace of conversion for
sinners.

On the front of the medal was an image of Our Lady encircled with the words, O Mary,
Conceived Without Sin, Pray for Us Who Have Recourse to Thee, confirming the dogma
of her Immaculate Conception. One the reverse was an image of the Cross of Christ
surmounted by the letter “M”, and underneath it the symbols of Sacred Heart of Jesus and
Immaculate Heart of Mary side-by-side, thus confirming the devotion to her holy heart.

The spreading popularity of the Miraculous Medal soon gave rise to a Marian
confraternity based on her Immaculate Heart and her power to convert sinners.
The Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, Refuge of Sinners was established in Paris in 1836 and quickly spread all over the
world, with many graces, especially the conversion of sinners, obtained as a result. Then,
in 1855, the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (or Most Pure Heart of Mary) was
approved by the Vatican, however, without establishing it for the universal Church.

Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary rose to a new level after the apparitions
of Our Lady of Fatima. In her visitations to Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco, Our Lady
revealed a vision of her Immaculate Heart encircled with thorns which represented the
many sins committed against her. At Fatima, Our Lady asked for Russia to be
consecrated to her Immaculate Heart in order to prevent many calamities from occurring
in the Church and throughout the world.

Lucia describes the vision:

“As Our Lady spoke these last words, she opened her hands and for the second time, she
communicated to us the rays of that same immense light. We saw ourselves in this light,
as it were, immersed in God. … In front of the palm of Our Lady’s right hand was a heart
encircled by thorns which pierced it. We understood that this was the Immaculate Heart
of Mary, outraged by the sins of humanity, and seeking reparation.”

At Fatima Our Lady also revealed her request for the faithful to make Communions of
Reparation to her Immaculate Heart on five consecutive first Saturdays of the month.
Therefore, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is closely associated with acts of
reparation for sins in order to obtain the salvation of sinners. When Sr. Lucia later asked
Our Lord why he would not convert Russia without having it consecrated to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lord replied,

” Because I want My whole Church to acknowledge that Consecration as a triumph of the

Immaculate Heart of Mary, so that it may extend its cult later on, and put the Devotion to
My Mother’s Immaculate Heart beside the Devotion to My Sacred Heart.”

After the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
was instituted for the universal Church by Pope Pius XII in 1944. The feast was
originally celebrated on August 22nd, the octave day of the Solemnity of the Assumption.
It was later moved to the Saturday following the feast of the Sacred Heart, so that the
Two Hearts would appear side-by-side, Friday and Saturday, on the liturgical calendar.
August 22nd was then made the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
connecting the Assumption to her reign in heaven (the 4th and 5th Glorious Mysteries of
the Holy Rosary).

Traditionally, the Church encourages special devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
during the entire month of August.
 GROUP REFLECTION

“The Philippines is called the “Pueblo Amante de Maria” who then is Mary to a
Filipino?”

First, what is the meaning of Pueblo Amante de Maria? Pueblo Amante de Maria is a
Spanish phrase which means “people in love with Mary” in English. It is a phrase used to
describe the Filipinos because of their love for the Blessed Virgin Mary.

WHO IS MARY TO THE FILIPINO?

In other countries, they address Mary as “Nuestra Señora’’, ‘’the Blessed Virgin Mary”,
“Our Lady”, and more. Here in the Philippines, we call her “Mama Mary”. For us,
Filipinos, Mary is our Mother. A well-loved mother whom we address affectionately. A
spirit-filled Mother given to us by God that provides us maternal care and protection.

Mama Mary is a Mother of Mercy. Mama Mary has always shown mercy to us, Filipinos.
She understands us simply because (as it was said,) “Mary had gone through it all.” Just
like our own mothers, Mary had gone through a lot of difficulties and sufferings. She had
gone through a lot of difficulties and suffering yet, she remained faithful to God.

Mama Mary is our role model. She has a pure heart. A heart that is free from own
motives and desires. A heart totally given to God and pours out love to everyone arounds
her. We consider Mama Mary our role model because she remained obedient despite the
pains she felt. We should all be like Mama Mary. We should always remain obedient to
God and we should not let ourselves be blinded by things the world offers to us. We must
live a life of simplicity and in that way, we can focus on what truly matters. That is, God
and following God.

Mama Mary is Jesus’ gift to us. She is our greatest intercessor that brings us closer to
Jesus.