Immaculate Heart of Mary, Cause of Our Joy, Pray For Us!

When I was in college, I went on a domestic mission trip to serve with the Missionaries of Charity in St. Louis. We served in their soup kitchen, walked the streets with them, took children to Mass, taught Sunday school, spent time with the women and children in the home they ran, visited a refugee area, and prayed with the Sisters while doing all of this. We also were able to pray a holy hour with them in their small chapel in the women’s home and I was in awe of the beauty of their humble life of prayer and work for the Lord. I went on to serve with the Missionaries of Charity in St. Louis for the next three spring breaks as well as visited/served with them in the Bronx, Houston, and for a month in Calcutta. 

The Missionaries of Charity around the world end their prayers with “Immaculate Heart of Mary, Cause of Our Joy, pray for us.” I was not familiar with that title for Mary, Cause of Our Joy, until meeting the MCs and I really loved it. I love the simplicity and depth of the reality that Mary’s “yes” brought us infinite joy, Joy Himself! Though the sisters live in such Gospel poverty—simple white and blue saris every day, no fan to keep them cool (not even in Calcutta!), no “modern luxuries” like a cell phone or even a microwave, and small chapels with few chairs—there is no lack of joy in them. Quite the opposite! All the MCs I’ve met have a deep abiding joy and love overflowing for each person they meet. 

So inspired by the Missionaries of Charity, thus began a heartfelt devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

A few years after my first encounter with the Missionaries of Charity, I heard a talk on Marian Consecration by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC. I heard of people consecrating themselves to Mary, but I didn’t know what it meant. A couple of things struck me in his talk. First, that Jesus came to us through Mary. He chose to be born of a woman, Mary, and to live and dwell among us. It seems only natural that Mary would be the perfect vessel to return ourselves to Christ and dwell with Him. Second, Fr. Michael shared (in more profound words than I can remember) that through Mary’s intercession, “our dinky prayers can go poof.”

My small prayer offered through Mary is magnified and brought to Jesus as an offering to allow grace to be poured out wherever grace is most needed. Fr. Michael shared that Mary is the Mediatrix of Grace (another title of Mary I was unfamiliar with) meaning she is the “mediator” or go-between for us to receive grace. This means that she mediates on our behalf to Jesus just like she did at the wedding feast at Cana when she came to Jesus to tell Him that the wine had run out. I was moved by Fr. Michael’s talk to consecrate myself to Mary on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart in hopes that my offerings would be taken to Jesus by His own dear mother and grace would be poured out around the world. 

After graduating college, Exodus 90 (a men’s program of prayer and sacrifice aimed at growing in freedom and relationship with the Sacred Heart of Jesus) began to gain popularity. I heard of several women’s programs that were somewhat similar, but they just felt like a list of dos and don’ts. So with much prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and inspired by the Fiat group at my college, I started Fiat 40 for Lent (or a version… there are several now). This 40-day Lenten “program” is made by a woman for women inspired by women saints and women artists and includes ways to give your whole “yes” (fiat) with your whole heart to Christ during Lent just as Mary gave her whole heart and whole yes.

The various components of Mary’s Immaculate Heart give inspiration to those going through Fiat 40 for Lent. The fire inflaming the top of her heart represents the intensity of her love for God and desire to bring souls to Him. The sword piercing her heart represents Simeon’s prophecy to Mary indicating the sorrows she will experience (ref. Luke 2:35). The roses surrounding her heart represent purity and love. Mary was preserved from sin and allowed to be a pure vessel for Christ. And finally, Mary’s heart in totality is often depicted in images of Mary as she holds her heart in her hands as if to give it away or reveal it to those who meditate on it. Her heart is usually shown as red, thus, alive and beating with love for Christ and His people. 

My devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary has stayed consistent over the years and even flowed into my relationship with my husband. Last year, my then fiance (now husband), Matt, and I wanted to honor our engagement in a particular way. We chose to celebrate a betrothal ceremony. Betrothal is an old rite in the Catholic Church used to formalize an engagement, so to speak. Modern engagement indicates an intent to marry, while betrothal is an actual contractual promise to get married. Thus, one would need a dispensation (approval) from the bishop to call off the wedding.

The ceremony itself is fairly short and includes a Psalm, a blessing of the engagement ring and couple, and the couple (repeating after the priest) promising to get married to one another. While uncommon today, we chose to celebrate a betrothal ceremony in imitation of Mary and Joseph who were betrothed when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, meaning they had taken the first step of marriage in their time. The next step would be to celebrate a wedding Mass and move in together. Matt and I felt so blessed during our engagement and needed those betrothal blessing graces! And of course, the date we chose to get betrothed was the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. 

Now one year later, we decided to start a 54-day rosary novena for God to bless our family with a baby. It finished on… you guessed it… the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We prayed that my body may imitate Mary’s in bearing fruit and allowing Joy to be incarnated. And a week after starting the novena, we found out I was pregnant! Our baby is due at the end of December and what a gift to be able to journey along with Mary during this pregnancy! 

The Immaculate Heart of Mary has been such a cause of my joy, and I know that her intercession is powerful. I believe her heart is burning with love for me and each one of us. May her strength, care, gentleness, wholeheartedness, unceasing love, and unity with the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be ever present in our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Cause of Our Joy, pray for us!