Talk 1 – (slide 1) The Burning Love of Mary

2018 HOLD Marian Conference

I. The Immaculate Heart of Mary

One of the four Marian Dogmas is the (slide 2) Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. This was
solemnly defined on December 8, 1854 by Pope Pius IX in his Apostolic Constitution
“Inefffabilis Deus” (Ineffable God),

(slides 3-5) "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most
Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege
granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race,
was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to
be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."1

The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of this, (slides 6-7) “From among the descendants
of Eve, God chose the Virgin Mary to be the mother of his Son. ‘Full of grace,’ Mary is ‘the most
excellent fruit of redemption’ (SC 103)2: from the first instant of her conception, she was totally
preserved from the stain of original sin and she remained pure from all personal sin throughout
her life.”3

Mary, herself, confirmed her Immaculate Conception only 4 years after the declaration of this
dogma. On March 25, 1858, when the visionary Bernadette to whom she appeared in Lourdes
asked her who she was, she said, (slide 8, with image of Our Lady of Lourdes) “I am the
Immaculate Conception.”4

Earlier, though, in November 1830 Mary appeared to St. Catherine Laboure at Rue du Bac, Paris
and gave her the design of the Immaculate Conception Medal that she wanted propagated, more
popularly known as the (slide 9) Miraculous Medal. She was shown the (S1-Video 01) front of
the medal through an apparition of the Blessed Virgin with her arms stretched out, an oval frame
formed around her with golden lettering that said,“O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us
who have recourse to thee.” Then the apparition revolved showing the back of the medal. A
large “M” appeared surmounted by a bar and cross with two hearts beneath it, one crowned with
thorns and the other pierced with a sword, all encircled by 12 stars.5 The former is the Sacred
Heart of Jesus and the latter that of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Much later, in 1917, Our Lady appeared to 3 little shepherds in Fatima: Lucia, Francisco and
Jacinta. In her apparitions she gave much focus on her Immaculate Heart. She showed her
Immaculate Heart to the children in one of her apparitions in Fatima6 and twice later on to Sr.

1
Pius IX's Apostolic Constitution defining the Immaculate Conception, Ineffabilis Deus, 8 December 1854.
2
Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy)
3
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #508
4
The Download – “I am the Immaculate Conception” by Christine Niles, ChurchMilitant.com
5
The Immaculate Conception and the Age of Mary by Donal Anthony Foley
6
The Immaculate Conception and the Age of Mary by Donal Anthony Foley

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2018 HOLD Marian Conference – BURNING LOVE
Session 1 - The Burning Love of Mary
Lucia, as a postulant and then as a nun in the St. Dorothy Convent in Pontevedra, Spain. 7 Sr.
Lucia describes seeing our Lady in the following way: (slide 10)“She appeared as Our Lady of
Fatima, with Her Immaculate Heart in Her left hand, without sword or roses, but with a crown
of thorns and flames . . ..”8

II. (slide 11) Mary’s Burning Love for God

Mary’s Immaculate Heart emanates from her Immaculate Conception. She who has been
conceived without sin would, of course, have an immaculate heart – perfectly pure, sinless, with
no stain of sin at all. It is a heart that has all the virtues. In particular, it is completely empty of
self. The Holy Spirit, who has fashioned Mary Himself according to St. Louis de Montfort,9 has
filled this emptiness with divine love, so that she is the only human being who loves God the
way He should be loved.10

Saints have acknowledged Mary’s unequaled love for God.11 slide for each of the following:
- St. Bernardine says that her love for God surpasses that of all men and angels. (slide 12)
- St. Bernard says, “Divine love penetrated and filled the soul of Mary to such an extent
that no part of her was left untouched. She loved with her whole heart, with her whole
soul, with her whole strength and she was full of grace.” (slides 13-14)
- St Sophronius says that divine love inflamed her so much that nothing earthly could enter
her heart. (slide 15)
- St. Ildephonsus says, “The Holy Spirit heated, inflamed, and melted Mary with love, as
fire does iron; so that nothing was felt but the fire of the love of God.” (slide 16)
- St. Catherine of Siena referred to her as “the bearer of fire,” the bearer of the fire of divine
love. (slide 17)

Mary’s heart is truly aflame with love for God. This burning love in her heart for God is
manifested in her total obedience to Him. As Handmaids of the Lord like our Mother, we all
know her fiat that she expressed to the Angel Gabriel at the Annunciation, (slide 18) Lk. 1:38
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” She
faithfully lived out these words throughout her entire life, in her heart always a constant “yes” to
God’s will.

At that time the Jews were waiting for the coming of the Messiah. As a young Jewish girl Mary
would have been waiting also. She would have been raised in Judaism, the faith of her people.
Belief in the coming of the Messiah was a basic and fundamental part of traditional Judaism.12

From the words of the angel Gabriel she knew that she was going to give birth to the Messiah:
(slides 19-21) Luke 1:32-33, 35 “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and
the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of
7
Sr. Maria Lucia of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
http://www.piercedhearts.org/hearts_jesus_mary/apparitions/fatima/fatima_lucia_later_apparitions.html
8
The Apparition at Tuy (1929), http://archive.fatima.org/essentials/facts/tuy.asp
9
Holy Spirit and Mary by Sister M. Jean Frisk
10
http://www.santorosario.net/english/virtues2.htm
11
http://www.santorosario.net/english/virtues2.htm
12
Mashiach: The Messiah, Judaism 101; www.jewfaq.org/maschiach.htm
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Session 1 - The Burning Love of Mary
Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. … Therefore the child to be born will
be called holy, the Son of God.”

Did Mary know what she was getting into when she said “yes” to be the Mother of the Son of
God? Could she have known from the book of Isaiah in the Jewish Scriptures that the Messiah
would suffer? Because she was betrothed to Joseph, and was not yet living with him at the time
of the Annunciation, did she know that she could be accused of adultery and that her life was at
stake? Maybe she knew or maybe she did not. Either way her “yes” was given in total faith and
obedience coming from the burning love in her heart for God.

As the events of her life and that of her Son unfolded, she did not always understand. But we are
told in (slide 22) Luke:2:19 "But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart."
And always, always, her “yes” never faltered.

How did she ponder? Let us join our Mother at the foot of the cross as she ponders on her Son’s
suffering and death. Let us listen to the pondering in her sorrowful heart, full of love for her Son.
(The following is taken from “What Was Mary Thinking? by Alita Maria Covel Ngo, OCDS)

(S1-Video 02 – Video of reflection of Mary taken from “What Was Mary

Thinking?)

One minute reflection follows: (slide 23) How about you? What do you do in trying
moments of your life? Do you complain? Do you question God? Or do you ponder like our
Mother with humble submission to God?

III. (slide 24) Mary’s Burning Love for Her Children

(slide 25 – with image of crucifixion with Mary and John at the foot of the cross) John
19:26-27, “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his
mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother.’ ”
With these words of Jesus, while at the point of death on the cross, we became Mary’s children.
Mary gave birth to us in Calvary in indescribable pain – the pain of seeing her beloved Son go
through an agonizing death for us, her children. This is what it cost Him to save us. That is why
we are so precious to her. As Mary’s heart burns with love for her Son, it also burns with love for
us, her children. The combined love of all mothers for their children is nothing compared to our
Blessed Mother’s love for each one of us.

Because of our Blessed Mother’s burning love for us, her children, we can go to her in loving
trust and confidence praying the beautiful prayer (slide 26) “Hail, Holy Queen.”

A. (slide 27) Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy

Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope

Our confidence in Mary should be great, because she is our Queen. She is the Mother of the
King of Kings and the Church honors her with the title of Queen. If Jesus is the King of the

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2018 HOLD Marian Conference – BURNING LOVE
Session 1 - The Burning Love of Mary
 universe, then Mary is its Queen. As Queen, she possesses by right the whole kingdom of her
Son. She is in a position of influence for she always has the King’s ears. It is not likely that
He will refuse her anything.13 She is our way to her Son, the King

Mary is a most tender, kind Queen. She is the Queen who loves with a burning love not only
her Son but us also, her children. We can say that she is our (slide 28) Queen of Love.

Our confidence should be still greater because this Queen is our Mother, and we will never
tire of calling her Mother. She is our Mother of Mercy. She once said to St. Bridget in a
revelation: (slide 29-30) “I am the Queen of heaven and the Mother of Mercy. I am the joy of
the just and the door through which sinners come to God. There are no sinners on earth so
unfortunate as to be beyond my mercy.”14

(Dance – A Song to Mary)

B. (slide 31) To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.

(slide 32) To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
(slide 33) Turn then, most gracious Advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us.

We are the poor children of Eve. We have inherited her guilt and we are condemned to the
consequences of her sin.15 But we can always cry out to Mary, our Mother. We can bring to
her our problems, afflictions, needs, etc. She is our (slide 34) Advocate. Her intercession is
very powerful. Because of Mary’s maternal concern for us, she is constantly praying for us.

(slides 35-37) St. Philip Neri said, “In heaven the Virgin Mary is always next to God, and
there she never stops praying for us. There is no more excellent way to obtain graces from
God than to seek them through Mary, because her Divine Son cannot refuse her anything.” St.
Gabriel (slides 38-40) Possenti proclaimed, “If you are in danger, she will hasten to free you.
If you are troubled, she will console you. If you are sick, she will bring you relief. If you are
in need, she will help you. She does not look to see what kind of person you have been. She
simply comes to a heart that loves her.”16

Some of recorded instances of our Mother’s often miraculous intercession:17

 (slides 41-43 - image) As a girl St. Therese of Lisieux was cured of a severe illness
while looking at a statue of Our Lady. She said, “All of a sudden the Blessed Virgin
appeared beautiful to me, so beautiful that never have I seen anything so attractive. Her
face was suffused with an ineffable benevolence and tenderness, but what penetrated to
the very depths of my soul was the ravishing smile of the Blessed Virgin.”
 (slide 44 – image) At the naval battle of Lepanto in 1571, a Christian fleet was trying to
resist a much stronger Turkish fleet; a Muslim victory would have opened the way to a

13
“The Glories of Mary” by St. Alphonsus Ligouri
14
“The Glories of Mary” by St. Alphonsus Ligouri
15
“The Glories of Mary” by St. Alphonsus Ligouri
16
With Mary to Jesus- Our Surest Path to Heaven by Rev. Joseph M. Esper
17
With Mary to Jesus- Our Surest Path to Heaven by Rev. Joseph M. Esper
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2018 HOLD Marian Conference – BURNING LOVE
Session 1 - The Burning Love of Mary
 massive invasion of Western Europe. Pope Pius V called upon all Catholics to pray the
rosary. The fight was going against the Christians and so the admiral went to his cabin,
knelt before an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and begged for her help. The tide of
the battle changed suddenly and the Christians won the battle.
 (slide 45 - image) In 1947 an anti-Catholic Italian named Bruno Cornacchiola plotted to
kill Pope Pius XII. He was writing a speech against Our Lady denying her virginity and
her assumption into heaven when Mary appeared to him. She said to him, “I am the
Virgin of Revelation. You persecute me, and now it is time to stop! Come and be part of
the holy fold which is the celestial court on earth.” As a result of this apparition, Bruno
was converted, and became a devoted son of Mary.

Our Mother is ever ready to respond to our call for help. Now that she is in heaven, (slide 46 -
image) seated beside her Son, she is just too happy to come to our aid. Most especially, she is so
pleased to work for the conversion of sinners.

(1 or 2 Sharers – Sharings of conversion of sinners through Mary’s intercession; physical,

emotional healing or healing of relationships with Mary’s help; peace of heart and hope in the
midst of trials through a devotion to Mary; etc. )

C. (slide 47) And after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus
(slide 48) O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

There are many who are now in heaven, face to face with Jesus our Lord, who would
otherwise not be there if not for Mary. Because of her love for her children she wants them to
be saved. Through her prayers she has been able to save souls from hell, to bring out those
who are in purgatory and to bring them to heaven. Let us invoke her love, mercy and
compassion. Let us utter her sweet name in loving prayer all the time. No one who does so
will be lost. Let us keep on praying to her in the words of St. Ambrose, (slide 49) “O Mary,
open the gates of heaven to us – you have its keys.”

(slide 50-57 - lyrics) (Song: Hail, Holy Queen)

O Glory be ….

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2018 HOLD Marian Conference – BURNING LOVE
Session 1 - The Burning Love of Mary