Mary’s Heart and Ours

May 1, 2025

In the Blessed Virgin Mary, we find a perfect model of the interior life and what it means to be created in the image of God

By Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

May 1, 2025

Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori

How are we made in God’s image, as described in Genesis 1:27? In a beautiful new book titled Spiritual Masters, Archbishop Emeritus Alfred Hughes of New Orleans sums up several answers from sacred tradition.

First is the human heart, the core of one’s being. Scripture and ancient Christian writers understand the heart as “the seat of unity, direction, purpose and desire, in the human person” (p. 36). This reflects God the Father’s creative purpose, order and unity.

Second is the mind, where we have a sixth sense for the deepest of truths. When they are taught, they resonate. In our capacity for truth we are like God the Son, the perfect reflection of the Father.

Third is the human will. Archbishop Hughes writes that “the human will provides us with the capacity to make a gift of ourselves totally, permanently, and faithfully.” He adds that “the will is the image of the Holy Spirit, perfect and eternal gift of the Father to the Son and the Son to the Father” (p. 37).

Baptism orients us to growth in God’s image, and we are called to integrate the truth of our faith into every aspect of our lives, making of our lives a gift of love to God and others. This is something we do together, helping one another along the way to holiness. This is also what the Cor initiative is all about.

We have not been preserved from sin as Mary was, but we can ask her to pray for us that the Father’s creative and redeeming mercy finds a home in our own hearts.

But what if a human being fully exemplified God’s image — showing us what a perfectly pure heart is like, showing us what a mind filled with the truth of God is like, showing us how to make one’s life a total and permanent gift to God and to others?

Such a person really exists: the Blessed Virgin Mary. At the Annunciation, the angel addressed Our Lady with words, “Hail, full of grace!” Mary’s heart was so filled with God’s grace, so immaculate, that there was no room for sin. God preserved her from original sin, allowing his creative and redemptive love to find an unobstructed home in her heart. This is what gave unity, direction and purpose in her life. Her heart was fully attuned to what God the Father planned even before the creation of the world.

We have not been preserved from sin as Mary was, but we can ask her to pray for us that the Father’s creative and redeeming mercy finds a home in our own hearts.

Mary also took on “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16). As one who continually meditated on the law and the prophets, Mary’s mind was attuned to “every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4). This was not book learning. God’s word permeated her interior life. Pope Benedict XVI wrote of Mary’s “inner engagement with the word” (Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, p. 33), and ancient writers said that Mary lived the Beatitudes before Christ preached them; that she conceived the Word in her mind and heart before she conceived him in her womb.

Our minds, daily bombarded with superficial messages, need to engage the word of God. Like Mary, we must allow his word to permeate our minds. Assisted by Mary’s prayers, we can attain greater interiority, rooted in the Word made flesh.

When the angel announced that Mary was to be the mother of God, she said, “May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). Her heart full of grace, her mind aglow with the truth and beauty of the word of God, she willed to do what God asked of her. She thereby made herself a gift to God and a gift to us.

How easy it is to live only for ourselves, even if we resolve not to. Through Mary’s intercession, we can lead lives of selfless charity. May she be our guide as we seek to grow in the image and likeness of God.

Metal bucket at draw-well in European village.

Mary’s Heart and Ours

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