The Immaculate Conception and the Immaculate Heart of Mary

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION AND THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY ON November 27, 1830, Our Lady appeared to that member of the Institute of the Daughters of Charity whom we now venerate as St. Catherine Laboure. The event took place at the Motherhouse on Rue du Bac in Paris. There the Blessed Virgin showed St. Catherine the design of a medal she wished to have struck: the "Miraculous" MedaL On the front is the image of Our Lady Immaculate with the words," 0 Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee," while on the reverse are two hearts, one of which is pierced by a sword.1 Thus the Blessed Mother her~ self associated her Immaculate Conception with her HearL We also, then, may be allowed to consider them together now, following too, as we shall see, the example of the Church. Our consideration will include three points: first, the meanings of our terms; then, the influence of the definition of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception on the development both of the Cordimarian cult in general, and in particular, on the ever mounting propagation of the chief prayer of that cult, that is, the most Holy Rosary; and finally, our third point, certain theological relations between the two. * * * * * The term " Immaculate Conception " may be taken in several ways. In the order of knowledge, shall we say, it designates a dogma, a solemnly defined doctrine of our faith: Declaramus, pronunciamus, et definimus, doctrinam, quae tenet beatissimam Virginem Mariam in primo instanti suae Conceptionis fuisse singulari omnipotentis Dei gratia et privilegio, intuitu meritorum Christi Jesu Salvatoris humani generis, ab omni originalis culpae labe praeservatam immunem, esse a Deo revelatam, atque idcirco ab omnibus fi.delibus fi.rmiter constanterque credendam.2 1 Cf. AAS, XXXIX (1947), 415. 2 Ineffabilis Deus, Dec. 8, 1854, in Coll. Lacensis, VI, 836. 239 240 TIMOTHY M. SPARKS In the order of reality, however, the words "Immaculate Conception " designate first of all a remarkable fact in the life of a particularly favored person. They designate that initial grace with which Our Lady came into being, redeemed indeed by Christ, but by a preventive redemption. The same words may also be extended to signify not only that grace in its inception, but also in its continued duration even into eternity. Thus, we may speak now of the grace of the Immaculate Conception which is the basic, fundamental holiness that is hers, actually, in glory. In the order of reality there is still another sense in which the words " Immaculate Conception " are used. We may call Our Lady herself " The Immaculate Conception," intending thereby to designate her not just at the moment when she began life, but as she is now-in glory. Our Lady herself gives us the example. At Lourdes she said: " I am the Immaculate Conception." 3 And in a not dissimilar way, Murillo called his masterpiece, depicting Our Lady in unique glory, "The Immaculate Conception." There is something of the same in the prayer Our Lady dictated for the Miraculous Medal: "0 Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee." The words " Immaculate Heart " designate, in theological science, a particular, but nevertheless, it would seem, an allembracing Marian devotion. The Sacred Congregation of Rites, in its definitive redaction of the liturgy of this devotion, precisely gave its meaning in these words: Sub hujus (i.e., Immaculati) Cordis symbolo Dei Genitricis eximiam singularemque animae sanctitatem, praesertim vero ardentissimum erga Deum ac Jesum Filium suum amorem, maternamque erga homines divino Sanguine redemptos (Ecdesia) devotissime veneratur:~ In the order of reality, the words " Immaculate Heart," accordingly, designate the physical, living, glorious Heart of Our • Cf., e. g., Pius X, Ad Diem lllum, ASS, XXXVI, 450. • AAS, XXXVII (1945), 44 ff.; in subsequent references to the " Decree," this document is meant. THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION 241 Lady particularly inasmuch as it is a certain symbol. They designate this heart as it actually is now; 5 particularly, however , as it has a definite symbolism. Sometimes, too, we find in approved prayers of the Church, that the person itself of Our Lady is indicated in the appeal to her Heart: " Dolce Cuore di Maria, siate...