He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them;

and his mother kept all these things in her heart. // Luke 2:51

I was suddenly overwhelmed by excitement and praise as I prepared to log on to a video call. The thought of how I would introduce each person left me in awe of how profoundly privileged I felt to know and love them. As I treasured and praised God for each of them, I also smiled and pondered how mysterious it was that their beauty was hidden from them like a huge secret in plain sight. 

I felt alive, awake, and buoyant as I introduced each of these friends. For a second, I glimpsed a fraction of the love, excitement, and joy our Blessed Mother and all of Heaven have in looking at each of us dear sisters in Christ! This reminded me of a priest I deeply admire, explaining that we are at our best when we are other-centered and not turned in on ourselves. He said this is a fundamental Marian principle for our daily lives. It’s true. Loving and introducing them to each other took all of my attention.

Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we can also think of how her whole life was devoted to the service of the Lord, from before her motherhood, throughout the life of her Divine Son, and now as our own dearest Mother.

Sister, each of us would please our Lady so much on her feast day today if we took fifteen minutes to quietly ask her to show us how her maternal heart sees us. Ponder her gaze. Consider how our God, Who freed the Blessed Mother from Original Sin, is breathing you and me into life right now.