Immaculate Heart of Mary Coin: A Tribute to Motherhood
The Catholic Church instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1805 with the intention of encouraging Catholics, especially Catholic women, to emulate the Blessed Mother’s life. The church wanted women to embrace the purity of Mary’s devotion and love for her son Jesus and it wanted women to express it though their own lives. The feast day was established to enrich and inform the religious aspect of women’s lives, and by association, their family’s lives as well.
Mary was a teenager when the Angel Gabriel arrived and told her she was to become the Mother of God.
It wasn’t until later, when the Holy Family presented the infant Jesus at the Temple, that a “just and devout” worshipper named Simeon told her that her heart would be pierced seven times as a reminder of the sufferings her Son would endure as He fulfilled His Father’s will.
Mary proved to be an exemplary woman under those heart-wrenching circumstances too. It was Mary’s quiet fortitude, love, faith and endurance, throughout Jesus’ Passion and death, that the Catholic Church wanted to venerate, and disseminate, by establishing a new feast day devoted specifically to Mary. This year the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was celebrated on Saturday, June 8th.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary feast day
received world-wide attention in 1917 when the Blessed Mother appeared to three little children in Fatima, Portugal. It was there that Mary told the children that her Son wanted the devotion to her Sacred Heart to be spread across the globe and that it would triumph over evil.
The image Chris chose for The Immaculate Heart of Mary coin is a traditional image used by the church.
It shows Mary’s Immaculate Heart and reflects her life as the Mother of God. The flames in this depiction of Mary represents her burning love for her Son. The sword symbolizes Mary’s pierced heart, as predicted by Simeon, during Jesus’ suffering and death. The white roses exemplify the Blessed Virgin Mary’s purity and her sinlessness. These symbols have been understood, even by the illiterate, throughout its history.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary feast day received world-wide attention in 1917 when the Blessed Mother appeared to three little children in Fatima, Portugal. It was there that Mary told the children that her Son wanted the devotion to her Sacred Heart to be spread across the globe and that it would triumph over evil. The oldest child, Lucia, became a nun and lived for 97 years. She spent her entire life seeking peace and opposing evil by preaching the need for the devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart.
Today, this image of Mary is still revered around the world.
It has instilled in Catholic women a devotion to their children, and families, that is unprecedented and unparalleled. Through Mary’s intersession women have been inspired to love their families deeply doing everything they can to protect them from lurking evil. These mothers have been encouraged by Mary’s example to commit themselves, unceasingly and unselfishly, to the care, education, safety and betterment of their children.
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Throughout the last two centuries, this universal devotion to Mary has allowed mothers to find the courage to overcome the inevitable pain that can occur when you love someone deeply. So, despite the challenges, these admirers of Mary never give up, never retreat and never abandon their precious children or their extended families. They literally become the heart and soul of their families. Through these Marian mother’s constant care, emotional strength and watchful eyes, the entire world is safer, happier, and more content and prosperous.
Let’s hope, as the Christmas season evolves, that Chris’ new coin will inspire millions of new mothers to follow in Mary’s footsteps, and dedicate their lives to their God-given children, because the entire world will benefit from their loving efforts.
