The Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu, SVD, Bishop of Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate has on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception declared the Blessed Mother as the Centre of Christian Reflection on the Mysteries of the Intimacy of Jesus.
“The heart is where our dispositions are shaped; it represents the interiority of the person and his/her deepest intimacy; it is the place of encounter with God,” he said.
In the light of this, he said, the heart of Mary becomes the cradle of the Christian meditation on the mysteries of Christ.
“Mary is at the centre of Christian reflection on the mysteries of the intimacy of Jesus,” he maintained.
He said these in a homily during the June 28, 2025 Feast Day Mass with the 2025 WASSCE candidates of Senior High Schools within the Vicariate at the Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy Grotto, Bebusu, an outstation of the St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Parish, Samanhyia.
According to the Bishop, the deep interior association of Mary with all the saving work of her Son is made visible in the Prophecy of Simeon.
“All the sufferings he endured in his body, she endured in her heart,” he buttressed, adding that the heart of Mary is like a vessel that contains all the mysteries.
Making reference to St. Augustine, the Prelate noted that before Mary conceived the Son of God in her womb, she had conceived him in her heart.
He further alluded to St. John Eudes who upheld that “the heart of Mary is the source and principle of all her greatness that elevates her above all other creatures as the beloved daughter of the Father, the mother of the Son, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and the temple of the Holy Trinity”.
“Through our devotion to the heart of Mary, we honour and celebrate her love, charity and obedience,” he reiterated.
In a bit to reinforce the deep connection between Mother Mary, and her Son, the Chief Shepherd made further reference to Fr. Croiset, who had underpinned that the hearts of Jesus and Mary are so united that to penetrate one is at the same time, to enter the other.
“Mary and Jesus are in the best and closest relationship. Therefore, those who are with her cannot be far from Jesus,” Bishop Asiedu opined.
Reflecting further, he pointed out that devotion to the heart of Mary has always been a rich source of interior life “for those who hear the word of God and treasure it in a pure and sinless heart”.
He invited all to follow Mary’s example by offering hospitality to God in their hearts, nourishing themselves with his Word, and living in total availability to Him.
“We shall definitely benefit immensely if we love our Blessed Mother, honour her Immaculate Heart, pray to her and follow her guidance,” he declared.
By Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR (DEPSOCOM, Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate)
