The Triumph of Mary in Your Heart

In the third apparition of Fatima, on July 13, 1917, after vividly depicting the horrifying events of the 20th century to the children, Our Lady promised: "In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph." There are many interpretations of Our Lady's words as to how such a Triumph will happen. I won't offer my own interpretation of when it will happen or what it will look like; I simply offer a reflection on Our Lady's words at Fatima and Our Lady's words to St. Faustina.

In one of her appearances to St. Faustina, Our Lady says, "Be courageous. Do not fear apparent obstacles, but fix your gaze upon the Passion of My Son, and in this way you will be victorious" (Diary, 449). Our Lady speaks of victory both to the children at Fatima and to Faustina. In addition to what she said at Fatima, Our Lady shows St. Faustina how we can participate in this triumph and even, as it were, bring it about. Victory comes through gazing upon the Passion of the Son - as did Mary.

What, then, is the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart, if we connect the messages from Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady to St. Faustina together? Her triumph - at Calvary - was her fidelity to Christ, even amid torments and pains. Satan launched an all-out attack upon Christ and Mary. She was victorious not because things went well; rather, Mary was victorious because when things did not go well, in the bleakest of moments, she remained faithful and trusted in Jesus.

Saint Faustina speaks of the triumph of Divine Mercy in a similar way. There was a time when her Divine Mercy revelations were banned by the Vatican itself (1959-1978) in part due to faulty translations. Saint Faustina predicted this would happen, as we read in her Diary: "There will come a time when this work, which God is demanding so very much, will be as though utterly undone. And then God will act with great power, which will give evidence of its authenticity" (378). All seemed lost, and yet we know the amazing history of how John Paul II, when he served as archbishop of Krakow, opened St. Faustina's cause, and as the Holy Father, made the spread of Faustina's Divine Mercy revelations a central focus of his pontificate.

The Triumph of the Immaculate Heart is a triumph of faith over doubt, of hope over despair, and love over hatred. This triumph is not "glorious" in the ordinary sense of the word; an eye-witness at Calvary would probably not have called Mary glorious on that Good Friday. However, Good Friday was Mary's most glorious moment, when she, together with Christ, crushed the head of the serpent.

In your daily lives, then, how do you bring about this Triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart? First, you must, like Mary, cling to faith, hope, and charity in all moments of your life, particularly in the difficult moments. Gaze upon her Son, crucified for you; gaze upon His mercy and love, which are stronger than the worst of our sins. If, like Mary, you do not take your gaze off Jesus, you will be victorious. If you fall, trust in His mercy.

In the same way that Divine Mercy according to St. Faustina seemed to disappear, and our Lord seemed to be abandoned on the Cross, so, too, there will be such moments in our lives when everything seems ruined. But wait: Do not give into discouragement and despair in such moments.

Do not take your eyes off of Jesus - trust in Him. For it might precisely be in such moments that the
victory, the Triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart, will come in your life!

NBFD

You might also like...

The world may think that Christmas ended at midnight on Christmas Day, but the Church knows better. We celebrate an eight-day Christmas Octave, stretching from Dec. 25 to Jan. 1, with a number of special feast days, including three feasts of martyrs:

On Oct. 28, the Church celebrates the Feast Day of Sts. Simon and Jude, apostles of the Lord who zealously preached to the nations. Father Dan Cambra, MIC, tells their story.

Eight missionaries, sent to proclaim the Gospel to the Huron people in North America, suffered terrible martyrdom at the hands of the Iroquois. We celebrate them on Oct. 19. Here, in brief, is the story of St. John de Brebeuf, St. Isaac Jogues, and their companions.