Quote of the day, 25 June: St. Teresa of the Andes

My Mother, I know you are my Mother. Remember that I gave myself to you. In your Immaculate Heart, keep me pure, a virgin. May your Heart be my refuge, my hope, my consolation, my solitude.

I place myself in your maternal arms so you may put me in the arms of Jesus. I abandon myself to Him. May His holy Will be done.

Saint Teresa of the Andes

Her intimate diary, 14 December 1917

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2021, God, The Joy of My Life: A Biography of Saint Teresa of the Andes With the Saint’s Spiritual Diary, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: El Sagrado Corazón de María y la orden Carmelita (The Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Carmelite Order) is an anonymous oil on canvas painting from 19th century Mexico found in the collection of the Museo Nacional del Virreinato in Tepotzotlán, north of Mexico City. We’ve translated excerpts from the gallery label to provide some additional insight concerning this artwork.

The heart of Mary, like the Sacred Heart of Jesus, has been the object of special devotion for centuries. As early as the evangelists, St. Luke alludes to the heart of the Virgin as the vessel in which the deeds and words of Jesus are kept: “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart” (Lk 2:19).

Although the veneration of the Virgin’s heart began in the 13th century, the writings of St. Peter Canisius, Dom Louis de Blois, OSB, Fray Luis de Granada, OP, St. Francis de Sales, and above all those of St. Bernardine of Siena, called the Doctor of the Heart of Mary, contributed greatly to its spread.

In this allegory, the Virgin is represented with the attributes of the Immaculate Conception: a white tunic, a blue mantle, and her head surrounded by a halo formed by 12 stars; but what is noticeable is her distinctive heart pierced by a small dagger that recalls her pains.

Kneeling at her feet is a Carmelite nun who presents to her, with the help of a little angel, a basket full of hearts, each one with the name of a sister in the order. In this way, it can be inferred that Mary’s intercession is invoked towards the Carmelites, and in turn, possibly alludes to the love of the Order towards the Immaculate Heart of Mary.