“It is necessary for you to have a transformed heart, totally focused on God; a vigilant, attentive and loving heart. Only then will you be able to understand God’s plans and be able to work for peace” (Inner Word).
Our Father, who is the source of true unity and peace among us, invites us to cooperate in the plans of salvation. He grants us a new heart from which, under the influence of grace, streams of living water will flow for the world (cf. Jn 7:38).
In this heart transformed by the Lord and by our cooperation with grace, the fruits of the Spirit can grow: “The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22-23).
These are what turn our hearts like the Heart of the Father, making us bearers of His love for humankind. Through these fruits, God reveals His innermost being to us. Moreover, we can adopt His way of being and acting. In other words, His Heart now acts in cooperation with our transformed heart, making us “light to the world” (Mt 5:14).
The mystery of a heart filled with God shines forth in a special way in the Virgin Mary. That is why the Church invites us to venerate – in addition to the Sacred Heart of our Redeemer – the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In her, the grace of original innocence converges with the redeeming grace that came into the world through her Son. Thus, our beloved Father was able to find among humankind a pure vessel to contain His grace: a purely human heart, which responded indivisibly to the love of God.
In this way, Mary’s Heart is a place in which the Father could eminently glorify Himself. As our Mother, she offers us her Heart full of God, so that, with her help, we can understand and live God’s love even more deeply.
A heart transformed by God becomes a blessing for all humanity and fosters peace.