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Our date of birth is a fact that often is noted with a Sharpee on the family calendar. The reality that this date proclaims a birthday does not end with the faded ink on our birth certificates. Loved ones plan, shop, bake, wrap, decorate (you know the drill!), to express devoted love and gratitude for the birthday boy or girl! In our lives and families, such acts of devotion for one another sweeten the burdens of daily life. Relationships are renewed, gratitude is shown and creativity, motivated by love, elevates and strengthens us.
Our lives as followers of Christ feature a similar interplay of Doctrine and Devotion. A quick mental glance through your past week will prove this point. For example, you firmly believe in the Doctrine of the True Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and you expressed your belief by a time of Eucharistic Adoration, an action that expressed your love and gratitude for Jesus’ presence, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. You believe that Mary is the Mother of God and that she loved Him as her own son. You express your belief by placing flowers before her image or praying decades of the Rosary. Doctrine is considered to be all that is universally taught by the Catholic Church while Devotion is an expression of our loving gratitude for that Truth.
Imagine that it is the first Sunday of January, you're on your way out of the Church after Mass. The well-dressed ushers, planted strategically in the vestibule, direct you to the mountainous pile of wall calendars teetering on the narrow display tables along the side of the crowded space. Father had clearly reminded the congregation about them at the end of Mass but somehow, in that 7 minutes between his announcement and the complicated process of filing your family through the teaming aisle, you nearly forgot to take one. Father urged all to display the calendar at home in order to be aware of the saints, solemnities, and Holy Days of Obligation of the year ahead. He added that observing the “devotion of the Month”, displayed therein, might just be an achievable goal for a New Year’s resolution. The thought spurs you to action and right then and there, you make your resolve to live this year under the gentle influence of each month’s special devotion.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the practice of “the devotion of the month” developed over time as popular devotions began to develop in the lives of Christ’s followers on earth. Since the practice of these devotions were not directly connected to the Mass and Liturgies of the Church, they could easily be observed within the church, home and school - not to replace the Mass - but to serve as a way to keep the faith vibrant in the church, in the home and especially in hearts. The practice of these devotions, especially since the 16th century found their way into the liturgical calendar and some had entire months devoted to them. For example, Pope Pius XI popularized dedicating the entire month of March to St. Joseph (1877), while Pope Leo XIII urged all Catholics to observe October as “The Month of the Rosary” (1883).
For the Month of August the “devotion of the month” features Our Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Heart. In Luke 2:19 we read that Mary “pondered these things in her heart” as the mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption played out before her in the life of her Divine Son. Who better than Mary can teach us how to reflect, contemplate and act in the Name of Jesus. In our Blessed Mother we have a true Mother given to us by Christ as His dying gift on Calvary, “‘Woman, behold thy Son’, and to the disciple ‘Behold, thy Mother””(John 19:26,27). Just as our earthly Mothers leave a lasting mark on our hearts and attitudes, so Mary, when we truly express our devotion, begins to influence us from the inside out. At Fatima, Our Lady revealed to the children that her Immaculate Heart would be our refuge and the road that would lead us to God.
Here are a few ways you can practice the “devotion of the month” during August, the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Consider putting up a little shrine in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in your home or work space. It can include an image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a candle, the gospel of Luke or any other helpful reading. As an act of love and gratitude to God for His gift of Our Blessed Mother, keep fresh flowers before her image all month.
When the clock strikes the hour, take a moment to ponder, with Mary, God’s action in your life and invoke Our Lady with a little prayer like: “Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for me and my family” “Immaculate Heart of Mary, lead me to Jesus”
Pray your daily Rosary, contemplating the mysteries through the eyes and heart of Mary. What are her thoughts, sentiments and prayers as she contemplates these mysteries with you?
Acknowledgements:
Catholic Answers, 2025, https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/special-devotions-for-months
Bible Gateway, Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)
St. John Eudes, The Admirable Heart of Mary 1948, pdf, opensource, 2022
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