Yesterday we celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Today we enter with awe into the inner chamber of his Mother’s heart. Sr. Gail Fitzpatrick writes about the amazing contrast this is yet is also deeply uniting. Jesus’ heart overflows with God’s love. It is physically and emotionally tortured by the rejection and hatred of the ones he sought to draw into the circle of the Father’s love. Ultimately, Jesus’ heart is pierced in death—blood and water flow out. Mary, the first disciple of Jesus, shared his heart’s love and suffering. She suffered in the watching, waiting, and pondering, in the hope that holds in prayer but cannot control the events that inevitably lead to her son’s death. Today we might remember all the mothers, fathers, and friends who watch and wait in the suffering of loved ones – the “disappeared” of our world – the beloved elders who courageously walk their final steps into eternity – the children whose lives are tragically cut short. Each of us is called to bear the heartache of others – that is the cost of love. We can learn from Mary to ponder the mystery of God in every person and event. Nothing, no matter how painful, is outside of the circle of God’s love. Mary didn’t understand but accepted in faith these events, even to the breaking open of her own heart.