The Dark Night of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The book "Conchita's Spiritual Journey" by Fr. Ignacio Navarro narrates the stages of the spiritual life of Blessed Concepcion Cabrera de Armida, known as "Conchita", a wife and mother of 09 children, mystic and founder of several religious families, who had private revelations of Jesus Christ through interior locutions, that is, they were not strictly visions of Jesus, but she "heard" Jesus speaking interiorly to her heart.  Even though she was beatified on May 4, 2019, no Catholic is required to believe these revelations, however the Church attests that there is no theological error in them.

The book has several accounts of these "conversations" she had with Jesus, and we can see how Jesus is preparing her for all the graces He grants her to fulfill her mission here on earth. Of all these extraordinary experiences narrated in the book, the one that caught my attention the most was when Jesus reveals to her about the martyrdom of the heart of Mary Most Holy.

Mary's suffering was allowed by God not to purify her, unlike the suffering of all other human beings, but to ask forgiveness and atone for the sins of others, it was for the purification of her children. Mary's heart gained these graces after the Ascension of Jesus, when she suffered the martyrdom of feeling alone and helpless.

This deep loneliness was not in relation to human beings or the lack of Jesus' physical presence, for since she is a perfect creature and has a huge living faith, she was consoled by the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

What she experienced was what St. John of the Cross calls the "dark night," a deep spiritual abandonment, the divine abandonment of the Trinity, which hid themself from her. This infinite abyss of love was her great trial.

Mary suffered more than all souls because she suffered a reflection of Jesus' abandonment on the cross and there is no comparison in human language. Her martyrdom was of love and the helplessness that enveloped her for so many years was an act of love of God the Father who wanted to pour out the treasures and the sea of his graces on souls through this suffering of our Heavenly Mother.

During Jesus' life, although Mary knew and reflected his inner pain in her, Jesus' filial love watched over that pain so that she suffered less. But after the Ascension, these martyrdoms wounded her with all their intensity and bitterness, pouring out of her pure soul for the good of her children until the end of the world.

How much humanity owes to Mary Most Holy! And how these bitter sorrows are not known, honored or appreciated! In this year when we will celebrate the solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus to Heaven on the day of Our Lady of Fatima, let us remember this martyrdom of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and, with our prayers and mortifications, console our dear Mother and Queen who suffered so much for us.