Mary, Guardian of Hearts 💙 (Father Simon Says)

🤦‍♂️ "It's Not My Fault!" The OG Human Excuse   Fr. Simon starts with some biblical gold:   -Adam blamed Eve.   -Eve blamed the serpent.   -Aaron? Straight-up said the golden calf "just came out" of the fire.    He calls this “one of those testimonies to human stupidity” that he secretly loves.    The point is that we’ve always struggled to take responsibility for sin. And yet, God still comes after us with mercy... ultimately through the Cross.     Naked & Afraid... Spiritually Speaking   Fr. Simon reflects on Adam and Eve’s post-sin "nakedness".   “They were naked spiritually... no longer in a state of sanctifying grace.”   🔥 When we're not clothed in God's grace, we're vulnerable. That’s when the devil gets his shots in. We need grace like we need winter jackets in Wisconsin.     The Rib Protects the Heart 💘   Fr. Simon goes into a midrash, a Jewish storytelling interpretation, about the creation of woman:   -Eve wasn’t made from Adam’s head (to rule over him).   -Nor his feet (to be ruled by him).   -But his side... to walk with him.   Then comes the 💡moment:   “The rib protects the heart.”   So, in marriage, in family, in faith... Father explains that men protect from the outside, but women guard the inside. They guard the heart. 💖   And Mary is the perfect expression of that.     🕊️ Mary, Mother of the Church, and Our Hearts   This is the real heart (pun intended) of the episode.    -Mary was the first member of the Church.   -At one point, she was the entire Church.   She received Christ, body and soul, and she stayed faithful at the foot of the Cross. 🙏   “Mary guards the heart of the Church... because she is the heart.”   Fr. Simon ties this to the coronation icons: Mary seated between the Father and the Son, crowned as Queen of Heaven. That’s not just her coronation... it’s ours too. We are united to her, to the Church, through baptism, Eucharist, and grace.     🧠 + 💖 = Real Church   Father explains:   -The Church must be intellectually strong (yes, study theology! 📚)   -But also tender, maternal, and kind (like Mary).   If we lose the kindness? The compassion? The warmth of the Church? Then we’ve lost something essential.   So yes... let’s defend the faith. But let’s also be the kind of Catholics who make people say: “That’s the tastiest little worm on the hook I’ve ever seen!” (Fr. Simon’s metaphor😂)     Mary doesn’t just watch over the Church; she watches over you. She’s the rib that guards your heart. The first Christian. The Queen of Heaven. And the mother who always welcomes you home.   🕊️ Mary, Mother of the Church... Pray for us!     The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.