If we truly embrace a devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our own heart will be opened to others.
Modern culture puts much emphasis on "finding yourself" or pursuing what makes you "feel happy." This can sometimes lead to a selfish attitude in life, thinking that we should do whatever we want to fulfill our fleeting desires.
It's an attitude that is completely incompatible with true Marian devotion, especially when this devotion is directed to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Fostering a heart for others
Instead of seeking to pursue our own selfish interests, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary should open us up to others.
Pope Benedict XVI commented on this topic in a visit to Germany in 2011:
[T]he image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is seen as a symbol of her deep and unreserved loving unity with Christ. It is not self-realization, the desire for self-possession and self-formation, that truly enables people to flourish, according to the model that modern life so often proposes to us, which easily turns into a sophisticated form of selfishness. Rather it is an attitude of self-giving, self-emptying, directed towards the heart of Mary and hence towards the heart of Christ and towards our neighbor: this is what enables us to find ourselves.
When we truly draw close to Mary's heart, we are in turn closer to Jesus' heart, which opens us up to those around us.
One thing we need to be wary of is "using" devotions to the Immaculate Heart for selfish motives.
For example, the Directory on popular piety warns against viewing the First Saturday devotion too mechanically, as if all we need to do is receive the Eucharist on consecutive First Saturdays:
With regard to receiving Holy Communion of the Five First Saturdays, the same as has been said in relation to the Nine First Fridays can be repeated: overestimation of temporal factors should be overcome in favor of re-contextualization the reception of Holy Communion within the framework of the Eucharist. This pious practice should be seen as an opportunity to live intensely the paschal Mystery celebrated in the Holy Eucharist, as inspired by the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
We can often get caught-up in all the "requirements" of a devotion, and see our devotion only as a way to check them off.
What these devotions are designed to do is open us up to God and our neighbor. We need to be open to that grace that God wants to give to us and not simply live life as if it is only about following rules.
Otherwise our heart will not be like Mary's heart, which is continually open to the needs of others.
