Just a word before we go...Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God...January 1, 2023

When I was growing up, I shared a bedroom with Mary Jane, one of my younger sisters.  On the wall above our heads was a copy of Raphael’s Madonna of the Chair, the original painted in 1513.  If you are not familiar with this piece of art, it is a particularly warm rendition of the Madonna who is, no surprise, seated on a chair, closely holding the child Jesus, with a young John the Baptist looking on.  The baby’s arms are tucked under the mother’s shawl.  A small cross is depicted off to the side.

The defining difference in this painting from others I’ve seen is the sense of invitation Raphael was able to evoke from the faces, especially the eyes, expressing a tenderness that enfolds the viewer and makes one feel part of the mother’s embrace.  And so we did, feeling that embrace whenever we gazed on the painting;  such an appropriate picture for a children’s room.

The painting continues to hang in my home.  I often gaze at it, especially when I am in need of some comfort.  Feeling again the loving embrace of The Madonna of the chair never fails to calm me.  Such is the power of Mary, the Mother of God.   Even the Beatles recognized the influence of Mary on human life, as they sang, “ When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.”

Meister Eckhart, a 13th century theologian and philosopher, wrote: “We are all meant to be mothers of God.  What good is it to me if this eternal birth of the divine Son takes place unceasingly, but does not take place within myself?  And what good is it to me if Mary is full of grace, if I am not also full of grace?  What good is it to me for the Creator to give birth to his Son, if I do not also give birth to him in my time and my culture?  This, then, is the fullness of time: When the Son of Man is begotten in us.” 

As we honor Mary, the Mother of God, this weekend, my prayer is that each of us may find a source of love and comfort within Mary’s embrace, whether through a painting, a prayer, or a song...and that embrace might lead us all to better embody the Christ in our time and in our world.