Favorite image of Our Lady?

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Hellisreal said:
My favorites have always been where she is with her son, either infant or as an adult. I dont like seeing her depicted without her son.:o
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Indeed. It emphasis the fact that she is always presenting Christ and pointing us to Him. It advances the most powerful purpose of her life and avoids all danger of error that some have fallen into.

CDL
 
Teakafrog said:
Guadalupe, hands down. Who can beat a self-portrait? And if you haven’t seen the Missionary Image, which is a full-size photographic reproduction, you owe it to yourself to see it the next time it comes to your diocese. It is miraculous, in every sense of the word! Many miracles have been attributed to it.
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I understand the color of her shawl was not able to be reproduced with human hands at that time. Also, I heard that Juan San Diego’s (is that the right name) reflection is found in her eyes. Is this true? I saw a web-site that detailed these fascinating things about the picture but I can’t find it again.
 
GregoryPalamas said:
Indeed. It emphasis the fact that she is always presenting Christ and pointing us to Him. It advances the most powerful purpose of her life and avoids all danger of error that some have fallen into.

CDL
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Exactly! The reason my gut tells me its wrong to depict her alone is Mary herself wants us to focus on her Son, and the Church even tells us this is so, so it seems contradictory to do anything but keep them together at all times as she was with him at all times.

Its a slippery slope to some unhealthy ideas about Mary that goes to the extreeme side of improper Marian worship that some have. Good way to avoid the danger of it is not to fall into the trap to begin with, and keep her With Her Son, and then, the Son is happy!😃
 
Hellisreal said:
Exactly! The reason my gut tells me its wrong to depict her alone is Mary herself wants us to focus on her Son, and the Church even tells us this is so, so it seems contradictory to do anything but keep them together at all times as she was with him at all times.

Its a slippery slope to some unhealthy ideas about Mary that goes to the extreeme side of improper Marian worship that some have. Good way to avoid the danger of it is not to fall into the trap to begin with, and keep her With Her Son, and then, the Son is happy!😃
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I agree. However, what do you make of the image of Mary as portrayed in Revelation 12? There seems to be a bit more emphasis upon her but still it is because she is the Mother of our Lord and of the Church. I think it is still best to have her with her Son for the reasons you list but Rev. 12 may give justification for her being shown alone. It still makes me nervous about the possibility of viewing Mary as authoritative on her own.

CDL
 
GregoryPalamas said:
I agree. However, what do you make of the image of Mary as portrayed in Revelation 12? There seems to be a bit more emphasis upon her but still it is because she is the Mother of our Lord and of the Church. I think it is still best to have her with her Son for the reasons you list but Rev. 12 may give justification for her being shown alone. It still makes me nervous about the possibility of viewing Mary as authoritative on her own.

CDL
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Hello Gregory,

Good point, and thanks for your thoughts. The way I take the Rev. passage is the very specific mention of the stars on her head that are the “tribes” ect, and so she is not alone there even!😉
 
Hellisreal said:
The reason my gut tells me its wrong to depict her alone is Mary herself wants us to focus on her Son, and the Church even tells us this is so, so it seems contradictory to do anything but keep them together at all times as she was with him at all times.
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Although I do like pictures of Mary and Jesus together, I don’t have a problem with depicting her “alone.” For she was never really alone; she was completely united with God throughout her life. To reject any depiction of her without the physical presence of her Son may deprive us of opportunities to meditate on aspects of her life when they were physically separated but spiritually united — before His conception, during His public ministry when they were often physically separated, when He was in the tomb, after His Ascension when she was caring for the newly-born Church, etc. Indeed, reflecting on these moments makes it easier for me to have faith in His constant presence, even though I cannot “see” Him.

Even when Mary appeared to individuals throughout history (Lourdes, Fatima, etc.), she often appeared “alone.” Images of Mary based on those apparitions show her in prayer — Jesus is certainly with her spiritually, even though we cannot “see” Him.
 
I do not accept apparitions, and do not have to as a Catholic. I find them to be total bunk.😉
PhilotheaZ said:
Although I do like pictures of Mary and Jesus together, I don’t have a problem with depicting her “alone.” For she was never really alone; she was completely united with God throughout her life. To reject any depiction of her without the physical presence of her Son may deprive us of opportunities to meditate on aspects of her life when they were physically separated but spiritually united — before His conception, during His public ministry when they were often physically separated, when He was in the tomb, after His Ascension when she was caring for the newly-born Church, etc. Indeed, reflecting on these moments makes it easier for me to have faith in His constant presence, even though I cannot “see” Him.

Even when Mary appeared to individuals throughout history (Lourdes, Fatima, etc.), she often appeared “alone.”
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Hellisreal said:
I do not accept apparitions, and do not have to as a Catholic. I find them to be total bunk.😉
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Ooops! I wouldn’t go that far. I’d just say I don’t know. I rejoice with those whose faith in God is strengthened through them though I have had very little experience in that area. They are mostly private revelations about which the Church usually says very little. I don’t think we can make doctrine or dogma out of any of them but many of the appiritions have moved people to deep devotion. Live and let live is my motto in this area.

CDL
 
By all means yes! I dont begrude anyone for accepting the APPROVED apparitions, but for me and my house no way.

I have a long list of why I feel this way, but I will not post it since it will derail the thread.
 
If we only had images of our Lady with her Son, we wouldn’t have the Miraculous Medal, which I attribute to my family’s conversion. :o

And to respond to the poster’s comment about avoiding Nordic looking Marian images, while I completely understand the point, it won’t work. She’s EVERYONE’S mother- and we all like to paint our Mothers’ (earthly and heavenly) pictures less like they are, and more like we see them.

But yes, when I die, if I am greeted by an olive skinned, dark haired women crushing the serpent beneath her heel, I’m not going to inform her that she should be sporting blue eyes and blonde hair. 😃
 
Pieta.

Here’s a link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet%C3%A0_(Michelangelo

As a Protestant, I never got to “hold” Jesus in my hands. I could only “think” about Him. I actually wrote a song called, “It’s Time To Hold the Baby” about holding Jesus. It’s the best song I’ve ever written.

I could hold other Christians, which was kind of the same as holding Jesus. And Jesus said that if you’ve helped anyone, it’s the same as helping Him.

But to actually hold Him–I thought I would have to wait until heaven.

One of the reasons I became a Catholic is so that I could make my song come true. I can actually “hold Jesus” in Holy Communion. He actually rests in my worthless hands for a second of human time.

The idea of “holding Jesus” is so amazing, so wondrous to me.

Mary held Her Lord as a tiny little lamb, and then held Him again as the sacrificial Lamb of God–it’s awesome. When I see Pieta, I see both the Nativity, the Crucifixion, and the Celebration of the Eucharist. Have you ever considered the Mary took Holy Communion after the Ascension of our Lord?
 
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