Tattoo of Our Lady

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Epistemes

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Hello,

I am thinking about getting a tattoo of the Blessed Mother on my left arm. This is the image I’m thinking about basing the tattoo on:

tldm.org/News7/OurLady1.jpg

The Church has nothing to say on this, I know, but I kind’ve wonder if such a tattoo wouldn’t be scandalous in some way. Do you think non-Catholics might interpet such a tattoo as further evidence of “Mary worship” or an inordinate honor of Our Lady? Would Jesus be upset that someone had tattooed the image of his perfect mother on their decaying body?

I would like to get this tattoo to glorify God and honor Our Blessed Mother, who I have a strong devotion towards.
 
Who cares what non-Catholics think. Don’t hide your faith for anyone.

I think it’s a great idea. I got my first tattoo when I was 14 years old. Tattoos are great!

I once knew a priest who was heavily tattooed. He had a skinhead and drove a motorcycle. He was a great priest! He had a couple of marian tattoos.

I say go for it. I would also get it done in black and grey. You should get “Sancta Maria Mater Dei” above the tattoo and “Ora Pro Nobis” below. This means “Holy Mary Mother of God” and “Pray For Us.” The Latin would look cool. You should choose fancy lettering for this.
 
Epistemes said:
Would Jesus be upset that someone had tattooed the image of his perfect mother on their decaying body?
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Trying to weigh whether Jesus would be upset over something like this is an exercise in trying to psychoanalyze Him. Can’t be done.

On the other hand, if you feel the need to get inked…I can think of no better tattoo then one honoring Mary. Just remember as you get old and start to shrivel, your tatt may do the same. Do you want Mary to look like a shrinky dink when you’re 70? 🙂
 
I’ll try to address your concerns this way. First, I think it’s great that you’re thinking critically about such an important act (more Catholics should think critically about how they show their faith!). When you do this, it will be forever, & that as well as proudly displaying the honor Our Mother deserves speaks volumes in evangelizing. Re: Scandalous? I have two full-length tattoos on the back of each arm (so that they are seen by anyone behind me, one of Jesus & His Sacred Heart; the other is the traditional scene of St. Michael conquering satan. Both of those spark varied conversation, positive & negative, which always lead to evangelizing or defending the Catholic faith in some way. I have several others, & they open the door for witness of faith somehow.

Re: Would Jesus be upset…? Would Jesus be proud that you weren’t ashamed to honor His Mother & promote that honor among Catholics & non-Catholics alike?

My only other suggestion would be to consider something written above or below her image to lend purpose to having the image there…possibly scripture that teaches obedience to the Lord’s will (Luke 1:38); that starts good discussion in all directions.

Bless you in whatever decision you choose.
 
During the weekend at Sepang in 2007 ‘there was Kimi Raikkonen, clearly on top of the world when he arrived at the circuit following his dominant win in Melbourne. He had spent some time with friends in Malaysia - which probably explained a lot as to how he had ended up with a huge tribal tattoo on his right arm.’ Jean Todt reacted very positively, saying something like if Kimi feels comfortable it’s OK. Kimi won the Championship, leading Lewis and Fernando by 1 point but having a better wins tally: 6 wins.

If you feel OK go.
 
I have a tattoo of the Sacred Heart on my shoulder. I’m planning on getting the Immaculate Heart next.
Since Holy Mother Church doesn’t rule against it- I say why not use what many turn into a glorification of (at best) the flesh and (at worst) the evil one into a tool for evangelization?

And as for what non-Catholics may infer about due honor to Our Lady, who cares? I’m not sure large tattoos like that are for the faint of heart, anyway.
 
Great pic btw. That will make a sweet looking tat. You will want to shop around and look at the work of various artists, and make sure you get one that’s good at this sort of portrait art. Where are thinking of putting it?
 
Now, in 2007 among the notable guests at Sepang was… Robert Mugabe.

Back to tattoos. Sometimes I also wish I had a sign that says I’m Catholic because this can surprise some people, help start a conversation to convince some very stubborn heretics.
 
Our Lady of Guadelupe is such a common tat in my area, the local inkers all have it in their catalog, some even display it in their windows.
 
a_cermak said:
Our Lady of Guadelupe is such a common tat in my area, the local inkers all have it in their catalog, some even display it in their windows.
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I am surprised that no one, particularly the previous poster, has mentioned that:
  1. Jesus and His mother were orthodox Jews.
  2. Judaism forbids tattooing.
Ergo. It’s unlikely that either of them would approve.
 
beeliner said:
I am surprised that no one, particularly the previous poster, has mentioned that:
  1. Jesus and His mother were orthodox Jews.
  2. Judaism forbids tattooing.
Ergo. It’s unlikely that either of them would approve.
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Yeah, but Christians don’t obey any of the other distinctive Laws either, so I wouldn’t think that matters much at this point in time. The Council of Jerusalem largely settled the matter of the importance of Jewish law in Christian custom.
 
a_cermak said:
Yeah, but Christians don’t obey any of the other distinctive Laws either, so I wouldn’t think that matters much at this point in time.
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Ah, but the woman he is claiming to honor did!

It would be like honoring my Jewish alderman with a ham dinner.

I didn’t mean to imply that it was forbidden to the poster personally.
 
beeliner said:
Ah, but the woman he is claiming to honor did!

It would be like honoring my Jewish alderman with a ham dinner.

I didn’t mean to imply that it was forbidden to the poster personally.
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Again though, it would matter on context. Jews don’t expect others to follow our distinctive Laws. So the lady in question would likely not be offended that someone is mutilating themselves to honor her if their tradition did not excempt self-mutilation.

Now if you were to dig her up (assuming no Assumption 😉 ) and tattoo her bones, then yes, that would be horribly offensive (well, and rude!).

For the alderman, if you’re expecting him to eat the meal, then yes, a ham (or lobster) dinner would be not the best choice. On the other hand, if it’s a fundraiser that the alderman is not going to eat at anyway (let’s say it’s the Italian-American League raising money for the alderman), then it would not be wrong at all as no Jew expects Gentiles to follow the Dietary Laws.

I suspect because the Jews have for much of their history been an oppressed minority, they simply never developed the concept of expecting to be able to impose our Law upon others. In my branch, I don’t even expect other Jews to follow the Law in exactly the same way that I do.
 
That is going to be one great tattoo, mate. Go for it.

The Church says nothing officially about tattoos, as long as you’re not going damaging your body, it’s upto you, mate.

God bless.

In Christ,

JD
 
a_cermak said:
On the other hand, if it’s a fundraiser that the alderman is not going to eat at anyway (let’s say it’s the Italian-American League raising money for the alderman), then it would not be wrong at all as no Jew expects Gentiles to follow the Dietary Laws.
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In that case, they would probably have lasagna.

It reminds me of the old days, when a soiree of that kind would nearly always be held on Friday, without a fish in sight.
 
I remember reading an article in a tattoo magazine about the history of Christian tattoos. It was very interesting. The author claimed that many medieval pilgrims would get a tattoo in the Holy Land to commemorate their trip. The tattoos were mainly ancient Christian symbols such as the fish and the chi-rho.
 
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