I didn’t nodice this before, but Mary’s eyes are casted down, almost closed, as in prayer. This is important, because Jesus’s hand is positioned in blessing. This asserts that even She, who is holding him and is behind him, is still ruled by him. It makes the painting all that much better, because it clearly shows that Mary is not placed “above” Jesus.
The finger positions are very unusual, actually they are quite unnatural.
I don’t know about that. It appears at least Mary would have made a great concert pianist.
And the same rhythm St. John the Baptist leaped to in his mother’s womb upon the sound of Mary’s greeting. How our Lord’s heart beat pulsating in his blessed mother’s womb must have beautified the sound of her voice.
Good one !And the same rhythm St. John the Baptist leaped to in his mother’s womb upon the sound of Mary’s greeting. How our Lord’s heart beat pulsating in his blessed mother’s womb must have beautified the sound of her voice.
By the way, God could have provided the piano.
Pax vobiscum
Good Fella
Could it be said then that you and dear mother Mary think alike…?
So you respect Mary but do not love her, since loving her amounts to worshipping her. Catholics do not worship Mary. For a true understanding of Marian devotion, I suggest you read ‘The World’s First Love’ by the late Archbishop Fulton J Sheen.
)Hmm, I guess so. That is how I feel. That is how every christian should feel too.
I agree that loving Mary does not equal to worshipping her and I do know that Roman Catholics do not worship her. She is much loved and honoured, and one can ask her to intercede in prayer. Of course, I do respect and feel she is an exemplary role model. I don’t know if I can use the word love, simply because I don’t have a relationship with her. I have never talked to her before. But I talk to Jesus a lot. He’s my best friend. I would like to thank you for sharing and the kind advice you have given me. God bless.So you respect Mary but do not love her, since loving her amounts to worshipping her. Catholics do not worship Mary. For a true understanding of Marian devotion, I suggest you read ‘The World’s First Love’ by the late Archbishop Fulton J Sheen.
Catholics love and honour Mary because she is the mother of our Lord and of all his brethren. We understand that God has ordained she play a key role in his plan of salvation. The Almighty has granted her a powerful intercessory role to help us get to his Son in response to his grace. We turn to her for her prayers and spiritual assistance, since this is a path that the Holy Spirit has enlightened us to take. I am personally indebted to her for the graces I have received through her prayers and loving maternal intercession. Years ago she sought me out and gently pulled me by an ear back to her Son and a new life in the Spirit. Like a toddler, I was let go once my spiritual mother observed that I could stand on my own two legs with the graces I had received. I can’t imagine not loving someone who loves all of us so immeasurably. Our Blessed Mother once told a visionary: “If you knew how much I love you, you would cry with joy.”
The Johannine church invoked our Lady’s help and intercession in its spiritual life. This traditional devotion is reflected in the story of the wedding feast in Cana, during which event Jesus performed his first miracle and began his active ministry upon the intercession of his blessed mother. In the spirit of John, and keeping with Apostolic Tradition, Irenaeus (A.D. 180) is the earliest known Church Father to have written about Mary’s powerful intercessory role as a functional mediator in Christ between our Lord and us. If Jesus is your personal saviour, as you claim, then start showing your loyalty to him by listening to him. He speaks to us through the Apostolic teaching authority of his one visible Church. He desires that we reach him on his terms, not ours. Christians who invoke the aid of our Blessed Mother have a better chance of getting to heaven than those who refuse or neglect to. As the Mother of God (Jesus), Mary holds the most influential place in the communion of Saints.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. { James 5, 16 }
Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones. { Revelation 5, 8 }
“Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” { Luke 10, 16 }
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” { John 14, 15 }
(See my signature.
" For God said, ‘Honour your father and your mother. Anyone who curses his father or mother shall die’ ". {Matthew 15, 4}
We must obey our Lord and not deny Mary the love and honour she deserves from us who are least blessed. One cannot love and honour her by being indifferent towards her. We turn to people whom we at least respect.
Those who curse our Blessed Mother and show her dishonour and indifference by publicly contending that she is not the Mother of God, was not Ever-Virgin, was conceived in sin, and lies corrupted somewhere in an unmarked and forgotten grave are playing with fire.
“Under your mercy we take refuge, O Mother of God. Do not reject our supplications in necessity, but deliver us from danger, O you alone pure and alone blessed.”
‘Sub Tuum Praesidium’ (c. A.D. 250)
This prayer was recited by the early Christians who hid in the Roman catacombs during the great persecutions.
Pax vobiscum
Good Fella
Thanks for the very candid post.It’s refreshing to read answers like this. According to what I’ve read, it doesn’t get any better than when Jesus is your best friend. St. John Vianney - the Curé of Ars (who is the patron saint of all parish priests) said, “Prayer is a conversation with a friend.”
Thanks for the beautiful sharing! I’m sure Mary will continue to help bring you closer to Jesus more and more each day. It’s always nice to have a friend, especially Mom praying for you. I understand. Just like we can ask Mom to pray for us, we can ask Mother Mary to pray for us.
Me too!
You’re welcome. I admire your respect for our religious beliefs and experiences. C.S. Lewis pointed out that we can love someone without necessarily feeling any acute emotional attachment. This is loving someone by the exercise of the human will. So many divorces occur simply because spouses rely too heavily on the emotional aspect of love. I’m a cradle Catholic, so my relationship with Mary includes the emotional and sensational aspect of love. A strong bond must have been formed while I was still an impressionable child. Just think of all the children who have been separated from their natural mothers at the time they were too young to form a bond or remember them and are reunited with their mothers as teenagers or adults. This is where love by the will comes in. Regardless of the long separation and alienation, both mother and child can still love each other and should. The emotional side of the greatest Christian virtue, according to Paul, can be slowly nurtured as the relationship progresses. Protestants who convert to the Catholic faith resemble the orphan who has been reunited with his mother with respect to Mary. It takes time for them to familiarize themselves with our Blessed Mother and build a lasting relationship on total love. Dr. Scott Hahn, in his book ‘Hail, Holy Queen’, mentions he had to undergo this transition after he converted. Yet I believe that Protestants do not have to become Catholics in order to relate to Mary as we do, for they are still Christians nonetheless, whose brother is our Lord. Perhaps you can try to resume a relationship with Mary that has always been there in the background of your Christian life. The book by Fulton J Sheen could help you form a relationship with our Blessed Mother, for the author has a way of presenting her as a concrete personality with whom we can relate. God bless.
Nice post…Thank you!You’re welcome. I admire your respect for our religious beliefs and experiences. C.S. Lewis pointed out that we can love someone without necessarily feeling any acute emotional attachment. This is loving someone by the exercise of the human will. So many divorces occur simply because spouses rely too heavily on the emotional aspect of love. I’m a cradle Catholic, so my relationship with Mary includes the emotional and sensational aspect of love. A strong bond must have been formed while I was still an impressionable child. Just think of all the children who have been separated from their natural mothers at the time they were too young to form a bond or remember them and are reunited with their mothers as teenagers or adults. This is where love by the will comes in. Regardless of the long separation and alienation, both mother and child can still love each other and should. The emotional side of the greatest Christian virtue, according to Paul, can be slowly nurtured as the relationship progresses. Protestants who convert to the Catholic faith resemble the orphan who has been reunited with his mother with respect to Mary. It takes time for them to familiarize themselves with our Blessed Mother and build a lasting relationship on total love. Dr. Scott Hahn, in his book ‘Hail, Holy Queen’, mentions he had to undergo this transition after he converted. Yet I believe that Protestants do not have to become Catholics in order to relate to Mary as we do, for they are still Christians nonetheless, whose brother is our Lord. Perhaps you can try to resume a relationship with Mary that has always been there in the background of your Christian life. The book by Fulton J Sheen could help you form a relationship with our Blessed Mother, for the author has a way of presenting her as a concrete personality with whom we can relate. God bless.
Pax vobiscum
Good Fella