Mary, the one who knows our needs

    The artist, Paul Klee, once said, “Art does not produce what we see. Art makes us see.”

    If sheer numbers mean anything, artists have been more preoccupied in making us see who Mary, the mother of Jesus, was, than any figure in history. Depictions run the full-range from Mary as triumphal queen of heaven to the lowly maiden of Nazareth.

    One of my favorite images of Mary is on the front page of this issue of the West River Catholic. I have a copy of the same painting in my chapel at home. This particular image of Mary leads me to offer some reflections on Our Lady during this month.

    What first catches my attention is the very protective grip Mary has on the child, Jesus. Even part of her clothing is used to wrap him tightly, close to herself. He seems to be responding as we notice that his hand has a firm hold on her dress.

    A second look at the image tells us more. The eyes of Jesus are staring straight ahead - at us. His eyes are wide and bright. Mary, too, is looking at us, but the left side of her face is in shadow. Prompted by Jesus, who seems to have said something to her, Mary appears to be in the midst of turning our way. His mouth is open, hers is closed. He is drawing her attention to us. His hand is on her dress, not to secure himself, but tugging at her to turn our way. It is as if he has just said, “Look at them, Mother.”

    My reading of this scene is that it is a foreshadowing of one of the events at Calvary, when Jesus gives his mother and the beloved disciple to the care of each other. In the painting and at the foot of the cross, Our Lady is vulnerable, troubled, and unsure of what this new relationship means. She is being asked to become the mother of the disciples, those who were following Jesus. No wonder she appears to hesitate and be overcome with surprise.

    Too often Mary is portrayed in literature, in prayers, and in art as being powerful, set apart from humanity and human weakness. Yet, in the painting and at Calvary, she seems to humbly share in, and understand, our human frailty and vulnerability. She is very approachable because she understands our fears and needs. She, too, had fears and needs.

  The artist gives us an insight as to what makes a healthy devotion to Our Lady. From the earliest days of the Catholic Church, disciples of Jesus have looked to Mary in prayer because she is one who knows the deepest needs of humanity. Rather than speaking in terms of praying to Mary, we ask her to pray with and for us, since prayer is only addressed to God.

    It has been pointed out by scholars of Scripture that the biblical text that best reveals Mary’s role in our prayers is found in chapter two of the Gospel of John. Jesus and his disciples accompany Mary to a wedding feast. When the host family runs out of wine, Mary does not tell Jesus what to do, nor does she offer solutions to the problem. She simply tells Jesus what is needed, “They have no more wine.” In doing so, she gives us an example of how we should pray, not with full- blown solutions, as though we ourselves have the answer to our problems, but with humble hearts that simply present our deepest needs.

    In a moment of financial hardship, Mary reminds us that our real need is faith in God, not the temporary solution of more material goods. In a moment of loneliness, she moves us beyond false and easy intimacies and tells us to ask once again to experience the love God has for each one of us individually. In times of anxiety and worry, she tells us to cast aside our plans and to have hope in God’s providence. These are the deepest needs of the human heart.

    I invite you to use the painting of Mary on the cover as a point of reference in your prayer life this month. Recognize, in her shy glance your way, a human being who has shared your anxieties and human frailties. Trust that she has taken seriously the final request of her son to be your mother, to accept you as her child. See her as one who looks at you in your need and reminds you to pray as she does, not by presenting God with our solutions to life, but with our deepest needs.