March 2, 2021
Good afternoon,
” Mary pondered all these things in her heart ” Luke 2:19 Good afternoon,
This is the famous Pieta done by Michelangelo ( 1475-1564 ). It is in the Vatican in Rome. It is Mary holding her son after he has been taken down from the cross. It is seen as a symbol of the deepest form of love from a mother to son. The artist chose not to show the suffering of Jesus, so few marks of the crucifixion are on the body of Jesus. He shows instead the compassion of Mom, Mary, towards her son.
Mary plays a small role in Anabaptism. We shy aways from her sainthood, and her ” immaculate” perfection in the Catholic tradition. We do not pray to Mary, and we do not have statues of her in our church spaces. In the 1500’s , when we broke with the Church, we left Mary behind. But what about her great love for her son, the son of God ? Can we use that as an example of love to use in our own lives ?
May knows the end of the story for her son. I believe the Pieta shows the love that not only Mary has for her son, but the love that God has for our broken and evil world. The love we show to others, even our enemies, can change the world, and invite God into our living spaces.
Meditate on the sculpture.
How does it speak to your faith in God ? What do you see in the eyes of Mary ?Grace and peace as we move through Lent.
Fred
Soaring like Vultures
lifted by unseen Hands
Trust, silence enters my fears Monika Pieper Landoni 2021
