“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God…”
Three characters take center stage during the Advent Season – Isaiah the Prophet, John the Baptist and Mary, the mother of the Lord. Isaiah captures the longing of the people of the covenant who never lost hope that the Lord would fulfill his promises to them. That hope would burn brightly in their hearts and sustain them during the many challenges that marked their history.
John the Baptist, sometimes referred to as the ‘first evangelist,’ heralded the coming of the promised one as he called his contemporaries to ‘prepare a way for the Lord!’ The baptism of John was one of repentance and he would be privileged to baptize the Messiah, the giver of the definitive Baptism leading to a radical new life in Jesus himself.
And finally, Mary, the mother of the Lord. We Catholics together with our Orthodox sisters and brothers, venerate Mary as the first disciple and the living ark of the new covenant that would be realized in her son. Mary’s unique role in this History of Salvation depended completely on her son whom she bore in the Mystery of the Incarnation that first Christmas morning. That is the reason why the most ancient images of Mary in Christian art would never think of portraying her alone. She is always imaged lovingly carrying her Son, the Savior of the world. Her venerable and ancient title as Theotokos or “God-bearer” reflects this reality.
In Eastern iconography there is a particularly moving image of Mary that powerfully conveys her dignity as the “God-bearer” of Jesus. It is called ‘Our Lady of Tender Mercy’ and depicts the child Jesus with his cheek next to his mother and arms embracing her. In the simplicity and power of this image we witness the summary of our theology about Mary in visual art. For, she is the mother of mercy itself as she gifts that reality to a world waiting to be transformed by a love and mercy that knows no bounds. That, my friends, is our greatest gift this Christmas and every Christmas of our lives.
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God…”