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Our Lady of You!

I recently attended a course entitled: “The Marian Mystery and the Theology of the Body.” It was a deep-dive into the wild beauty, tender love, and full fiat of our Blessed Mother. At one point, the instructor, Christopher West, showed images of Our Lady appearing to various cultures, as a native of that region in feature and dress. Our Lady of Guadalupe, for example, appears as a lowly mestizo, a combination of European and indigenous Aztec features, and she speaks to Juan Diego in his own dialect of Nahuatl. On her garment, there are many symbols that would have communicated very particular, meaningful messages to the Aztec people. For instance, the black sash around her waist would have signified pregnancy and the four-petaled flower directly over her womb was a symbol of Divinity. So it would have been clear to witnesses that she was bearing God within.

Then there is Our Lady of Rwanda, Our Lady of Japan, Our Lady of Thailand and Our Lady of the Snows appearing as an Eskimo woman, just to name a few. She comes to each culture as one of them. Our Lady is one of us. She is not distant. She embraces all we are and comes as one who knows us and loves us. She wants to come so close that she becomes one of us!

Our Blessed Mother knows not only our mother tongue, but also, the language of our heart. As Christopher pointed to a student in the back of the classroom, he said: “Our Lady of Ross!” Our Lady comes to you knowing your heart’s native tongue, your love language, what makes you tick.

Our own Mama Laura, foundress of Hope’s Garden, often says, “It’s true that God wants to marry us, but even more particularly, God wants to marry you.” The same goes for our beautiful, gentle Blessed Mother. Yes, she wants to come close to us with her motherly care. She also wants to come close to me with her motherly care, specific to me. How does she come to me?

How does Our Blessed Mother come to you? What is she wearing? How does she speak to you? What symbols may she don or use to meet your heart in particular ways?

Copyright 2023, Marian West

Marian West is a Catholic “heartist”, seeking to live the art of heart to heart in every encounter. She lives in Lancaster, PA, and is grateful to have recently opened a space called Marigold, offering the Grace of the healing arts. Marian is a modern dancer, vocal artist, licensed massage therapist and labor doula. In 2006, Marian received her B.A. in Dance from DeSales University and then received her massage training at the Swedish Institute in Manhattan in 2007. She served as a missionary with Heart’s Home in Brooklyn for 14 months, offering a presence of compassion to the abandoned, lonely, and suffering. Marian prays that the Blessed Mother be her heart, hands, movement, and melody to touch Christ’s broken body in our thirsting world.

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Oh, this is so beautiful and profound. I feel so much more intimately connected to Our Blessed Mother when I put my name connected to hers. Love this! I will use this technique also when praying for loved ones.

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