Mary Did You Know? -- Day 4

"Mary did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? And when you kiss your little baby, you've kissed the face of God?"--"Mary Did You Know," Words by Mark Lowry, Music by Buddy Greene.

You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. -- Luke 1:31-33.

Everyone's heard people say that a mother's love is blind.  I have to chuckle when my mom tells the story of when her first and long-awaited child was finally born.  When they placed my sister in my mother's arms, the beauty of my sister's face literally shocked my mother.  And I mean shocked.  Now, anyone who has met my sister Wendy knows she's an exceptionally beautiful woman, but my mother really believed that her baby was so miraculously gorgeous that everyone would be gasping and pointing in the streets the moment they saw Wendy, flabbergasted by her glowing face!  My mother actually fretted why God had chosen her to have the most beautiful baby in the world!

And now, after having a child of my own, I wonder if my mother was really delusional after all?  Is a mother's love really blind, or do mother's have the unique capacity to see their children as they really are -- the capacity to see their children just as God sees them?  Fathers tend to have the same ability to witness Imageo Dei -- the image of God -- shining from the face of their child, and to see the fingerprints of angels all over their bodies.  This love is a  lens that allows you to clearly see a person's sacredness, to see their potential, to look past all their many faults and transgressions... straight into their heart.  That's why so many people throughout history have found theologies of God the Father and Mother Mary so meaningful, because through their parents' love, they glimpse the boundless love of God.  And that's also why the image of the Madonna and Child continues to be one of the most compelling images of all time for artists and atheists alike, because so many of us have experienced the sacredness of that love, that bond, whether as mothers or as children.

Listen to the music of the song, look at the artwork, and then respond to any of the questions below typing in the comment box:

• Do you think Mary knew the full destiny of her son?
• Do you find metaphors like God Our Father and or Holy Mother helpful to your understanding of God?
• What is it about the image of the Madonna and Child, you think, that has captured so many hearts?
• What are you wondering, praying, or thinking about concerning Mary this Advent?

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