The beauty of God and his providence are reflected in Mary. Her images convey grace and inspire trust that becomes prayer.
of Msgr. Angelo Sceppacerca
Mese of May, month dedicated to the Madonna. Thinking of the Mother means experiencing a feeling of joy, of gratitude, because one contemplates the marvelous work of God, which was realized in Mary of Nazareth and which, after contemplating her, becomes an invocation. Psalm 98 begins with the invitation to rejoice in the wonders of the Lord: "Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wonders". Mary, after Jesus, is the greatest wonder, she is the masterpiece of God's love.
The angel greets her in the Annunciation: "Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you." “Full of grace” means filled with God's free love, with his benevolence, with his mercy, and therefore also filled with beauty, splendor and charm. Mary is all holy, all beautiful in the eyes of God and in the eyes of the Church. «Tota pulchra... you are completely beautiful, oh Mary; the original stain is not in you. You are the glory of Jerusalem; you are the joy of Israel; you are the honor of our people; you are the advocate of sinners." All holy and at the same time protector of sinners, like Jesus who during his public life appeared as the Saint of God and at the same time as the friend of sinners, because the holier one is, the more merciful he is.
San Luigi Guanella, with
Templating the image of the Madonna of Divine Providence near the church of San Carlo ai Catinari, he writes: «The Madonna of Divine Providence gathers her divine Son wrapped in a copious cloak and holds him lovingly to her heart and looks at him with two admirable eyes for the divine joy that floods her, as if to say: "I embrace divine Providence, that divine Providence, which uses me, humble handmaid, to provide food and assistance to this celestial Infant, who is divine Providence incarnate" . The Blessed Virgin of Divine Providence is our dearest Mother, who enjoys being called by this title to be more ready to help us. What consolation, in the midst of the tribulations of life, to have someone to turn to, and to have recourse to the great Virgin of divine Providence! In our works this common Most Holy Mother Mary is venerated under this title of Mother of Divine Providence." Providence is linked to mercy, because he who loves has mercy and is supported by trust.
Another image, the Madonna of Trust, shows Mary with the Child Jesus who, as in the ancient icons of tenderness, encircles the Mother's neck with one arm, while the Mother affectionately welcomes him with both arms. The Child, detached from the Mother, looks at us. Mary welcomes Jesus and embraces him with love, but at the same time she presents him and gives him to the world.
In turn, Jesus points to his Mother with his left arm and seems to want to urge us to imitate her, to do the same thing she is doing, that is, welcome him and give him to the world. How can God be given? How can you be like Mary? «Whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven is my brother, sister, mother» (Mt 12, 50). Jesus considers spiritual ties superior to kinship ties; even his relationship with the Mother is based more on shared adherence to the will of God than on blood. Mary gave birth to him through her faith before her mother's womb.
Through faith, anyone can truly become "brother, sister, mother" of Jesus, albeit in an analogical sense. Anyone can become for him not only brother and sister, but also mother. This is a recurring teaching in the tradition of the Church. Saint Ambrose in his commentary on Magnificat says: «According to the flesh, there is only one Mother of Christ; according to faith all souls generate Christ: each one in fact welcomes the Word of God within itself." Saint John Chrysostom specifies: «it is possible not only for women, but also for men to become the Mother of God». Saint Maximus the Confessor reiterates: «The saints generate God in a similar way to Theotokos (Mother of God)". Saint Francis of Assisi takes the same line in his letter to the faithful: «We are mothers [of Christ], when we carry him in our hearts and bodies through divine love and pure and sincere conscience; we generate it through holy works, which must shine as an example to others." And from Saint Luigi Guanella the words that he used to say to his nuns are passed on to us: «Remember that our communities are made up of more Ave Maria than bricks."