Today's pick: Presentation at the Temple (c. 1455) - Andrea Mantegna. #art #Mantegna #PresentationInTheTemple
#PresentationInTheTemple
Quote of the day, 2 February: Blessed Marie-Eugène
At the Nativity, the manifestation of the Word in this world is a manifestation of light: a radiance appears in the heavens, a star guides the Magi, and angels on earth sing, “Peace to those on whom God’s favor rests” [Lk 2:14]. Amid this symbolic outpouring of light—illuminated by it as well—we find St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin.
The life that once dwelled within her does not leave the Virgin; that life is now in the Incarnate Word, whom she contemplates. And now, through the veil of the flesh she gave Him, souls will also be able to contemplate Him as she does. We love to picture her as the first to gaze upon the divine eyes of the Infant God as they open to the world. We recall St. John of the Cross’s crystalline fountains, the caverns of stone—Mary knows them first.
The lights of the Nativity are confirmed by events: here come the shepherds and the Magi, making the angel’s words true. Then, on the day of the Presentation, come Simeon’s song and the prophecy of Anna. All of this becomes for the Virgin a confirmation of what she already knew—yet can one ever know these mysteries fully? And so, Mary gives thanks to God!
But another word confirms a second light: “A sword will pierce your own soul also” [Lk 2:35]. She already knows Isaiah’s prophecy of the Man of Sorrows, and in her Son’s eyes, she has glimpsed the mystery of Redemption. Here, then, is its confirmation.
What will this sword be? She does not yet know the details, but the word alone is enough for the mystery of Redemption to shine in her prayer. Mary knows—and she offers her Son after having first given herself completely. She knows she is sending Him to suffering and death; she knows God will ask this of her.
All her prayer in Nazareth is gathered here—silent, mysterious, filled with both light and suffering, already overshadowed by the Passion. No details are revealed, only a vast sorrow in which the weight of sin is most deeply felt. The Virgin’s participation in the Passion will be entirely interior, as ours must be; it is her Gethsemane. And through this suffering—the suffering of the Mother of the Word—she brings forth souls to life.
Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus
La prière de Marie
Marie-Eugène de l’Enfant-Jésus, B & Centre Notre-Dame de Vie 1988, La Vierge Marie Toute Mère, Editions du Carmel, Toulouse.
Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
Featured image: The Presentation of Christ in the Temple is color on poplar wood painting by Italian artist Fra Bartolomeo (1472–1517), the famous Dominican from Florence. It comes from the collections of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
#BlessedMarieEugeneOfTheChildJesus #BlessedVirginMary #IncarnationOfChrist #life #light #PresentationInTheTemple #prophecy #suffering
Today's pick: Simeon's Prophecy to Mary (1628) - Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn. #art #Rembrandt #Prophets #PresentationInTheTemple
Today's pick: Adoration of the Magi - Presentation in the Temple (c. 1560) - Pieter Aertsen. #art #Aertsen #AdorationOfTheMagi #PresentationInTheTemple
Today's pick: Simeon's Prophecy to Mary (1628) - Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn. #art #Rembrandt #Prophets #PresentationInTheTemple
Today's pick: Simeon and Anna Praise the infant Jesus (c. 1700) - Arent de Gelder. #art #DeGelder #Prophets #PresentationInTheTemple
Today's pick: Simeon's Song of Praise (1669) - Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn. #art #Rembrandt #PresentationInTheTemple
Today's pick: Presentation at the Temple (c. 1455) - Andrea Mantegna. #art #Mantegna #PresentationInTheTemple
Today's pick: Presentation in the Temple (1304-06) - Giotto. #art #Giotto #ArenaChapel #PresentationInTheTemple
Today's pick: Presentation at the Temple (c. 1459) - Giovanni Bellini. #art #Bellini #PresentationInTheTemple
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