This rather westernized 16th century icon (Virgin Mary and Child with Apple), depicts the Mother of God wearing a lovely robe and highly decorated maphorion. It is an image of great intimacy isn't it? Mary's mantle enfolds Christ as she pulls him in so close.
Jesus is depicted as a little man. He is the Lord holding his scroll of teaching. It is for us to unroll it, read it, ponder it, translate it into new living. Mary looks directly at us. It is a knowing gaze.
But here is the most intriguing bit: the apple she holds and which he touches, is upside down. Of course we think of the fruit of the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve turned everything upside down by their wrong choosing. Things devolved after that eating, eventually brother killing brother, right up until today with creation and relationships deteriorating before our eyes.
Christ, born of Mary, can turn things right side up, but only if he is taken into a life personally and freely. That person can become a new creation, a new man, a new woman, a new kind of human person whose new life is born of love. But it is real love asked for - a mind changing love. Not sentiment.
Yesterday marked the 700,000th page view of Pauca Verba (a few words). This blog has been up since March of 2013. Along the way, folks have tuned in now over 700,000 times and from countries all around the world, not just the United States: Italy, Germany, Russia, Canada, Spain, Egypt, United Kingdom, Greece, Poland, Ukraine, France, Argentina, Philippines, Croatia, Singapore, Vietnam.
This blogger-priest is just a pointer. A grateful pointer! Thank you for coming along, for looking in, for contemplating these things with me, for joining the prayer. I send a blessing to your home.
