You can’t go to Europe without becoming keenly aware of the obsession people had (have) with Mary. In Belgium alone, a country the size of the state of Maryland (no pun intended!), there is a copious supply of stunning churches, most of which are Catholic, many named in honor of Mary. Indeed, Mary herself claimed that all generations would call her blessed (Luke 1:48), but what did she mean by that? Her beautiful psalm,the Magnificat and two of Michelangelo’s sculptures give insight into this most admired woman.
Mary, like other godly women before her, even as far back as Eve, looked forward to the day when God would send His Redeemer. These women, like Mary, were not perfect, but they did believe God and His promises. As much as they hoped in God’s redeeming plan, and even the possibility that their offspring would be “the One,” they probably did not contemplate that God would purpose such unconventional cultural means involving unwed pregnancy and compromised reputation: tongue wagging scandal to acquaintances and quiet, heartbreaking, disbelief to dear ones such as Joseph.
Announcements change lives! If you’ve ever learned you were pregnant or received news of adoption, you know how many thoughts race through your mind. Mary must have had many especially since Gabriel the angel was telling her the news instead of a test strip, doctor’s office, or adoption agency! She might have thought about what the response of the people around her would be, but she willingly, quickly counted the cost and surrendered any worries about the “how” to the “Who.” The weight of the troubles seemed small and temporary compared to the immeasurable, everlasting, great glory that God would accomplish (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Mary’s remarkable response was threefold: belief, willing obedience, and joyful worship. First, she believed, saying, “May everything you have said come true.” (Luke 1:38) Elizabeth, her relative, also testified to Mary’s belief, saying, “You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what He said.” (Luke 1: 46-47). Second, her willing submission to God’s plan is evident. “I am the Lord’s servant.” (Luke 1: 38) She showed her willingness to accept whatever He desired according to His timetable and arrangement. Third, Mary couldn’t contain the rejoicing of her soul anymore when she saw her relative Elizabeth (who had also received a supernatural birth report from the angel) and she worshipped God with her song called the Magnificat (Luke 1:46 – 55). In this New Testament psalm, Mary says generations will call her blessed, not because of anything she’s done, but because God has done great things for her. She recognizes her sin, calling God her Savior. She pours over God’s attributes as well as a scholar, recounting His holiness, mercy, omnipotence, imminence, and faithfulness from generation to generation. He is portrayed as an active God, bringing down the proud and lifting up the unassuming, remembering His promises and helping His people. Her prophetic words are reminiscent of Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2: 1-10 as well as Psalms 34, 35, 71, 89, 98, 102, 103, 105, 107, 111, and 126. Like people of her day, Mary did not own a copy of God’s Word, but had engaged her mind and listened to God’s word at synagogue, temple, and in her home. She believed what she heard, and pondered it in her heart, something she would continue to do throughout her life. She was utterly overwhelmed with the grace that God was generously granting her, considering herself undeserving.
During our stay in Europe, we had the privilege of seeing many pieces of religious art, but two statues in two different countries by the same man caught my interest. In 1504, the same year Michelangelo sculpted his famous “David” statue, he did a lesser known and smaller one called, “Madonna and Child.” This sculpture was the only one of Michelangelo’s works to leave Italy in his lifetime. It was sold to a wealthy family from Bruges, Belgium, who purchased it to be an altar piece for the small town’s church. It was considered a groundbreaking for its time because instead of the Jesus being tranquil and swaddled at Mary’s breast like most religious art of that era, he stands upright at Mary’s feet looking as if he’s about to take a step away from her into the world. She is not clinging, but holding onto him loosely with one hand. In Rome we saw the other Michelangelo statute, the Pieta, which depicts Mary holding Jesus’ lifeless body. She holds him with one arm; the other is palm up, signifying her unwavering submission even under crushing grief. What intrigued me most in both these sculptures was the appearance of her face. Her expression is so similar in both statues: eyes lowered, serene, accepting, pondering. So it seems, at the beginning of Jesus’ life as well as at the end, Michelangelo portrayed Mary as trusting the “how” to the “Who.” Scripture bears this out as well as we see Mary still placing her hope in God as she and the other disciples unite in constant prayer after the death of Christ (Acts 1:14). May God grant us this same grace to do likewise this Christmas season and forever.
