July-August 2013
Christians who envision life to be like a voyage on the open sea seek the guiding light of Mary. In his classic sermon on Mary, St. Bernard of Clairvaux encourages us to take solace in Our Lady, “star of the sea” (Stella Maris), as we navigate the volatile sea that is the world today.
We are a pilgrim people called to our journey of faith. Sometimes we move ahead, sometimes we fall behind, sometimes we wander in circles, and sometimes we lose our way. On this often dark and stormy voyage, we watch for stars to guide us. Christ is our true light, the sun that shines before us, drawing us toward the horizon of eternity. But when we’re in darkness, we can’t always see the sun and sometimes lack hope that Christ will rise again in our hearts.
Mary shines for us, showing us the way. As “star of the sea,” Mary’s light is not her own—it comes from her son, Jesus. She reflects his light. She shines in the night of faith, and when the sun rises again, she withdraws like a star into the morning light.
We should strive to be consumed by her light and emulate her love for God.
The Icon: God With Us
As you look at the Our Mother of Perpetual Help icon, you may notice that the "infant" looks to be about twelve years old. Older-looking images of the "infant" Christ are called Emmanuel icons. Emmanuel means “God with us.” In iconography, this expression of an older child represents the living Word, which was from the beginning, is now, and will be forever.
When St. John opens his Gospel by saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” he’s telling us that the message of the icon is about the Logos—the Word of God—ever ancient, but always new. As we gaze upon the Child Logos, we know God is truly with us.
So the Child Logos is not an image of a baby and his playful embrace of the Virgin. Rather, it’s about the message of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus—about the mystery of our redemption.
The Child’s right ear, which is on our left, faces us to symbolize the Word proclaimed in our presence, the Word of redeeming love that Mary invites us to receive. Her hands are positioned in a semblance of offering because she is offering the Child to all who gaze on the icon in prayer and devotion.—Br. Daniel Korn, CSsR
Our Lady, Star of the Sea
Christians who envision life to be like a voyage on the open sea seek the guiding light of Mary. In his classic sermon on Mary, St. Bernard of Clairvaux encourages us to take solace in Our Lady, “star of the sea” (Stella Maris), as we navigate the volatile sea that is the world today.
We are a pilgrim people called to our journey of faith. Sometimes we move ahead, sometimes we fall behind, sometimes we wander in circles, and sometimes we lose our way. On this often dark and stormy voyage, we watch for stars to guide us. Christ is our true light, the sun that shines before us, drawing us toward the horizon of eternity. But when we’re in darkness, we can’t always see the sun and sometimes lack hope that Christ will rise again in our hearts.
Mary shines for us, showing us the way. As “star of the sea,” Mary’s light is not her own—it comes from her son, Jesus. She reflects his light. She shines in the night of faith, and when the sun rises again, she withdraws like a star into the morning light.
We should strive to be consumed by her light and emulate her love for God.—Fr. Philip Dabney, CSsR