Mary’s Delight
Oil on Wood
24”x36”
Where Are Fear and Joy Living Side by Side in your life?
As an artist, I have often noticed how Mary is portrayed in solemn stillness, her face often composed in silent contemplation, but I could not help but imagine her with joy and wonder. I wanted to paint her youth, her trembling vulnerability, and her courageous joy. Surely fear hovered nearby, but I believe the Spirit also planted within her a joy so fierce it transformed her forever. She became a living sanctuary of God’s presence, carrying both mystery and joyful hope within her body. Her “yes” was brave participation in the redemption of the world. Special thanks to Bella for teaching me what defiant joy looks like in the midst of deep and shadowed fears.
Mary’s Delight
Mary rocks her baby boy,
Joseph laughs, tender, astonished,
“He’s got your eyes,
your nose,
your smile!”
Her strong genetic line,
woven into the body of the Messiah,
microchimerisms,
life given, life received.
She sings the Magnificat over him,
vulnerable, courageous,
bestowed with agency from Elohim,
Eshet Chayil!
Matriarch of the kingdom,
She covers shame with empathy:
through intercession,
her rabbi’s hands,
and vessels abundant with wine.
How much did she teach Jesus?
When did she become his disciple?
What was it like
to bear the son of God?
For reflection:
Where are fear and joy living side by side in your life right now, and what might it mean to allow joy to exist without first requiring the fear to disappear?
Mary carried the presence of God within her body. Where might God be inviting you to recognize your own body, ordinary life, or circumstances as a place where divine presence is already being carried and made visible?
What would a courageous “yes” to God look like for you in this season—and what might it mean to say yes not because you feel unafraid, but because love has become stronger than fear?