St Mary with her Beloved Son, Ethiopian Orthodox, c 1800
This image is packed full of detail. The more you look the more you see. Jesus’s feet peeping out from under his gown, the star on Mary’s gown, her wonderful eyelashes.
There are also the classic symbols of iconography. Jesus holds a New Testament in his left hand, while the fingers of his right hand are depicted in a pose representing the Greek letters IC, X and C, ”Jesus Christ”.
But it’s the smiling angel on the right that really stands out for me. Full of joy at the birth of a child, and more than that, Immanuel, God with us.
Jesus, Immanuel, God with us,
Help me to rejoice with the angels this day,
that you came to be with us,
our Saviour and our friend.
Amen
Forty 100 word reflections for forty days of Lent (Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, excluding Sundays), using the forty images in the Face to Face with Jesus pack, available to purchase from St Clare’s Shop. Written by Rev Charlotte Gale.
