Faith

It is impossible to imagine our Catholic faith without our Blessed Mother pointing the way to her Son and drawing us to His Heart by her intercession.

Archbishop Richard G.
Henning

As you enter St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, there is a special chapel on the right side near the entrance. The chapel houses Michelangelo's Pieta -- an image of Our Lady cradling the body of her son in her lap just after He has been taken down from the cross. Famous around the world, there are many replicas and photos of this statue, but there are no images that can capture the power of standing before it. It is a work of true artistic genius, and it rightly draws crowds of admirers. At the same time, it is a cry from the heart -- a creation of a man of deep faith inspired to carve the truth of the Gospel into marble that has come to life at his hands.
The chapel strikes awe into all visitors, those of Christian faith, those of other faiths, and those of no faith. Perhaps that broad understanding comes from the emotions of the moment that have been captured -- the love of a mother for her son and the aching loss in that moment. At the same time, there is a power at a different level -- one that also speaks to a universal truth. Michelangelo has captured a moment that should be the ugliest of scenes -- a mother holding the broken dead body of her son. And yet, the sculpture is a thing of pure beauty. It is not the bloody violence that shines forth but the love between mother and son, the hope even in loss, the faith of the first and best disciple who delivered Him into life and now bears Him into death.

The Gospels, as portraits of the Lord Jesus, also bring us the image of His mother. We experience her faithfulness to His Word, "do whatever He tells you" (John 2:5). We hear the depth of her trust in the Lord in her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) and we see her prayerfulness -- "Mary treasured all these things in her heart" (Luke 2:19). The Lord Himself gives her to His family of faith -- "behold your mother" (John 19:27) and she stands at the center of the Church at prayer (Acts 1:14).
It is impossible to imagine our Catholic faith without our Blessed Mother pointing the way to her Son and drawing us to His Heart by her intercession. Her image is found in every church and in our faithful hearts. Her rosary comforts us and guides our meditation. Her appearances across the centuries bring our attention to the poor, the vulnerable, and the overlooked. She gives a model for disciples of every age, and she is an image of the beauty of God's gift of life and our call to participate in it.
This month we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Both of these days and their associated novenas are opportunities to draw closer to our Blessed Mother, to seek her intercession, and to live her example of faithful discipleship. The word "pieta" translates into English as mercy or compassion. It is the perfect title for a transcendent work of art that reveals God's mercy in the saving sacrifice of the Christ and shows us the tender compassion of a mother for her son. That same mother now turns her loving gaze towards us, the children of this age, who search for life in Him Who is Our Hope.
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ!

- Archbishop Richard G. Henning is the Archbishop of Boston

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  DominionArchbishop Richard G. Henning

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  Empty Room Overflowing with ChristDaria Braithwaite

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  Pope Leo's Epiphany homily for the close of the Jubilee of HopePope Leo XIV

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  Preparation and presentationFather Robert M. O'Grady

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  Anointed onesScott Hahn