The hallmark of Mary's beauty

Our relationship with the Virgin Mary is not something abstract. It cannot be, since it is in her that God became incarnate. The miracle of Nazareth is repeated, in a way, when she teaches us to welcome Jesus.

Everyone has his or her own "Marian story," which is often about very concrete things: places of pilgrimage, liturgical celebrations, events, or images. Personally, I have learned a lot from looking at stained glass windows that represent her. I remember seeing a stunning, but not very well-known, stained-glass window in Vendôme (France), one the most beautiful I have ever seen, representing the Trinity. In it the Virgin Mary is truly majestic, but not in an intimidating way. She seems to be drawn to Heaven. She sits like a Queen on her throne, or rather, she serves as a throne for the Child Jesus, because the Queen is also the Lord's humble servant; she is the seat of Wisdom.

Stained-glass windows are like parables. When the sun shines through them, their beauty is revealed. Far from dampening the colors, the sun allows the pigments of the glass to give their full potential. Its light makes the colors play, even vibrate, transfiguring the glass. It is the same when our whole being is exposed to the great sun of God. This is what happened in a perfect and unique way, in Mary, whom the Church rightly calls the Immaculate. That is why the liturgy celebrates her beauty. So did medieval glassmakers and sculptors.

Finally, the hallmark of Mary's beauty is that she wants to share it. She does not make it a privilege that would set her apart. That is why she intercedes for us, leads us, and accompanies us on our earthly journey. And that is why I love to contemplate her in the stained-glass window of the Trinity.

When I see you, Virgin Mary, beautiful, holy and joyful, I see what God is calling us to be.

Father Henri de l'Eprevier

Priest of the diocese of Paris, member of the Aïn-Karem Community, pastor of Sainte-Anne de la Butte-aux-Cailles Parish (Paris,13th arrondissement)