Luke 2:35 And a sword will pierce your own soul too.
In my college art history class, we had to remember a lot of virgins with children. The syllabus listed numerous virgin depictions each week, many with children and all with different sets of historical details. They tended to blend together, so it was with a heavy heart that I noted yet another virgin and child on our list one Monday afternoon. When the image of the Virgin of Vladimir slid onto the screen, I was unprepared for my reaction.
I forgot to take notes and just gaped. As much as anything, it was Mary’s hands that moved me. In her hands and face you can see the struggle to keep her child safe juxtaposed with the knowledge every mother faces (but Mary more than any): she cannot hold or protect him for long.
I have seen dozens of representations of the Madonna and Child, some remote, some tender, some beatific, some sorrowful. Of all of them, the Virgin of Vladimir best helps me to comprehend the sword that pierced Mary’s soul.
