Mother Mary, Contemplated Before Conception

Our Lady, Mother of the Word Made Flesh,
in a Gold Montrance of the Holy Eucharist, Christ

     By Monica Siemer, The Lamb Catholic Worker, Columbus, Ohio
       I must share a miraculous picture of Mary that my aunt Joannie Finneran took twenty years ago this past week, on October 12, 1995.  She took two pictures of the same statue, back-to-back, even with a date printed on them. I do not remember where she said she was, and have been told that it is from the tradition of Our Lady of Pillar (correction, most think it is Our Lady of Medjugorie), the first Marian apparition (even while she was still alive in a different location).  It is below.  The first picture is of the statue and the second picture is what appeared on the film, when the flash did not work.  A priest asked, "So, what's the miracle?"  A man standing next to him said, "The first is of a statue and the second is of a woman."  You be the judge!

Mother of the Word Made Flesh

By Monica Siemer

What can we offer you, Mary,

Conceived of

And contemplated

Before being conceived?

Great elbow nudger in the sky,

Who, at Cana, urged onward

Your Son,

Our Lord and Savior,

To take a leap of faith

For His first public miracle

Our Lady Undoer of Knots

O Mother of mothers,

God's choice

For a feminine,

Approachable being,

Grasped by our limited

Human minds.

Pray for our knots, snarls,

And tangledness

In our souls

And in our lives

Oh, true Ark of the 

Covenant Word,

You have gathered

so many

Entwined sorrows

To bring to your Son, Jesus,

And to your Spouse,

The Holy Spirit,

For love of us.

May we love you in return

And trust in your sweet, gentle

And firm prayers

As you tenderly help to

Make our ribbons smooth

Our Lady Undoer of Knots

 Mother Mary by Fritz Eichenberg, Catholic Worker Artist