Having babies has definitely increased my interest in Mary, the mother of Jesus. I was shuffling the iPod today while driving home from women’s bible study and heard two of my favorite songwriters’ excellent treatments of her.
“And the stable was not clean / And the cobblestones were cold / And little Mary full of grace / With the tears upon her face / Had no mother’s hand to hold // It was a labor of pain / It was a cold sky above / But for the girl on the ground in the dark / With every beat of her beautiful heart / It was a labor of love.” –Andrew Peterson
“I don’t know if you ascended / I don’t care what’s been amended / He was once your miracle / the faith of a little girl named Miriam / Oh you are blessed indeed / Blessed is the fruit of your tree / Yeshua King of Kings / Son of Miriam // No banners were unfurled / when God stepped into the world / held in the arms of a little girl / named Miriam” –Pierce Pettis
I haven’t heard the latter song but I love the former! I cried the first time I heard it. Partially because my own sweet baby was only several weeks old and, as you said, having your own babies really increased my interest in Mary…
OH weird!!! I’m listening to a Christmas opera by John Adams. At the very moment I was reading your blog the song in which Gabriel addresses Mary came on, “Hail, Mary…[“dialogue” ensues]”
That’s funny that you say that. After I had Kyrie, I thought, “I can understand Maryology to a degree.” lol
I’m not a mother, obviously, but I’ve always loved Mary a lot. I can’t hear a good song or sing a hymn or say a prayer that involves her without crying. Two of my favorite Christmas songs- Breath of Heaven and Gabriel’s Message – dwell on Mary.
Hildegard of Bingen wrote a lot of gorgeous music about Mary. “O Viridissima Virga” is one piece to look for. It’s amazing.
If you want some fascinating Mary stuff, try a Google search on cantigas and read some of the lyrics. Sadly most are not available in English on teh intarwebs, but some are absolutely bizarre/hilarious. #225, #54, and #195 are great.
I wrote a paper about viriditas in Hildegard of Bingen…if you’re interested. :-) (Hardly ever see a germane moment like that pop up. wow!)
I have to admit, having a baby did nothing for me in the Mary category. Though, I realized how heroic having a baby in a STABLE must have been. I am interested in Marian devotion of the 15th c, though.