Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius
October 18, 2015
Spiritual Ponderings
Images of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Our Lady of Africa

Once again I have devote my spiritual ponderings for the month of October to the Blessed Virgin Mary and in a special way look at how the Blessed Virgin Mary has been displayed throughout of history and what religious lessons a particular image of the Blessed Virgin Mary teaches us. I will be referring to a book by hagiographer (a person who writes biographies of saints) Ann Ball. The book is called: The Other Faces of Mary: Stories, Devotions, and Pictures of the Holy Virgin Around The World.

It seems that every holy man or woman had some sort of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Cardinal Charles Lavigerie who was Archbishop of Algiers in 1867 is yet another holy man that proves this point. Cardinal Lavigerie was sent to Africa to be one of its spiritual leaders during the time of Western Colonization and he spoke out vehemently against the slave trade and other evils of Western Colonization. His most famous quote according to Ann Ball was: “I am a man and nothing that is human is indifferent to me. I am a man; an injustice against another human being revolts my heart. I am a man and that which I would like done to me; I want to do for others.”

In an effort to draw people to create a mutual respect of both the African people and European people and to fight against all the injustices that were being done, the Cardinal had a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary created that would have the facial features of a European and the skin color of an African. The image would have Mary standing on a globe and stomping on the head of snake with the inscription “Virgo Fidelis” (Faithful Virgin) written on it. While many of the injustices would carry on the Church in which the statue was place became a place of peace where people could come and pray. It even became a popular sight for Muslims to come and pray as well.

A unique tradition has developed at the Shrine of Our Lady of Africa. Pilgrims and others who come to visit the shrine have begun leaving engraved stones as offering to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Ann Ball does not say what people have engraved into these stones but the idea of stones invokes in me the image of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). Maybe the shrine is a place of peace because people are symbolically dropping their stones of hate and accusations and instead admitting that they too are sinners. Maybe one day, I will build a shrine to our Blessed Mother and invite people to leave their stones behind. Until then, I invite you to prayerfully using your imagination doing this the next time you feel a desire to accuse another.

Here is a few quotes about the Blessed Virgin Mary to end this week’s ponderings.
1.) A Catholic boy from a parochial school was telling a university professor who lived next door about the Blessed Mother. The professor scoffed at the boy, saying: “But there is no difference between her and my mother.” The boy answered: “That’s what you say, but there’s a heck of a lot of difference between the sons.”- Fulton Sheen

2.) "We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek - Jesus, her Son." --Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

3.) "Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary." --St. Bonaventure

4.) “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” --Saint Maximilian Kolbe

5.) "Mary, give me your Heart: so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate; your Heart so full of love and humility that I may be able to receive Jesus in the Bread of Life and love Him as you love Him and serve Him in the distressing guise of the poor." --Blessed Mother Teresa

6.) "To serve the Queen of Heaven is already to reign there, and to live under her commands is more than to govern."
--St. John Vianney