Mother of Divine Providence

This icon of the Mother of Divine Providence expresses artistically a truth of the Catholic faith: namely, that all God’s children are sustained and protected by the loving providence of God through the maternal mediation of Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ and our mother. Various details of the icon indicate this.

The hands of the Infant Jesus, which uphold all creation, rest entwined in the hands of his Virgin Mother as if to show that He shares with her his saving power and has entrusted into her hands the mission of mothering spiritually all his children. She nurtures our life in God and provides for our needs.

The eyes of Jesus and Mary meet in a loving gaze: their hearts are united and their wills are in harmony; together they fulfill the merciful designs which the providence of God the Father has decreed for mankind. Our heavenly Father desires to draw us into an intimate communion with Himself, his Son, and the Holy Spirit. This communion is embodied here in the embrace of the Mother and her divine Son.

The inner veil of Our Lady serves also as a pillow for the Infant’s head to indicate that she herself is a comfort and consolation to her Son. The pure and heavenly love of God has found a dwelling place within her heart and made her a source of goodness and peace for the world. Mary cultivates this goodness in us, her children, in order that we may put on the mind of Christ and built up in his love.

The Cross is present in the design on the pillow to indicate that, even as a child, Christ is aware of his passion. The solace which He finds in his mother’s embrace provides an example for us to follow amidst the struggles ands fears of life. The same design is also found in the Virgin’s veil to indicate her solidarity with her Son. There is an ancient tradition which states that the Virgin used her veil to cover her Son when he was stripped of his garments on Calvary. Here we are reminded that an essential feature of a mother’s providence and care for her children is to cloth them, often in garments made by herself.