Mother of God of the Sign

This icon is very distinct and famous, often gracing the apse of the sanctuary in Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. It is named Theotokos of the Sign because it refers to Isaiah, 7:14:

The Theotokos of the Sign Yaroslavl, 13th century

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call him Immanuel.”

The image seeks to mystically capture the moment when Mary gave her yes to the Angel Gabriel, assenting to become the Mother of God. Mary is usually depicted from above her waist and holds her arms up to each side at the level of her head in an ancient gesture of prayerful appeal as she assents to God’s wishes: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38) Jesus is portrayed in a circle of light in her bosom, representing her womb. The Christ-child is represented, like in all other icons, as older and wise in the face, indicating to us that he is fully human, but also fully God in his timeless wisdom. His right hand is raised in blessing and his left hand often holds a scroll- indicating the message of salvation that he will soon impart.

This type of icon is sometimes called Platytera or meaning “wider.” Poetically, this means that Mary’s womb, when it contained Jesus, was the dwelling place of the Creator of the Universe, making her womb “more spacious than the heavens.” Another name given to this type of icon is Oranta, which comes from the Latin word for prayer.

This icon is a beautiful reflection on the great mystery of Jesus’ incarnation, and the debt that we owe to Mary for saying yes to God’s will, giving us God’s own Son.

To see all of my posts on Iconography, click here.

To see other icons of the Theotokos of the Sign, see below (click to enter the gallery).

Allocutio: The Annunciation

This allocutio is the 2nd in a series of allocutios focusing on the mysteries of the rosary.  See the previous allocutio for more.

Reading:

Likewise, the Annunciation shows her key-position. —The culmination of the prophecies arrives ; the fruition of her age-old destiny is now at hand.

Consider the awe-inspiring working out of the merciful design of God. Attend in spirit the greatest Peace Conference ever held. It is a Peace Conference between God and mankind, and it is called the Annunciation. In that Conference God was represented by one of his high Angels, and mankind was represented by her whose name the Legion is privileged to bear. She was but a gentle maiden, yet the fate of all mankind hung upon her in that day. The angel came with overwhelming tidings. He proposed to her the Incarnation. He did not merely notify it. Her liberty of choice was not violated; so that for a while the fate of mankind trembled in the balance. The Redemption was the ardent desire of God. But in this, as in all matters minor to it, he would not force the will of man. He would offer the priceless boon, but it was for man to accept it, and man was at liberty to refuse it. The moment had arrived to which all generations had looked forward, just as ever since all generations have looked back to it. It was the crisis of all time. There was a pause. That maiden did not accept at once; she asked a question, and the answer was given. There was another pause, and then she spoke the words: “Let it be with me according to your word” (Lk 1:38), those words that brought God down to earth and signed the great Peace Pact of humanity.

Allocutio:

The great mystery of the Annunciation has a hidden power and fullness for the legionary.  Attending to it, the Legionary learns the will of God in how he chooses to operate int he world.  He chooses a lowly maiden in a small town called Nazareth in a little known country in the very powerful Roman Empire.  Yet God, from before time began, predestined her for a very important mission, indeed the most important mission after the savior himself.  She was to be his mother.  God did not have to act this way.  He wasn’t constrained to do so.  But because of the way that he determined best, he made all of salvation depend upon the yes of this lowly maiden whose heart was aflame with the desire for God’s glory.

God himself is unchanging and this includes the way that he acts.  We can therefore be sure that God has not, nor will change the fact that he works in, through, and with Mary in accomplishing his will, manifesting his glory, and bringing about our salvation.  Mary, then, continues to work with great power, bringing souls to her Son.  She seeks the lost, the poor, the lonely, the outcast, the orphan, and destitute.  There is nothing, not even her own Son, that she will not give to bring a soul back from hell.    Mary is therefore the model and exemplar for how we are to evangelize the world in keeping with Christ’s command.  But Mary is more than this.  She is the director of this effort.  The legionary recognizes this fact in a profound way.  The legionary places himself at her disposal.  He seeks to be united firmly to her in all ways so that the two souls- Mary’s and the legionary’s- become almost one in how they see and treat the world.  Mary also gives him her prayers for his success, which are powerful beyond measure.  The legionary is therefore guaranteed her victory, the victory that began with the Annunciation and will reach its ultimate fulfillment at the end of time.

 

Quote of the Week: The Annunciation and Gratitude to Mary

Likewise, the Annunciation shows her key-position. — The culmination of the prophecies arrives ; the fruition of her age-old destiny is now at hand.

Consider the awe-inspiring working out of the merciful design of God. Attend in spirit the greatest Peace Conference ever held. It is a Peace Conference between God and mankind, and it is called the Annunciation. In that Conference God was represented by one of his high Angels, and mankind was represented by her whose name the Legion is privileged to bear. She was but a gentle maiden, yet the fate of all mankind hung upon her in that day. The angel came with overwhelming tidings. He proposed to her the Incarnation. He did not merely notify it. Her liberty of choice was not violated; so that for a while the fate of mankind trembled in the balance. The Redemption was the ardent desire of God. But in this, as in all matters minor to it, he would not force the will of man. He would offer the priceless boon, but it was for man to accept it, and man was at liberty to refuse it. The moment had arrived to which all generations had looked forward, just as ever since all generations have looked back to it. It was the crisis of all time. There was a pause. That maiden did not accept at once; she asked a question, and the answer was given. There was another pause, and then she spoke the words: “Let it be with me according to your word” (Lk 1:38), those words that brought God down to earth and signed the great Peace Pact of humanity.

The Father made redemption depend on her. — How few realise all that follows from that consent of hers. Even Catholics in the main do not realise the importance of the part that Mary played. The Doctors of the Church say these things: Supposing that maiden had refused the offer of motherhood that was made to her, the Second Divine Person would not have taken flesh in her. What a solemn thing that is! “What a terrible thought to think that God has made the entrance of the Redeemer dependent upon the ‘Let it be with me’ (Lk 1:38) of the handmaid of Nazareth; that this saying should be the termination of the old world, the beginning of the new, the fulfilment of all prophecies, the turning-point of all time, the first blaze of the morning star which is to announce the rising of the sun of justice, which as far as human will was able to accomplish, knit the bond that brought Heaven down upon earth and lifted humanity up to God!” (Hettinger). What a solemn thing indeed! It means that she was the only hope of mankind. But the fate of men was safe in her hands. She pronounced that consent which, though we cannot fully understand, commonsense nevertheless tells us must have been inconceivably the most heroic act ever performed in the world — such that in all ages no other creature but she could have performed it. Then to her came the Redeemer; not to herself alone, but through her to poor helpless humanity, on behalf of whom she spoke. With him, she brought everything that the faith means, and the faith is the real life of men. Nothing else matters. Everything must be abandoned for it. Any sacrifices must be made to get it. It is the only thing in the world of any worth. Consider, therefore, that the faith of all generations: those that have passed away up to the present, and the uncountable millions yet to come: the faith of all has depended on the words of that maiden.

No true Christianity without Mary. — In return for this infinite gift, all generations must henceforth call that maiden blessed. She who brought Christianity on earth cannot be denied a place in Christian worship. But what of the many people in this world who hold her cheaply, the many who slight her, the many who do worse? Does it ever occur to those people to think that every grace they have they owe to her? Do they ever reason that if they were excluded from her words of acceptance that night, then Redemption has never come on earth for them? In that supposition they would stand outside its scope. In other words, they would not be Christians at all, even though they may cry: “Lord! Lord!” all the day and every day. (Mt 7:21) And on the other hand, if they are indeed Christians, and if the gift of life has come to them, then it has only come because she gained it for them, because they were included in her acceptance. In a word, the baptism that makes a person a child of God makes one simultaneously a child of Mary. Gratitude, therefore — a practical gratitude — to Mary must be the mark of every Christian. Redemption is the joint gift of the Father and of Mary. Therefore, with the words of thanks to the Father must go up the word of thanks to Mary.

(Legio Mariae: The Handbook of the Legion of Mary, chapter 39: Cardinal Points of the Legion Apostolate, pg 275-276)

The Visitation

In Luke’s Gospel, after the Annunciation and Mary’s great “Let it be,”  she is told by the angel Gabriel that her cousin Elizabeth is expecting a baby in her old age.  Luke records that Mary went in haste to the house of Elizabeth to serve her (Lk 1:39).  There is no concern for herself.  Gabriel gives this news to Mary as a sign that what he has said will come about for “nothing is impossible with God” (Lk 1:37).  Mary, however, sees something beyond this, recognizing the need of Elizabeth in all this joyful news.  Mary forgets herself.  She does not seek out other people to be commended for what she has just done.  She does not gloat.  She does not seek to be served even after receiving the most exalted title a creature could have- Mother of God.  Rather, she runs in haste to serve.  In Mary, we see a full Christ-like love already in action.  We should seek to do the same.