The Theotokos of the Passion

Theotokos of the Passion, Patmos (late 20th century)

Previously, I wrote about the Icon of the Theotokos of the Passion as shown in the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. On this Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, I wanted to delve into a recent variation of this icon that is particularly poignant and striking.

This icon, written by a monk in Patmos, Greece (the place where St. John was exiled and wrote the Book of Revelation) in the late 20^th century, shows Mary as she is traditionally portrayed in the Theotokos of the Passion icons: the Archangels Michael and Gabriel come bearing the instruments of the passion. The boy Jesus is shown gazing with fright at the angels. His hand grasps his Mother’s, who points us to him. Mary is shown in her traditional red shawl, blue veil, and blue dress.

Yet what make this icon so special are her eyes. Rather than looking at us with the expression of pitying concern and compassion for her wayward children, Mary shares the vision with Jesus. Their gazes are united in considering this new revelation of future events. Perhaps Mary is pondering the words of St. Simeon that, “A sword will pierce through your own soul also.” Despite the vision of untold sufferings to come, the Theotokos does not draw back. She draws closer to her child, her nose intimately touching the top of his head, showing that she is just as ready to walk this road as Jesus is. She will not abandon her child, nor shy away from her vocation to be his mother (and ours) to the end. We see that nothing that happens to Jesus does not also happen to Mary, who gave her very flesh and blood to Jesus and was so close to him physically and spiritually.

This icon gives us a very powerful expression of the teaching that Mary had a vitally important role in the work of our redemption and was intimately tied to Jesus at all times, especially in his suffering. It is no wonder that St. Irenaeus of Lyons called Mary the New Eve, who undid the knot of disobedience that Eve tied. We also see, once again, that Mary’s entire existence points to and is united to that of Jesus. Let us always remember Mary when we consider the Cross and remember the Cross when we consider Mary.

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Our Lady of Perpetual Help

This icon ranks as my favorite icon of Mary. It has a very special place in my life; my parish and my diocese are under the patronage of this title of Mary and I have a special devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows. This icon is perhaps the most copied icon in the world and serves as a visible link between the East and West.

This type of icon belongs to a group of icons called the “Hodegetria,” which means literally “She who shows the way.” It is so named because Mary points with her right hand to Jesus, acting as “Directress” to Christ. This particular icon however, because of its distinct elements, is known as the “Theotokos of the Passion.” It is believed that this icon is a true copy of the original icon of Mary written by St. Luke the Evangelist.

There are a few flaws in this icon. Mary does not have a star on her right shoulder though this seems to be because the artist placed it on her head to the left of the main star on her head. This may have been because he was did not know where it went or perhaps because he did not wish to place it over the folds of her mantle. In some copies of this icon, Jesus and Mary are portrayed wearing crowns, which do not belong in iconography. Perhaps most prominently, Mary is wearing a red dress and a blue mantle over her veil. This is different from other depictions of Mary due to the icon’s Western influence.

Theotokos of the Passion (17 century)

The icon was written in Crete in the 15^th or 16^th century during the artistic decline following the sack of Constantinople and had some Italian artistic influence. In the Western Church, red was traditionally associated with blood and humanity, while blue was associated with the heavens and the divine.  While the color scheme is a clear break from traditional coloring in icons, the intention to portray Mary as a human being overshadowed by the divine presence remains. It should be noted however that all other icons of the Theotokos of the Passion use the traditional Eastern color scheme (see right).  While all of these details are incorrect, the theology is very much preserved.

In this icon, Mary directs our attention to Jesus with her right hand. In Mary’s arms is Jesus, looking visibly frightened. He clutches Mary’s hand tightly. A sandal is slipping off one of his feet. This is due to a tradition in which the child Jesus, while playing, was approached by St. Gabriel and St. Michael bearing the instruments of his Passion. He ran to his mother and was quickly picked up, which is why his right foot is hooked around his left and his sandal is slipping off. His face is shown to be older and more mature signifying that he had a divine intellect and knows that what the angels present to him is a vision of things yet to come. His face is calm and reflective, considering what he sees. Yet his body shows that he is terrified. This is reflective of the reality that Jesus experienced while in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. There, he sought to unite his human will and nature with that of the divine will and that of the Cross. It was an extraordinary struggle that showed both of Jesus’ natures distinctly. We see much of that mystery depicted here for our mediation.

St. Michael

St. Gabriel

Jesus looks at the angels who still bear the instruments of his passion. To the right, in the red clothing, we see St. Gabriel, carrying the nails and the Cross , depicted in the traditional Byzantine way with the sign, cross beam, and place for the feet. St. Michael is to the left bearing the lance and the sponge, which are both in the jar of vinegar that he carries. Both of the angels calmly adore Jesus.  Both carry their objects with veiled hands, telling us that these objects are holy and worthy of veneration. This also tells points to the fact that these objects are not so much symbols of his bloody passion as they are of his glorious Resurrection.

Mary looks not at Jesus, but at us. She considers us carefully. In her eyes, which are half closed, we see an expression of ineffable sorrow at what is to come. Yet we also see a look of compassion for all of us, her children, who are grieving because of our sins and sorrows. She desires us to come to her Son for consolation and joy, he who took the Cross for us. She wants us to seek the will of Jesus and to aid us in accomplishing it. This is why, perhaps, this icon was given the formal title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help by Pope Pius IX in 1865.

This icon, which has produced many miracles through the centuries, represents a beautiful expression of some of the most central mysteries of our Catholic faith and draw us closer to our Mother and to Jesus.