Annunciation

In my search for the perfect "Feast of the Annunciation of Mary" picture I was amazed at the amount of art produced for this one moment in which an Angel appeared to a young Mary, inviting her to become the mother of God. Many of the works of arts I looked at were formal, some were familiar, while others were almost frightening with their towering angel and cowering Mary. But I was drawn to both of these which are new to me. The art on the left is by He Qi - a fabulous Chinese artist who gives us crisp & vivid views of this intimate encounter.

The next picture is from a Korean artist, Woonbo Kim Ki-chang, (1914-2001).
His is a more conservative depiction with Mary weaving and the angel keeping a bit of distance between them.

And the quote I chose for today is part of a larger one by that wild and crazy mystic, Meister Eckhart;

"What good is it to me if Mary gave birth to the son of God fourteen hundred years ago and I do not also give birth to the son of God in my time and in my culture? We are all meant to be Mothers of God” -Meister Eckhart

In Orthodox circles Mary is also known as Theokotos, which means God-Bearer. Which brings me to another Mary - Flannery O'Connor, beloved Southern fiction author who could weave comedy and tragedy into unforgettable haunting stories. It happens to be her birthday today. Two strong & determined women. Both God-Bearers. Both giving birth to God as we are also called to do each and every day.