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She Survived
How can a person live through the kind of grief that Mary must have felt when she received into her arms the body of her tortured son?
Some may say that it is too soon to interject images or thoughts of hope, but…how does one live through this kind of pain—the pain of those left without the presence of their loved ones, the pain of those who have seen the reality of human inhumanity inflicted upon others?
There is something in the human spirit which allows us to survive.
This piece is created from the intersection of three stories, three time periods, three women: Mary, the mother of Jesus; Julian of Norwich, a 14th century Christian mystic; and Denise Levertov, who wrote a poem about Julian’s mystical vision.
Bringing together fragments from each of these women’s experiences, I’ve tried to create new meanings and a vision of hope and survival.
Julian’s vision and the full poem by Denise Levertov are included in the booklet near this piece.
Truly, we must take the time for lamentation and grief. And yet, there is something to cling to, which can carry us through it.
What is it that we cling to?
Hope? God? Spirit? Creation? Community?
artist: Nanette Sawyer
24" x 24"
Length of hand piece: 7 ½"
Plaster sculpture on wood with acrylic paint and permanent marker
1 comment:
John 19:31-37
The Jewish leaders didn't want the victims hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath at that, because it was the Passover), so they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken.
Then their bodies could be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was dead already, so they didn't break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out.
This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account; it is presented so that you also can believe.
These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, "Not one of his bones will be broken," and "They will look on him whom they pierced."
Matthew 27:54
The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened.
They said, "Truly, this was the Son of God!" And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance.
Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and Zebedee's wife, the mother of James and John.
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