The painting has retained its original Byzantine characteristics, that is, depicting a mother and child, not exalting the external features but delving into the intimacy of the soul. Contemplating the painting of the Consolata, although it is a canvas, we perceive the characteristics of an icon, the typical artistic expression of the peoples of the East.
Anyone who sees the image of the Consolata for the first time is perplexed by this style of portraying Mary and Jesus. What strikes us most are the faces. We are accustomed to contemplating Mary and Jesus in the beauty of their external features. This is not the case here… because what we want to bring out is their inner beauty.
Mary’s face has a veil of sadness, beneath which lies a hope. She bows her head slightly toward her Son, as if to present our difficulties to Him. Her right hand over her heart seems to tell us that she has taken on all the sufferings, pains, and worries of those who turn to her and presents them to her Son.
The face of Jesus is not that of a child, but of a more “mature” adolescent. This is the Eastern way of saying that wisdom dwells in Jesus.
Jesus sits on his Mother’s left arm, looking toward us. Mary, for her part, does not look directly at her Son, but presents Him to the world. She points to Him with her right hand, as if to tell the faithful that He is the most important.
She is a Christological Madonna,
whose main concern is to point
out to the faithful not herself, but the Son of God.
She guards Him, but not for Her.
The Child’s hands are the only bond uniting Mother and Son. His left hand holds tightly to the thumb of his Mother’s hand, which thus intertwines with his own. God, in Jesus, wants to take us by the hand, as he did with the people of Israel: “When Ephraim was a child, I took him by the hand, I lifted him to my cheek, I caressed him; I drew him to me with the bonds of love!” (Hosea 11:1-4)
With his right hand, however, he blesses the world in the Eastern manner: two fingers extended and three bent: the two natures of Christ and the three divine Persons.
Mary reveals her modesty, emphasized by the cloak that hides her hair, the mystical silence of her closed lips, and her eyes focused on her Son and on the people who venerate her.
The colors of the icon and their meaning
Faithful to the inspiration of icon art, this painting also respects its colors.
Mary’s deep blue cloak expresses her glory in Heaven: a cloak that envelops her entire body, while its golden border expresses the Virgin’s participation in the glory of God.
For the ancients, the blue cloak also symbolized virginity and the stormy sea on which Mary shines like a star. (Num. 24:17)
The color red indicates royalty: Mary is Queen in Heaven, and Jesus’ red cloak signifies that He possesses royalty by nature.
The three stars on the Virgin’s cloak (one is hidden by the Child) express her triple virginity: before conception, during conception, and after the birth of Jesus. The eight-pointed star on her forehead, which illuminates the face of the Consolata, symbolizes the mission that radiates everywhere and illuminates the world.
Mary wears a ring on her finger. In the Old Testament, it signified authority and power. The new Eve, Mary, conquered evil with her “yes” to the Lord.
Two golden halos appear in the painting. Jesus’ halo carries the cross. A manifestation of glory can be discerned in it.
Mary, woman of the Word
Typically, with the exception of the icons of Perpetual Help and Tenderness, most depict Jesus with a scroll in his hand: it is the Gospel, thus indicating that He is the Word, the Word of God.
In the icon of the Consolata, instead of the scroll, the Child points to Mary with the index finger of his right hand, as if to say: “I show you the one who heard my Word and put it into practice!” (Luke 8:21)
Mary is the “woman” who allowed the Word to live and grow within her, becoming one with her Son. Mary presents her Son in the act of blessing us. In this way, the “Consolata” of God, filled with joy, is transformed into the One who consoles by giving us her Son, the great Consoler.
If we want to become a Gospel—not a written one, but clear and legible in the gestures, words, and silences that weave our days—we must walk in Mary’s footsteps.
Saint Joseph Allamano encouraged his missionaries in this way:
“Trust Our Lady. She is your Mother, love her. Without her, you cannot fly and walk in holiness.”
Our extra wing is she, the mother of Jesus, the Consolata. Without her, we can do little or nothing; with her, everything.
Standing before the icon of Consolata, looking at yourself in her reflection, ask her to help you understand the steps to take, the paths to begin, the attitudes to live to become increasingly a presence of consolation.
Prayer:
O Consolata,
Virgin of hope,
prophecy of new times,
join our voices to your song
and accompany us on the journey,
to announce the joyful news
of mercy and salvation,
that your Son Jesus has revealed to us.
Amen
1 Comment
In love with Consolata missionaries, in our Diocese, Murang’a in Kenya, we were evangelized by Consolata Missionaries and I tell you, a great foundation of faith was laid. God bless Consolata missionaries.