Mary
in Christian Tradition
Medieval
Devotion to Mary
The
Christian people of the Middle Ages, suffering constantly fron disease,
famine and war which they were helpless to do anything about, turned
anxiously to Mary for assistance. Simple faith led them to trust her
to intercede for them with her Son as she did for the ordinary people
at the marriage feast of Cana.
Since
she was a compassionate mother who had experienced the sufferings of
Calvary, they petitioned her for cures from sickness, for protection
and help. Her kindness and power were proclaimed everywhere -- in the
sermons they heard, in art and song and prayer.
Meditating
on the Life of Mary
Popular
classics like "The Meditations on the Life of Christ," a book dating
from the 13th century, nourished medieval devotion to Mary. Widely circulated,
it taught Christians to see the lives of Jesus and Mary through a kind
of "pilgrimage of the imagination." By meditating on the stories of
the Gospel, embellished with additional details and legends, one could
experience Christ and his saints and learn from them how one should
live.
Stories
from the "Meditations," appealing and tender as the following short
excerpt from the Nativity of Jesus shows, greatly influenced the way
medieval Christians saw Mary and inspired also the works of so many
medieval artists.
". .
. the emperor wrote a proclamation that the whole world should be
registered, and everyone go to his own city. So obeying the command,
Joseph started on his way with our Lady, taking with him an ox and
an ass, since she was pregnant and the road long to Bethlehem. They
arrived like poor owners of animals.
"Now
they could not find an inn when they arrived at Bethlehem, because
they were poor and many others were there to register, too.
"Pity
our Lady, and see this delicate girl, only 15 years old, as she walks
so carefully, tired by the journey and jostled by the crowds. They
were sent away by everyone, the childlike mother and the old man,
Joseph, her husband.
"When
they saw an empty cave that people used when it rained, they entered
it for shelter. And Joseph, who was an expert carpenter, probably
closed it in some way. . . When Jesus was born, Mary wrapped him in
the veil from her head and laid him in a manger. The ox and the ass
knelt with their mouths above the manger and breathed on the infant
as if they knew the child was poorly clothed and needed to be warmed
in that cold season.
The mother knelt also to adore him and to thank God, saying, 'I thank
you, Father, thay you gave me your Son and I adore you, eternal God,
and you, Son of the living God, my Son.' Joseph also adored him.
"Then
Joseph took the ass' saddle and pulled out the stuffing of straw and
placed it near the manger so that our Lady might rest on it.
"She
sat down and stayed there, her face turned constantly toward the manger,
her eyes fixed lovingly on her dear Son."
Reformation
and beyond
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