Mother of Tenderness

What does the loving glance of a mother holding her infant child speak, …but that startling glow of Grace.

What do the eyes of the child return, …but the gift of its Soul.

Who cannot see the halo bright and warm, …as the moon’s glow?

The featured image is an icon titled, “Mother of Tenderness.” It is one of my favorite images of Jesus’s mother. It signifies the private relationship between Mother and Child. I painted it for my daughter soon after she announced her first pregnancy.

In the world of sacred icons of the Mother of Jesus, there are three main ontological categories according to three distinct images of action (or three types of relationship) of spirit and matter, against the background of the earthly, heavenly and divine.

1. Our Lady of Tenderness (joy):
2. Our Lady of the Way (ascent, guidance):
3. Our Lady of the Sign (the standing vigilant before God in prayer).