Apparition of Jesus to His Mother

The Apparition of Jesus to His Mother.

Given the blessing of having several months in the Holy Land it is not to be sure that the focus must be on the Holy Sepulchre. The Plan of the Basilica lists from 1 to 57 churches, chapels, shrines and unique places One of the places I felt especially, for the frequent occasions drew me there, namely the Franciscan Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. It is only to think about the worldwide Franciscan of pilgrims in the Holy Land inevitably find the warm welcome by the Friars.

In the Franciscan Chapel, one of the moving traditions at Easter time is the memory of The Apparition of Jesus to His Mother.

Around the Holy Sepulchre was the garden of Joseph of Arimathaea where, on the morning of the resurrection where Mary Magdalene was searching for the risen Redeemer, (Jn 20:1-18). In the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, the Franciscan Church is known as the Chapel of the Apparition of Jesus to His Mother. Of the apparition the Gospel does not speak, but longstanding tradition has perpetuated its memory on the Church. The Most Blessed Sacrament is reserved in this chapel and the Franciscan day and night recite the Divine Office here. On the altar to the right is the Column of the Flagellation. This is probably the column that was revered on Sion from the 4^th century, but from the 10^th century has been in the church of the Holy Sepulchre.

(Eugene Hoade OFM. Franciscan Prinitng Press, Jerusalem) Michael

"Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart. Lord, instill in me a faith that is unerring, a hope that is certain, a love that is perfect; a sensitivity and a knowlegde that I may accomplish your holy and true command". (Prayer before the Crucifix by St. Francis of Assisi)

Christ Appearing to His Mother

Fr. Michael Morris, O.P. Professor of Religion and the Arts, given us an admirable account of the tradition highlighted in the famous painting.

There is no mention in Scripture of her whereabouts and she is not singled out as one of the specific individuals to whom Christ made an appearance. But while the Gospel says nothing, Christian tradition has long taken it for granted that Christ appeared to his mother first. For it is logical that she who had shared most in his passion should also share in his glory. This opinion has been held by the Doctors of the Church and by the faithful at large from the earliest times. In the fifth century, the author Sedulius maintained that in the splendour of his risen life Christ first revealed himself to his mother. For at the annunciation she was the means by which he entered the world; likewise she would be the first to witness his entry into glory. Bathed in that glory of the Risen One, she anticipates the Church's splendour.

According to a popular thirteenth-century work called Meditations on the Life of Christ, the Virgin was alone kneeling in her room when her resurrected Son appeared to her. That is how the artist has portrayed her. But in light of Sedelius' balanced equation of the annunciation with the appearance of the resurrected Christ to his mother, it is intriguing to note that the artist has arranged the composition in a way that has a deeper meaning. The two figures here are posing in the same way as the figures would pose in an annunciation scene. In place of an angel bringing the Virgin glad tidings that she will bear the Son of the Most High, Christ himself stands and brings his kneeling mother the glad tidings of his resurrection. The two events act as bookends of revelation in Mary's life, and the artistic rendering of the scene here evokes that earlier event.

Christ shows Mary his wounds, and she raises her hands in wonder with tears of joy running down her cheeks. She is dressed in blue, signifying her unshakeable faith in God, and her cloak is trimmed with the words of the Magnificat emblazoned in gold: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices [in God my Saviour] For he has looked upon his hand maid's lowliness; behold [from now on] will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me . . .” (Lk 1: 46-49). Above her in the arch, and also colour in celestial blue, floats an angel bearing a crown. The banderole flowing from it has an inscription alluding to a passage found in the Book of Revelation (6: 2): “This woman endured and conquered all; to her was given the crown."

Each of the three panels of the Miraflores Altarpiece is shaped like a church door, arranged as a portal to paradise. Each of the doors is similarly decorated with sculptural flourishes. Painted in grisaille, the decorative archivolts on this right panel painting contain little scenes of episodes in the life of the Virgin: three holy Women with the Virgin, the Assumption, Pentecost, the announcement of Mary's death, the death of the Virgin, and Mary's coronation in heaven. On either side of the arch we see figures standing on pedestals with elaborate baldachins over their heads. On the right is Saint Paul with a sword in his hand, and on the left is Saint Mark with his attribute, the lion, resting at his feet. They are part of an overall decorative assemblage within the altarpiece that evokes the four evangelists along with Saints Peter and Paul who all attest to the resurrection appearances of the Lord. Through the window in the back­ground one can see a landscape in which the resurrection is actually taking place. Christ rises from the tomb as guards lay all around him. And in the distance beyond that, the three women begin their journey to the sepulchre bringing spices to anoint Christ's body. The Blessed Mother had no need to join them. His glorified body was already with her, in this first of over five hundred apparitions made by Christ to his disciples between the resurrection and the ascension.

The Miraflores Altarpiece was painted for the Carthusian monastery of that name which contained a royal mausoleum. Thus the theme of the triptych, the cycle of life, was fitting for a chapel devoted to the dead. And it is to Mary that we pray for help at the hour of our death. That association recalls the words of the late Pope John Paul ll who, at a general audience made on May 21, 1997, spoke the following words:

"Present at Calvary on Good Friday (see Jn 19: 25) and in the Upper Room on Pentecost (see Acts 1: 14), the Blessed Virgin too was probably a privileged witness of Christ's resurrection, completing in this way her participation in all the essential moments of the paschal mystery. Welcoming the risen Jesus, Mary is also a sign and an anticipation of humanity, which hopes to achieve its fulfilment through the resurrection of the dead.

"In the Easter season, the Christian com­munity addresses the Mother of the Lord and invites her to rejoice: 'Regina Caeii, laetare, Alleluia! Thus it recalls Mary's joy at Jesus' Resurrection, prolonging in time the 'rejoice' that the Angel addressed to her at the Annunciation, so that she might become a cause of 'great joy' for all people."

Illustration: Christ Appearing to His Mother (c. 1435),

right panel painting of the Miraflores Altarpiece,

Rogier van der Weyden (c. 1399-1464

Acknoweldement: Magnificat Vol. 11, No. 2, i-vi

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