Art and Spirituality as One's Experience of God and About that Mary Mother of God Belief

As Catholics the full measure of faith includes acceptance of Mary's status as the Mother of God as through her the Son of God became the Son of Man (and Second Adam) and so the virgin birth (immaculate conception), the assumption of Mary into heaven without first having to die, and her coronation as Queen of Heaven have all in turn been the focus of Catholic devotion to Mary as the intercessor at the throne of God.

Some Protestant Christians take exception to the elevation in status especially as the intermediator as between God and humankind is Jesus Christ and none other (with which Catholics will certainly not argue).

The Catholic understanding though is that when we pray for our spiritual and material wants and needs and most especially for the blessings of God upon others that we mere humans are interceding, and so not even Protestants ultimately take issue with the veneration of Mary the Mother of God as an advocate at the throne of God.

The use of icons and statues is disconcerting to many Protestants as if Catholics were praying to an idol, but this has a point of diminishing returns when you consider the mystical experience of Juan Diego of Mexico and the artifact of the image of Our Lady of Guadeloupe.

The image of Our Lady of Guadeloupe encapsulates how artists have apparitions on an exceptional basis when the artist's experience of God later expresses itself in art.  If Juan in seeing Mary and speaking wtih her was delusional, his delusion does not become the focus of our attention.  Rather, his story comes to us with his cloak loaded with flowers as he had been directed to gather by Mary for Juan to carry to Juan's bishop.  When the robe is opened, the flowers spill out and emblazoned on the cloak is an effigy of Mary the Mother of God as she had appeared to Juan.  Mary's message to the bishop was to build a church.

The bishop in seeing the display as a miracle was conceding that Juan's experience of God was to emphasize an article of the faith; the bishop realized he must permit the story of Juan and the Mother of God to reach its audience (which is what happens when the basilica church is built and pilgrims travel to the church to pray for God's favor before the garment).

There is some speculation about Mary the Mother of God which tends towards acceptance of the Divine Feminine.  Why not?  A people's experience of God someway, somehow, must be encompassed in imagery especially if not otherwise disclosed or available in existing art!  The Catholic Church in Mexico in embracing Our Lady of Guadeloupe as a sign of God's favor was giving the people of Mexico a cultural icon in line with the teachings of the church,  Over the years, the veneration Our Lady has proven an exceptional portal for reception of God's grace by the people of God.



Author's Note 1.  Many come to faith in God through the Divine Feminine (as in gender assignments for God are problematic and culturally embraced as useful in theology to a point).

Author Note 2.  I am a Methodist Christian and embrace my Catholic heritage as integral to my experience of God.  If you wish instruction in the Christianity of the Catholic faith, please seek persons learned in the faith who are practitioners of this  living faith.  If you wish instruction in the Methodist faith or other Christian denomination, please seek ones learned in the faith who are practitioners of these living faiths..