Theotokos of the Sign II by Theophilia on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Theotokos of the Sign of Guadalupe II December 14th 2013 Watercolor and Ink 8 x 10 inches About 10 Hours

Loving Mother of the Redeemer, gate of heaven, star of the sea, assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again. To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator, yet remained a Virgin after as before. You who received Gabriel's joyful greeting, have pity on us poor sinners.
- Alma Redemptoris Mater

Yes, this is theophilia.deviantart.com/art/… number two. I like Mary’s face in this one better, but other than that, they are very similar, so I don’t know if it’s much of an improvement over the other one. I was commissioned to make another version of this subject, and so here it is. The symbolism is all the same as in the other one. This image depicts Mary as the Theotokos of the Sign (of Guadalupe), wherein Christ is shown symbolically in a medallion or aureole on her breast. This style is also called Platytéra from the phrase, Platytéra ton ouranon, which means “more spacious than the Heavens” in Greek. Poetically, this refers to the fact that Mary's womb contained the Uncontainable God Whom the whole Universe could not contain. In this type of icon, Mary’s arms are upraised in prayer and joy. This posture is known as the Panagia Orans (since Mary is praying in the orans position).

As for the symbolism of Our Lady of Guadalupe, she is the Woman from the Apocalypse: "A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." (Revelations 12:1) The name “Guadalupe” comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) “coatlaxopeuh” which means, “one who crushes the serpent”(Genesis 3:15)

“Tomorrow is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas. I would like to greet all my brothers and sisters on that continent, and I do so thinking of the Virgin of Tepeyac. When Our Lady appeared to Saint Juan Diego, her face was that of a woman of mixed blood, a mestiza, and her garments bore many symbols of the native culture. Like Jesus, Mary is close to all her sons and daughters; as a concerned mother, she accompanies them on their way through life. She shares all the joys and hopes, the sorrows and troubles of God’s People, which is made up of men and women of every race and nation.”

“When the image of the Virgin appeared on the tilma of Juan Diego, it was the prophecy of an embrace: Mary’s embrace of all the peoples of the vast expanses of America – the peoples who already lived there, and those who were yet to come. Mary’s embrace showed what America – North and South – is called to be: a land where different peoples come together; a land prepared to accept human life at every stage, from the mother’s womb to old age; a land which welcomes immigrants, and the poor and the marginalized, in every age. A land of generosity. That is the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and it is also my message, the message of the Church. I ask all the people of the Americas to open wide their arms, like the Virgin, with love and tenderness.”

- Pope Francis, Wednesday, December 11th 2013

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mystical Rose, make intercession for the Holy Church, protect the Sovereign Pontiff, help all those who invoke you in their necessities, and since thou art the ever Virgin Mary, and Mother of the True God, obtain for us from thy most holy Son the grace of keeping our faith, of sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life, of burning charity, and the precious gift of final perseverance. Amen.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas, Compassionate Mother of Our Redeemer, Patroness of the Unborn, Woman clothed with the Sun, Virgin standing upon the moon, Mother crushing the Serpent’s head, Lady crowned with the twelve stars of Israel, pray for us!

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is December 12th.