The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
I always love working on the illustration for Advent each year. There are so many beautiful images to explore and the season is so rich with meaning. As we slide into this time of the year with less daylight, the early evenings give me pause to light candles around my apartment and enter into this time of wonder and anticipation.
Oddly enough, I split apart my creativity and spirituality for so long. A spiritual director once suggested that I paint about my faith and I just nodded while internally dismissing the idea. And now this has become my life’s work and what I spend most of the year thinking about. Funny how that worked out.
As we enter into a new liturgical year, it seems fitting to draw near to Our Lady and for her gentle spirit to guide us. According to some Christian traditions, Our Lady spread out Jesus’ clothes on a nearby lavender bush to dry. I thought this image was so loving and personal, and a sweet reminder that Our Lady also attends to each of us in such a tender way. This is one of my favorite parts of spending time with Scripture and immersing ourselves in these stories: we can find so much meaning in both big and small moments.
After finishing this illustration I seemed to notice lavender plants everywhere I went - like a little wink from Our Lady that she was so much closer to me than I ever realized. This time of year is especially busy for us as a small business, plus the usual holiday bustle. I know I’m not alone in this feeling and it’s so easy to get caught up in to-do lists. And yet - I think of gentle Mary, the first tabernacle of Jesus Christ, readying and preparing for our Savior to enter the world. She is the perfect example for us in so many ways - to a change in plans, to uncertainty and the unknown. Rather than getting swept up or overwhelmed by the season, we are invited into stillness, solitude, and contemplation. We get to rest in the embrace of the Holy Family and prepare our hearts for the coming of the Savior.
Gentle Mary, thank you for your fiat. Guide us to your Son and hold us close this Advent season.
Christie Peters is co-founder of Every Sacred Sunday as well as an artist and educator. Her favorite things include her pup named Peaches, Ignatian spirituality, aerial dance, and a good soup. Come say hi on Instagram!