Madonna and Child (Our Lady of Sorrows)
Nick Leeper, SJ, 2026
Acrylic, Ink, and Gold and Silver Leaf on Linen Panel
19.75” x 13.75”
Brooklyn, NYC
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Visual Introduction
An aproned woman in blue stands smiling, overwhelmed with joy, hugging her new cutlery set. Seven knives adorn the red packaging, and both the mother and the box are surrounded by a golden background. Greek letters adorn the iconic gold, and haloes surround the box and the woman. The box is designated as Jesus Christ, the One who Is, and the woman as Mary, the Mother of God, the Sorrowful Mother. The sharp outlines and BenDay dots mimic the production process of cheap printed materials, such as comics and newspaper ads, from the midcentury.
Context
Our Lady of Sorrows is a title for the Virgin Mary that honors her as someone who also suffered during Christ’s Passion. Early on in the Gospel of Luke, Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to be presented in the Temple. Simeon receives the Christ child and acknowledges Him as the long-awaited Messiah. But he leaves Mary with a prophecy, “And a sword will pierce through your own soul.” Simeon predicts the Passion of Christ and notes how his life will bear heavily on her as well. In traditional iconography, the Sorrowful mother has seven swords that indicate seven key sorrowful events in her life in relation to her son: First this prophecy, then the Flight into Egypt, the loss of Jesus in the Temple, the fourth station where she meets Christ on the Via Dolorosa, the crucifixion, the descent from the cross, and finally his burial in the tomb.
This Pop Icon places that encounter in the context of this vintage advertisement, where Christ is Simeon’s “sword.” Here Christ is not a human infant but utensils that the Madonna embraces. The author of Hebrews calls Christ, the word of God, “sharper than any two-edged sword” that “pierces the division between soul and spirit.” (Hebrews 4:12). St. Paul parallels the “sword of the Spirit” to Christ, “the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). And Christ says that he has not come to bring peace but the sword (Matthew 10:34) and even encourages his disciples to go and buy one (Luke 22:36)! Christ is the sword Simeon foretold and the Word that pierces to the heart.
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Composition of Place
- Are you an observer of this scene looking upon the woman and her new purchase?
- Do you find yourself in this scene, perhaps as the woman?
- What do you see?
- What do you hear, smell, or touch in this scene?
- What are you thinking?
- What are you feeling internally?
Points for Prayer
- Although the woman is identified as the Sorrowful Mother, she is beaming with joy. Perhaps we must imagine the Sorrowful Mother happy.
- Christ here is cutlery. Although not a sword, what does it mean that Christ can be found in our kitchens in the knife rack?
- One of the knives on the box is a bread knife. Jesus is also the Bread of Life, but here also presented as such a blade that would slice such bread. What does it mean that Christ is both the knife and the loaf that it cuts?
- Notice how Mary’s elbow and the two halos transcend the frame, as if they are leaving the golden sphere and entering into our world. How do these holy figures enter into our world?
- The woman is exuberant after her purchase. We have a certain excitement and joy when buying something new. How does the joy of receiving Christ parallel how we feel when we buy things from a store?
Colloquy
- Have a conversation with the Sorrowful Mother in this image about your prayer.
- Now with Jesus.
- Now with our Creator.
Prayer of St. Bonaventure to the Sorrowful Mother
O most holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ: by the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed the martyrdom, the crucifixion, and death of your divine Son, look upon me with eyes of compassion, and awaken in my heart a tender commiseration for those sufferings, as well as a sincere detestation of my sins, in order that being disengaged from all undue affection for the passing joys of this earth, I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem, and that henceforward all my thoughts and all my actions may be directed towards this one most desirable object.
Honor, glory, and love to our divine Lord Jesus, and to the holy and immaculate Mother of God.
Amen.
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*This icon will be on view in the Mary Chapel at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in New York, NY, from May 9 through May 29. For viewing hours, please visit: sfxavier.org/event/leeper.
