Du Bist Gebenedeit

Today, March 25, is the feast day of the Annunciation. This is a piece that I did while I studied in Germany. In English it means "Blessed are you among women." That is what the angel said to Mary in the Gospel reading today. Gabriel, the angel, came and told Mary that she would be the Mother of God. This same calling to bear Jesus for others stirs in our hearts centuries later.Today I was reminded of two images that have touched my life around this theme. One being that while I was in Germany, I would wake up with the words "du bist Gebenedeit" in my head because I heard them prayed every day at the Magnificat and thought they flowed together so nicely. Upon asking what the words meant, because they were beyond my German capabilities,I was told by my teacher to make a carving that expressed that theme. She added do not draw it first, just start carving. The piece that I am sharing is the result.My second memory of this day is that one year I made a Christmas Crèche scene for someone and when they came to pick it up, I could not locate the child Jesus that I had carved. I looked everywhere. I sorted through my pile of wood chips but nothing turned up. Finally I made another image of Jesus for them. Well three months after Christmas on the feast of the Annunciation I found Jesus in a corner of the room. It was on the floor upside down behind a box. Hanging on the wall above it was this carving that I am sharing of the Annunciation. So Jesus was no longer at large in my life. The angel came to me this day and I was lifted in spirit.

Du Bist Gebenedeit, 18" x 16" x 2 1/2"