I love this time of year. On the night before Ash Wednesday I thought it fitting to post this picture of a craft item my kids made last weekend. These little guys are no more than an inch high, very simple, but really endearing. The little Jesus was a great touch, in a spark of creativity my daughter put him on a pile of hay shaped like a star 
I find art that depicts people and events of the Bible in anon-Western cultural context fascinating. The Hail Mary (Ia Orana Maria ) by Paul Gauguin is particularly interesting. There’s something about Jesus, leaning on Mary that speaks to the mom in me. But I liked this when I was a kid too, so there is something else as well. Maybe when I was a kid I just thought it was pretty and colorful 
It’s also interesting to note that while Gauguin painted Mary *and* Jesus, he named the painting The Hail Mary. Well, that’s a theological conversation for another day.
Paul Gauguin - Ia Orana Maria (Hail Mary) - Google Art Project (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Did you know that the oldest-known painting of Mary shows her breastfeeding Jesus? Continue reading
