sometimes i wonder if mary breastfed jesus if she cried out when he bit her or if she sobbed when he would not latch and sometimes i wonder if this is all too vulgar to ask in a church full of men without milk stains on their shirts or coconut oil on their breasts preaching from pulpits off limits to the mother of god but then i think of feeding jesus birthing jesus the expulsion of blood and smell of sweat the salt of a mother’s tears onto the soft head of the salt of the earth feeling lonely and tired hungry annoyed overwhelmed loving and i think if the vulgarity of birth is not honestly preached by men who carry power but not burden who carry privilege but not labor who carry authority but not submission then it should not be preached at all because the real scandal of the birth of god lies in the cracked nipples of a 14 year old and not in the sermons of ministers who say women are too delicate to lead
Francisco de Zurbaran was a 17th century Spanish painter who imagined Mary at different stages in her life.
“Asleep young virgin Mary” (1655)
“The Young Virgin” (1632-1633)
“The Annunciation” (1637–1639)
“The Annunciation” (1650)
“Immaculate Conception” (1630)
“Immaculate Conception” (1630)
“Immaculate Conception” (1630)
“Immaculate Conception” (1633)
“Immaculate Conception” (1660)
“The Adoration of the Magi” (1639)
“Madonna and Child” (1658)
“Holy Family” (1659)
“Madonna with the infant Christ and St John the Baptist” (1659)
“Madonna with the infant Christ and St John the Baptist” (1662)
“Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth” (detail) (1640)
“Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth” (detail) (1640)
“Christ and the Virgin in the House at Nazareth” (1640)
A Mother’s Grief
Paintings by William-Adolphe Bouguereau
Tylonn J. Sawyer
Amanda Owen-Walkup
The Artists
Kaitlin Shetler
Do you have a path or mission?
My mission is to find the kicked out, the bruised, and burdened and to learn at their feet. My mission is to create a community where we can share our lives and hearts with one another without dulling each other’s gifts, spirits, and love. My mission is to live with those the Church decided didn’t belong, and to help them carve out all the toxic experiences and self-loathing and to accept them doing the same for me.
An interview with Kaitlin in Authentic Theology
A thoughtful commentary on the poem “sometimes i wonder” can be found at the Light In Grey Places review
Francisco de Zurbarán
Francisco de Zurbarán (baptized 7 November 1598 – 27 August 1664) was a Spanish painter. He is known primarily for his religious paintings depicting monks, nuns, and martyrs, and for his still-lifes. Zurbarán gained the nickname “Spanish Caravaggio”, owing to the forceful use of chiaroscuro in which he excelled.
– Wikipedia
William-Adolphe Bouguereau
William-Adolphe Bouguereau (30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects, with an emphasis on the female human body. During his life, he enjoyed significant popularity in France and the United States…. He finished 822 known paintings, but the whereabouts of many are still unknown.
– Wikipedia