Many years ago, I was asked to give a presentation on the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are so many ways one could talk about Mary— as our model of discipleship, as mother, as queen—but I chose as my focus “Mary was not a size two.” The title drew a crowd, and the crowd had a wonderful time thinking about who Mary was in history and who Mary is to us today.

My thoughts for the presentation came in part from what I continue to understand about our Blessed Mother: her image cannot be captured in a single statue, a single icon, a single picture, or a single holy card. Our images are formed as we read God’s Word, connect to Mary through prayer and devotion, and reflect on our shared experiences with her as parents, spouses, children, friends, and faith-filled disciples. We follow in Mary’s footsteps by paying attention to what is happening around us. We continue her work in the world as we keep our homes, teach our children, honor our parents, and love our spouses. And we learn from Mary to keep faith when we don’t have all the answers and when we find it hard to understand what is being asked of us and what is taking place in our lives.

During the season of Advent, the Church celebrates two feasts that provide us with different images of Mary and with different parts of her story. On December 8, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day on which we remember that Mary was free from sin from the moment she was conceived. This was a unique grace given to Mary, who was to become the Vessel of selfless devotion and the Ark of the covenant (Litany of Loreto).

On December 12, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. When Juan Diego saw a vision of Mary, she appeared to him as an Aztec princess, with olive skin and black hair. This is also how she appeared in the image on the tilma, the cloak worn by Juan Diego. Mary’s appearance as an Aztec princess brought hope and a sense of dignity to the Aztec people, especially to the Aztec women.

Of the many different images of Mary, some of my personal favorites are: Our Lady of the Lake (Ireland); African Madonna and Child; A Comanche Virgin and Child (by Fr. John Guiliani); Mary, Seat of Wisdom (by Brother Michael O’Neill McGrath); and The Virgin Mary in the Rose Garden (by Albert Edelfelt). In the latter image, Mary is sitting in a garden and doing handwork.

As we prepare to celebrate the Advent Marian feasts, set aside time to think about and to draw your image of Mary. Place your image on your prayer table or tuck it into your Bible. Think about who you most need for Mary to be in your life right now, today— mother, sister, friend, model, cause of joy, comfort. Invite her to walk with you through Advent days to come.

Mary Sellars Malloy recently retired from her position as project manager for RCL Benziger. She continues giving presentations and leading parish missions and retreats throughout the country. Her hope is to encourage Catholics of all ages to appreciate and to live their faith.