Not long ago a friend
was visiting the Cloisters Museum in New York and sent us this photo. The
gentle playfulness of the Child Jesus seated on his mother's arm reminds us
that Jesus was a real child in a real family. His little head leans quizzically as he holds a tiny ball in his left hand and grasps his mother’s veil with the
other. Today as we celebrate the memorial of Saints Joachim and Ann, parents of
Mary, grandparents of Jesus, we pray for families everywhere, for health and
peace and safety.
Virgin and Child, ca. 1340–50, made in probably Paris,
Île-de-France, France, limestone, paint, gilt, glass, Height 68 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
