Artwork: Maria

Mary, the mother of Jesus. We know a few of her sayings, including: “Do whatever he tells you.” In other words: be obedient, not rebellious, do not argue or negotiate, but listen with your heart.

The statue I have made is not a depiction of some goddess or Madonna, not a cult figure or primal mother. As I see it, it is more about the woman who is praised for the role she fulfilled in the time in which she lived. She was a teenager with an extraordinary angelic encounter. She became a refugee, a brand-new mother, a man’s wife. She was involved with Jesus when he spoke to the people and explained the things of God’s kingdom. She was there when water turned into wine at a wedding. She was there in the last phase of Jesus’ life and afterwards…

In the two years I worked on this statue – it is now summer 2017 – there happened to be interesting news about Mary again and again. The Catharijneconvent in Utrecht put on an exhibition devoted to Mary, and a few theatre makers came up with a fascinating play called ‘Mariamonologen’. I visited both events, and gradually a broader picture emerged of the person I already knew from the Christian Bible.

Besides Mary, there is another person mentioned in the Bible who makes a similar impression on me. Perhaps it speaks to me in this way because I am a man. In the life of the early church there was a man named Barnabas, a friend of the apostle Paul. He is a comforter, a listener, a pastoral carer, spiritual, a man of prayer; he encourages others because he sees the qualities in them (through his spiritual eye). He was bound up with God’s kingdom. Because he was filled with the Holy Spirit, his talents found expression in the community of believers and of seekers.

Mary fulfils her role in a modest way; you do not hear her calling out or shouting. She does not claim her place; she is involved, and out of her natural manner she brings colour to the world around her. Not a queen of heaven, but a mother and sister among us on earth. Approachable through the attentive spirit within her.