Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Our Mother of Perpetual Help reminds us that empires rise and fall, wars come and go, plans are made and broken, but God’s grace is eternal.
Today we celebrate the feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Many Christians pray before her icon, bringing their fears, suffering, and difficulties, asking for the help and intercession of the Holy Mother of God.
The icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help was written in the Christian East between the 14th and 15th centuries, during a turbulent period in the history of the Byzantine world. The icon itself lived through wars, destruction, and even years of being hidden and forgotten. In 1866, Pope Pius IX entrusted it to the Redemptorists with the mission to “make her known throughout the world.” Just as the icon endured centuries and calamities, so too we will remain standing if we are rooted in Jesus Christ.
In the icon we see the Child Jesus in the arms of His Mother, and the Archangels Michael and Gabriel on either side, holding the instruments of His future Passion — the cross, spear, and sponge. Jesus sees the suffering that awaits Him and clings tightly to His Mother. In the movement, one of His sandals is falling off — one of the most recognizable features of this icon.
If the Son of God turns to Mary in the face of suffering, how much more do we need her protection in times of pain and anxiety. Each of us carries a cross, and today’s icon reminds us not to lose hope, but to come to her Son, who never abandons us.
Another beautiful detail of this icon is that the Mother of God does not only holds Jesus, but also looks at all of us. Here we see the heart of her role in salvation: she does not draw attention to herself, but always leads us to Christ — just as she said at the wedding at Cana: “Do whatever He tells you.”
Today let us entrust ourselves to the care of our heavenly Mother — our families, our parish, and our motherland as well. Let us ask her to help us, not to abandon us in times of trial, and always to lead us to her Son. And when our lives are marked by darkness and fear, may she remind us that God’s love remains with us forever.
