Katie loves this image of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
She's modern and earthy -- a much more realistic image of Mary than what Katie witnessed during her convent years. Back then and still today, the Catholic Church stressed its teaching about Mary's lifelong virginity.
Katie thinks images of Mary in statues and art too often portray her in men's image of the ideal woman -- an unattainable pedestal from which all women are judged.
The above image, however, seems truer to women's lives. Mary, with little Jesus in one hand and a cup of java in another, is easy to identify with.
Katie keeps the modern image in a frame that hangs in her kitchen. Some mornings, after pouring herself a cup of coffee, Katie imagines chatting with Mary - woman to woman.
(Note: Katie found this image of Mary years ago in a 1998 issue of CCM magazine, p. 44.)
