Midweek Devotion 4 September 2024

Reading

Deuteronomy 32:1-11

10 In a desert land he found him,

    in a barren and howling waste.

He shielded him and cared for him;

    he guarded him as the apple of his eye,

11 like an eagle that stirs up its nest

    and hovers over its young,

that spreads its wings to catch them

    and carries them aloft.

Devotion

Author's photograph of icon in the Chapel of Grace Cathedral, Topeka, Kansas

I was excited to discover a copy of this icon recently in Topeka.  I'm not sure what the bird is above the person's head.  Is it a falcon or a hawk?  I'm not sure it's an eagle, the head looks wrong for that.  It definitely doesn't look like a dove.  The portrayal of the Spirit as a predator is intriguing.  I also thought that perhaps the woman represented a saint from one of the local tribes.  To my surprise, upon doing research, I discovered that the icon was crafted by a Roman Catholic priest in Connecticut!  Fr. John B. Giuliani (1932-2021).  You may read more about him here: About John – THE ART OF JOHN B. GIULIANI (jbgicon.com)

The icon is entitled, "Lakota Annunciation."  This is the moment when Mary, here shown as a Lakota woman, is asked by God's messenger to be the theotokos, the God-bearer.  The woman, in native bridal array, is open to the Spirit.  The concentric circles of blue bring to mind the importance of Mary to the divine plan.  

Back to the bird, as the bird fascinates me.  It overshadows Mary.  Its talons reach towards her.  Sometimes, I think, God does this to us--God swoops down and carries us off.  Sometimes it may be in rescuing us from peril as the eagles save the travelers in "The Hobbit".   Sometimes it may be that God is carrying us into an adventure we could not even have imagined as I'm sure Mary didn't imagine in her "Yes!"  Some great work of divine love grasps a hold of our imagination and we cannot escape it.  Pray this week, dear reader.  May it be that you are surprised by call of God and respond with your own "Yes!"

Prayer 

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated unto you; and then use us, we pray you, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen (Book of Common Prayer)