Why should Mary and Joseph stand together in Christmas art rather than face each other? Because they are hanging on to each other for dear life. Maureen Waldron explains.
Mary and Joseph Together
By Jim Manney
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Jim Manneyhttps://www.jimmanneybooks.com/
Jim Manney is the author of highly praised popular books on Ignatian spirituality, including A Simple, Life-Changing Prayer (about the Daily Examen) and God Finds Us (about the Spiritual Exercises). He is the compiler/editor of An Ignatian Book of Days. His latest book is What Matters Most and Why. He and his wife live in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
I have changed my manger set-up. Guess I was not really thinking before…
We need to lean on each other. A new baby requires this. “Yes,” to joy and ?
Oh, my. Some of my best Christmas memories involve those statues and my Dad. His clever, handmade lean-to was only the the start. We had a handpainted backdrop and an angel flying on a wire between two bookcases. He loved them and what they meant as I love my manger now. (my Baby Jesus has a little blanket I knitted for Him)
Having been a young parent myself, I think of how overwhelming it all was. Joseph and Mary were very young and needed to lean on each other for sure. It was the one thing they could count on – each other.
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