The Nativity Icon and Situ Mary

ary Abraham from Blairsville, Pennsylvania. came to America, where a difficult life awaited her.

Born in Syria about 1900, she married very young, had one daughter and raised her while caring for an invalid husband. She carried these daily trials with a Christian faith in her heart, in such a way that they bore a fruit of amazing, powerful and uncontainable love for people.

As a widow, seventy and eighty years old, she lived by herself in her humble Blairsville home. It was in these years that she found a particularly suitable outlet for her uncontainable love. This came through a unique relationship with the college stu-

Nick Papas

dents of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (I.U.P.). The University was close to Mary’s home parish of St. John the Baptist Church, Orthodox Church in America, Black Lick, Pennsylvania. The pastor of St. John’s served as an advisor to the Orthodox Christian Fellowship (O.C.F.) and as a connection between Mary and the students. Through the O.C.F. she touched the lives of many kids with her grandmotherly love. This is why everyone who knew her referred to her affectionately as Situ (Arabic for “grandmother”). Her house was always open, an oasis for everyone, but especially for the students. She loved them and showed that love with all the simple gifts God gave her. She was a gifted cook, gardener, wine-maker and baker. Her heavy-laden table was filled with homemade foods, often made with the produce from her own backyard garden. Her main courses, however, were spiritual food with the best dishes being a ready, patient ear, and kind, wise, simple, and encouraging words. The power and impact of her meals and hospitality linger to this day in the minds of those who experienced them.

There are so many stories revolving around “Situ.” Many may be written down in the years to come, but there are two anecdotes that provide a moving glimpse into the depth of her faith. Situ Mary lay on her deathbed with a respirator in place, unable to speak. Pointing and pantomiming, she tried to relate something. A number of people saw her during her frantic attempts to communicate. Days later, with her throat raw from the respirator and her voice squeaky and weak, she was finally able to tell her priest, V. Rev. Samuel Smolcic, what she had seen. The Virgin Mary had come to her! In this appearance the Virgin placed Her veil on Situ, given her solace, and told her that she would live for two more years.

On another occasion, still in the same hospital bed, she shared the secret deep in her unschooled, simple, yet beautiful mind. In a raspy voice and in words far from fancy, she squeaked out transcendent theology. At first blush, because of her thick accent, they might almost have been humorous. Holding onto one of the many get-well cards she had received, she spoke with complete and childlike sincerity. The card’s cover had an icon of the Virgin Mary holding the Christ child. As she alternately clutched the card close to her heart or held it in front of her to gaze lovingly at the picture, she seemed in her own world, unaware of others being in the room. It was then that she uttered in an almost lullaby way, words that could be described as a prayer, a revelation and a proclamation: “You[‘re] da baby, you[‘re] da baby.” Just as Mary, the Mother of God, revealed to Situ, two years later on September 28, 1986, Mary Abraham fell asleep in the Lord. Along with the many people who knew her, I ask her to pray for us. We all are confident of her place in heaven.

The point of this story? It is to help us see that knowing about God and knowing God are not the same. When we look at the Nativity icon (or any icon), the theology is pointless unless it is personal and experienced. Situ Mary Abraham said with clarity and awe “You da baby” because this is what she experienced. She didn’t say this with awe and clarity because she had read it in the St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly. With a few words Situ Mary expressed more about the Incarnation of God than book after book could.

Putting this “Situ” preamble “to the side” for a moment here is a roster of specific details in the Nativity icon that, God willing, will help make it personal. The Nativity icon has ancient prototypes and origins in ampullae from the Fifth and Sixth Century, which in turn a basis in ancient hymnography and Holy Scripture, as well as the Apocryphal Gospels of Pseudo-Matthew and Pseudo-James. (These last specifically address the midwives and Joseph’s temptation.)

Compositionally, the icon is quite target-like, with concentric circles around the “bullseye,” which is the infant Christ. The composition expands to incude Mary (the Theotokos), then the Cave, then Saint Joseph, then the shepherds, angels and midwives, and finally the Magi. Let’s look more closely at the details.

Mary has an all-important role as connector (the “Ladder”) between Heaven and Earth, as is sung in the hymn, “Heaven and Earth are united today . . . .” She is also “the new Eve.” The dark cave points to the fallen Earth to which Christ comes. The swaddling clothes foreshadow the burial clothes of the tomb and fulfill the angelic announcement of Luke 2:12.

The cave, manger, and swaddling clothes show us Christ’s humility. The ox and ass show us Christ’s humility again, but more significantly, they are the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy; “The ox knows its owner and the ass its master’s crib, but Israel does not know me and the people have not regarded me.” Angels, as always, are messengers (to shepherds and Magi) and givers of praise.

Christ God came to save all men! We see this in several oppositions. So the shepherds stand for the Jews, while the Magi stand for the heathen, or the Gentiles; the shepherds stand for the simple, while the Magi represent the learned; the shepherds find Christ directly, and the Magi find Christ by means of a journey. We also see this universal calling to salvation in the Magi themselves, who represent all ages and races. Their gift of gold points to Christ’s kingship; that of frankincense to His divinity; their myrrh is prophetic of His Passion and His immortality.

Artist use not just centrality in the composition, but size and scale, to express degrees of importance. There’s more, but on to the “punchline”: there is a quiet, sublime detail in ancient Orthodox renditions of the Nativity icon. One easily overlook it, as the bullseye composition draws the viewer’s eye away. What is it? Mary’s gaze! This gaze is out of character for the mother of a newborn! As this mother is presented to us as the perfect Mother, this is something very curious. My brothers-in-law are both chiropractors. They can tell you that when a new mother comes into their office, invariably these moms will have sore necks from gazing down at their new babies. They can’t take their eyes off their new little ones. Yet this is not what we see in the Nativity icon!

Knowing that Mary is the perfect mother and that a mother will naturally look at her newborn, we can assume that this detail is intentional. Why? What is she looking at? She’s gazing at Joseph. Why Joseph? For an answer let’s start with some Scripture.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

When they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel (Matthew 1 and 2).

Do these scriptural depictions clash with the visual depictions of Joseph in these ancient icons? Angels visit him three times and he is called a “just man”! In the Nativity icon, however, Joseph’s head is down. His hand is on the side of his face or chin. His body language gives a message that is quite different than that of the angels, shepherds, and magi. He appears dejected, left out, worried, confused, and maybe most of all, doubtful. And all the thoughts that Joseph seems to be struggling with are not helped by the instigation of the old strange man who is taunting and goading him. You can almost hear the stranger saying, “Virgin birth? You’ve got to be kidding?”

If Joseph is such a “just” man, then why does the icon seem to emphasize what would mostly likely be an episode of weakness, a moment in which he was simply human and dealing with understandable doubt. It does not seem fair, accurate, or in any way appropriate to blow out of proportion Joseph’s doubt and struggle In fact, however, an incredible number of hymns for the Orthodox liturgical celebration of Christmas mention this moment of Joseph’s doubt!

This is not a mistake. Worries, confusion, labors, and life’s distractions and doubts are legitimate expressions of our fallen humanness. Of these, isn’t it doubt that keeps us from intimacy with God? We doubt that God loves us. Which brings us to the “punchline”: Who is Joseph in the Nativity icon? Joseph is us, you and me! Who is the real, or needy, or important child in this icon? Who is the infant that needs a mother’s care!? Joseph! Which means that we are the child in need in the Nativity icon! Our needs are noticed and met by a loving Mother – Mary! Who, again, is Mary? She is, for us, the Church!

This is the “secret” message of the Nativity icon: God does love us! He has not forgotten us in any way. Even when we are troubled and struggle and are worried and scared and doubtful

All of this is echoed in the hymns of the Feast (found in the Festal Menaion), starting with Joseph’s doubt, which is our doubt.

Joseph spoke thus to the Virgin; ‘What is this doing, O Mary, that I see in thee? I fail to understand and am amazed, and my mind is struck with dismay. Go from my sight, therefore with all speed. What is this doing, O Mary, that I see in thee? Instead of honor, thou hast brought me shame; instead of gladness, sorrow; instead of praise, reproof. No further shall I bare the reproach of men. I received thee from the priests of the Temple, as one blameless before the Lord. And what is this that I see now? We see this, too, in Mary’s words to Joseph.

O Virgin, when Joseph went up to Bethlehem wounded by sorrow, thou didst cry to him: ‘Why art thou downcast and troubled, seeing me great with child? Why art thou wholly ignorant of the fearful mystery that comes to pass in me? Henceforth, cast every fear aside and understand this strange marvel: for in my womb God now descends upon earth for mercy’s sake, and He has taken flesh. Thou shalt see Him according to His good pleasure, when He is born; and filled with joy thou shalt worship Him as thy Creator. Him the angels praise without ceasing in song and glorify with the Father and the Holy Spirit.’

“Thou shalt see Him according to His good pleasure, when He is born; and filled with joy thou shalt worship Him as thy Creator.” This describes Situ Mary Abraham! It is fitting that the Syrian word for Mama and baby are the same. In the Syrian language (Situ’s first language) the verbal echo for the words for mother and child reflects the fact that it’s hard to distinguish between a mother and child at times. The bond can be that close.

Situ said to Jesus, “You da baby” at a moment in her life when she was, perhaps, most close to him, so close that the line between here and Him was blurred. In the same way, it is as though, through the Virgin Mary in the Nativity icon, Jesus is saying to you and me and to Situ, “You da baby,” “You are the child!”

For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26).

Nick Papas Houston, Texas