Bearing the Light Himself: An Advent Reflection
In our parish adoration chapel, a German leaded-glass window glows softly in the afternoon light. Its warm colors shift across the floor as if alive, but it was a small detail, almost easy to miss, that recently captivated my prayer. The Blessed Virgin Mary stands in the center of the window, robed in sparkling blue hues. It appears to me that one band of the leading is wrapped just above her waist, like a black sash. In Christian art, this simple band is not decoration but proclamation: Mary is with Child. I have seen it before, most famously on the miraculous tilma of Saint Juan Diego, where Our Lady of Guadalupe appears as a mother carrying the Savior. But seeing it here, in the quiet stillness of adoration this Advent, made Revelation 12 rise in my heart with surprising clarity.
Advent
The Douay-Rheims translation offers these words:
“And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. And being with child, she cried travailing in birth and was in pain to be delivered.” (Rev 12:1–2)
“…And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod…” (Rev 12:5)
“…And the dragon was angry against the woman: and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Rev 12:17)
These verses end in turmoil, reminding us that Mary’s motherhood places her at the very center of the world’s spiritual battle. Yet the verse begins in light: sun, moon, and stars surrounding a woman chosen to bear the Light Himself. And it is this beginning, radiant and expectant, that speaks so beautifully to Advent.
Waiting
Advent is a season of waiting, but not an empty or anxious waiting. It is the waiting of a mother who knows that hidden life stirs within her. The “sash” across Mary’s waist in that window is a symbol of promise. Her very posture, with her eyes cast heavenward, reminds us that salvation grows quietly, almost imperceptibly, in places the world might overlook. God chooses the humble and the hidden to usher in His glory.
Looking at the window, I found myself returning to those opening words, “a woman clothed with the sun.” Advent invites us to stand in that same light. Before the trials, before the dragon, before the fear and uncertainty, there is brilliance. There is the steady hope that God is coming, already at work, already drawing near.
Mary’s pregnancy in that leaded glass window is more than a detail; it is the whole mystery of Advent in one gesture. She carries Him for us. She waits with us. And she teaches us, simply by her luminous presence, how to hope in the One who is Light from Light.
Written by Martha Haenni. For engaged couples, find CCL’s NFP for Marriage Prep here. Find CCL’s PeakDay STMethod for married couples here.