What a blessing it was to explore various parts of Europe on an adventurous month-long trip that took me to Poland, the Baltics [Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia], and finally, Italy before heading back home. I loved all of it, but found a special place in my heart for Poland, the ancestral homeland of my beloved paternal grandfather, Walter Torzala. When reflecting on that first week spent in Poland, I am drawn to our second day when my son and I set out from Krakow to Jasna Gora on a two hour bus ride, to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa. In this lovely monastery founded by the Ruthenian Prince Ladislaus of Opole in 1382, the beautiful image was entrusted to the Pauline monks from Hungary.
Some contend that this holy image was painted by St. Luke on a tabletop owned by the Holy Family, and brought over from Jerusalem to Constantinople by St. Helena where it remained for 500 years until royal dowries saw it transferred to what is now modern-day Russia. Others insist that the image was created in the mid to late XIII century as the Balkan icon. Either way, it was painted with tempura on a canvas which was attached to the surface of three lime tree boards. In the 14th century, the Polish king St. Ladislaus displayed the beautiful icon in his castle, where Tartar invaders attacked and an arrow pierced Our Lady's throat on the icon. Seeking to keep the image safe, the icon ended up in its present-day location of Czestochowa after the King's horse drawn carriage refused to budge until the icon was delivered into the safe-keeping of the Pauline monks. Unfortunately, its safety was short-lived as the Protestant Hussite iconoclasts attempted to harm the icon in 1430 by stealing the image and attempting to take it away. When it was found that their carriage would not move, they hurled the image to the ground, breaking it into three pieces and then struck the right cheek of Our Lady resulting in four diagonal slashes crossing each other, to add to the other the two longer slashes being visible on the face and neck from the previous attack.
Many attempts were made by the King Wladyslaw Jagiello to restore the image to its original state and grandeur. The best Polish artists dedicated their talent to the task, but a miraculous fact occurred: once the restoration was completed, the paint which covered the scars left in the face by the sword blows of the heretics ran off! Italian artists called in later to restore it found that same phenomenon occurred with them. Finally, it was decided to make a copy of the original picture on a new canvas, preserving the wounds. Today, millions venerate this unique black Madonna who holds the Christ-child while pointing to her beloved Son.
I've always loved this image, but seeing it in person really impacted me on a deeper level as I contemplated why Our Lady wanted her scars to show, how this relates to the wounds of her Immaculate Heart, and how it relates to me and all of her spiritual children. She is the Theotokos, the Mother of God, Queen of heaven and earth. Her beauty surpasses all of creation, and has been described by mystics as beyond human comprehension. Why display such physical scars?
It occured to me that scars are identifying marks. They are permanent reminders of an event and are defined as "a mark left on the skin or within body tissue where a wound, burn, or sore has not healed completely and fibrous connective tissue has developed." They are considered to be a natural part of the healing process. We know that the wounds of Christ, the scars in His hands and feet, were the identifying markers of Our Savior following His Resurrection. These scars are described twice in the Gospel of John, Chapter 20: 19 That Sunday evening[b] the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord!" Soon thereafter, Jesus' wounds would take center-stage again as doubting Thomas is in disbelief and invited to put his hands into the wounds of the Risen Christ.
We can probably understand the centrality of Christ's wounds as pointing to the Cross and Our Lord's ultimate sacrifice in order to gain redemption. "He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds." (IS 53:5;) and with all believers we proclaim, "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" [Rev 5:12]
But what about Our Lady? Why does it seem that heaven has ordained for this image to preserve such scars upon Our Blessed Mother's countenance? I would start by pointing out that the face is the physical means by which we identify one another. It is an integral part of who we are,and tells us a story. Our eyes often reveal our emotions, our brow conveys thoughts and feelings, our mouth communicates with words, a smile or frown, a bitten lip. Our face holds clues about our ancestry, our wrinkles can reveal our lifestyle and profession, our sorrows and secrets.
We all carry scars, both physical and spiritual. We have the hidden scars which have pierced our hearts and from which we so often have to seek forgiveness, and healing. These interior scars can be united to the wounded Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Sorrowful Heart of Our Lady who was pierced with seven swords of sorrow. When we unite these interior scars with Our Mother's, she knows what to do with them and understands as the sword of sorrow that pierced her heart enabled that "the thoughts of many may be revealed" to her. In other words, she understands the hurts and heartache of her children. Their joys and pains, worries and dreams, traumas and victories are all received by Our beloved Mother who comprehends the deepest recesses of the souls of her children.
This image goes further to indicate that she also comprehends our external struggles, physical pains, and sufferings. She is not a mother who is wrapped in perfection and unable to see, hear or has not experienced the pangs of pain, cold, hunger, fear or exhaustion. Her physical life was in danger from the moment she conceived Jesus, and continued as she traversed the hills of Palestine to see her cousin, Elizabeth, as well as while escaping into Egypt and living amongst strangers. Her suffering, both physical and spiritual, continued as she traversed the Via Dolorosa with her Son, and as she watched him be crucified for our sins. The grief, the exhaustion, and the spiritual and physical suffering that she endured in union with Jesus became fully realized when Jesus made her spiritual mother over all of us. "Behold, your Mother." With this last will and testament, this last gift of endless mercy, Jesus expired. Any mother can attest to the spiritual, emotional, and sometimes physical pain that comes with the love of a mother. That love that permeates our very beings and wants to defend, protect, and guide our beloved sons and daughters, whether they be biological or spiritual children.
Many saints carried physical scars that helped to identify them with their mission for Our Lord. The Little Arab, St. Mary of Jesus Crucified, was scarred for life when a Muslim man slit her throat for refusing to convert to Islam and left her for dead. she would miraculously survive, being nursed by Our Lady herself, but until her death, this 10cm long scar had to be covered to protect her tender skin that was paper-thin and her voice was perpetually hoarse. St. Kateri, "the Mohawk Lily", suffered from small pox as a child that left her face disfigured, so much so that she would cover her face with a blanket before going outside in order to hide her scars. Upon her death, her face was fully recovered and without blemish. To this day, she is a saint for all those who feel shunned and scarred.
And let's not forget St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese slave who found herself mutilated by a woman who cut more than 60 patterns into her skin and then put flour and salt in them to ensure their permanence. It is hard to imagine enduring these hardships, but all of these women stood firm in their conviction and belief in Jesus Christ regardless of the hardships that faced them. Their scars were testaments of their enduring faith and their ability, with Our Lord's grace, to overcome physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges and traumas.
See https://www.stelizcc.org/2018/02/08/black-history-st-josephine-bakhita/
I contend that Our Lady of Czestochowa met these three saints, with the visible scars upon her cheeks and throat, and the seven swords of sorrow piercing her Immaculate Heart, as a sign of solidarity and solace. To the present day, she continues to bring comfort to her children whose physical and emotional marks communicate a part of their human experience and identity. Whether it be surgery or acne scars, disease, violence, or accidents, heartbreak, past sins, mental illness, abandonment, rejection or addiction, Our Mother, the Black Madonna, is there to comfort us and hold us in Her loving arms. She carries her own scars and ours as our Mother, our Mediatrix, and our Queen.
I do not write this to be depressing, nor to glorify or romanticize scars, but instead to look at the realities of life that bring hurts of various kinds. It is absolutely essential that we know and believe that we are not alone, that Our Triune God weeps for our hurts and wounds which Jesus has taken upon Himself, and Our beloved Lady meets us exactly where we are at and understands the disfigurements on our bodies, hearts, and souls. She tells us with Jesus, "Be not afraid." The good news is that when we allow it, the glory and light of the Lord Jesus shines forth through these very same scars that afflict us and tell others a story about not only our hardships, but about our triumphs in Christ Jesus, with Our Lady of Czestochowa at our sides. Together we can say in victory with Our Lady, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." [Philippians 4:12]
Our Lady of Czestochowa...Our Black Madonna... Pray for us! Amen.
