This icon is composed in the form of a triptych. In the center, the actual wedding of Mary and Joseph. On the left, the annunciation to Joseph (Matt 1:18-25) and on the right, the annunciation to Mary (Luke 1:26-38).
On the left, Joseph is seated on a bed, since his annunciation took place at night, through a dream. On the right, Mary is on a throne to symbolize the unique mission that comes to her from heaven, a mission that immediately elevates her to the rank of queen, mother of the King. These two announcements, despite their differences, have two essential things in common:
- the same message from God: "Do not fear Mary... Do not fear Joseph." This message is given to them in view of their common vocation: marriage.
- the same gesture of the hand raised towards the angel to signify their consent. This personal consent to God precedes their mutual commitment. In this way, the "Yes" each gives to God leads them to say "Yes" to God's plan, which is to welcome into their love and surround him with their tenderness, Mary's son, the very Son of God. This plan includes Mary's virginity and her marriage to Joseph: "Take Mary, your wife, into your home."
In the central scene, we see two buildings linked by a movement that goes from left to right, supporting the movement of Mary and Joseph. Mary leaves her home for Joseph's house. The curtain is open, the dwelling ready to welcome her.
" Take her home... ". By introducing her to his home, Joseph does more than simply perform an external act by offering Mary a new living space. He was not simply inviting her to change places, but to live with him. The Bible's "at home...with him" expresses something much stronger: "If anyone loves me, I will come to him." (John 14:23) So, to take Mary into one's home means to welcome her into one's heart with all that makes up her life, with all that she is: her faith, her spirituality, her unique vocation, her being in God.
Mary places her right hand in Joseph's right hand. She gives him all her trust. In so doing, she acknowledges Joseph's love for her and offers him her own. She places her other hand on his heart: the heart of her life. This is what she gives him. And Joseph, as the responsible head of the family, leads her to his house, their home. In welcoming Mary, he receives Jesus. It should be noted that Joseph does not take Mary's hand. He receives her. He does not seek to possess her, but welcomes her with her mystery. Mary is given to Joseph, and vice versa, for Jesus, who is the cause of their union.
In the East, when a young bride goes to live with her husband, she is carried by relatives or friends to her new home. This is still done in some villages. In the icon, it was hardly possible - and it might not have been well understood today - to have Mary carried in a procession. Mary wears the purple veil of royalty. She is queen in two ways
- as immaculate, she reigns over all the chaos engendered by evil,
- as the mother of the King of the universe, she shares his kingship.
Joseph is clothed in the desert-colored mantle of asceticism. He is the one who gives all in great self-denial. Both wear blue tunics, symbolizing faith: "Blessed are you who have believed" and Joseph!... The bottom of the icon is green, to signify that in this divine adventure, everything will come to life, the bottom as well as the top, the left as well as the right.
Sister Marie-Paul
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