Maria Lactans: Sacred or Scandalous?

Images carry great power with them, and the images we surround ourselves with reflect something of who we are. The family photos we choose to display, the art we prefer, the placement of decor in our homes and offices speak something of our hearts. In the context of our faith, the images we meditate upon draw our minds and hearts to the Truth which transcends the images themselves.

Images of our Lady, in particular, are especially diverse. Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Grace, Mary Untier of Knots, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Guadalupe are just a handful of images and titles of Our Lady. It makes sense in a beautiful way that our Blessed Mother, with all of her children, has revealed herself to them in so many ways.

I think every Catholic has a list of their favorite images of Mary, that remind them of her love, her strength, her tenderness, her prayers. One, though, might have escaped their list: Mary as Nursing Mother. The image of Maria Lactans, the Nursing Mary, is one of the first known images of Mary, in the Catacomb of Priscilla (150 AD), and remained a common and popular devotion.

For some people, this might be common knowledge, but for others it may come out of left field. I confess that, even as a mother who has nursed two children, I had never seen an image of Mary nursing Jesus until recently when friends brought it up. Of course, I had read a multitude of scriptures that referenced nursing (Isaiah 49 and 66, Luke 11, Psalm 22, 1Peter 2, Genesis 49, etc…), but seeing an image was so much more powerful than those words. Some thought it beautiful, others found it strange and uncomfortable, others couldn’t have cared either way.

As often happens in our little circles, opinions and declarations about these images were tossed about (with charity, of course).

Breastfeeding is private, why would we need to see this?

How could you not love this image? It’s a mother and her child! 

It’s not like Jesus drank a bottle or something. 

You’re sick if you don’t think this is beautiful. 

I forget how the conversation went, but I think it ended with someone shouting about the Theology of the Body. The point is, the image caused some division. That’s not surprising, as breastfeeding has become a controversial issue in the past few years, but I don’t think the division surrounding these images was due to a difference in opinion, but to a difference in experience.

Some people may have grown up in a context in which seeing mothers nursing their children was a regular occurrence. For those who are familiar with breastfeeding, the image of Mary nursing Jesus would be instantly familiar and relate-able for them. For many, though, who may have never seen a mother nursing her child, an image like this might be shocking and unsettling. That is not to say that that person’s reaction is inherently sinful or wrong, but simply that it speaks to their lack of familiarity with breastfeeding.

Perhaps this image is especially moving for you, and that’s great. It’s a beautiful relationship between a mother and a child, a profound scriptural image, and an expression of the humanity of Jesus in the Incarnation. But should the conversation arise, be patient with those who might feel uneasy, understanding that their lack of familiarity with an image like this is not necessarily a statement for or against anyone’s choices nor about their love for Jesus and Mary.

Maybe you see this image and feel uncomfortable, and that’s understandable. You might not have a context in which to put the image of a mother nursing her child, but that does not make the image devoid of its truth and value. If you feel called, open your heart and mind and pray on that image, and see how the Lord moves you.

Saint John Vianney has written, “Only after the Last Judgement will Mary get any rest; from now until then, she is much too busy with her children.” Just as Mary gave of herself to Jesus, we can take comfort that she gives of herself to care for us with the same motherly affection.

 

 

Lauren Meyers

Lauren Meyers

Lauren Meyers is a 28 year old wife and a mother. She experienced the love of the Lord on a high school retreat, picked up a Bible and the Liturgy of the Hours, and hasn't turned back since. Holding a BA in Classics and Religious Studies and an MA in Education, she currently works as a Campus Minister in Indiana.

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22 thoughts on “Maria Lactans: Sacred or Scandalous?”

  1. Thank you for bringing up this topic. My suspicion about the controversy is that today’s society looks on breasts as sexual objects primarily (only?), as though they were made for a man to be attracted to, rather than as the means for feeding babies. God made them, and the Blessed Virgin Mary knew what they were for!

    About Mary’s children, I sometimes wonder if the “brothers and sisters of the Lord” weren’t all the neighbor kids who hung around the house in Nazareth because Jesus and His mother and father were just so cool!

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  3. In an era of reality TV, we seem to think that we should be able to see EVERYTHING. Pair that with the idea that if something isn’t on display, it must be because it is thought to be shameful. What hogwash. Bear in mind that the Holy of Holies in the Temple was seen only by the High Priest, and only once a year during Yom Kippur. From the time of Solomon to the time when Jeremiah hid it, almost none of the Jews saw the Ark of the Covenant; it was enough for them to know it was in the Temple.

    1. Deoacveritatimyfaithsustainsm

      The image of Maria Lactans, the Nursing Mary, is one of the first known images of Mary, in the Catacomb of Priscilla (150 AD), and remained a common and popular devotion.

      This is NOT new and 1st century AD is very far from the era of reality TV.

      1. Linnea Sandkuhler

        If I have seen the true images of Our Lady of La Leche then this is a very modest image and inspirational. Many other images are not so innocent and modest.

    2. This is a beautiful bearing in mind, except the veil was torn in half when Jesus was crucified. Jesus who took the human body, the veiled dignity of the divinity and made the human body divine by giving it the ultimate act of charity, self-sacrifice.

      1. Sorry, but you are being much, much too sloppy in your thinking about this. For one thing, there is not just one human body, and the Body of Christ is not to be confused with your body or my body.

    3. But I do love all coverings/veils/shelters/ceilings/clothing that we were given from head of the church, to genesis beast’s skins, to the head of family, the temples of the Holy Spirit that our bodies are, the womb, the tomb, the ceilings in our homes and churches, they protect what is good, but with Christ, we can be naked. So my thoughts are that where Christ is honored, we can be free of lust, and full of charity, properly ordered. Leche in the church and home and catholic sites I feel are good and a reminder of how we truly are, good and charitable, naked and not ashamed.

      1. “I counsel thee to buy of me gold fire tried, that thou mayest be made
        rich; and mayest be clothed in white garments, and that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear; and anoint thy eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” — Revelation 3:18

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  5. My former Spiritual Director, now passed on, grew up in Naples and was a priest and sculptor. He even had a webpage when he was in his 80s and 90s. One of the topics he presented was “breasts”. His take on it was that women mostly get plastic surgery for something that it a reflection of the maternal. He made the point that the art he grew up with, and that can also be seen in other parts of Italy, San Giovanni Rotondo comes to mind, were of Mary nursing Jesus. He posted many of the pictures of the religious art in Italy where Mary was nursing. It was commonplace to him, but he noticed Americans were scandalized by this. As a mother, art such as this draws me even closer to God. For him, and St Padre Pio, who prayed in front of the same type of artwork, it was the deep desire of man to be nourished by Divine Grace. And as Jesus was formed and nursed by Mary, so must we all.

  6. Bear in mind that one of the most famous, and most hideous, images of Virgo Lactans, that by Jean Fouquet, was commissioned by the King of France as a portrait of his famous mistress, trying to hide its explicit content beneath a veil of piety. I’m not sure the averse reaction to the image is necessarily just a modern problem. Perhaps an Early Modern problem, as well…

    1. That mistress was deceased two years before the commission and chosen for her beauty, a typical reason to be chosen for Mary’s image.

    2. All good things can be viewed with lust, instead of how they should be, with charity. I personally believe we should show more correct and charitable images like breasts used for feeding or for comforting, including the comfort a husband might feel for resting his head against her bosom. With care, the body can be seen how it should be. I love Theology of the Body by Pope jpii on this subject.

  7. Linnea Sandkuhler

    I have recently brought this subject up to several groups and individuals. As a Mother of 5 and familiar with nursing a child, I find images of the breastfeeding Madonna unnecessary and in poor taste… pardon the pun. Mary’s dignity goes so far beyond our understanding and Her purity beyond that. According to “City of God ” by Mary of Agreda—at Mary’s death no one was allowed to touch her and this was granted by God Himself, as the light surrounding her body was so intense, those nearby could barely see her.. It was noted that, all that was ever exposed of her, was that which you would see in conversation , her face and her hands. Why would she find it acceptable for various ‘artists’ to display that which God kept to himself in life.?

    1. I find it interesting that Mary was noted to be covered except for face and hands. That sounds a lot like the Quran, they have a love for Mary as well, but a lot of false stories and statements about her, and many Catholic beliefs being turned into what they are not…but yes I agree we should have reverence for all bodies.

  8. I believe Our Lady of Milk with the exposed nursing breast is a *symbol* of her maternity. Remember, Mary is also about modesty. So, while breastfeeding is natural, it doesn’t give the green light for some women to expose themselves in public, just for the sake of (or an excuse for?) “being natural” while breastfeeding.

    Remember also that if we cause another to sin, we are also guilty of sin. I’ve heard some women lash out with the comeback, “Well, they shouldn’t look!” Sorry, but you may as well be flashing a neon sign that says, “LOOK!” because guys look if they see a boob — even if they’re a gentleman, there is still an split second look before turn quickly to look away.

    By all means, please, breastfeed your children. I do. Don’t go in the restrooms and hide in shame or make yourselves out to be some sort of persecuted people. Just be Mary-like, cover up, and have modesty with dignity.

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