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Maria en de kracht van de verbeelding. Een reflectie op herkenning en vervreemding.
Tijdschriftbijdrage - Tijdschriftartikel
In this contribution we have been critical of images that alienate Mary from believers. Often she was represented through images that confirmed the existing balance of power and relationship patterns. At the same time there have always been faithful women who were inspired by Mary’s strength and by her expression of God’s dream about this world. By formulating critical reservations about a number of images that were made of Mary and by indicating that we cannot do without images, we hope to give the initial impetus to new images or to a new interpretation of the existing ones. We advocate images that offer recognition and inspiration and lead people on the path to recognize God in themselves and to pass on God’s love, following Mary. Theology has the taskto continue to stimulate the imagination and to correct its course on the basis of the criterion that each image must contribute to the flourishing of faith. Mary, the woman who became the mother of Jesus called the Christ, cannot be grasped in one image. The popular devotion speaks of her in ‘thousand names’. Rita Ghesquiere refers in her posthumous book with the title ‘A Thousand Names’ to Paul Claudel who describes Mary as ‘Dieu caché dans la femme’. Mary has found and communicated God’s presence and love within herself. In that sense she is an inspiration for every believer today and par excellence for the entire church community. Mary, however, exceeds the limits of Christianity. Because of her place in Judaism and Islam she is an inspiration in interreligious dialogueand through her Jewish, Muslim and Christian women and men can recognize themselves in their search for God.
Tijdschrift: Collationes: Vlaams Tijdschrift voor Theologie en Pastoraal
ISSN: 0776-8354
Issue: 4
Volume: 48
Pagina's: 419 - 432
Jaar van publicatie:2018