Elizabeth Scalia on Mary, mystery, and the Minds of Children

"As we head toward the centenary of the Fatima apparitions, during which the Blessed Virgin appeared to three children (two of whom are about to be canonized), it's a good time to ask, Why does Mary so frequently appear to the very young, like Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta in Fatima, or Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes?

"To ponder it, perhaps we have to remember what it is like to be that young, again.

"Because my mother was devoted to Our Lady, and also susceptible to Catholic kitsch, my childhood home was filled with small plastic statues of saints and devotional artwork that fascinated for the sheer incongruity of it.

"On my bedroom wall, she had hung an image that looked for all the world as if Mary had brought the Baby Jesus in to a local photographer's studio and posed for a portrait. The model, whose unnatural eyebrows seemed to have been inspired by Joan Crawford, wore lipstick and was dressed in Marian-blue robes, with a veil that vaguely suggested the starchy architecture of old-fashioned nun gear. Both she and Jesus were so rosy-cheeked they looked feverish, and the whole thing suggested something a middle-class Joseph would place on a desk in the backroom of his carpentry shop."

In a recent commentary, writer Elizabeth Scalia reflected on some of the reasons why, in various apparitions, our Blessed Mother usually appears to children instead of adults.

To access Ms. Scalia's complete post, please visit:

Aleteia: Elizabeth Scalia: Mary, mystery and the minds of our children (23 APR 17)