By Tessa Gallagher
Lady’s Island is also a place of Mary. I was never drawn to the meek, docile, compliant or silently obedient images of Mary. I do relate to Mary, a woman of strength, who was pregnant, homeless, a refugee; Mary who knew the pain of widowhood, and the difference in losing a child. A loyal mother who stood at the foot of the cross keeping vigil, a mother who lost her only son. I share all of these things with her. Mary witnessed the Resurrection, she saw the scars, the lasting wounds which we carry too. I’m inspired by Mary of Pentecost, who not only survived her sorrows but thrived again. She was steadfast in faith and trusted always in her son and her God. Mary is a woman who knows and shares our losses and struggles, our woes and our wellness, our sorrows and our joys. In this little place in the southeast corner of Ireland I know that I am coming home both to myself and to the Mysterious Presence that dwells within and without. Our whole life is a journey to bring us home, whether it is to our own hearts, or the hearts of others and ultimately to the heart of God.
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