Mary, Mother of Jesus, Pray for Us

I wrote a blog post in early September that ended with this image:



I started thinking about how many images of Mary one encounters at Mepkin Abbey.  The one below is my favorite, with the candles lit at Compline:

I accidentally found this one as I peered in the window of what seems to be a pottery studio:

There's this statue which is the top of the first image:

And then there's the painting on the wall behind the statue; I think Mary might be at the bottom, but I'm not sure:

There are paintings that change with the liturgical season/holiday.  The one below is for Candlemas, which celebrates the presentation of Jesus at the temple 40 days after his birth:

And here's the traditional image, Mary at the manger, done in non-traditional medium of found metals:

Are these images a comfort?  Is the idea of Mary praying for us a comfort?  These days, I find the idea of anyone praying for me a comfort:

In difficult weeks, I resolve to meditate on these images and to find peace in the idea of Mary praying for me.