Our Lady of Perpetual Help, found in the little chapel

The Falling Sandal

In the West this icon is called, "Our Lady of Perpetual Help."  In the East it is called “Mother of God of the Passion”

This icon and all icons belong to an ancient form of liturgical art.  Icons follow a certain pattern and style different from other forms of sacred art. Icons paint the Gospel in color and light. 

The icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was painted in Crete. Carbon dating places the icon in a period around the second half of the 14th century.

This particular icon depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Lord, our God, who became a child.  Christ, “…emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, was born and came among us as a man (Philippians, 2:7). We are called by the Lord to become “partakers of the divine nature” and to truly share in the life of God the Holy Trinity (2 Peter, 1:4).  In extreme humility Christ our God came among us as man so we might share in His divinity as He shares in our humanity.

According to an ancient tradition, this type of icon was inspired by a painting no longer in existence which is said to have been painted by St Luke the Evangelist.  This style of icon is called “Hodegetria,” a Greek word which means ‘She who shows the Way’.  Mary always points us to Christ (John 2:5).

Why the falling sandal?

• What spiritual message does the icon convey?

Our Lady has her head slightly bent to the left and is looking at the viewer.  She is holding Christ with her left arm, Christ is holding His mother’s right hand with both His hands. The Child is looking upwards, and His right foot is unnaturally bent so we see the sole of His foot. The sandal on His foot is untied and is about to fall.

In the icon Christ has the features of a child. He is looking upwards, toward the Archangel Gabriel who is bearing the cross.  But also the Lord is looking beyond this spiritual creature to God, His Father in Heaven.  The Virgin Mary is presenting the Son of God to us while the Son of God is looking towards His Father. (Archangel Michael is also shown bearing the lance, John 19:34, and the sponge, John 19:29, the other instruments of the Lord's passion).

According to the Book of Ruth, by passing a sandal to another person a contract has been made between two people (Ruth 4:7–8).  The Child is allowing the sandal to fall down towards us; He is making a contract, in reality a covenant, with us: this contract is the New Covenant.

The Lord is also showing the sole of His foot. In ancient Semitic cultures and in iconography, to show the sole of one’s foot means to show one’s own nature.  In this case Christ is showing His human nature, yet without "losing" his divine nature.  The incarnate Christ is always perfect God and perfect man.

This gesture also has another meaning. To touch a patch of land one wanted to buy with the sole of one’s foot was the sign indicating that person had become its owner (Joshua 1:3).  Jesus, the God-Man, in becoming incarnate touches the earth.  By this act the Lord reclaims primacy over the earth and over all creation.  Christ restores humanity to the dignity of being children of God; He has claimed us for His God and Father.  (John, 1:12)

The task of the two archangels, who hold the instruments of the Passion, is not merely that of presenting these symbols to the Christ Child, but also to show to us the means by which Christ has redeemed and saved humanity.  He “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on the cross” (Philippians, 2:8).

Mary always leads to Jesus; she is inseparable from Him. This is evident, indeed obvious, in the design of sacred icon.  The icon reminds us that we should approach the Lord and His Mother with all the confidence of children and all the realism of adults, never forgetting what the Angel of the Annunciation proclaimed to Mary and to us: “For with God nothing shall be impossible”  (Luke, 1:37, Genesis, 18:14).

Mediation and Prayer; Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Mother of Perpetual Help, we come before your icon in praise and thanksgiving to God, seeking your intercession with Jesus, your son, for all the needs of our lives.  Pray with us and for us.

We celebrate your holy motherhood as we proclaim Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer.

You answered when called to be mother of our Lord.  Seek for us the grace to be alive to our baptismal call and especially to embrace the Gospel of life and to respect all life on earth.

You wondered as your Son grew in wisdom, knowledge and grace.
Intercede for us so that we may welcome the Word of God in our lives and be bearers of the good news to everyone.

You delighted as your Son healed the sick.
Intercede for our sick that they may receive good health and that they in their turn may be healers to others.

You enjoyed peace as your Son comforted the afflicted.
Intercede for all who suffer so that they may know we will carry their burdens with them and in this way we keep the law of Christ.

You rejoiced as your Son forgave sins.
Ask that we might be healed of our sins and lead us to unbind others and set them free.

You suffered at the wounds your Son endured for our salvation.
Help us to bind up the broken-hearted and to give hope to the downtrodden.

You exulted in your Son’s resurrection.
Ask Jesus for the grace to persevere in His way all the days of our life and be granted a place in heaven.

You are the first of all the disciples and saints. We trust in your motherly love and care.  Amen.