This illustration of Our Blessed Mother’s Heart comes from my time spent with Jesus and Mary praying the Novena of St. Bridget pondering the Wounds of Jesus in union with the Sorrows of Mary. A tapestry of prayer woven by God the Father and in reflection of His Work, this illustration is not merely a painting. It is a Prayer.
 
The sword designs and overall layout was made throughout the better part of Lent 2023. The positioning of the seven swords on the lower portion was inspired by my son Harrison who suggested that Mary’s Heavenly Heart was struck from the Earth below. The order of their arrangement from left to right, also inspired by Harrison, is not the chronological order her wounds occurred, but are instead grouped by the Virtues appointed to them. The three Theological Virtues of Charity, Hope, and Faith on the left accompanied by the four Cardinal Virtues of Temperance, Courage, Justice, and Prudence on the right and center. The Virtues, Gifts, and Sins I have assigned to each sword are only one way to arrange these elements, but I believe they represent Her story well in this manner.

The final design was drawn on canvas the week before Holy Week. The background watercolor was painted on Palm Sunday. The sword blades were painted Tuesday and their hilts on Holy Thursday. The heart, fire, blood and first step of the roses were put to canvas Good Friday. The roses were completed Holy Saturday. Easter was a day of Rest so no work was done. I figured I would be able to finish the prayer during the first week of Easter, but God had other plans. Instead of painting a pierced heart, my own heart was pierced by the loss of a friend, Lanae Clinton. It was a hard, but beautiful week because of the out pouring of Grace He gave my whole family and the increase of love in my own heart for so many others. Growing is painful, and family is built through pain and sacrifice. The crucifixion is the epitome of how family is made. It was after this, during the second week of Easter, that I was able to paint the rose leaves, stone gems, cross, and do the final inking and gold strokes to complete the prayer.
 
When I started painting this prayer, I did not know I was painting it for anyone specific, but as I completed it, I became aware that God had a purpose for it from the start. When one of the daughters of Lanae saw the final piece, she emphatically asked if she could have it. My answer was immediate because I already knew it had been made for her and her family.

A description and reflection of each sword is below. The swords are explained in the chronological order Mary received them, but it is also worth pondering them in the Spiritual arrangement of the painting from left to right. The interweaving of both arrangements create their own tapestry of prayer in which new patterns to reflect upon the Wounds of Christ and the Sorrows of Mary may Arise in our hearts.