The Eyes of a Saint

What does true detachment look like?

Introduction

I have a portrait of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in my living room. In the beginning, I was puzzled by her eyes. They seemed so forlorn, lacking the energy and fortitude of the modern man.

Mary’s Eyes

At a period of my life, when I was suffering intensely, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and for a brief time, perceived Mary’s eyes in my own.

What was I feeling at that time? — Helpless, depressed and abandoned. But there was also good — God’s love was there; I had given up hope in my strength and wanted to submit entirely to God’s will.

It was then that I began to deepen my understanding of Mary’s eyes — her eyes were sad indeed. They were the eyes of a loving mother who was sad that her children were languishing in the pursuits of the world.

Mary’s gaze is also a transcendent gaze — one that trusts that God will gather all his children back in his time. It is a long-suffering gaze that shows full submission to the will of God.

Notably, self-preoccupation is absent in her gaze. It is as though she is completely unaware and unconcerned by the fact that she is being looked at. Her whole being is directed towards God.