The Madonna

"And if there is a Christ who must come, for whatever reason, to judge the quick and the dead, then let us hope and pray that he can be reminded that he is – as he has always been – his mother’s son."

Michelangelo’s Pietà Mary. Photo by Richard Wang on Unsplash

I cannot visit Italy without wandering into churches.

There is a transition at the doorway as the quiet strikes. Always, a subtle confusion on protocol, but definitely hat off, voice lowered, a flash decision on how deep into the church to wander. A look to the ceiling, an inventory of the off-hour faithful worshipping in pews, statues left and right, hymnals tucked into benches, the long-suffering candles, choir stalls of velvet or Lutheran hardwood.

Large or small, a church pumps the brakes on attention.

I’ve felt this elsewhere. To a lesser degree, I have this same pause walking into any setting prepared with deep care: a decorated stage of a theater, a grand university library, a manicured professional baseball field. Some settings demand respect whether you love the theater or books or sports or God, possibly because someone else believes in the domain so fervently. Faith like all deep passions should be treated with dign…