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                                              Intro Mary Garden

    
Knock Heavenly Tableau and Earthly Mary Garden

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              Sculpture of the Heavenly Tableau


John S. Stokes Jr.

Knock Shrine Annual, 1984


     "Our Lady's Psalter" of one hundred fifty Aves prayed in
Mary's praise was renamed the "Rosary" when those with spiritual
vision observed emerging from the lips of devotees praying it
subtle rose pneums for each Ave, which Mary received in her hands
and positioned on her head as a crown (cf. Catholic Encyclopedia,
1912).

     With the subsquent development of the Rosary to include
meditation on fifteen Mysteries of Mary's life as holy Mother, in
intimate union and close cooperation with her Divine Son in his
saving ministry and sacrifice - "that we may imitate what they
contain and obtain what they promise" - the Paters and Aves were
prayed to Mary as Meditrix of all graces for her divine petitions,
intercession and mediation on behalf of spiritual intentions.

     The silent appearance at Knock on August 21, 1879 of the
heavenly vision or tableau of Mary, with St. Joseph and St. John,
standing before the altar of the Lamb - from which circulating
angels bore the spiritual offerings of the Lamb upwards to the
interior of the Trinity and returned with the bestowed divine
grace, light, wisdom and power - has been seen as a visual
representation of Mary's mediation of all graces.

     In this, Mary, Meditrix, stands with her hands positioned
much as those of priests at the altar of the Mass, augmenting,
embellishing and shaping the prayers rising from earth; channeling
them into union with the universal offering and petition of the
Lamb of God to the Father for all humanity; and channeling back
down to earth the bestowed heavenly blessings.

     The Mary Garden of symbolical Flowers of Our Lady planted at
the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at Knock in 1983 likewise gives
silent visual representation of the Mysteries of the Rosary, and,
through its roses, of the prayers which rise from the lips of those
praying their Paters and Aves while mediating on these Mysteries.

     Together, then, the sculptured representation, in the now
enclosed gable of the Knock Church, of the heavenly tableau of
Mary's appearance, and the Mary Garden of earthly roses and flower
symbols of the Rosary Mysteries represent for our reflection both
our earthly praying of the Rosary and the heavenly mediation by
Mary of our Rosary prayers and of the divine responses to their
praises and petitions.

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                 One of Eight Mary Garden Beds


     As we visit the garden of Our Lady at Knock, lists of the
plants, and markers giving their symbolical names enable us to
experience first hand their centuries-old quickening of devotion
to Our Lady

     While the symbolism of each individual flower species has its
own special impact, the Mary Garden as whole is always to be
viewed as symbolizing the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.

     Thus, the upwards facing trumpet of the Madonna or
Annunciation Lily symbolizes the pure, humble, baptismal opening
of ourselves to the grace and spirit of the Annunciation; and the
blowing of the thistle seed in the wind symbolizes, for our graced
emulation, the graceful steps taken by Mary, with Our Lady's
Slippers on her feet, in the Visitation.

     The golden radiance of Our Lady's Bedstraw and the burgeoning
of the Christmas Rose symbolize the mystical descent of heavenly
glory, and the birth of the Christ Child within, us as we
celebrate the Nativity.  The light of Our Lady's Candles, and
whiteness of Candmas Bells, symbolize our purification, and
illumination by the Light to the Gentiles as we meditate on the
Presentation.  The descent and incarnation of the Divine Wisdom,
as manifested at the Finding of Jesus in the Temple teaching the
Elders, is symbolized by the Rod of Jesse, on whose flower the
Spirit of God comes to rest, and also by the Rose of Jericho and
Fair Olive Tree of Wisdom taking root in an honourable people

     The numerous Flowers of the Passion symbolize Christ's bloody
sweat of the Agony in the Garden; the lash, the Scourging at the
Pillar; the reed and crown of thorns, the Mocking of Christ; the
Carrying of the Cross; and the Crucifixion - through which we are
ascetically to mortify our Will, bodily desires and intellect, and
to embrace the carrying of our crosses, that through our own
mystical crucifixion, our soul, in union with the piercing of
Mary's soul with the Sword of Sorrows, may be freed to extend
heavenward with Christ as he commends his spirit into his Father's
hands.

     Finally, the many flower symbols of the glorious
Resurrection, Ascension, Descent of the Holy Spirit, Assumption
and Coronation quicken us to strive that our spiritual heart, mind
and strength may be liberated and purified to rise mystically with
our souls that they may be filled with grace, light, word and
power, as we promote instrumentally, with Mary, God's work of
Conversion, Kingdom, Renewal and Salvation on earth

Reprinted with permission

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