Every year right before Christmas, I seem to go searching for a picture of a pregnant Mary for one purpose or another (bulletin, blog post, etc.). And every year I am surprised that there is a great dearth of images ancient or modern depicting this holy time in Mary’s life. In 
fact, the simple line drawing to the left was the only thing I found this year. And while I love simple art like this (especially for black and white bulletins), I am always surprised that there are not more options. It seems in art, we go directly from the Annunciation to the Nativity. Do not pass pregnancy. Do not collect $200.
And every year this strikes me as sad. It seems to me the church has tried to hide the baby bump like to so many women in society have done.  But in so doing we do not properly honor the holy work of pregnancy.
Interestingly, there has been a recent fad of celebrities having pictures taken of themselves during pregnancy. Pregnancy is at least for a while seen in culture as beautiful. And while I am not sure the half nude photos of these celebrities need to be shared with the world, they at least do remind us that the holy work of pregnancy is to be marveled at with reverence. Even if the trend of pregnancy picture fades like most trends, hopefully the realization that pregnancy is to be celebrated and not hidden will stick around.
Pregnant woman are not fat. They are not a mess manifested in weird cravings. They are holy vessels for God’s creative life-giving work. We should honor them as such.
Most of all Mary. For in her womb, God not only crafts a baby, but gives salvation hands and feet and a beating heart. Artists, get to work. Memorialize this scared nine months in your medium. I look forward to seeing it.
At 8.5 months pregnant, I probably felt my least beautiful. Yes, creating life is a beautiful thing, and I have seen my share of glowing cute pregnant ladies. I can say with all honesty that I was not one of them. 😉 I don’t feel a need to be honored by society, because the real honor comes in seeing the two amazing children God ga…ve me the honor of birthing and raising.
Iif I had to guess, a real photograph of Mary a few days before the first Christmas wouldn’t have been so pretty either. It probably would’ve showed her with bloated ankles, a popped-out belly button, a slight double chin, poor posture and head-to-toe dust from their journey. She probably simultaneously smelled like donkey and radiated God’s beauty.
Jaime, I do not mean to sterilize pregnancy, just to honor it.