Passage I, is a 2015 piece by Candida Höfer. She photographs empty public spaces which become meditations on architecture. This is a part of a series of photographs of empty passage ways. The artist does not give any indication as to where this photo was taken.
Messiaen’s commentary on IV. Regard de la Vierge (Gaze of the Virgin):
“Innocence and tenderness … the woman of Purity, the woman of the Magnificat, the Virgin gazes at her child …
I wanted to express purity in music: there had to be a certain energy – and especially a great deal of innocence, and childlike tenderness.”
Where are the empty passages in our hearts? Were they once filled with something that built us up, or were they filled with something that weighted us down? Are there new spaces we’ve never known?
It is hard to imagine what bearing God’s Son was like for Mary. But with utter tenderness and purity, she responded to God’s call in her life. Without answers. Without feeling in control. Instead, she followed in what must have felt odd, strange, and disorienting. We can open our lives to God with the comfort that it will feel similar for us too. Our discomfort doesn’t mean we’re doing something wrong, but that we are truly allowing God to find new spaces in us that have not been made His yet.
Lord - we are unfinished. We have emptiness. But we can find fullness in You. Find new spaces in us that can be a home for Your love.
