Once Jesus was helpless. The Savior and King himself-if you believe in what Christian followers attest to be true-was utterly dependent on Mary. Helplessness. The six puppies that now nurse on our dachshund, Emma, are pretty helpless at this point. They are six days old. Since their eyes haven't yet opened I've felt it my duty to make sure each has his or her own access to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Emma's a small dog so five can fit on one side but there's always one left crying because it can't get a seat at the table.

I'm sure these pups can manage but nursing my worry I make sure the crying stops by helping the blind pups latch on. In the wild, a few would be lucky to survive but since they are here with us, I assist. I'm not a mother so I can only imagine what it must be like to have an infant depend on you for his/her every need. Just like Jesus and the Madonna. In all his infinite power whether it was turning water into wine, healing the sick or saving lost souls, he too was powerless in his mother's care.

Italy is a place where Jesus' impression on humanity is alive in the art world. This July, I was able to call Urbino, Italy home for one month. If not for an internship, I do not believe I would have ever found myself in this walled city. Hidden among the Appennini mountains on the central eastern side of Italia, Urbino is commonly unknown to tourists. High walls encompass Urbino proper. These walls have witnessed hundreds of years of generations pass on its city's namesake.



Rich is Urbino's history. Urbino boasts well known citizens including artist, Raphael. He is celebrated throughout the town and visitors can tour his childhood home which displays Raphael's father's work Annunciation. Raphael's father, Giovanni Santi, was a painter and a poet. Other famous works can be found in this small town including the Last Supper by Federico Barocci located in Urbino's main church. Here, I interviewed the local bishop to inquire about Urbino's patron saint, San Crescentino. The bishop has edited and written many books and now he was telling me about his current endeavor.

I cannot describe the pain I put my tongue through in order to stop cracking a smile or full out bursting into laughter when the bishop began handing over colored 8x10 prints of the Madonna's breast. What made it harder was a translator was helping me understand what the bishop was explaining so as I waited for the interpretation I could not help imagining my own dialogue. A man who vowed celibacy was pointing to Mary's breasts and telling me through the translator that his book would discuss all the images of the Madonna nursing Jesus. "See in this one, Jesus is distracted." The bishop was referring to a scene where Jesus' attention is diverted from feeding time. As John the Baptist plays alongside Mary, he holds Jesus' gaze and has halted his meal.

The bishop of 60-something led me around his office showing photos where he posed alongside Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict. A serious man but quick to break into a warm smile, I could only wonder how he stumbled upon this idea to write a book about such a quirky subject. Many images of the Madonna nursing exist. Perhaps artists were working to reveal the venerability of Christ that is often not preached about on Sundays.

All in all, I carried home 12 images of Mary nursing. Some show the full breast while others are more modest. The art world in recreating what it imagined Jesus' first days to be like in turn reminds that Jesus too was once helpless.

Below is a more modest image.