Eve in Mary Reconciled as are we All – UPDATED

Eve and Mary by Sr. Grace Remington, O.C.S.O

A couple of years ago I wrote about This beautiful illustration and the poem “O Eve”:

A Trappistine nun, [the late Abbess] Columba Guare of Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey, who composed the texts for the Abbey’s Christmas cards, wrote this lovely poem, wherein the Virgin Mary addresses Eve with hope and gladness:

O Eve!
My mother, my daughter, life-giving Eve,
Do not be ashamed, do not grieve.
The former things have passed away,
Our God has brought us to a New Day.
See, I am with Child,
Through whom all will be reconciled.
O Eve! My sister, my friend,
We will rejoice together
Forever
Life without end.
— Sr. Columba Guare copyright© 2005 Sisters of the Mississippi Abbey

The poem reflects the crayon and colored-pencil drawing by another nun, Sr. Grace Remington, which you see above. It’s a marvelous image – a profound gift of a card.

If you read the whole post, you get the story of how the marvelous composer Frank LaRocca set that text to music for a choir, and you can hear it, here.

This Trappestine community is the one I refer to as Our Lady of the Incredible Candy. I just ordered a case of the good stuff, for my husband to give as gifts at work!

In an email, Frank LaRocca writes:

I learned of the return of [Sister Columba’s] cancer and her poor prognosis in April of 2009 when Sr. Columba responded to an e-mail I had sent her letting her know I had come back to the Catholic Church. I learned in that e-mail not only that was she seriously ill, but that she and her whole community had been praying for my return. She died in September 2009, barely two years after she and I first corresponded about the text of O Eve.

I wrote this Ave Maria as a gift of gratitude and comfort to Sr. Columba, but she died before I could get it recorded. If they can hear our music in heaven, I hope she’s pleased.

It’s very lovely. Enjoy!

UPDATED: Brad Miner with more on Catholic beauty — nice piece!