Some years ago, my late mother gave me a small statue of Our Lady of Torreciudad. She sits on top of the chest of drawers by my bed, in the corner of the room. And she turns her face to the wall.Or to be more accurate, perhaps, she turns her whole self to the wall. She does this gradually, over time, so I don't notice it happening, until suddenly, one day, I see that she's facing the wall (or nearly) and turn her back.
The explanation, of course, is simple and natural; the statue has come free of its base, and every time I shut one of the drawers, it shifts a little on its base, with the net result I have described.
But because I am a very simple soul (or a very profound one - you decide) I see meaning in such things. There's a line in CS Lewis somewhere (That Hideous Strength, I rather fancy) about Our Lord doing all things for all people.
And so I ask myself, why would Our Lady turn her face to the wall? And the answer, of course, is sin. So now I have developed the practice of only turning Our Lady back to face the room when I have been to confession: and when she turns to the wall, I know it's time to go again.
And that works pretty well...
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