Is anyone worthy to unfasten the sandals of Christ?

I usually attend daily mass at 8AM at our neighborhood church, but I was running late this morning, so I decided to go to my old parish (St. Luke’s) at 8:30 instead.  In front of the altar was an icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  My mom had a similar, yet smaller, version hanging on one of the walls in our homes since I can remember.  She told me once that popular legends claim that the icon is a true copy of a painting that was painted by Saint Luke using the meal table of the Holy Family in Nazareth.  Mary is pictured holding the baby Jesus in her arms. One of His tiny feet is bare, while the other has a dangling sandal that has been unfastened but not quite removed from His little foot.  

She was specially prepared by God, through her immaculate conception, to be sinless, and therefore worthy to bear God's Son. Although she was without sin, at the same time, Mary was completely human. So, like any human mother, she cared for her little baby.  If anyone is worthy to unfasten the sandals of the feet of the Son of God, it is Mary, his mother.

Think about that! Mary put on and took off Jesus' little sandals. She probably unfastened them every day. God had prepared her to be worthy of that little task, and so many others.  She did all the things a mother does for her baby; Like preparing His meals, giving Him baths, changing His diapers, kissing His “boo-boos”, and tucking Him in at night.  Except this baby was God—The Son of God, as well as her own human son.

Meditating on Jesus' tiny sandal pictured with Our Lady of Perpetual Help and furthering our understanding of Mary is well worth doing.  Because when Mary's role is clear, Christ's role is clear also. Mary always points us to her Son.

And on this day that we commemorate the senseless loss of so many lives on that fateful day 18 years ago, she reminds us that through the sacrifice of her Son, there is perpetual help and hope for all of us.