“The artist knew the Great Mother, the Goddesss, and the sympathetic face of God…It was „Where did you learn all this?”
“Well, I learned in the same way that this artist did: I accepted love from on high...Truth resides where there is faith I looked around again at the
interior of the church- the worn stones, fallen and replaced so many times. What had made human being so insistent? What had caused them to work
so hard at rebuilding this small temple in such a remote spot, hidden in the mountains? Faith Coelho, 1994: 78-79.
Pilar‟s lover tells his spiritual life experience through his learning of Virgin Mary. He says that he has the similar way the artist does. He realizes that what he
searching for is truth resides where there is faith. The location of the church they visit is in a remote area in the middle of mountain with old building and the
reason this place is still kept is a faith. Pilar‟s lover learns the important of total
surrender leads him to find the truth, the right decision and it is influenced by a faith.
3. The link between Mother Mary and the Divine
This part deals with the study of Marian tradition. Previously, the writer analyses on the veneration of Virgin Mary and reflecting total surrender from
Mother Mary as the model of faith. This third part discusses the link between Mother Mary and The Divine. It is raised based on the quotation from Pilar‟s
lover “She is the feminine side of God. She has her own divinity” Coelho, 1994: 59.
a. Pilar
The appearance of Mother Mary produces a phenomenon in Catholic Church which has strong mainlined of patriarchy. Therefore, people search for
female metaphor that has an image of The Divine and the person is Mother Mary.
In this analysis, Pilar is described as a nurturing and compassionate character. Pilar‟s characteristic leads her to have an intimate relationship with
God. It is shown in the quotation below. Thank you Lord… because I was a lost sheep, and you brought me back.
Because my life was dead, and you revived it. Because love wasn‟t alive in my heart, and you gave me back that gift Coelho, 1994: 160.
Pilar realizes that she finds her faith in God by learning from Mother Mary. Pilar learns the meaning of total surrender and she experiences Mother Mary who
shows her divinity in a special place where the history of a place is fully trusted. When Pilar‟s lover asks her to enter Lourdes, Pilar tries to feel the
atmosphere around the grotto and see many people pray there. Based on Johnson„s theory about places in nature become associated with Mary, the writer
reveals the process of assimilation between Mary and the female representation of God. There is a quotation below
We walked in silence through the rain until finally we reached the place where the visions of Mary had occured. It was exactly as I had imagined:
the grotto, the statue of Our Lady, and the fountain- protected by glass- where the miracle of the water had taken place. Some pilgrims were
praying; others were seated silently inside the grotto, their eyes closed. A river ran past the entrance, and the sound of the water made me feel at
peace. As soon as I saw the image, I said a quick prayer, asking the Virgin to help me- my heart needed no more suferring Coelho, 1994: 95.
The situation in the above quotation pictures the description of a place where the pilgrimage and the prayer venerate and pray to Mother Mary. That place is a
grotto which has spring and river. Based o n Johnson‟s theory, a place in nature is
associated with Mary. Here, Pilar says that she feel a peace when she enters the grotto. Pilar‟s feeling shows that she can venerate Mother Mary closer and more
intimate. Pilar reveals the divinity of Mother Mary from the place where grotto is associated with Mother Mary.
b. Pilar’s lover
