Mary is always depicted wearing four colors: white, red, blue, and gold.
Our Blessed Mother is many things and we use colors to depict that. She is the cause of our joy, seat of wisdom, and mirror of justice. Furthermore, Mary is the Queen of Angels, Morning Star, Mother Most Chaste, the Virgin Most Faithful. While many religions see her as a surrogate utilized to birth Jesus, Catholics recognize who she is. She is not only virgin, mother, mantel, but most importantly, our queen.
Virgin Most Faithful: White.
When Mary is depicted wearing white, it symbolizes her virginal purity. Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. She was untouched by man, but bore a son. Her pregnancy was completely divine. God selected Mary from her own conception (the Immaculate Conception) to be the purest temple for Christ.
Mother Most Chaste: Red.
In Jewish culture, pregnant mothers wore red. When Mary is depicted wearing crimson colors, she is likely shown as she was during her pregnancy.
Mary cannot be reduced to a surrogate. She was completely aware of the vocation God bestowed upon her. Mary accepted the responsibility of bearing Christ at the Annunciation. Nothing was forced upon her and furthermore God did not “use” her. Mary raised Christ from birth to adulthood, and is present many times in the Gospel to show their ongoing relationship. Christ declares Mary the Mother of the faithful at His crucifixion. Therefore, she was not a passive tool who birthed the savior and then left. Mary was His mother, biologically and practically.
Morning Star: Blue.
Mary is known as the Morning Star and the mantel of the world. Mary is often shown wearing blue to symbolize the sky encompassing the whole world. The cloak of Mary covers every living thing on God’s earth.
For example, an exorcist was once able to interrogate a demon, who told him the most terrifying sound was the Hail Mary. Thus, Our Lady’s name is powerful enough to stun demons. Her shroud covers the earth, and she reaches every soul in it. If you look at the image of the Miraculous Medal, you’ll see rays of sun in Mary’s outstretched hands. As a result, her graces pour over the earth, if we ask for them.
Queen of Angels: Gold.
When Mary is shown wearing gold, she often dons a crown of stars as well. If God is a King, then Mary is His Queen. In Michaelangelo’s terrifying image of The Last Judgment, Mary sits at Christ’s side interceding for the souls of the departed. She is the Queen of Heaven and Earth, the only soul that retains a body alongside Christ in Heaven. Hence, gold marks her as queen, a queen that will steady the wrathful hand of God at the end of time.
