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Since we just posted a new sticker (and might be planning on a print, too!), I wanted this reflection to focus on the symbolism and some of my thoughts on this piece.
To start with the basics, each element represents the members of the Holy Family of Nazareth: the thorns represent Christ and His Passion; a rose for Our Lady; and a white lily for the Foster Father of Our Lord. The three are intertwined here, just as their lives were intertwined in their lives on Earth.
The crown of thorns at the base of the image is...well, pretty straightforward. The thorns are a classic symbol for Christ's suffering and death, not only a representation of His many wounds and pains, but a direct reference to His literal crown of thorns. These thorns form the base of the Holy Family; in all things, we stand on Christ. He is the cornerstone that the builders rejected, the foundation of our Church. The thorns also form a circle around the image, for Christ encompasses us all, embraces us all, loves us all.
Roses are often used as symbols for or gifts to Our Lady, Mary the Virgin Mother of God. Like her Son, Mary suffered; not in the same way, of course, but at least in the pain of seeing Her Son tortured and killed for the salvation of souls. Her own suffering is seen in the thorns of the rose, a share in Her Son's, prophesied by Simeon: "and a sword will pierce your own soul, too." The rose painted here grows out of the crown of thorns: as mother and son, Our Lord and Lady are literally inseparable - one cannot be without the other (at least not in their earthly lives). I think that there's also some importance in the color of the rose, although I didn't think of it until writing this...red roses are given as a symbol of romantic love.
And as strange as it feels to think of this in our Mary-centered Catholic faith...Our Lady certainly had a tender, romantic love for Her Most Chaste Spouse. St. Joseph, the white lily, was chaste. He and his spouse had a "Josephite Marriage" (i.e. a chaste/virgin marriage), but one of the ideas explored in the Consecration to St. Joseph was that they were still married. St. Joseph was everything to Mother Mary that a husband is to his wife. When she was afraid or hurt, he comforted her. When she pondered the suffering that Her Son would one day experience, I can't imagine that she wouldn't have cried and that St. Joseph wouldn't have held her close and shared those tears. He may not have been united to Mary and Joseph by blood (note: the lily is not connected), but he was wound up in all of the sufferings and joys of that Holy Family.
In the original artwork, the text at the top reads "Esse in amplexu volo", which was a sort of family motto for the patron who commissioned the artwork. Literally, it means "I want to be in the embrace/hug". This whole image isn't just a representation of the Holy Family of Nazareth. It represents their love for each other, their interconnectedness, and those warm, tender embraces that they would have shared - and I don't know about you, but I want to be a part of that.
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