On this Christmas icon, you can see an expression on the face of Mary of where it is mentioned elsewhere as the Mother of God of Tenderness. 

A poem by a Dutch poet that might give us hope in these dark times (own translation).

The tender forces

The tender forces will surely win in the end 

- I hear this as a deep whisper within me: 

if it were to remain silent, 

all light would dim, all warmth would stiffen within.

The powers that still surround love 

will gradually overcome it, 

then the great salvation can begin, 

which we can enjoy as our hearts listen attentively.

Love is the meaning of life on the planets, 

and men and animals. 

This is the certain knowledge : 

to perfect Love everything rises with it.

Henriette Roland Holst (1869-1952)

Antoinette