Answer:
If Mary was shown in her 50s would be an old, weak lady in pain, an image of a simple woman who has lost her son. Young Mary shows the grace and beauty of faith.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Michelangelo’s statue Pieta, Mary seems inappropriately young to be the mother of Christ, a man in his 30s. Michelangelo explained this by saying chaste women stay young for longer.
But what is also important is that Mary, youthful as shown, is in her prime age, powerful, and full of life. If she was described as an old lady, she would portray the sorrow of the mother losing her child, the tragedy. Young Mary, however, shows the strength of women who gave birth to God, as well as the strength of Christianity. Despite her losses and pains, Mary is holding Jesus while looking graceful and proud.
The message of Mary being young is different. It does not merely show the pain of the loss, the old, hurt woman who is weak and broken. That picture could bring the idea of Christianity being irreversibly crushed. Young Mary shows the grace of Christianity even in the trying times.