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| Michelangelo's Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica |
How do you "read" a church when you walk in?
Are your eyes drawn first to the altar and the sanctuary, or to the stained glass windows? Are you more of a statue or a painting kind of person? Do you have favorite symbols or saints whose presence lifts your heart? (One of my nephews is a great fan of St. Bonaventure, and he feels awfully close to Heaven every time he gets to see his old friend!)
We live during an age in which most people are visual learners. So we should take the opportunity to explore the visible symbols in our local churches, in order to allow ourselves to be drawn closer to the invisible realities represented. We should strive to develop the spiritual eyesight which is so necessary for Christian discipleship. And we should look for opportunities to explore the meaning behind such rich signs.
Many representations of saints depict them holding the instrument associated with their death (if they were martyrs), or with some great insight or pivotal moment from their life. So who's the guy with the grill, or the young man holding the rocks? With google images now at our finger tips, it's possible to discover answers to such riddles with relative ease. (These two examples come from the widows in the chapel of the Diocese of Joliet's Blanchette Catholic Center, by the way, and the searches proved them to be St. Lawrence and St. Stephen, respectively.)
How about the tabernacle which holds the Blessed Sacrament or the mysterious and pivotal presence of the altar, which signifies Christ? Every church is a treasure trove of real signs which help make present the realities that they represent.
So, the next time you head into a new church, see what kinds of connections you can make. For example: Is the church cruciform? What about the placement of holy water and the baptismal font?What symbols of the Blessed Trinity are present? How is the great story of Salvation History visibly represented?
Many representations of saints depict them holding the instrument associated with their death (if they were martyrs), or with some great insight or pivotal moment from their life. So who's the guy with the grill, or the young man holding the rocks? With google images now at our finger tips, it's possible to discover answers to such riddles with relative ease. (These two examples come from the widows in the chapel of the Diocese of Joliet's Blanchette Catholic Center, by the way, and the searches proved them to be St. Lawrence and St. Stephen, respectively.)
How about the tabernacle which holds the Blessed Sacrament or the mysterious and pivotal presence of the altar, which signifies Christ? Every church is a treasure trove of real signs which help make present the realities that they represent.
So, the next time you head into a new church, see what kinds of connections you can make. For example: Is the church cruciform? What about the placement of holy water and the baptismal font?What symbols of the Blessed Trinity are present? How is the great story of Salvation History visibly represented?
Our churches are heavenly treasure chests in which the Lord himself is especially able to inspire moments of insight and inspiration, in order to send us into the world as talking tabernacles of his love.
Peace and God bless,
David
