Evangelization through Art

Sacred Heart of Jesus

In this painting, the heart of Jesus is depicted as a burning furnace of Love. This great Love symbolized by a very bright light also indicates that God is the SOURCE OF LIGHT. Jesus' left hand is held over His heart as a shield that we may not be blinded by its brilliance and that we may not be intimidated by its beauty. As we gaze upon Him we almost hear:

Come to me all you who labor and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest. -Matt. 11:28

Transfiguration

At the Transfiguration the glory of God bursts forth through Jesus. In this painting, Jesus' eyes are lifted up to heaven because that is His usual stance when Scripture describes Him conversing with His Father. During this fleeting moment in time, Jesus is revealed in all his splendor. It is as if He can no longer "contain" his divinity. With this vision, Jesus prepares His witnesses, peter, James and John, for His death, resurrection and coming. (Mt 16:27-28)

Moses and Elijah, symbolized here by the burning bush and the flaming chariot, represent the two great longings within one's soul, namely, to know God and to be transfigured in the beatific vision one day. The burning bush is a symbol of the revelation of God's Holy Name to Moses, "I AM WHO AM." (Ex 3:14) The flaming chariot represents the Parousia when all the faithful will be reunited in the ETERNAL RADIANCE of the Godhead.

Ezekiel's Vision

"Above the firmament over their heads something like a throne could be seen, looking like sapphire. Upon it was seated, up above, one who had the appearance of a man. Upward from what resembled his waist I saw what gleamed like electrum; downward from what resembled his waist I saw what looked like fire; he was surrounded with splendor. Like the bow on a rainy day was the splendor that surrounded him. Such was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." Ez. 1: 26-28.

The vision of Jesus sitting on a throne with extended hands is an invitation for the viewer to sit and to speak with Him (Ez. 2:1) The electrum represents the Uncreated Energy of God, unfathomable and mysterious union of the Three in One. It bursts forth in all directions and ignites the disciple with the Fire brought to earth by Jesus, the Word of God. In this living dynamism, the disciple is not only consumed and transformed, but is also impelled to to proclaim the Word to all peoples and to give glory to God in all His splendor. This splendor is represented by the seven circles of rainbow hues around the

circle, the Heart of God. The bow is a reminder of God's covenant with humankind. "I will set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Gen. 3:13. Finally. our eyes bring us full circle to the "INNER SANCTUM", the inner circle representing the Holy of Holies. This inner circle assumes the dominating position of the all-inclusive CENTER in which the universe is gathered together.

Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd is one of he oldest symbols of God's love and fidelity.  It is found in the catacombs of Rome.

This painting depicts the care of the Shepherd for each person called by a unique name.  His caring tenderness is shown by the gesture of His right hand stroking the lamb's neck in order to calm his fears.  As he is cradled in the Shepherd's arms the lamb's countenance reflects total trust and the true peace of knowing that he will forever be protected from all harm.

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Mary receives light from God who is the Source of Light.  She is painted sideways to show that she is the receptor of light, but as the light of the Triune God enters her heart, it is broken into the seven colors of the rainbow as white light is broken when it enters a pure crystal.  (The rainbow formed by the radiance issuing from the heart of Mary is a traditional symbol of Christ.)

More than any other human person, Mary watched over her heart and held it in the light of Christ.  Her left hand indicates this vigilance and her right hand faithfully holds her heart up to the LIGHT that transforms it.

Her head is bent toward her left hand as someone who is totally intent on listening.  So, too, Mary was always attentive to the WORD OF GOD, to His Holy Will.  Because of this, she readily opens her hand in a gesture of service to all humankind a a generous response to LOVE.

Annunciation

At a very young age, Mary was introduced to the Word of God. As a true child of Israel, she was familiar with the fact that the cloud covering the meeting Tent indicated that the lord was present among His people:

Then the cloud covered the meeting tent and the glory of the Lord filled the dwelling. Ex. 48:34

In this painting, Mary is seated with a scroll representing the Word of God. In peaceful silence, her heart is listening in the gentle movement of the Spirit within her in total availability and interior freedom. She is unaware that she has been chosen to fulfill the prophecy that a virgin would bear a child. (Is. 7:14)

As the angel greets her, she is taken by surprise. Her conversation with the angel shows a maturity beyond her hears. As soon as she hears the angel assuring her that the holy Spirit would come upon her and that His mighty power would encircle her with His protection she utter her "yes." It is the word the prophets had longed to hear and one that would reverberate and transcend all times because, at that moment, the glory of God filled His new dwelling promised to His people and the Word of Life embraced humankind within Mary's womb. As the cloud came to rest upon the temple of Jerusalem at the time of its dedication (1 Kings 8:18), the power of the Most high came to rest on MARY, the new temple.

Through him all thing were made; he holds all creation together in himself.

Col. 1:17

 Holy Longing

              The dynamic movement of Christ’s resurrected élan from the Tau cross is symbolic of the Holy Longing within the still center of every human being. This Holy Aspiration is a result of Paradise lost. So is the travail of “all creation growing in labor pains even until now.” (Rom. 8)  Christ’s robe sweeping into the swirl of the galaxy portrays the plan of God to restore all things through Him in the fullness of time. (Eph. 1) His uplifted arms depict not only the timeless longing deep in the human spirit, but also the embracing gesture of Him Who holds all creation together in Himself.  The Darkness of space contrasts with the brilliance of the galaxy to signify Christ’s triumph over the darkness of evil through His death on the cross.  The brilliance of the galaxy shows the Light of His resurrection which brought hope to fallen humanity.  The Tau cross, mark of the chosen ones in Ezekiel and the Christians at Baptism, is a symbol of fidelity and hope.  The green color of the cross symbolized that hope invites us to focus our gaze on the Resurrected Lord.  Hope also immerses us into the unfathomable depths of the Paschal Mystery.  The transparency of the cross illustrates that the cross in our lives is the entrance into the dynamism of the creative transformation of Love.  Empowered by hope-filled longing, we await the coming of the Lord Who will open His arms to welcome us Home as     “DAY dawns and the MORNING STAR rises in our hearts.” (II Peter 1)

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