“BEFORE ABRAHAM... I AM!”
The
good Lord has just gifted me with something that I never planned and
imagined. Concurrent with the celebration of my 25th year as a priest in
April 2013, I had another chance to tour important places in Italy,
France, Spain and Portugal with 34 Filipino pilgrims. Though the journey
was dubbed essentially as a Marian Pilgrimage, the itinerary included
visits to picturesque churches, cathedrals and basilicas in Rome, Pisa,
Florence, Paris, Burgos, Madrid and Barcelona. It is a pity that we
simply had to go in — “gobble up” the various mosaics, stained glass
windows, paintings, and altar tableaus with our admiring eyes and high
resolution cameras. The artworks in
many of the churches are actually a source of rich theological and
spiritual insights. One, however, needs to settle down and contemplate
details, and note how these details are coordinated.
A very important character of the altar pieces is that they narrate,
illustrate and demonstrate to common people at a time when many could
not read: how Jesus’ incarnation, ministry and passion bring the
scattered events of the Old Testament to fulfillment and unity. For
instance, the birth of Jesus through Mary comes at the end of a long
line of mysterious births in the Bible, all made possible by divine
intervention. The attempted sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham is represented
as a pattern of Jesus’ sacrifice in Calvary to follow the Father’s
will. The saving Cross of Jesus is prefigured by Moses’ act of curing
rebellious
Israelites through the figure of a brazen serpent hanging from a pole.
The thesis is clear: The whole Bible, its many prophecies and events,
are all summed up in one word: “Jesus.”
Jesus, His earthly life and mission, launched the creativity of
artists, artisans and builders of various ages. Indeed, He is the “I
AM,” the Alpha and the Omega. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP
REFLECTION
QUESTIONS: How do you personally express your unique devotion to Jesus?
What mysteries and events in the earthly life of Jesus do you take as
motif for your own experiences in life?
Lord, help me to drink in the mystery of Your life and may it inspire me to follow You more closely and love You more dearly.
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