Archives for November 2016

(Isaiah 7:14-17; Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7; Isaiah 11:1-9)

This picture along with the title Messianic Predictions gives the observer the popular view of the Messiah prior to and during the time of Jesus. The Messiah was predicted to be a great king and mighty warrior who would restore God’s people to their righteous place. As we look at this image let us focus on the different movements and pay attention to the way it moves from dark colors to bright and vibrant colors, expressing the Messiah’s predicted powers.

As some of us enter into this season of advent or preparation towards Christmas, this image reminds us that the Messiah comes into a busy and constantly moving world, a world made of different people coming from all different walks of life, people with different stories to tell. The busyness of this image could also represent our lives, especially during this season where our schedules may not allow us time to enter and be present in the moment. The colors moving from dark to light remind us of the hope which the Messiah brings. The Messiah comes to restore life to the darkness in world and in our lives.

At the bottom of this image is written Immanuel, or “God with us.” As we prepare ourselves to welcome the Messiah, let us be living predictions of the Messiah for others. Let us be more present and aware to others, especially those who seem to be forgotten or unwanted. It is through our being present with others in their darkness, that they can recognize the life to which they are called. It is through actions like this that one can recognize Immanuel. Once we can recognize that God is truly with us, we in turn can go forth bringing that same hope, that same love, and that same peace to those who cry out each night “Maranatha,” frequently translated as “Come, Lord!”

The “Messianic Predictions” illumination will be featured in a Visio Divina session on Wednesday, November 30, at 12:45 p.m. in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. This Advent prayer opportunity is sponsored by Campus Ministry and the Garaventa Center.

This commentary was contributed by James Gumataotao, a senior Theology major and a member of the Library’s Research Desk team.

The typical images associated with this parable are the dry and rocky soil, the soil with weeds, and the good soil; in this illumination artist Aidan Hart draws our attention to the head of the sower and clothes which he wears. The clothes worn by the sower are not the clothes of a middle aged male Jew living in Nazareth, nor are they the typical contemporary outfit for a person scattering seed. The clothes are ones we can identify, maybe even wear.

Because we can identify with the sower, it is safe to assume that this illumination is calling us to take on this role. Believers have received the Word of God, and many have also partaken in the banquet of Christ’s body and blood. Christ has sown his word and nourished his flock, and like the good soil they must become a place for these seeds to grow. How to help the seeds grow? By going forth to become God’s word in the dark and broken world. Going forward and being nourishment for others by becoming the hands and feet of Christ through our words and actions. All of us, believers and non-believers, can be like Christ and walk and stand on the same soil to sow the seed, standing with those for whom the soil or hard concrete has become their bed or the only source of income they receive. Christ must be our inspiration and model. Instead of thinking that helping others is stooping to their level, we can take inspiration from Christ who lived with, served, and listened to the cry of the marginalized in his society. Christ’s mindset leads us to truly encounter and interact with the lives we so often neglect. The image displayed today echoes a unique call to believers in any tradition.

This commentary was contributed by James Gumataotao, a senior Theology major and a member of the Library’s Research Desk team.

Essential to everyone — any Christian, any believer, any non-believer — is community. In a community one finds support and strength through participation in a group. The Saint John’s Bible provides this rich depiction of Life in Community. Let’s focus on two main aspects; Mary, mother of Jesus, who is seen in the center; and a table that is set. One can assume that the main message of this picture is that the church is made of all types of people. While this statement is true, there is more to the message. We see the people seated at one table, this is a call for us to invite everyone, including those who are on the margins of our society, to one community.

Let us sit and break bread with those who Jesus served. This cannot be accomplished if people are left outside the banquet hall begging for their next meal. This image invokes the call to work towards a society in which the poor and marginalized become our sisters and brothers. A call to build community where all life is supported and accepted, in a space where all of creation can live in solidarity with one another. Mary seated in the center reminds us of the call and our duty to answer it. Through her fiat at the annunciation, she invites us to also to lay our life down so that others may have life. Her example is a reminder that believers need humility and openness to God’s will. The first step to building this community is in complete acceptance and openness to Providence. Let us accept that call to break down the walls of inequality and inequity, inviting and allowing everyone to share in this feast.

This commentary was contributed by James Gumataotao, a senior Theology major and a member of the Library’s Research Desk team.