What I will try to focus on in this entry is that fact that we have SEEN God. God, throughout the Old Testament period, revealed Himself in various ways to the people of Israel. One way in which he did this is by revealing His holy name, which out of respect for our Jewish brothers and sisters we do not use in the Liturgy. The Hebrews believed that knowing a person's name was a very intimate way of knowing someone, it revealed to the knower an intimate part of the person. For God to draw close to his people in this way was a new and shocking thing.
After several covenants and several failures on the part of man to uphold his end of the agreement, God chose to reveal Himself in an even more shocking way. God the Father, sent his Son Jesus Christ in human form. In Christ, we have seen God! We truly can never be the same.
In both instances, God revealed himself to man by appealing to man's senses. The Israelites heard God's name and with the coming of Christ, men have seen God. We are bodily creatures and we come to know things through the body. This is explained by E. Schillebeeckx in his book Christ the Sacrament of the Encounter with God as follows:
"Because God loves man and has a sovereign respect for our earthbound humanity -for our reality as persons who in their own bodiliness live in a world of people and of things, and thereby grow to spiritual maturity - God always offers us the kingdom of heaven in an earthly guise. So he did in the Old Testament. So it was in the ephapax: the appearance once and for all of God the Redeemer in human shape. So, too, finally, does he continue to teach us in the sacramental Church which is the visible organ on earth of the living Lord."
We experience God through the senses, and we are also engaged through the senses. This is why the Church uses beautiful music, incense, candles, flowers, beautiful church buildings, etc.
As I said earlier, I want to focus on sight (having trouble so far, but stay with me!). One day this past week I got out of class early and decided to fulfill one of my formation goals by making a holy hour in one of the churches in the city. As it is my favorite church and I wanted to say prayers at a certain statue housed there, I decided to make my way over to the Basilica of St. Augustine. As I sat before the tabernacle I took a moment to examine the paintings on the walls and ceiling. I had never noticed two of them before, both of which depicted Mass being celebrated. In the picture above, notice how there is a beam of light coming from the Cross (from which all the sacraments derive their power) through the host being elevated after it has been consecrated (transformed from ordinary bread into the body of Christ) and to the people attending Mass. It shows the efficacy of the sacrament, i.e. it shows that we receive grace from the sacrament. In the picture to the left you see the priest celebrating Mass and as he prays the words of consecration, in the background, angels are lifting people to heaven. When I saw this, I was reminded of the IV Dialogue of Gregory the Great in which he recalls many pious events, one of which was the confirmation that loved ones had passed form purgatory to heaven after Mass had been celebrated for their intention (The IV Dialogue is a great and easy read for anyone who is interested!).
Why do I bring up these paintings? Because they moved me during my holy hour. They reminded me of the power of the Mass and of the closeness of our God. We can still see him anytime we go to Mass or adoration. True, we can see God anywhere if we are open to his providence, but we can really, physically see him under the appearance of bread and wine. Beautiful pieces of art, such as these two, along with all of the other things the Church utilizes (some were mentioned earlier) help us to enter into the mystery of the Trinity, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Lastly, I will leave you with a verse from Scripture I came upon last night during my holy hour. It comes from the Gospel of St. Matthew 6:22-23. “The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be." In a world that is filled with so many negative images, on TV, in movies, and in just about every advertisement around, this passage should strike a chord in us. With what are we filling ourselves through the lamp of our body? Are we constantly taking in things that lead us into darkness or do we take time to admire beautiful things that can lead us to contemplate the One True God?
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