I admit I do not fully understand this statement from Holy Scripture. However, when the Lord revealed to me that He was indeed physically present at Mass, that understanding so unsettled me that all my preconceived notions about God dissolved. Intellectually, I knew acquaintance with the Creator of the Universe exposes us to powerful effects. What I did not expect to discover was His loving kindness in such glorious generosity.
Never had I encountered such love.
I am not sure if my outward appearance or demeanor changed. But I was so internally energized by what I knew to be true I could no longer live as I had in the past. Much like my first encounter with Jesus many years earlier when I accepted His redemptive work for me on the cross, and I acknowledged Him as lord of my life – all my previous understanding of God passed away.
I’d thought I knew Jesus. I’d thought I knew my place in Him. But I’d thought wrong. What I wanted became as dross – not all at once, but with each day I changed more and more until I discovered my interests had changed. Christ was supreme and what He wanted was now what I wanted, and I wanted nothing else besides Him.
For years I had pursued the art world as a means of self gratification. I used my artistic skill to promote the personal goals of my vision, my insights, and my personal longing for recognition. But Christ’s love changed me in such a way that I only wanted to draw or paint about Jesus.
Previously, I failed to execute art work about Jesus because I could not communicate myself visually about this subject. Now I could not staunch the flow of ideas that expressed themselves in images about Messiah’s sacrificial love. I went from drawing pretty trees and misty landscapes to the bloody sacrificial wounds on his hands, feet, and side.
I have posted two art works below. The first one, completed in 2003, is an example of images I explored for many years. The second, completed in June 2006, demonstrates the new images that were an outflow of His Grace.
Forest Fantasy
Sacred Heart
The Holy Spirit has given me images that come as fresh innovations, and helped me create something I’d not, to this point in my life, been able to express – that being His wonderful love for humanity.
6 comments:
Your words and your art are beautiful, Nancy. I would love to see both pieces in person. -blessings, Meredith
A friend sent this via email and is allowing me to post it as a comment.
-Nan
I don't have Nancy's email. The post was beautiful!
I would like to offer a word of theological clarification.
Christ's presence in the Eucharist is termed "real" and hence St.
Ignatius of Antioch speaks of the "real flesh and blood" of our saviour in the Eucharist. St. Justin Martyr also. In modern terminology, we speak of the Sacramental presence of Christ in the Eucharist, which, while it is just as real and as present as the "physical" presence of
Christ, it is still not properly physical.
However, there is in our history, many cases of when Christ's
sacramental presence has become, miraculously, also physical; these are called the Eucharistic Miracles. Please pass on this link to Nancy: http://www.therealpresence.org/
eucharst/mir/engl_mir.htm . As you scroll down the list, some links are simply maps of where the miracles have taken place, but the further items are actual descriptions. There is much information about this. Of particular interest is the most recent approved miracles in India, in 2001, which I remember circulating the internet when I entered theology.
So, if Christ's presence in the Eucharist were always physical, then we would be able to see taste and touch flesh and blood. But the normal presence is sacramental, that is, through the sign or "form" or bread
and wine. But the underlying reality of what it is, its substance, has changed, hence transubstantiation.
For the great authority of St. Thomas Aquinas, please see:
http://www.theworkofgod.org
/devotns/Euchrist/Topics/summatheologica.htm
and
http://www.therealpresence.org/
eucharst/mir/english_pdf/
Thomasaquinas.pdf
I don't want to burst anyone's bubble. Many Catholics misunderstand this doctrine on this point of precise distinction, but it will help us to appreciate all the more those times and places when Christ more fully manifests himself to us in both signs(sacraments) and wonders (physical miracles).
There are many links to Eucharistic miracles, but here's a good source page.
http://biblia.com/jesusart/
eucharistic.htm
Also, caveat that the links are for the most part the works of various lay people, except the Real Presence.org site, which I think was startedby the Late Fr. Hardon, and seems to have images from the Vatican Sponsored event. And the links often have links to other things that start to verge into the Catholic Twilight Zone of unapproved or even condemned private revelations. People should always check the sources, but there are plenty of books and videos out there. I highly recommend the works by Joan Cruz and the videos of Bob and Penny Lord.
Pax
Thank you Nancy for the reply. I see now what you envisioned and that makes so much more sense than what I was 'seeing'. Our world is so material I can't seem to get past that.
You have a beautiful Spirit, and I look forward to following your story, and will pray for your Journey. I'll be watching your Sacred Images blog also.
The deleted comments do not in any way reflect on the comments posted or on the one who commented. I changed the images so the comments no longer made sense. Maryellen has made a valuable contribution to this blog and I appreciate that very much.
-Nan
Post a Comment