Art makes the Word visible!Just as Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, makes God visible, so too the Art of Man, sub-created after God's example, makes the Beauty of God visible. (Incarnation--Icon--Art!)
Here we see the Word of God carved in wood and expressing the reality of the invisible!
The Ambo at St James Cathedral in Seattle beautifully shows forth the metaphor in today's first reading from Isaiah--the eloquent carving by Randall Rosenthal places Isaiah's metaphor on the very pulpit from which the spoken Word and Preaching goes forth:
"Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seen to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it."
We see this in action, as Timothy Ratcliffe OP preaches from this ambo and the people of St James Cathedral listen. How do we listen to the Word of God? How do we take it in deeply? How do we let it grow in our lives?
2 comments:
I possess privileged inside information regarding the substance of this brief commentary about Sunday's scripture, so I will limit my remarks to hmmm...
How, indeed, do we listen to the Word of God? The imagery from the Parable of the Sower answers this question exquisitely: with "good ground." Though, we can't really begin to till healthy soil when the preaching is inadequate, which is sadly the reality in many Catholic churches. If we are mandated to listen to mediocre ramblings that have nothing to do with scripture, why not attempt to compose our own reflection? Perhaps doing so will counterbalance the effects of boredom, or at the very least occupies the void in liturgical time when the homily is supposed to exhort the hearer to act in some particular, hopefully holy, manner. Hmmm...
Fr. Daniel gave a great homily at Blessed Sacrament today. It appears that the Order of Preachers still have some heat in their flames.
Nice reflections, Perry...
Well, yes, we've all composed our own reflections during an otherwise horrific homily . . .but we should also work hard to improve Catholic priests' preaching . . .not least by praying for them, but then perhaps by offering examples in our own teaching.
By the way, Fr Timothy Ratcliffe's sermons for the Tre Ore on Good Friday were simply wonderful . . .exciting, demanding, evocative, and moving! No wonder they are called the Order of Preachers!
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