Lenten eMeditation - March 26, 2006 #26
I spent most of yesterday, Saturday, watching Joe and Ken hang the mural on the wall of our new office. Joe Ruhlman the master craftsmen hung the ten panels of the mural under the watchful eye of artist Ken Hosmer. Ken is one of the three artists who collaborated to create the mural. Ken insured the mural was hung just so. As the day unfolded the mural, which no one, including the artists had seen in its entirety took shape on our wall. After the last panel was hung we stepped back almost breathless as we gazed into the image before us, in many ways bigger than life.
The mural portrays key features of the Roman Catholic experience in Western Nebraska. The sacraments, the Platte River and most importantly the people of this diocese are the images in the mural just as they make up the heart of our Catholic life.
In my mind the mural captures and celebrates the best of the Catholic experience. The mural highlights and makes clearly visible for me who we are when we are at our very best. Sacraments bind us as Baptism and Eucharist frame the mural. And the Platte River ties the panels together like God's grace imbues our community with life and vitality.
In the same way our rituals enable us to communicate when words alone are so inadequate the mural communicates the experience my words only dimly reflect. The mural stands as testimony to why art has always been a key of Catholic Life. We know words alone are not enough and so we paint, sing, dance, sculpt, and ritualize. In the end all these activities simply point to the love and graciousness we experience from our God.
On this fourth Sunday of Lent I stand prepared to renew my Baptismal promises during the Easter Vigil our most profound ritual experience.
"Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!" (Ps 137: 6ab)