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Page 4 • Faith Today
ON PILGRIMAGE
“The love of God is
so great that it goes
beyond the limits of
human language, beyond
the grasp of artistic ex
pression, beyond human
understanding. And yet, it
is concretely embodied in
God's Son, Jesus Christ, and
in his body, the church.”
(Pope John Paul II speaking to
the sick and elderly in San Fran
cisco, September 1987)
Faith is given voice in many
ways.
Preachers and teachers, artists,
servants of the poor and people at
prayer all have their manner of
expressing faith. Their words,
works and actions are “lan
guages” of faith.
The story of faith is too full
ever to be told completely in a
human language once and for all.
So different people with different
talents try yet again to give it
expression.
It is the artist’s gift to see from
a unique perspective. A combina
tion of insight and craftsmanship
enable the artist to “speak” in a
fresh way.
So it has been part of the ar
tist’s role in the church to tell the
story of faith from the point of
view of one who recognizes the
inner meaning of events and the
special spark that gave life to
the great figures of salvation
history.
It is the artist’s gift, also, to ad
dress the spirit within people —
to address the whole person. The
artist’s native language may not
take the form of words or the
progressive development of logical
thoughts meant to explain or per
suade. But the artist speaks in
convincing terms nonetheless.
Today this aspect of the artist’s
gift is often employed for the
design of places of worship in
which the very environment
draws out the spirit within peo
ple, while also serving to make
them aware that they are a people
of God.
Language is a human power. It
has the power to form links
among people. It enables people
to share together in faith.
Language helps to bring each in
dividual out of isolation into the
community — the one who speaks
and the one who is addressed.
Through their expressions of faith
in human terms, people touch
each other, providing each other
with credible signs of faith's
power to give meaning to life.
It is natural for faith to be given
expression through the many and
varying talents of the church’s
people. For faith is a dynamic
force in life, not an abstract
concept.
Whether the “language” in
question takes the form of words,
actions on behalf of others,
prayer, fasting or a work of art, it
is a sign — a sign of faith that is
alive and that is being given its
full place in this human world.
CHILDREN S pjj\CE
Letting ’the angel come out'
By Janaan Manternach
NC News Service
O ne day a famous artist
named Michelangelo
was pushing a huge
stone down a street. A
woman watched him
curiously as she sat in a rocking
chair on her porch. “Why are you
working so hard to move that old
rock?” she asked.
Without stopping, the artist
answered, "Because there’s an
angel in that rock who wants to
come out.”
Whether this old story is true or
not, no one knows. But it tells a
lot about Michelangelo Buonarroti,
one of the greatest artists of all
time.
Michelangelo wanted to be an
artist as far back as he could
remember. His father thought
Michelangelo should become a
businessman.
But young Michelangelo did not
give up. When he was 13 his
father agreed to let him study art.
It opened up an exciting new
world to him. A year or two later,
Michelangelo began listening to
the sermons of a famous preacher
whose words made a lasting im
pression on him.
Michelangelo began to see his
art as an expression of his
Catholic faith. He believed that his
task was to create such beautiful
works of art that people who saw
them would be moved to pray
and to live good lives. He felt he
could only do that if his art grew
out of his own good life and his
own prayer. So he prayed with
his paint brushes and chisels as
well as his words.
People soon recognized
Michelangelo’s genius. He was
able to look at a rock and see in
side it an angel he could make
visible. His sculpture and his pain
tings were unusually beautiful. So
too were his poems.
In 1505 Pope Julius II invited
Michelangelo to create works of
art for the church. This was the
beginning of 60 years of creative
work done for the popes.
Michelangelo did not always
find it easy to work for them. But
during those years he created
some of the world’s most well
loved art. For four years he
labored over the awesome paint
ings on the ceiling of the
Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. Among
other Bible stories, they show
God creating the world and the
coming of Jesus Christ.
More than 30 years later the ar
tist finished painting the Sistine
Chapel with an overpowering
work showing the Last Judgment.
Michelangelo also created great
statues of Jesus, David and Mary.
One, often called The Pieta,
shows Mary holding the dead
body of her son. It is in the
world’s largest church, St. Peter’s
Basilica in Rome. Michelangelo
was that church’s major designer.
Few artists have touched the
hearts of more people than
Michelangelo. Through the beauty
of his art he has helped people
discover God in the people and
things around them, even in a big
old rock.
(Ms. Manternach is the author
of catechetical works, scripture
stories and original stories for
children.)
You’re
the
artist!
Michelangelo was
a great artist.
Following his ex
ample, use your
crayons to re
create a scene
from the Bible.
Or, using model
ing clay, make a
model of a bib
lical person. Show
your work of art
to someone when
it is completed
and tell the bib
lical story behind
it.
From the bookshelf
In A Child’s Guide to Looking at Paintings, authors Frances Ken-
net, Terry Measham and Malcolm Livingston write: “Paintings are
like people. They can speak to you, make you feel happy, angry,
shocked or calm. They might startle or impress you, make you
laugh or cry. They help you see places you may never visit, meet
famous people in history, make up scenes and stories in your im
agination.” The book is a tool for helping you to see what is in
a painting. The book helps you to discover the language of art.
(Marshall Cavendish Limited, 58 Old Compton St., London
W1V5PA. 1981.)