Filling the Gap…
The Sistine chapel is part of the residence of the pope and it contains some of the most famous paintings in the world including the Last Judgment and the Creation of Adam by Michelangelo. It is also the chapel where the conclave of the College of Cardinals takes place to elect a new pope. When I was thinking about an idea to write in the blog on the season of Advent and Christmas Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam came to my mind.
In Genesis 1: 27 we read: “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.” Fathers of the Church say that when God was about to create man he looked at his own Son and then created man. That means the original image of man was that of God’s Son. In Michelangelo’s picture, God is wrapped in a swirling cloak and Adam is painted naked. God’s right arm is outstretched to impart the breath of life into that of Adam. It is evident from the picture that the fingers of God and man are not touched. Various interpretations have been given to this picture. Some say that the gap has been created by the sin of Adam. But it has been filled by Christ through his death and resurrection. Christ reconnects us with God the Father.
The Jews believe that Jerusalem is the center of the world and the temple is the meeting place of heaven and earth. The liturgical celebration happening in the temple is an image of what is going on in heaven. In our Christian understanding Jesus unites heaven and earth. Heaven and earth ‘overlaps’ and ‘interlocks’ in Christ. According to the interpretation of the Fathers of the Church, by his Incarnation Christ brought heaven to earth and by his death and resurrection he elevated earth to heaven. Our celebrations, especially the celebration of the Sacrament of Eucharist, unite us with God as it prefigures heavenly life.
In Will Durant’s famous book Caesar and Christ, he explains that Caesar was the ruler of the world as the Roman Emperor and Christ in his earthly life was mostly unknown except for a few in Palestine. But in a certain moment in history Caesar and Christ met together and ever since Caesar began to decrease and Christ began to increase. Now Caesar is decorating a few pages in history books and Christ still rules. He is not ruling with any military power but by giving his own life for us, unlike all other worldly kings. Knowingly or unknowingly everything is related to Christ. Christ is the center of creation, human history and of all lives. My birthday is related to Christ’s birth day just as Abraham’s birth is also connected to Christ’s birth.
In Will Durant’s famous book Caesar and Christ, he explains that Caesar was the ruler of the world as the Roman Emperor and Christ in his earthly life was mostly unknown except for a few in Palestine. But in a certain moment in history Caesar and Christ met together and ever since Caesar began to decrease and Christ began to increase. Now Caesar is decorating a few pages in history books and Christ still rules. He is not ruling with any military power but by giving his own life for us, unlike all other worldly kings. Knowingly or unknowingly everything is related to Christ. Christ is the center of creation, human history and of all lives. My birthday is related to Christ’s birth day just as Abraham’s birth is also connected to Christ’s birth.
Pope Benedict XVI in his book Jesus of Nazareth says that there is a deeper meaning for the word evangelion beyond its usual translation of ‘good news’. The Holy Father says that this term was used by the Roman emperors who presented themselves as the lords, saviors and redeemers of the world. Their messages were evangelion (in Greek, or in Latin evangelium), regardless of the nature of the content. Whatever comes from the Emperor is not just a piece of news but accepted as a saving message because it makes the world better. But when it comes to Jesus what the emperors illegitimately claimed really occurred. It was not a simple message but a message with real authority because it is not just talk but reality. The message is the person of Jesus Christ, who is not just information, but action with effect which enters into the world to save and transform. Giving this message to the world is imparting the person of Christ into every reality, transforming them in Christ. In giving that saving message of Christ, the giver must conform oneself to the message.
When we prepare ourselves for this year’s Christmas we should have all these ideas in our mind. Just as a tree without root cannot stand alone for a long time, a Christian who is not connected to Christ cannot celebrate Christmas in its proper sense. We should not allow the “commercialism” to steal our Christ. The lights we light inside and outside our homes should be a projection of the light of Christ living through the flame of faith in each one of us. When we see the world trying to make man to live as if he is his own image it is our duty to remind that human beings are the image and likeness of God. It is by the enlightened faith life we lead, we make God credible in today’s world. The gap created by the sin of Adam has been filled by Christ and through Christ we enter into the heavenly bliss of the Father. Then as Pope Benedict says: “It is only by means of people who have been touched by God that God can return to be with mankind”.
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Along with the Rector and few other priests from our Norbertine College, I went to the solemn Prayer Vigil for All Nascent Human Life at St. Peter’s Basilica. We didn’t get any seats, so after spending few minutes inside the Basilica, we got out and attended the service watching through the screen at St. Peter’s Square.
I received a few emails asking to explain further on my recommendation to live the Word of Life every month. For those who wrote to me I gave some directions on how to live it in our daily life. If you are interested in living it, I request you to search further in the website of the Focolare Movement.
