Art as Sacramental

Art is a sensate window into mystery...both human and divine. As such a window, it plays a sacramental role, opening us up to mystery as it plays in our human struggle and as it points to something beyond time/space.

The Incarnation is our model. The Christ looks at us through human eyes, and veils the Divine Word. He teaches us to take seriously our own humanness, and shows us how our human struggle can be a window revealing to us the Divine at work in our very concrete human lives.

The human Jesus was an inclusive welcomer. He was a nurturer, an encourager, a healer, a forgiver, a wild lover, a shepherd-leader. He is not dead. In his risen life, by power of His Spirit he continues to be all these things. Now he invites us into the act. Baptism makes us inclusive welcomers. To be a bigot goes against our baptism. He invites us to nourish one another, so he becomes our Eucharistic food to make this possible. He continues to strengthen and encourage us through his Spirit, enabling us to do the same for others through Confirmation. He continues to forgive, and asks to forgive as we are forgiven. He heals still in Anointing, and asks us to do likewise. He pours himself out in love, and asks his married folks to do likewise. He washes feet, and calls us to lead by serving.

Art is sacramental because it reveals this sacramental dynamic in images, form, movement, and sound. Art is a window through which we are grasped by the struggle that is the paschal mystery in our sensate humanness. Art helps us to be fully redeemed.