Traditional Catholic Teaching - Lesson 16

Lesson 16 - Supplement A

Comments

The western world has long thrown absolute objective law out the window. It is too much of a straightjacket for modern states who demand complete freedom to establish their own basis for law. Pity help modern man! If a state wishes to authorise the breeding of babies specifically to be cut up at birth or just before birth for the sale of spare parts, nothing is stopping it from enacting a statute to allow this. Without obligations to the absolute law of God, it can do what it wants — and does so. That age is upon us. Such matters we can reflect on by following current public debate.

In our comments we have chosen just one item to raise, and that is the Catholic love of images. The place art and imagery have in the expression of Christianity dates back to the very beginning of the Church as its members met in secret places, such as the catacombs of Rome. There they adorned the rock walls of their places of worship with paintings and mosaics. This was no mere attraction to sentimental memories. The oldest known of such wall paintings is that of the Good Shepherd carrying his lost sheep back to safety. Such images gave visual witness to the vibrant belief that the True Shepherd was present in their midst, guiding his little flock through hardship and danger to their true home with him.

The whole theology of the use Christians make of images is fully and absolutely grounded in their love and commitment to the Word of God. The refusal by Protestants to allow art and imagery to give expression to the presence and power of God is seen by Catholics to be, in fact, unbiblical.

Traditional Christians love to make their places of worship beautiful. But this is not just to indulge the sensitivities of the worshippers. Christians have always believed that their worship is an earthly rendering of a heavenly reality, and where this occurs, the glory of God should shine forth, unrestricted, jubilant, glorious and powerful. They consider those who insist on drab plainness in everything to be enslaved by a spirit of fear and spiritual impoverishment. That is not a judgement but an honest observation.

For the benefit of the non-Catholic reader we have attached a brief Appendix of "Images In Biblical Tradition" to demonstrate how truly Christian it is for members of the Catholic Church to employ images in our worship of God.

As a Gospel meditation in Supplement B we selected a fascinating event in our Lord's ministry when he was asked which is the most important commandment. Perhaps before you read it you might like to reflect on what your answer would be.

End of Lesson 16 Supplement A

Appendix: "The Biblical Tradition Of Using Images in Christian Worship"

Supplement B: "No Commandment Greater Than These"

Back | Index | Next