Throughout the ages, the Church has harnessed the creative power of art in its many forms to communicate the beauty and truth of the Gospel. Believers and even non-believers are moved through true art to contemplate the mystery of salvation as it is presented in "the splendour of colour and in the perfection of beauty" (from the introduction to the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church).
In a culture which is becoming less word-based and increasingly image-based, the old saying, 'a picture is worth a thousand words', carries new significance. Sacred images (along with sacred music) in our churches and in our homes, often communicate truths of faith in ways in which words are not able to. They continue to be dynamic and effective ways of teaching the faith and spreading the Gospel.
In light of this reflection and of yesterday's feast of the Chair of St. Peter, here are a couple of pictures of a chasuble (the outer garment worn by the priest during Mass), bearing the image of our parish patron, St. Peter.
(the chasuble pictured in front of the high altar)
(detail of St. Peter on the back of the chasuble)
(image on the front)
"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
(Jesus' words to St. Peter in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 16)
