Category: Uncategorized

Last Sunday when I was at the Jubilarian Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, I had the opportunity to see the exhibit “Paintings on Silk” which currently is open to the public in the Memorial Hall of the National Shrine. I was immediately drawn to the paintings, especially the faces which appear to capture the mystery of the moment, seemingly fully present to the unfolding of Salvation history in which they have found themselves; they radiate a holiness that is the one and universal vocation.

Exquisite in detail

The artist, Manisha [her Baptismal name is Theresa] Winchell, a Catholic from Rajasthan, India takes a new look at paintings by Fra Angelico and the depiction of Our Lady of Guadalupe bringing India’s vivid colors – see for example the oranges, blues and yellows in the wings of the angel in the Annunciation – and intricate decorations onto the silken canvas. Upon close inspection of these highly detailed decorations one discovers Scripture, in Greek, Latin and Sanskrit, thus giving the paintings an additional spiritual dimension. Manisha shared with me that as she painted Mary’s robes it made her feel as if she were there in each story in Mary’s life and the design of the robes taught her something about Mary. Marrying the exquisite detail of Indian saris and a prayer of praise, Mary’s response to the angel is written on the hem of her robe.

A lesson in inculturation

Gazing at the silk paintings I was reminded of what we mean by inculturation. Inculturation is the word that the Catholic Church uses to speak of how the seeds of the Gospel are planted in every culture. The Gospel then can be incorporated in a particular culture’s customs and traditions. It is obvious to the observer that Our Lady of Guadalupe and the paintings of Fra Angelico speak to somebody who did not grow up in our Western culture and are at the same time enriched by that culture’s contribution. In “The Bridegroom,” it is Indian culture that predominates as one is drawn to a striking image of Mary, clothed in traditional Rajasthani dress walking with her son, Jesus, clothed as a bridegroom. While at first it seems completely unfamiliar to the Western observer, the imagery certainly is not. This painting captures the universal dimension of Catholic spirituality.

Mary, teacher of love

In the ministry of evangelization, we talk a lot about how to celebrate the diversity of the church of Washington in a way that celebrates the universality of our faith. In Manisha’s paintings, she captures it in the faces of the Mary, Jesus and the characters of her work. Manisha’s hope for people who view the exhibit is that “their minds will be raised to Mary, and that they will grow close to her because Mary is a teacher of love.”

The exhibit runs through June 24. Do make plans to visit.

 

Any day that I wear my “Grace if Enough” tee shirt, I’m bound to have an interesting conversation with someone. In fact, sometimes that’s exactly why I wear it.

One day I was at Teaism in Dupont Circle and a man who was there with his daughter asked, “What does your shirt mean?” Great question!

The quote (and the title of a song by Matt Maher whose concert is where I purchased the tee) comes from 2 Corinthians 12:9:

Therefore, that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Today was no different. I was at the grocery store, and as I was checking out the cashier said to me “Is your name Grace?” I giggled and said, “No, it’s the Grace of God!”

As I left the store, the lyrics of another musician came to mind…my fav, U2:

Grace, it’s a name for a girl, it’s also a thought that changed the world.

Why is it that people don’t know that Grace is more than just a name for a girl?? Why? Because we don’t speak about grace enough. When was the last time you answered someone’s question with the word “Grace”?

“Wow, how did you do so well on your exam?”

“Wow, aren’t these flowers gorgeous?”

“Wow, how did your mother make such a quick recovery?”

Sometimes we forget who’s in charge and how much He loves us. So let’s start remembering and calling His gift by its proper name: GRACE

Here is a rather nice musical rendering of John 6 in Music and picture.

The Song is called “I Believe” by Brian Flynn. The Song is available on iTunes

You can buy the Sheet Music here: http://www.brianflynnmusic.com/index.cfm?load=page&page=36

On the liturgical calendar May 31 is the feast of the Visitation. What a lovely way to celebrate Memorial Day by asking our Mother’s intercession for all the women and men who have died in service to our country and to commend to Mary’s protection, those who are in harms way in defense of our liberty and freedom.

This painting is by Brother Mickey McGrath, an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales of Bee Still Studio. He painted this for a convent at Visitation parish in Chicago and I think it so captures the joy of the cousins visit as they began to make sense of what it was that God was asking each of them to do in the great work of his plan for salvation.

The Magnificat

Today, we also renew our commitment to be part of God’s plan as we pray:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,  my spirit rejoices in God my savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm and he as scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he has made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever. Amen

When I first saw Msgr. Pope’s post about veils, I thought he had taken up the question of the French Government’s decision to fine women who wear full-face veils. Not much more needs to be said about that but there is a quite interesting debate in Europe about the Muslim custom of full-face veils.

 I have been doing a lot of thinking about France’s decision. The French government adopted a law to fine women ($185.00 in U.S. dollars) if they appear in public with the full face veil. France is the first of a number of European countries taking up the topic and it is one of those topics that is very easy for us to dismiss because we think it is not relevant.  A few years back I thought that about same-sex marriage and look how that turned out. Are you still startled when you see women at Tysons Corner and in other parts of our area in burqas or niqab or has it become unremarkable?

 Thinking behind the law

My first interest in the question was out of a concern for religious liberty. There is a way in which you can liken Muslim women’s dress to a religious habit. The dress stems from a discipline of the faith.  However, I also remember my father who is an attorney, involved in a legal case in the 70’s in which a religious sister had been in a car accident, in part because her driving visibility was limited by her veil.  The religious community determined that indeed, modifications would need to be made to the veil if the sisters were going to be driving. One of the French arguments is that the full-face veil makes walking and moving around the city difficult and puts women in danger. Another argument is that the meaning of the full-face veil demeans women—rendering her a non-person in a way that is not compatible with Western values. A third argument is one related to security. As we move into an age where we are screened via facial recognition, the full veil does not allow for this. Furthermore, there have been cases of robberies and security infractions committed by persons in burqas.

 Is it a Question of Religious Liberty?

 It is indeed a complicated question. Some writers took the position that it is an affront to the dignity of women because it is an imposed rule, stemming from a customs including the veil as a sign that you belong to a man, and that women are a source of temptation and should not be seen. Certainly this is a practice that is quite hard for most of us to wrap our minds around. This line of thought also assumes that women, though they have no choice, if given a choice would opt not to wear the full-face veil. I saw an interview in which a number of Muslim women said that they appreciate the custom as an act of modesty and as part of a tradition they love. That’s not unreasonable to believe though the fact that it is imposed and not freely chosen is cause for serious consideration.

 Other writers took the position that it is simply incompatible with Western values and that ought to be reason enough. This is where the conversation becomes important because of its relationship to any kind of religious habit. The religious habit is more than a uniform. It is a sign and gives testimony to a radical way of a life. Will this one day be incompatible with American values? The first amendment makes this unlikely but I think the debate over the burqa will raise related issues.

 I spoke with my friend, Dr. Sandra Keating who teaches at Providence College and is a Consulter to the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims. Sandra is fluent in Arabic and has studied Islam for more than 15 years. Sandra attested to the complexity of the issue because of its roots in various cultures. The Koran teaches that women ought to dress modestly, as Dr. Keating describes it; arms covered, legs covered, hair covered, much like we see Orthodox Jewish women dress. The tradition of the full –face veil is rooted in Persian culture and indeed tied to the notion that women belong to their husbands. She pointed out that across the Islamic world there is a tremendous diversity of women’s dress and the expression of the teaching on modesty in the Koran.

As Catholics and as Msgr. Pope pointed out in his blog, the combination of teaching, tradition and custom is very much intertwined and not always easy to sort out. This seems also to be the case with regard to this question.  I think we need to follow the argument carefully as it is taken up in Europe and might one day find it way to the U.S. View this.  French law on full-face veils

This spring, the Office of Young Adult Ministry hosted Theology on Tap on the topic of “Marriage is Forever”. During the series, we had 4 couples come speak on the sacrament of marriage and how their marriages are flourishing after 26, 3, 18, and 41 years respectively!

It was an incredible series featuring some of the most real, courageous, sweet, Spirit-guided, passionate stories I’ve heard on the topic of marriage!  We recorded all of the talks which can be found at the link below. Enjoy them, and pass them on!

http://www.adw.org/parishes/yam_tap.asp