Sunday Reflection with Fr Robin Gibbons - 7 April 2013

The Raising of Lazarus by Sebastiano del Piombo 1517-19. First painting in National Gallery collection

The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square is a wonderful resource, for those of us who are Christians. The galleries contain fantastic examples of art from important periods (early mediaval to the 20th century) which testify to the continual vibrancy of our faith and the wonderful way in which each age accepts and understands Jesus. I would encourage anybody to go if they have the chance.

The development of Christian art, like that of the Liturgies of the Church ( both east and west) is very much a process of adaptation and inculturation, from the early catacomb figures of good shepherd and the Orpheus image of the charioteer, to the iconic face of Christ as we recognize him with long hair and beard, we can see spirituality, theology and doctrine all intertwining. Each age has to meet and encounter the risen Lord and find him in their own cultural and historical setting.

The readings for this Sunday are a bit like the pictures in the National Gallery.

Revelation places before us the Christ who is beyond time, the Alpha and Omega, the Christ in majesty of the Icons or those great Romanesque frescoes and carvings, the glorified and risen Lord who is alaive for ever and who will come again at the last day.

John shows us the tender and loving Christ who appears to the frightened men and women and is patient and solicitous with Thomas’ questions. This is the Christ who reaches out to bring us forgiveness of sins, true knowledge and a peace which the world cannot give. This is Jesus who as the first reading implicitly shows us, dwells in the presence of his brothers and sisters throughout the world and by the power of the Spirit, works with and through us. All of these images are facets of the whole, glimpses of the God who in Jesus loves and sustains us always.

It is time we celebrated Easter in a more overt fashion, time that we witnessed to our faith in the world by celebrating the Easter in joy, making more of the Octave and this Sunday, recovering that sense of feast in Easter foods and customs, in our prayer places at home perhaps spending a little time in thankful praise as our psalm today tells us to.

It is sad that we still are separated in calendar observance from our eastern brothers and sisters, but maybe we can help draw attention to the need for a common date of Easter, just imagine what a powerful a visible picture of the Church that would be!

Fr Robin Gibbons is an Eastern Rite Chaplain for the Melkite Greek Catholics in Britain.