Gospel in Art: John the Baptist said: 'The Father loves the Son'

Antony Gormley (born 1950) at Musée Rodin, Paris, Steel sculpture set among moquettes by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), @ Christian Art

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 11 April 2024
John 3:31-36

John the Baptist said to his disciples:

'He who comes from above is above all others; he who is born of the earth is earthly himself and speaks in an earthly way.

He who comes from heaven bears witness to the things he has seen and heard, even if his testimony is not accepted; though all who do accept his testimony are attesting the truthfulness of God, since he whom God has sent speaks God's own words:

God gives him the Spirit without reserve. The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to him. Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, but anyone who refuses to believe in the Son will never see life: the anger of God stays on him.'

Reflection on the Exhibition

In our Gospel reading today we are given words spoken by John the Baptist to his own disciples. In the immediately preceding verse, John the Baptist had said of Jesus, 'He must increase, but I must decrease'. He then goes on to speak of Jesus, in the opening line of our gospel reading, as 'the one who comes from above' and who, therefore, 'is above all others'. John was very aware that Jesus was above him. He goes on to say of Jesus, in the words of our reading, that he 'comes from heaven'. John had a profound appreciation of the uniqueness of Jesus, which is why he could say, 'He must increase, but I must decrease'.

There is a sense in which we never fully appreciate in this life the uniqueness, the specialness, of Jesus. The more we see of Jesus, the more we recognise what is yet to be seen. The closer we come to him, the more we realise how much deeper our relationship with him could be. Sometimes it feels that the closer we get, the more distant we are, the more we realise a lot of work still needs to be done in our own souls. But as he increases in us and we decrease, we don't cease to be ourselves. Rather, the more Jesus increases in us, the more we become our true selves, our Christ selves, the person God is calling us to be. That is the paradox of the Christian life: decreasing in order to increase.

I recently saw an exhibition at the Musée Rodin where Antony Gormley interspersed his works among the works of Rodin. It was a magnificent show. Sculptors such as Rodin and Gormley have long explored the manipulation of scale as a dynamic tool to evoke varied emotional and conceptual responses from their audiences. By intentionally increasing or decreasing the size of their sculptures, artists can dramatically alter the way a piece is perceived and experienced, thereby enhancing its impact and deepening its meaning. Larger-than-life sculptures can evoke a sense of awe and wonder; conversely, when artists choose to miniaturise their sculptures, they invite an intimate interaction that demands closer inspection. Small-scale works can evoke a sense of delicacy and preciousness. That is in the works of sculpture. In the realm of our spiritual lives, we can do both at the same time: decrease in order to increase at the very same time!

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-3-31-36-2024/
Competition: The Laudamus Award 2024 for Sacred Art - www.indcatholicnews.com/news/49310