SIGNS AND SYMBOLS

Growing Faith, our Tuesday morning class that uses the Catechism of the Catholic Church as a resource, was studying the liturgy and how important signs and symbols are because that is a way that God “speaks” to us. “Once these signs and symbols are used by us to express our faith, they are no longer common, but they become holy.”

A few days later, after preparing for Tuesday’s class, I attended Mass with a friend of mine at Saints Peter and Paul Church. As is my usual custom, I arrived early to pray and reflect and prepare myself for the celebration we would participate in. I looked around at the church and thought about our lesson regarding signs and symbols. I was surrounded by them! I had been at SSPP numerous times and always thought it was a beautiful church, but I had never really “seen” these signs and symbols the way I saw them that morning.

I scrutinized the huge crucifix behind the altar with its curtain backdrop and the surrounding gold décor. It was beautiful, impressive, and truly inspiring. I spent a few minutes gazing at it in wonder. The splendor almost took my breath away as I reflected on the Passion of our Lord.

My eyes turned to my left. On the wall next to the Sanctuary was a large imbedded sculpture of the Virgin Mary. “Mother Mary,” I whispered. Her humility, her love for the Baby Jesus in her arms came through so clearly. I had never truly “seen” this sculpture before. Chiseled in stone, her image and the image of our Lord were in a light cream color. Normally, a sculpture in one single color would not stand out against the backdrop of a wall of the same color, but in its simplicity, it brought out the love of Mary for us and for our Lord.

I looked on my right and there was St. Joseph with the tools of his trade. A carpenter, devoted to his tasks that supported his wife Mary, and her Son, Jesus. Acceptance, I thought. He accepted the dream sent to him, he accepted Mary as his wife, he accepted the Son that was hers and supported and loved them until he was no longer on earth. He loved. Love and acceptance. What a holy man he was!

Looking up I saw the sunlight streaming in through the stained glass windows in all its brilliance, illuminating the many colors outlining the Saints in our tradition. I was reminded that they were human, how they failed at times and sinned the way we do, but they loved the Lord in a much deeper way and were set apart by God the Father for their special role of being our models for a holy life. They prayed, they served, they adored the Trinity, and they truly loved their neighbors. Like our Lord, they lived with poverty, discrimination, humiliation and even death.

I could have spent more time contemplating and praying the Stations of the Cross but it was time for Mass to begin. I paid much closer attention to the signs and symbols presented through the robes of the priest, the Cross carried in and the Offertory gifts of bread and wine that were brought up. All ordinary things used to remind us of the extraordinary events occurring on the altar and in the church building. Like us, these ordinary things are consecrated and set apart through the Sacraments, which are also visible signs of God’s love for us. As ordinary human beings, we, too, are signs and symbols to others and they are signs and symbols to us. Let us be more aware of these ordinary, common things and know that God is with us in many ways. He lives among us and within us and we don’t have to look far to see Him in all things.

Alma Maish 8-28-07