At the begining of Mass the Book of the Gospel is often processed into the church and placed on the alter. The book is often decorated with four symbolic creatures; angel, lion, ox, and eagle. These symbols come from the visions of the prophet Ezekiel and the Revelation of St John. The book of Revelation describes:
In the center and around the throne, there were four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back. The first creature resembled a lion, the second was like a calf, the third had a face like that of a human being, and the fourth looked like an eagle in flight. The four living creatures, each of them with six wings, were covered with eyes inside and out. Day and night they do not stop exclaiming: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.” In our tradition these creatures are associated with the authors of the four gospels; St Matthew with the angel, St Mark with the Lion, St Luke with the Ox, and St John with the Eagle. This tradition goes back to the early centuries of the Church. These depictions have been common in the Latin West and can be found in the famous Book of Kells, or the Psalter pictured above from around the year 1200, along with many Gospel Books used today. The voice of a lion crying out in the wilderness became associated with St Mark’s Gospel because that is how his gospel begins, with John the Baptist preaching from the desert that now is the time to prepare for the Lord is coming. St Matthew first laid out the human geneology of Christ and so the human face has become linked to that narrative. St. Luke started his narrative with Zechariah a priest of the Jerusalem Temple and father of John the Baptist. The image of the Ox evoked temple sacrifices and the priestly origin of the Baptist. St. John had a soaring view of who Christ was which he decribed in his prologue and thus was associated with the symbol of the eagle.
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Advent Wreaths are something that you may see in Catholic churches and homes during the season of Advent. Sometimes they are lit by the priest at the beginning of mass and other places they may simply be burning during the liturgy. Many catholic families have one that they place on the dinner table during Advent. Often times the candles will by lit by the family before or after the family meal. The wreath itself is made of evergreens to evoke everlasting life because they stay green and alive through the cold of winter. Normally the wreath also has four candles, three purple and one pink. Each week during advent one additional candle is lit starting with the purple ones. On the third Sunday of Advent the pink candle is lit. The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means rejoice. The day gets its name from the first words of the mass on that day which are “Gaudete in Domino semper…” meaning, rejoice in the Lord always. Gaudete Sunday has a more joyful theme than the rather somber tone of the other sundays of advent. Some advent wreaths may have a fifth white candle at the center signifiing Christ.
The crucifix is a depiction of the execution of Christ by the State. After the trial, when Christ was set to be executed, the Governor ordered a sign to be placed above him in Aramaic, Greek and Latin. The Greek read Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων and the Latin was IESVS·NAZARENVS·REX·IVDÆORVM. Most crucifixes simply abbreviate this to INRI for the Latin text. The sign read “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
Generally Christ is shown in a in a loin cloth but occasionally entirely nude and his right hand is in the gesture of blessing. The body is referred to as the corpus. Often a cross is processed into church and placed near the altar at the beginning of Mass. After the signing on the forehead by the priest during the Rite of Acceptance the Catechumens are presented with a cross as a memorializing that they have been marked by the cross and have received the sign of his love. The Golden Legend written in about 1260 and was one of the most widely read books during the medieval period. The author was Giacomo da Varagine, Bishop of Genoa who was later beatified. It is said that the book was read second only to the Bible during this period. The work is a collection of reflections that go along with liturgical year and contain fantastical stories of the Saint’s lives that go along with the feast days. Most of the details and imagery found in the book are the influences for the religious symbolism in medieval art. In the Golden Legend the story of the cross begins with the death of Adam. As Adam lay dying his son Seth went to the gates of paradise seeking oil from the tree of mercy to anoint and heal his father. An angel did not bring back resin/oil but rather gave him a shoot from the tree and informed him when it grew and bore its fruit his father would be made whole. Sadly when Seth returned he found that his father had already died. Seth planted the shoot above his father’s grave. By the time of King Solomon the shoot had grown into a mighty tree. The tree was cut down and intended to be used in his palace however the way it was cut caused it to be useless for that purpose. It was then used as part of a bridge which was being built at the Temple. The Queen of Sheba had a dream that a man would be hung from it and bring about the destruction of the kingdom. Solomon therefore removed the piece wood and buried it deep in the earth to prevent this and a pond formed above the spot. The pond then was said to have healing powers. At the time of the Lord’s passion the wood dislodged and floated to the surface. It was then used it to make the cross. Christ was then hung at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal, the temporal and eternal. The affliction of Adam had been healed after a circuitous and unforeseen route. The Golden Legend wanted to make clear the connection between Calvary and Eden, the old Adam and the new. |
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