To the Band of Brothers: October 4, 2021

Fr. Willie ‘87
Good morning!

We continue to get a lot of visitors to the art gallery wanting to see the various images that will eventually adorn our new chapel. Thanks to Mr. Luis Dulzaides and his team, the exhibit has been a huge success. Not only has it given us a place to store the pieces until construction is completed, but it has also provided an opportunity to appreciate each work of art for its individual worth and beauty so that later we can see them come together harmoniously as a single expression of faith. 

I think this is one of the most beautiful and powerful realities of our Catholic faith. For the last 2,000 years, since the beginning of our Church, Christian artists have used their God-given talents to express their faith and the theology of our Church. Every detail in a Christian sculpture, painting, building, song, or play is not placed arbitrarily, but with the intention of communicating some truth. What makes a work of art beautiful is not simply that it is appealing to the eye or ear, but that it correctly expresses what it means to be Catholic.

The way Catholics depict their faith is unique. Major religions like Judaism and Islam have very strong policies against creating images depicting God. In part they are right. The customs of ancient religions would make idols of all kinds of materials and worship them as if they were a god. Remember the scene in the book of Exodus when Moses comes down the mountain and finds the Israelites worshipping a golden calf? Definitely a no-no. 

So, what’s different now? How do Catholics get away with it? There are two thoughts that might help explain it.

First, it is imperative to understand that we do not worship any idol or image or statue or painting, no matter who or what it depicts. We worship only God. We use the image as a way of remembering the beauty of God or someone or something holy. Works of art are a tool that moves the heart and memory. 

It is similar to the picture of my grandparents I have in my office. Both have passed away, but seeing the picture reminds me of how much they meant to me, how much they loved me, and how much I loved them. As a matter of fact, every once in a while, I even pick up the picture and kiss it. Obviously, it is not the actual picture I kiss, but the memory of my grandparents. But, more than my grandparents’ picture, the sacred art recalls the living God who is very much present in the chapel or church. 

The second thought has to do with Jesus. He breaks the mold. Up until Jesus, we had no concept of what God looked like. In the Old Testament, God was an awesome being that spoke to His people, but never revealed Himself in a manner that could be captured by an artist. Then Jesus hit the scene. God took on a human form, with human arms and legs, a human face, with human eyes and nose and mouth. The image of Jesus, God’s image, was revealed completely and could be captured like never before.

There is no question that throughout the history of our beautiful Church there have been thousands of extraordinary artists who have helped capture the beauty of God in their art. Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Bramante, Raphael, Mozart, Beethoven… the list goes on and on. All of them wrote, composed, painted, sculpted, and designed, not simply for the sake of art, but for the sake of exalting the divine. And, you and I have better access to God because of them.

Auspice Maria
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BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain.  The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline.  In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty.  The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow.  Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.