Unlocking the ‘Yearning of the Human Heart’
Beneath our efforts in life to satisfy our basic human needs – even wants, lies a
deeper longing, a yearning of the heart. Our busy lives often make it difficult to
pay attention to, or even recognize this longing. But, deep down what we truly
desire is truth, goodness and beauty – transcendentals of our Catholic tradition
that find their source in God, lift us beyond the material world and lead us to God
himself.
The familiar cliché, “We need to stop and smell the roses!” calls us to pause,
observe and appreciate the natural beauty that surrounds us. Similarly, the
‘roses’ of the arts lift us up by their own ‘fragrant’ beauty: painting, music,
sculpture, literature, and other modes of human creativity and expression.
In 2009 Pope Benedict XVI addressed representatives of the arts in the Sistine
Chapel. He called them ‘custodians of beauty’. He said, “Authentic
beauty…unlocks the yearning of the human heart, the profound desire to know, to
love, to go towards the Other, to reach for the Beyond…[and be] able to grasp the
profound meaning of our existence.” He went on to say that beauty touches us
intimately and opens our eyes, allowing us to rediscover the joy of seeing and of
being.
Some years ago my wife Marcia accompanied our older daughter on her High
School trip to Europe. Upon arriving at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City they
came to Michelangelo’s Pietà – the renowned marble sculpture of Mary holding
Jesus after he was taken down from the cross. Moved to tears, ‘beauty’ drew her
into the agony of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Over this past year, it has been an honor and privilege to grow in my friendship
and appreciation for sacred artist Joseph Macklin – our resident ‘Mack-elangelo’
– who diligently labors to complete the sacred mural on the apse. On weekday
mornings before Mass Joe is in his ‘office’ high up on the scaffolding with hands
clasping brush and palette, signature stocking cap on top, surrounded by
conceptual sketches, easels, prototype paintings and books on the masters of
painting in the Catholic tradition.
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At the upcoming and highly anticipated unveiling of this masterpiece we will be
moved by its aesthetic beauty. However, it will take months and even years for
us to increasingly appreciate the depth and richness of this work, and enter into
its transcendent beauty.
So, what will we see? What will first capture our eye? Will it be heaven, above
the Gothic arches where the Lamb of God is surrounded and worshipped by the
angels and saints? Or, Christ Jesus on the cross, Good Friday front and center?
Might it be the panoramic motifs of Holy Week and the Triduum – from the
Triumphal Entry to Easter? Or, will it be sites from our local community –
parishes, schools, or downtown buildings?
Whatever first catches our eye though is only the beginning. This work will invite
us spend time in meditation and contemplation. The montage of images ‘from
Jackson to eternity’ so to speak, reveal a profound integration of the elements of
our lives. Here we will not see Assisi streets, rolling pastoral hills reminiscent of
a simpler, agrarian, horse-drawn cart Middle Ages. We’ll see Jackson – Jackson,
Michigan. Why? Because this is the world in which we live. Our faith is lived in
this time, this space and in this town. We come by car to gather, dodging
potholes and orange construction barrels, detouring around the closed road
barricades. As we enter the sanctuary and gaze upon the apse, we will find
ourselves, our community in the midst of a landscape of the great, transcendent
mysteries of our faith. And and in the celebration of the Eucharist we will
recognize that we have truly come to the City of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to
innumerable angels and saints in festal gathering – and to the Marriage Feast of
the Lamb.
Thank you Joseph Macklin for handing us a golden key to unlock the yearning of
our hearts for God himself – the source of all beauty.
+Dcn Dave