Preparing for the Advent of
our Savior by blessing His Image

By Cardinal Justin Rigali

It is interesting to note that when a dignitary is about to visit a place, the decorations placed throughout the streets or places he or she will be visiting are often decorated with that person’s picture. At first glance, it may seem strange to decorate using images of the person whom the crowds will actually be seeing in the flesh! A quick reflection on human nature will assure us that this is not so strange as it seems. By focusing on the image of the person, we are “gearing ourselves up” for the reception of that person. We also display the image as a means of honoring the dignitary. Have you ever anticipated the arrival of a loved one after a long trip or time away? Perhaps as the time of the reunion got closer you looked at your loved one’s picture with delight and anticipation and almost found yourself speaking to the image and saying: “I’m so excited! I will be seeing you soon!”

We are going to do something similar this Sunday in our Cathedral. Once again, I am inviting families and individuals to bring their images of the Infant Jesus to a Prayer Service I will conduct. In the course of our prayer, I will bless the images brought up to me. This allows me to be part of your homes and families as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We are doing this during the Advent Season, which is a time of preparation for our Lord’s birth, as a way of looking toward His coming with joyful anticipation. We are focusing on the image of Jesus in order to help us prepare for the reality of His being born again for us this Christmas. I would like to share with you now a brief reflection on the use of images, and their importance in our Catholic life.

An image is powerful
The French Revolution (1789 - 1799) was a period of tremendous social upheaval. Its terrible excesses included the senseless murder of many of its own citizens in a cycle of hatred and betrayal. Among those who were imprisoned and put to death by means of the infamous guillotine were many bishops, priests and Religious sisters. Among the most famous of these was an entire convent of Carmelite Nuns, who were put to death one after the other in 1794. The fact that was put forth at their show trial to prove their counter- revolutionary tendencies was their possession of two images: one of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the other of the King of France. Two pieces of paper, we might say. They probably weren’t even good works of art but poor reproductions with garish colors. Yet, those who wished to kill the very ideas they represented knew exactly what these pieces of paper were. They weren’t just images. They were reminders of ideas and beliefs. They were pieces of paper that represented what the revolutionaries were attempting to destroy. Those images were powerful indeed and the Sisters were put to death because they possessed them.

Images have always held a place of honor in our lives as Catholics. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatical Council states: “The practice of placing sacred images in churches for people to venerate is to be maintained” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 125). Since this same Council speaks of the family as the “domestic Church,” we can see that it is also most appropriate for there to be appropriate religious images in the home. Many of you were raised with the presence of religious images in the home and I know that many of you maintain that practice. We are a society of symbols. All around us, especially in the world of advertising, we are confronted with symbols that work on our senses in order to convince us of the benefit of some product or other. Doesn’t it make sense that we should also expose ourselves and our children to those symbols that will remind us of Jesus, His Mother and His saints? In this way, we can also be reminded of those teachings and beliefs which alone will bring us true and lasting joy.

Faith and art
In speaking of what are called the fine arts and the Church’s constant encouragement of them, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council teaches: “The fine arts are rightly classed among the noblest activities of human genius; this is especially true of religious art. Of their nature the arts are directed toward expressing in some way the infinite beauty of God in works made by human hands. They are dedicated to God, they praise him and extend his glory to the extent that their only purpose is to turn people’s spirits toward God” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 122).

We all know that the Church has always been a friend and patron of the arts and that many of the greatest works of art in the world depict religious subjects. However, as we prepare for the ceremony of Blessing the Baby Jesus, we are reminded that we can look at great works of religious art but if we are not moved by faith they remain just that: works of art. It is interesting to go through a museum and watch people looking at famous paintings and statues that depict religious subjects. They may appreciate their beauty and know their origin and style. They may have made a great effort and gone through some expense to come and view them but if they are not motivated by faith, they are merely looking at something that pleases the senses. On the other hand, items that lift our minds and hearts to God, even if they be inexpensive and not great works of art in themselves, are made valuable indeed with the addition of faith.

I am not asking you to bring great works of art to the Cathedral on December 9 but I am asking you to bring an image of the Baby Jesus that is important to you and your family. You may even want to purchase an inexpensive image of the Infant, so that it can become important and valuable to you and your loved ones in the future. I would like to bless your images because you are a part of this local Church of Philadelphia, which is a family in itself. Pope Paul VI said of the local Church: “It is in the local Church where we can recognize the point of effective contact, where human persons meet Christ, who opens for them access to the concrete plan of salvation: here there is the ministry, here the faith, here the community, here the Word, here the grace, here Christ offers himself to the faithful inserted in the universal Church. The local Church is therefore, in the Catholic religious life, the starting and final point; like the fruit in relation to the roots, the tree, and the branches. In this local Church, the bishop is the cornerstone, and the image of Christ, priest and pastor, giving solidity to all the living stones that make up the household of God (cf. Ephesians 2: 19 - 22)” (Homily, 16 September 1972).

Perhaps fifty or so years from now, your descendants will carefully handle an old and perhaps chipped image of the Infant Jesus and say: “This has been in our family for many years. The Cardinal blessed it long ago and it has always been a cherished part of our Christmas celebration.” If that image stirs up faith in the message of Jesus, born as a Baby for love of us, it is more valuable than the greatest works of religious art in the world.

Turning outward in charity
The universal Church, the local Church, the Parish and the home, which we call the domestic Church, all have the obligation of extending itself to those in need. This is the message of Jesus. “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:35,36).

Religious images, which can stir up our interior faith, must always cause us to turn outward in the living out of the Christian life in charity. This is why part of our Bless the Baby Jesus Prayer Service on December 9 will also present those who attend with an opportunity to assist the less fortunate. Baskets will be available to collect new infant clothing, infant formula, and monetary donations for the poor.

Saint James reminds us: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,’ but do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2: 14 - 17).

I hope that the image of the baby Jesus which already has a place in your home, or the new one which you will give a place of honor in the future, will stir up your faith. In doing so, we will all help to build up the body of Christ by transforming that faith into good works.

December 6, 2007