Praying with the Eyes

Praying with the Eyes

The window at the front of our church is a rich feast for the eyes . Most people grasp the spiritual connection between the hanging Crucifix over the Altar, and the Risen Jesus of Easter in the central panel of our large stained glass window. But many people are unaware that this is more than just an “Easter” window - it is a very “catholic” window - it presents us with the five “Glorious Mysteries” of the Rosary.

Perhaps sometime this Easter season you might with your Rosary pray with your eyes and fingers the images presented. The “First Glorious Mystery: The Resurrection”: Jesus greets us with his right hand raised in blessing and holding a staff with victory banner in his other hand. Study the angels. One has the stone cover of the tomb which has just been removed. The other angel is pulling away the grave clothes. And the soldiers: one is still sleeping, while the other looks amazed at Jesus.

The other four Mysteries are presented in the side panels. In the lower left is the “Second Glorious Mystery: the Ascension”. Here is Jesus surrounded by several of his disciples moving towards the clouds pictured overhead. In the top left is the “Third Glorious Mystery: The Descent of the Holy Spirit”. Here sits Mary with the other Disciples, while overhead are the “tongues of fire”.

On the lower right side is pictured the “Fourth Glorious Mystery: the Assumption”. The artist has pictured this as a visual parallel to the second Mystery. Here is Mary surrounded by several of the disciples as she is taken into heaven, where in the top image we see the “Fifth Glorious Mystery: Mary is Crowned Queen of Heaven”. She is shown with the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Spirit.

Perhaps a bit more obscure to modern eyes, the lowest level of the window also presents other images for meditation. On the left is a stylized Pomegranate, a fruit-symbol of the Resurrection – bursting with seeds, bursting with new life. In the center is Christ “the Lamb who was slain”, an image from the Book of Revelation, chapter 5, pictured with the book with seven seals. [This same image is repeated in a wood sculpture located by the Baptismal Font.] On the right is the Phoenix, a mythical bird that dies and is reborn through fire. Early Christians adopted this image as a symbol of the Resurrection – eternal life. Take time this Easter to not just look, but to “see”.