All Saints and All Souls Day
All Saints and All Souls Days are very romantic to me, as they remind me of the greater reality that is at play. At every mass, there are saints and souls present, worshipping God. The angels and all the heavenly hosts come together to worship the Lord. Our eternal reward and mission in life is to join in this unceasing worship of Our Lord and Our God, who created us and loves us so deeply. Remembering the presence of these people that have died and who are already partaking in that beatific vision or being purified in purgatory to be hopefully united with the Lord fully and completely is so incredibly powerful. We are not doing this faith journey alone.
There are generations upon generations of people who have loved God and have used this life to serve Him so that they may rest in the next, experiencing eternal bliss in His Presence. They serve as examples but also reminders of what we can do in this life but also what we have to look forward to in the next. The coldness of the weather is a reminder that this earthly life is only temporary, that the warmth and joy in our lives come from outside of us. We are part of a greater story and a universal reality that goes beyond our experience today or even our earthly life. God wants us to be aware of the universality and eternal nature of His Church and His Creation.
I think this painting fits beautifully with remembering all the saints and souls who have gone before us. It is a sneak peek of our mission and goal in life - to adore the mystic lamb. Who is this Mystic Lamb? None other than Christ, who offered Himself on the altar of the cross to be sacrificed for our salvation. Seeing Jesus as an actual lamb on the altar brings to mind all the Old Testament slaughters, the parable of the ninety-nine sheep to find the lost one, all the shepherd references and parables, and the lion and the lamb.
Everywhere in Scripture it begs us to see the importance of this image of the lamb and equating it to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He is triumphant on the altar, not scared or hurt. He is the perfect lamb and the perfect offering, accepting His role in salvation history and willing going to be sacrificed. He died so that we could be united with Him in heaven. Surrounding Him are the angels and saints and souls who wish to give Him the praise and adoration that He is due and that they desire to give. God is a generous giver to us and we must desire to generously give to Him if we are to be in true, right relationship with Him.
This painting is so potent with symbolism and details that deeper reflection and prayer must follow. I still myself am noticing new things, even after looking at this piece several different times for a great deal of time! This is the power of sacred art, that the Lord will always reveal more. The more we dive into the Scriptures, pray and foster a relationship with God, surround ourselves with the true, good, and beautiful, and allow God to affect every aspect of our lives the more we will notice. I just urge you to sit and allow the Lord to reveal things to you. He wants to speak, give Him the space by listening.
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Written by Madeline Larson
Website of image: https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-ghent-altarpiece-adoration-of-the-mystic-lamb-hubert-and-jan-van-eyck/6gE6DlMZF-OvSQ?hl=en
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