A few comments about positioning
of the windows would be in order. Just as faith was necessary for
Abraham to enter into relationship with God, so it is necessary for us
to do the same. The formalization of our relationship with God is
achieved in Baptism, the sacrament of faith. It is through this sacrament
that we share in God’s nature. (2 Peter 1:4) It is also through
this sacrament that we enter into the Family of God begun by Abraham and
continued in the Church. So it is appropriate that the Abraham triplet
and the church triplet flank the baptistry at the entrance of the church.
Moses led the People of God when they entered into the Old Covenant at Mount Sinai. Jesus leads us into the New Covenant by his actions at the Last Supper. This new covenant fortold in Jeremiah 31:31-37 is renewed upon our altar where the sacrifice of Christ is commemorated and made present once again, so that we may share in the blessings and graces he bestows upon us. Therefore, the Moses triplet and the Jesus triplet flank the altar.
There are other relationships between windows, such as the pillar of fire in the Moses triplet which recalls the leadership of God, while the tongues of fire in the church triplet recalls the inspiration of the first Christians. There are numerous other relationships between these windows which all reflect the patterns of God’s relationship with his People. You can discover these relationships by reading Scripture. As the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation says: “the Sacred Synod forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful to learn ‘the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ’ (Phil 3:8) by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures.” Quoting Saint Jerome it continues, “Ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” It is for this reason that the Catechism (#103) says, “the Church has always venerated the Scriptures as she venerates the Lord’s Body.”
Abbott Michael Casey, a Cictercian Monk wrote in his book Sacred Readings: “Mutuality exists between the Church and Sacred Scripture. Historically the Scriptures were created, added, preserved, disseminated, and explained by the Church. Without the Church there would be no Bible: it was not handed down from heaven on a silver platter, it is the product of the Church’s inspired industry. At the same time, without the Bible there would be no Church.” The Bible is a 2000 year experience of God’s family. It is the fondest hope of our Parish Family that these windows lead you to the Scriptures, and that the Scriptures lead you to God and his Family.
So we finish where we began – with family.
Introduction
Abraham
( 1
2
3)
Readings/Reflections
Moses
( 1
2
3)
Readings/Reflections
Jesus
(1
2
3)
Readings/Reflections
Church
(1
2
3)
Readings/Reflections
Conclusion