Have you ever wondered why churches have stained glass? In modern times, it’s because they are beautiful and add to the charm and sacredness of the church. But originally, they were to educate people. So see, many folks couldn’t read or write, so the windows were a way of depicting faith and bible stories for people to learn.
Now here at Church and at the South Church, we’ve been blessed with gorgeous stained glass. And we plan to use some of the glass, from both buildings in the new structure. We saved panels from South and we will also use some of these [behind the altar] in the Social Hall, which is the first phase of our building project.
But have ever wondered about the stained glass here? [I invite kids to come up and look at the glass closely]. Besides the beautiful display of color on top. The 7 sacraments are displayed in the lower panels. [I identify each of the sacraments displayed].
And what I like about the stained glass here is that we have to look up to view them. And looking up seems is a common theme running in the first reading and the gospel. For Jesus is “taken up” that is, ascended to heaven . . . which must have been pretty cool.
But the image I have of the disciples witnessing this is that they are gawking upwards with their mouths open as Jesus disappears. Well now what? Of course we know what happens, they are inspired to go out and ignite faith, ignite the world . . . especially with the influence of the Holy Spirit, which we will hear about next week (with the feast of Pentecost).
But do you notice the white dots scattered throughout the stained glass? Those circles represent us; for we are NOT to just stand there gawking at the windows [I say, “Isn’t that pretty?” with a goofy accent] but we are to go out and ignite faith ourselves. We have the resources of the sacraments to guide us. That is we don’t just receive a sacrament and “encage” it into our selves.
No!
We receive Baptism to go forward because we are marked with a relationship with God that we are not alone.
We receive Reconciliation because we “miss the mark” often and need to get re-sharpened
to live at our best.
We receive Eucharist, which is the source of nourishment for the days ahead. It’s a tough time so let us receive the grace of God’s presence to go and strengthen us to go make a difference.
We receive Confirmation, as a completion of baptism and Eucharist. It becomes our wake-up call to know that we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit.
Then the sacrament of Marriage is given to some, not just to promote having kids, but as a way to see God visible. That is, to see how much God loves me by receiving the love of this person, and to demonstrate my love for God by how I love.
And the sacrament of Holy Orders is to witness God’s love and acceptance for the community.
And as priest or deacon, I witness a way of loving God unconditionally. Trusting God unconditionally.
And the sacrament of Anointing can be used as a sending forth when someone is dying, but it is also the sacrament for healing and for hoping that God has good things planned for us.
You see, the sacraments call us to go forth. Not to remain gawking but to get going. How?
Well that’s the stained glass window that we saved from the South Church (old St. Pius) it is of the Holy Spirit. It has been in storage when the last renovation of St. Pius was done.
As Jesus says in John’s gospel that he must go so that the spirit can come. For what? Well I happen to have a song for that . . . .
[sing verse 3 of A PLACE AT THE TABLE]
For everyone born, a place at the table,
to live without fear, and simply to be,
to work, to speak out, to witness and worship,
for everyone born, the right to be free.
And God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
The Franciscan theologian Bonaventure (c. 1217–1274) ended his classic text The Soul’s Journey into God with this instruction, which represents the apophatic tradition of unknowing:
If you wish to know how these things come about,
ask [for] grace, not instruction,
desire not understanding,
the groaning of prayer not diligent reading,
the Spouse not the teacher,
God not man,
darkness not clarity,
not light but the fire
that totally inflames and carries us into God . . . .
Bonaventure, The Soul’s Journey into God, 7.6, in The Soul’s Journey into God; The Tree of Life; The Life of St. Francis, trans. Ewert Cousins (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1978), 115.