2024/10/07

164. The Arrangement

In the composition of San Damiano Crucifix, we can see two attainment stages in the Prophetic Composition of the Book of Revelation (see diagram below): the third prophecy, the Prophecy of the Establishment of the New Testament (chapters 4-11), and the sixth prophecy, the Prophecy of the Completion of the Liturgy of the Mass (chapters 19-20). In the centre of the crucifix, the image of Jesus, crucified and bleeding, implies the Eucharist. Additionally, the floating depiction of Christ's body expresses that the new covenant made by the blood of Jesus is made present by his words: "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19). 

Here, the four people depicted on either side of the image of Jesus on the cross, which implies the Eucharist, are Jesus' mother, the "beloved disciple", the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene, who were standing by the cross in John's Gospel (cf. John 19:25). In addition, the man at the far left of Jesus, standing beside them, looking up at Christ on the cross and marked below as a "centurion", represents the converted Roman Empire. The three fingers he is holding up are said to mean, in a Christian context, "I testify that Jesus is the Lord".¹

 1. Michael Goonan (2000), The Crucifix That Spoke to St Francis, St Pauls Publications. 

These four people abide in the stage of the sixth prophecy of the Prophetic Composition of the Book of Revelation, the Prophecy of the Completion of the Liturgy of the Mass (chapters 19-20). The fact that they are depicted with Jesus in the middle, divided to the left and right, indicates the arrangement of the persons in the Mass liturgy. The wood of the cross is not distinctly depicted in this crucifix. That is because Christ's body represents the Eucharist, under which there should be an altar. On the right of Jesus, described as the Eucharist on the altar, are the mother of Jesus and the Apostle, the "beloved disciple" who took her into his house - the priesthood and the priest who received it. To the left, Clopa's wife represents the married believers, while Mary, called by her place name, Magdala, is thought to represent the single believers. 

In them, depicted on the right and left of the Eucharist, Jesus' following words are fulfilled: "But to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father" (Matthew 20:23). These words are Jesus' answer to the request of the mother of the sons of Zebedee, who came to him with her two sons, prostrated herself and said, "Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom" (20:21). The desire for power and control is no different for men and women. Even in today's globalised world, traditions of male domination and patriarchy remain and make it difficult to see true equality between men and women. 

Adam intended to gain authority and power by naming his wife Eve and ruling over her (cf. Genesis 3:20). Eve, when Cain was born, tried to sanctify herself and have authority, saying, "I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD" (4:1). Under these parents, Cain "rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him" (4:8) out of jealousy. The Gospel, concerning the incident of Zebedee's sons and their mother, tells us: "And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers" (Matthew 20:24). John must never have forgotten that incident because he witnessed the negative cycle of human relationships to begin, even among the Apostles. 

People depicted to the right and left of the San Damiano Crucifix will be expressed as surrounding the Eucharist and the altar that supports it if rendered as a three-dimensional image. Such an arrangement allows them to see each other and to realise the following prayer of Jesus: "I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one" (John 17:23). It makes their relationship more transparent and gradually creates new relationships that deter the negative cycle. The fact that various matters that the Church has kept hidden in its unique tradition are being brought to light today bears witness to this. As unbearable as these experiences have been, we, the Church, are indeed beginning a path of purification. The importance of the Mass liturgy in the form in which the faithful gather around the Eucharist and the altar that supports it lies not only because the institution of the Eucharist took place around the Passover table but also because of the above facts. 

I am a post-Vatican II believer and only know this style of Mass liturgy, where the priest and the congregation face each other around the altar. So, I was more than a little shocked when I learnt that it had been less than a century since the days when the Church celebrated the Mass liturgy in the style of everyone facing the altar. On the other hand, I was so happy to know that the Church, having made these reforms, had taken a big step towards the Prophecy of the Completion of the Liturgy of the Mass (chapters 19-20). Remembering these things, I thought back to Francis' time and gave it a lot of thought. 

To be continued.

Maria K. M.