"Triptych with the Miracles of Christ"

by Larry Fraher, Ph.D., Director of Faith Formation & Education  |  12/11/2022  |  Images of Faith

Signs are all around us. They seek to direct, announce news, and proclaim messages. How we engage meaning- making in the world is often dependent on the meaning we attach to the signs we encounter in our lives. Today's Gospel reading presents us with a biblical version of this process. John the Baptist, now imprisoned, seeks to know who Jesus is, and Jesus responds by encouraging the disciples of John to look at the signs.

The late 15th century altarpiece, “Triptych with the Miracles of Christ,” invites us to contemplate the signs of Christ. The left panel contains a depiction of the wedding feast at Cana. Looking from the bottom to the top, the first action witnessed is the steward presenting the freshly drawn wine to the couple. Above them, we see a servant filling the water jars and Jesus, with Mary at his side, posed in an act of blessing. The wedding feast is taking place at an L-shaped table, and in the décor above the background arch one sees a depiction of Adam and Eve, the original married couple, being cast from the Garden of Eden. The central panel presents the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus and his disciples are perched on the boulder to the right of center, and we see the young boy offering his loaves and fishes. The disciples of Jesus move throughout the crowd, collecting the remnants of the makeshift feast. The Holy City of Jerusalem is pictured in the background and high above all the action is God the Father. The right panel shows the Raising of Lazarus. In the upper register is the portion of the story depicting Martha greeting Jesus. The lower portion presents the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the man in blue unbinding Him according to Christ's instructions. An image of Christ in glory hovers in the sky above the center portion of this panel, completing the story of Salvation.

While today's Gospel comes from Matthew and and these images present the stories of three miracles from the Gospel of John, the message is nonetheless clear: pay attention to the signs! The signs of God's presence are all around us, and they permeate the depths of His creation. From the time of our first parents and the Fall, God has given us signs of his grace and love to ground us and help us to see His abundant goodness. Jesus instructs us to pay attention to the signs, for the signs will show us the presence of the Kingdom of God.

Today, we may ask, with John, are you the Christ or is there another? Jesus responds to us, “Look around, see the signs.” Have we become less inclined to look for the signs of God in the world? Do we relegate God to the Church building and often have a hard time seeing his presence in our day-to-day lives? There is a great Advent lesson available to us here: open up to the signs. See what God is doing. As we do, we will become further prepared to receive Him.