The Unbroken Word

THE UNBROKEN WORD 30 July 2017

/ Michael J. Cunningham / Leave a comment

 

Have you ever had that feeling for someone, or a group which was so strong you felt like family? Even more so; you are interconnected in some way words cannot possibly express. The ebb and flow of life which places us in each other’s path sometimes creates strange bedfellows. You enter a new place with expectations and hopes, or perhaps even trepidation, and then you see how it all pans out.

I have just finished my three years of academics at Catholic University, traveling with eight other souls on my journey. Everyone, well most everyone, was nervous to begin. Am I capable of this level of study or rigor? Am I going to look stupid? Am I going to fail? All questions we have, in the end, to put at the back of our minds and trust in God. A God who brought us to this place together.

From that first day of web based introductions I tried to situate their ministries. Open air Masses in Nigeria, the rector at the Seminary, the pilgrim leader bringing a flock to Israel, the catechist struggling to communicate the love of God through a fog of media misinformation. These now, are all my friends on this journey of a lifetime. A journey seeking the truth, which remains, as always, a pillar upon which we all can rest.

What are those moments in your life? Let us rest a moment on the pillar of interconnected love. And bask in His grace.


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The Stub

 

Visible on the path,

The tree stub of my presence remains,

Like a mile marker on a journey,

When once they sheltered under my branches,

And now they walk by,

Wondering why this vestige has not been removed.

 

Not knowing what sort of tree grew here.

 

© 2017 Michael J. Cunningham

The Unbroken Word

/ Michael J. Cunningham / Leave a comment

July 23, 2017

Photography is both an art form and a documentary medium. Often a photograph is taken purely to record, mostly accurately, what happened, or what you expect to happen in a certain situation. This could be as simple as a record of an event (to prove it happened), or for instructional purposes. For example, this is how this should look during an assembly process.

Photography, as an art form takes a different direction. Still it is the same tool used for recording the image, but then it may be manipulated further, in the darkroom, or in the digital darkroom with Photoshop, to convey a message. Every photograph usually serves some purpose, such as the artist is intending to evoke a feeling by using a particular lens, focusing on certain aspects of the image, or using color and spatial relationships to evoke a response from the intended viewer.

This same process occurs during the Eucharistic celebration. It is a ritual using imagery and objects which the celebrant and congregation hope will convey the various elements of the Mass in such a way they “feel” or experience the special nature of what is happening. We cannot consider the visual nature of what is being viewed in photography, or in a “live” image laden festival like the Eucharist without considering the matter of visual objects themselves.

While the eye, brain and the mind may be processing this imagery, the visual objects themselves have a major part to play in this process. In the Catholic Church, we often associate sacramentals as the means by which a personal relationship is forged between the person and the object. We can see relationships between sacramentals and individuals such as a crucifix or rosary beads, but they are not limited to “holy items”. A family photography album or cherished wedding picture can evoke deep feelings of connection, releasing grace and love in the process. The connectivity of the image of the item or the action it visually triggers sparks a divine response inside of us. As this source is only available from God, we then are recipients of grace as a result.

Perhaps today we can look for the sacramentals in our life, our parish and our Church as we take our leave after Mass this week; and see the connection between them, us and God’s everlasting love.

© 2017 Michael J. Cunningham O.S.F.

Michael Cunningham is Director of Faith Formation for St. Eulalia Parish

The Unbroken Word

/ Michael J. Cunningham / Leave a comment

July 23, 2017

Photography is both an art form and a documentary medium. Often a photograph is taken purely to record, mostly accurately, what happened, or what you expect to happen in a certain situation. This could be as simple as a record of an event (to prove it happened), or for instructional purposes. For example, this is how this should look during an assembly process.

Photography, as an art form takes a different direction. Still it is the same tool used for recording the image, but then it may be manipulated further, in the darkroom, or in the digital darkroom with Photoshop, to convey a message. Every photograph usually serves some purpose, such as the artist is intending to evoke a feeling by using a particular lens, focusing on certain aspects of the image, or using color and spatial relationships to evoke a response from the intended viewer.

This same process occurs during the Eucharistic celebration. It is a ritual using imagery and objects which the celebrant and congregation hope will convey the various elements of the Mass in such a way they “feel” or experience the special nature of what is happening. We cannot consider the visual nature of what is being viewed in photography, or in a “live” image laden festival like the Eucharist without considering the matter of visual objects themselves.

While the eye, brain and the mind may be processing this imagery, the visual objects themselves have a major part to play in this process. In the Catholic Church, we often associate sacramentals as the means by which a personal relationship is forged between the person and the object. We can see relationships between sacramentals and individuals such as a crucifix or rosary beads, but they are not limited to “holy items”. A family photography album or cherished wedding picture can evoke deep feelings of connection, releasing grace and love in the process. The connectivity of the image of the item or the action it visually triggers sparks a divine response inside of us. As this source is only available from God, we then are recipients of grace as a result.

Perhaps today we can look for the sacramentals in our life, our parish and our Church as we take our leave after Mass this week; and see the connection between them, us and God’s everlasting love.

© 2017 Michael J. Cunningham O.S.F.

Michael Cunningham is Director of Faith Formation for St. Eulalia Parish