Biblical art in Catholic churches
Tag: Stained glass
The story of Christ blessing the children is found in three of the gospels (Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17). It reveals Christ’s positive attitude towards children, encourages adults to trust in God and is one of the reasons that the Church baptises newborns. Given his popularity, one day some people brought their children to … Continue reading Christ blesses the children (Mark 10:13-16)
The miraculous story of bread descending from heaven is described in the book of Exodus. Its themes include dependence on God, a test of faith and fair treatment for all. For Christians, this heavenly food, known as ‘manna’, came to be seen as a symbol of the Eucharist. After their escape from Egypt, the Israelites … Continue reading The Miracle of the Manna (Exodus 16:1-36)
The Twelve Prophets were a dozen of the most famous prophets from Jewish history. In the name of God, they called the people to repentance, spoke out against injustice and made spiritual observations about the politics of the day. The Twelve were Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. … Continue reading The Twelve Prophets (Sirach 49:10)
Christ’s personal invitation to four fishermen to become his disciples started a new chapter in all of their lives. As Pope Benedict XVI explained: “The Gospels agree in mentioning that the call of the Apostles marked the first steps of Jesus' ministry, after the baptism he received from John the Baptist in the waters of … Continue reading Christ calls his First Disciples (Matthew 4:18-22)
The gospels include a story about how two of the apostles asked Christ for a personal favour (Matthew 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-45). The two were St James and St John, the sons of Zebedee. They decided to involve their mother, who had left home to look after Christ and her sons, in the plan. One day, … Continue reading St James & St John’s Request (Matthew 20:20-28)
According to the Church, the death of Christ is revealed throughout the whole Bible. As Pope St John Paul II explained: “There were many messianic texts in the Old Testament which foreshadowed the sufferings of the future Anointed One of God. Among all these, particularly touching is the one which is commonly called the Fourth Song … Continue reading The Suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12)
St Luke’s gospel is the only one to include any details of the childhood of Christ. This is probably because he spoke to the Virgin Mary, who shared her memories of the Child Jesus with him. The main story he tells is of Christ’s disappearance during a family trip to Jerusalem – and of being … Continue reading Christ among the Doctors (Luke 2:41-52)
