The Creation of Adam
Oct
28
Written by:
Sunday, October 28, 2007
30th Sunday Ordinary Time
October 28, 2007
God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27
We are very blessed to have a new picture in the back of our church. This image is a close-up of The Creation of Adam, a fresco created by the artist Michelangelo for Pope Sixtus IV between the years of 1508-1512. It is situated at the very apex of the Sistine Chapel, which is the pope's private chapel and one of the most outstanding artistic achievements of the Renaissance. As anyone who has ever been there will tell you, it is breath-taking!
Let us turn for a moment to the commentary on the Vatican Museum website for this image:
The focal point of the episode of the creation of man is the contact between the fingers of the Creator and those of Adam, through which the breath of life is transmitted. God, supported by angels in flight and wrapped in a mantle, leans towards Adam, shown as a resting athlete whose beauty seems to confirm the words of the Old testament, according to which man was created to the image and likeness of God.
Of course, there are many ways to look at the image, but I see it as particularly Eucharistic, in that every time we receive communion we are literally being touched by the finger of God. When we begin to see God's presence in our lives, when we begin to see "the finger of God," thus revealed there, our perception of God may begin to somewhat resemble this picture, and we, in turn, become more Eucharistic.
Another interesting thought: the finger of God in the image lies just beyond the realm of actual touch. The gap that we see in the image between the finger of God and the finger of Adam is bridged by faith. In this life, God never fully reveals himself to our senses. His presence, his actions on our behalf in this life, though very real, must be discerned. The finger of God in our lives is revealed by the Holy Spirit. The more we become accustomed to noticing it, the more we will see the hand of God at work.
Father Gary