“Where there is no obedience there is no virtue, where there is no virtue there is no good, where there is no good there is no love, where there is no love, there is no God, and where there is no God there is no Paradise.” (Saint Padre Pio).
My very favourite artist in the entire world is the Quattrocento painter, sculptor, inventor and scientist, the great Michelangelo.
Michelangelo not only painted the ceiling and back wall of the Sistine Chapel, but he also sculpted great masterpieces, like the Pieta, which is an image of the Blessed Virgin carrying the dead Body of her beloved Son taken down from the Cross. Another favourite sculpture is the great marble statue of David, which depicts the moment when David prepares to throw the stone that felled Goliath and save the Israelites.
The other day, I stumbled upon a beautiful marble sculpture called “The Veiled Christ”, which was carved by Giuseppe Sanmartino in the mid 18th century.
This sculpture depicts the Dead Body of Christ in the tomb, and is considered a masterpiece because of the way that the artist has shaped the stone to ensure that the Body of Christ is partially obscured by a veil created by carving the marble.
And as I examined images of this sculpture, I am reminded of the work of the sculptor because it reminds me of the work of God...
You see, before a sculptor begins his work, he must first select the appropriate stone. He must ensure that his stone is neither too big, nor too small for the masterpiece that he wishes to create. He must examine the stone’s strengths and weaknesses – ensuring that there is no crack that will cause the stone to break when he applies pressure in shaping it. And when He finds the right stone, he pays the highest price for it, because he understands that no other stone will do.
And this is the same with God. He carefully shapes each soul to suit its purpose, because through each soul he crafts a masterpiece and that masterpiece is only possible when the sculptor understands the stone. This is why God knows my soul much better than I know it myself. And that means that when I feel that I might crack under the pressure of the Master’s hand, instead, I can endure – for I was created to become the masterpiece of my Beloved...
And when the sculptor begins his work, he cuts away huge chunks of stone, then smaller pieces, until finally, a small brush or a little sandpaper is enough to polish the surface of the stone and reveal the sculpture. And it is the same with God when the mortifications of the soul enable God to hack away at the stone in large chunks and then smaller ones, until finally – as we become more obedient to the Divine Will, we are shaped through a mere brush of the Almighty’s Hand…
Venerable Fulton Sheen wrote in his book, “Peace of Soul” at page 219, “When we die to something, something comes alive within us. If we die to self, charity comes alive; if we die to pride, service comes alive; if we die to lust, reverence for personality comes alive; if we die to anger, love comes alive.”
And I have been reflecting on that slow dying… Because as Saint Padre Pio said, “Where there is no obedience there is no virtue, where there is no virtue there is no good, where there is no good there is no love, where there is no love, there is no God, and where there is no God there is no Paradise.”
And if only I could be obedient to the Divine Will of God, He could shape me into a Masterpiece worthy of Eternal Life, and then – only then – could I enter into Paradise…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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