... the mission of our own monthly book of hours, our MAGNIFICAT
 |
| MAGNIFICAT June 2014 |
The Glory of the Church
_______ Pierre-Marie Dumont _
Front Cover Artwork
This
miniature from a book of hours illustrates the conclusion of the
Hours of the Holy Spirit. Painted on velum in Paris around the year 1500, the manuscript begins with the
prologue: "In these present Hours is briefly proclaimed the Old as well as the
New Testament; and, with a view to the salvation of every soul, in
the calendar is noted the form and manner
of living in this world, during the little time
God grants us, to grow in goodness
and in virtue." Here already is what was to
become the mission of our own monthly book
of hours, our MAGNIFICAT: at every hour of the day, to inspire our prayer through the word of God, and to spiritually accompany us throughout
our pilgrimage on this
earth, that each day we may grow in the
imitation of Christ.
Central to
this illustration of the descent of the
Holy Spirit upon the disciples is the Blessed Virgin Mary dressed
in widow's garb: the Mother of God, she is also the Mother of the Church. Shown at prayer, Mary intercedes for her "daughter"
at the moment of her birth
at Pentecost, just as she will constantly intercede for her to the end of time. Kneeling
in the right foreground is Saint Peter, the first pope, wearing the mozetta in cloth of
gold. Opposite him is Saint John, a handsome reddish-blond young man. In the middle ground, between Mary and Peter, stands Saint James. The first bishop of the
Church, in the see of Jerusalem, he is recognisable
by his ermine rnozetta. symbol of the episcopacy. In a most stunning way, all
are clad in white. For, at Pentecost, the Apostles
underwent a kind of baptism. Like catechumens, they have cast off their old clothes to be robed anew in
white. Through this divestiture and reclothing,
the artist seeks to express a radical change in function and vocation: to
receive this immaculate uniform is a royal, priestly, and prophetic investiture. But, further, the
artist represents a gathering in the Upper Room where
all are clothed in white "brilliant as lightning" (Lk 9:29), just as Christ at the Transfiguration. Taking inspiration from the Evangelist, who continues, they "saw [Jesus'] glory" (Lk 9:32), the miniaturist here offers us
a vision of the glory of the Church, encapsulating
at the same time both its divine origin as well as its fulfilment as the Body of Christ. •
www.magnificat.com, June 2014-06-29 Front
cover:Pentecost illumination fromHours of
the Usage of Rome, French School. 16 c. Fol. 48r, ...
