Design the Garment of Faith
Project Runaway is a popular reality television show about persons seeking stardom as fashion designers. It is a process of many weeks. It is the designing of a garment with a variety of criteria, being evaluated and eliminated by noted existing designers, and then, the TV viewers have the final vote and select the winner. It is interesting to watch the creativity of putting together various pieces of fabric, threads, fasteners, etc. into a wearable garment – on short notice.
The styles of our garments in the Western world are made of many parts (i.e. sleeves, pockets, collars, etc.) and much stitching. But, it is not unusual in the Middle Eastern regions, today, or during the time of Jesus, where a garment could be a one “un-seamed” piece of fabric. The gospel reading says, “They [soldiers] took this tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top.”
If your “faith” was a garment, how would it be designed? Multi-colored? Glittery? Tailored? Simple one-piece? In our own spiritual exploration, the “design” of our faith may be any one of these and/or other designs.
Over time as we become comfortable in wearing this garment of faith the threads may start to ravel, and there are those in our lives and culture who may want to cast lots to pull at the “seams and fabric” and challenge our beliefs.
Good Friday invites us to take a look at our garment of faith. Does it need repairing? Or, does it need a total redesign? Or, does it need to be replaced with something brand new? What ever the outcome, the “thread” to be used, is woven with the message of Jesus Christ; for as Paul said to the Hebrews: “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds. . .”
Our garment of faith does not need to be judged by others for the perfect fit, or approved for some major runaway display. Our garment of faith is our individual composite relationship with Jesus. And, it is Jesus who drapes the garment of faith upon us from the Cross!
2 comments:
Veronica,
You may be a "newbie" to the world of blogs, but you have certainly got the creative flow working for you. I love your comments on St. Seed; I've often asked the same question. Your Good Friday blog is brilliant, and that's what I would like my garment of faith to be, brilliant with the light of the love of God. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and have a blessed Easter.
Veronica, thank you for sharing this reflection. I appreciated it.
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