We have to be careful not to only address practical concerns when approaching the creation, renewal, or renovation of sacred space. Like the faith that has been handed-on to us, it must reflect the extraordinary nature of what and of Whom we believe. As people of faith Sign and Symbol always have a deeper meaning for us, they cannot merely remain on the surface but must penetrate deeper to unlock that which is Sacred. And so it is with sacred space we gather to worship in, it becomes the tangible sign and symbol to facilitate our awareness of something extraordinary; to some degree it must speak to and nurture the soul.
(Click on the images for larger versions)
The human mind likes things simply and easy to understand, yet as we parse through the theology of our beliefs they often are complex. Our subconscious is the realm best suited in expressing what our rational mind cannot comprehend; it is a window to the soul and we are but children approaching it. The language of the sacred is always entered into at this organic, visceral level. As Christians, this is where we truly meet Jesus; this is where He confronts us, this is where He comforts us, and this is where we begin to see things as they truly are. It is with great care, but it is in this language of the soul, that sacred space must be able to speak. It must elevate the mind and raise our conscience to recognize that there is always something more. Sacred space is intrinsically sacramental, its constitutive material elements ought to cooperate thoughtfully in their design and in their presentation to simply and unitively voice the truest aspirations of the People of God
This image of the Crucified One adorns a monastery's worship space and is meant to reflect the open disposition necessary in the monastic vow of conversatio morum: to endeavor always and in every way to be changed in one's manner of life. I had intended that the image include no cross so that it simply hangs on the cross grid of the bare wall (emphasizing not the crucifix, but the Person of Christ) and depicts less a matter of physical sufferings, but more the personal reciprocity of one Who bends to Divine Love.
Like Saul, on the road to Damascus, we need to be startled out of an all too familiar complacency that is afforded us in our religious beliefs. The true nature of Christian revelation is a dynamic force that pulls at the gut: it is disquieting because it pushes the soul to constantly go where it has never been before.
This design pushes the comfortable envelop which we too often place matters of our faith. It celebrates the sacramental presence of Jesus contained in the tabernacle, but still more so the necessary sacramental engagement we must willingly undertake with Him to allow Him to be the food that sustains our life.
Here, the transcendence of the sacred is not limited nor contained by the tabernacle but emanates from within it and to some degree fills the entirety of the space between it and those gathered around it, so that one experiences an immersive sense of Christ's Eucharistic Presence. Its emphasis is eucharistic in the fullest sense of true communion: with God, with our neighbors, and within ourselves.
