Images more than texts
Once a teacher wanted to teach her students about Jesus. As a good pedagogue, she began by talking about Jesus, without saying his name, hoping that the students would guess who she was talking about.
He began by saying: I am going to tell you the story of a very kind person, who was born very poor, in such a way that not even the neighbors knew of his birth. He was born while his parents were away. Since he was poor, no one took them in, they also had no money to go to an inn. He had to be born in an abandoned cave, perhaps previously used by shepherds who kept their cattle in the mountains, where they took refuge when they came to the village.
Later this boy grew up and learned the art and trade from his father who was a carpenter. He was his father’s assistant until he was a mature young man… Everyone knew him as the carpenter’s son.
When he was old enough to marry, instead of looking for a girlfriend, he began to worry so much about others, especially the poor, that he practically forgot about his profession and lived only worried about them. He spoke of God to the people he met on the roads, stopped by the sick, tended to their wounds, consoled the sad and discouraged, looked for the lost sheep to lead them to the fold and ate with the simple people. He was seen many times in the company of sinners and people of low reputation, he even ate with them. Everyone loved him very much and it was a joy to listen to him. He said things that went straight to people’s hearts.
I was still in the middle of the story, when a child interrupted the teacher and, with self-confidence, told her: I know who it is, I know who that person is.
The teacher felt enormously rewarded by the boy’s intervention and wanted to give him the opportunity to show his catechism knowledge. Then the boy answered without hesitation: it’s mr. Armando, he lives in my neighborhood, I know him very well.
It was exactly that: Mr. Armando perfectly reflected the features of Jesus. It was like the portrait of him.
Created in the image and likeness of God, we are called to be “images” rather than “texts” or words. Today we have perhaps too many texts and few portraits. Saint Paul VI said that the men of our time believe more in those who bear witness than in those who teach; and they only believe in those who teach if they are witnesses.
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