How often are you distracted during Mass? If you’re anything like me, all the time! My mind wanders and my eyes drift away from the altar or lectern. Thankfully, these distractions are transformed into prayer by the beautiful windows that line our Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (my home parish).
Let me explain – and show you how they can do the same for you (or click here to jump straight to the prayer resource).
From Germany to Palmy
The famous architect Frederick Clere designed our Cathedral in the early 20th century. The church opened in 1925 as St Patrick’s. It didn’t become ‘The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit’ until the Diocese was formed in 1980.
The stained glass windows that line the ‘nave’ (or body) of the church came all the way from Munich, Germany. Each set of windows (there are ten sets in total!) feature a well-known parable from the Gospels.
Looking, reading, praying
So as distraction sets in for me during Mass, my eye is often caught by the scenes in these beautiful windows. At those times I find myself naturally reflecting on the gospel through the artistry and emotion shown in them.
See the obvious gentleness of the Samaritan caring for the wounded man. The generous carelessness of the sower as he scatters the seed. The deep sorrow of the son returning to his father.
I encourage you to take a closer look at the windows next time that you’re in the Cathedral, and see if you can recognise all ten parables!
You can view some of these beautiful windows below in high detail. A short explanation of how to pray with them using lectio divina, ‘sacred reading’, is at the bottom of this article.
The Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37
The Good Shepherd
Luke 15:1-7
The Loving Father
Luke 15:11-32
The Sower
Luke 8: 4-15
The Talents
Luke 19: 11-27
Jesus the True Vine
John 15: 1-17
The Barren Fig Tree
Luke 13: 6-9
Lectio Divina
The practice of sacred reading (‘lectio divina’) has been practiced in the church for centuries and is a pathway for prayer with scripture. It leads us gently into a deeper relationship with Christ as we open ourselves to him.
You could either look up the Scripture and pray with that, or just use the image in the window. Here’s a simple explanation and method that you can use to pray with these parables:
Lectio Divina is a meditative prayer, allowing God to speak through his living Word. It has been described as a way to “feast on God’s Word”, so we’ll use that analogy as we walk through the four steps of this prayer.
1. READ a brief passage of Scripture – “take a bite”
2. REFLECT and meditate on the word or phrase that caught your heart – “chew”
3. RESPOND in prayer to what God called to your attention – “savor”
4. REST in God, contemplating his word to you – “digest”
– From PrayerAndPossibilities.com