"Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth." Isaiah 53:7. Christ is the icon of the unseen God. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in Him were created all things in heaven on earth, the visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church." Colossians 1:15-18.
Icons are a communication of the truth of heaven. The veneration of icons leads us to encounter in faith Christ and his mysteries. We know that Jesus wants to stay with us not only in grace but truly in made present in the Holy Eucharist of the Blessed Sacrament. In the drawing to the left, Jesus takes up our cross so we are never alone for he was born to be Emmanuel~ God is with us in all our daily trials.
Icons are a communication of the truth of heaven. The veneration of icons leads us to encounter in faith Christ and his mysteries. We know that Jesus wants to stay with us not only in grace but truly in made present in the Holy Eucharist of the Blessed Sacrament. In the drawing to the left, Jesus takes up our cross so we are never alone for he was born to be Emmanuel~ God is with us in all our daily trials.
Scripture & Thoughts by Saints on flowers
“The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily
do not rob the little violet of it’s scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.” ― St. Thérèse de Lisieux, Story of A Soul, Autobiography
"Let everything in creation draw you to God. Refresh your mind with some innocent recreation and needful rest, if it were only to saunter through the garden or the fields, listening to the sermon preached by the flowers, the trees, the meadows, the sun, the sky and the whole universe. You will find that they exhort you to love and praise God; that they excite you to extol the greatness of the Sovereign Architect Who has given them their being." – St. Paul of the Cross
God's Natural Beauty~ Tropicana and Four Red Roses – Oil
Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Matthew 6:28-30.
do not rob the little violet of it’s scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.” ― St. Thérèse de Lisieux, Story of A Soul, Autobiography
"Let everything in creation draw you to God. Refresh your mind with some innocent recreation and needful rest, if it were only to saunter through the garden or the fields, listening to the sermon preached by the flowers, the trees, the meadows, the sun, the sky and the whole universe. You will find that they exhort you to love and praise God; that they excite you to extol the greatness of the Sovereign Architect Who has given them their being." – St. Paul of the Cross
God's Natural Beauty~ Tropicana and Four Red Roses – Oil
Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Matthew 6:28-30.
"As the heavens tower over the earth, so God's love towers over the faithful....Our days are like the grass, like flowers of the field we blossom...but the kindness of the Lord's kindness is forever toward the faithful from age to age."
Psalm 103: 11,15,17.
Psalm 103: 11,15,17.
Magnolia Textiles – oil
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 Unfolding – oil
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At the Foot of the Cross, the Lily blooms – oil
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Even before revealing him to man in words of truth, God reveals himself to him through the universal language of creation, the work of his Word, of his wisdom: the order and harmony in the cosmos – which both the child and the scientist discover –"from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator," for the author of beauty created them.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2500
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2500
Thank you Lord for the gifts in nature.
"Created in the image of God, man also expresses the truth of his relationship with God, the Creator by the beauty of his artistic works.... Arising from talent given by the Creator and from man's own effort, art is a form of practical wisdom, uniting knowledge and skill, to give form to the truth of reality in a language accessible to sight or hearing. To the extent that it is inspired by truth and love of beings, art bears a certain likeness to God's activity in what he has created. " Catechism of the Catholic Church 2501
"Beauty directs our souls to our creator. We must be first re-united with the traditions from which we come, if we are to produce art of the Church as it is today, that is nevertheless as glorious as the past." David Clayton, On John Paul II's Letter to Artists.
"When we see a beautiful object, a beautiful garden, or a beautiful flower, let us think that there we behold a ray
of infinite beauty of God, who has given existence to that object." – St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori