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Learning Through Art: The Hospitality of Abraham by Andrei Rublev

This icon can be used for almost any teaching occasion. It is so familiar, so great, so rich and so much has been written about it. Nonetheless, in an ordinary parish situation, there will still be a great number of people, old and young, who haven’t been introduced to its beauty and its depths.

As explained in the art notes, it follows an event in the life of the patriarch Abraham from the Book of Genesis and links this to Christ’s revelation that God is Trinity. It is a perfect example of a biblical event being portrayed literally and, at the same time, with spiritual meaning. It is also a perfect example of the wondrous unity of the Faith.

This painting then is Trinitarian, Christo-centric and Eucharistic in that it depicts the eternal sacrifice of Christ at the Mass; it reveals the Paschal mystery as a beautiful, simple, eternal, Trinitarian act of divine love. Henri Nouwen says, ‘Rublev's icon gives us a glimpse of the house of perfect love’. Once explained it is often, appropriately, used for prayer. Since it was made for a Cathedral, however, its actual purpose is for the sake of enhancing our entrance into and appreciation of the liturgy of the Mass.

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Caroline Farey divides her time between teaching catechetics and philosophy. She was the Director of the BA in Applied Theology for Catechesis at the Maryvale Institute in England, and is Lecturer in Philosophy at St Mary's College, Oscott, the Seminary for the Archdiocese of Birmingham, where she teaches Metaphysics, Epistemology, and St Thomas Aquinas. She is a regular contributor to The Sower, writing the "Learning Through Art" column and sees The Sower as a key means of ensuring a creative ongoing formation for DREs and key catechists. Her degrees included a MA in Theology and a Licence in Philosophy from the Pontifical University, Maynooth, as well as an S.T.L from the Pontifical University Louvain, and a doctorate from Lateran University in Rome. She was also contributing editor to The Pedagogy of God.

This article is from The Sower and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of Maryvale Institute. Contact [email protected]

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Categorized Under:

Catechizing with Art

Issue:

31.4

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About Franciscan Catechetics

The Catechetics Degree Programs and the Catechetical Institute (CI) at Franciscan University of Steubenville work in concert to prepare clergy, religious and laity to join the “army of catechists” called for by St. John Paul II, eager to help the Church in her mission of making all nations joyful disciples of Jesus Christ. We combine a thorough formation in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and Magisterial documents with training in effective pedagogical techniques to help those we serve to grasp the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Father’s plan, and to bear witness to others faithfully of the wonderful life of grace in the Holy Spirit.

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