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Learning through Art: The Mercy Seat Trinity

The painting by Durante Alberti is the kind of painting one is sometimes warned against using in catechesis, especially with children, for there is a worry that children will be led astray by the depiction of God the Father as an old man with a big beard – and, possibly for children, what appears to be a rather frightening old man. But all that we need to remember is that catechesis should accompany the presentation of Catholic art such as this, and the explanations that one can offer are not only striking in themselves, and deeply helpful for children as well as adults, but alter one’s perception of what is in the painting. Indeed, the initial alteration comes as soon as one applies the name, ‘Mercy seat’, to the painting. As one looks at the painting with this title in one’s mind, the meaning of the picture changes from being a straightforward depiction of the crucifixion, to a profound depiction of the Catholic understanding of God’s power as loving mercy.

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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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