Adoration of the Lamb

Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (part of the Ghent Altarpiece), Jan van Eyck, 1430-32. Saint Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium.

Questions

-Who do you think the various groups of people are in this piece?

-What is happening in the middle of this art piece? What do you think is its significance?

-There are so many details in this painting, what stands out the most to you? Why?

Reflection

The chill of the air and bluster of the leaves always makes it feel so appropriate to celebrate All Saints and All Souls Day the first two days of November. Being from Minnesota, there have been plenty of times that Halloween has been snowy and blustery, but there is a special magic and deepness of understanding in early November when snow has not yet come. My first All Souls and All Saints Day as a Catholic I was actually in Poland, nearly three-quarters of the way through a semester abroad and right in the middle of fall break. I needed some time alone after living in close proximity with 20 people for three months, living, studying, going to class, and being together. So I set off on fall break to Germany and then Poland. I knew I needed to go to mass on All Saints Day and so I looked up the nearest Catholic Church to my hostel, bundled up, and walked hurriedly to the parish. There was not any snow yet but it was so cold. The thing that I did not know about European churches is that most of them do not have any air conditioning, especially in a small town in Poland. The other thing that I quickly realized was that I would probably not be hearing any English. Living in Italy, I started to pick up on the Italian language and the Romance language held common words that popped out. But Polish? Complete gibberish to me. And guess what?

It was an incredibly beautiful mass.

I could not tell you what the homily was about or even the readings for the day. I could see my breath and kept my hat and gloves on since it was so cold in the church. Only the sanctuary lights were on, so it was in mostly dark that I sat and prayed. I did not even ATTEMPT to follow along. But I knew that I was in the presence of fellow Catholics who knew the importance of coming to remember the saints and souls who went before us, praying for the saints intercession and praying for the souls who are in purgatory. In that little church in Poland freezing, I felt the warmth in my heart and lifted by soul to awareness of those who I could not see but were worshipping right along with me.

I have always been a romantic person. It helps me to romanticize especially the hard parts of life because it reminds me that there is a greater story at play. All Saints and All Souls Days are very romantic to me, as they remind me of the greater reality that is at play. At every mass, there are saints and souls present, worshipping God. The angels and all the heavenly hosts come together to worship the Lord. Our eternal reward and mission in life is to join in this unceasing worship of Our Lord and Our God, who created us and loves us so deeply. Remembering the presence of these people that have died and who are already partaking in that beatific vision or being purified in purgatory to be hopefully united with the Lord fully and completely is so incredibly powerful. We are not doing this faith journey alone. There are generations upon generations of people who have loved God and have used this life to serve Him so that they may rest in the next, experiencing eternal bliss in His Presence. They serve as examples but also reminders of what we can do in this life but also what we have to look forward to in the next. The coldness of the weather is a reminder that this earthly life is only temporary, that the warmth and joy in our lives come from outside of us. We are part of a greater story and a universal reality that goes beyond our experience today or even our earthly life. God wants us to be aware of the universality and eternal nature of His Church and His Creation.

I think this painting fits beautifully with remembering all the saints and souls who have gone before us. It is a sneak peek of our mission and goal in life - to adore the mystic lamb. Who is this Mystic Lamb? None other than Christ, who offered Himself on the altar of the cross to be sacrificed for our salvation. Seeing Jesus as an actual lamb on the altar brings to mind all the Old Testament slaughters, the parable of the ninety-nine sheep to find the lost one, all the shepherd references and parables, and the lion and the lamb. Everywhere in Scripture it begs us to see the importance of this image of the lamb and equating it to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He is triumphant on the altar, not scared or hurt. He is the perfect lamb and the perfect offering, accepting His role in salvation history and willing going to be sacrificed. He died so that we could be united with Him in heaven. Surrounding Him are the angels and saints and souls who wish to give Him the praise and adoration that He is due and that they desire to give. God is a generous giver to us and we must desire to generously give to Him if we are to be in true, right relationship with Him.

This painting is at the center of a larger altarpiece, but it would be right above the altar where the priest would say mass. Our altarpieces are a great reminder of how we want to orient our minds and hearts to the greater reality of what is happening. At the time of the priest consecrating the bread and wine, making Jesus truly present in the Eucharist, the priest would be able to gaze upon the lamb on the altar. The reminder of the saints and angels present would be called to the forefront of reality. The angels surrounding the altar hold symbols of Christ's passion, reminding us how this Eucharist we partake in was made possible by the sacrifice of Christ. Receiving the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world is not a light matter, but has deep ramifications. Our souls must be rightfully disposed to receive Him in our littleness. The saints that are united with Him in heaven have fought the good fight and held to the true faith and are now able to rightfully worship Him for all eternity. The souls in purgatory, who we are called to pray for, desire to have this same unification and must be purified by His eternal burning love before they are able to leave behind all their imperfections to be perfect in and with God.

The rays from above come down in splendor and light, shining down with a dove of the Holy Spirit and presence of God the Father. The Trinity is always present together and are inseparable in being and action. The saving action of Jesus Christ was done in unification with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Our relationship with the three persons of the Trinity is important to highlight. God saves us and wishes to know us in the ways that He has appeared and spoken to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The light of God shines down upon the angels, saints and souls to allow them to be enlightened with the revelation of the full truth, beauty and goodness of the saving act of Christ. The fountain of life before the altar reminds us that we must accept the flowing gifts of mercy and grace that the sacrament of the Eucharist offers. More than that, the water of life comes from the Lamb of God. We are reminded of the water that flowed from Christ's side on the cross, signifying His life giving and saving water.

This painting is so potent with symbolism and details that deeper reflection and prayer must follow. I still myself am noticing new things, even after looking at this piece several different times for a great deal of time! This is the power of sacred art, that the Lord will always reveal more. The more we dive into the Scriptures, pray and foster a relationship with God, surround ourselves with the true, good, and beautiful, and allow God to affect every aspect of our lives the more we will notice. I just urge you to sit and allow the Lord to reveal things to you. He wants to speak, give Him the space by listening.

Information

This painting is part of a larger altarpiece, known as the Ghent Altarpiece. Its official name is the "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb". It is a polyptych which is an artwork that is divided into multiple sections. One of the coolest and most interesting parts of this altarpiece can open and close, and there are painted sections on the open and closed faces of the altarpiece. In the pictures below, you can see the various different panels that make up the entire altarpiece and with that comes an opportunity to reflect on who is adoring the Lamb of God. The top row of the opened panel shows Christ the King in the middle, flanked on each side by Mary and St. John the Baptist, then choirs of angels, with Adam and Eve on the outermost panels. The bottom row of the opened panel is the Adoration of the Lamb that is continued through the other panels with saints, sinners, priests, and soldiers all going to adore the Lamb on the altar. The top row of the closed panel are prophets and sibyls (female prophets). The middle row of the closed panel is the angel Gabriel announcing to the Virgin Mary that she will bear Jesus Christ. The bottom row of the closed panel are two paintings of statues of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, then portraits of the two donors of Joost Vijdt and his wife. These panels hold so much richness, both in beauty and also Scriptural subjects that just beg to be reflected upon and dived into. The skill which it is produced and how it all interplays is part of the reason why it is one of the most important artworks in all of European history.

Opened Ghent Altarpiece

Closed Ghent Altarpiece

I was made aware of the Ghent Altarpiece by watching the movie "The Monuments Men". This wonderful movie is my favorite type of war movie - no blood and gore, but all the history. It follows a group of men nicknamed 'Monuments Men' as they were specialists in monuments, fine arts, and archives who were tasked by the Allied forces to find and save artworks across Europe. The Nazis had a very strong and often destructive program that would steal, hide, sell, and destroy artworks based on if they fit with the Nazi ideal laid out by Hitler. While it is a great movie with a star filled cast, it is also very historical accurate. The Ghent altarpiece was actually seized by Nazi forces and hidden in Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. It was not until the very end and after the war that the Allies discovered this Castle and the thousands of artworks that were hidden here. The Monuments Men were able to save this artwork and return it to Belgium where it rightfully belonged. The whole altarpiece had to undergo a great deal of restoration because of damage that occurred while it was seized and moved around during World War II and after.

The movie is so powerful because of the deep impact that finding these priceless pieces of art has upon the Monuments Men. So many of them had studied beautiful, priceless, and famous pieces of artworks and had never got to see them in person. Being able to be close to the art touched them so deeply, many were moved to tears. Praying with and surrounding ourselves with beautiful art whether it be in our homes, during prayer, at a museum visit, or even on social media allows us this same opportunity. We can encounter masterpieces everyday that call us to greater things and remind us of things beyond ourselves. Great art moves us beyond ourselves and into the world of the divine. The Ghent altarpiece is a perfect example of that and one we can follow into the depths of history, culture, art, and prayer.

More Questions

-What panel of the altarpiece do you like the most or are most interested in? Why?

-Is there a piece of art that has deeply moved you? What was it, where were you, why did it impact you deeply, what did it reveal about you or God?

-Think about All Saints and All Souls Day - how can you pray more often to the saints and pray more for the souls in purgatory? Why is remembering the people who have gone before us important?

Let us pray -

Lord, we praise you for the reminder of the great story and divine reality that we are a part of. Thank you for the example of the saints for how to live this life well and what we will be joining them in in Heaven. We pray deeply for the souls that are in purgatory, of the faithful who have gone before us and long to see you face to face. Allow us to be inspired by these holy men and women to sacrifice and purify ourselves in this life so that we may more quickly be united with you in heaven. Deepen my awareness of your presence in the Eucharist and at the mass. Thank you for your sacrifice on the altar of the cross, pure and undeserving, but always willing to be the perfect Lamb who saves us all.

All Saints, pray for us!

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy, of God, rest in peace!

Amen.