The Art and Faith Reflection for the 2nd Sunday in Lent
In the Transfiguration , Raphael tells a story of revelation, faith, and healing. He shows how the moment of Revelation on Mount Tabor sheds light on the scene below, the healing of a boy with a demon. It’s the story in the Gospel immediately following the Transfiguration of Jesus. Heaven sheds its light below as Christ, embraced by the bright cloud and flanked by Moses and Elijah, is the apex of the scene. Below we see the apostles and even further down we see others gathered to view a possessed boy and his family. From top to bottom, the colors shift from a cool, heavenly glow to warmer, earthly tones. Raphael shows us the disciples as they meet the desperate family. The boy’s face contorts with suffering. His body is torn, one arm up and one arm down, as if he’s being pulled towards both Heaven and Hell. Raphael depicts the family as a focused unit. Their intensity and upward hands signal their united act of faith. Opposite them, the disciples are overwhelmed by the...