Cedeño Lent sculptures
Lenten season is here. Once again, the whole of Christendom celebrates this week to commerate the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Interestingly, the life and works of Jesus Christ is the most used subject for the arts from sculptures, reliefs, mosaics, paintings, even plays, movies and music. One artist in Davao City is at work on a project involving this subject matter.
In the past few weeks, the novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has affected almost all countries, and disrupted several forms of social, political and economical activities including our spiritual lives. While it stirred fear and despair among people, it also created a more meaningful change in the lives of many people.
It has made us more willing to make sacrifices to protect our health and those of others, and sharing our resources and making sacrificial givings to ensure the welfare of other families. Above all, it deepened our spiritual lives and kindled our faith by turning to prayer with our families in our homes in this time of crisis most specially during this Holy Week.
Several months ago, I was commissioned to make a series of sculptures on the The Way of the Cross which is also known as the Stations of the Cross. These life-size figures of approximately 6 feet tall are made of stone cast resin. It has a series of sixteen stations retracing the steps of Jesus Christ on His sorrowful journey to Golgotha. My client must probably have an insight of an upcoming crisis for he insisted in making this year-long project to help people connect to God and deepened their faith as they experience into a journey of Jesus giving himself as gift to save mankind.
As we make our reflections this Holy Week during a novel Covid-19 pandemic, we are reminded of how Jesus in the midst of grief prayed to His Father: “not my will but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42). This must be our everyday prayer to entrust ourselves to God’s will knowing that He is our Shield and our Protector.
“Lord Jesus, the pandemic is a hard cross to accept.
Who will get sick? Who will die? Who will lose their job? How will this reshape the future? the only way to accept it is to trust, as you did, that the Father’s care will never end.
Give us this Trust Lord. Amen.” By Brando Cedeño
