Drawing: Ronald Raab, CSC
“Last minute”

This is one of my first drawings from a couple of weeks ago after not picking up a pencil in over thirty years. He is the worker being hired at five o’clock. No one hired him that day, he waited until the very end. He looks over his shoulder in unbelief and yet relief, with caution and mistrust and yet gratitude. He received his full-day pay.

God’s love and mercy are a gift to us even at the last minute. So often we think we need to earn God’s love. Free, free, free is the mercy of the Father. We do not pull ourselves up from our own bootstraps to get to heaven. We do not save ourselves. God saves us, even at the last minute.

Painting: Ronald Raab,CSC
“Anticipating”

I painted this piece in acrylics in one of my first classes this summer. The exercise was to paint from a photo that was upside down. This method frees the brain not to paint an eye or mouth, but to just begin to see the shapes and shadows. Even though this is one of my first efforts, I really like this woman.

I see in her Mary Magdalene before she meets Jesus. She is haunted by her past and the seven demons she carries within her soul. She waits for healing. This is today’s gospel story in acrylics.

Her eyes anticipate the healing gifts of Christ Jesus. She in fact received what she was anticipating by becoming the “Disciple of the Disciples”, the first to proclaim the Resurrection of Christ Jesus.

Drawing: Ronald Raab, CSC
“At his feet weeping”

A woman in need heard that Jesus was dining at a Pharisee’s house. She approached him with an alabaster jar of oil and washed his feet. She dried his feet with her hair.

This drawing is the second drawing I finished last week. After not picking up a pencil in over thirty years, this stern woman appeared who seemed to long for Jesus. Her need, her anger about her past and her longing to be healed is written on her face. This is a depiction of her desire for Jesus, before she buys  the expensive oil, before she discovers Jesus dining with the Pharisees, before she bends down at the feet of the Master.

From our own longing for God, we hear today’s gospel and we too ache to be at the feet of Christ who overcomes all things even within our hearts and lives.

Drawing by: Ronald Raab, CSC
Title: “I tell you, arise”

This drawing depicts the young man coming back to life in today’s gospel, Luke 7:11-17. He was the only son a poor widow. The sorrowful mother has great faith that Jesus can raise up her son from death. She has no cultural power or influence, yet Jesus listens to her request and discovers her faith. This image depicts the fresh face of new life coming out of the darkness of lifelessness. He represents all of us who long for new life from within our hearts and minds. In the face of Jesus, all things are possible for us.

We all long to be brought back to life when grief strikes us down or when our child loses hope. We long for new life when our shame eats away at our self-worth, when we have internalized the put-downs from other people. We ache for a new view of ourselves when our parents separate or when household violence makes a permanent home in our emotions. We long for new life when depression overcomes our days at school and family life at home. We long for a new perspective when we feel our lives have not turned out the way we had planned. We long for new life coming home from war and leaving the violence and rage behind us. We long for new life when we lose our job, our health or the illusion of our control. We really long for the life that God has for us in the life that is ours and not the life that we think we should have.

Jesus heals the young man at his mother’s request. Jesus comes to us all in unexpected moments and ways to heal us beyond our imagining.

Painting by Ronald Raab, CSC
Title: “Abandon”

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Sunday September 14, 2014.

I started painting and drawing lessons this past summer from Lisa Lundquist, a Sacred Heart parishioner. I painted this image of Christ last Saturday for this Sunday’s celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Learning to express myself in art is an energizing experience for me since I have not picked up a pencil or a paint brush in over thirty years.

I am just beginning to create art. I will post my drawings and paintings on this blog to help tell the stories of people who are marginalized and who most need God. You will notice on this blog that all of the photos of people are in black and white and the photos of Christ are in color. This is intentional, to show the vibrant face of Christ in my work. This picture of Christ is created with acrylic paint. I have never used acrylics until a couple of months ago. This is a new and energizing form of story telling for me and I hope the art will help us all break open our stories in Christ Jesus.