Green Christ :: 2005/06/04 09:44
Green Christ
In Clay Meditation Class, the homework that presents the subject of community was assigned to each student. I was thinking that community means to share something or to be with others together. However, after passing some days, I was desperate to get any clue to show the idea of community. What is worse, I knew I am not a good hand-worker.
Looking at other students' finished works of community, I was almost giving up this assignment. One day nearly approaching to next class, I happened to come to Studio as the last chance to make something. With touching and molding clay in free shape, I repeated and repeated the word, “community”.
I was thinking the meaning of community: If I could not get any image of community as working/sharing together, what other sense would be represented for community? Then, one idea of community came to my mind: Let me focus on the nature of community rather than the function of community.
At this moment, in outside of window the fallen leaves caught my perception. The fallen leaves on the ground inspired me. Those Leaves are the most feeble and vulnerable beings who are powerless and rootless. They are beings of fate that disappear without track of life in any space. They hit me, “That's it! Community, the embrace of the most vulnerable.”
After I inscribed the shapes of different kinds of leaves into clay, the question came to me: on which one I hang these things and how I can arrange them as image of community? In this moment of this question, the mysterious spark is firing on my heart.
O dear, Green Christ who support these feeble beings!
Without intention or efforts, naturally my hands were 'acted through' something beyond me. The top of tree was torn into three parts two hands and face of Green Christ. The first surprising one is not how successfully I can make the image of Green Christ who supports the most vulnerable on his shoulders. Rather, my surprise lies in the features of Green Christ who fully contains the weights of the most feeble beings in his (or her/its) face and body, and embodies the trauma and sufferings of the most feeble into his face, along with blooding. Instead of smiling face, the wrenched face appears with crying.
Another surprise came to me as the result of the second firing after glazed. I put the crown with the sentence of Green Christ on his head before second firing. But, after second firing, Green Christ put the crown off. The crown pulled down on his face instead of head. He rejected any kind of kingship, authority, majesty or power by himself. He manifested humility, embraced secularity, ugliness, the identification with downtrodden and the absolute condition of pains through the whole body.
Alas! Lo!
the green, self-emptying Christ!
The One who makes one's own body by means of the trauma and suffering of the vulnerable.
Passing day by day since then,
this image of green Christ have inscribed into my deep heart.
It is not enough to love neighbors in a distance.
Let their crying and suffering become my body.
(2001. 11. during clay mediation class, at Pendle Hill)
* PendleHill is a Quaker Retreat tTraining Center in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, USA
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