Sunday, January 27, 2008

Christian Life is like photography

Would any photographer shoot a wedding in total darkness? Without hearing the answer, you can easily guess that the answer is no.
No photographer is silly enough to shoot a subject that is not visible. A source of light must be present. It holds the most integral part of the equation. In other words cameras completely rely on the light. And that explains why even the most expensive and sophisticated camera lens today still uses clear glass to allow the most valuable light into the camera body. Without the light, no matter how faint it is_ photography can not exist.

The same thing applies to Christian faith. We are lost without Christ. He is the Light. He is also The Way, the Truth and the Life. We need Him in our lives. Believing in Him that He died for our sins makes a big difference in how we see the world around us. And just like photography, it is the light that brings out the details, contrast and the colors in any photograph.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

The Gift Of Seeing

Have you ever imagined being in complete darkness?
Darkness_ meaning losing your eyesight?
It is indeed a scary thought. But on the brighter side, There are people like us who can read, see our way around and enjoy the freedom to see the morning light everyday. We are very fortunate. So fortunate that at times we all tend to take it for granted.

Clouds and stars have always fascinated me. I remember as a child, I would tirelessly gaze at the clouds against the deep blue sky and count as many recognizable forms I could see. And at night when the clouds were gone, I would divert my focus to the stars. Clusters of them across the universe. They all looked so far away and yet so pretty with their glittering lights. I played with them. The game that children today know as Connecting The Dots. After a few tries and to my amusement, somehow those stars appeared to reveal an interesting shape.

To those of us who are able to see, how often do we use our gift of seeing? We all have the gift but we have to be spiritually connected to the holy spirit to see beyond what is before us. God is constantly communicating to us through what we see and through our hearts.

Many years ago while attending a mass at St. Martin de Porres Church, the parish Priest introduced a group of six adults who were about to be baptized. One of them was a woman with her little boy who was about four years old. During the baptism, the woman handed her lit baptismal candle to the boy. The little child was in awe with the flame. With his eyes watching the candle light, he missed a step on the way down from the altar. He lost his balance and was about to fall but the boy hung on to the candlestick and did not let the flame out of his sight. He was so connected to the light. And before he could hit the floor, his Mom scooped him up to safety. What a beautiful sight!

That scene is still vivid in my head today. What I saw was the love of God to those who put their unshakable faith in Him. Never second guess God. He is always there for us. Open your eyes.
He is everywhere. In many forms and shapes.

I shot the above photo during a pilgrimage to The Holy Land. The silhouettes were of my fellow pilgrims from St. Thomas More Church who were gathered at the outside court of The Church Of The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. After examining the shot, I realized that I had just photographed the Gospel of Matthew 6:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

I posted a short video with the same title.
To see the video please click: artisticam presents