Bodies of Christ poster

NOTES REGARDING THE BODIES OF CHRIST POSTER 

 

In reflecting on the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ this month, I was struck by the gift of the Eucharist and the way we are to serve God and one another. I tried to capture these relationships in the poster I called the Bodies of Christ. Here are some notes to accompany it. 

Figure 1 (top right) reflects the way in which we can share the gift of the Eucharist with fellow Catholics at Mass. In this figure, my nephew, Michael Chau, is distributing the body of Christ at Mass at St. Clare Church in Portland, Oregon. Michael, who was born in Vietnam, converted from Buddhism to becoming a Catholic about 15 years ago after going through the preparation program at St. Anthony’s Church in Tigard. He has since attended weekly mass at St. Clare’s where he feels privileged to serve as a Eucharistic Minister twice a month. He also serves as an officer in the Knights of Columbus there. 

Figure 2 (bottom right) reflects the way we reflect Christ by serving family and friends. Here is a photo Michael took this year of his sister, Loan Wade, her mother and youngest daughter who live in Salem. 

Figure 3 (lower left) was taken on Holy Thursday of Fr. Don Gutmann, pastor at St. Clare’s washing the feet of parishioners representing the need for each of us to serve others. 

Figure 4 (top left) was taken by Tom Owens this past summer while Michael and I were visiting friends and relatives in Florida. We attended Mass at St. Timothy’s in Ocala and were surprised to see a bronze statue of a homeless person in a sleeping bag on a park bench outside the church. It was a reminder to us of our obligation to respect and help the homeless and abandoned people in our world. When Michael saw the statue, he immediately went over and spontaneously knelt to show his respect for the forgotten in our society. This was the only church we have ever seen with such a powerful reminder. 

The center image of Christ was selected from the internet by a friend, Phiet Luong, a gifted graphic artist working for Tri Met and the director of the Vietnamese choir at St. Anthonys in Tigard. Phiet also designed the layout for this poster. Together, these images reflect to us the critical connection of our love for Christ in the Eucharist and its impact on our daily lives.  

Thanks to Phiet Luong and the others involved. 

Tom Owens and Michael Chau 

6.25.23