The Fourth Reflection: The Triumph of the Church, Mdina Cathedral
I give thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing thy praise; I bow down toward thy holy temple and give thanks to thy name for thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness; for thou hast exalted above everything thy name and thy word. (Psalm 138:1–2)
Beneath Christ’s feet there are two putti who appear to be presenting a basket of wheat and bunches of grapes as an offering for the Eucharist. The movement of these angels contrasts with that of the angel and the putto directly beneath them, who are veiling the instruments of worship of the Old Covenant, because Christ, the mediator of the New Covenant (see Heb 9:15), “entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Heb 9:12).
At the same time, in the upper left-hand corner we find two angels gazing upon the mystery of Christ and the Church: one clothed in green, to recall the victory of life over death, and the other clothed in white, a sign of spiritual transcendence. And, on the far left, in the lower part, there is a male figure in a thoughtful pose, looking outward. This figure draws us, the viewers, into the contemplation of this mystery, while at the same time reminding us that we can never fully grasp the great mystery between Christ and his Church, of which we all form part (see Eph 5:32).
