12 Reflections on Paintings for Faith Formation (Painting #1 – «The Thirst»)

Fr. Roy M. Thottam, SJ, Jesuit in Kerala Province, in India, shares 12 of his beautiful paintings and reflections, with teachers in our global community, as a set of resources for Faith Formation. We will be posting them as a series of articles for the next 12 Fridays! We hope you enjoy and use these extraordinary and unique resources in your Faith Formation programs with other educators and / or with your students in your classrooms.

Here is an introduction shared by Fr. Roy on his work, and also painting and reflection number 1.


Introduction and invitation.

Painting is an inner journey for me. It is a spiritual process. Every artwork is a meditation on the mysteries of life in the context of socio political and religious realities and personal experiences. It is an inner pilgrimage through the path of confusions, doubts, memories, struggles, faith, values and passions. 

Every painting is prophetic, critique of the dehumanising ways and systems; and affirmation of a counter culture and the values of the ‘Kingdom of God’. To send light in the depth of human hearts is the Artist’s vocation’.

Now a day the world has made us too false to ourselves. It is the challenge of modern man to search true self, in background of complex and contradictory realities; and regain the relationship with the Divine, with nature and with fellow beings.  The Divine, human and nature merge into my paintings. Everything is part of one divine reality. There is an interplay and all are inter-connected. God’s dynamic presence is within us and around us. God is labouring in everything. This universe is God’s Divine play – lila, bringing everything into its fullness. My paintings are part of this divine play, creating new visions and new order.

These paintings are meant for meditation. By meditation you may enter into the paintings.  See and experience the colours, forms, figures, composition, symbols, rhythm, music, movements and harmony within a painting. You may go beyond these and get into an aesthetic and spiritual realm where you could touch with your interior movements.  Keep seeing a painting more than once, then only the painting will convey you something and you will be able to enter into the painting. Then you may be enlightened with a new sensibility, a new awareness or a new sublime experience.

You may have your own ways of expressing your experience, with a drawing or painting, a poem or reflection or a prayer or a music composition. This will affirm your experience and it will be affecting you which may make a change in your thought patterns and approaches. It may help you to be rooted in the depth of a genuine spirituality and tune your life according to  the ‘play- lila’ of God.

Roy M. Thottam, SJ


12 Reflections on Paintings for Faith Formation – Painting #1 «The Thirst», and Reflection #1 «Life Giving Water».

 

Life Giving Water

A dry desert I am,

My pot is empty,

Longing for the life giving stream,

To quench the thirst of my soul,

That I be filled with the living water,

That my soul never be thirsty.

Let my heart be soaked with the dews of Your grace,

That I may sprout into new life and bear much fruit.

Pour into me Lord the eternal life giving water.

That I may become a spring of life.