In the XVI century when people from Spain were in Colombia, a representative from the king of Spain who worked in the town next to my native town, asked an artist to paint a portrait of Our Lady of the Rosary. He wanted to have it in his small chapel at home, which had a thatched roof. The painter also painted Saint Andrew the Apostle and Saint Anthony of Padua at each side of our Lady. The portrait was painted on a piece of cloth made by the local indigenous people, dimensions 44 by 49 inches.
The thatched roof and the humidity deteriorated the painting and when the owner died, his wife took it with her when she moved to the nearby city of Chiquinquira. There the painting was abandoned in a room that earlier served as a home chapel. A pious woman found it and fixed that home chapel and hung the deteriorated painting on the main wall. One day the painting was miraculously restored to its original colors and splendor in the presence of that pious woman and other people. They saw light coming out of the painting.
Ever since that miraculous image it is now known as Our Lady of Chiquinquira. This is the name of the Mother of God I grew up loving and praying for her intercession. I mentioned Saint John Paul II’s apostolic trip to Colombia in 1986 some months ago, where he celebrated the 400th anniversary of the miraculous renovation of this painting.
In today’s gospel Saint John tells us about the raising of the Lord’s friend Lazarus from the dead. The Lord comes to Bethany four days after the death of his friend. After meeting the two sisters, Martha and Mary, the Lord asks the question, “Where have you laid him?” I imagine the Lord having a similar thought when he arrives at the tomb, thinking, “Look where they have put him!” I recalled the story of our Lady of Chiquinquira this past week as I reflected on this question from the Lord to the sisters. The pious woman who found the deteriorated painting should have made a similar observation when she saw it for the first time, “Look where they have put this sacred painting!”
It is believed that Lazarus was not a person up in years. We assume he was in his prime, living with his sisters and very active in society. The original place of our Lady’s painting was not intended to be in the corner of an abandoned room but in a prominent place where people may venerate the Mother of God.
In today’s gospel Lazarus symbolizes humanity. After original sin humanity came to occupy a place God did not intend for it to be at the beginning. Its original place was to be in communion with God not the place of sin and death. The good news of salvation is that the Son of God came to take humanity from that place where sin had placed it and restore it to its original dignity.
This spiritual renewal of humanity is the greatest renovation God has made. It was performed at the Resurrection of the Lord. Just as the Lord addresses his words to Lazarus commanding him to rise from the place of the dead, the Lord continues today raising people up from sin. Mortal sin ties souls up in such a way that they usually cannot help themselves. Such souls need the divine power to be free from the power of death.
We may say that we are artistic paintings in virtue of our baptism. God himself has produced these works of art, giving us the original colors and the shine of his merciful grace.
Let us humbly ask the Lord to restore his work of art in us. Let us ask the Lord to grant us his grace to hear his voice calling us out of our sin and darkness.