God’s Masterpiece

– by Lisa Greey

In your opinion, what is the most beautiful thing created by God?  The first things that come to my mind are some of the stunning landscapes I’ve seen – in Italy, Ireland and most recently, California.  These places, with their valleys, mountains, and oceans take my breath away with their beauty and peace.  And while these places are indeed beautiful, they actually pale in comparison to … YOU!

We may struggle to accept it, but human beings are the most magnificent part of God’s creation.  Today Saint Paul tells us, “We are God’s handiwork.”  Other translations use the word masterpiece or artwork.  This gives us the sense that we are a work in progress.  We are not static, but are able to change and grow.

God is constantly at work is us adding more color and dynamics to our lives.  How?  Through his son Jesus, who comes to us through prayer, sacrament and community.  Yet the picture may not always be so colorful and peaceful.  God created his most prized masterpiece with free will.  He gave us the freedom to choose him or reject him.  John tells us as much in the gospel today:
“the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light.”  We don’t always choose Christ; we don’t always choose the light.  This adds some dark strokes to the artwork.  It places us behind shadows where we cannot know and experience God’s love fully because of sin.  This is not what we were created for – this land of shadows and darkness.  We were “created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them”.  We were created for light, peace, clarity and color in our lives, in our artwork.  Through confession, as we know, God can obliterate that darkness of sin.  He can continue to add light and goodness to our lives.  The painter never gives up on his artwork.  He is never out of inspiration for our lives.  You are God’s Masterpiece.  Are you working with him, choosing light or are you darkening the masterpiece by choosing sin?  In this mid-point of Lent, let us root out the areas of darkness and sin so we can come closer to Christ as Easter Sunday approaches!