Paige Bier_09 Oct._Landscapes of the Sacred II

In the chapter, “The Ordinary as Mask of the Holy”, I was able to connect my personal, religious experience with that of the Roman Catholics. On page 67, Lane says “Though not seen face to face, this God is yet encountered with a striking immediacy in the larvae Dei—the created marvels of God’s hand, the bread and wine at Mass, even the twisted mystery of one’s own self as created being”. Growing up, I attended Roman Catholic Mass during Christmas time because my father’s side of the family all engages in Roman Catholic ritual and practice. When I was younger, I remember wanting to get up for the grape juice and the bread, but my father always told me to stay seated. Now that I am older, I realize he did not want me to partake in Roman Catholic mass because I did not know the true meaning behind it- the wine and the bread; “They all contain Christ, himself the veiled and incarnate God. Of course, they form only a ‘dark glass’ at best” (p. 67).  This chapter discusses the mask of the Holy that lie within these practices at mass. Lane says, “a mask identifies the character represented, as in ancient Greek and Roman drama, but it hides identity as well” (p. 69). This means that the mask is identifying Christ, but may also hide its identity as well. This is where we question whether or not the bread and wine truly allow us to contain Christ.