Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
In Dialogue With Father Dwight Longnecker on the Vatican Crèche

In Dialogue With Father Dwight Longnecker on the Vatican Crèche

Last updated on: December 18, 2017 at 3:59 am by Mary Pezzulo

In Dialogue With Father Dwight Longnecker on the Vatican Crèche 2017-12-18T03:59:06-04:00 Mary Pezzulo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

jesus-christ-1149720_640

I recently read an article by my former fellow Patheosi, Father Dwight Longnecker, where he details his objection to the Vatican’s Nativity scene. It’s a thoughtful piece, and I agree with him on some of it. However, some of his notions seemed so strange that I’ve decided to examine his piece paragraph by paragraph in the form of a dialogue.

Far be it from me to join the Catholic prudes who are being negative about the Vatican nativity scene. People are grumbling about the naked man who is being clothed as an act of mercy. Some are also creeped out by the dead person being prepared for burial because it looks like a scene from a horror film.

Like most things in the Catholic Church, we’ve been there before. Folks were not pleased at all the naked bodies in Michelangelo’s Sistine chapel paintings, and you’ll see lots of partial nudity or gruesome scenes in plenty of Catholic arworks. David holding Goliath’s severed head? Jael nailing Sisera’s head to the ground with tent stake? For goodness sake, the central image of our faith is that of a naked man tortured, exposed and nailed to an execution tree.

On this we agree 100%, Father. There is nothing scandalous about a naked figure in devotional art, or just about any other art. I’m squinting at the photo and confused as to why the naked figure looks like he’s wearing some kind of gold anklet, but that’s another story.

I don’t mind the nudity and gore. I sort of mind that it is bad art–schmaltzy and poorly executed. The figures are stilted and awkward. It looks like one of those tableaus in a third rate wax museum. You could say, “C’mon. This is Catholicism. We’re used to kitsch.” OK, but the Vatican should do better.

Eh, I’ve seen a lot worse. It kind of reminds me of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but it’s colorful and fun. There’s an icon-looking thing on the wall there, and I like icons. I don’t know why the Holy Family is camped out in an ancient ruin. I don’t know why the Wise men are there in the first place, nor do I know why they’re dressed up like Prince Ali from Aladdin. I don’t know why so many of the figures are dressed like the Three Musketeers… you know, on second thought, I’ll give you this one, Father Dwight. It’s kitschy. Not my cup of tea at all.

Father continues:

One of the main problems in the church today is what I call neo-Pelagianism. Pelagianism is the idea that you can earn your way to heaven with good works. Neo-Pelagianism is what is otherwise called “the social gospel”. It is reducing the supernatural Christian message to “Let’s all make the world a better place and be kind to one another and give peace a chance.”

Pope Francis himself has warned many times against the dangers of Pelagianism. I’m not really into putting “Neo” in front of heresies and trying to re-brand them as a new danger to the Church; I think we should just call the Pelagianism we see today “Pelagianism” and leave it at that. Some people do engage in the works of mercy thinking that they can buy their way into Heaven with them, and that’s a heresy. But in my experience, most of the boots on the ground fighting to improve the world through kindness and peace do it because they honestly care about people and want to help. Many more do it specifically because they take the teachings of Christ seriously.

Christ Himself did warn us that the works of mercy are not optional. Matthew 25 is explicit on that point. We can’t buy our way into Heaven with good works. Only the Mercy of God can open the gates of Heaven. But it is absolutely the case that those who refuse to respond to Christ in the disguise of their neighbors in need will not be able to receive Christ in His coming kingdom. Jesus said so. James 2:18 is also explicit: good works are the evidence of our faith. We as Catholics are not really supposed to separate the two the way some Protestant denominations do. Faith and works go together.

The corporal works of mercy are important, yes, and theologically it can be said that they flow directly from the nativity of Christ. Because Christ took corporeal form we are engaged in the corporal acts of mercy. Because he took a human body we care for the human bodies around us. Because he entered this world of matter–matter matters.

…I never really thought about it this way. It doesn’t gel with the fact that the works of mercy were actually expected of us by God long before the incarnation. Isaiah 58:7 comes to mind. Not to mention, most other religions I can think of, religions where the Deity is not believed to have ever been incarnate, command that their followers meet the physical needs of their neighbors as well. I guess I would re-phrase what you’ve said as that Christians have an extra obligation to perform the works of mercy because Christ became incarnate. Nearly everyone has a sense that they should be done, but Christians have less excuse than anybody not to do them.

I get all that, but a Nativity scene is not a tableau of the corporal works of mercy. The Vatican Nativity worries me because it is placing good works front and center rather than the incarnation.

No, it’s not. Yes, some of the figures in the tableau are closer to the audience than the baby Jesus, but that’s not because they’re given more prominence. Here, take a look at this Nativity icon:

Nativity_Icon

Saint Joseph being tempted by the Devil, and the midwives bathing Jesus, are right at the front in the audience’s faces, but they’re not the central figure of the Nativity. Theotokos and Christ in the manger are. The other stories depicted in the icon are happening in a circle around the Virgin and Child, setting them off as of most importance. This technique of drawing the audience’s eye to the figure of veneration is hardly unique to iconography; it happens throughout art history. The artist draws the eye in a circle, ending at where she or he expects it to linger. That’s what the Vatican nativity is trying to do. Jesus is in the center, elevated on the tacky stone ruin, framed by His Mother and foster-father. The other figures are arranged at a slight distance, drawing the eye in a circle. I’m not saying the artist did it perfectly, but they did place the Incarnation at the center. The center of a work of art isn’t necessarily the front.

Interpretation of Scripture

Jesus

mercy

Public face of Catholicism

Father Dwight Longnecker

Previous Post

December 18, 2017

The Sixth Sorrow Of Mary: The Lamentation

Next Post

December 18, 2017 The Seventh Sorrow of Mary: Christ is Laid in the Tomb

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Abuse Advent America American Christianity angel angels Annunciation Appalachia apparition apparition chaser apparition chasers apparition culture art art review babies baby baby Jesus Bad Lip Reading bad statue contest bath beauty Bible story blog blogkeeping blood book review Brandon Sanderson breastfeeding bus Catholic catholic conspiracy alarmism Catholic Oppositional Disorder Charismatic Renewal Charlie the Cat chastity Christ Christian idenitity Christianity and Judaism Chronic Illness clean clothing COD piece comedy compassion conscience conspiracy theory conversion cop-on-black violence Crucifixion cry of the poor culture Daesh Daily Saints death death penalty devotional diaconate diaper diapers dirty disability Donald Trump Dorothy Day dream drugs Eastern Catholicism Eastern Christianity education election election update Elsewhere on Patheos empathy environment Fear feminism film review fish flashback fluffy buns food Franciscan University of Steubenville Friendship Room fun Gabriel gardening gospel hair-splitting Heaven hell heresy Hillary Clinton history Holly the Witch Holy Spirit holy war Homeschooling homosexuality horror human dignity humor Icon idol immigrants infection inter-religious dialogue Interpretation of Scripture Islam Jesus Jihad Joseph joy laity and lay vocations lamb dinner laundry lent lgbtq literature love manners Mary Medicine and Science Meditation mercy mess milk misogyny Missouri monasticism monster motherhood mourn with those mourn movies movis music mystery nature neurodiversity New Pro-Life Movement news nonsense nostalgia O antiphons obituary objectification Ohio Valley Ordinary Time ordination Ordo Amoris parable paradox Passover peanut butter personal beliefs pets philosophy Planet Charismatic poetry politics polls poop Pope Francis Pope Leo power in the Church prayer prayer request prayers preferential option for non-violence president presidential election priest primary private revelation pro-life prophecy Public face of Catholicism Pure Flix Q and A race racism random rape rape. sexuality reader's request Reckoners refugee religious trauma ressurrection Right to life Saints saints and celebrations same-sex same-sex marriage satire scandal secular feasts seder Seven Joys Seven Last Words sex sexual ethics sexuality silencing six months skid row slavery social justice Speculative fiction spiritual abuse spoon stain story suffering suffrage suffragette Sunday Gospel temple Tenebrae Responsories Terror the exorcist The Friendship Room The New Pro-Life Movement Things I Learned on the Internet tin cup traffic true story tv review Uncategorized USCCB vice and temptation violence Virtue virtue and vice war Way of the Cross whimsy whole life women's ordination work of mercy Year A

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Jesus replied: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘__________________’"

Select your answer to see how you score.

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself Do Not Kill Honor Your Father And Mother Love Others