Being God’s Muse : Humanity Is God’s Art Gallery

To be one’s muse : “As a noun, it means a person — especially a woman — who is a source of artistic inspiration.” ¹ 

I went to the Botticelli Sacred Art exhibit and spent the day beholding sacred art. I gazed at artwork such as The Madonna and Child, The Nativity, and The Crucifixion. There’s an ancient form of prayer called “Visio Divina” which is meditating upon sacred art and reflecting upon the ways in which the art can reveal divine truths, enhance your prayer life and faith. See the article I wrote on Visio Divina here : https://www.catholic365.com/article/35185/do-you-know-what-visio-divina-is-learn-about-this-ancient-form-of-prayer.html

Jesus told me “Do you know that I pray Visio Divina as well?” I said “Oh, you do?” He replied “Yes, except you are my sacred art that I would like to meditate upon.” To God we are His Sacred Art. How does knowing this beautiful profound truth change the way in which you feel about yourself, you present yourself, and ultimately change your life? Do you give Jesus the opportunity to meditate upon your beauty? Do you also dwell in a state of beauty that compels The Lord to create new artwork from you? A master artist is continually inspired; even from His own work. Men and women are God’s co-creators collaborating with The Divine to bring precious new human life into the world. 

As a woman, your womb is God’s art studio. Whether you are called to have children spiritually, biologically, or both; a woman’s womb is a place of sacred holiness where God brings forth abundant fruit. Women long to be the muse of a man- to inspire him and be a source of great beauty to Him. A famous line from the movie Titanic, “Draw me like one of your French girls.” That feminine desire to be the muse of a man, is actually true. We are God’s muse, to Him we are “sacred art” created by His hands. 

 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” - Jeremiah 1:5 

 The call of marriage includes being fruitful and multiplying. Hence God would like to create new faces from your face, implying that we ourselves are God’s muse. We are His sacred art that He desires to meditate upon and create newfound art from the art that we are. We each are beautiful sacred artwork signed by God, to reveal God, and inspire His vast and wondrous design for humanity. The human race, comprised of a combination of faces throughout the centuries. The original two artworks Adam and Eve, the first man and woman on earth, the original work of The Supreme Artist. We could say all of humanity, is God’s art gallery, billions of precious artwork created by The Ultimate Creator. 

In the beginning Adam and Eve had the pure gaze as they were living in the divine will. After the fall, the human senses fell, and the pure gaze that God had gifted the original humans with, became twisted and disfigured. The original nakedness, the original sacred artistry of God. Think the statue of David. The ultimate artwork being a man and woman’s body, intricately designed and made to come together. After the fall, Adam and Eve realized that they were naked, and were filled with shame. The divine senses they had possessed in the garden of eden of beholding eachother’s natural essence as sacred and beautiful, fell and became stained with sin. 

 The fall of humankind can be described as coffee being spilt on a piece of sacred art. Jesus Christ is the stain remover to restore the sacred art back to its original form. 

The divine gaze being lost, implies the need for modesty. Some conclude that perhaps Christ resurrected naked, and came forth from the tomb in the original nakedness, since Christ is deemed The New Adam, and was redeeming the fall of Adam. Due to humanity operating out of fallen senses, Christ is depicted in art wearing a robe, as a naked Christ depicted in art would warrant improper fallen gaze, which would be disrespectful to God. This notion makes sense to me, and goes in line with a common thought that we are “clothed in light” in Heaven, and once again receive our original nakedness in the light of truth and the eternal mind. Often depicted in art “wearing robes” and in visions  “wearing a robe” as to not scandalize the worldly mind not fully ready to adapt the spiritual mindset and eyes of God. It’s also notable that the burial cloth of Christ, The Shroud of Turin was left behind to be a sacred relic and cause of conversion and faith for the world, which further implies that the naked Christ The New Adam came forth from the tomb as Bridegroom to reverse the damage caused by the original Bridegroom, Adam. 

When Peter enters the empty tomb, it says “he saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself” (John 20: 6-7).

 Jesus leaving the cloth that contained His Body behind, signifies the redemption of His Sacrifice, and His Resurrection opening Heaven, perhaps being a place of a return to the “original nakedness” God’s original plan for humanity. A place where sin, death, and destruction no longer exist. A place where sadness and anger are not found, but where only beauty and eternal glory dwell. A place where God's original sacred art has been restored.

 The case for modesty is not that the human body is bad in fact that is the furthest thing from the truth - the human person is inherently good and reveals God. (Please familiarize yourself with “Theology of The Body” I recommend Christopher West’s teachings on the subject. ) The case for modesty is understanding that sinful humanity which largely operates with the fallen gaze tends to view the naked human person in a manner contrary to the original and pure beautiful gaze that God gifted Adam and Eve with, which is a disservice to the sacredness and supreme glory of the human person. Due to humanity operating with fallen senses, modesty conceals that which is meant to only be unveiled to the person who would look at you with a loving gaze that more closely resembles God’s : One’s husband or wife. 

To sum things up, humanity is God’s art studio, and we each are a sacred piece of art signed by God as The Creator. Meditate upon the fact that God wants to meditate upon you, and live out your life knowing you are God’s muse.