Gospel in Art: Knock, and the door will be opened to you

Infinity Mirrored Room - The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away, Installation by Yayoi Kusama, 2013, Door, LED lights and mirrors © Alamy

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 10 October 2024
Luke 11:5-13

Jesus said to his disciples:

'Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, "My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him"; and the man answers from inside the house, "Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you." I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship's sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.

'So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'

Reflection on the Contemporary Art Installation

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray. To help them grasp the nature of prayer, Jesus presents us with the image of a door: "Knock, and the door will be opened for you." This image brings to mind an installation by Japanese 96 year old artist Yayoi Kusama, titled "Infinity Mirrored Room - The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away." To experience the installation's mesmerising display of glistening lights, the visitor must first walk through a door-functioning as a gateway to the infinite. In a similar way, when we open the doors of our souls to Christ, we too enter into the eternal and a space of infinite possibilities.

Jesus understood the rich symbolism of doors. Doors can open or close, depending on where we stand. They serve as both entrances and exits, but their primary function is to offer passage. They symbolise transition-a movement from the old into the new. Jesus uses this imagery to show that when we open the door ever so slightly, his light will be pouring in, wanting us to open the door even more. We are familiar with the space we occupy, but beyond the door Jesus wants us to fully open, lies a future we have yet to discover.

Kusama's installation consists of a small, dark space where the walls, ceiling, and floor are covered with mirrors. Hundreds of small LED lights hang from the ceiling, creating the illusion of endless space. Yayoi Kusama's use of doors in this context transforms them from simple functional objects into gateways for experiencing infinity, space, and self-reflection (literally! seen the use of mirrors). This installation has captivated audiences around the world since it was created in 2013.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-11-5-13-2024/