Christ the Dreamer

ARTIST: Fr. Michael Reyes, OFM

ARTWORK NARRATIVE:

“God asks us little and gives us a lot. He asks us to open our hearts and to welcome Him and the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters.”
–Pope Francis

This painting is inspired by the work of my mentor Br. Robert Lentz, OFM. In the early 80’s, Br. Robert painted an icon called “Christ of Maryknoll” depicting Christ as an immigrant behind barbed wires. I was moved to paint a version for today’s society, depicting Jesus as a defenseless migrant child.

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The original icon, Christ of Maryknoll, was created when Br. Robert was living in Albuquerque, NM — a common destination for immigrants coming from the south. It shows Christ on one side of a barbed wire fence, looking longingly at the other side. Have we put up the fence and imprisoned Christ? Or have we imprisoned ourselves? The symbolism, combined with the ambiguity, makes this icon particularly thought-provoking.

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