Jesus Christ: morning star

Christian Century, Dec 18, 2002 by William Hart McNichols

WHAT WOULD A teenage Christ look like and what would he have to say to youth today? William Hart McNichols, S.J., an iconographer in New Mexico, has fashioned this image of Jesus as a 17-year-old. It appears as one of his 21 images in Christ All Merciful (Orbis, 168 pp., $20.00 paperback), with commentary by Megan McKenna.

"The blue shirt is his divinity," observers McKenna, "the red undershirt is his humanity, his mortality." Behind him is a clouded sky and a gray landscape dotted with tombstones and a cross. The boy's one hand is over his heart, the other makes an ancient sign of blessing. This is a Christ crucified and resurrected, says McKenna. The sad face is "born of suffering and exposure to evil. And yet there is serenity that is strong, inviting, and solid. This is someone to lean on ... In the midst of uncertainty, of terrorism, of guns easily procured, and of hatred and insecurity, this Christ stands firm in blessing and companionship."