One of the sisters at our church very kindly offered to give us a tour of our church in English so that our working and praying there can be more meaningful. There were many interesting things she told us (which I'll share in future entries) but for now, I thought I'd share the story behind this one stained glass window.
In the center you can see Jesus with his mother. then on the left is the archangel Michael defeating Satan with his spear.
On the right side there is a crowd of people. At the top in red with white hair and a crown is one of the kings of France (I actually forgot his story except that he made some mistakes but was repentant about them). Below him in blue with the yellow circle around his head is
St. Paul who of course killed Christians before becoming one himself. The women below him wearing the pinkish colored outfit and holding onto the jar (of perfume - from the book of John) and also with a halo around her is
Mary Magdalene who is thought to have been a prostitute before becoming one of Jesus's followers. To the left of her in blue and green is the repent sinner from the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican. The Pharisee prays to God how glad he is not like other men. Meanwhile
the publican (or tax collector) beats his chest and asks for God's mercy. Below the publican in the red is the
prodigal son bowing down, who after squandering his inheritance is welcomed home by his father! Unfortunately, I can't remember who the other two people are at the top.
But the message is clear - With Christ, sinners can defeat evil just like St. Michael and the ordinary man can become a saint!
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