Is he imprisoned or are we?

Christ of Maryknoll
by Br. Robert Lentz, OFM

"The icon does not make clear which side of the fence Christ is on. Is he imprisoned or are we? Through our cultural institutions and personal lives we all place barriers between ourselves and true happiness. We and our institutions also try to imprison Christ in various ways, to tame him and the dangerous memories he would bring us of our goals and ideals. on does not make clear which side of the fence Christ is on. Is he imprisoned or are we? Through our cultural institutions and personal lives we all place barriers between ourselves and true happiness. We and our institutions also try to imprison Christ in various ways, to tame him and the dangerous memories he would bring us of our goals and ideals."

I first saw this icon at a Shalem gathering. It has not left my mind, especially after reading what the artist, Br. Robert Lentz, wrote about it (above). The question haunts me: Is he imprisoned or are we?

There is a book with many of his icons entitled Christ in the Margins, which is by Edwina Gately and Robert Lentz. It is a beautiful book and has the Christ with barbed wire on its cover.