Une catéchèse de la mort et de l’espérance : Annoncer l’Évangile de la vie en exploitant des trésors de l’art chrétien

Résumé Fr En

L’approche de cet article est fondamentalement de type iconologique. Dans le nombre infini des représentations artistiques créées au fil des siècles par le christianisme, l’auteur en choisit pour offrir quelques réflexions en vue d’une annonce évangélique à l’homme contemporain qui fait face à la limite extrême de la vie terrestre.

Among the vast number of Christian artistic representations created over the centuries, the author has chosen two in order to offer a few reflections in view of proclaiming the Gospel to contemporary people faced with the end of earthly life:the first is the early Christian image of the Good Shepherd. It asks us to remember that the Christian message is incontestably good news. It is an image that makes us attentive to the paschal content of the message.the second involves the medieval theme of the lament for the dead Christ. It calls us to reflect on the meaning of compassion and to weep with those who suffer. These are images that make us attentive to the climate and context in which the message is presented, that of com-passion, that is, the capacity to suffer with those who suffer and to weep with those who weep.The approach of this article is fundamentally an iconological one. It does not seek to downplay or deny the value of an art historical approach that in any case remains essential in order to understand and savour even more deeply the value of these artistic creations. But the reason for creating these representations, the aim sought by their artists, were those of celebration and meditation rather than critical study. Hence it is from this perspective that these works are analysed and proposed to the evangelisers of our time.