"This mystery is great": the official image of the X World Meeting of Families

The official image of the 10th World Meeting of Families, which will take place in Rome from June 22-26, 2022, was painted by Father Marko Ivan Rupnik – artist, theologian and director of the Aletti Center.

The painting, realized using predominantly warm colors, measures, 80cmx80cm and was painted using vinyl paint on plaster mounted on wood. The title of the work is: “This mystery is great”.

The background of the image is the episode of the Wedding at Cana in Galilee. On the left, the bride and groom appear covered by a veil. The servant pouring the wine has the face with the features of St. Paul, according to the ancient Christian iconography. It is he who removes the veil with his hand and, referring to the wedding, exclaims: «This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church! » (Eph 5:32).

The image thus reveals how the sacramental love between man and woman is a reflection of the indissoluble love and unity between Christ and the Church: Jesus sheds His blood for her. «At Cana» explains Father Rupnik, «in transforming water into wine, the horizons of the sacrament are revealed, that is, of the passage from wine to the blood of Christ». «Paul is in fact pouring out the same blood that the Bride collects in the chalice».

Father Rupnik goes underlining «I hope that through this small image we can understand that for us Christians, the family is the expression of the Sacrament» of marriage and «this totally changes its meaning, because a sacrament always implies transformation». In fact, in Christian marriages the love of the spouses is transformed, because it is made to share in the love that Christ has for the Church. In this sense, marriage has an ecclesial dimension and is inseparable from the Church.

The videos with the author’s catechesis and explanations (subtitled in 5 languages) are published on the YouTube page of the diocese of Rome.

Click here for the video with the complete catechesis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT-nJBcvKUU ; click here for the short version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plT31q1JhSg

Father Rupnik’s painting (here attached and available on www.diocesidiroma.it  ) is the third symbol to be published, after the prayer and the logo, as a pastoral resource for the preparation and journey of families towards the World Meeting of 2022.