The Voice of Angels

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths

(Psalm 25,4)

Our church and monastery in the city of Plovdiv is not visible from the main street. They’re hidden behind the other buildings, but on a street where a stream of people pass, residents of a central neighborhood in the city.

It is often seen how people passing by here stop and briefly look at the facade where there is a figure of Jesus. Some of them cross themselves and continue on their way.

These gestures remind us of the importance of religious symbols and attitudes towards God in a communal, public setting. Some would say that these are just gestures, but that is not exactly the case. The statue of Christ on the facade leaves no one indifferent. On the contrary, it prompts us to think about spiritual values.

In recent years, the statue was damaged, missing a hand. Before the reconstruction began, the question arose as to what his gesture looked like.

Was Jesus pointing with his hand, or was he blessing? Unfortunately, no photo from the past was found, and even the oldest residents of Plovdiv cannot remember exactly what the statue looked like before. Analyzing the posture of the body, we all assumed that Jesus was pointing his finger, like the teacher preaching the good news. Today the statue is complete and in a beautiful and simple way reminds us of God and His Kingdom.