The original painting is a part of a larger mural created for St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Cave Creek, Arizona: Christ’s Eternal Sacrifice to the Father & the Archangels.
Commissioned by Fr. Chad King, Pastor, this sacred art represents the essential action of the Mass, Christ’s eternal self-offering into the hands of the Father, which inaugurates the new creation and opens the gates of Heaven to all who believe.
Christ crucified, a three-dimensional crucifix provided by F.C. Zielger's King's House, is set on the painted background, portraying it as the New Tree of Life. Set in an artistic vision of the New Creation, glorified local plants of the Phoenix desert landscape are incorporated to show that even our local home will be caught up in God’s saving actions.
The liturgical scene of Christ’s self-offering is attended by Archangels Michael and Gabriel and providentially watched over by a dramatic portrayal of God the Father, the Ancient of Days, who holds all power, the whole cosmos, and perfect love.
God the Father, by Ruth Stricklin, © 2021 New Jerusalem Studios, LLC.
