The first panel represents the genealogic tree of Jesus – the Jesse tree. Jesse was the father of King David. As we read in Isaiah 11:1: “a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” The figures sprouting from the tree represent the ancestors of Jesus. Jesse is seated at the base of the tree and Jesus, depicted in royal attire, stands at the top. The rose at his waist recalls the words of the Christmas carol: “Lo, how a rose e’er blooming from Jesse’s stem has sprung.” St. Joseph stands to the right of Jesus carrying a rod from which an almond flower blossoms. Blooming at the end of January in the Middle East, the almond is a symbol of new life. As the Hebrew word for almond is similar in sound to the word for “watching”, it was used as a symbol for those who watched, or guarded. David is next to Jesus on his left, hand raised to signify Jesus as a descendant of the house of David.
The center panel was inspired by the ecumenism proceeding from Vatican Council II. A variety of symbols represent various religions, reflecting God’s revelation in some way through all religions. The upper section depicts the Tree of Life, whose roots are surrounded by the flames of the fiery sword that guards it; it is topped by a bouquet of roses blooming in heaven. The vortex that surrounds the tree trunk symbolizes the center of the universe and the sun is a common symbol of life – and sometimes, even a god – in a number of religions. The ladder, reminiscent of Jacob’s ladder in the Old Testament, symbolizes every person’s yearning to ascend to God. The egg symbolizes the new life created by God. The ankh is an ancient Egyptian symbol for life, while the crescent moon, used by Islam, symbolizes the birth of the universe. Flowing water and a snake, symbols found in many world religions, speak of new life. The maze of circles within the square represents the mandala, which Hindus and Buddhists use as a graphic symbol for the universe.
The third panel presents Joseph and John the Baptist. Joseph holds a hammer and a carpenter’s square is at his feet; both identify him as a carpenter. The lantern next to his right foot is a medieval representation of his vigilance over the Holy Family. You will also find, once again, the almond flower blooming from a rod; another sign of his watchfulness. The palm tree and cedar in the background are references to Psalm 92:13: “The just shall flourish like the palm tree, shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon.”
Below the trees, a wing of an angel and the black sky filled with the moon and stars above a recumbent Joseph recalls his dream when an angel told him to take Mary and the child to Egypt to avoid the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem planned by Herod (cf. Matthew 1:20, 2:13). In the lower section of this panel, you find John the Baptist with the shell from which he poured the water of baptism on Jesus at his left shoulder, the cactus symbolizing his years of living in the desert to his right, and the headsman’s axe, which ended his life, to his left. The banner he holds symbolizes his proclamation, “Behold! The Lamb of God.” In the lower left is the scene of the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, after she heard that her cousin was with child in her old age. The Holy Spirit hovers nearby signifying God’s hand at work in the birth of their two sons.