Earthquake, Agnus Dei, Earthquake

This is a relatively new text piece. It's called "Earthquake, Agnus Dei, Earthquake", and the size of the paper is 12" x 14". The square of type pictured above is more or less centered on the page, and is about 4" x 5". It goes like this:

On the bottom layer I created a chapter from the Koran called "The Earthquake" by cutting the letters from a Bible and gluing them to the paper. I then created "Agnus Dei", a Catholic prayer, by cutting the letters from the Koran and gluing them directly on top of the "Earthquake" letters. I then ended this spectacular feat by spelling out "The Earthquake" again, on top of "Agnus Dei", creating a sort of liturgical sandwich, minus the cheese.

Why did I do this? I liked the idea of stacking the sacred texts methodically and selectively. "The Earthquake", or "Az Zal-zala" (Surah 99), is a very short chapter of the Koran. It speaks of a day when all of man's deeds will be uncovered by a great earthquake, and the appropriate rewards and/or punishments will be meted out. "Agnus Dei", or "Lamb of God", is an equally fun and light-hearted verse. It goes like this:

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Basically it's a blanket prayer for forgiveness; a formal request for the comprehensive pardon of sins already enjoyed, as well as those waiting in the wings. It's beautiful in a way, in that it acknowledges the frailty of man, the certainty of his imperfection, and the need for intervention by God. I'm touched by the sincerity of this prayer, as well as the humility. I'm sure it's been responsible for releasing a good number of Catholics from some serious karmic retribution. Weird how that works. Heck, they don't even have to say it; a priest recites it three times, genuflects, and that's that.

Would that the Muslims had it so easy. They have to work a little harder for repentance. But hey, it's all personal preference. Me, I like my forgiveness to come from within. Easier said than done, of course, but come it does, and that's what's really needed to be set free.

So, back to my piece. I like it. I've been experimenting more with text sandwiches. Problem is, you can't read what's underneath, but that doesn't bother me overmuch. We all know how the plot unfolds. The good guys go to heav'n, the bad ones to hell, and the rest of us are left to find peace within our own skin.