Advent: Mantrap

This afternoon I had the chance to meet up with Richard Burridge the dean of King’s College. It was a great catching up, especially as Richard has always been a solid friend and supporter of my academic work.

Whilst waiting for Richard I had the chance to sit in the college chapel, which brought back many memories. As I looked around, one thing that caught my eye was the mantrap cross.

“The silver mantrap cross by Louis Osman is made in the shape of a working mantrap. The late Rev Dr Gordon Huelin, who both studied and taught at King’s, wrote that it is ‘based on the idea that Christ on the cross prevented evil from trapping mankind in death.”

Advent is an opportunity to reflect up on the dark shadow that hangs over the manger scene. This mantrap cross is a harsh thing to look at, very evocative of death and suffering, of the pain of human existence. To reflect upon this is a powerful antedote to the saccharine presentations of Christ’s birth that flood us.

[tags] Advent, Christmas, King’s College London [/tags]