“‘Adoremus’ is hanging in the barn. After spending seemingly endless hours painting it, hauling it to ArtPrize, babysitting it for the duration, hauling it back home and not selling it, one would think the labor of my hands was not blessed.
But there was that one college student assigned to ask questions of the ArtPrize artists. He chose to ask me questions, because I was standing there by my piece. I began explaining the symbolism and its deeper meaning, and ended by explaining the very basics, which we too often take for granted.
I will never know what happened to that young man. I do know he could be killed for asking the questions which weren’t part of his assignment; for asking why the man in my painting had to die; for asking how they killed this man. That student was an exchange student from Saudi Arabia, and he had never heard of Jesus Christ.
Being reminded that the work of my hands is a blessing sometimes comes in very profound ways. I pray that it will continue to be so blessed.”
-excerpted from Ed Riojas’ Facebook page, originally posted October 28, 2012