Then why is Jesus NOT the one bathed in light with Mary at his feet pointing UP???
Didn't I try to address this in an earlier post?
From a visual POV the center is going to be where the motion is, and the motion is going to be at the altar where there is a distinct crucifix and the Sacrament will be being celebrated. An empty church building does not give you the effect that one "in action" has.
For one thing, we don't know how the light would be distributed during a Mass. As the Church is empty, yeah, you get the play of light on the statue and on the walls. I'm not persuaded that that gives an accurate depiction of the room in real life, so to speak.
***Then why is Jesus NOT the one bathed in light with Mary at his feet pointing UP???***
Because Jesus is on the Altar during Mass or in the Tabernacle in the Blessed Sacrament at other times. He is physically present and we don’t need a statue or picture to remind us that He is there. The Sacred Heart of Jesus statue that you see on the right is there to remind Catholics of His great love for us, not to remind us to think of Him, because we already know that He is there. The statue of Mary reminds Catholics that she prays for us in a special way.
In addition, Mary is in the middle because the church is St. Mary’s, Evansville, Indiana. That means that she is their patron saint, praying for the parishioners in a special way.
For Catholics, the main focus of a Church is Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, whether at Mass or in the Tabernacle. It’s just a given, and anything else is “icing on the cake” so to speak, although the crucifix reminds us that we are “really there” at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Here is the website of the parish: http://www.stmaryevansville.org/
If you go there, you will see that they are a downtown parish, and are committed to preaching the Gospel in Word and deed - feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc. - serving Jesus in others.