I have always been intrigued by the topic of salvation history as both an academic study as well as an area of interest in my own spiritual life. Uncovering the countless parallels between the Old and New Testaments has provided me with an avenue to deepen my understanding of the Catholic faith I hold. Last fall, when it was time to decide on the theme for the men’s Bible study that I lead on campus through the student organization Catholic LIFE, I knew I wanted to dive deep into salvation history in community with others.
As you can imagine, trying to cover the entirety of salvation history — from the creation accounts to the early days of the Church and beyond — in a 16-session Bible study would be like trying to fit every single UD graduate into the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception on campus. However, if I could select key passages from each period of salvation history, it could be possible to give a high-level overview. As I looked into various resources and books, my mind was continually drawn back into an experience I had the summer before.
During the summer of 2025, I participated in the LEAD* With Mary immersion trip where students and staff from the three U.S. Marianist universities — the University of Dayton, St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and Chaminade University in Honolulu — gather for a week of exploration, community building and deepening our understanding of the Marianist charism. This past year’s immersion trip was hosted in Dayton, and part of our experience included a visit to the Marian Library. During our tour, I first encountered “Mirror of Hope,” which tells the history of salvation from Creation to the Resurrection in a 12-foot-long, 5-foot-tall piece with over 200 hand-painted clay biblical figures. Immediately, I was drawn into the beauty of the piece, the various stories portrayed and the overall message conveyed: God’s faithfulness to his people from the Israelites to the early Christians to us as the viewers today.
As the fall semester approached and as I pondered how to go about facilitating a Bible study about salvation history, my mind revisited the “Mirror of Hope.” My first thought was, “What if I didn’t have to decide what key events to include, but let ‘Mirror of Hope’ choose the passages?” I took this idea and ran with it, compiling a 16-week study based upon scenes portrayed in the sculpture. With the help of staff from the Marian Library, I put together guided booklets that provided specific images from “Mirror of Hope” relating to the passages to give a visual road map to guide our journey.
From August to December, a consistent small group of men on campus gathered each week to connect, read and pray with one another using the “Mirror of Hope” as a guide for the passages we would discuss each week. During our third session, we visited the Marian Library to take an in-depth look at “Mirror of Hope” and get an overview of the passages we would study together. Over the rest of the semester, we grew in understanding of the specific passages, but more importantly the interconnectedness of the stories that make up salvation history and our call today to participate in this salvation history.
Despite the conclusion of this Bible study in December, my mind continues to go back to “Mirror of Hope” as we enter Holy Week. This week, the entire meaning and importance of this piece comes to life through Christ’s paschal mystery, and soon we will celebrate the hope that springs forth from the Resurrection this Easter season.
– Matthew Himes ’26 is a business management major with a theology minor; he lives in Cincinnati.
* LEAD is an acronym: listening to the Holy Spirit and one another; encountering the Marianist Family; acting for the common good; and deepening the call to serve.
