Art/ Heritage

WHAT CHILD IS THIS? – ‘The Nativity’ by Giotto di Bondone, c 1320

The endearing image of a swaddling God in a meager manger has transformed hearts like no other. History has been torn into two by this great mystery of the Incarnation. God became man, and more, God became a baby – a helpless babe vulnerable before those He had come to save. But God’s vulnerability is rooted in the power of His unconditional love. As we draw near to the most wonderful time of the year, the Archdiocesan Heritage Museum invites you to draw nearer to God’s amazing love through a series of masterpieces.

The first painting in consideration forms a part of the grandiose fresco cycle that gorgeously embellishes the North Transept of the Lower Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. Titled the Nativity, the work was rendered by Giotto di Bondone’s workshop – one of the most powerful storytellers of the Proto-Renaissance. The art is radical – unprecedented in realism.

It is important to note that Assisi holds a very special connection with the spiritual revolution of nativity scenes. St Francis of Assisi created the first nativity scene in the nearby town of Greccio in 1223 to remember that God had chosen to be born among the poor. St. Francis believed and propagated the special bond between the Incarnation of God and the Holy Eucharist. 

We now enter into this blissful classroom of art and faith. Mesmerizing lapis hue fills the night sky while the sweet song of angels delights the air. Divine light streams down from heaven as the silent star shines across the sky. Glory! Glory to God in the highest. 

The iconography of the Nativity is derived from two sources – the Gospels of Luke and the Gospel of Pseudo – Matthew. Interestingly the Gospel of Pseudo Matthew narrates that while Joseph and his wife Mary were traveling to Bethlehem, they were stopped on the street by a beautiful boy who urged them to spend the night in the nearby cave. It is here that the first Christmas was celebrated.

The artist thus presents the Nativity in a stable (familiar to the Western audience) enclosed by a cave (familiar to the Eastern audience). The setting allures us to the figures in the foreground. A choir of twelve haloed angels surround the Mother and the Child, their hands clasped in prayer and adoration.

Notice the ox and the donkey. Representing the Old and New Testament respectively, they gaze in awe at the baby God. Observe how charmingly their ears intersect. Could this symbolize the significance of the moment i.e. the fulfillment of the Scriptures? As St. Augustine accurately affirms ‘The Old is in the New revealed, the New is in the Old concealed.’

At the heart of the crib lies the little babe, the swaddled God. The Blessed Mother, full of grace, is dressed in blue. She holds her baby with wonder as she gazes, perhaps for the very first time, into the eyes of God. How heavily does this moment weigh upon those who choose to contemplate? This is an intimate divine moment frozen in time. The cruciform halo of the Christ Child simply spells salvation. 

We now step down into the terrestrial world. In the central foreground, the artist depicts the freshly bathed baby Jesus. An elderly midwife attempts to open the mouth of the swaddled infant while the younger midwife holds forward a towel as she impetuously reached to hold the Child. It is interesting to note that the tradition of wrapping the whole body of a baby is followed to date in several Indian households. It prevents the restless moving of the infant and encourages a more tranquil sleep. The artist does not shy in adding these gleeful everyday details while depicting an extraordinary birth.

To our right bleat a herd of sheep. Here, the artist includes the scene of the Annunciation to the awestruck shepherds. Notice that each of these figures is intensely Giottesque in appearance. As never before, Italian painting now witnesses holy people expressing emotions. The figures move, they are solidly three-dimensional. Their garments hang naturally and occupy space and weight. We also observe the revolutionary start to optical illusion and foreshortening in the painting.

Finally, we move to the left foreground. The simple St. Joseph is seated on the ground, his head rested on his hand in contemplation and meditation. This is our key to the painting – St. Joseph invites us, not only to celebrate Christmas but also to contemplate upon this great mystery of God-made-man. ‘What Child is this?’ – The answer to this question holds the magic of Christmas!

PS: As part of Assisi’s Advent and Christmas celebrations, enlarged illuminations of the Nativity themed frescos will be projected upon the façade of the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi from December 8, 2020, to January 6, 2021. The Franciscan friars have created a website where you can access this spectacular light show. Click the link below to enhance your experience of the Nativity of Christ. 

https://www.nataledifrancesco.it/il-natale-di-francesco/presepe/nativita/

Joynel Fernandes – Asst. Director- Archdiocesan Heritage Museum

          

    

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A minor prophet with a major message – Tuesday, 3rd Week in Advent – Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13

The book of Zephaniah is quite short—only three chapters in length. The prophet portrays a grand sweep of history that begins with judgment on Judah (1:1-13), the great Day of the Lord (1:14-18), judgment on Israel’s enemies (2:1-15), the wickedness of Jerusalem (3:1-7), the punishment and conversion of the nations (3:8-13), and a Song of Joy (3:14-20).

The people of Judah have disregarded their covenant with God and taken up the idolatrous practices of their pagan neighbours, and God announces their punishment through his prophet. It is the worst of times. Zephaniah prophesies that Judah will be conquered and the Israelites taken into captivity. They will suffer dire consequences as a result of their sin; the first two thirds of the book of Zephaniah are dreadfully hard to read.

After the good king Josiah died, it appears that God had laid it on the prophet Zephaniah’s heart to take up where the prophet Habakkuk left off, and to approach the difficult challenge of bringing God’s people into line; but from a somewhat different angle. So, Zephaniah appears on the scene to define the problem as pride, and he proposed humility as the solution, knowing that if the people refused to humble themselves, their pride would be defused by the Lord God who would humble them Himself. “Had you rather humble yourself before God, or would you prefer to be humbled by God?”

In chapter three we read that amid the consequence of sin, namely their pending captivity, there is a strikingly beautiful promise of forgiveness that offers a glimpse of the depth of God’s love for his people.  Just when all seems lost, the prophet encourages the people to wait for the Lord to complete his plan. They begin to see the promise of forgiveness and restoration beyond judgment. God will purify the lips of the people (verse 9) and on that day they will not be put to shame (verse11). He will remove the proud and leave the humble who trust in me (11b,12)

This makes it clear that, once God’s judgment has come to pass, those who sought humility and acted accordingly will be restored to favour with God. The “high and mighty” who became haughty will be removed; only the meek (those who understand their helplessness apart from trust in God) and humble folks (those who bow in awe and reverence to God) will survive. These are referred to as “the remnant.”

The word “remnant” is important in both Old and New Testaments. The concept (if not the word itself) was introduced with Noah and the flood. In that story, God destroyed the evil populace, but saved righteous Noah and his family (Genesis 6-9). In that instance, Noah and his family constituted the remnant, the righteous nucleus preserved by God to re-establish the people of God.

The idea behind the remnant is that God will be faithful even when his people are not. The people’s apostasy will not nullify God’s promise. God will sometimes impose a harsh judgment, but for the purpose of purifying rather than destroying. God will insure that a righteous remnant will survive.

The remnant that Yahweh leaves in place will not do iniquity, nor speak lies, neither will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth. In other words, they will be obedient servants of Yahweh, committed to doing Yahweh’s will and pursuing honest dealings with one another.Those who experience this revival of humility will go on trusting God and serving Him.

So what is our take away? One way that God demonstrates his love for us is through his forgiveness. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  

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The story of a prophet for hire – Monday, 3rd week in advent – Numbers 24:2-7,15-17a/Matthew 21:23-27

Why does this text of Numbers and the story of a prophet for hire feature in Advent? 

Balaam son of Beor is known to us not only from the Hebrew Bible but also from an inscription, found in 1967 in Jordan, that can be dated to the eighth century B.C.E. Balaam was a wicked prophet in the Bible and is noteworthy because, although he was a wicked prophet, he was not a false prophet. That is, Balaam did hear from God, and God did give him some true prophecies to speak. However, Balaam’s heart was not right with God, and eventually he showed his true colours by betraying Israel and leading them astray.

In Numbers 22—24, we find the story about Balaam and the king of Moab, a man called Balak. King Balak wanted to weaken the children of Israel, who on their way to Canaan had moved in on his territory. Balak sent to Balaam, who lived in Mesopotamia along the Euphrates River (Numbers 22:5), and asked him to curse Israel in exchange for a reward. Balaam was apparently willing to do this but said he needed God’s permission (verse 8). Balaam, of course, had no power, in himself, to curse Israel, but, if God were willing to curse Israel, Balaam would be rewarded through Balak. God told Balaam, “You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed” (verse 12). King Balak then sent “other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first” (verse 16), promising a handsome reward. This time God said, “Go with them, but do only what I tell you” (verse 20).

The next morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and left for Moab (Numbers 22:21). God sent an angel to oppose Balaam on the way. The donkey Balaam was riding could see the angel, but Balaam could not, and when the donkey three times moved to avoid the angel, Balaam was angry and beat the animal. “Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth” (verse 28), and it rebuked the prophet for the beatings. “Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn” (verse 31). The angel told Balaam that he certainly would have killed Balaam had not the donkey spared his life. Ironically, a dumb beast had more wisdom than God’s prophet. The angel then repeated to Balaam the instruction that he was only to speak what God told him to speak concerning the Hebrews (verses 33–35).

In Moab, King Balak took the prophet Balaam up to a high place called Bamoth Baal and told him to curse the Israelites (Numbers 22:41). Balaam first offered fourteen sacrifices on seven altars and met with the Lord (Numbers 23:1–5). He then declared the message God gave him: a blessing on Israel: “How can I curse  those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?” (verse 8).

King Balak was upset that Balaam had pronounced a blessing on Israel rather than a curse, but he had him try again, this time from the top of Pisgah (Numbers 23:14). Balaam sacrificed another fourteen animals and met with the Lord. When he faced Israel, Balaam again spoke a blessing: “I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it” (verse 20).

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Listening with the ear of the heart – Saturday, 2nd Week in Advent – Sirach 48:1-4,9-11b and Matthew 17: 10-13

The book of Ben Sirach or Ecclesiasticus was originally written by Jeshua (Jesus) ben Eleazar ben Sirach and was completed in its Hebrew format after 190 BC. but before 175. BC. By about 200 B.C. there were more Jews living outside Palestine than in there. Although Antiochus III ( the Greek ruler) was tolerant of Jewish customs, yet Hellenistic ( Greek culture and language) influence continued to come into Jewish society. Especially in Jerusalem, the upper classes were tempted to look on their own literature as lower than Greek drama, poetry, and philosophy. So Sirach aimed at the best young Jews of his day to try to keep them from falling under the spell of Hellenism. Chapters 44-50 are praise of the ancient good and great men and todays first reading focuses on the prophet Elijah. This particular passage is a hymn of praise to the prophet Elijah, the mighty wonderworker, who spoke God’s word of truth in his defiance of wicked men and women of power and worldliness.

Reading the prophets is like standing next to a blast furnace in the winter. Most of us would like the heat, but we can’t stand to stand too close lest we get burnt. Elijah the prophet arose like a fire. He brought a famine on the people and brought down fire from the sky. He even raised a corpse from the dead: 1 Kings chapters 17-19. At the end, he was taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot. Sirach 48.19 tells us that Elijah is to return before the end to calm the wrath of God.   

The Jewish faith looked forward to the ‘last days’ or  the end time when the Lord would come in glory and finally wrap up the affairs of this world. And a conviction had arisen that the approach of the End Time would be signalled by a forerunner – the figure of the larger than life prophet Elijah would make a renewed appearance.

Though Elijah was one of the greatest of the Israelite prophets, he was not the last. God continued to speak through the prophets, but his word of truth spoken through the prophets was preparing Israel and the world for Christ. Christ is not just a prophet, but he is God. At one time, God’s word, was mediated by the prophets, but in Christ, God speaks for himself- and he speaks to us.

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Squandered opportunities – Friday, 2nd week in advent – Isaiah 48:17-19

In the past chapters we have heard of Babylon’s final fate. But the very idea of a peoples fate has turned Isaiah’s attention on Israel. It has put Israel under the microscope. Is Israel so much better than other countries just like are we better than others? No, they are not. The only difference is that God has a purpose for Israel, just as He has a purpose for you and me.

Isaiah chapter 48 almost seems to be a sermon that Isaiah gave to the Israelite exiles in Babylon as they worshipped in a synagogue on a day of penitence. These verses are the most confrontational against the gods of the nations. But the Lord here is not talking only to the heathen nations, he is also talking directly to the Israelites. They should know better than to worship heathen gods and idols.  

God’s children were being stubborn. Though all were not guilty, the whole community was judged as one community. Many still stood firm against Yahweh and clung to idols, and did not want to respond to him under any circumstances. Of the rest, some were sincerely worshipping God while others were going through the motions of worship. Their outward expressions of faith were hollow and untruthful.

While the people invoke God’s name they have a personal agenda, an outcome they were looking for; they lay claim that they are God’s people but by their behaviour they were no a different from those who do not invoke God’s name. There should have been some evidence of salvation but somehow the message does not match the manner. The fruit of their lives outside the sanctuary is nothing like the guise of godliness in the sanctuary.  The Lord  makes it clear, he can neither be deceived nor tolerate such hypocrisy (verses 4 and 8).

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