Faith

‘TGI Sunday not TGI Friday’ – Easter Sunday- Matthew 28:1-10
I am in love with two women, a man and an angel. Yup, I know I got your attention with that one! But jokes apart, I am in love with four of the possible six personages mentioned in the Easter narrative. For the time being I have left the guards out. But Mary of Magdalene, the ‘other Mary, the angel and Jesus have really got me smitten.

I am in love with the angel
Now that is some job I would most certainly want; delivering THE message of salvation, “He has been raised, as he said.” Doesn’t this beat all other angelic messages? Even the Christmas proclamation? I think so! But here is what really gets your attention about this angel, He has some chutzpah!

So he rolls the stone back and sits on it. That is certainly making a statement. Make no mistake, a few hours ago this stone that was blocking the tomb seemed like a ‘victory monument of the dead.’ Now with one swift move it has been rolled back, sat upon with victorious defiance, by the angel and has become the ‘symbol of victory over death.’

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Art/ Heritage

Behold an Earthquake! : The resonating Resurrection by Andrea Mantegna

What is Christian faith without an empty tomb? The Resurrection, the foundation of the creed, has featured popularly in Art.  One such resonating depiction is that by the Italian painter, Andrea Mantegna.  An art revolutionary, he was born in the Republic of Venice in 1431 to a carpenter. However this art prodigy was recognized by Francesco Squarcione, a Paduan painter who adopted him. He worked in Padua, Verona and Venice before moving to Mantua in 1460, where he spent the rest of his life.

‘The Resurrection’ is a part of a triptych executed in oil paint for the monastery of San Zeno in Verona. It gained the admiration of Napoleon the Great. Following his victory over Verona in 1797, Mantegna’s masterpiece was taken as booty to France. Following his defeat in 1815, the three main panels were returned back. Nevertheless, ‘The Resurrect ion’ which forms a part of the lower predella continues to reside at the Musee des Beaux-Arts in France.

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Faith

SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILECE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE SILENCE …..ITS HOLY SATURDAY

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Faith

Why is good Friday Good? When man was at his worst, God was at His best.

If you have one minute to live and one call to make, who would you call and what would you say? This is a question I often pose to young people and the answers are always the same: “I’ll call my mother, my parents or a loved one.” What would they say? The reply is text book, “I am sorry, I love you, forgive me.” So why not say it now? Why wait for that ‘tragic end’?

Words are so powerful; they have the power to build or break. A child’s first words may be garbled gibberish but we still hear in them a mama or a dada. The words of the liturgy may sound solemn, but we still hear the loving voice of our Saviour. And then there are those words that break us; “I wish you were never born,” “you make me sick” or “I hate you.”

Today, on Good Friday we hear the words of a dying man. His words are true and full of openness. These are ‘His last Words’; yet filled with love, not hate. He preaches not once, but seven times for these are the seven last ‘words’ and yet more than words. The first three are about Him; the last four are about others. His pulpit is His cross. There is no microphone and so at times He cries out in a loud voice, “Father into your hands I commend my spirit.”

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Art/ Heritage

The Descent from the Cross’ by Peter Paul Rubens (1612 – 1614)

Religious art often serves as a soul stirring visual prayer book.  It draws the believer to seek a spiritual awakening. This is best exemplified by the works of the ‘King of the Dutch painters – Peter Paul Rubens.’ He was born in Siegen in 1577 and made Antwerp his home in 1589.

A brilliant painter of international reputation, he was also a humanist scholar, an antiquarian, an architect and a polished diplomat. He was knighted by both Phillip IV of Spain and Charles I of England.

In the 16th century, Antwerp in northern Belgium, was racked by civil war. The Dutch Republic (Calvinist) soon took over the Spanish (Catholic) controlled Antwerp resulting in the dawn of iconoclasm (the destruction of religious images). But in 1609 a 12 year truce was signed and the economy began to recover. Catholicism was reintroduced and so was religious art.

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