Today's Gospel in Art - The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously

Christ crowned with Thorns, by Fra Angelico © Livorno Cathedral, Italy

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 18th February 2021 - Luke 9:22-25

Jesus said to his disciples:

'The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.'

Then to all he said:

'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it. What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self?'

Reflection on the Painting

I don't know whether I like today's painting by Fra Angelico or not. It is a difficult image. Yet it is a good Lenten image to tie in with today's reading, where we read that 'The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously'. Most painters would depict Jesus' suffering by showing scenes of the Via Crucis, the Flagellation, or the Crucifixion itself, but very few 'portraits' manage to convey the immense suffering Jesus went through. Each year I choose a painting for Lent to pray with. This will be my image for this year. I have printed it and hung it here in my seminary room. I know that I will be drawn to the image, and yet at times the image will disturb me as well. But these are often the best artworks: the ones that draw you near and yet confront you with harsh realities.

Fra Angelico was one of the greatest 15th-century painters in Renaissance Italy. All his paintings and frescoes embody a contemplative serenity which is unique to him. This painting has that deeply engaging quality too. No one goes through life without suffering. Especially during Lent we are reminded of our suffering and invited not to concentrate on how painful our sufferings are, but to let them purify us. Saint Teresa of Avila wrote that God looks around to find where the greatest love is and there He sends the greatest suffering. And where did He find the greatest love? In His only Son… Jesus Christ.

LINKS

Today's story - www.christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/722
Christian Art - www.christian.art/index.php