Gospel in Art: Solemnity of All Saints

All Saints (females), from the Book of Hours of Luis de Laval. Workshop of Jean de Colombe © Bibliothèque National de Paris.

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 1 November 2022
Matthew 5:1-12a

Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

'How happy are the poor in spirit;

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy the gentle:

they shall have the earth for their heritage.

Happy those who mourn:

they shall be comforted.

Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right:

they shall be satisfied.

Happy the merciful:

they shall have mercy shown them.

Happy the pure in heart:

they shall see God.

Happy the peacemakers:

they shall be called sons of God.

Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right:

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

'Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.'

Reflection on the Illuminated Manuscript Page

Today we do not just celebrate one or two saints but we celebrate all of them. It is a beautiful feast day, as it encourages us to strive to lead a good life through the example of the saints and also to ask for the mercy of God through their intercession.

Our exquisite illuminated manuscript page is from the Book of Hours of Luis de Laval, a masterpiece of 15th-century French illumination. Louis de Laval served King Louis XI of France and commissioned this book from the great master Jean de Colombe. Practically every page of the manuscript is embellished with lavish stylised architectural frames and gilt painted borders filled with flowers and winged cherubs. The book contains over 1,200 miniatures. The illuminated page we are looking at today is stunning. The female saints (and there is a male saints page as well), are very distinguishable on the first row, but as the perspective takes us deeper into the composition, the faces slowly disappear and the halos take over… It is a beautiful way to show us that there are so many anonymous saints around us too… people who never get recognised but do wonderful work for God.

It is also those people we want to celebrate on today's feast day. The saints are actually not so very different from us: they come from similar backgrounds, similar education, similar worries, fears, strengths, etc… But what distinguishes them is that they took seriously God's invitation to holiness and responded unconditionally. Praying to the saints today, means that we acknowledge the paths they chose and that we too want to follow their footsteps... we ask for their encouragement and to walk alongside us on our own road to sanctity.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/

Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-5-1-12a-2022/