Gospel in Art: And you too will be witnesses

Pope Paul VI. Photograph by Fotografia Felici. 1969 © Vatican News

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 15 May 2023
John 15:26-16:4

Jesus said to his disciples:

'When the Advocate comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father, he will be my witness.

And you too will be witnesses, because you have been with me from the outset. 'I have told you all this that your faith may not be shaken. They will expel you from the synagogues, and indeed the hour is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is doing a holy duty for God. They will do these things because they have never known either the Father or myself. But I have told you all this, so that when the time for it comes you may remember that I told you.'

Reflection on the papal photograph

In our reading today Jesus continues to prepare the disciples for life after his departure. He promises them that when he ascends into heaven (which we will celebrate in a few days' time), he will send the Spirit upon them. With the Holy Spirit within them, they will be able to bear witness and spread the Good News throughout the world. But that won't come without its problems. The disciples and any followers of Jesus will get mocked, ridiculed, and even put to death.

We too, as part of his Church, are asked to help spread the word of God and evangelise. We have a mission. The Church not only has a mission, the Church IS a mission. In 1975, on the tenth anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI issued an Apostolic Exhortation exactly on this topic: Evangelii Nuntiandi (click here to read the full letter). In it he states: 'The conditions of the society in which we live oblige all of us therefore to revise methods, to seek by every means to study how we can bring the Christian message to modern man'. So we can't just stay in our Catholic bubbles, but we are called to reach out well beyond the Church walls.

Sharing the Gospel is at the heart of every Christian. Paul VI continues in his letter: 'The split between the Gospel and culture is without a doubt the drama of our time, just as it was of other times. Therefore every effort must be made to ensure a full evangelisation of culture, or more correctly of cultures. They have to be regenerated by an encounter with the Gospel. But this encounter will not take place if the Gospel is not proclaimed.' These words were written nearly 50 years ago, and still ring so true.

For today's artwork, I simply share with you an official photograph of Pope Paul VI, taken in 1969 by Felici in Rome. The Vatican Library is among the oldest continuously operating libraries in the world. In the 19th century, after the medium of photograph was invented, photographs gradually entered the Library's holdings and were specifically directed to aid the spreading of the words of the Papal Addresses. The first Roman Pontiff to be photographed was Pope Pius IX, who was elected to the papacy in 1846. Dying in office in 1878, he is the second-longest reigning pope in history, after St. Peter (tradition holds that he ruled for 35 years). Official papal photographs are an important tool, especially in our digital age, to evangelise and witness the Christian faith.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-15-26-16-4-2023/