Gospel in Art: A sword will pierce through your own soul also

The Pietà, by Michelangelo © Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 15 November 2025
Luke 2:27-35

At that time: Simeon came in the Spirit into the Temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

'Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to your people Israel.'

And his father and his mother marvelled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed - and a sword will pierce through your own soul also - so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.'

Reflection on the marble sculpture

We suffer deeply when those we love are in pain. Parents feel helpless when their children are sick, and children are pained to see their parents suffer. Love binds us so closely that another's pain becomes our own.

In today's Gospel, Simeon speaks of this shared suffering when he tells Mary that her Son will be "a sign that will be rejected," and then adds, "a sword will pierce your own soul too." The sorrows of Mary and the sufferings of Jesus are inseparable: two hearts beating as one through pain, faith, and love. Mary's closeness to Jesus meant that his cross became her own.

Michelangelo's Pietà, carved between 1498 and 1499, gives exquisite form to that moment of shared sorrow. Housed in St Peter's Basilica, the sculpture shows the Virgin Mary holding the lifeless body of Christ across her lap just after the Crucifixion. The smooth perfection of the marble contrasts with the raw emotion of the scene: Christ's body, relaxed in death, and Mary's serene yet heartbroken expression. She appears youthful, her face calm and contemplative rather than distraught: a mother who truly accepts her Son's suffering as part of God's greater plan. Michelangelo's mastery lies in the tenderness of the composition: the delicate folds of Mary's robes, the gentle way she cradles Christ, and the way light plays across the polished surface, giving stone almost the softness of flesh. It is a work that holds both grief and peace, suffering and hope, side by side.

There is a well-known story about this sculpture that reveals something of Michelangelo's youthful spirit (yes, he was only 23 when he sculpted this). The Pietà is the only work he ever signed. After hearing some visitors in St Peter's attribute the statue to another sculptor, Michelangelo, still a young man (and slightly arrogant) at the time, slipped into the basilica one evening with a chisel and carved his name onto the sash that crosses Mary's chest: "Michelangelo Buonarroti, the Florentine, made this." He later regretted this act of pride and vowed never to sign another work again. Yet how fitting that the only piece he signed was this one - a meditation on love, suffering, and faith - the very themes that mark not only Mary's life but also his own devotion as he grew in his faith. Having signed the work, would later in his life be a sources of sorrow, which he always regretted doing.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-2-27-35-2025/
and
Video: The Art of Remembrance - From The Monuments Men to The Last Post: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/53644