Mary Oliver was the kind of poet who walked the woods most days, accompanied by her dog and a notepad. In these walks, she developed a method of taking notice simply of whatever happens to present itself. In this season of Eastertide, we will spend two sessions online looking at the poems of Oliver and other women poets who teach…
Mary Oliver was the kind of poet who walked the woods most days, accompanied by her dog and a notepad. In these walks, she developed a method of taking notice simply of whatever happens to present itself. In this season of Eastertide, we will spend two sessions online looking at the poems of Oliver and other women poets who teach…
The artwork I have chosen for this Holy Saturday is a very familiar one. It is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. It is known as a cornerstone work of High Renaissance art. The reason I have chosen it for today is very personal. When I first had the privilege to visit the…
Italian painter, Mantegna (1431-1506) offers a very different perspective of Good Friday. Usually, we see Jesus nailed to the cross, suffering or perhaps taking his final breath. The crucifixion view is usually an eye-level view-we are face to face with Jesus on the cross. In this painting, The Dead Christ, Jesus has just been removed from the cross. His corpse is…
“When the hour came, he took his place at the table and the apostles with him. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ~Luke 22:14-6 This painting of the Last Supper is…
Kiss of Death Hyatt Moore After saying this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.” John 13:21 A number of hours passed between the time when Jesus named Judas as his betrayer, and when Judas sealed Jesus’ fate with a kiss. Still, this painting depicts a sense of…
Wheatfield with Crows Vincent van Gogh Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24 In one of his final paintings, van Gogh depicts a wheat field during the night, with a flock of crows flying overhead. The mood is quite ominous;…
In the Unction of Christ by Maria Stankova, with the disciples staring on in stunned belief, a woman named Mary breaks open a jar of perfume worth a year’s wages and pours it over Jesus’ feet. Participating in this very sensual and intimate anointing, are only Jesus and Mary, the others are merely onlookers. Just like all biblical kings had…