From cover: Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (c. 1659-1660), Rembrandt

   Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, Rembrandt

COMMENT:

Thursday 30th July, 2015.

Gospel. Matthew 13:47-53. The dragnet, "This is how ... the ANGELS WILL APPEAR...".
Angelic Doctor - St Thomas' Summa Theologica 1A,  XIX The Role of Angels

A Strange Adventure

_______ Pierre-Mane Dumont         _

Front Cover Artwork

Faithful friends of MAGNIFICAT are invited to read the story of Jacobs struggle with the angel (Gn 32:23-31) as an allegory of their prayer life. Is it not similar to a battle of faith, crowned by the victory of perseverance? Yes, at times in our prayer we are like Jacob in his quest for God in the depths of the dark night, in his fight to know God's true name and to contemplate his true face, in Jacobs vigour and resolve to ask for God's blessing and a new name for rebirth ...

Outside the realm of the spiritual life, this combat proves difficult to interpret. "A strange adventure," writes Elie Wiesel, "mysterious from beginning to end, breathtakingly beautiful, intense to the point of making one doubt one's senses. Who has not been fascinated by it?" Modems see it as a universal symbol of the internal struggle "against all that hinders the creative fulfilment of a being: darkness, chaos, and the forces of evil." And, indeed, is not the victory over self the most necessary victory of all? Deeply Catholic, Baudelaire saw in this battle "a fight between natural and supernatural man, each ac­cording to his nature." Lamartine, inspired by the struggle between the muse and her chosen one, gives a glimpse into the great mystery:

Finally, from the dark hours! When evening battles with shadows,! At times vanquished, at times victorious,! Against this unknown rival! he fought till dawn ... .! And it was the spirit of the Lord!

Here Rembrandt chooses not to represent a particular episode in the combat, but to focus directly on the eschatological issue at stake: it is at the outcome of a decisive trial, a baptism, that one receives the grace of God. Through the strength and persistence of his faith, Jacob emerges victorious and blessed in this struggle. But contemplation of this masterpiece, particularly the placid beauty of the angel, unveils an even greater mystery: in his purple tunic, Jacob appears as the figure of the One who, conceived and begotten in the bosom of God as his eternal Wisdom, wholly deigned to be born and ever remain the son of man. Yet here, at the break of dawn, this true God, rendered handicapped-and what a handicap for a God to be mortal!-prevails over the almighty God, wresting from him, in a hand-to-hand Eucharistic battle, the perpetual blessing that revokes the original curse weighing upon humanity .•

From cover:
Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (c. 1659-1660), Rembrandt.
www.magnificat.com

National Gallery, Episode 4 | Infancy | Saint John the Baptist: From Birth to Beheading | ...

Birth of John the Baptist, 24 June 2015  

Mass Intro. Fr. Mark   

Today we
celebrate the birth of John the Baptist.
Whenever family and friends gather at the birth and baptism of a child,
the thought is not far away: 'What will this child turn out to be?'  It is as much a prayer as a question: a prayer
that the little one, like John the Baptist, will grow up to be a witness to
Christ and a messenger and a true light of his gospel to others*.

We were that child once.  We need the
Christ that John the Baptist witnessed to and to become witnesses to him
ourselves.

1.        Lord Jesus, you are the One whom all
Israel awaited

            and whom John the Baptist
announced.

2.        Christ Jesus, you are the
Saviour of the World.

3.        Lord Jesus, you are our hope of
new life and resurrection.

Conclusion
to Pr of Faithful

Loving Father, you heard the prayer of Elizabeth and Zachary and gave them the
birth of a son.  Hear our prayers that
our lives may become a sign of joy and hope for the world, through Christ our
Lord**.

COMMENT:  

   We had, below, the National Gallery,  Video of the Infancy of John the Baptist.
The contact kept evading me.
So we have the screen copies, and even the more powerful revealing SUBTITLES.   
All a demonstration...     
2nd COMMENT:

Learning hear about Domenico Cavalca who wrote a life of John the Baptist, points for further search!

 

Episode 4 | Infancy | Saint John the Baptist: From Birth to Beheading | National Gallery, London   

 

The National Gallery 

4,676

  

 

Published on 24 Jun 2014

The Bible reveals very little about the childhood of John the Baptist. In the 14th century however, a Dominican friar called Domenico Cavalca wrote a biography of the saint that filled in the gaps. This work's popularity inspired Italian Renaissance artists to represent new episodes from his life and to show the infant Baptist in the company of the Christ Child.

Art historian Jennifer Sliwka and theologian Ben Quash look at Leonardo da Vinci's, 'The Virgin of the Rocks', about 1491/2-9 and 1506-8, Bronzino's 'The Madonna and Child with Saints', probably about 1540 and Garofolo's 'The Holy Family with Saints', about 1520

'John the Baptist: From Birth to Beheading' is a series of 10 films sharing the highlights of the collaborative MA course taught by Dr Jennifer Sliwka, Howard and Roberta Ahmanson Fellow in Art and Religion at the National Gallery and Professor Ben Quash, Director of the Centre for Arts and the Sacred, King's College London.

    


Other connection

   Preview | Saint John the Baptist: From Birth to Beheading | National Gallery, London  

++++++++++ 

Domenico Cavalca wrote a life of John the Baptist

     

San Damiano cross beside Blessed Scrament

COMMENT Art Essay:
In the rear chapel of our church, on one side of the tabernacle of the Blessed Sacrament, is restored the San Damiano cross.
From our camera, the pictures illustrate the details  from the helpful Wikepedia. The painting was hand made in Assisi. 

San Damiano cross

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

to right ....

The San Damiano Cross

Copy now in the original position inside the Church of San Damiano

The San Damiano Cross is the large Romanesque rood cross that St. Francis of Assisi was praying before when he is said to have received the commission from the Lord to rebuild the Church. The original cross hangs in the Basilica of Saint Clare (Basilica di Santa Chiara) in Assisi,Italy. Franciscans cherish this cross as the symbol of their mission fromGod. The cross is of a type sometimes called an icon cross because besides the main figure it contains images of other saints and people related to the incident of Christ's crucifixion. The tradition of such crosses began in the Eastern Church and probably reached Italy viaMontenegro and Croatia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Damiano_cross#Description

Description[edit]

  

Jesus Christ is represented upright in full stature while the surrounding figures are smaller. The bright white of his body contrasts with the dark red and black around it and accentuates the prominence of Jesus. This representation contrasts with the regal Christ portrayed on the cross in earlier centuries and the suffering, dying, crucified Christ depicted generally throughout the Churchsince the beginning of the 14th century. Above the head of Christ is the inscription in Latin: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.^[3]  

 

   The next largest figures are five witnesses of the crucifixion.^[3] On the left side are the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist. On the right side are Mary Magdalene, Mary, Mother of James, and the centurion who in Matthew's Gospel account asks Christ to heal his servant, who is also depicted on the cross on the shoulder of the centurion (Matthew 8:5-13). Both Mary and Mary Magdalene have their hands placed on their cheeks to reflect extreme grief and anguish. The first four witnesses are saints and are therefore represented with halos.

  

  Their names are written beneath their pictures.

Two smaller figures are located in the corners with the witnesses. On the lower left is Longinus the traditional name of the Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance. He is represented here as holding the lance and looking up at Jesus. The blood running down the right arm of Jesus begins at the elbow and drips straight down and will land on the upturned face of Longinus. In the lower right is Stephaton, the traditional name for the soldier who offered Jesus the sponge soaked in vinegar wine.^[3] 

 

Peering over the left shoulder of the centurion is a small face. A close look reveals the tops of the heads of three others beside him. This represents the centurion's son who was healed by Jesus and the rest of his family to show that "he and his whole household believed" (John 4:45-54).

Six angels are represented as marvelling over the event of the crucifixion. They are positioned at both ends of the crossbar. Their hand gestures indicate they are discussing this wondrous event of the death and calling us to marvel with them.

At the foot of the cross there is a damaged picture of six figures, two of whom are represented with halos. In accordance with the traditions of the day, these six are the patrons of Umbria: St. Damian, St. Michael, St. Rufino, St. John the Baptist, St. Peter andSt. Paul.

On the top of the cross, one sees Jesus now fully clothed in his regal garments and carrying the cross as a triumphant sceptre. He is climbing out of the tomb and into the heavenly courts. Ten angels are crowded around, five of whom have their hands extended in a welcoming gesture to Jesus, who himself has his hand raised in the form of a greeting.  

 

   

At the very top of the cross is the Hand of God with two fingers extended. This is to be understood as the blessing of God the Father on the sacrifice of his Son.

On the right side of the picture next to the left calf of Jesus, there is a small figure of a fowl. Some art historians have interpreted it to be a rooster, representing the sign of Jesus' denial by Peter, mentioned in all four Gospel accounts. Other commentators see it as a peacock, a frequent symbol of immortality in Early Christian art. Along the lower right side of the shaft, there is a small animal, possibly a cat.