Feast of Our Lady of Aberdeen 9th July 2013

Aberdeen's grey stone buildings have earned it
the nickname of 'The Granite City'

On the Feast of Our Lady of Aberdeen, the Cantor selected the Night Office Optional Reading, from the Common of the BVM, by St. Aelred.
The theme could be described as "in the infirmity of old age"
Following the Mass Deacon referred to Our Lady of Good Success.
Aelred says;
Scripture says, 'Praise the Lord in his saints'. If our Lord is to be praised in those saints through whom he performs mighty works and miracles, how much more should he be praised in her in whom he fashioned himself, he who is wonderful beyond all wonder.
Again such such wonderful relationships.

COLLECT (Magnificat)

Grant we pray, almighty God,

that this your Holy Church in Scottlan,

gather in your name to honour

Our lady of Aberdeen,

may shine forth with that fire of faith and charity

which the Spirit dwelling in her set ablaze.

Thro...

Our Lady of Aberdeen
http://www.carmelite.org/index.php?nuc=news&func=view&item=844

 

Alternative           Sermon 20

A reading from the sermons of  St. Aelred of Rievaulx

Mary, our Mother

Let us come to his. bride, let us come to his - mother, let us come to the best of his handmaidens. All of these descriptions fit Blessed Mary.

But what are we to do for her.? What sort of gifts shall we offer her? O that we might at least repay to her the debt we owe her ! We owe her honour, we owe her devotion, we owe her love, we owe her praise. We owe her honour because she is the Mother of our Lord. He, who does not honour the mother, will without doubt dishonour the son. Besides, scripture says: 'Honour your- father and your mother.'

What then shall we say, brethren? Is she not our mother? Certainly, brethren, she is in truth our mother. Through her we are born, not to the world but to God.

We all, as you believe and know, were in death, in the infirmity of old age, in darkness, in misery. In death because we had lost the Lord; in the infirmity of old age, because we were in corruption; in darkness because we had lost the light of wisdom, and so we -had altogether perished.

But through Blessed Mary we all underwent a much better .birth than through Eve, inasmuch as Christ was born of Mary. Instead of the infirmity of age we have regained youth, instead of corruption incorruption, instead of darkness light.

She is our mother, mother of our life, of our incorruption, of our light. The Apostle says of our Lord, ‘Whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and redemption.

She therefore who. -is the mother of Christ is the mother of our wisdom, mother of our righteousness, mother of our sanctification, mother of our redemption. Therefore she is more our mother than the mother of our flesh. Better therefore is our birth which we derive from Mary, for from her is our holiness, our wisdom; our righteousness, our sanctification, our redemption.

Scripture says, 'Praise the Lord in his saints'. If our Lord is to be praised in those saints through whom he performs mighty works and miracles, how much more should he be praised in her in whom he fashioned himself, he who is wonderful beyond all wonder.

RESPONSORY

R/ Blessed is the holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of all praise; * through her has risen the Sun of, Justice, Christ our God, by whom we are saved and redeemed.

V/ Let us joyfully celebrate this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.* Through her has risen ...

COMMENT: Even God himself is forced, to yield to the prayers of two or three gathered together.

COMMENT:

After the Homily, the first comment to Fr. Raymond, “It was a riveting Homily”, I said, “Somehow, you were bi-doubling, bi-duplexing from, the manifold development from the words of, 

• “Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for the man to be alone”, to the conclusion. 
• “Even God himself is forced to yield to the prayers of two or three gathered together”.

It seems worth to have the layout of the paragraphs below.

Raymond Homily Sunday, 07 July 2013

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10:1-12.17-20.

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. 

"The Lord appointed seventy two others and sent them out ahead of him to all the places he himself was to visit". It's important for us to note that he sent them out ahead of him, not as individuals, but in pairs.

He sent them out two by two.

When the early Fathers of the Church tried to understand this, when they tried to understand why Jesus sent the seventy two out in pairs, they took it to mean that no one is authorised to preach the Gospel in his own name.

Whoever preaches as one among many; he preaches as one who is bound together in charity to the community of the faithful.

Whoever preaches, preaches in the name of and by the authority of the universal Church; it’s not just a private message of his own, a message preached on his own authority.

So the fact that Jesus sent out his disciples two by two is simply another expression of that great fundamental statement of the creation story viz: that it is not good for man to be alone.

As in Genesis, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (v.2:18).

The preaching mission of the Church is carried out in the spirit of the great theological reality of the Communion of Saints.

When one man speaks with utter sincerity and when he speaks enthusiastically from his heart, there is a very powerful witness given. Others will be moved by his sincerity and his enthusiasm.

But when he is joined by another who is equally sincere and equally enthusiastic then the power of their witness is more than just doubled.

Even God himself is forced, as it were, and as he himself confesses, to yield to the prayers of two or three gathered together.

So there is great significance in this fact that Jesus chooses to send his disciples out two by two.

We can also presume that the fact that they were to prepare the way for his own personal visit to each of these places after them means that the Gospel can't really be preached effectively by human preaching alone, Jesus himself must come into the picture' in some way. There has to be an inner encounter with Christ himself. The Gospel has to be heard with the heart as well as by the ear.

The initial human preaching to the ear has to be followed up by the inner voice of the Spirit speaking to the heart.

It is heart that speaks to the heart as Scripture says; The heart of Jesus speaks directly to each of us in the depths of our heart.

Raymond Homily Sunday, 07 July 2013

Fr. Raymond

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10:1-12.17-20.

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. ...

"The Lord appointed seventy two others and sent them out ahead of him to all the places he himself was to visit". It's important for us to note that he sent them out ahead of him, not as individuals, but in pairs. He sent them out two by two. When the early Fathers of the Church tried to understand this, when they tried to understand why Jesus sent the seventy two out in pairs, they took it to mean that no one is authorised to preach the Gospel in his own name. Whoever preaches as one among many; he preaches as one who is bound together in charity to the community of the faithful. Whoever preaches, preaches in the name of and by the authority of the universal Church; it’s not just a private message of his own, a message preached on his own authority.

So the fact that Jesus sent out his disciples two by two is simply another expression of that great fundamental statement of the creation story viz: that it is not good for man to be alone. The preaching mission of the Church is carried out in the spirit of the great theological reality of the Communion of Saints.

When one man speaks with utter sincerity and when he speaks enthusiastically from his heart, there is a very powerful witness given. Others will be moved by his sincerity and his enthusiasm. But when he is joined by another who is equally sincere and equally enthusiastic then the power of their witness is more than just doubled. Even God himself is forced, as it were, and as he himself confesses, to yield to the prayers of two or three gathered together. So there is great significance in this fact that Jesus chooses to send his disciples out two by two.

We can also presume that the fact that they were to prepare the way for his own personal visit to each of these places after them means that the Gospel can't really be preached effectively by human preaching alone, Jesus himself must come into the picture' in some way. There has to be an inner encounter with Christ himself. The Gospel has to be heard with the heart as well as by the ear. The initial human preaching to the ear has to be followed up by the inner voice of the Spirit speaking to the heart. It is heart that speaks to the heart as Scripture says, The heart of Jesus speaks directly to each of us in the depths of our heart.

  

Vocations - Mass - Of vocation puts us out into the deep.

Dear Anne Marie,

Thank you.

Your iPhone, 

before text message,

becomes more in poem.

.. yours

Donald

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Anne-Marie ...
To: Fr Donald ....
Sent: Friday, 5 July 2013, 18:43
Subject: Re: [Dom Donald's Blog] Vocations - Mass

When you see the rough sea ahead you want

To stand on the shore.  I suppose our sense

Of vocation puts us out into the deep. 

Loved the picture.

I have just been to see the new superman

Movie.  It is very entertaining but strangely

Scriptural in its outlook.

Anne Marie 

Sent from my iPhone

On 2 Jul 2013, at 19:12, Fr Donald <domdonald@sacmus.org> wrote:

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Fr. Mark ...

Sent: Tuesday, 2 July 2013
Subject: Intro to Mass for Vocations

Intro to Mass for Vocations         Tuesday, 13 Week of Year (Mt 8 23-27)

In today’s gospel reading we see Jesus getting into the boat with his disciples.
A storm broke over the lake.  Their plea to him was, ‘Save us Lord, we are going down’.

St. Thomas - a beautiful homily by the Pope-doctor, St Gregory the Great

iBreviary 3rd July

SECOND READING

From a homily on the Gospels by Saint Gregory the Great, pope
(Hom. 26, 7-9: PL 76, 1201-1202)

My Lord and my God

Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. He was the only disciple absent; on his return he heard what had happened but refused to believe it. The Lord came a second time; he offered his side for the disbelieving disciple to touch, held out his hands, and showing the scars of his wounds, healed the wound of his disbelief.

Dearly beloved, what do you see in these events? Do you really believe that it was by chance that this chosen disciple was absent, then came and heard, heard and doubted, doubted and touched, touched and believed? It was not by chance but in God’s providence. In a marvellous way God’s mercy arranged that the disbelieving disciple, in touching the wounds of his master’s body, should heal our wounds of disbelief. The disbelief of Thomas has done more for our faith than the faith of the other disciples. As he touches Christ and is won over to belief, every doubt is cast aside and our faith is strengthened. So the disciple who doubted, then felt Christ’s wounds, becomes a witness to the reality of the resurrection.

Touching Christ, he cried out: My Lord and my God. Jesus said to him: Because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed. Paul said: Faith is the guarantee of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. It is clear, then, that faith is the proof of what can not be seen. What is seen gives knowledge, not faith. When Thomas saw and touched, why was he told: You have believed because you have seen me? Because what he saw and what he believed were different things. God cannot be seen by mortal man. Thomas saw a human being, whom he acknowledged to be God, and said: My Lord and my God. Seeing, he believed; looking at one who was true man, he cried out that this was God, the God he could not see.

What follows is reason for great joy: Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. There is here a particular reference to ourselves; we hold in our hearts one we have not seen in the flesh. We are included in these words, but only if we follow up our faith with good works. The true believer practices what he believes. But of those who pay only lip service to faith, Paul has this to say: They profess to know God, but they deny him in their works. Therefore James says: Faith without works is dead.

http://www.12apostlesofthecatholicchurch.com/thomas.html

The following paragraph is taken from the "Catholic Almanac"

Thomas (Didymus): Notable for his initial incredulity regarding the Resurrection and his subsequent forthright confession of the divinity of Christ risen from the dead; according to legend, preached the Gospel in places from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf and eventaully reached India where he was martyred near Madras; Thomas Christians trace their origin to him; in art, is depicted knelling before the risen Christ, or with a carpenter's rule and square; feast, July 3 (Roman Rite), Oct. 6 (Byzantine Rite).

There are many hundreds of interesting sources about St Thomas the Apostle on the Internet. One site that contains a beautiful homily by the Pope-doctor, St Gregory the Great, and ten other links is:

http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintt07.htm

The following is taken from Chapter Eight from "The Twelve" by Otto Hophan, O.F.M. Cap. Information on this book is found in the doctoral resources/link on the Doctors of the Catholic Church website at:

http://doctorsofthecatholicchurch.com

St Thomas the Apostle is often wronged. Whenever his name is heard, one tends to think of a skeptic, a doubter. "He is a doubting Thomas" has become a byword. We have become accustomed, through the centuries, ........

Thomas pointing finger upwards in the Jesus Last Supper (Leonardo)

Feast of Saint Thomas - Wednesday 3rd July
Interesting news regarding the Leonardo mural

MAIL ONLINE
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2189604/The-Last-Supper-Fascinating-new-theory-suggests-Leonardo-da-Vinci-used-face-TWO-apostles.html  

Thomas is also pointing his finger upwards in the 500-year-old mural, a gesture which Leonardo's contemporaries viewed as a da Vinci trademark

Did da Vinci paint himself into The Last Supper? Fascinating new theory suggests Leonardo used his own face for TWO of the apostles

• Art expert believes Thomas and James the Lesser are self-portraits of Renaissance genius

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 03:42, 17 August 2012 | UPDATED: 03:44, 17 August 2012

 
 
 

19

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comments

He is the man behind some of the most famous portrait paintings in history.

Yet, ironically, art experts still have relatively little idea what Leonardo da Vinci himself looked like.

Because the Renaissance genius left no self-portraits from his youth, academics have been forced to explore their suspicions that he may have placed his image into one of his own masterpieces.

Code cracked? Art historian Dr Ross King has presented new evidence which he believes shows that Leonardo da Vinci used his own face for two apostles, Thomas and James the Lesser, in his painting of the Last Supper

Staring them in the face? Dr King references a portrait believed to be of da Vinci in his later years showing him with a Greek nose and flowing hair, much like the two apostles. Thomas is also pointing his finger upwards in the 500-year-old mural, a gesture which Leonardo's contemporaries viewed as a da Vinci trademark

Now one art historian believes he has uncovered new evidence that the great man inserted himself not once, but twice, into his famous mural, The Last Supper.

Ross King, the author of the international best-seller Brunelleschi's Dome, makes reference to a poem written in the 1490s, while Leonardo was painting The Last Supper, by his friend Gasparo Visconti.

 

More...

In it, Visconti makes fun of an unnamed artist for putting his image into his works 'however handsome it may be'.

Dr King also cites the famous portrait of a man in red chalk, sketched around 1515, which is thought to show Leonardo in his advancing years.

He has a Greek nose, flowing hair and a long beard, much like the faces of the apostles Thomas and James the Lesser in the 500-year-old Last Supper.

Clues: According to Dr King, the portrait of a man in red chalk (left), believed to depict da Vinci around 1515, has similar features to those shown in the two apostles. Some art experts also believe the Mona Lisa (right) may be a self-portrait

Steeped in history: The Last Supper was painted on an end wall in the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, for Leonardo's patron Duke Ludovico Sforza and his duchess Beatrice d'Este

Thomas's upturned finger was also considered by contemporaries as a trademark Leonardo gesture.

Dr King told the Independent: 'The Last Supper is the only work that no one, either crackpot or academic, has tried to identify as a Leonardo portrait.'

Renowned Leonardo scholar Charles Nicholl said: 'Of all the apostles that (Leonardo) would wish to be identified with, I think Doubting Thomas would be top of his list because Leonardo was a great believer in asking questions rather than accepting what people tell you.'

The Last Supper was painted on an end wall in the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy, for Leonardo's patron Duke Ludovico Sforza and his duchess Beatrice d'Este.

It has faded substantially over time, but underwent a 21-year restoration from the 1970s which sparked considerable controversy because of the subsequent changes in tones and colours.

Finding images of Leonardo in his paintings has become a popular pastime with academics, with some even suggesting that the Mona Lisa is in fact a self-portrait in disguise.

Bloomsbury Publishing will publish Dr King's latest research in Leonardo And The Last Supper on August 30. It will also feature as BBC 4's Book of the Week at the same time.

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The sacrifice of our father Abraham

https://www.magnificat.net/

Thursday, 04 July 2013

Thursday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time

Book of Genesis 22:1-19.

God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am!" he replied.

Then God said: "Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you."

Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey, took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well, and with the wood that he had cut for the holocaust, set out for the place of which God had told him.

On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.

Then he said to his servants: "Both of you stay here with the donkey, while the boy and I go on over yonder. We will worship and then come back to you."

Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the holocaust and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife.

As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke tnued, "Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the holocaust?" 

"Son," Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust." Then the two continued going forward. o his father Abraham. "Father!" he said. "Yes, son," he replied. Isaac conti...

The Supreme Sacrifice

Since the Fathers of the Church, many authors have exerted considerable effort trying to interpret the “true meaning” of Genesis, chapter 22, including modern thinkers such as Kant and Kierkegaard, and postmoderns such as Derrida and Marion. It is no wonder, then, that this episode about the sacrifice of Isaac should pose a huge challenge to artists as well! Such difficulty is hardly surprising, since in this text the divine pedagogy is just beginning to reveal the mystery of faith, this mystery which, in the fullness of revelation, will nourish Christian life from the profession of baptismal faith to every Mass, when the Church renews in an unbloody manner the sacrifice of Christ.

In this painting, Gentileschi proposes a multi-leveled interpretation. On the first level, that of the first Covenant, the angel abruptly stops the horrible act of infanticide. His expression is severe, and with his left hand raised toward heaven he points, in a sort of anticipation of Sinai, to the Law of God: You shall not kill! God thus gives a harsh lesson to Abraham, guilty of having believed it possible that the Lord would have asked him to adopt the monstrous practice of that period—offering first-born sons in sacrifice to the titular deity. Later, Moses will explain that offering first-born sons to God means to consecrate them, not sacrifice them. On the second level, that of the new and eternal Covenant, Gentileschi, unlike Caravaggio and Rembrandt, represents Isaac as neither constrained nor terrified. He who carried the wood for his own sacrifice is here the figure of Jesus Christ. Now, Jesus testifies that God his Father, our Father, does not wish to sacrifice his Son, just as he did not want Abraham to sacrifice Isaac: No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down on my own, he affirms. But as Savior of the world, it is no less true that Jesus exalts the greatness of the supreme sacrifice, since he is the only offering pleasing to God: No one shows greater love than by laying down his life for those he loves. 

Pierre-Marie Dumont 

  

The Sacrifice of Isaac, Orazio Gentileschi (1563-1639),

Galleria Nazionale di Palazzo Spinola, Genoa, Italy.

© Electa / Leemage.

(Leonardo) Last Supper - the plaster cast model from the window of a charity shop

COMMENT:
Irresistible photos of the plaster cast model.

From: Donald .......
To: William J ....
Sent: Tuesday, 2 July 2013, 22:16
Subject: Fw: [Blog] Last Supper - the salt cellar plaster cast model

Dear William,...

News from the Hospital after Vespers: Fr. Thomas has undergone the hip operation and he was enjoying the tea, after the day fasting. The Duty Nurse of the ward has already know Fr. Thomas - pleasant encounter.

As from the special Feast Day we noted Saint Thomas in his own unique role in the cast of the (Leonardo) Last Supper, more searching and browsing, otherwise contemplating.

Back to the salt cellar knock over by Judas,   

...

Donald

PS. Thank for the great development from the charity shop plaster cast model.

 

 

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: William Wardle <williamwardle2bp@btinternet.com>
To: Donald Nunraw <nunrawdonald@yahoo.com>
Sent: Wednesday, 3 July 2013, 19:15
Subject: Re: [Blog] Last Supper -plaster cast model

Dear Father Donald,

 

St Thomas' feast for Father Thomas (unless his name dedication is of another Thomas), the day of his long awaited hip operation. I pray that it may restore his health, most especially his mobility so that he may resume attendance at community liturgy and meals, which [to me] is the shared expression of your cenobitic life together. My prayers unite with those of the community for him: may these and my greetings and best wishes be relayed to him.

 

I have endeavoured to record images of the plaster cast model of the (Leonardo) Last Supper. The model measures in width 9.5 inches (24cm)

It is so startling to believe that I found it in the window of a charity shop!! (the only damage being to Bartholomew's re-glued head).

 

It is the salt cellar at Judas' elbow that catches the eye, although the money bag is far from being defined (merging with a bread roll). The big disappointment for today's feast is that Thomas is holding up a full hand, not a finger, but this would have been a casting difficulty.

 

'Not me Lord?' is very eloquent in the hand positions of Philip (right facing) and James the Less and Andrew (left facing), with Bartholomew almost tipping over his stool as he rises in disbelief. There appears to be a private conversation between Matthew, Thadeus and Simon (right facing) as they together attempt to understand the Lord's words (Matthew gesticulating, raising the question). I think that James the Great is gesturing, with Philip anxiously over his shoulder, to Bartholomew to 'hold his peace' - I don't think he is looking at Judas. John's hands are shown as open, not as clasped, and [big difference] Judas has not (yet) reached out to dip his fingers in the small bowl which is missing!

 

Absolutely fascinating, I (can) lose myself in this scene, and I now delight in cross relating it to the (clearer) copy of the Giampietri painting that you discovered which reveals the hidden detail. One odd thought, it impresses me that the clay artist should have troubled to have completed for the cast the reverse of the characters, for that is not in the painting!

 

Where to end contemplating this scene?! It is a joy to delight with you in these reflections.

 

With my love in Our Lord,

William

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: William ...
To: Fr Donald ...
Sent: Monday, 1 July 2013, 20:04
Subject: Re: [Blog] Last Supper - the salt cellar

Dear Father Donald,

 

Thank you for finding the Giampietrino copy of Leonardo's painting - it has spelled out for me the 'salt cellar' moment that is for me the 'frozen moment' depicted in the painting.

 

I surmise: Judas has overheard Peter's question and John's subsequent inquiry of Our Lord without too much concern, but having just dipped his fingers in the dish at the self same moment as Jesus, he hears Jesus' answer... "the one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me" (Mtt 26:23). He starts in alarm (for if Jesus knows, what then? and alas, more immediate perhaps, Peter has a knife, and all know his vehement defence of his master, which was to be duly evidenced, v51). It is at that moment as Judas blurts out,"Surely not I, Rabbi?" that the salt cellar overturns: Judas has been found out: a second later, and Leonardo would have portrayed him jumping to his feet...

 

I am quite in awe of this painting. It tells of the developing Passion of Lord as no words could ever describe.

 

The plaster cast model on my bookshelf has 'come alive' with meaning, for amongst the table shapes, I now can see the salt cellar, clearly distinguished. The figure of James the Great expresses all our alarm, and that of Matthew speaks to us, 'Can that be true?'...  

 

No one could feel complacent gazing upon that scene. Least of all me.

 

With very many thanks,

and with my love in Our Lord,

William

 

From: Fr Donald <domdonald@sacmus.org>
To: williamwardle2bp@btinternet.com
Sent: Monday, 1 July 2013, 11:34
Subject: [Dom Donald's Blog] COMMENT: Last Supper (Leonardo) Judas - Footnotes
 

Giampietrino-Last-Supper-ca-1520

The Significance of Various Elements in the Composition of the Painting Note on Judas. Michael Ladwein Leonardo da Vinci – The Last SuperThe language and.meaning of gestures .......... ... the ever-long forefinger of Thomas, pointing upwards very striking and energetically, might also be interpreted as indicating that the doubts he experienced regarding Christ's Resurrection could only be overcome by actually touching his wounds John 20,27). This in turn meant that in medieval theology Thomas became the actual witness of the Resurrection, so that his heavenward-pointing finger came to symbolize Christ's Ascension." Peter's right hand, propped on his hip (behind Judas' back) is holding a knife which at first sight can be regarded as a perfectly legitimate item of cutlery. But apart from the fact that it is the only knife in the whole picture, its size and shape also make it appear more like a weapon. Thus it points to the happening a few hours hence when Peter, militantly ready to defend Christ, will cut off the ear of Malchus (while here the ear of .John is willingly turned towards him and that of Judas involuntarily hears his urgent enquiry as to the name of the traitor). Thus the knife becomes in a sense an attribute of Peter. 
Apart from Peter, only Judas is holding in his right hand an object open to ambivalent interpretation: the purse full of money (Fig.53). 
Judas, Peter, John, 1999 restored Initially it can be seen as the common purse (John 12,6) which he administers, but we immediately and above all associate it with his traitor's reward of thirty pieces of silver. Moreover, as he recoils vehemently in surprise, he appears inadvertently to upset a salt-cellar. This is a most realistic touch," (15*) for he is symbolically rejecting Christ's promise that he too, like the others, shall be 'the salt of the earth', thus cancelling his links with Christ." (16*) 

14 Bernard of Clairvaux, De laudibus Virginis matris, quoted after Steinberg: 'Thomas, at first doubting the truth but then verifying it by touch, thus became the surest witness of the Resurrection.'

15 This is no longer discernible in the original painting but can be seen in copies and engravings (see p.87.) In a passage that evidently refers to Judas, Leonardo's notes reveal that he originally considered showing him overturning a glass of wine. Perhaps finding this idea too obvious, he rejected it in favour of the salt-cellar. Right beside his elbow, as though pushed aside by him, there is a piece of bread. According to Steinberg this could also be interpreted as a rejection of the Eucharist and thus point to antagonism towards Christ.

16 Matthew 5,13; Mark 9,50; Luke 14,34-35; see also R. Steiner From Jesus to Christ; lecture of 12 October 1911, andCosmic and Human Metamorphoses, lecture of 20 March 1917.

17 F. Rittelmeyer, p.72.