Catholic Thought discussion
How Catholic Art Saved the Faith
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Week 6: Chapters 20 – Afterword
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I've always been drawn to iconography and have some in my home. I also have images of the Blessed Mother and a more recent print of Jesus as Divine Mercy surrounded by angels. This book affirmed how much I like the style of Caravaggio so I plan on buying some prints that inspire and appeal to me.And talk about timing is everything. This year I'm teaching a 7th/8th grade religious ed class at my parish. In the Archdiocese of Denver, Archbishop Aquila has implemented the restored order so that I'm preparing the students for Confession, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation. As I was reading this book it inspired me to print the art of topics we've discussed such as the Fall, the Incarnation, the Presentation, etc. Sadly for many of these kids they are in class because their parents want them to go through these ceremonies but most aren't going to Mass nor do they even know the basics of our Faith or key personages. As such, they have little exposure to Catholic culture. This book has really underscored the power of Catholic art to reaffirm the Faith and Church teachings. I hope to use this approach to help the kids consider the meaning and power of the Scripture passages we've read and how it affirms our Catholic beliefs. In your kindness, please keep my students in your prayers and pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide me as God has chosen a very weak instrument to bring the Faith to the kids.
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In our Bible Study, we take turns writing a reflection on the lesson a few days before each session. We were studying Matthew when we got into a discussion of Caravaggio, and his Calling of Matthew, and I wrote my reflection, including the painting and what it said about his calling. Since then when it's my turn I always include some art piece, and I look forward more to my next turn because of that.
I took a class with Dr. Angela Franks on gender issues and we spent a few sessions talking about how, in the Middle Ages particularly, women and men were able to move in their own self sufficient spheres and religious communities in particular would live in a mutually enriching partnership. The Reformation's shattering of religious life put an end to that.
Madeleine, it would be lovely to hear some of your thoughts about The Calling of St, Matthew.
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Yes I would too. If you write it Madeleine, post it under chapter 13 where it would fit in with the discussion. That's where it falls in the book.
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I can't speak to women having more freedoms in Catholicism, though it does intuitively seem that way. But my thought was that because of our veneration of the Blessed Mother and the wonderful women saints, womanhood is so much more revered in Catholicism. I remember reading from Mark Shea, he's a convert to Catholicism from Evangelicalism and has written several Catholic apologist books (I'm sure you can search him on Goodreads) he felt that because of our reverence to Mary, Catholicism had more of a female element to Christianity that was lacking in his Protestant days. I've never been a Protestant but I think that's true.
OK, Frances and Manny, I posted it under Chapter 13.Frances, I think I sent it to you at the time because we were into a discussion on Caravaggio--somehow we got into discussing haiku after that.....?
Manny said: "... my thought was that because of our veneration of the Blessed Mother and the wonderful women saints, womanhood is so much more revered in Catholicism. "I think this is one element of our faith that appeals to many converts. I recall a student at the U. of Dallas (my alma mater) from Japan, Ayano, whose father I had met when I visited my son there--. Before she graduated, she converted to Catholicism, and when I asked what motivated her, she said her mother had passed away when she was very young, and apparently she and her stepmother did not get along. She found what she was missing in our Blessed Mother. I also remember a YouTube video featuring a muslim convert who had said it was the chapter in the Koran about Mary that first motivated to look more closely at our faith.
Women were often cast in a negative light by Protestants as the temptress and seductress. In the Catholic world things looked much brighter. Not only did women have more options, such as pursuing a religious vocation if so called, but they also followed professions, and in our context, the arts. The Church commissioned artwork created by women, a fact I hadn’t known until I read these pages.
Artwork featured:
The Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine by Annibale Carracci
Christ and the Woman of Samaria by Lavinia Fontana
Madonna and Child by Artemisia Gentilechi
Chapter 21: The War on Sin
Catholics and Protestants did agree on the existence of sin. Whereas Protestants insisted on salvation by faith alone, Catholics maintained that the individual had to cooperate with divine grace.
Artwork featured:
Archangel Michael by Guido Reni
Cain and Abel by Niccolo Tornioli
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife by Carlo Cignani
Judith Beheading Holofernes by Caravaggio
Judith Beheading Holoferns by Artemisia Gentileschi
Epilogue: End Game
Ultimately, what the faithful Catholic seeks is salvation. To that end he strives to live a holy life, as best he can, for we don’t know the day nor the hour.
Artwork featured:
The Death of St. Joseph by Francesco Trevisani
Tomb of Pope Alexander VII by Bernini
The Last Judgement by Michelangelo
Afterword
Ideas on how to bring Catholic artwork into our lives:
1) Display Catholic art at home
2) Learn the stories of saints
3) Visit Catholic art in museums
4) Encourage Catholic art
5) Develop Catholic pride