Category Archives: art

All shall be well

Leave a reply

The Wasp, September 31, 1882
political cartoon, San Francisco, California,
depicting San Francisco landlords as vampire bats squeezing the rent out of tenants,
enjoying a fine meal, then being taken by death
and thrown into hell.

Then [Jesus] said to the crowd,  “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Luke 12:15

When I consider my modest take-home pay and the food, rent, utilities, medical, and car expenses I have, it’s hard not to make money and things the center of my attention. Idols, in fact.

But God’s Holy Spirit — not money or things — is my source for life. Today I choose to put my trust in and my attention on God. All shall be well, however it looks right now.

 

Servant leader

Leave a reply

James Tissot (1836-1902)
Recommandation aux apôtres
opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum

To follow Jesus,  I must set aside ambition, arrogance, pride, and self-seeking. I must be willing to serve the poor, the lonely, the neglected, and the abused.

As I spend time in prayer each day to discern the will of God and ask for the grace to carry it out, I will let go of the need to compare myself to others and instead learn humility.

Jesus summoned [the Twelve] and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant.” Mark 10:43

The Spirit of Wisdom

Leave a reply

Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947)
Sofia (Wisdom), 1932

God is in charge of the possible and the impossible. God’s Spirit guides me where I need to go, shows me what I need to do, gives me the strength to help out where I am needed, and blesses me with the humility to love my neighbor and forgive my enemies.

[The disciples] were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” Mark 10:26-27

In the moment

Leave a reply

Harry Fenn (1845-1911)
Caesarea Philippi (Banias)
Watercolor, gouache, brown ink, and graphite on light brown wove paper
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Even the low times contain a stillpoint of joy. The Lord is right there in the moment. I do not walk alone.

Gracious is the Lord and just;
yes, our God is merciful.
The Lord keeps the little ones;
I was brought low, and he saved me.
Psalm 116:5-6

Impediments

Leave a reply

Meister von Müstair
Heilung des Taubstummen
fresco, ca.830
Müstair (Schweiz), Klosterkirche St. Johann

Sometimes I cannot hear the Lord’s call to love my neighbor, forgive those who hurt me, and befriend the poor. It’s not that I willfully oppose the Lord’s call, but that I am afflicted in the moment with anxiety, depression, physical pain, or other distracting states of mind and being.

May I forgive myself for my human imperfections and pray that the impediments that prevent me from hearing, speaking, and acting on the Good News of love and healing be removed.

[Jesus] said to him, “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” —And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. Mark 7:34-35

In trust

Leave a reply

Jan Luyken
Eating with Unwashed Hands
Etching from the Phillip Medhurst Collection of Bible illustrations housed at Belgrave Hall, Leicester, England
By Phillip Medhurst [CC BY-SA 3.0 ], from Wikimedia Commons

Life experiences can be overwhelming, stressful, and undermining, but they are not a reflection of who we are. We are God’s beloved daughters and sons. Nothing will ever change God’s love for us.

Today I will thank God for loving me. When adversity enters my life, I will trust God is with me, and respond with courage, forgiveness, and compassion.

He summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” Mark 7:14-15

Real work

4 Replies

Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov (1806-1858)
People Gather Manna
via Wikimedia Commons

A job may earn me money, but my real work is learning to love—at home, in the workplace, in the community, those I know, those I have never met.

Today my work is to practice compassion, patience, forgiveness, generosity, gratitude, nonviolence, and reverence for all of God’s creation. My never-failing mentor is the Lord.

[Jesus said,] “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” ” John 6:27

Afflicted

2 Replies

James Tissot (1836-1902)
L’hémoroïsse
opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper
between 1886 and 1894
Brooklyn Museum

Rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, dyslexia, migraine, alcoholism, glaucoma, depression, anxiety, sleeplessness: affliction is a part of the human condition.

Through no fault of our own, our genes and bodies and minds have been wired for our particular afflictions. And while we may seek mainstream medical solutions and traditional therapies to help us cope, some afflictions don’t go away.

Afflictions do not make us unworthy of God’s love, or “less than” as human persons. We are made in the image of God’s love and goodness—and nothing can change that.

Our most important work is not to figure out why we are afflicted, but to reach out in humility to touch the Lord and ask for compassion and healing in whatever form they may manifest: mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual.

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Mark 5:25-29

The work of today

2 Replies

The Birth of St. John the Baptist
Spain, ca.1525
Gilded wood
Art Institute of Chicago

My daily work is to show up for life, treat all people with compassion, generosity, and respect, take care of today’s responsibilities, and help manifest God’s vision of peace, unity, and love in our fragile world.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, yet my reward is with the LORD, my recompense is with my God. Isaiah 49:4

In need

2 Replies

Camille Pissarro (1830-1903)
Landscape with Flock of Sheep
oil on canvas, 1889 and 1902
Norton Simon Museum

Today I am especially in need of the gentle guidance and tender care of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. I am grateful for his kind attention.

May I be gentle, tender, and kind towards others, too, for they may also be in need of compassion.

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11