Potius hodie quam cras

Matthaus Greuter (Greuther), (1564-1638). or by Paul Maupin (Maupain)

Saint Alexander Briant (1556-1581),  

Line engraving, published 1608

5 5/8 in. x 4 1/4 in. (143 mm x 110 mm)

The National Portrait Gallery, London

For more about Saint Alexander Briant (17 August 1556 – 1 December 1581) see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Briant
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01296b.htm

Frederik Bouttats the Younger (1610-1676), 

Edmund Campion (1540-1581), Alexander Briant (1556-1581),  and Ralph Sherwin (1549 or 1550-1581)

Lne engraving, 17th century

10 7/8 in. x 7 1/4 in. (276 mm x 185 mm) 

The National Portrait Gallery, London

For more about Saint Ralph Sherwin (the first member of the English College in Rome to be martyred) see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Sherwin
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12636b.htm

For more about Saint Edmund Campion, S.J. (24 January 1540 – 1 December 1581) see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Campion
Chapman, John H. "The Persecution under Elizabeth" Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, Old Series Vol. 9 (1881),
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/St._Edmund_Campion

Daniel Fournier (circa 1710-circa 1766), 

Saint Cuthbert Mayne (1544–1577)

Mezzotint, probably early to mid 18th century

6 1/4 in. x 4 3/4 in. (160 mm x 120 mm)

The National Portrait Gallery, London

For more about St Cuthbert Mayn see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuthbert_Mayne
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Bl._Cuthbert_Mayne

"Potius hodie quam cras, as Saint Ralph Sherwin said when asked to take the missionary oath, “rather today than tomorrow”. 

These words aptly convey his burning desire to keep the flame of faith alive in England, at whatever personal cost. 

Those who have truly encountered Christ are unable to keep silent about him. As Saint Peter himself said to the elders and scribes of Jerusalem, “we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). 

Saint Boniface, Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Saint Francis Xavier, whose feast we keep today, and so many other missionary saints show us how a deep love for the Lord calls forth a deep desire to bring others to know him. 

You too, as you follow in the footsteps of the College Martyrs, are the men God has chosen to spread the message of the Gospel today, in England and Wales, in Canada, in Scandinavia. 

Your forebears faced a real possibility of martyrdom, and it is right and just that you venerate the glorious memory of those forty-four alumni of your College who shed their blood for Christ. 

You are called to imitate their love for the Lord and their zeal to make him known, potius hodie quam cras. The consequences, the fruits, you may confidently entrust into God’s hands." 

Benedict XVI’s address to the Venerable English College in Rome

Sessa Aurunca

The Ambo and Easter Candle Holder  in the Duomo of Sessa Aurunca, Italy

From Heinrich Wilhelm Schultz (1808–1855) Denkmaeler der Kunst des Mittelalters in Unteritalien (1860)

The town of Sessa Aurunca is an ancient one,  lying in the province of Caserta in the Campania

Today, not well known, and rather off the beaten track for tourists, one could be forgiven for saying "So what ?"

Well, the history of the populated site  goes back to about 1000 BC. 

In Roman times its position between the Via Appia and the Via Latina led to its importance.

Its significance in Christian history is underlined by the fact that it is/was the centre of a Diocese (now unfortunately subsumed into the Archdiocese of Naples) The earliest known Bishop is recorded as being about AD 500

Its present Duomo or Cathedral was consecrated in 1113 and its present appearance dates from the 13th century

/

Mauro Piergigli and the  Associazione Culturale Italia Medievale have a beautiful website which features a long discourse with plently of photographs on the Cathedral. It cannot be praised too highly

Apparently there was a local legend that St Peter himself preached in the town. Perhaps not too fanciful in view of the fact that the town lies near the Via Appia and is near Rome. In any event the Gospel preached by Saints Paul and Peter has held sway in this ancient town for nearly 2000 years.

In that sense perhaps the legend has truth

The connection with Saints Peter and Paul is stressed in the facade of the Cathedral. Scenes from the life of St Peter adorn it

But it was the ambo with Easter Candle candelabra which caught the attention of Schultz. 

It is one of the great treasures of this ancient cathedral

Photographs and commentary are on this website page

The ambo appears to have been constructed in the time of Bishop Pandolfo (1224-1259) He recorded his commission thus:

"HOC HOPUS EST STUDIO PANDULFI PRESULIS ACTUM / QUEM LOCET IN PROPRIO REGNO VERBUM CARO FACTUM". 

From the ambo or pulpit the Word was to be proclaimed and the Word was to be made flesh

The pulpit from which the Word was proclaimed contains figures and designs from all of God`s creation: known and unknown, real and imagined

At the base of the ambo are lions. Other figures include caryatids  birds of all types including birds of paradise, pelicans, eagles, griffins, dogs, Figures from the Old Testament and the Classics include prophets such as Daniel, Zaccarias and Joel as well as the Eritrean Sibyl

All with their own symbolism and meaning

One image not depicted is the image inside the ambo which the priest would have seen just before his homily: the figure of Jonah being vomited out by the whale, Beside it is a scene showing the prophecy of the exile in  Nineveh,

Quite appropriate reminders for a medieval preacher

Next to the ambo is the column representing the sacred Easter Candle, It was commissioned by the Bishop only known as John III. 

One of the main images on the column is the Transfigured Christ in Majesty accompanied by the angels, Saints Peter, Paul and Casto (the local martyr bishop saint) 

There are two inscriptions :

"PULCRA COLUMPNA NITE DANS NOBIS LUMINA VITE"

"AD LUMEN SANCTUM DEUS ACCIPE CANTUM"

A calling to prayer and prayers for those drawing near for true enlightenment and eternal salvation

It was of course in Sessa Aurunca in 1968 that the old friend of Blessed Pope John Paul II, Bishop Pavel Mária Hnilica S.J. founded the the Religious Congregation, Pro Deo et Fratribus, presently known as the Pro Deo et Fratribus – Famiglia di Maria Corredentrice to generate support for for the persecuted Church in Eastern Europe.

Heinrich Wilhelm Schultz in Puglia

Heinrich Wilhelm Schultz (1808–1855), was  the longtime director of the antiques and art collection of Dresden.

His major work was posthumous: Denkmaeler der Kunst des Mittelalters in Unteritalien (1860)

The work was commissioned by his relatives from the huge amount of work carried out by Schultz prior to his death It was completed by Ferdinand von Quast

His study of Southern Italian churches was lavishly illustrated by engravings of his drawings.

His extensive knowledge was based on journeys to Italy from 1831 to 1842 and again from  1846 to 1847

His work is one of the foundations of  the Italian art history of the Mezzogiorno

It is from looking at his drawings that we can truly appreciate the greatness of the works being depicted

Here are some of his studies of the Cathedral of Trani in Puglia. It is an example of Pugliese Romanesque. The Church is dedicated to San Nicholas the Pilgrim

Charitable Activity

Giuseppe Mazzuoli

1644 - 1725

La Charité (1720)

Terracotta model 

Height  0,45 m.

Musée du Louvre, Paris

The Pope has always emphasised that the ‘ministry of charity’ – the service of love – is as essential to the church as the ministry of word and sacraments

The three are inseparable

The Holy Father has now issued a Motu Proprio on Charitable Activity by and within the Church

The timing of its promulgation is interesting when the activities of Catholic charities are coming under closer scrutiny from within and without the Church

The activities of some Catholic agencies which appear to act contrary to Catholic teaching has led to searing criticism from within the Church

The requirement of some States (e.g. in the United Kingdom through the so-called Equality Laws; the enactment of some parts of the Obama health care in the United States) has obviously led to problems

In some countries "freedom of religion" is seen as an activity to be strictly confined to within the four walls of the Temple

And it also has relevance to areas of Church activity in the past where its performance has been less than dismal: the care of children especially where there has been child abuse

Pope Benedict`s response is timely

In his Apostolic Letter issued “Motu Proprio” On the Service of Charity Pope Benedict XVI has decided to legislate. The two keys provisions of the new Motu Properio would appear to be:

"Art. 4. § 3. It is the responsibility of the diocesan Bishop to ensure that in the activities and management of these agencies the norms of the Church’s universal and particular law are respected, as well as the intentions of the faithful who made donations or bequests for these specific purposes (cf. canons 1300 CIC and 1044 CCEO). 

Art. 5. - The diocesan Bishop is to ensure that the Church enjoys the right to carry out charitable activities, and he is to take care that the faithful and the institutions under his supervision comply with the legitimate civil legislation in this area."

Other features of the "Motu Proprio" also include restrictions on the use of the word "Catholic" if a charitable agency does not adhere to the principles of the Code:

Art. 2. .§ 2. A charitable agency may use the name “Catholic” only with the written consent of the competent authority, as laid down by canon 300 CIC. 

Art. 9. § 3. It is the duty of the diocesan Bishop and the respective parish priests to see that in this area the faithful are not led into error or misunderstanding; hence they are to prevent publicity being given through parish or diocesan structures to initiatives which, while presenting themselves as charitable, propose choices or methods at odds with the Church’s teaching. 

Art. 11. – The diocesan Bishop is obliged, if necessary, to make known to the faithful the fact that the activity of a particular charitable agency is no longer being carried out in conformity with the Church’s teaching, and then to prohibit that agency from using the name “Catholic” and to take the necessary measures should personal responsibilities emerge

The emphasis is on the duties of the diocesan Bishop with regard to the provision and regulation of charity by the Church and its agencies within the diocese. The buck stops with the Bishop

The Pope has acted to fill a gap in the present Canon Law

The Pope explained that the provision of charity by the Church is central to its mission and cannot be divorced from any of its other main activities:

"“The Church’s deepest nature is expressed in her three-fold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God (kerygma-martyria), celebrating the sacraments (leitourgia) and exercising the ministry of charity (diakonia). These duties presuppose each other and are inseparable” (Deus Caritas Est, 25). 

The service of charity is also a constitutive element of the Church’s mission and an indispensable expression of her very being (cf. ibid.); all the faithful have the right and duty to devote themselves personally to living the new commandment that Christ left us (cf. Jn 15:12), and to offering our contemporaries not only material assistance, but also refreshment and care for their souls (cf. Deus Caritas Est, 28). 

The Church is also called as a whole to the exercise of the diakonia of charity, whether in the small communities of particular Churches or on the level of the universal Church. This requires organization “if it is to be an ordered service to the community” (cf. ibid., 20), an organization which entails a variety of institutional expressions."

St Edward the Confessor

Edward dies, and his soul is received into heaven, attended by St John and St Peter. (image 63, page 29r)

From Life of St Edward the Confessor by Matthew Paris c. 1250

Manuscript

University of Cambridge

Cures at King Edward's tomb. (image 71, page 33r)

From Life of St Edward the Confessor by Matthew Paris c. 1250

Manuscript

University of Cambridge

One of the Treasures of the University of Cambridge Library Collection is the only copy of an illustrated Anglo-Norman verse Life of St Edward the Confessor, written in England probably in the later 1230s or early 1240s and, as preserved in a manuscript, executed c. 1250-60

There is strong evidence that Matthew Paris (d. 1259) was in fact the author

Edward was the  last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066. He was canonised in 1161 by Pope Alexander III

He died on 4 January 1066 and was buried in the abbey he had constructed at Westminster

Pope Benedict XVI recalled his trip to Britain and in particular his visit to Westminster Abbey:

"In that same solemn atmosphere, I then went to Westminister Abbey. It was the first time that a Successor of Peter has entered that place of worship which symbolizes the very ancient Christian roots of the country. The recitation of Evening Prayer, together with the different Christian communities of the United Kingdom, was an important moment in relations between the Catholic Community and the Anglican Communion. When we venerated St Edward the Confessor together at his tomb, while the choir sang "Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor", we all praised God who is leading us on the path to full unity" 

(General Audience, Wednesday, 22 September 2010)

The Coffin of St Edward the Confessor in the Shrine at Westminster Abbey

Jesus cures the Deaf Man

Bartholomeus Breenbergh (1599-1657)

Jesus cures the Deaf Man / Jésus guérissant un sourd-muet 

1635

Oil on wood

0.900 m. x 1.220 m. 

Musée du Louvre, Paris

The story behind this picture in the Louvre is from the Gospel of Mark

Not only is the man deaf but he has a speech impediment:

The Healing of a Deaf Man.  

31  Again he left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis.  

32 And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him.  

33 He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue;  

34 then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”)  

35 And [immediately] the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.  

36 He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it.  

37 They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and [the] mute speak.” 

(Mark 7 : 31 - 37)

The theme of the painting is an unusual one. It is the only example in the Bible of a deaf person where his deafness is the centre of the episode.

For modern readers, it is quite difficult to understand the magnitude of what Christ did in this event

If one was born deaf, then the ability to speak is impaired

In past times, the deaf and those unable to speak were harshly treated. 

Some advocated that hearing was a requirement for understanding. 

From this they deduced  that the deaf and the hard of speech were deficient in reason or could not reason at all

In the Code of Justinian, the deaf (from birth) could not hold property or marry.

A few days ago, 24th November 2012 was  the three hundredth anniversary of the birth of a French priest who helped to radically alter the status of people who were deaf or who had a speech impediment: Abbé Charles-Michel de l'Épée (November 24, 1712,  - December 23, 1789)

French school

Abbé Charles-Michel de l'Epée (1712-1789)

Oil on canvas

0.360 m. x 0.260 m

Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, Versailles

Like many other priests and religious whose names are now revered today, he did not find it easy to pursue his religious vocation. He was refused ordination and after eventually being ordained, was restricted heavily in his priestly ministry

His particular problem was deemed to be Jansenism

As a result he devoted himself to the education of the deaf and those with speech impediments and founded a school for their instruction at his own expense. It was the first free public school of its type in the world, open to all

By his sign system and his public advocacy he laid the foundations of all systematic instruction of the deaf and speech impaired

His work amomg the poor led to comparisons with Vincent de Paul

It has to be said that this did not go well with the hierarchy and Church establishment of his time.

It was his great fervour for religious education which led him into this field. The deaf and the speech impaired were marginalised. 

He was convinced that deaf people were capable of language and  that they should be able to receive the sacraments and thus avoid going to hell.

Porta Fidei ?

Pope Benedict XVI at the Famiglia Sagrada in Barcelona

Pope Benedict XVI kicked off The Year of Faith thus:

“The “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church.

 

It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace.

 

To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime.

 

It begins with baptism (cf. Rom 6:4), through which we can address God as Father, and it ends with the passage through death to eternal life, fruit of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, whose will it was, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, to draw those who believe in him into his own glory (cf. Jn 17:22).

 

To profess faith in the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is to believe in one God who is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8): the Father, who in the fullness of time sent his Son for our salvation; Jesus Christ, who in the mystery of his death and resurrection redeemed the world; the Holy Spirit, who leads the Church across the centuries as we await the Lord’s glorious return.”

Pope Benedict XVI  Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei – Indiction ofthe Year of Faith

The Jesuits in Britain have announced that they will be handing over the set of keys for one Door of Faith - the Sacred Heart Parish in Wimbledon -  to the Archdiocese of Southwark.

The Jesuits have been in the Parish for 130 years

The Father Provincial explained the reasons in a letter to parishioners:

“The development of the Wimbledon mission took place when the British Jesuits were expanding their works and apostolates across the world. The needs were many, but the resources (thanks be to God) were forthcoming and that allowed this expansive dynamic to gain traction – in the Caribbean, Southern Africa and in other parts of the globe as well as major city and rural areas across England, Scotland and Wales. Schools, parishes and retreat centres began at the service of a growing Catholic population in Victorian society.

 

However, these times have changed; and although the Church is now growing strongly in parts of the globe which were formally seen as ‘mission territories’, the resources now available to the British Province in 2012 are a fraction of what were available in years gone by. I will share one fact with you that hopefully will illustrate this: in the early 1960s the British Province numbered almost 1000 Jesuits; whereas today, scattered across the globe, there are fewer than 200 British Jesuits.”

As Good Jesuit, Bad Jesuit pointed out, the number of British Jesuits has shrunk by almost 80% in less than a generation

As at 1^st October 2011, the number of Jesuits in Britain was 189: 159 Priests; 16 Brothers; and 14 scholastics (training to be priests)

Only three novices were accepted in 2011

18 members of the Society work in the South Africa Region. 21 members of the Society work in the Guyana Region

In this connection, the annual accounts of the Jesuit Order in Britain in terms of The Society of Jesus Trust of 1929 for Roman Catholic Purposes (incorporating The Society of Jesus Trust of 1921 and the Society of Jesus Charitable Trust) can be inspected on the website of The Charity Commission forEngland and Wales

From the report of the Trustees one can see that there are also references to other Jesuit sponsored or linked Charities in Britain which are not included in the main Report and Accounts (e.g. St Aloysius Charitable Fund)

From the 2011 accounts, the Jesuits appear to be committing a great deal of their resources to Heythrop College in London. They seem to be betting the house on it

A note to the accounts says:

“Heythrop college was purchased in February 2009. 

£27.176m was paid in cash at the completion date. A further £10m is payable over a period of 5 years in £2m instalments with the first payment due in December 2009. 

At 30 September 2011, £9.5m was payable, £2m due within one year (shown in deferred creditors- amounts falling due within one year) and £7.5m is payable with 2- 5 years (shown in deferred creditor-amounts falling due over one year). 

Interest at 3.5% per annum will be charged on these amounts, totalling £1,330,000 of interest payable. This will be included in the accounts when due. 

A further amount of £3.5m is also payable as part of the purchase price. This is included as grants committed - creditors due over one year. This relates to the payment for St Catherine's House and is due when the current occupiers vacate the premises."

 Of the College, the Report states:

“The College, formerly the Jesuit seminary, receives substantial support in staff and other resources from the Trust. The intellectual apostolate of the Society in Britain is centred on Heythrop. Last year, over forty Jesuits from other Provinces come to study and live in London, which is now a Jesuit European centre for formation. 

Honorary Degrees were this year conveyed on Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Rt Rev. Professor Tom Wright, Rev. Kevin Fox SJ, and Rev. Roy Dorey”

To see a Landscape as it is

Roni Horn, (born 1955) 

Thicket No. 1 

1989-90

Aluminium and plastic 

51 x 1623 x 1222 mm, 250kg 

Tate Modern, London

The line is from 'Gravity and Grace' by Simone Weil (3 February 1909 – 24 August 1943) the French philosopher, Christian mystic, and social activist.

Simone Weil is buried in Brybrook Cemetery, Ashford, Kent. She died in exile as one of the Free French Forces during the Second World War

Pope Paul VI said that Weil was one of his three greatest influences

Albert Camus in a letter to Weil's mother in 1951 wrote:

"Simone Weil, I still know this now, is the only great mind of our times and I hope that those who realise this have enough modesty to not try to appropriate her overwhelming witnessing."

Others greatly in admiration of her and influenced by her were: the politician Maurice Schumann,and  the poets T. S. Eliot and Wallace Stevens

She described the three great experiences on her road towards Christianity

The first was in 1937 in Assisi:

""In 1937 I had two marvelous days at Assisi. There, alone in the little twelfth century Romanesque chapel of Santa Maria degli Angeli, an incomparable marvel of purity where Saint Francis often used to pray, something stronger than I was compelled me for the first time in my life to go down on my knees." (Spiritual Autobiography).

In 1938 she went to the abbey of Solesmes to follow the Easter week services. She heard Gregorian chant and was introduced to  the English metaphysical poets, and in particular the works of the Anglican divine George Herbert 

Later that year while  reciting Herbert's poem Love III  she felt Christ's presence. She said of this experience 

"It was during one of these recitations [of George Herbert's poem, Love] that, as I told you, Christ himself came down and took possession of me.... Moreover, in this sudden possession of me by Christ, neither my senses nor my imagination had any part; I only felt in the midst of my suffering the presence of a love, like that which one can read in the smile on a beloved face"

In 1941, she prayed for the first time  by reciting the Our Father in the original Greek.Of this experience she wrote:

"At times the very first words tear my thoughts from my body and transport it to a place outside space where there is neither perspective nor point of view. The infinity of the ordinary expanses of perception is replaced by an infinity to the second or sometimes the third degree. At the same time, filling every part of this infinity of infinity, there is silence, a silence which is not an absence of sound but which is the object of a positive sensation, more positive than that of sound. Noises, if there are any, only reach me after crossing this silence.  

Sometimes, also, during this recitation or at other moments, Christ is present with me in person, but his presence is infinitely more real, more moving, more clear than on that first occasion when he took possession of me.

She wrote on many subjects and her works have inspired many

In Gravity and Grace she wrote:

"“There are four evidences of divine mercy here below. The favours of God to beings capable of contemplation (these states exist and form part of their experience as creatures). The radiance of these beings, and their compassion, which is the divine compassion in them. The beauty of the world. The fourth evidence is the complete absence of mercy here below.” 

Also she wrote:

"“In all that awakens within us the pure and authentic sentiment of beauty, there, truly, is the presence of God. There is a kind of incarnation of God in the world, of which beauty is the sign. Beauty is the experimental proof that incarnation is possible. For this reason all art of the first order is, by its nature, religious.”

The Seventh Seal

The iconic scene above is from Ingmar Bergman`s The Seventh Seal

It shows the scene of  the knight's first meeting with death

Death appears to the knight and tells him it is his time. The knight challenges Death to a chess game for his life. Part of the famous scene is at YouTube at the following link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miHnegPMY1I&feature=share&list=LPTDXPbwvAwcU

The film is highlighted in an exhibition entitled Death: A Self-portrait which is a free exhibition at The Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London 

The aim of the exhibition is to explore "the iconography of death and our complex and contradictory attitudes towards it."

Unfortunately the exhibition seems to take a very superficial view of the subject. It seems to adopt  a "scientific" sociological viewpoint

One "bright spot" in the exhibition is the section is "Stories from the Day Hospice"

Chrissie Giles spent time at the day hospice at Princess Alice Hospice, Esher, running a creative writing group and posted on her experiences there 

Unfortunately again there seems to be lacking a discussion of the Christian vision which underlies the modern hospice movement in Britain and in particular the work of the great Anglican Dame Cicely Saunders

One should also be aware of the sterling work in this area of the Daughters of the Cross of Liège

American Sublime

Frederic Edwin Church 1826 -1900 

Cotopaxi

1855

Oil on canvas 28 x 42 in. (71.1 x 106.8 cm)

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC

Frederic Edwin Church 1826 -1900  

Cotopaxi 1862. 

Oil on canvas, 48 x 85 inches. 

Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit

Frederic Edwin Church 1826 -1900  

Eruption at Cotopaxi, ca. 1865. 

Oil on canvas, 9-9/16 x 17-1/16 inches. 

Private collection.

Frederic Edwin Church 1826 -1900 

Aurora Borealis

1865

Oil on canvas 56 x 83 1/2 in. (142.3 x 212.2 cm) 

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC

Ten years ago the Tate Gallery in Britain had a wonderful exhibition entitled American Sublime: Landscape Painting in the United States 1820-1880

It featured revelatory, epic landscapes painted in nineteenth-century America

The works of these American artists were shown in nineteenth-century London and admired by Queen Victoria. However in present day Britain the works of the Hudson River School have been scarcely seen outside the United States and therefore not largely known about outside the US and not properly appreciated

One of the American artists celebrated was Frederic Edwin Church (May 4, 1826 – April 7, 1900)

While committed to the natural sciences, he was "always concerned with including a spiritual dimension in his works"  See William H. Gerdts The Worlds of Frederic Edwin Church

What they celebrate are what Turner and the early English Romantics tried to capture in their works and what Hopkins called “God`s grandeur”,  or Man`s response to the great works of creation

At the heart was the popularisation of Burke`s philosophy of the sublime

It was this response which Pope Benedict XVI referred to in his recent catechesis on Faith when he said:

“St. Augustine, who during his life long sought the Truth and was seized by it, has a beautiful and famous page, in which he states: 

"Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of the air, amply spread out everywhere, question the beauty of the sky... question all these things. They all answer you: 'Here we are, look; we're beautiful'. Their beauty is their confession. Who made these beautiful changeable things, if not one who is beautiful and unchangeable? "(Sermons, 241, 2: PL 38, 1134). 

I think we need to recover and help our contemporaries recover the ability to contemplate creation, its beauty, its structure. 

The world is not a shapeless magma; rather the more we know about it, the more we discover its amazing mechanisms, the more we see a design, we see that there is a creating intelligence. 

Albert Einstein said that in the laws of nature "a mind so superior is revealed that in comparison, our minds are like a totally insignificant reflection" (Il Mondo come lo vedo io, 'The World as I See It', Rome 2005).  

Thus, a first way leading to the discovery of God is the careful contemplation of creation.”

Père Lachaise

Paul-Albert Bartholomé 

(1848-1928)

Monument aux morts.

1899

700 cm x 1400 cm

Cimetière du Père Lachaise, Paris

Père Lachaise Cemetery was opened on 21 May 1804

More than one million people have been buried there. It is estimated that the remains of more than 2 million people are there

It is of course renowned as the cemetery of the famous such as Peter Abelard , Honoré de Balzac , Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres and  many many others

Bartholomé`s monument is dedicated to all the dead, known and unknown, in the cemetery

It is also the front of the cemetery`s ossuary

The French conception of the cemetery has changed over the years. The middle class had its « un culte des morts ». The Rationalists had their « champ des morts ». With family tombs one had the « ville des morts »

In the late nineteenth century the idea of  «honorer les morts » was fanned by commercial interests

All of this was before the twentieth century where the experience of « mort de masse »  or« mort de tous » began with the First World War

Recently in the Mass of Suffrage for Deceased Popes and Cardinals, the Pope discussed what on the face of it appears to be the rather strange practice of visiting graves in a cemetery, a practice which in some places is fast falling into desuetude

"[V]isiting cemeteries has helped us to renew our bond with the loved ones who have left us; death, paradoxically, preserves that which life cannot hold onto.  

The way our dead lived, what they loved, feared and hoped, what they rejected, we discover, in fact, in a special way precisely at their graves, which are almost a mirror of their existence, of their world: they speak to us and lead us to renew the dialogue that death brought to a crisis.  

Thus, the cemeteries constitute a kind of assembly in which the living meet their dead and strengthen the bonds of communion that death was unable to interrupt.  

And here in Rome, in these unique cemeteries that are the catacombs, we notice, as in no other place, our link to ancient Christianity, which we feel quite near to us.  

When we enter into the corridors of the Roman catacombs – just as when we enter the cemeteries of our own cities and towns – it is as if we have crossed over a spiritual threshold and entered into communication with them whose past, with its joys and sorrows, failures and hopes, they safeguard.  

This happens because death regards the man of today in the same way that it regarded the man of the past; moreover, even if many things of the past have become foreign to us, death has remained the same. 

In the face of this reality, human beings of every age seek a glimmer of light that permits hope, that still speaks of life, and visiting cemeteries expresses this desire too."

St Paul addressing the Corinthians

Attributed to Manerius

St Paul addressing the Corinthians

Initial `P` at the beginning of Chapter 1 of St Paul`s First Letter to the Corinthians

From the Bible of Manerius 

About 1185-1195 

Ms. 0010 f. 256v 

Manuscript

Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève -Paris

St Paul addressing the Corinthians

Initial `P` at the beginning of Chapter 1 of St Paul`s First Letter to the Corinthians

From the Bible of  Souvigny 

End of 12th century

Ms. 0001  f. 369v 

BM  Moulins

Saint Paul and Sosthenes addressing the Corinthians

From Commentary by Petrus Lombardus  on St Paul`s First Letter to the Corinthians

End of 12th Century

Ms. 0077  f. 065 

Bibl. Sainte-Geneviève - Paris

Each illustration from the 12th century shows the beginning of the First Epistle of St Paul to the Corinthians

The epistle was written at Ephesus between the years 56 and 58

The third set above shows Sosthenes ("saving strength") beside Paul who was  with Paul when he composed the epistle . A rather mysterious figure who has intrigued scholars. 

"1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 

2 to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. 

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ... 

10 I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose. 

11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you. 

12 I mean that each of you is saying, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 

14 I give thanks [to God] that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 

15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 

16 (I baptized the household of Stephanas also; beyond that I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. 

18 The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 

19 For it is written: 

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I will set aside.” 

St Paul  First Letter to the Corinthians 1: 1 - 3, 10 - 19

It was the beginning of this epistle which was referred to extensively in the Report of the Joint Commission for Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council

2006 ("The Seoul Report")

Memento Mori

In the early 1990s the BBC produced an excellent film version of Muriel Spark`s Memento Mori

It starred many notables of stage and screen including the incomparable Dame Maggie Smith as the villainous Mabel Pettigrew

There are also great performances by Dame Thora Hird (a British institution) as Mrs Taylor and Stephanie Cole as Lottie

Also but not least in the cast were Michael Hordern, Maurice Denham, Cyril Cusack,Zoe Wannamaker, John Wood, and Renée Asherson

It can also be seen in Youtube in 7 parts. Here is the link to Part 1 of 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3--Ak8TzfVQ