Today is the feast of John the Apostle/Evangelist. Like many of the other disciples he had several claims to fame - here are a few:- He was the first male disciple to believe that Jesus had actually risen from the dead.
-He was known as the disciple whom Jesus loved.
-He is believed to have written the book of Revelation.
But my favorite is that,
- He was asked by Jesus himself to care for his mother. And as I looked at the many images available online this one struck me as the most tender - Jesus was a good son - not only to his heavenly father but to his earthly mum. So for all of His talk as to who was or wasn't a family member (Matthew 12: 46-50), as He neared death on the cross, He took a moment to make sure Mary was cared for. May we realize today that Christ is always taking care of each and every one of us.
This crucifixion view is : 'The Virgin, Saint Dominic de Guzman, Saint John the Evangelist', painting by Juan de Borgoña, c. 1515, the Louvre (my only question about this painting is - why doesn't mary have a halo like everyone else? did it slip behind her head? )
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3 comments:
Could she be Mary Magdelaine instead of Mother Mary, in which case her halo would have slipped earlier in her career??
I love this image, by the way, of Jesus as the good son. Makes me smile.
why doesn't mary have a halo like everyone else?
I wondered that too, gazing on the painting.
And I agree. Jesus as the good son to his mother is the most touching thing about St. John's Day.
It looks like there is a smaller aura around her head---different from the "gold plate" look.
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