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? )
Could she be Mary Magdelaine instead of Mother Mary, in which case her halo would have slipped earlier in her career??
ReplyDeleteI 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?
ReplyDeleteI 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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