LOOKING FOR NOUWEN’S REMBRANDT; SPIRITUAL ADVENTURES AND TRAVELLING SOLO with JULIE LIM SEET
SMITTEN BY FAITH ISSUE # 0010 OCTOBER 9th 2021
My special guest today is JULIE LIM SEET YIN, who is passionate about travel, communications and her Catholic faith. She is indeed fortunate to be able to combine them all by writing for the Catholic Herald in Malaysia and working for a corporate CSR program . Julie’s articles in the Catholic Herald are a joy to read. Her day job at a Japanese bank in Kuala Lumpur is in Public Relations & Corporate Social Responsibility. On weekends, Julie helps the less fortunate which she does by serving at a soup kitchen for the homeless on Saturday mornings. She also is pursuing her MBA and writes her own very popular travel blog, a labour of love that combines Julie's love for travel and blogging. See: https://winterswallow.blogspot.com/
Julie is definitely smitten by travel. Julie says her favourite quote is from St. Augustine, "The world is like a book. Those who do not travel read only a page." However, as a devout Catholic, many of Julie’s travels are not merely travelling to see the world - but as St Augustine meant - to know - to search - to discern. One such journey was to St. Petersburg where Julie went specifically to look for a Rembrandt painting after she had read the book written by the famous Dutch Catholic theologian and writer Henri Nouwen – a trip which turned out to be quite an unforgettable spiritual adventure, as you will see in her article below.
Meanwhile, Julie would like me to share with you an interesting fact - that it's rather ironic that her blog is a travel blog - since she only made her first journey in 2007 on an airplane late in life – at the “ripe old age of 26!” And, even then, it wasn't a huge global trip but a short two-hour domestic flight from the Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu. Julie speaks candidly about how, because it was her first flight and the air-conditioning in the plane was freezing, she had no idea of what to do and even walked up the aisle to ask the stewardess for a blanket - while the plane was taking off! Since then, navigating airplanes and airports have become second nature to Julie; she has travelled extensively to more than 35 countries and counting whilst keeping a full-time job; and Julie travels alone – which is even more remarkable. For Julie, the wake-up call to travel came after she realised many of her friends were seeing the world and she was not. She was missing out on something in life that she does have control over. Even if this meant she had to travel alone. So she did. She continues to look forward to every journey and destination as an opportunity to experience the local culture, all unique in its own way.
Julie - solo travelling around the world - from base camp of Mt.Everest to (almost) cuddling up with kangaroos, Dubrovnik, Japan and Jordan
Let’s now join JULIE LIM SEET YIN as she relates her story of how after her own chance encounter with Henri Nouwen’s book , ‘Return of the Prodigal Son’ and his deeply personal contemplation on Rembrandt’s painting of the same name, she travelled half way around the world just to see for herself, this particular Rembrandt at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg in Russia – a trip that was full of drama – which Julie relate herself below .
Top left - the cover of Henri Nouwen’s book
Top right - the painting by Rembrandt, ‘Return of the Prodigal Son’
Bottom pictures - the Rembrandt rooms at the Hermitage Museum and in pride of place - Return of the Prodigal Son
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LOOKING FOR NOUWEN’S REMBRANDT
By Julie Lim Seet Yin Kuala Lumpur, 9th October 2021
I first came to know about the book, ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming’ by Henri Nouwen in June 2001 at a seminar in church. I must have been drawn to its cover and purchased it almost immediately.The book essentially captures Nouwen’s reflections on a painting by renowned Dutch artist, Rembrandt (1606 – 1669) titled, ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son’. As the name suggests, the painting is Rembrandt’s interpretation of the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15: 11 – 32).
There were three parts in Nouwen’s book that grabbed my attention:
From Chapter 7: “The true centre of Rembrandt’s painting is in the hands of the father. On them all the light is concentrated; on them the eyes of the bystanders are focused; in them mercy becomes flesh; upon them forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing come together, and through them, not only the tired son, but also the worn-out father find their rest.”
From Chapter 8: “It all began with the hands. The two are quite different. The father’s left hand touching the son’s shoulder is strong and muscular. The fingers are spread out and cover a large part of the prodigal son’s shoulder and back. I can see a certain pressure, especially in the thumb. That hand seems not only to touch, but, with its strength, also to hold. Even though there is a gentleness in the way the father’s left hand touches his son, it is not without a firm grip.”
From Chapter 8: “How different is the father’s right hand! This hand does not hold or grasp. It is refined, soft, and very tender. The fingers are close to each other and they have an elegant quality. It lies gently upon the son’s shoulder. It wants to caress, to stroke, and to offer consolation and comfort. It is a mother’s hand.”
Nouwen’s reflections on Rembrandt’s masterpiece added a new dimension to my understanding of the parable of the prodigal son. I made a mental note to look for the painting so that I can physically marvel at these observations that Nouwen had meticulously reflected on. I learnt that the painting is displayed at the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 2001, the dream seemed out of reach for me who lived 8,670km away.
In September 2018, I was planning a trip to the Baltics and Poland. My flight was from Kuala Lumpur to Helsinki after which I would travel south towards the capital cities of the Baltic nations – Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius; and onwards to Warsaw and Krakow in Poland. While researching for the trip, I discovered that there was a 48-hour free entry visa for travellers who enter Saint Petersburg by cruise ship or ferry (Update: The free entry visa has since been extended to 72 hours). Moreover, Moby SPL Limited operates regular ferry services from Helsinki to Saint Petersburg. That was a fantastic opportunity to organize a trip from Helsinki to Saint Petersburg before flying back to Kuala Lumpur. My quest to look for Rembrandt’s ‘Return of the Prodigal Son’ was alive.
I arrived at Saint Petersburg with a carefully planned itinerary. Since I had less than 48 hours, I could only experience selected activities which included searching for the beautiful underground metro stations; watching a ballet performance, ‘Le Corsaire’ at the Mariinsky Theatre; attending Sunday Mass at St Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church; and visiting attractions such as Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood, Kazan Cathedral and the Hermitage State Museum, or The Hermitage, as it is popularly known as. After getting off the ferry and checking into my hostel, I was already tired, but mustered enough energy to walk to the Hermitage. After purchasing an entrance ticket, I picked up a museum guide and made my way into the building. The first thing I did was to find my bearings and locate where the main exhibits were, especially Rembrandt’s Return of the Prodigal Son. After wandering from room to room, from exhibit to exhibit, fatigue began to set in. The lack of clear and sufficient signages at the Hermitage didn’t help either. Information in the museum guide started becoming fuzzy. Soon I came to the end of the building. Thinking that Rembrandt’s masterpiece was in the next building, I exited the building that I was in. There was a personnel on duty and I asked her where exactly was Rembrandt’s Return of the Prodigal Son. When she said that the painting was in the building that I had just exited from, I realized that I had made a mistake. I asked whether I could re-enter the museum. She said that tickets are for single entry only, and if I wished to re-enter the museum, I would have to repurchase another ticket. On no! I looked at my wrist watch and realized that I didn’t have time to go to the main entrance of the Hermitage to purchase another ticket as the museum was going to close soon. I was also tired and needed to rest. After mulling over the mistake that I had made, I made the very difficult decision to leave the Hermitage without seeing the very painting that I had travelled 8,670km to Saint Petersburg for. I wouldn’t have time to return the next day as I had already planned and booked a packed itinerary. It was a painful decision but I had to learn to let go.
On the ferry back to Helsinki, I clutched Nouwen’s book and reflected on the lessons learnt from this trip. I may have missed an opportunity to stand in awe before Rembrandt’s masterpiece, but perhaps it was God’s way of telling me that it is alright to let go of things that are not meant to be, or beyond my control. Anyway, this is an excuse to re-visit Saint Petersburg and discover more experiences (and lessons) that the magnificent city has to offer.
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