I completed today’s article early this week after Palm Sunday mass on 24th March so as to be ready for publication today on 30th March, Holy Saturday. I knew that I would be away ( and incommunicado ) during the 3 holy days of the period known as the ‘Sacred Triduum’ from Holy Thursday to Holy Saturday at a Regnum Christi retreat in Hong Kong.
Today is also known as ‘Silent’ Saturday when the Christian world is bereft, hushed and sad. The crucified and dead body of Jesus Christ lays alone in the tomb after he had been taken down from the cross and quickly brought to the nearby new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. There had been no time to fully grieve and no time to anoint and properly repose the body of Jesus. The Jewish Sabbath Day would soon be upon the mourners and no movement would be allowed. Jesus’ mother Mary, the Apostle John, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and the brave grieving women in the small group all had to finish and quickly leave the tomb before night fell on Good Friday.
From the events that began with the ‘triumphant’ Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem to the catastrophic arrest, condemnation, death and crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday just a few days later, this period known as the Passion of Christ is the saddest and darkest period for all Christians. On Good Friday, after Jesus is sentenced to death he is made to carry his own heavy cross on the Via Dolorosa ( the ‘Road of Sorrows’ ) to Golgotha ( Mount Calvary), there to meet his ghastly death. Mary the anguished mother follows and stands amongst the crowds. Along the way, her son stops to look tenderly at his mother and both must have cherished this last memory of each other. Jesus is nailed to the cross and is slowly dying. Mary stands forlorn at the foot of her son’s cross – a sad and unbearable vigil. After Jesus takes his last breath and dies, Mary has to endure seeing a Roman soldier pierce the side of her son with a spear before they are able to remove the body of Jesus from the cross and lay him to rest in the tomb.
So, in Hong Kong, last week at the Palm Sunday mass at the Catholic Cathedral in Hong Kong, the congregation seemed to be hushed in quiet sorrow, as between the 3 pauses during the long Gospel Readings, the Choir sang the profoundly touching and sad Hymn : ‘Were you there ?’ I bowed my head and sang along with a huge lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. I was filled with love, sadness and gratitude – that Jesus Christ as fully human, chose to suffer so much and die such a devastating death – all because He loved us – a love beyond measure and beyond description.
In the you-tube link below, please double click and listen to Rosemary Siemens as she sings this saddest of sad songs about the death of Jesus Christ. WERE YOU THERE ?[ To get back to the article - just exit the full screen ].
Above : The Crucifixion (1420–23) by FRA ANGELICO OP (GUIDO DI PIETRO) 1399-1455; tempera on wood – gold ground; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.
This early work by the great early Renaissance artist Fra Angelico OP accentuates the drama of the Crucifixion. He shows the Virgin Mary collapsed in grief with John the Evangelist and the mourning women who hover protectively around her. The artist paints the menacing presence of the Roman soldiers, some on horses, surrounding Jesus on the cross. The subject of the Crucifixion is sombre; full of grief and must be very difficult for any artist to paint, let alone Fra Angelico who was also a Dominican friar. With the many angels surrounding and comforting Jesus, Fra Angelico has painted this excruciating moment with due reverence and exquisite delicacy.
Were You There …when they crucified Our Lord.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord ?
Oh, oh oh. Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord ?
Above : This is the main panel of the Tryptich, ‘Jesus is Nailed to the Cross’; an oil on oak by Gerard David 1460-1523; National Gallery of Art, London. The 2 outer wings of the panel ( Pilate and the Chief Priests ) and ( the Virgin, St John and the Three Marys ) are at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp.
In this main panel, ‘Jesus is Nailed to the Cross’ by Gerard David, the 15th century master of religious art from the Flemish city of Bruges in Belgium, you see Christ painfully stretched out on the cross on which he is to be crucified. The Roman soldiers are brutally hammering iron nails into his hands and feet. The pain must have been too horrible to endure. It is terrible to watch – even in a painting.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree ?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree ?
Oh, oh oh. Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree ?
Above : ‘ Longinus Piercing Christ Side with a Spear’ ; oil on copper (1626) by Gerard de la Valle 1596- 1667; Bruun Rasmussen Kunst Auktioner, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Gerard de la Valle was a 17th century painter known for his beautiful landscapes and historical paintings. He was a follower of the Antwerp School, much influenced by Brueghel the Elder. This very dramatic painting shows Jesus’ mother Mary with a dark cloak standing at the far right, away from the menacing Roman soldier Longinus, astride his horse, pushing his spear hard into the side of Jesus. Mary is almost fainting when she sees this terrible lancing of her son. We see the faithful disciple John standing protectively next to her, trying to turn Mary’s face away from this agonising sight.
Were you there when they pierced him in the side ?
Were you there when they pierced him in the side ? Were you there when they pierced him in the side ?
Oh, oh oh. Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they pierced him in the side ?
Right : ‘Descent from the Cross’ ( 1616-1617) ; oil on canvas by Peter Paul Rubens 1577-1640; Palais Des Beaux-Arts de Lille, France
Left : Entombment of Christ (1602) ; Oil on canvas, by CARAVAGGIO 1571 1610; Pinacoteca, Vatican Museums, Vatican City
Peter Paul Rubens, the great Flemish artist of the Baroque tradition painted 2 versions of the ‘Descent from the Cross’. The 1st version of the ‘Descent from the Cross’ is the central panel of a magnificent wooden tryptich which now hangs at the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, Belgium.
The painting you see above right is Ruben’s 2nd version of the ‘Descent from the Cross’, an oil on canvas which Rubens did after he finished the Antwerp Tryptich. Note how Rubens paints the 9 figures gathered around the body of Jesus. You see Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus at the top of the ladder gently lowering Jesus down with the help of some men. On the ground, you see St John the Evangelist ( with his back arched ) trying desperately to support the body of his beloved Jesus with his own; and you see Mary standing next to the lowered body of Jesus, gazing intently at her son – with such desolation - extending her arms out and trying to wrap them around his lifeless arm. In the foreground, you can see the copper basin where the crown of thorns and the nails of the Crucifixion lie mixed with Jesus’ congealed blood.
In the other painting by the Italian artist Caravaggio who must rank among the greatest Italian painters and who popularized, refined and effectively used the technique of light and dark – chiaroscuro - Caravaggio uses stark light to show the presence of God and the Sublime in his works. In this painting of ‘The Entombment of Christ’ he uses light and dark in the figures to show how life fades away in order to make room for Jesus’ death. The lifeless body of Jesus takes centre stage and the background is still and very dark so that we focus only on Jesus and the figures. It is a dramatic representation of a very tragic moment – the light highlights the shadows around the characters whilst letting them come to the foreground for the viewer to see them in detail. Nicodemus (or it could be Joseph of Arimathea) is carefully holding the lifeless legs of Jesus as the mourners are about to lower the body into the tomb. Caravaggio also highlights the 3 women in this painting - the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and Mary of Clopas. Which one of them is the Virgin Mary? In this painting, Caravaggio has chosen to paint the mother of Jesus as an older woman; and you see his Mary here with an old lined face with a head covering. Regardless of the age, one cannot fail but see that the face of Mary is deeply sorrowful as she is quietly saying her final farewell to her son.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Were you there when they laid him in the tomb ?
Oh, oh oh. Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb ?
Above : ‘The Lamentation of Christ’ (Pieta); Fresco (1304-1306) by GIOTTO DI BONDONE 1266-1337; Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy
Giotto is a very early Renaissance master whose many beautiful frescoes light up chapels and churches all over Italy. This fresco is no exception. It is unique and it captures so movingly this very tragic moment; the last sorrow of the Virgin Mary. Even though she knows that her Jesus is the Son of God and will soon rise again, as a mother she mourns deeply and intensely the loss of her son. Giotto places the prone lifeless body of Jesus on Mary’s lap as she cradles him. She seems to be about to kiss Jesus face in death. It’s a moment no one would wish on any mother. There are many angels hovering above and people gathered around the body of Jesus. But, as Giotto probably intended, all our attention focuses on Jesus and the lonely figure of his grief-stricken mother Mary.
When I wrote my book ‘Millennials Meet Mary’ in 2020, combining a biography of the Virgin Mary with 80 magnificent artworks and commentaries on the artworks by 80 Millennials from all over the world, the Millennial I chose to comment on the Giotto painting above was a young lady from a very humble background in the Philippines. Her name is RINALYN PAGAO, a ‘Gawad Kalinga’ Scholar who graduated from the ESSEC Business School in Singapore & Paris. Her father is a farmer and her mother, a freelance embroiderer. They struggle financially to sustain their 6 children, of whom Rinalyn is the second eldest. Growing up, Rinalyn knew that the path ahead would not be easy. But this hard-working and determined girl persevered and after obtaining full scholarships from primary school to university, she has fulfilled her dream of getting a wonderful education with which now, as a working professional, she is able to help the other members of her family.
Above : Rinalyn Pagao – Millennial from the Philippines ( courtesy of ‘Millennials Meet Mary’)
I would like to quote here from the book, ‘Millennials Meet Mary’ the touching commentary by Rinalyn Pagao. She wrote about Giotto’s painting on the ‘Lamentation on the Death of Christ’ and the effect it had on her :-
“ This painting symbolizes deep love, grief and the pursuit of meaning. We may not realize the value and impact of what we do to others but when the time is due, we will reap the sacrifices and actions that we have made in life. This is a great reminder for all of us to stop for a moment in silence and question ourselves: when the last breath comes, how do I want to be remembered for? What kind of life have I created? Did my life mean anything to this world? Did I touch other people’s lives? Did I have an impact? Did I matter? What life did I paint with all the people and situations I have come across? Did I make a difference? Life is finite, one day it will be over before our eyes, so make sure you live it with intention. It takes great sacrifices to accomplish great things. Jesus knew that to save us from our sins it would cost his own life. We as ordinary human beings do not really have to do that kind of trade, but perhaps if we want to make it big in life and achieve our dreams, as a bare minimum requirement, we need to take action, to step up and help ourselves. What sacrifices are you willing to do to achieve that kind of life you imagine? It is all on you. You hold the power to take action and live life with no regrets. Don’t take life for granted because tomorrow may be your last day to experience it. “
Thank you Rinalyn for giving us such a wonderful and powerful message on the death of Jesus Christ.
I wish all my Readers a blessed Holy Saturday as we await the resurrection of the Lord tomorrow on Easter Sunday !
And on Sunday, I wish you GLORY, GLORY, GLORY ! Happy Easter SUNDAY.
Were you there when He rose up from the dead ?
Were you there when He rose up from the dead ? Were you there when He rose up from the dead ?
Oh, oh oh. Sometimes I feel like shouting Glory, Glory, Glory !
Were you there when He rose up from the dead ?
[ Note : Much of the material in today’s article comes from my book, ‘Millennials Meet Mary’]
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