YOU ARE NOT ALONE – A UNIQUE CHRISTIAN LOVE
Smitten By Faith Issue # 00066 24th June 2023
Above : The polyptych of seven panels - ‘The Seven Works of Mercy’ by the Dutch Master of Alkmaar, 1504 ; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The painting above entitled ‘The Seven Works of Mercy’ is a polyptych by the Dutch Master of Alkmaar, a magnificent oil painting on seven panels measuring 120 cm by 472 cm painted by an un-named Dutch artist for the Church of Saint Lawrence in the Dutch town of Alkmaar in 1504 and which is now displayed at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. In this 16th century masterly artwork you can clearly see that the concept of social welfare in Europe was already then well rooted in Christian charity and brotherly love. Although not organised by rulers or municipalities, the Catholic church was very much up front and centre with its wealthy church goers setting up fraternities or lay brotherhoods who helped distribute food and alms to the needy. These Christian fraternities also ran hospitals, orphanages, old age homes and shelters for prostitutes and widows. In the Netherlands, the lay fraternity of Alkmaar was particularly active, generous and compassionate as you can see in the above ‘Seven Works of Mercy’ by the Dutch Master of Alkmaar.
The painting, ‘Seven Works of Mercy’ illustrates and captures the narrative of Christian love and the ethic of neighbourly care as expounded in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 25 : 31-46.
Matthew 25:35–40 writes,
“For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.”
Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me. “
In the Alkmaar panels, the Seven Works of Mercy in order of the panels are :
- Feeding the hungry
- Giving drink to the thirsty
- Clothing the naked
- Burying the dead
- Welcoming the stranger
- Caring for the sick
- Visiting the prisoner
But the seven panels are more than about an elucidation of the Gospel of Matthew. Look closely at the paintings above and you will see the most important and crucial element of this polyptich. Hidden among the other figures painted in each scene, you can find the figure of Jesus Christ in every panel ! Why is this ? The reason that Jesus Christ is depicted in every scene of the seven works of mercy undeniably shows the firm bedrock of Christian belief that the sick and the afflicted all bear God’s own face. So, when we help others; when we care for others - we surely serve Jesus Christ himself.
CARING FOR THE SICK – a unique Christian love
So, today, I would like to write about this particular work of mercy – CARING FOR THE SICK.
In this scene taken from the sixth of the seven Alkmaar Panels, in the far background, you can see a 16th century Dutch physician taking the pulse of a sick person and nearby we see two nurses applying balm on another patient’s back. In the foreground, there is another seriously ill person lying on a bed and a nurse is bringing him some water. More importantly, in the forefront, you can see three charitable ‘burghers’ or noblemen of Alkmaar. And, standing amongst these three richly dressed noblemen – you can see clearly - the plain figure and compassionate face of Jesus Christ himself ! In this panel about caring for the sick; in this busy scene at a hospital; the artist has painted the compassionate figure of Jesus standing among the sick and the care-givers. Amazing !
Caring for the Sick is a uniquely Christian love – a neighbourly love as expounded in Matthew 25:31-46 above - where Jesus says that those who will inherit the kingdom of God are those who feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the prisoner.
“As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,” Jesus says, “you did it to me.”
I would like to dedicate today’s article to all my friends who are ill and suffering; to all who are sick and their loved ones who care for them. Most of all, I would like to pay tribute to caregivers whose love and care-giving fulfils one of the most fundamental and yet difficult aspects of this work of mercy. Caregivers have a healthy heart led by God's Spirit. They have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Their own good health is in itself such a blessing which enables them to devote their time, energy and love for the sick.
Left : The Good Samaritan by Jacob Jordaens c. 1616
Right : The Good Samaritan after Eugene Delacroix by Vincent Van Gogh 1890
In the Gospel of Luke 10:30–35, in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus has this to say about care-giving:
“A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went off leaving him half dead. And by chance a certain priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him, and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.’”
This account of fraternal charity was further expounded in Pope Francis’s encyclical, ‘Fratelli Tutti’. The Pope said that the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ illuminates the love and duty of care we owe to everyone, regardless of who they are or where they come from. In today’s world with so much pain and suffering, the Pope asks us to embrace our Christian calling of love and be care-givers like the Good Samaritan.
I have many good friends who care for their loved ones and I know that in the midst of the daily realities of their caregiving, they also feel blessed that they are able to do this; an essential God-given calling – to care for others even as they maintain a constant communication with God. As Jesus taught in Luke 18:1-8, “Men always ought to pray and never lose heart.”
And in return, God cares for you.
“…cast all your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7
And God sees what you do:
“For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.”
Hebrews 6:10
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Right : El Greco – Christ Healing the Blind 1570 – oil on canvas
Left : Anthony van Dyck - Christ healing the paralytic - here you see the miraculously cured paralytic thanking Jesus
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”
Hebrews 11:1
For caregivers and those who are seriously ill – the above passage from Hebrews 11:1 ( which is also known as the ‘Faith Chapter’) tells us what it means to trust God. We will be sure about the things that we hope for. We will be sure in our minds about things that we cannot even see. A reminder that even in moments when things seem most dark, you do not struggle alone. Believe in the unbelievable and make the impossible possible. And you will pass the Faith test. Faith features throughout the Old and New Testaments - providing salvation, forgiveness of sins and healing the sick. With faith you can move mountains .
Psalm 41 contains perhaps the most comforting verse for anyone struggling with sickness:
“The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.”
But we also know that God doesn't heal every illness—and when he does, it's always on his own timeline—this psalm testifies to this. I would like to comfort all my friends who are dealing with serious illnesses with much pain and suffering. God is bigger than all of our infirmities. He is good and his ways are perfect. Even in our pain and suffering, God gives us the strength to shine for him. One of my friends who is suffering much from her illness shared this with me, “….it's never always going to be positivity but God carries us through so we know that each time when we are low he will keep his promise. How then would we know we can trust him if we didn't first experience our desert only for him to see us through each time? I know it won't always be up all the time…. but when we are down we will experience his comfort, love and his promise.”
I draw inspiration and comfort from the words of my very ill friend who has such COURAGE and FAITH ! Bless her and bless all who are battling with various illnesses and may God bless all their wonderful care-givers.
____________________________________________________________________________
Editor’s Note :
Dear Reader, thank you for reading this edition of SMITTEN BY FAITH.
ALL articles in every issue are FREE.
For those of you who upgraded to be a PAID Subscribers for US$ 60.00 a year, thank you so much ! All proceeds go to the Regina Apostolorum Foundation to promote Catholic higher education.
PAID Subscribers will also receive via Bitly link ( see the posts pinned above available only to paid subscribers ) the digital copy of the recent book by Joan Foo Mahony, ‘LATE HAVE I LOVED THEE’ and THE COLLECTED ARTICLES, VOLUME ONE 2021; VOLUME TWO 2022, VOLUME THREE 2023 and VOLUME FOUR 2023 of Smitten By Faith, a DIGITAL COMPILATION of all the previous years’ 2021, 2022 and 2023 articles.
VOLUMES THREE AND FOUR of the collected articles of Smitten By Faith will be uploaded soon.
For those who wish, paid Subscribers will also receive the Bitly link to full contents of ALL the Letters From Yangchow : Letters I to III. (Apologies for the delay in getting the Letters out !)
For paid subscribers, simply click on the relevant Bitly links to receive the publications.
Paid Subscribers will also receive additional exclusive material from time to time.