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The Life of Christ,
Fresco wall by Gaudenzio Ferrari (1471-1546),
Completed in 1513,
Fresco paint on wall
© Santa Maria delle Grazie, Varallo, Italy |
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves.
‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. ‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved. If they persecute you in one town, take refuge in the next; and if they persecute you in that, take refuge in another. I tell you solemnly, you will not have gone the round of the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.’
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| Reflection on the Fresco Wall
In our Gospel reading of today Jesus urges his apostles to persevere in face of the persecution and trials they will encounter when spreading the Good News. He assures them that following Him and His life, they need not worry, as the power of the Spirit will be speaking through them. The apostles lived with Christ, and also after Christ ascended into heaven, they continued to follow Christ’s life and the example He set.
I am sharing with you 'Gaudenzio Ferrari's wall’ at the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Varallo, Italy. Completed in 1513, this wall depicts the entire life of Christ. Twenty reserves narrate the main events of the life of Christ from the Annunciation to the Resurrection. The Crucifixion, as the most important narrative scene, occupies the centre.
We are all called to follow the life of Christ. Probably we engage with one of the scenes more than with the others. But the commitment to Jesus Christ is to His whole life...
by Patrick van der Vorst |  | |
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