Welcome Caroline Niesley!

Happy Advent.
I am very excited to introduce my friend Caroline Niesley to my readers. Caroline has agreed to educate all of us on Sacred Art. Caroline is a member of the North Penn Art Alliance and works as an instructor for North Penn School District’s Community Education Program. She teaches Cartooning and Portrait Drawing. She is a devout Catholic and is an inspiration to anyone who has the privilege of speaking with her. Please take the time to not only read her articles but to look at the pieces of artwork and to let them inspire you and your prayers.   

Jan Van Eyck Annunciation by: Caroline Niesley

If Jan Van Eyck had only known, what the paintings he suffered to create would undergo, he might have despaired of his art.  The Three Marys at the Tomb was originally a risen Christ but Our Lord was sawed off and lost.  We only know Jesus was there for the telltale rays coming from the frame.  The outer panels of the Ghent Altarpiece were split lengthwise for display.  Just one of many harrowing adventures the altarpiece survived including two anti-Catholic bonfires and many thefts.  One panel, held for ransom, is still missing.  The pradella burned.

One of the most regrettable “operations” occurred when the Hermitage in Russia “transferred” The Annunciation to canvas.   In the Czar’s time, sans climate control, a panel painting could easily warp in St. Petersburg.  The answer?  Chisel off the wood.  So they transferred a 400 year old glaze painting to a canvas with sturgeon glue and a hot iron. It works pretty well, sometimes.  But not in this case.  When they removed the glue blue paint came off with it. When the Soviets needed money to further their plans they sold it to Andrew Mellon.  Now it hangs in the National Gallery in Washington, DC.

What is exciting about this Annunciation is it reads like a Bible Time Line.  Briefly this painting was part of an altarpiece, probably the left door panel.  If so, there should have been an image painted on the back.  If there was, we will never know.  The scene depicts the Golden Mass of Ember Wednesday, which this year would be December 17th.  On that feast, choir boys would re-enact the Annunciation following the Gospel reading from Luke.  You can read more about this Mass and take a close look at the painting at The National Gallery’s website http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/highlights/highlight46.html.

Any good Catholic apologist like Scott Hahn or Jeff Cavins would relate the importance of events in the Old Testament which prefigure the New Testament.  The interior of the building is not a humble home and if a great Romanesque/Gothic Cathedral take note all the art therein depicts the Old Testament.  On the floor tiles are vivid drawings of David killing Goliath, Samson tied to a column about to literally bring the house down and Absalom hanging from a tree.  Beneath the damaged wooden ceiling of this temple is a single stained glass of God the Father with Seraphim.  Flanking the window, Romanesque style wall paintings of Pharaoh’s daughter and maid rescuing infant Moses and Moses receiving the Ten Commandments.  On the next tier down there are a row of columns and a curious little door is open below the Lord.  Below are rondels of Isaiah and Jacob but beneath are three leaded glass windows which clearly represent the Trinity.  It is a pious expression of awe and faith in a mystery which is inexpressible and therefore difficult to illustrate with pictures.  Jan comes close illustrating a supernatural event in a fleshy reality.  Mary wears an ermine collar denoting her Davidic ancestry.  She may have been modeled on the Infanta of Portugal, the new bride of Van Eyck’s patron, the immensely wealthy and mercenary Philip the Good.  He, Duke of Burgundy, turned over St. Joan to the English and it is tantalizing to wonder at the theory Jan was asked to draw her likeness in prison.  If he ever did, like most of his other work, it is lost.  Mary’s long cloak covers the marble table before her like an altar cloth and a large lectionary like book sits upon it.  For the altar is the symbol of Christ present, see The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1383.  We read Gabriel’s greeting and the words of Mary’s fiat are inverted so the Lord can read them.  Is that the reason for the little open door beneath the stained glass image of God?  The Lord is placed on the other side of the picture plane, interesting to any artist.  Mary raises her hands in astonishment and prayer.  Mary says her fiat and Jesus unseen, as in the Blessed Sacrament, is there for the angels to worship.  She does not look at Gabriel.  She looks ahead for she lives in time.  Gabriel is wearing a cope, the cape like vestment worn for Benediction for Adoration of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.  What a cope, gold brocade with blood red velvet dianthus flowers.  Dianthus, a “carnation” or “Dianthus Caryophyllus” is the “Flower of God”.  The carnation’s original hue being flesh hence from the Latin, “Incarnation”.  When Jan died he bequeathed “vestments” to a convent in Maaseyck.  His daughter Lavinia entered the convent when she came of age.   The BBC documentary The Private life of a Christmas Masterpiece 2006 documents the details from the transfer operation to Gabriel’s cope.  They show a surviving vestment with the same dianthus pattern which may have been very like those bequeathed vestments.

I would be remiss not to mention the possible input of Jan’s mysterious older brother Hubert who literally haunts most of Jan’s early works.  A script on the Ghent Altarpiece identifies him as the one who started the work and indeed the greatest of us all.  And yet apart from a few mentions of his name in documents, his works remain a mystery.  He was never in a guild and yet appears to have had a studio with apprentices.  His name was found among the membership of The Society of Our Lady of the Rays.  Hieronymous Bosch was a member.  And rays abound in Van Eyck’s work.  Some in gold leaf as we see here.  The Holy Spirit, no bigger than an origami bird swoops down on action lines of pure gold leaf.  Seven rays for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit; wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety and fear (awe) of the Lord.  Because he was not a member of a guild, an essential for an artist of the time, a theory has been proposed Hubert may have been a priest or in minor orders.  Certainly this is a possibility and the theology of Van Eyck’s works point to a creator who had either seminary training or the spiritual direction of a highly educated clergyman.  There was indeed a priest/homilist who said Mass at St. Bavo in Ghent at the time Hubert lived.  He was famous for his homilies on, can you guess?  The Eucharist.  http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/highlights/highlight46.html

Doylestown Christmas suggestions from Karen

The Christmas season will be here before we know it.  Each year it seems like the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve gets shorter and shorter.  So, just like most working mothers, I try to get some shopping in before then so the actual day is not as rushed and we can focus on the true meaning of the birth of our Savior.

Living in Doylestown you can visit so many small, quaint businesses that provide personal, out of the ordinary gifts.  Not only will you be helping our local business owners, but you also get to purchase a really special gift to give a family member, friend, boss or teacher…

Teenagers will love what you can discover at Siren Records, where you can purchase DVD’s, CD’s and even old fashioned albums. Your girlfriends will love the Crabtree & Evelyn products at The Paper Unicorn along with whimsical decorations, Godiva chocolates and Balsam Fir products.  This weekend they even have 20% off the whole store!

Stop in at Nonna’s for a hot chocolate or take in a movie at the County Theater after your day of shopping. Or even enjoy a delicious meal at Chamber’s or PA Soup and Seafood. 

I think the trick is to enjoy other shoppers, talk to the shop-owners, and try to be joyful in the moment and thankful for all our blessings, especially being part of a community as lovely as ours.

Unity

Pope Frances has been making efforts to unite Christian churches. Last night on my way to work it was the topic on Catholic radio. There were many interesting and different views on this topic. The questions included, should there be one Christian denomination? What kind of sacrifices would have to be made? How can we accomplish it?
Personally, I think it would be great to have One Holy Apostolic Church in which all Christians lived in harmony. Do I think it will happen? Not in my lifetime. I agree that we need to be more ecumenical and that a united Church is exactly what Jesus wants but I think there are way to many prejudices and theological differences for it to happen any time soon. I always have to bite my tongue when I hear people say, "All churches are the same, so it doesn't matter where we go". All churches are not the same. If they were, there would be one church! So what do you think about this? Please comment.

Novenas

The word Novena come from the word "novem" which means "nine." It is a prayer that is said for nine days in a row. We pray novenas for particular intentions. God has granted certain gifts to certain Saints which enable them to intercede for us in times of difficulty and need. Why nine times? The number 9 symbolizes divine completeness or conveys the meaning of finality. Christ died at the 9th hour of the day, or 3 p.m. (The Jewish clock was seasonal and began at dawn). The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is the only Feast day of the Jewish people that requires believers to fast for one day. Most Jews consider this to be the holiest day of the year. It begins at sunset on the 9th day of the seventh Hebrew month (Leviticus 23:32). I believe the number nine is used 49 times in scripture but don't hold me to that because I haven't checked my notes! There are in Galatians 6:22-23 nine fruits of the Holy Spirit which brings me to the reason I decided to write about novenas. Today is Ascension Thursday which means that Pentecost is around the corner. The oldest novena we have is the Novena to the Holy Spirit, the Pentecost Novena. I believe it is the only novena officially prescribed by the church and it should begin tomorrow. EWTN has the novena on their website if you would like to join in. http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/pentecost/seven.htm If you don't have any personal necessities to pray for please consider praying for the end of the many abominations occurring in our world. Abortion, genocide, poverty and abuse to name a few.
As always thanks for reading and please feel free to add any comments or questions.

Marriage and the Catholic Church

I receive many questions from family members and friends asking why the church doesn't just "get out of the marriage business?" Here is my answer: Marriage in the Church is a sacrament of the Church which makes it sacred. It is more than a business or a trial run. It is a commitment not only for two people to live together but for them to share a sacred bond. We learn about marriage from the beginning of scripture in Genesis chapter 2, where we read that man and woman are made to be suitable for each other and that the two become one. The first recorded miracle of Jesus was at a wedding in Cana where He was present for that couple in same way that He is present for every couple who gets married in the Church.  The commitment of the couple includes Christ. This doesn't mean that He is absent in civil relationships, it means that His Grace is being poured upon those who purposely include Him in their marriage. Revelation speaks to us about the "Wedding feast of the Lamb". Jesus is the groom and we are His bride. Marriage is so important that it is used as our relationship with our Lord. So for the people who ask that infamous question, "Were is that in the Bible?" There it is! Therefore, I think the Church has every right to be "in the marriage business!"
 I think that one the problems we have is that newly engaged people don't understand the sacredness of what they are committing to. Do they know that the job description of a spouse includes the responsibility of helping the other spouse to get to Heaven? To place the other person before themselves in the same way that Jesus gave Himself for His Church? I know we say the vows but do we really get it? There was a time when the ailing elderly were taken care of in the homes  more often than in nursing homes. Wars struck just about everyone and the mortality rate was greater. Children grew up with these things and might have had a better understanding of sacrifice. (opinion) Statistically, over half of young couples today come from divorced families. How are they able to understand a lifetime together if they have never witnessed one? Marriage is filled with every emotion imaginable. It is a mix between, great times and love and bad times and grrrs! But no matter the time, it is still sacred.
If you want to read more about marriage and the Catholic Church see the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 1601-1637.

Guardian Angels

After hearing Peter Kreeft speak a couple of years ago I was reminded that I do in fact have a guardian angel. Since then I have read his book, "Angels and Demons" and have renewed my relationship with my guardian angel. I believe his/her name is Michael (not the archangel Michael) and I talk to him/her every day. How wonderful our God is to give us so much protection. I ask him to pray for and with me. It's great knowing that when I pray there is someone next to me praying along. I never really understood the choir of angels or why some were archangels and others were not, etc. The book really helped me. Here is a link that also has a great deal of Angel info: http://www.catholic.org/saints/angels/angelchoir.php. I pray that all of you get to know and love your guardian angels the way I am getting to know and love mine!