Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter 2011

(A reading from the Easter Vigil…)

The One who has become your husband is your Maker;
his name is the LORD of hosts;
your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
called God of all the earth.

The LORD calls you back,
like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
a wife married in youth and then cast off,
says your God.


For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great tenderness I will take you back.
In an outburst of wrath, for a moment
I hid my face from you;
but with enduring love I take pity on you,
says the LORD, your redeemer.

This is for me like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah
should never again deluge the earth;
so I have sworn not to be angry with you,
or to rebuke you.

Though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be shaken,
my love shall never leave you
nor my covenant of peace be shaken,
says the LORD, who has mercy on you.

O afflicted one, storm-battered and unconsoled,
I lay your pavements in carnelians,
and your foundations in sapphires;
I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates of carbuncles,
and all your walls of precious stones.

All your children shall be taught by the LORD,
and great shall be the peace of your children.
In justice shall you be established,
far from the fear of oppression,
where destruction cannot come near you.

5 comments:

Shana said...

What a beautiful painting, sort of reminds me of Giotto. Is it by him?

Hannah said...

Shana, it really is an interesting picture. I like how if you look closely, there's a wiry black figure being squashed by Jesus walking into Hell. It looks too contemporary (like, with the doorway and the shading on the mountain and stuff, but I'm not really much of an art buff so I could be wrong. Who cares? Jesus is Risen!!!) to be Giotto. I kinda thought "Salvadore Dali" when I saw it, but it's nowhere near crazy enough. Who painted this picture?

Hannah said...

I would also like to add that a Google Image search of "Harrowing of Hell" gives up some really cool pictures.

Shana said...

Hannah, that squashed demon is sort of hilarious. Love it!

Sponsa Christi said...

Shana and Hannah,

This painting is by the “Master of the Osservanza,” active 1430-1450 in Siena. (I’ve never heard of him, either.) It’s titled The Descent into Limbo, and was painted in tempera on wood c. 1445. Here’s the link where I found this out:

http://idlespeculations-terryprest.blogspot.com/2007/03/descent-into-hell.html

I also think the black figure under the door is really funny. It’s like: Jesus, victor over death, squashes Satan like a bug! :)