Thursday, October 14, 2021
Roger van der Weyden: The Descent from the Cross
Burial
In this time of harvest when the northern hemisphere gives up her gifts of summer to prepare us for the cold darkness of winter, I cannot quite let go of the images and sounds of last week’s memorial Mass in which we celebrated the life of a young woman who died much too early. The gift of her life still rides with me as I journey back and forth to the school where she and I smiled at one another in the hallways and classroom. The wisdom of her youth still whispers to me as I greet and teach her grieving friends. The grace of her dying still accompanies me as I prepare lessons in the quiet evenings of the gathering autumn. Looking to meet the significance of this persistent presence, I go in search of a painting that soothes grief. As always, it reminds me of the wondrous sacrificial love that descends from the cross to offer itself when all else fails. And I come across this reflection written on September 25, 2008. I share it today with you.
Detail from Roger van der Weyden: The Descent from the Cross
One of my favorite paintings is Van der Weyden’s “Descent from the Cross”. It lives in the Prado museum in Madrid, and when I travel there I like to spend as much time with it as possible. It hangs alone on a large, pale wall . . . where the downward movement from the cross moves through Jesus . . . through his fainting mother . . . past Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea and John, the Beloved Apostle to whom Jesus commends his mother . . . lingering with the brokenhearted women . . . hesitating with the grieving men . . . off of the canvas . . . and out of the room.
Detail from Roger van der Weyden: The Descent from the Cross
It is as if all of the sorrow of the world falls away from us and into the pale, dead body of the Christ. We can sense his downward journey into hell for the redemption of souls. We can anticipate his return.
St. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 6:16: What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said: “I will live with them and move among them, and I will be their God and they will be my people”.
St. John reminds us in 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
Through this Descent from the Cross we feel an abiding compassion that persists through the most difficult of circumstances. We see an enduring passion that remains beyond all imaginings. We experience a love that knows only intimate union through mercy and justice. We sense that something will swing back through the red and blue and white of the canvas to leap out into us . . . to bring us in . . . to sweep us up into the arms now outstretched in death. We gaze upon the hope that tells us we are redeemable and worth fighting for.
Detail from Roger van der Weyden: The Descent from the Cross
And with faith . . . we know with certainty that this saver of souls lives. We know that he acts in us and through us. We know that he has returned to complete his mission of bringing fire and love to consume the world. We only need open our hearts . . . and trust him to act in our lives.
Amen.
Tomorrow . . . Resurrection
For more information about this masterpiece, visit: https://www.museodelprado.es/en/visit-the-museum/15-masterpieces/work-card/obra/descent-from-the-cross/ or http://hubpages.com/hub/Rogier-Van-Der-Weyden-Descent-From-The-Cross or http://hubpages.com/hub/Rogier-Van-Der-Weyden-Descent-From-The-Cross
To discover who is who in this painting and to learn about the symbolism used by the artist, visit: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/descent-from-the-cross-weyden.htm
To learn about the connection with Belgian crossbowmen, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Descent_from_the_Cross_(van_der_Weyden)
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