Today's Gospel in Art - Jesus casts out devils

Dante and Virgil beset by demons, Engraving by Gustave Doré 1861, Illustration for Dante's Inferno © Christian Art

Gospel of 7th July 2020 - Matthew 9:32-37

A man was brought to Jesus, a dumb demoniac. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb man spoke and the people were amazed. 'Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel' they said. But the Pharisees said, 'It is through the prince of devils that he casts out devils.'

Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness.

And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.'

Reflection on the Engraving

Our engraving today depicts Dante and Virgil beset by demons on their passage through the eighth circle in The Divine Comedy. Dante is guided by the Roman poet Virgil, who represents the pinnacle of human knowledge, from the dark wood through the descending circles of the pit of Hell (Inferno). Passing Lucifer himself, at the pit's bottom, Dante and Virgil emerge on the beach of the island mountain of Purgatory. At the summit of Purgatory, where repentant sinners are purged of their sins, Virgil departs, having led Dante as far as human knowledge is able, to the threshold of Paradise… where eventually Dante will meet Beatrice…

This print by master engraver Gustave Doré is a strong visual rendering of devils attacking our human souls. They look scary, frightening and evil. Yes, evil and its temptations are very real and out there, but in a way they are nothing to be overly frightened about. Demons are powerful, but through our Gospel reading today we know that the power of God triumphs when we let Him take control of our soul. So whilst this engraving depicts the reality of evil vividly, we know that through prayer, we can render this evil powerless… if we let God take command of our souls…

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/475

Christian Art - www.christian.art