Today's Gospel in Art - You who are like whitewashed tombs

Crying Widow, Detail of sculpture, Staglieno Cemetery 1860's © Christian Art

Gospel of 26th August 2020 - Matthew 23:27-32

Jesus said: 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of corruption. In the same way you appear to people from the outside like good honest men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who build the sepulchres of the prophets and decorate the tombs of holy men, saying, "We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in our fathers' day." So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets! Very well then, finish off the work that your fathers began.'

Reflection on the Cemetery

In today's reading, Jesus continues to point out to the Pharisees how they are too focussed on conveying an external show of religious perfection, rather than focussing on their own hearts and souls. Yesterday Jesus made his point through the image of a cup, today he uses the image of a tomb: 'You who are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of corruption'. Strong language!

During the 15 years I was working for Sotheby's, I travelled quite regularly to Genoa for work. The hidden gem of the city is the Staglieno Cemetery which opened to the public in 1851. It is monumental in size and beautiful with its highly sculptural tombs, many of them true works of art. The cemetery even inspired the Cemetery of Père Lachaise in Paris. Many of the monuments at Staglieno Cemetery are moving and powerful, all addressing grief, loss of life and sorrow. I am sharing with you a detailed photo of one of the tombs. A woman crying, beautifully sculpted.

The sculpture is rather dirty; certainly not whitewashed. At the time when this tomb was made in the 1860's, it would certainly have been made to impress people. But now 170 years later, no whitewash, no cleaning, the dirt has settled in… dust on the graves… dust inside them…

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/525

Christian Art - www.christian.art