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Today's Gospel in Art - The Father himself loves you


Monk Praying. Drawing by Guilio Carpioni, 1660 © Rapozo Gallery

Monk Praying. Drawing by Guilio Carpioni, 1660 © Rapozo Gallery

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 15th May 2021 - John 16:23-28

Jesus said to his disciples:

'I tell you most solemnly, anything you ask for from the Father he will grant in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name.

Ask and you will receive, and so your joy will be complete. I have been telling you all this in metaphors, the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in metaphors; but tell you about the Father in plain words. When that day comes you will ask in my name; and I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you, because the Father himself loves you for loving me and believing that I came from God.

I came from the Father and have come into the world and now I leave the world to go to the Father.'

Reflection on the Drawing

Our hearts are small, but prayer expands the heart. By praying, and entering into a full relationship with Jesus our soul gets expanded. Just as in the physical world, we grow up and our bodies develop, so must we do the same with our spiritual lives. The spiritual life needs to grow and our hearts expanded in the process. As we eat food, exercise, gym and breathe in order to survive in the physical realm, so we have to feed our souls with prayer, spiritual reading and doing good works in the service of others.

There are so many different ways of praying, including praying on one's knees as is depicted in today's drawing of a monk by Giulio Carpioni. I personally like praying with art. It is in a way the purpose of this website. Art enables me to reflect more deeply on the scripture readings. The daily emails I share with you are not just mere thoughts on a passage or on an artwork: they are personal prayers that I have come to share with you all. I feel privileged that you read these daily thoughts and I simply want to thank you today for joining me in my prayers.

God reveals Himself to us in so many ways, through the billions of stars, the endless seas, the magnificence of nature, the smiles of people around us… and also through art. My love for art is my way of loving God. Art helps me to communicate with God better, as art can express what never could be said in a million words… My heart is small, but praying with art hopefully expands it…

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/806
Christian Art - www.christian.art

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