Gospel in Art: Ash Wednesday - Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you

Ash Wednesday, by Carl Spitzweg, 1860 © Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart, Germany

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 22 February 2023
Matthew 6:1-6,16-18

Jesus said to his disciples: 'Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men's admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

'And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

'When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.'

Reflection on the painting

Our painting from 1860 by German romanticist painter Carl Spitzweg is titled 'Ash Wednesday'. We see a downcast, sad carnival clown seated in the corner of a cell, his head bent, arms crossed, and his face is in the shadows. Carnival is over. A clown normally triggers laughing, joking, excess, exuberance, but here he is depicted as exactly the opposite. A clown normally attracts attention and wants to be the centre of attention, but not in this painting. And that is exactly what Lent is about: not to be the centre of attention.

That is what Jesus is teaching us in our Gospel reading today: 'Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice'. Jesus teaches us to be less concerned with how others may see us and so that we can enter into a period of introspection and quiet reflection. That is now where the clown finds himself.

The painting's background tells the rest of the story: it is simple, stripped back. There are no paintings on the wall or any distractions - just the natural light, coming in through the window, brightens the picture. The cell almost functions as a stripped back place of retreat.

It is a good painting to illustrate what the start of Lent is about: reflecting upon our usual ways of acting, doing some fasting, praying a little more and giving alms. It is a time to shed our clothes of excess, shed our masks, and enter a spiritual cell of quietness, peace and rest….

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-6-1-6-16-18-2023/