Gospel in Art: Easter Monday - The women came quickly away from the tomb

The Holy Women at the Tomb by George Minne,1896 © 2000-2020 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 1 April 2024
Matthew 28:8-15

Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples.

And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. 'Greetings' he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet.

Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.'

While they were on their way, some of the guards went off into the city to tell the chief priests all that had happened. These held a meeting with the elders and, after some discussion, handed a considerable sum of money to the soldiers with these instructions, 'This is what you must say, "His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep." And should the governor come to hear of this, we undertake to put things right with him ourselves and to see that you do not get into trouble.'

The soldiers took the money and carried out their instructions, and to this day that is the story among the Jews.

Reflection on the sculpture

Our Gospel passage starts with the words 'Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples'. Today we hear of the holy women who discovered the empty tomb of Jesus Christ, bearing witness to is miraculous resurrection. The sculpture depicts the three women in a state of contemplation. Their heads are hanging low: they are looking at the ground, so we can't see their faces. Maybe this sculpture depicts them before the Resurrection, or maybe it is immediately after it. They were humbled by what they saw and just in a state of introspection, thinking what all these event meant for them.

George Minne, a Belgian sculptor active in the late 19th/early 20th centuries, highlights the effect that the deep mystery of the Resurrection had upon the women visiting the tomb. The women are deeply embraced by the paschal mystery. The stylised play of drapery shows that the women are holding their hands close to their hearts underneath their respective cloaks. The three women are sculpted from one block of wood and therefore forever linked. The paschal mystery and their faith unites them in spirit and material.

The women went on to bear witness about what they saw. We are all asked to keep bearing witness to the Easter story even in the face of those who try to suppress it. We are to keep bearing witness to all that Jesus stood for, to his attitudes and values, and we are to keep announcing God's power to transform all our tombs into places of new life.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-28-8-15-2024/
Competition: The Laudamus Award 2024 for Sacred Art - www.indcatholicnews.com/news/49310