Seeker

You'd need to pay careful attention to detail to remove a thorn from the paw of a lion. St Jerome certainly had that ability in his scholarship and diligent work of Biblical translation and commentary.  It is probably not true that he applied this skill to befriending a lion and removing the thorn from its paw. The lion story is a rather charming legend and this 15th century painting by Colantonio of Jerome in his study is fascinating. I love the expression on the face of a lion - almost like that of a worried little boy. "Is this going to hurt? Better not look. Hope he doesn't take too long." Looking at Jerome's face and that of the lion, I am reminded of Jerome's words, "The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart." The painting is part of an altarpiece and all around Jerome are the tools of his trade as a scholar, linguist, theologian, translator and interpreter of Scripture. There is...

Do you believe in angels? The idea of angels is popular today. It seems many people who don't have much faith in God are comforted by trust in guardian angels, often of a rather domesticated sentimental variety. I wonder if worship of angels has replace worship of God for some? Today is Michaelmas - the Feast of Michael and All Angels - a feast so popular in England in past times that when other feasts of angels were removed from the Church of England calendar during the Reformation period, Cranmer retained the Feast of Michael and All Angels which falls on 29 September every year. It comes around the turning of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the end of harvest time when hours of daylight are becoming shorter, autumn is here and winter approaches. It's a good time for a feast. One reason to keep this feast is its reminder that we humans are not necessarily the top of beings created by God. Come to think of it, given how flawed we are, surely God must have cre...

People struggling with poverty and debt might well point accusing fingers at people like Matthew the tax collector.  Tax collectors in 1st Century Palestine had ample opportunity to profit by cheating and charging extortionate commission. In this 17th century painting of the Calling of St Matthew by Hendrick ter Brugghen accusing fingers seem absent, although fingers do point from 5 different hands. Matthew's left hand points to his accounts. His right hand points towards himself. The young man at Matthew's  left points to a pile of money.  The seated older man points to another pile of money. On the left is Jesus, partly in shadow, pointing directly to Matthew as he and Matthew make eye contact. Matthew is the only person in the picture looking at Jesus. There seems to be a struggle going on - a tension between the focus on money and accounts and a conflicting priority emerging within Matthew as a result of his encounter with Jesus. It's a pivot...