The final sacred window in our collection
This is the final painting in our collection and the last post in a series that begins here. . It graces the window of the room of the former abortion clinic in which women sadly waited to enter one of the three “procedure” rooms. It is a room hallowed by much mourning and a room dedicated to Mary’s care by more than twenty years of prayer vigils just beside it, in the corner of the small public park adjacent to the ArchAngel Institute. The Institute thanks and honors those who stood in silent vigil for two decades outside this former clinic.
Today we mark Epiphany, the visit of the Magi to the Christ child. They brought him four gifts, the final gift being the most crucial.
The first three are well considered: Gold, frankincense and myrrh.
They are gifts given royalty, and were, in fact homage to the King of kings from an empire that was not Roman or Greek at root.
The fourth gift was the gift of civil disobedience.
Click here to read more on that subject . . . and get the artist information.
Herod, a descendant of the godless Esau, had bought and butchered his way into an appointment from the Roman Imperial Government. That appointment was as “King of the Jews.” He was King Herod, at least from Rome’s perspective.
Herod received the Magi while they were on their way to honor the newborn King and gave them instructions – the equivalent of a Roman injunctive order – to return by the same route and tell his royal highness where to find this One that they were honoring.
According to The Gospel of Matthew 2:12
“and having been divinely warned in a dream not to turn back unto Herod, through another way they withdrew to their own region.” (Young’s Literal Translation)
The fourth gift, protection via disobedience of the Roman/Jewish King’s injunction, proved to be the most practical gift that Epiphany, for it allowed Mary and Joseph to remove the little child of promise – this second Adam, this second Seth — to Egypt. Soon thereafter the butcher Herod gave the order that all male babies in the area of Bethlehem be subjected to royal infanticide.
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
(Young’s Literal Translation)
Note the word‘mocked,” the same word that the Left often used against rescuers who allegedly violated court injuctions 20 years ago.
In the Egyptian sojourn and the state-ordered murder of his peers we find parallels to Moses. Jesus is not only the fulfillment of Seth’s promise; he is also the fulfillment of Moses.
What gift are you willing to give Jesus this Epiphany? Your gold? Your devotion? Your very life?
Are you willing to disobey the government for His sake?
More on that topic in our next series.
Here is the takeaway question … was it morally right for the Wisemen to mock (i.e. disobey) Herod’s law?
Title : Madonna and Child
Artist :Giovani Battista Salvi Il Sassoferrato
Buy this painting – the original, that is!
We did not feature this painting because it was at auction, but if you are in the market, here it is on the international auction block.
The description by the auction house:
Giovani Battista Salvi Il Sassoferrato (Sassoferrato 1609 – Rome 1685). Madonna and Child. Oil on canvas. Sassoferrato’s reputation in 17th century art is built almost entirely on his paintings of the Madonna, executed with a remarkable simplicity of color and composition, almost entirely without background scenery or reference to Baroque or Classical forms. His genius lay in capturing a vision of the Madonna of such exquisite beauty and devotion that set him apart from any other contemporaries. The same face appears with little variation in the major part of his tiny output and was to be imitated by successive generations of painters.
