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Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Cycle B
St. Francis DeSales
Church, Abingdon
March 29, 2015
Painting Yourself into
a Picture
By (Rev. Msgr.)
Nicholas P. Amato
Rembrandt – at the Crucifixion
When I was back in high school in art class I
remember learning a bit about the great Dutch artist, Rembrandt.
Each of us has learned something about him and
his paintings somewhere along the line. Rembrandt
lived in the 1600s and did a beautiful painting that is entitled The Erection of the Cross.
The painting portrays the final moments before
the cross is raised with Jesus on it.
Everyone is dressed as they would have been in Jesus’ time except one
person.
The man raising the cross is dressed in the
clothing of Rembrandt’s own time, the 1600s.
Rembrandt never explained this curiosity, but those who knew him
realized that this man in the painting is Rembrandt himself.
Our Role
Now Rembrandt does not put himself in the painting as part
of an ego trip.
Instead, the great artist was making an important point. He was conveying that each of us – including
himself – plays a role in the crucifixion of Jesus.
This is why the characters in the story that we just heard
are so memorable.
We identify with them.
We see ourselves in those who were present for the crucifixion
and death of Jesus. Some of these
persons are noble and some are not so noble, but either way, we see ourselves
in them and realize that we play a role in the crucifixion – just as Rembrandt
was conveying.
Who Are We?
The question arises, then, with whom do we identify?
Am I Peter?
That is, am i steady and even enthused about my faith one
minute, when life is okay and things are good, but then giving up on God the
next minute, when sickness, a job loss, or relationship troubles occur?
Or, do I identify with Caiaphas and the high priests?
Am I at peace only when my experience of faith is black and
white, and pretty comfortable? But then do
I resist and shut down to any gray area or any different way of understanding
what faith may be calling me to do in a particular situation?
Regarding the positive characters at Calvary, do I identify
with the women who followed Jesus all the way to the crucifixion?
That is, am I patient in dealing with the growing pains of a
teenage or young adult son or daughter?
Do I persevere in caring for a parent who is aging and becoming
increasingly dependent?
Finally, do I identify with Joseph of Arimathea?
Do I do the right thing, not in a showy or an in-your-face
way, but without too much concern about what others think of me? Do I realize that at the end of the day,
inner peace and being true to myself is what counts?
Conclusion
Obviously, there are other characters we might identify with
in the story.
The key point is what Rembrandt’s painting lifts up for us. In our everyday lives, we play a role in
Jesus’ final hours.
Either we participate in crucifying and putting Jesus to
death. Or we are doing what we can to
assist Jesus and make him alive and present right now.
And on this Passion/Palm Sunday we paint ourselves into the
dreadful afternoon and evening on Golgotha.
