Holy Week is upon us! On the drive home from Palm Sunday Mass this weekend, I realized that this time last year, I was stuck at home watching live-streamed Mass and hoping shelter-in-place would end soon. It’s such a blessing to be able to fully experience the richness of the Holy Week liturgies this year. Deo gratias!
This week is filled with so many significant moments leading up to the Passion and (at last!) the Resurrection. One of my favorite ways to meditate on events from Scripture is by finding an artistic depiction so that I can place myself within the scene and notice the small but important details. With that in mind, I wanted to curate a collection of sacred art illustrating the events of Holy Week. There are so many ways to use these paintings… they could inspire some imaginative prayer, or perhaps they could even be an art lesson for your children (or yourself). No matter how you choose to use them, I hope they help you enter more fully into the mysteries of Holy Week.
Pietro Lorenzetti, Entry into Jerusalem, c. 1320, Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi
Juan de Juanes, The Last Supper, 1555-62, Museo del Prado
Jacopo Tintoretto, Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples, c. 1575-80, National Gallery
Heinrich Hofmann, Christ in Gethsemane, 1890, Riverside Church, New York
Giotto di Bondone, Kiss of Judas, 1304-06, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy
Rembrandt van Rijn, The Denial of Saint Peter, 1660, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Mihály Munkácsy, Christ Before Pilate, 1881, Déri Museum, Debrecen, Hungary
William-Adolphe Bouguereau, The Flagellation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 1880, Cathedral of La Rochelle, France
Titian, Christ on the Way to Calvary, c. 1560, Museo del Prado
Peter Paul Rubens, The Raising of the Cross (center panel), 1610, Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp, Belgium
Diego Velázquez, Christ Crucified, 1632, Museo del Prado
Raphael, The Deposition, 1507, Galleria Borghese, Rome
Annibale Carracci, The Holy Women at Christ’s Tomb, c. 1600, Hermitage Museum
I’m happy to report that I’ve spent a large portion of the past few months with my nose in a book–that is to say, 2021 is off to a great start! I don’t think I’ve ever actually made a TBR list before, but because I’ve been so busy recently, I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t lose track of the books I want to read in future. On this list, you will find books old and new, bestsellers and hidden gems, mostly fiction but with a few nonfiction selections thrown in for good measure.
I love C.S. Lewis’ introduction to Athanasius’ On the Incarnation, where he writes, “It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.” Certainly very good advice. I tend to skew a bit more to the other extreme, preferring dusty old books to shiny new ones; but taking Lewis’s advice to heart, I’ve made an effort to include a good balance of both old and new books in the list below.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
This book is subtitled Some Instructions on Writing and Life, which is right up my alley. It’s been hailed as “a modern classic” and “One of the funniest books on writing ever published.” As an aspiring writer still growing into my voice, I’m hoping I can learn from Lamott’s experiences and maybe even absorb some of her writerly wisdom through osmosis.
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
I’m definitely expecting this to be a HEAVY read–but I love Chesterton enough to attempt it anyway. So far I’ve read his excellent biography of St. Thomas Aquinas, as well as The Man Who Was Thursday and The Club of Queer Trades, and I’m currently working my way through The Complete Father Brown Stories. I’m hoping I’ll have time to delve into this book over the summer, when I don’t have schoolwork to worry about.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk-Kidd
I must admit, this is one of those rare instances when I watch the movie before reading the book. I did enjoy the movie, and I’ve since heard some glowing recommendations for the book, so I went ahead and added it to my TBR list. I would describe The Secret Life of Bees as a story about the power of female friendship, with a dash of Marian theology. I’m excited to see how well the movie compares to the novel!
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
I have fallen head-over-heels in love with Wendell Berry’s writing since reading Jayber Crow, and I’m currently reading (and adoring) his poetry. It seems that Hannah Coulter is Berry’s best-loved novel; I’m eagerly anticipating it, and also waiting for the perfect time to read it–I want to be able to really savor it and soak in the words.
A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
Speaking of Wendell Berry: thanks to him and some other wonderful poets, my love for poetry, which lay dormant for a long time while I engaged in other literary pursuits, has been rekindled. I’m thinking that Mary Oliver’s work will be perfect for my next poetic adventure.
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
Helen Keller lived an extraordinary and inspiring life, overcoming the dual challenges of deafness and blindness to become the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, and going on to author many books, essays, and speeches. Her biography has been on my TBR list for a long time, and I’m looking forward to learning more about her.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
This book was extremely popular a few years ago when it first came out, and Reese Witherspoon even picked it out for her book club. I don’t really keep up with new releases and bestsellers (I prefer to wait until the hype has died down), but this one has continued to garner rave reviews. It’s described as “an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder.” Sounds like an excellent summer read!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Whew, that’s a long title! I’ve heard such good things about this novel from readers whose opinions I value greatly. It’s set on the German-occupied island of Guernsey, in the English Channel, during World War II. It’s also an epistolary novel, which is one of my favorite genres/writing styles. And apparently it’s also a Netflix series now? Anyhow, it sounds absolutely delightful and I can’t wait to read it!
Busman’s Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers
Sayers’ Gaudy Night was one of my favorite books of 2020, so of course the sequel to that story made it on this list! I just can’t get enough of Harriet and Peter–they’re witty, real, and well-developed characters–and Sayers writes delicious mysteries that are the perfect blend of plot and suspense.
The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera
Another book that had its moment in the limelight, I saw The Awakening of Miss Prim recommended in Sarah Clarkson’s Book Girl. It’s a “tale of literature, philosophy, and the search for happiness,” and is set in a remote French village “against a backdrop of steaming cups of tea, freshly baked cakes, and lovely company.” Sounds delightful, doesn’t it? I think I’m going to save it for when I’m craving a nice cozy book to read.
The Life You Save May Be Your Own by Paul Elie
This is a fourfold biography of Flannery O’Connor, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, and Walker Percy, authored by Paul Elie, who is currently a fellow at Georgetown’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. I’m already an admirer of Flannery O’Connor, and hope to read Merton’s Seven Storey Mountain someday, so I’m looking forward to learning more about the people behind the pens.
Talking to Wildflowers 