Browsing Category
Way of Beauty
A triumphant vision of the Church in Rome
"Moses" by Michelangelo in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome.
The light of Michelangelo’s Pieta
by Elizabeth Lev Michelangelo’s first masterpiece, the Pietà, was concocted out of the most unlikely ingredients: a rookie sculptor known for pagan subjects, a worldly pope whose name was synonymous with corruption, and subject matter not…
Contemplating the meaning of the Eucharist
When looking at the Disputation over the Most Holy Sacrament, or The Disputa, a fresco created by Italian Renaissance painter Raphael, one thing stands out most: its emphasis on the Eucharist. Measuring 200 inches by 300 inches, The…
The humanity of Sts. Peter and Paul
Among the most well-known early Church leaders are Sts. Peter and Paul. These two remarkable men had very different beginnings, yet would go on to become Jesus’ foremost apostles and would eventually be martyred for their faith. Peter, a…
The Ascension: ‘A glorious moment in the life of Jesus’
One biblical event that has always astonished me is the Ascension. I remember when I first learned about it when I was young, I couldn’t help being struck by how sad it made me feel. Jesus, who had died a horrible death, had just returned…
John the Baptist prepares the way for Christ
John the Baptist may be one of the most important figures to appear before Christ’s actual ministry. In the Gospels, it is John who presages the ministry of Christ. He is in his very essence a fulfillment of the prophecy in the Book of…
St. James, lead us to Christ
St. James holds an important role in the Catholic faith. Not only was he one of Jesus’ original Twelve Apostles who was present at the Transfiguration, he is believed to have carried out Jesus’ ministry to the far reaches of Europe,…
Restout’s ‘dramatic’ Pentecost painting
Pentecost is one of the most important feast days in the liturgical year. It is the day where, 50 days after Easter and 10 days after Jesus’ ascension, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Twelve Apostles and the Virgin Mary, appearing as…
Way of Beauty: Blessed is She
by Gina Loehr Elizabeth filled with the holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41). So Luke tells us in his Gospel account of the Visitation. As her cousin Mary greets her, the elderly woman, who is nonetheless great with child, speaks through the power of…
The best of the Annunciation paintings
The painting, Annunciazione di Cestello by Sandro Botticelli, or the Cestello Annunciation, has always struck me. I first saw it in 2014 at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy, as a sophomore in college spending my spring semester…
