Biblical art in Catholic churches
Category: Gospels
The story of Christ blessing the children is found in three of the gospels (Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17). It reveals Christ’s positive attitude towards children, encourages adults to trust in God and is one of the reasons that the Church baptises newborns. Given his popularity, one day some people brought their children to … Continue reading Christ blesses the children (Mark 10:13-16)
The taking down of Christ’s dead body from the cross is traditionally known in art as the ‘Deposition of Christ’. Sometimes the episode is also known as the ‘Descent from the Cross’ or the ‘Lamentation of Christ’. The act is described very briefly in all four gospels (Matthew 27:55-57; Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-53; John 19:38-39). … Continue reading The Deposition of Christ (Mark 15:42-47)
St Luke was the writer of two of the books included in the New Testament – the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. As such, he is known as St Luke the ‘Evangelist’, which means ‘gospel-writer’. According to the start of his gospel, he had not known Christ personally – he was … Continue reading St Luke the Evangelist (Colossians 4:14)
Christ’s personal invitation to four fishermen to become his disciples started a new chapter in all of their lives. As Pope Benedict XVI explained: “The Gospels agree in mentioning that the call of the Apostles marked the first steps of Jesus' ministry, after the baptism he received from John the Baptist in the waters of … Continue reading Christ calls his First Disciples (Matthew 4:18-22)
The gospels include a story about how two of the apostles asked Christ for a personal favour (Matthew 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-45). The two were St James and St John, the sons of Zebedee. They decided to involve their mother, who had left home to look after Christ and her sons, in the plan. One day, … Continue reading St James & St John’s Request (Matthew 20:20-28)
Another of Christ’s famous ‘I am’ sayings, found in St John’s gospel, is where he spoke of himself as ‘the Good Shepherd’. While teaching the people in Jerusalem, he shared with them a parable about a shepherd who protected his sheep. The shepherd, he said, “calls his own sheep by name and leads them out… … Continue reading I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-21)
The story of the healing of the blind man Bartimaeus comes to us from St Mark’s gospel (Mark 10:46-52). In Luke’s version he is unnamed (18:35-43) and in St Matthew’s account, he is healed along with another blind beggar. Christ was on his final journey to Jerusalem, where he was to suffer and die. A … Continue reading The Healing of Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52)
