A Christian writer named Egeria, about 300 years after the death of Jesus, stated that as part of her pilgrimage to Jerusalem on Good Friday, she participated in a service that remembered Jesus’s dying words. Good Friday services focussing on the words of Jesus became more widespread through the reflections of Alonso Bedoya, a Christian who worked with injured and traumatised people after earthquakes in Peru in 1687 AD.
What Jesus said in Jerusalem on Good Friday about hope, love, forgiveness, trust and starting again has influenced the attitudes of followers of Jesus ever since. Leonardo da Vinci, roughly 500 years ago was commissioned to paint the fresco ‘The Last Supper’ in a dining hall at the Santa Maria convent in Milan. At the time that da Vinci was painting ‘The Last Supper,’ he was involved in an ongoing and bitter dispute with a rival painter Michelangelo Buonarroti.
A desire to seek revenge for an insult prompted da Vinci to use the face of Michelangelo to represent Judas Iscariot, the person remembered for betraying Jesus. As da Vinci worked on the faces of the other disciples, he often tried to paint the face of Jesus, but could not make any progress. da Vinci would often stop working due to feelings of frustration and confusion. Eventually da Vinci realised what was wrong. His hatred for his rival was holding him back from finishing the face of Jesus. Only after trying to make peace with Michelangelo and repainting the face of Judas was da Vinci able to paint the face of Jesus and complete his masterpiece.
May the example of what Jesus said and did in Jerusalem to remind us that good will always triumph over evil help us to see the world differently and entrust our future to God.
Hope you have a safe and relaxing change to routines in the coming days and if the chaplaincy team can be of any assistance over the holidays, please contact us via our school email address.
May the following prayer help guide your decision making in the coming days.
Let us pray
God of every time and place, thank you for sending your Son into our world to bring us back to you. Help us to trust you when things do not go the way we would like and to rely on you more when they do.
May you continue to give us the ability to care for others, show respect to those who are vulnerable and grow in our understanding of you and this world so that we can treat others in ways we would all like to be treated.
Help us to do what you want and to continue to attempt great things for you and for others as we wait for your Kingdom to come. Amen.
Scott Bramley
Middle School Chaplain
