Giotto: The Virtues and Vices ~ Despair

Desparatio

I'm beginning this with a longer-than-usual quote defining despair because I think it's important to understand what it is and what it isn't.

Despair, ethically regarded, is the voluntary and complete abandonment of all hope of saving one's soul and of having the means required for that end. It is not a passive state of mind: on the contrary it involves a positive act of the will by which a person deliberately gives over any expectation of ever reaching eternal life. There is presupposed an intervention of the intellect in virtue of which one comes to decide definitely that salvation is impossible. This last is motivated by the persuasion either that the individual's sins are too great to be forgiven or that it is too hard for human nature to cooperate with the grace of God or that Almighty God is unwilling to aid the weakness or pardon the offenses of his creatures, etc.  

 It is obvious that a mere anxiety, no matter how acute, as to the hereafter is not to be identified with despair. This excessive fear is usually a negative condition of soul and adequately discernible from the positive elements which clearly mark the vice which we call despair. The pusillanimous person has not so much relinquished trust in God as he is unduly terrified at the spectacle of his own shortcomings of incapacity. 

Despair as such and as distinguished from a certain difference, sinking of the heart, or overweening dread is always a mortal sin. Catholic Encyclopedia

There is, too, another still more objectionable sort of dejection, which produces in the guilty soul no amendment of life or correction of faults, but the most destructive despair: which did not make Cain repent after the murder of his brother, or Judas, after the betrayal, hasten to relieve himself by making amends, but drove him to hang himself in despair. Institutes, Book IX, John Cassian

The first commandment is also concerned with sins against hope, namely, despair and presumption: (1864) By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God’s goodness, to his justice—for the Lord is faithful to his promises—and to his mercy.  Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2091

Despair seems to have let go of all hope. Her hands are clenched but holding on to nothing. Her hair is loose. Unfortunately, this picture seems to have been deliberately defaced. The sash from which she hangs is almost totally obliterated, as is her face. What's all too clear, though, it that demon who has come to snatch her immediately to hell. Even though he has been partially damaged, there is no mistaking his malice. Look at that claw in her hair.

The visible part of the inscription reads:

Instar cordis desperati Sathan ducta suffocati/Et gehenne sic dampnati tenet haec figura.

My friend, Paul Arblaster, translates this as, "This figure holds the image of a desperate heart suffocated by Satan's leadership and so damned to Hell." That is so very sad. 

Most of the people that we know who seem to be despairing, and even those who commit suicide, are not really committing the sin of despair, which, as the definition says, is a very deliberate choice. They are suffering from that anxiety that the quote describes. Still, every once in a great while, I have met someone who is deliberately rejecting hope--almost setting up their own sins as idols. It's chilling.

Instead of posting about Charity next, I'm going to change my usual order and post on Envy next. Envy is very nasty indeed, and I don't want to end on that note, and I also wanted to save the best for last.

AMDG

Pentecost

Pentecost, Giotto, Scrovegni Chapel

Sequence for Pentecost

Come, Thou Holy Spirit, come, 

And from Thy celestial home

Shed a ray of light divine.

Come, Thou Father of the poor,

Come, Thou source of all our store,

Come, within our bosoms shine.

Thou of Comforters the best,

Thou the soul's most welcome guest,

Sweet refreshment here below.

In our labor rest most sweet,

Grateful coolness in the heat,

Solace in the midst of woe.

O most blessed Light divine,

Shine within these hearts of Thine,

And our inmost being fill.

Where Thou art not, man hath naught

Nothing good in deed or thought,

Nothing free from taint of ill.

Heal our wounds, our strength renew,

On our dryness pour Thy dew,

Wash the stains of guilt away.

Bend the stubborn heart and will,

Melt the frozen, warm the chill,

Guide the steps that go astray.

On Thy faithful who adore,

And confess Thee evermore,

In Thy sevenfold gifts descend.

Give them virtue's sure reward,

Give them Thy salvation, Lord,

Give them joys that never end.

Amen. Alleluia.

The fresco for Pentecost is reminiscent of the one of the Last Supper. If you look at them carefully, you can see that the clothing is the same. That must be Matthias on the far right in the Pentecost painting. You can recognize this clothing in some of the other images of the apostles, too. For instance, at the washing of the feet,

and the Ascension. The clothing is, in fact, more consistent than the faces. 

 If you look at the faces of the apostles in the picture of Pentecost, you can see that some are gazing up, some have a rather dazed look on their faces, and two in the lower right-hand corner are looking at each other in wonder. You may have noticed that Giotto does not include Mary in the picture.

I'll put it here so you won't have to scroll up.

Giotto painted two other pictures of Pentecost, one which regrettably has been damaged. at the Church of St. Francis in Assisi, 

Mary is pictured in this one, but her face has been destroyed. I don't know if this damage was caused by the earthquake in 1997, but assume it was. I would also assume that is has been restored, as has the entire basilica, but I can't find any pictures of the restoration of this fresco.

There is also an egg tempera painting on a poplar panel that is currently in the National Gallery in London. It is quite different from the others, and again, Mary is missing.

Once again, all these images were found at the Web Gallery of Art.

AMDG

Come Holy Spirit: The Spirit and the Bride Say Come

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let the hearer say, “Come.” Let the one who thirsts come forward, and the one who wants it receive the gift of life-giving water. Revelation 22:7

The Wise and Foolish Virgins, Jan Adam Kruseman

I knew there wasn't much hope of finding an image of the Holy Spirit and a bride that didn't look kind of cheesy, but I did find this which seems oddly appropriate.

And this which was just too beautiful not to post.

Detail of The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, Friedrich Wilhelm von Schadow 

And it's this to which we are called.

Adoration of the Mystic Lamb from the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan van Eyck

I will not at this time write about this picture at the great length at which I am able, but I probably will at sometime in the future. If you would like to look at it greater detail, you can do that at the Web Gallery of Art or at several other places online.

Come, O Divine Spirit, fill my heart with Thy heavenly fruits, Thy charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, and temperance, that I may never weary in the service of God, but by continued faithful submission to Thy inspiration may merit to be united eternally with Thee in the love of the Father and the Son. Amen. Prayer from Day 9 of Novena to the Holy Spirit.

AMDG

Come Holy Spirit: Paul

St. Paul Preaching in Corinth

Paul traveled through the interior of the country and down to Ephesus where he found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered him, “We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” He said, “How were you baptized?” They replied, “With the baptism of John.” Paul then said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. Altogether there were about twelve men. Acts 19:1-7

Now to be perfectly honest, this is not Paul preaching in Ephesus; it is Paul preaching in Corinth, but there were no pictures of Paul preaching in Ephesus that I could find. There is a picture of Paul working miracles in Ephesus, so surely the Holy Spirit was there, too. 

Miracles of St.Paul at Ephesus, Jean Restout

And here is a picture of Paul preaching.

Painting of Paul from Cave of St. Paul in Ephesus, ca. 450 AD

A bit further on in Acts, Paul tells of another action of the Holy Spirit in his life.

But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there I do not know, except that in one city after another the Holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me. Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace. “But now I know that none of you to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels will ever see my face again." Acts 20:22-25

Once again, the Holy Spirit brings a message that isn't what one would want to hear, but Paul is steadfast. He knows that soon he will suffer, but he has suffered before in the cause of Christ and is willing to do so again. I wonder if never seeing his friends again wasn't one of his greatest sorrows. That last line is so very sad. When I read it Mass I teared up a bit.

Martyrdom of St. Paul, Stefaneschi Altarpiece, Giotto 

I looked quite a while before I found a picture of St. Paul's martyrdom that I liked, and then when I finally found out who the artist was, it turned out to be Giotto. 

Paul's severed head lies looking heavenward. It's interesting to see that a severed head retains its halo. The angels mourn his death . . .

but who is that woman on the hill, and what is that white thing that she is casting into the air to be carried away in the wind?

The Web Gallery of Art says that this is "a maiden" and that the cloth is one that has soaked up the blood of Paul. It flies up to heaven where it is a awaited by an eager recipient.

Is this the Father? I don't know. He looks like he should be the Father, but he has wings. Maybe it's an angel appointed to take the cloth to the Father. He is in a mandala that is being carried by the angels.

Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty. Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Help me to attain them and possess them for ever. Amen Prayer from Day 8 of  Novena to the Holy Spirit.

AMDG

Come Holy Spirit: Breath

Appearance Behind Closed Doors, Duccio di Buoninsegna

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. [Jesus] said to them again,l “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” John 20:19-23

This painting looks like the exact opposite of its name, but we will just have to trust that Jesus and the apostles are inside. I really wanted to find a picture of Jesus breathing on the apostles. I know have seen one, but I have looked for days in every place I can think of and can't find anything. This is the first appearance of Jesus to His disciples after the Resurrection and this is the only picture I can find of this appearance.  There is some debate about this scripture as to whether this is another description of Pentecost, or if the apostles received the Holy Spirit here in some different way. I certainly don't know. It was, however, during this appearance that Christ instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Christ Taking Leave of His Disciples, Duccio di Buoninsegna

This, alas, is not a picture of Jesus breathing the Holy Spirit on his Apostles, but it seems as if it would be a fair representation of it. The quiet reflective mood of the apostles and they way they seem to be hanging on every word that Jesus speaks is what you would expect of a group of men being instructed by someone who has returned from the grave, and sending them on a grave mission without him.

Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always do Thy holy will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of Thy commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I long. Prayer from Day 7 of Novena to the Holy Spirit.

AMDG

Come Holy Spirit: Baptism

Baptism of Christ, Giotto, Scrovegni Chapel

After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17

At first I thought that Giotto once more portrays the Holy Spirit only as light, but then I noticed this.

If you look very closely, you can see the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove over the head of Jesus. It must have been more visible before this fresco lost much of its lapis lazuli. 

And look at John's hand. We see the same hand position that I talked about in the hand of the angel here.

In this fresco, angels watch intently from the left bank, holding the garments of Jesus. We recognize those robes as those he wears in the other frescoes. John the Baptist wears some sort of ceremonial robe over his rough garments, and behind him stand who? I thought that the man with the halo might be one of the disciples, and somewhere, I can't remember where, someone said he is Andrew. I also first thought that the person in blue was Mary, but I noticed the figure has no halo, and then I noticed he seems to have a little beard--definitely not Mary, but who? I think I could spend a year doing research on these images.

The mosaic below is from the Baptistery of the Basilica of St. Mark (San Marco) in Venice. It's the same basilica where the mosaic of the Holy Spirit in the waters of creation is found. 

Baptism of Jesus, Baptistry of the Basilica of St. Mark, Venice

Here we see the three angels (in red socks!), and John, again wearing some sort of covering over his camel's hair. Behind John is an ax laid, as in Matthew 3:10, to the trunk of a tree.

The Holy Spirit hovers above the head of Jesus and Jesus, being blessed by the Father, the Spirit and John, is holding his hand in the water in the same position mentioned above, blessing all the waters of the world.

And who is this in the water with him in danger of drowning?

I believe that it is a soul, my soul maybe, or yours, perishing in sin, who will be saved by the blessed water.

Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Thy Light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of Thee and the Father and the Son. Amen. Prayer from Day 6 of  Novena to the Holy Spirit.

AMDG