Since the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church has celebrated May, a time of new growth, as “Mary’s month.” The calendrical placement of this celebration probably has to do in part with the fact that the ancient Greeks celebrated a festival to Artemis, the goddess of fecundity, in May; the ancient Romans, Flora, the goddess of flowers and spring. Because Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit, conceived in her womb and brought to birth the life of the world, Jesus Christ, Christians see her as standing at the threshold of an eternal springtime. [Related posts: “‘May is Mary’s month’: Hopkins ..read more

Soichi Watanabe (Japanese, 1949–), To God Be the Glory, 2009. Acrylic on canvas, 52 × 39 in. Collection of the Overseas Ministries Study Center at Princeton Theological Seminary. This is the paschal feast,the Lord’s passing from death to life:so cries the Spirit.No type or telling, this, no shadow.Pasch of the Lord it is, and truly.You have protected us, Jesus,from endless disaster.You spread your hands like a motherand, motherlike, gave cover with your wings.Your blood, God’s blood, you poured over the earth,giving life, because you loved us. The heavens may have your spirit, paradise your s ..read more

Last year when I was at the Art Institute of Chicago, I was transfixed by the pointillist painting Easter Mystery by the French artist Maurice Denis. Maurice Denis (French, 1870–1943), Easter Mystery (Mystère de Pâcques), 1891. Oil on canvas, 41 × 40 1/8 in. (104 × 102 cm). Art Institute of Chicago. Photo: Victoria Emily Jones. [object record] It shows three women dressed in mourning clothes arriving at Christ’s tomb (one ascending the hill, one kneeling, and one prostrate), only to find an angel at its entrance, announcing that Christ has risen. In the midground, visible through a veil of tre ..read more

Woman gathering flowers, first century CE. Detached fresco, 38 × 32 cm, from the Villa Arianna in Stabiae, Campania, Italy, now in the Collection of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Naples, Italy. The woman may be Primavera (a personification of spring) or Flora (the Roman goddess of flowers, fertility, and abundance), or simply a generic maiden at leisure. Spring bursts today,For Christ is risen and all the earth’s at play.Flash forth, thou Sun,The rain is over and gone, its work is done.Winter is past,Sweet Spring is come at last, is come at last.Bud, Fig and Vine,Bud, Olive, fat ..read more

Tomorrow’s readings in the Revised Common Lectionary, for the fourth Sunday of Easter, include what’s probably the most famous passage in the Bible, Psalm 23: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest m ..read more

SONGS: >> “Empty Grave” by Zach Williams: Some southern rock! >> “Overcome with Light” by Bowerbirds, performed by Daniel Seavey and Liz Vice: >> “Look Who I Found” by Harry Connick Jr., performed by the Good Shepherd Collective, feat. Charles Jones: This song cover premiered at Good Shepherd New York’s online Easter service last month. The original is from Harry Connick Jr.’s 2021 album Alone with My Faith, a mix of new songs he wrote (like this one) and classic hymns. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Good Shepherd New York (@goodshepherdny) +++ ART VIDEO ..read more

Nicholas Mynheer (British, 1958–), Jesus Appears on the Shore: The Calling, 2007. Oil on canvas, 31 × 25 cm. Final painting from the thirteen-piece Sarum Cycle on Christ’s passion. [read artist profile] Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. (John 21:4) Lap lulled by lifeless waters,ill-cast nets bearing no weight,the fishermen see againstcharcoal dawnthe lone figure of the Lord—come to draw them in again,and launch them out. This poem is No. XXXII from 33: Reflections on the Gospel of Saint John by Andrew Roycroft (Baltimore: Sq ..read more

Here’s my new (nonthematic) playlist for the month of April! But also, because Easter lasts through May 18, be sure to check out the 184 songs I handpicked for the season, which includes some new ones mixed in since the playlist’s original publication. +++ NEW SONGS: >> “He Lives” by Emma Nissen: Emma Nissen is a Latter-day Saint singer-songwriter from Arizona known for her gorgeous jazz vocals. Here she performs an original song about God the Father giving his Son, Jesus, to redeem the world through his life, death, and resurrection. “Let there be light, let there be love . . .” > ..read more

Now on that same day two of them [to whom the women had reported the empty tomb] were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them. . . .  As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. —Luke 24:13–15, 28–29 LOOK: Road to ..read more

LOOK: Voice of the Bell by Lumen Martin Winter Lumen Martin Winter (American, 1908–1982), Voice of the Bell, 1965. Oil on board, 18 × 52 in. Long Island Museum of American Art, History, and Carriages, Stony Brook, New York. This was a design for a mosaic mural for the entranceway of a school on Staten Island. LISTEN: “Hallelujah Day” | Music by Abe Janowitz and Julius Grossman, 1955 | Performed by the Deep River Boys, accompanied by Sten Carlbergs kvartett, 1955 Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding Sing, sing the whole day long Sing the hallelujah song This ..read more