Intercessions ~ Fifth Sunday in Lent

At the start of April,/ we pray for those who will celebrate birthdays,/ anniversaries and other days of remembrance,/ asking for them the blessings of health,/ strength,/ peace and courage./ We pray to the Lord.

Our recent forgetting of the meaning and practice of words like humanity,/ decency and  civilized/ seems to have found new depths./ May we remember,/ rediscover,/ and be forgiven./ We pray to the Lord.

Since the start of the Ukraine invasion,/ more than 7000 babies have been born to mothers who are either displaced or who have become refugees./ More than half the children of Ukraine have been displaced./ We pray for them/ and for all the families which have been torn apart by this barbarity and waste./ We pray to the Lord.

"If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts,/ the Lord says./ We pray for those whose hearts have turned to stone,/ unyielding in the promotion of dangerous lies,/ intent on the expansion of power,/ callously indifferent to human suffering and the destruction of the planet./ And for our own conversion to the things of Christ's gospel;/ may we not be distracted./ We pray to the Lord.

Soon it will be Passover and Easter./ May we not become cynical to the idea of life triumphing over death,/ light triumphing over darkness./ We pray to the Lord. 

Pope Francis visits Malta this weekend,/ the island in the Mediterranean Sea which is  a landing point for many migrants and refugees hoping for safety./ We pray for the pope's safety;/ may we learn from his visit./ We pray to the Lord.

Rottach on Lake Tegernsee

Fritz von Uhde didn't paint many landscapes. Remember, he is thought of as a genre painter, that is an artist who depicts ordinary people in the ordinary events of their days. There are no people seen in this painting, though their presence is indicated by the church tower and some nearby houses and managed fields. This painting isn't dated. I'm wondering if it is a later painting when the artist might have been experimenting with impressionist ideas and techniques. 

I like how Fritz von Uhde has us standing just this side of a few young trees. Perhaps the lake is behind us. First he takes us across a little berm or rise, then to a tree-d edge, then to the cluster of buildings, then beyond to the fields bordered with trees, then to the mountain which is fog covered with either snow or clouds at the top. It is a wonderful painting — quiet-ing, restful and inviting. 

Here is a photograph of the Church of St. Lawrence on Lake Tegernsee today. Nothing much has changed. This church which holds about 800 people was built in 1466 and originally staffed by monks. An interesting feature of the building is that windows were placed only on the south side. During the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) the parish placed itself under the patronage of the Mother of God, asking to be spared from enemy attack and destructive weather. The church and village were indeed spared, even through both world wars. Pilgrimages of thanksgiving continue to today. 

 

Older Sister ~ 1883

We don't know who these girls are. The painting's title tells us only they are sisters. They are bundled up a bit and playing piggy back. There is the table we saw in The Picture Book and the straw chair which appears in many von Uhde paintings. The wood plank floor is without carpeting. The walls are sooty or haven't been painted in a long time. But none of this matters. For all that is lacking, they have each other. Helen Keller could not speak, see or hear. Still, she said: "So much has been given to me, I haven't time to consider what has been denied." 

I notice that whenever the artist paints even part of a window he puts a potted plant on the sill. Maybe it's a signature piece that suggests we might always look for the light. There's so much darkness in our world — look for the light. 

Years ago I stayed for two weeks in a Camaldolese Monastery at the top of Monte Corona in Perugia, Italy. Before I went into the hermitage, I asked the guest brother, "What should I leave for my stay here?" He said, "We ask for nothing." I pressed a little further, "But what do you want for my staying here?" Without pausing he said, "Only your comfort." That's the real Christian answer, "Only your comfort." 

This older sister in the painting seems to understand. There are no toys around, no table loaded with food, no other persons in sight, and she picks up her sister up for a classic childhood game. The little girl is obviously thrilled with it all.  "Only your comfort.," the monk said.