NIGHT PRAYER: Friday 4/14

On the Friday nights of Lent we looked at different ways of praying and on March 10 we tried praying with sacred images.  Although that series ended with Lent, tonight we'll bray with images of the scene in this Sunday's gospel: the story of Doubting Thomas.

Many of the images in this post are influenced by Caravaggio's painting, The Incredulity of Thomas (just below this paragraph). Every year, the gospel on the Sunday after Easter tells, the story of Thomas.  I hope these images (some classical and some very contemporary) might pique your interest and lead you to spend some time with this coming Sunday's texts and commentary.

Some questions to guide you prayerfully through this gallery: 

    - What do you see in the apostles faces?

            fear? wonder? amazement? doubt? belief? 

    - What does their body language tell you 

            about the experience they're having?

    - What do you see in the face of Jesus?

            Where is he directing his gaze?

    - Where do you find yourself in these images?

            How might you have responded

                had you been Thomas?

                

The Incredulity of Thomas by Caravaggio

 

The Doubting Thomas by Rocco Normanno

Incredulidad de Santo Tomas by Reubens

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Cope Amezcua

Doubting Thomas by John Gregory Granville

Image source

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Doubting Thomas by Generic Art Solutions 

 

 

 

                  Doubting Thomas by Jonathan Hilson

 

 

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The Doubt of St. Thomas by He Qi

Doubting Thomas by Michael Smither

Doubting Thomas by Ben Steele

For some insightful commentary on Ben Steele's work (above) check out Anneke Majors' post at A Motley Vision.  Steele's subject and title form a visual pun playing on the work of Thomas Kinkade.

NIGHT PRAYER

 

I'm a believer, Lord 

    - you know that -

but you also know my doubts, my misgivings,

    my unsurety, my skepticism, my mistrust...

 

Sometimes doubt leads me to probe and clarify

   what I wasn't sure of, what I didn't understand,

      what I struggled with

but sometimes my doubt leads me to confusion,

   uncertainty and a kind of lonely fear

that leaves me wondering who I am, where I'm going

   and what path leads to truth...

I believe, Lord: help my unbelief...

Give me the grace to explore my doubt,

    trusting your Spirit to lead and guide me

        to light, to wisdom, to truth

and most of all to you, Lord,

    most of all to faith in you...

 

Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake

and watch over me when I sleep

that awake I might keep watch with you

and asleep, rest in your peace...

 

Amen.

 

Tonight's song is the "Thomas section" of a very old hymn,

O Sons and Daughters, composed by Jean Tisserand, 

a monk who died in 1494.

 

 O Sons and Daughters  

   performed the Saint Francis Sunday 7PM Choir

 

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