The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Jesus, at the Last Supper, said that he is the vine and we are the branches. We are rooted in him or we die. The body of Christ is Jesus' historic body, it is also the Church and it is also the Eucharist. Each roots the Catholic in the dignity that grace and God give. The Vatican's recent article on human dignity, Dignitatis Infinita, identifies the various modern challenges to the dignity. I expain further in the podcast at OVC.

The Man of Sorrows

Italianlast quarter 14th century

A monk and a hooded figure, his back bared so that he can whip himself in penitence, kneel before a dreamlike vision of Jesus rising from his tomb. This plaque, with an inscription naming the society of Saint Dominic, was probably intended for private prayer by a member of a Dominican brotherhood.

Focus on the crucified Christ and his suffering was widespread in the 1300s. Pope John XXII (reigned 1316–34) declared that the Imago pietatis should be evoked during the celebration of the Mass. Pope Innocent VI (reigned 1352–62) affirmed that devotion to the Instruments of the Passion would reduce punishment for sin after death; seen here are the vinegar-soaked sponge that was offered to Jesus on the cross and the lance that pierced his side.