THE CALL OF CARAVAGGIO

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, is, “The Call of Caravaggio.”

Today’s gospel presents the call of Peter and Andrew and then James and his brother John.

Artists down through the centuries have painted - how they pictured those calls.  I always liked Duccio’s painting of the scene of the call of Peter and Andrew. [Cf. below.]

Duccio was an Italian artist who produced that painting sometime between 1308 - 1311.  

Back around 1959 I was in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. and I bought a reproduction of that painting - probably because my name was Andrew and I was thinking deeply about the call to follow Christ as a religious.

Somewhere along the line - in a transfer - from here to there - I misplaced that painting. I mentioned  this once in a sermon. Sure enough someone bought me another reproduction of that painting - and it hangs on my wall.

In preparing this homily I looked at various other paintings of the call of Peter and Andrew.

I found one that was very intriguing and I studied it. It was by another Italian artist - Caravaggio: The Call of  Peter and Andrew. 

No I’m not looking for a copy of that painting. With the beauty of the internet one can download the great masters and their great paintings - all for free.

HOW DO YOU DO ART MUSEUMS?

For the past 25 years or so - Caravaggio has become very well known. So whenever I spotted an article -  or what have you - about Caravaggio - Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio - 1573 - 1610 - I would read that article.

Words - words - words…. interesting and intriguing.  Then I found myself taking the time to look at his paintings. That’s something I don’t do enough of. Study the paintings.

Caravaggio’s the one who does those great light and dark paintings - shadow and light. His influence moves up out of Italy and others pick up his style. For example some painters up in Utrecht - in the Netherlands and  in time Rembrandt - use dark and light so powerfully. Think of paintings by Rembrandt - like his face of Christ or the Prodigal Son.

It’s cold out. The parking lots are icy. The Super Cold Bowl isn’t till next week, so you have time to type into Google “Caravaggio” and  then “Rembrandt” - and compare both artists.

Light and darkness …. I like that because someone told me to make sure I use my camera to take pictures 2 hours after sunrise - and 2 hours before sunset - when the light is coming in from the side. Sure enough better pictures.

Light and darkness - the theme of today’s First Reading from Isaiah [8:23-9:3] and also today’s gospel from Matthew [4:12-23]. How do I do Bible reading? What light - what insights - am I looking for? Where are those dark places where I hide? Where does Christ the Light of the World want to shine?

How do you do pictures? How do you do art museums? How do you do spiritual reading from novels, non-fiction and the Bible?

P.S. These are rhetorical questions....

Somewhere along the line I found myself doing art museums differently than I did when I was younger. You know the old New Yorker magazine cartoon. The husband and wife are tourists. They arrive at the big art museum. Going up the stairs, the husband pointing - says to his wife, “You take that side. I’ll take this side.”

Somewhere along the line - after realizing I forgot every painting in a art museum - 5 minutes after  I left - I got the insight to change my patterns.  Now I walk up the front steps and head for the gift shop. I look at the post cards and the big coffee table art books on display to see what artist might be featured. If I see a painting  that looks very interesting, I jot down it’s name.  Then I go looking to find it. Now I skip most of the paintings in those high ceiling rooms in an art museum.

Okay I like the earphones sometimes - but I forget most of that stuff too. I rather really  see one painting that some artist might have spent days and weeks and months on - than have a jumble of paintings and images in my short term memory that look like a bowl of  vegetable soup sloshing and swishing around in my mind.

So one painting - really looked at  - then studied - has the impact for me.

In fact, when I do that, I’ve often walked out of an art museum - and realized this whole world is an art museum. I see particulars better: a dented car, a dark green dumpster - a lady with a red plaid scarf walking along the avenue with 6 dogs in tow or a fur coat old lady crossing the street with an aluminum cane. What a great world we’re living in. How do you do art museums? How do you do life?

BACK TO CARAVAGGIO

We’re tourists in Rome. We’re in a big piazza.  We spot this church. We look at the name:  St. Luigi dei Francesi Church. Never heard of it.  We go in. Surprise they have three Caravaggio’s - 3 paintings on St. Matthew.  We end up spending about 45 minutes there - looking at those paintings mainly.

Off to the side I noticed  books for sale - mainly a book entitled: The Bible of Caravaggio - by Mario Dal Bello. I buy a copy. In time I realize it was a smart buy - because  I have looked at  it dozens of times - especially the 21 delicious paintings - all Bible Scenes - by Caravaggio - with comments - especially when I’m preparing a homily - wondering if Caravaggio pictured the scene of the day.

 I pulled it out yesterday to see if it had his paintings of today’s gospel from Matthew. Nope. It does have The Call of Matthew with thought provoking comments.[Cf. above on the cover of the book.]

It also triggered the title of this homily: The Call of Caravaggio.

It also triggered the idea to check the internet to see if he did a painting on today’s gospel. Sure enough I found his painting on line:  The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew [1603-1606],

Light and darkness …. As I looked at the painting I looked to see what Caravaggio might be saying - might be wondering about - what he might want to picture.

He has Peter standing there with a big fish in his right hand. Next, Peter’s left hand is in the exact center of the painting. It’s empty.

In the same story in Luke - both hands would be empty. In this painting, is he wondering if Peter is saying: If I stay as a fisherman, at least I have caught fish; if I follow Jesus, what will I catch with my life?

Is that the question of every Christian: stuff or emptiness if I follow Jesus?

Is that what Caravaggio was saying, contemplating, wondering about? We don’t know.

Next he has Andrew, Peter’s  brother standing next to him - with his hand pointing at himself - sort of saying, “Who me? You want me to follow you? Are you kidding?”

What does a calling mean? What does a following mean?  Does Christ still call people?

Caravaggio died at the age of 48 of a fever. He was in exile - often  on the run - because he had killed someone - in an argument about a tennis match. There are court records that he was in fights from time to time. As to his life - there are all kinds of stories about his morals, but we don’t know for sure. There are many takes on his life.

Who knows me? What are their takes on my life? How do they picture me? How do they paint me? What scene from my life, stands out for them? What are the mistakes on their takes on my life?

The questions I ask when I look at Caravaggio’s paintings - or anyone’s pictures or paintings - is to be conscious of the questions he raises for me at the time.

I’ve read at times that we can read the Bible by reading the words of the Bible - and this was the great Protestant gift to the Christian life - at the Reformation - and with the invention of the Printing Press. Or we can go with the great Catholic Tradition: read the paintings - the stain glass windows - the paintings in the art museums - or the coffee table picture books - to sit looking right into the face and stories of Jesus or others and what have you in the pictures.

What hits you more?

That painting by Duccio moved me at the age of 19. I was also impacted big time when I saw for the first time the major red icon of Christ in the National Cathedral in Washington DC. I sat down in the silence of that enormous church  / basilica - and that moment comes back to me every time I drop into the upper church in DC.

 Now I’m letting the paintings of Caravaggio impact me.

Do you have a favorite painting that is hanging on the wall of your house or your soul - or your favorite church in your mind -  that says a lot to you - and your life? What is that painting or picture calling you to?

CONCLUSION

For 350 years a painting of Caravaggio sat in a storeroom in Buckingham Palace. It was in horrible shape.  The experts thought it was a copy of a painting by Caravaggio - The Calling of Peter and Andrew.

Someone suggested research. Surprise what was thought to be a copy - perhaps worth 50,000 pounds - was a Caravaggio. It took 6 years - 6 years of restoration and is now estimated to be worth at least 50 million pounds.

What a great parable. We are worth what we are worth - as is - but if we let Christ restore us - even it takes 6 or 60 years - we are worth a lot more.

And like Caravaggio - and like his paintings - we all have strong light and strong darkness in us. That’s who we are. Hopefully we all have at least one great biblical story in us - for the world to see and read and experience when they experience us.

So we come to church and hear these readings - or look at the cross - or one of our stained glass windows - and maybe one of these scenes we see or hear about is key to our life. It  is us for the taking - and for the making  - and  for the remaking of me. Amen.

OOOOOOO

 NOTES:

Top: Portrait of Caravaggio  - from around 1621 - by Octavio Leoni (1578-1630)