Term Paper on "Catholic Religion and the Art"

Term Paper 4 pages (1142 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Michelangelo's Pieta

Obviously the Catholic religion has as its main focus the divine life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Also prominent in the Catholic faith has been His mother, Mary. Mary, mother of Jesus, has probably had more influence than any other single woman in history (Appleby, 1999).

Traditionally, Mary acts as an intercessor to her son Jesus, and has had particular appeal to those who are suffering. Mary herself suffered greatly (Batz.1997): can there any greater parental tragedy than seeing your child die before you do? This makes our image of Mary powerful. Her love has been immense, her suffering great, and now she acts as intercessor to our Savior. However, as Batz (1997) notes, Mary never sought power or recognition. Mary plays an important role in the Catholic faith. Without Mary's suffering, might we pray to her for trivial things? "Please Mary, bring me a dog a man I can love. Please, Mary, free me from this financial burden. Please Mary, bring me a doggy for Christmas." Well, young children might have made the last prayer, but as we mature, we realize that seeking the intercession of Mary is not a trivial thing, and that we should not trivialize our faith with inconsequential, selfish prayers.

Michelangelo had a remarkable understanding of Mary. In his sculpture "The Pieta," he shows Mary, eternally young, cradling the body of her dead son Jesus. If we go to the funeral of any average person, we would see grief on every face, but Michelangelo chose to show Mary in her greatness. She holds the lifeless body of her son, but her face is serene. She knows that it was her role, assigned to her by God the Father, to bring God the Son to his people. She knew that he would be sacrificed. She understood: it was her role to give birth to Him, and then to give Him up.

Perhaps Michelangelo's sculpture is unrealistic. Mary was only human. She must have felt a mother's grief as well as a mother's love. Even the greatest saints have had moments when they doubted God's will or what God was asking of them. Could Mary alone be immune to this all-too-human trait? It seems unlikely.

However, Michelangelo never intended to create a literal interpretation of Mary holding Jesus' body. He intends to show Mary's transcendence, her ultimate understanding that without her joy and her loss, the birth and death of her son, we would never know salvation. Could Mary have final understanding of this as his body lay in her arms, before the joy of Easter morning? She is only human; it doesn't seem likely.

So when we look at The Pieta' we, like Mary, have to transcend the immediate. The sculpture demonstrates Mary's ultimate faith. Her son has died a terrible death. He has not yet arisen from the dead. We do not yet have the promise of salvation. And yet, Mary believes. She knows it will be so, because God has promised it. This is why we pray to Mary. She is the ultimate evidence of what faith really is -- believing when we do not have the answers, and nothing but belief to sustain us while we wait.

Because of this, Batz writes that she cannot bear to ask Mary to intercede for her regarding the normal ups and downs of life, the difficulties that any person will face in a normal life… READ MORE

How to Reference "Catholic Religion and the Art" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Religion in Indonesia Islam Essay

Religion in Indonesia

Islam in Indonesia

Islam was largely the dominant faith in Indonesia with the largest tally of adherents that constituted approximately 87% of the total populace in 1985… read more

Essay 7 pages (2136 words) Sources: 7 Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

Germanic Art 7th 9th Centuries Essay

Germanic Art and Its Influence From the 7th-9th Century

Following the conversion and reign of Constantine, Christianity's impact began to be felt throughout all Europe. Clovis, king of the Franks,… read more

Essay 7 pages (2242 words) Sources: 7 Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

Art the Renaissance Heralded in an Entirely Term Paper

Art

The Renaissance heralded in an entirely new tradition of art form during the 14th and 15th centuries, with a wide variety of painters, poets, writers and architects that literally… read more

Term Paper 9 pages (2995 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Art / Painting / Sculpture

---

Art and the Counter Reformation Research Proposal

Art and the Counter Reformation

Since the Counter Reformation is considered to be a reaction to the Reformation process, it would be wise to understand what the reformation was and… read more

Research Proposal 8 pages (2624 words) Sources: 6 Style: Chicago Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

Religion Is a Multifaceted Social and Psychological Thesis

Religion is a multifaceted social and psychological phenomenon. The world's religions function on the level of custom and tradition as well as on the level of art and literature. Belief… read more

Thesis 4 pages (1268 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>