The Art of Lent

The Taking of Christ by Caravaggio
My favorite work of his, then it's St. Paul's conversion, The Fortune Teller and Narcissus

I'll admit it: Holy Week is not one of my favorite weeks on the calendar.
Had they asked me about the dates on the calendar, I'd rather spread out Easter into a week instead of having it on just a Sunday. But then again, it's not always about having fun or celebrating happiness.

So while us Catholics go into an ideally reflective and sober next three days, I'm leaving off the blogging and will have to return on Easter. This isn't really my biggest sacrifice for the Lenten season and if you ask me what it is I'll never tell. I've never been a fan of people who ask and tell you at the same time what it is their giving up for lent, just because I find it a case of bad taste and a little unnecessary (cause I believe only God ought to know what it is you're giving up and why you're doing so). So my short hiatus from blogging is not part of my sacrifice, but a paying of respect for this traditional and very important commemoration of God's entire saving story.

We're rarely talking about religion here on Salt and for some readers, it may look disconnected from the entire model-y, personal diary kind of blogging, but I've always been a "fairly devout" Catholic and Holy Week is part of that (not to mention that this week only comes once in a year, so it's no big trouble for me). But since this is my blog, this special Holy Week post needs to be somewhat right up our alley= meaning art-related, beautiful and definitely important. I present to you the amazing, dramatic and very fitting paintings of Caravaggio.

The Denial of St. Peter

Ecce Homo 

Christ at the Column

The Crowning with Thorns 

The Entombment

The Incredulity of St. Thomas

Again, I'm not asking you to try and be a hardcore Catholic (cause I'm not one as well and just because I don't do that) or to do stuff these next few days, but I believe there's nothing wrong with being a little more hopeful in the religion, you know? Pretty devastating things have been going on and one of the best lessons I've learned from the faith since my consciousness is that, through both  best and worst times, having hope and faith in God's "awesomeness"---put more casually, never fails you. I could definitely attest to that and that's what this post is for.

Have a blessed next three days (and forever) my friends. Keep praying.

I shall see you all soon, hopefully bearing great news.

- Gerard