Tuesday in the Octave of Easter
April 11, 2023Wednesday in the Octave of Easter
April 12, 2023Dear Friends,
Every elementary school child looks forward to those wonderful occasions called “field trips.” I was no exception. During those happy school days my classmates and I had several rather memorable field trip experiences.
I remember one to the local Swan Cleaners to learn how our special clothing was dry cleaned, steam pressed, enshrouded in plastic and returned ready to wear on that upcoming special occasion. Another journey was to a farm, just outside the city limits, to expose us city dwellers to chicken, sheep, pigs and cows, so we might begin to appreciate the origins of our food supply.
We also went to several children’s theatrical and musical productions at the Ohio Theater in downtown Columbus, and there were fascinating introductions to Civics and Ohio history during excursions to the Ohio Statehouse.
The most memorable field trips I recall were the semi-annual tours of the Columbus Gallery of Fine Art, as it was called in those by gone days. The sculptures, both modern and classical, the portraits, landscapes and still life paintings by so many Ohio artists, American, European and renaissance masters fascinated and delighted me. The walls of one whole room in the Gallery were covered in red silk damask because the donors of the collection insisted the pictures be displayed in such a manner.
But there was one painting, in particular…rather large…that was always a must see, and that I made certain I saw “just one more time” before boarding the bus to return with my classmates to our elementary school.
The painting that caught my youthful attention was always displayed in the atrium of the Gallery.
It is displayed in the same spot today; Peter Paul Reubens work “Christ Triumphant Over Sin and Death.”
The figure of Jesus surrounded by angels as they assist his coming forth from the darkened tomb, removing the shroud which has enfolded him in death’s repose. The menacing serpent perennially crushed under Jesus’ foot. The vibrant colors. The light and dark of the painting.
I was always fascinated by the subject, its colors, texture, light and dark, movement and composition.
It caught my attention and stirred emotions that as a young boy I was not prepared to articulate, and still struggle to put into words. I knew, even then, that this particular picture was my “forever favorite” of all the wonderful and extraordinary works of art we encountered.
When I go to the Columbus Museum of Art, for whatever exhibition, it is that painting I want to see and spend the longest time before.
As we celebrate Christ Triumphant over Sin and Death on this Easter Day, Reubens’ painting serves as a wonderful image that the mystery of new life we have received from Jesus cannot be contained in the celebration of just one day.
The Church gives us Fifty Days to continue to express our Easter Joy as we contemplate the breath and the depth of Christ’s love for us. But in reality, it takes a lifetime to draw near the magnitude of Jesus rising from the dead. As Saint John Paul II put it, “Jesus is the answer to every human question. He is the fulfillment of every human longing.”
This is my final Easter with you as Parish Priest of Saint Thomas Aquinas. As I prepare to take on new responsibilities as Rector of Saint Joseph Cathedral, I want to express just how much I treasure being with you these last six years.
While our time together has not been easy, marked as they were by the pain and separation brought on by the pandemic, and the inability to worship in our beautiful church, the lasting portrait of my time in Zanesville will always be colored by your faithfulness and dedication to worship, your love for Jesus and his Church, and your desire to reach out to others in need and share with them the abundance of your trust in God’s goodness and in his Providence.
I will never forget you, nor the time we have spent together on the banks of the Mighty Muskingum. I am forever grateful for the love and support you have extended to me as your Parish Priest.
From my heart to yours, in the hearts of Jesus and Mary—
Peace and blessing,
Father Sullivan.