Eugene’s own experience of living “all for God” made him sensitive to all manifestations of this in others. Saint Sebastian had given his life for God in an act of oblation through his martyrdom. It is not surprising that Eugene was able to let this painting become a moment of deep contemplation.
Among so many beautiful paintings, you cannot help but notice the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian by Domenichino. I was insatiable in contemplating it; I remained in front of it for half an hour without having seen enough of it.
Roman Diary, 4 December 1825, EO XVII
“Without a transcendent cause, martyrdom makes absolutely no sense. If you did not believe in an afterlife that would reward you for your sacrifice there is no point in giving it. Nevertheless, if you believe in something greater than yourself to your very core, then you would sing on the pathway to your death, just as the martyrs of the Roman coliseum did. Such joy, such reverence for death, silences a crowd desiring blood. Admiring the martyrs, desiring to give everything for the spiritual battle, is a grandiose but highly reachable objective. What must be remembered is that many of the red martyrs practiced white martyrdom each and every day. Through the example of our new Pontiff we see how shocked, yet highly intrigued, the world views daily, selfless martyrdom. Perhaps the Church has been blessed with Pope Francis to remind us of the beautiful eccentricity of martyrdom.” Jared Zimmerer, “Spirituality: The Attraction of Martyrdom“ – http://www.wordonfire.org/WoF-Blog/WoF-Blog/April-2013/Spirituality-The-Attraction-of-Martyrdom.aspx
Reading this the first time I had to google the piece of art that Eugene got caught up in, not something that excited me and I readily came back to this page to read it again. And then I remembered my recent visit to a sculpture that I spent a couple of days with, that hit me the same way this painting struck Eugene – I became “…insatiable in contemplating it”
I am constantly amazed at where we are all led with our experiences, our reflections on those experiences no matter the cause. Eugene saw the painting and reflected on martyrdom while another might have reflected on the richness of the brush strokes and how they combined to make such a wonderful image. With others it might be the written word; one reads a book and then puts it aside while another will read it and feel the tug to explore and reflect on it, to see a little deeper than just the initial story line. Still yet another will look at a field of flowers and note how pretty they are while some will look at that same field and be filled with immense joy and gratitude for the beauty that is God’s love.
A few weeks ago a group of us gathered and celebrated our “Jubilarians”. At the toast the names of the those we were celebrating was called out loud and we were invited to say one or two words that best described the named person. It was beautiful . As each word was called out I took a quick second to hear the word and reflect on the beauty (in the light of that word) of the person being celebrated. We each saw them differently and yet the same.
This morning while the topic appeared to be on martyrdom and how we live out our “all for God” I found myself thinking of how each of us looks and recognizes God in such a variety of ways. Within the beautiful eccentricity of martyrdom I found the beautiful eccentricity of the immensity of God’s love.