My latest Matt Talbot painting.

Matt Talbot

T. Nelson 2016

I finished the Talbot painting - almost, I have some more glazing to do, shading - but the figure and composition is pretty much finished.  I hope to frame it importantly.  I did a quick 'fuzzy' shot of the canvas, as shown above.  It came off a bit too light.

I read that he was an 'undersized, wiry man,' and a laborer.  I read he wore his working clothes everywhere - so I imagined a jacket and collarless shirt, a bit worn - just as I always depict him.  The difference this time is that I have him balding more than in my other paintings.  There are a couple of early paintings, one by a religious sister, depicting him bald, and I wanted to do so as well.  My composition is spare - a few religious mementos and scraps of paper, upon which it is said Matt would make spiritual notes - a small statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and holy cards of Therese and Catherine of Siena comprise the 'still life' of minutia on the mantel.  Above these, a very small image of OL of Perpetual Help hanging by a string.  Matt stands in front of the tall, narrow tenement mantel, upon which these poor possessions are displayed.  Interrupted in his devotion, clutching a crucifix, he looks out at the viewer.

As I painted, I had in mind a young Irish man I had met at Lourdes years ago.  He wasn't very tall either - but a handsome man, and something about him reminded me of how Matt might have been at the time of his conversion.  I tried to imagine him in his 60's now, and made a sort of composite of images of Matt Talbot and my recollection of the man from Lourdes.  The face developed rather quickly.  The paint is quite thin - not as layered as I normally would paint - and suddenly this face appeared, which startled me.  I don't know how I did it, where it came from, or how it came together so swiftly.

Anyway.  Quirky as it is, this is my third attempt to paint venerable Matt Talbot.

Matt Talbot 'Eve'

"Somewhere along the path of life of every human being there comes a dread moment when he suddenly sees himself for what he is." - Fr. Ralph Pfau

Ven. Matt Talbot. (Bio) Matt Talbot exemplified the heroic virtue of temperance. He practiced the Christian life more or less as a solitary, although he was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis. The spiritual combat Talbot engaged in was associated with alcoholism, which in his case demanded the renunciation of a behavior, as well as an adjustment in lifestyle. 

Talbot overcame his attachment to the disorder through the practice of the virtues, prayer and fidelity to the duties of his state in life, and mortification.  He found support in the sacraments, spiritual direction and spiritual reading.  Although he 'took the pledge' to abstain from alcohol, he did not have a support group such as AA to aid in his recovery.  I especially admire Talbot's fortitude and perseverance, demonstrating that with God all things can be overcome... "In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall." 

Tomorrow, June 7 is the anniversary of his death.  Matt died in 1925.

I mention Matt Talbot today because I just started a new icon of him yesterday.  It is smaller than the one shown above, the new figure is a bust, cut off just below the hands.  My intention is to redo the head and face somewhat.  The image shown here is in a private collection.

The struggle.

I also want to share something I was able to cut and paste from Ros, aka Shadowlands, before she took one of her blogs down, and before she died of course.  It's a treasure.

Shadowlands posted something about a priest Fr Ralph Pfau, known as the "Prodigal Shepherd" from the title of his book by the same name.  Fr. Pfau declared of himself,  "All my life, I will carry three indelible marks. I am a Roman Catholic priest. I am an alcoholic. And I am a neurotic."  Shadowlands says of him,  "He suffered much, but he kept trying."   I think that is key to conversion and the way to sanctity - 'saints are sinners who kept trying'.  I'm reprinting her post here:
.
Excerpt from the chapter, The Dawn of Truth ( from his book Sobriety and Beyond) by Father Ralph Pfau. (Imprimatur Paul C Shulte D.D Archbishop of Indianapolis March 1955).
.
"Somewhere along the path of life of every human being there comes a dread moment when he suddenly sees himself for what he is. Minus all the sham, the surface and the show, he then stands face to face with truth. Minus the deception of his own self seeking and selfishness, he sees himself clearly outlined in the aura of God's grace as it tears away all the foolish self deceptions and shows a man for what he really is- selfish, deceitful, full of excuses, dishonest, even to himself and full of faults and failings............conts: To most of us, this moment comes at a time when many of life's battles and years have passed, but at a time when there still remains sufficient years, vigor and initiative to "seek truth and pursue it,".in order to make it the motive of our living, the motive of our struggles and the security of our declining years.
.
This moment may be brought about by the death of a loved one, the loss of worldly goods, or it may be directly occasioned within by the grace of God speaking to the depth of our soul. To most alcoholics it comes at that instant when they face the inevitable choice: death, insanity or absolute sobriety. It often comes with a blinding flash that seems to tear away the very foundations of life and whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic, layman or professional, young or old, there arises from the very innermost sanctuary of the soul and heart the cry "My God, what a mess I have made of things! How pitiful is the good done, how sparing my help to others, how innumerable my mistakes, the wrongs-how all pervading my self seeking, how dishonest my every motive! How seamy the finished, but now battered product!"
.
This "moment" may last for an hour, a day, a month, a year or for years. But whenever, however it comes- it is a dread and fearful moment, because UPON THAT MOMENT AND THE DECISIONS OF THAT MOMENT MAY DEPEND OUR VERY LIFE AND OUR ETERNITY. And from that time on, one can never be the same again.....................conts: It is then that life's greatest decision must be made and then it seems that an angel has him by the hands and a devil by the foot...............he can do one of three things:
.
First, rush in confusion back to the old surface view of self and try by a thousand and one half remedies to dress up the haunting vision, to explain away the stubborn reality. TO EXCUSE and to attempt forgetfulness by courting the sham fancies of the night and by rushing headlong through the chores of the day. THIS IS THE CHOICE OF THE VAIN MAN.
.
Second, the shock may be so great, the failure so undeniably real, the disillusionment so crushing that he despairs and in one way or another he seeks to destroy himself- either factually or by the bottle. THIS IS THE PROUD MAN.
.
Third, this is the way of the Prodigal Son, who dropped on his knees in the swine pen and cried: "Father, I have sinned" or with it's echo "I am powerless... my life is unmanageable"- and perhaps for the first time in his life that man REALLY prays and begins to MEDITATE, THIS IS THE HUMBLE MAN. And day by day he prays and he MEDITATES on TRUTH lest again he fall back into his former life-long HABIT OF EXCUSES. For the LIFE OF ALL IS LOADED WITH EXCUSES-AND SYSTEMATIC, PERSISTENT AND CONSISTENT MEDITATION ALONE WILL DISSIPATE THEM. "With desolation is the land made desolate because there are none who thinketh in their hearts."

Prayers for Ros. 

The Holy Father venerated the relics of Matt Talbot today.

Pope Francis stops to pray before the relics of the Irish dock worker who overcame his alcohol addiction.

An alcoholic who, thanks to a vote, managed to overcome his addiction. Matt Talbot, a Dublin worker who died in the 1920s, receives the homage of Pope Francis who stops to venerate his relics in Our Lady’s Church in Lourdes, Dublin. Talbot was a drunkard during his youth: he worked on the harbor docks, he slurred and spent all his money on wine and beer, so that none of his friends or companions wanted to offer him more to drink.  Story here.

Venerable Matt Talbot pray for us and for those most in need of grace and mercy.

Pope Francis kissing a cross that belonged to Venerable Matt Talbot.
(Saturday 25th August 2018, 3:25 pm)

Venerable Matt Talbot

Man on a Bridge

(Matt Talbot on Newcomen Bridge)

T. Nelson

2018

Today is the anniversary of Matt's death.  It was Trinity Sunday, June 7, 1925.

The painting shown above is my attempt at depicting Matt Talbot in the moment of his conversion.  I imagine him here as he crossed Newcomen Bridge, after his friends ignored him.  Knowing he was probably broke, they avoided him and did not offer to buy him drink.  Though we don't know what happened on the bridge to give him the resolve to take the pledge, the bridge is a sort of metaphor of conversion, crossing over from one sort of life to another.  I imagine the 28 year old Matt Talbot as a young man, in a very private moment - looking at a crumpled piece of paper - perhaps it's a prayer, a scripture verse, or even a sort of printed notice encouraging pub patrons to take the pledge and join the Total Abstinence League?  In any case, it signifies his call to conversion.

The painting is still on the easel.

I asked him for a model and I searched Google for an "Irish lad".  Surprisingly an actor showed up and the thought came to mind as if Matt said, 'this could be me'.  I did my best to change the expression from the photo I used, but I wasn't very successful.  Perhaps one day I can try again.

Ninety-four years ago today ... Trinity Sunday ...

Matt Talbot died on this date, June 7, 1925.

Ven. Matt Talbot. (Bio) Matt Talbot exemplified the heroic virtue of temperance. He practiced the Christian life more or less as a solitary, although he was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis. The spiritual combat Talbot engaged in was associated with alcoholism, which in his case demanded the renunciation of a behavior, as well as an adjustment in lifestyle.

Talbot overcame his attachment to the disorder through the practice of the virtues, prayer and fidelity to the duties of his state in life, and mortification. He found support in the sacraments, spiritual direction and spiritual reading. Although he 'took the pledge' to abstain from alcohol, he did not have a support group such as AA to aid in his recovery. I especially admire Talbot's fortitude and perseverance, demonstrating that with God all things can be overcome... "In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall." - Taken from another site no longer active.

"Somewhere along the path of life of every human being there comes a dread moment when he suddenly sees himself for what he is."

Today is a good day to share something I posted some years ago.  I was able to cut and paste a post from Ros, aka Shadowlands, before she took one of her blogs down, and before she died of course. It's a treasure.

Shadowlands posted something about a priest Fr Ralph Pfau, known as the "Prodigal Shepherd" from the title of his book by the same name.  Fr. Pfau declared of himself,  "All my life, I will carry three indelible marks. I am a Roman Catholic priest. I am an alcoholic. And I am a neurotic."  Shadowlands says of him,  "He suffered much, but he kept trying."   I think that is key to conversion and the way to sanctity - 'saints are sinners who kept trying'.  I'm reprinting her post here:

Excerpt from the chapter, The Dawn of Truth ( from his book Sobriety and Beyond) by Father Ralph Pfau. (Imprimatur Paul C Shulte D.D Archbishop of Indianapolis March 1955).

"Somewhere along the path of life of every human being there comes a dread moment when he suddenly sees himself for what he is. Minus all the sham, the surface and the show, he then stands face to face with truth. Minus the deception of his own self seeking and selfishness, he sees himself clearly outlined in the aura of God's grace as it tears away all the foolish self deceptions and shows a man for what he really is- selfish, deceitful, full of excuses, dishonest, even to himself and full of faults and failings............conts: To most of us, this moment comes at a time when many of life's battles and years have passed, but at a time when there still remains sufficient years, vigor and initiative to "seek truth and pursue it,".in order to make it the motive of our living, the motive of our struggles and the security of our declining years..

This moment may be brought about by the death of a loved one, the loss of worldly goods, or it may be directly occasioned within by the grace of God speaking to the depth of our soul. To most alcoholics it comes at that instant when they face the inevitable choice: death, insanity or absolute sobriety. It often comes with a blinding flash that seems to tear away the very foundations of life and whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic, layman or professional, young or old, there arises from the very innermost sanctuary of the soul and heart the cry "My God, what a mess I have made of things! How pitiful is the good done, how sparing my help to others, how innumerable my mistakes, the wrongs-how all pervading my self seeking, how dishonest my every motive! How seamy the finished, but now battered product!"

.
This "moment" may last for an hour, a day, a month, a year or for years. But whenever, however it comes- it is a dread and fearful moment, because UPON THAT MOMENT AND THE DECISIONS OF THAT MOMENT MAY DEPEND OUR VERY LIFE AND OUR ETERNITY. And from that time on, one can never be the same again.....................conts: It is then that life's greatest decision must be made and then it seems that an angel has him by the hands and a devil by the foot...............he can do one of three things:
.
First, rush in confusion back to the old surface view of self and try by a thousand and one half remedies to dress up the haunting vision, to explain away the stubborn reality. TO EXCUSE and to attempt forgetfulness by courting the sham fancies of the night and by rushing headlong through the chores of the day. THIS IS THE CHOICE OF THE VAIN MAN.
.
Second, the shock may be so great, the failure so undeniably real, the disillusionment so crushing that he despairs and in one way or another he seeks to destroy himself- either factually or by the bottle. THIS IS THE PROUD MAN.
.
Third, this is the way of the Prodigal Son, who dropped on his knees in the swine pen and cried: "Father, I have sinned" or with it's echo "I am powerless... my life is unmanageable"- and perhaps for the first time in his life that man REALLY prays and begins to MEDITATE, THIS IS THE HUMBLE MAN. And day by day he prays and he MEDITATES on TRUTH lest again he fall back into his former life-long HABIT OF EXCUSES. For the LIFE OF ALL IS LOADED WITH EXCUSES-AND SYSTEMATIC, PERSISTENT AND CONSISTENT MEDITATION ALONE WILL DISSIPATE THEM. "With desolation is the land made desolate because there are none who thinketh in their hearts." - Fr. Pfau

Fr. Ralph Pfau

1904-1967

One more attempt: Matt Talbot

Matt Talbot

T. Nelson

acrylic on 5x7 panel.

Brighter-light shot:

Matt Talbot

T. Nelson

acrylic on 5"x7" panel.

The top image is a bit colder but closer to the original as it looks in natural light.  The 2nd image is shot using artificial lighting.  I am not a photographer, to be sure.  I wanted make an attempt to do a painting more closely resembling the only known photograph of Venerable Matt Talbot.

If your _____ causes you to sin, castrate.

Supposedly Origen did.

Today's Gospel has Jesus telling his listeners - us, "if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out.  If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off."  I was always told Church Father, Origen castrated himself, either because he had very strong temptations , wasn't 'master of his domain', and or, because he would be teaching women.  Perhaps it was just self-loathing?  Who knows, huh?  Some say that is why he cannot be a saint, however it may be more accurate to explain his rejection for canonization on account of a little bit of heresy called Origenism, which tainted an aspect of his teaching.  (Read about him here.)

Truth be told, at one point in my young life I thought it might be a necessary procedure for myself, if it wasn't for the fact I was always pretty proud of my manhood and experienced a sort of terror at the thought of losing it.  You go through some crazy stuff when suffering through extreme temptations.  Which may explain why I'm still alive, to prove that one doesn't have to go to such lengths to keep the commandments.  Sorry, TMI.

"Sin speaks to the sinner in the depths of his heart."

Christ's words are hyperbole, yet they reveal the demands necessary to keep the commandments and follow him.  Remember how John of the Cross 'cried out' as to the self denial Christ commands of us in The Ascent? "Oh who can make this counsel of our Saviour understandable... Oh who can explain the extent of the denial our Lord wishes of us..."  When Christ says we must deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him - he doesn't mean we should be walking to the bus dragging a huge cross behind us, no more than he wants us to go around gloomy when we fast or give up things, or stand on the street corners or in the blogosphere, adjusting our phylacteries while proclaiming how virtuous we are.

"it is out of the heart that evil thoughts come..." [Matt. 15:19]

An alcoholic quits drinking - he cuts it off.  He avoids people, places and things that 'cause him to sin' - that lead him to sin.  Matt Talbot did that.  He quit the pub, I think he even avoided walking past the the old hang out for awhile.  Until he got stronger, until his spirit matured.  Matt didn't need to worry about his old friends leading him astray, drinkers don't usually like being around non-drinkers, his drinking buddies were nowhere to be found after his conversion.   Therefore we see how Talbot cut off those parts in his life which led him to sin.

Always about the will and freedom of spirit.

Gay people can and often do likewise, as Matt Talbot did.  They can change.  They realize they are more than their sexual inclination or 'preference', that they are neither defined by their 'manhood' nor impotence, i.e. sexual behavior.  Aside from cutting out the sinful behavior - self-abuse, anonymous sex, porn; or gouging out the eye of their concupiscence - cruising every 'cute' person they encounter and so on, sometimes they need to cut off bad friendships and inappropriate social recreations as well. 

"Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame" (Lk 14:21).

It's better to go through life maimed, maybe even a little disabled or damaged, perhaps even a sort of outcast, than to end up in hell.  Matt Talbot lost his bar friends, lived alone, pretty much kept to himself, yet he insisted he was never lonely - he had Christ in the Eucharist.

So.  Cut off/out the behavior.  Gouge out the eye of concupiscence - you eventually get over it.  Although temptations you will always have - but remember,  they are just temptations.

Anyway.  That's my take on today's Gospel. 

Bonus addendum:

One who has contemplated the message carved in the flesh of Jesus' side by the soldier's lance and learned to read it in adoration has but one language in which to speak to the world: the language of the heart.
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It is learned not in conferences or classrooms or books, but in silence and in the contemplation of the Pierced One. It is learned especially in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
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The language of the heart encompasses a thousand local dialects, a million accents. Devotion to the Sacred Heart impels the Christian to an inventive charity, a charity ready to explore every dark and treacherous place in search of the lost sheep.
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"Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame" (Lk 14:21). "The great gesture of embrace emanating from the Crucified has not yet reached its goal; it has only just begun."16 - Pope Benedict XVI 

Bonus II:  I was reminded of a couple things I wanted to post here while at adoration this afternoon.

The thorn in the side thing St. Paul discusses.  That's the sort of disability which requires us to depend upon God's power - it's the powerlessness that glorifies Christ: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Then this lame idea:  In the old days, people entered monasteries and convents - to cut off that which caused them to sin.  For instance, life in a monastery may be safer than ogling sun bathers in a park.

Art Show ... Matt Talbot

Matt Talbot - T. Nelson [2016]

Acrylic on canvas

duplicate

(The first unfinished image.)

Narrative:

Matt was said to be an 'undersized, wiry man,' and we know he was a laborer.  I read he wore his working clothes everywhere - so I imagined a jacket and collarless shirt, a bit worn - just as I always depict him.  The difference this time is that I have him balding more than in my other paintings.  There are a couple of early paintings, one by a religious sister, depicting him bald, and I wanted to do so as well.  My composition is spare - a few religious mementos and scraps of paper, upon which it is said Matt would make spiritual notes - a small statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and holy cards of Therese and Catherine of Siena comprise the 'still life' of minutia on the mantel.  Above these, a very small image of OL of Perpetual Help hanging by a string.  Matt stands in front of the tall, narrow tenement mantel, upon which these poor possessions are displayed.  Interrupted in his devotion, clutching a crucifix, he looks out at the viewer.

I tried to imagine him in his 60's now, and made a sort of composite of images of Matt Talbot and my recollection of a young man I met years ago in Lourdes.  



My apologies for bad photography and even worse photo-shop editing.

Fortitude and Temperance

Necessary Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
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Ven. Matt Talbot. (Bio) Matt Talbot exemplified the heroic virtue of temperance. He practiced the Christian life more or less as a solitary, although he was a member of the third order of St. Francis. The spiritual combat Talbot engaged in was associated with alcoholism, which in his case demanded the renunciation of a behavior, as well as an adjustment in lifestyle.
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Image:  Matt Talbot, by Terry Nelson

Today is Matt Talbot's Birthday

May 2, 1856

"Somewhere along the path of life of every human being there comes a dread moment when he suddenly sees himself for what he is." - Fr. Ralph Pfau

I had hoped to finish my new painting of Matt Talbot by today - but I have more to do.

I started it last year - then set it aside until last month.  I was working on some other images.

Conversion.

This is the way of the Prodigal Son, who dropped on his knees in the swine pen and cried: "Father, I have sinned" or with it's echo "I am powerless... my life is unmanageable"- and perhaps for the first time in his life that man REALLY prays and begins to MEDITATE, THIS IS THE HUMBLE MAN. And day by day he prays and he MEDITATES on TRUTH lest again he fall back into his former life-long HABIT OF EXCUSES. For the LIFE OF ALL IS LOADED WITH EXCUSES-AND SYSTEMATIC, PERSISTENT AND CONSISTENT MEDITATION ALONE WILL DISSIPATE THEM. "With desolation is the land made desolate because there are none who thinketh in their hearts." - Fr. Pfau

Matt Talbot gave up drink for the rest of his life when he was 28 years old.  He did without it.  Human beings can change, they can give up legitimate goods when their affection for them gets to be disordered and turns out to be an obstacle to union with God.

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

I place all my trust in you!

My Matt Talbot

Matt Talbot

T. Nelson, 2014

I never posted the finished painting - this is the final version. I added a marble ledge as often seen in medieval works.  I thought it would add another dimension to the composition and relate to the color in the Crucifix scene.  I also obscured the background for a misty, drizzle effect, allowing the figure to stand out more from the background.



Ven. Matt Talbot pray for us!

Making saints.

Heroic virtue.

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All Catholics are called to sanctity at Baptism - which means all of us, no matter our state in life, are called to be saints, as Christ said, "Be holy as your Heavenly Father is holy" (Matthew 5:48). Our holiness is the holiness of the Holy Trinity dwelling within us. For a person's holiness to be recognized by the Church, the person's cooperation with grace needs to have been demonstrated by heroic virtue.

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Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
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During remarks at an event marking the 800th anniversary of the Franciscan order at the Antonianum Pontifical University, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, Archbishop Angelo Amato, explained the essence of holiness and what it means when the Vatican recognizes a person's virtues as heroic.

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After recalling that the “original source of the holiness of the Church and in the Church is this Triune God,” Archbishop Amato explained what the Church is declaring when it recognizes a Servant of God's heroic virtue. Receving this recognition is one of the most important steps in the process of canonization.

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He went on to recall that St. Thomas Aquinas considered “heroic virtue as the extraordinary perfection of the rational part of the soul.” St. Thomas, he said, “explains later the relationship between the gifts of the Holy Spirit and virtue. The gifts are indispensable for the baptized to achieve their supernatural dimension. In this context, he speaks of the heroic or divine habit, which indicates a disposition towards the good that is higher than that which is common. Heroic virtue is the exercise of virtue in the eminent degree.” Afterwards, the archbishop said, “In heroic virtue the moral level that is present is above the moral level present in almost all men. - Source

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Helps and guides on the road to sanctity.

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Let me explain something here. This is what the organization Courage is all about. Similar to a third order, or possibly a pious confraternity, Courage offers men and women seeking to live a chaste and celibate life in accord with the Gospel and Catholic moral teaching, an opportunity for support and direction towards realizing their primary vocation, the call to be holy. Within that context, one is helped to practice the virtues to a heroic degree. Not all are called to Courage, but all are called to live chastely according to their state in life, guided by the commandments and the teaching of the Church. Courage helps a man or woman struggling with vice to avoid false teachings and erroneous doctrines.

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“In heroic virtue, Christ becomes visible again in our midst and the saint becomes the mirror of Christ. The saints, moreover, are true operators of the enculturation of the Gospel, not through theories elaborated at a desk, but rather by living and manifesting the sequela Christi (the following of Christ) in their own culture.” - Source

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For more information on Courage click here: http://couragerc.net/

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Art: Ven. Matt Talbot. (Source) Matt Talbot exemplified the heroic virtue of temperance. He practiced the Christian life more or less as a solitary, although he was a member of the third order of St. Francis. The spiritual combat Talbot engaged in was associated with alcoholism, which in his case demanded the renunciation of the behavior, as well as a change in lifestyle.

My last attempt ...

Matt Talbot on the street where he died.

To depict Matt Talbot as a young man.

I went back to an earlier style.  I showed a kid with a bottle and a fidler who had his fiddle stolen.  Matt was a penitent, with a history.

The photo is a bit blurred, my apologies.  Neuropathy and tremors are catching up with me.

Ordinary Saints.

This is the one whom I approve: the lowly and afflicted man who trembles at my word. - Isaiah 66: 2

I often think of some of the old, solitary men I often noticed at daily Mass at a downtown church I used to go to.  They were quiet, sat off to the side, praying quietly - sometimes for very long stretches. If someone greeted them, they would nod, otherwise they kept to themselves.  They didn't exhibit any outward piety save for what is expected, genuflections and so on.  No touching statues, no pious poses, nothing 'put on'.  They minded their own business.  I never tried to inquire about them, never tried to meet them or engage them - I even tried to avoid glancing at them - so strong the impression they were engaged in prayer.  They slipped in and out of church, be it for Mass or adoration.

Many daily Mass goers are like that.  I think many older folks, male and female, live quiet, contemplative lives - unobtrusive.  They don't meddle - they don't watch who or what kind of person goes to communion.  I doubt they looked around to see who was devout and who was not, or how people were dressed.  They were not at church for that.

I noticed them.  Not a few seemed poor, not particularly well dressed - perhaps lifelong bachelors or widowers - and probably retired manual laborers.  They taught me by their fidelity, their quiet devotion, without calling attention to themselves - I admired what I now recognize as their humble dignity, integrity, guilelessness I suppose.  

It seems to me a big problem with online evangelists and their incessant self disclosures on 'their' conversion and advice on how to befriend people like themselves how to be Catholic and effective and successful and - whatever their shtick happens to be - it just seems to me their whole thing ends up being about them - 'all about me'.  I may be wrong of course.  In fact - it is really none of my business.

However, having painted and prayed with Matt Talbot these past couple of weeks I was reminded of the hidden souls I used to admire.  Matt Talbot was like those men.  He lived quietly and humbly - an ordinary, hidden life - no self promotion or self canonization ever came between him and the Lord. 

That is the secret of sanctity, I think - I hope.

“Some of those who follow Jesus do so in search of power. Perhaps they do not do so with full consciousness. A clear example of this is to be found in John and James, the sons of Zebedee who asked Jesus to seat them in places of honour, one on His right and one on His left in his Kingdom. And in the Church there are climbers, people driven by ambition! There are many of them! But if you like climbing go to the mountains and climb them: it is healthier! Do not come to Church to climb! And Jesus scolds people with this kind of ambitious attitude in the Church”. - Pope Francis

Photo: Grandpa Dobri 

Matt Talbot

A couple of weeks ago I came across some photo transparencies of a few of my earlier "icons". I decided to have a couple of prints made - shown above is a panel I painted depicting the Venerable Matt Talbot.

Venerable Matt Talbot

Tomb of Matt Talbot

June 7, 1925

Pray for us.

Matt Talbot's Birthday

+2 May 1856 – 7 June 1925+

Lord, in your servant, Matt Talbot you 

have given us a wonderful example of 

triumph over addiction, of devotion to 

duty, and of lifelong reverence for the 

Holy Sacrament. May his life of 

prayer and penance give us courage 

to take up our crosses and follow in the 

footsteps of Our Lord and Saviour, 

Jesus Christ. 

Father, if it be your will that your 

beloved servant should be glorified by 

your Church, make known by your 

heavenly favours the power he enjoys in 

your sight. We ask this through the 

same Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

A little art exhibition for Our Lady of the Rosary: Blessed Rolando Rivi and Venerable Matt Talbot

Blessed Rolando Rivi, Terry Nelson, 2014

Acrylic on wood.

16 x 20

Ven. Matt Talbot, Terry Nelson, 2014

Acrylic on gesso panel.

11 x 14

Narratives will be post on the art blog here.

Please click on the images to view detail.

Margaret of Cortona, penitent.

May 16

'Penitent' not 'celebrity'.

If Margaret lived today I wonder if she would have her conversion story online or published in a best seller?

In her day - as in Matt Talbot's day, penitents actually did penance.  They didn't publicize their repentance and piety.  Although their manner of life witnessed to it.  Like Matt Talbot, Margaret knelt upon the steps of the church before Mass.  She with a rope around her neck - penance was still somewhat public in her day.  Penance was not a boast however - the penitent was hardly a celebrity.  Margaret's celebrity had been her beauty and her sexuality - her penance was reparation for her misuse of that.  In fact, her desire to publicly express her penance had to be restrained by her confessors - that she not call attention to herself.

Margaret is a saint for our times.  How many use beauty and grace to attract attention to oneself?  How many seek riches and comfort and sexual pleasure in bad relationships?  How many youth run away to seek fame and glamour?  How many runaways end up homeless and alone, addicted?  Fortunately for Margaret, in her lonely sorrow she returned to Christ, since she had been trained in the faith as a young child.      

Margaret was a lonely soul, all of her life - even with her lover and son.  It was the cross she sought to escape through promiscuous behavior and ultimately an illicit relationship - but everywhere she (we) met that cross.  Was she celibate after her conversion?  Technically, yes.  Would she make a big deal of that the way we do in our culture?  I hardly think so.  It was her state in life, the condition of her life - even as a 'single' mother.

She retired into greater solitude at the end.  Even then they gossiped about her, some doubting the authenticity of her conversion - yet she didn't try to defend herself by publishing her penance, much less the Divine revelations and communications Our Lord shared with her.  It was after her death that her conversion and penance was made known by her confessor, and the rumors and innuendo finally ceased.

She has so much to teach us in our day.  To read her complete story, go here.

Art: Artist unknown.  Source.  

Matt Talbot.

A new painting by Nico M. Peeters.

It is a wonderful painting.  The narrative posted here, written by Nico Peeters, was sent to me by a friend of his.

“ Matt was a common laborer, working most of his life at a timber factory on the quay of Liffey River in Dublin, where ships used to discharge their cargo of timber. What makes his life special and at the same time very recognizable, is his struggle to get rid of his addiction to alcohol. He regularly fell back, but strengthened by the grace of God, he at last conquered himself. He attended Holy Mass whenever he could and nurtured by the Holy Eucharist, he grew in living a decent life and self denial. He has always been loyal to his patron and kept working until he died at the age of 77 in 1925.

This painting depicts, at the left, the always latent present temptation of reaching out to alcohol again, when things become difficult. Liquor may provide some relief, but at the end it always leaves one in darkness and loneliness. From the right the light of Christ illuminates life and gives strength to withstand temptations. The log in Matt’s hands symbolizes Christ’s cross, which acts as a barrier between him and temptation. We are not able to redeem ourselves, only Christ delivers us from evil.

At the quay a typical timber ship from the twenties and a lorry. The fellow laborer behind Matt shows the solidarity by his colleagues, who relieved him, when he became older, from too heavy labor and provided him a small burlap sack to prevent logs sliding off his slightly sloping shoulders. Still Matt accepted all hardships from life in a cheerful mood, being aware of the glory awaiting all those, who are not afraid to surrender to Christ, Who is the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end of all times.” - Nico Peters