[This] painting by Fra Angelico is a difficult image. It does not offer immediate comfort or ease. Yet, as we reflect on today’s Gospel reading, where we hear that “The Son of Man must suffer many things”, we realise that this painting is actually a very fitting image. Most artists depict Christ’s suffering through the Via Crucis, the Flagellation, or the Crucifixion itself, using dramatic compositions filled with physical anguish. But very few portraits manage to convey the depth of Christ’s inner suffering in such a stark and haunting way, as [this] painting.
Each year, I choose an artwork to accompany me through Lent in prayer. This has been my image for this year. I have printed it and hung it in my room. It both draws me in and yet unsettles me—which is precisely why it is such a powerful piece. The most profound artworks often do both: they invite us into their mystery while confronting us with truths we might prefer to avoid.
[This] is not a merely devotional painting; it is deeply challenging. And that is precisely the point of Lent. We should be challenged and unsettled! Lent reminds us that suffering is woven into the fabric of life; a Christ's suffering into the fabric of our Christian lives. This painting seems to strip away all distractions, leaving us face to face with Christ’s sorrow.
--Fr. Patrick van der Vorst
Image and quotation source: Fra Angelico, Christ Crowned with Thorns (1438), https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-9-22-25-2025/
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