The second reflection about the painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, at St Ubaldesca Church, Paola

For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.  He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

John 3:17-19

Albeit rather elaborate—almost baroque—frame, this painting by Lazzaro Pisani is in a modern style with a truly original composition, bringing together many elements connected with the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  But before getting into the detail of these aspects, it is worth noting the setting in which this ‘scene’ unfolds.

The background in the painting is composed of walls and arches through which almost nothing is visible.  Despite that, however, it is evident that the artist wanted to create the impression of an interior environment signifying that Jesus and the rest are inside.  This is highlighted by the fact that the arch on the right-hand side shows us the darkness outside, the moon seemingly peering in behind the clouds.  Thus, we see a contrast between the light inside and the darkness outside.  It is the same contrast that Saint John the Evangelist makes when, at the Last Supper, after Judas goes out, he specifies that “It was night” (Jn 13:30).  From the hearth of the Cenacle, cloaked in the warmth of friendship and lightened by the one who called himself “the light of the world” (Jn 8:12), Judas goes out into the darkness of the betrayal of the Master.  He renounced his faith since he loved darkness rather than light because his deed was evil (see Jn 3:19).

At the same time, although barely visible, at the bottom of the opening leading outside we detect the first sign of daybreak.  Is it the dawn of the new Lord’s Day, when those who believe in Jesus take their place in the Heavenly Jerusalem which, like the room in the painting, “has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Rev 21:23)?

Even reflecting on our life, we are aware of this wrestle between light and darkness, between the warmth of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the cold of chasing after the worthless, within ourselves.  And each day in this tussle we take a step forward or backward, in the hope that by the time the Lord’s Day dawns, the morning star, who is Christ, will have risen in our hearts (see 2 Pt 1:19).  What will you choose today?  What will you choose every day?