{"id":18622,"date":"2026-07-24T08:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T06:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/behold.mt\/?post_type=talba-bl-arti&p=18622"},"modified":"2026-06-30T22:22:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T20:22:04","slug":"his-grace-toward-me-was-not-in-vain","status":"publish","type":"talba-bl-arti","link":"https:\/\/behold.mt\/en\/talba-bl-arti\/his-grace-toward-me-was-not-in-vain\/","title":{"rendered":"His grace toward me was not in vain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Fourth Reflection on the Painting of Jesus with the Apostles<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

But I call upon God;
and the Lord will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he will hear my voice.
He will deliver my soul in safety
from the battle that I wage,
for many are arrayed against me.<\/p>Psalm 55:16\u201318<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In this lunette, painted directly onto the stone by Giuseppe Cal\u00ec in 1902, the central figure is Jesus, the Master, surrounded by his disciples. He is clothed in the traditional colours of red and blue, symbolising his humanity and his divinity\u2014the very heart of the Good News that must be proclaimed to humanity so that salvation may reach all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 9 April 1942, during an air raid by the Axis, the Rotunda was struck when a bomb pierced the dome. Before falling to the floor, it struck the face of Christ in this very image. By God\u2019s providence, the bomb did not explode. However fiercely sin seeks to attack and disfigure it, it can never completely erase the image of Christ within us. No matter how deeply we may fall, grace can always rescue that image from destruction. Yet grace must be willfully received and allowed to work within us, for there is always the danger that, even when we imagine ourselves to be safe and secure, we may still find that we are losing everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you meet the steady gaze of Christ, looking directly towards you from this painting, make St Paul\u2019s words your own: \u201cBut by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain\u201d (1 Corinthians 15:10). At the same time, choose to turn away from all that is evil and make ever greater room for his grace to accomplish its work within you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":13068,"template":"","rizors":[],"yoast_head":"\nHis grace toward me was not in vain - Behold<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/behold.mt\/en\/talba-bl-arti\/his-grace-toward-me-was-not-in-vain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"His grace toward me was not in vain - Behold\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fourth Reflection on the Painting of Jesus with the Apostles But I call upon God;and the Lord will save me.Evening and morning and at noonI utter my complaint and moan,and he will hear my voice.He will deliver my soul in safetyfrom the battle that I wage,for many are arrayed against me... 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