Christ Crucified, 1632, Diego Velazquez 1599-1660, oil on canvas, 248 X 169 cm, Prado Museum Madrid Spain, Image Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Apostles’ Creed Week #4 : “Was Crucified”

Pain that goes on and on….pain that will not let you go….physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual pain.

Loneliness, loss of control, humiliation and despair…

Diego Velazquez expertly brings us to the foot of the cross for an up close view of Jesus, as he suffers for our sins. Unlike so many other crucifixion paintings, you really can’t turn away from the scene and focus on anything else….. it is Jesus, alone, as he suffers.

Being the child of a severely disabled parent, I have a history of looking away from suffering, of pretending it really doesn’t exist,  but at some point you realize that you can’t run or hide from it. And then comes the day when you begin to see that there is real hard core…