Sunday of the Fourth Week of Advent

For Fr. Miguel. Don't know if he's still reading but maybe Jack or Hildegard can point it out to him. These are from the chapel at my monastery and the Abbey chapel at Conception Abbey down the road. Today's gospel was the Visitation. We all know the story. Mary went in haste to the hill country to visit her cousin Elizabeth...

But notice the difference between the image in your head, most likely (it was mine as well) and the image portrayed on the walls of these two churches.

Look who is there with her. Joseph, her betrothed. Joseph in a floppy hat with a walking stick, leading a donkey. Of course he went with her. Maybe he didn't stay the whole three months. Maybe (probably) he didn't have a donkey. Maybe he wasn't too thrilled about the whole thing or maybe he was worried about many many things coming all too soon into his life. But it comforts me to think that he went with her. It's hard to do things alone. It's especially hard to do impossible things alone. But with friendship, companionship, with someone to guide you through the rocky hills and down into the valleys, it might just get done.

For those interested, this art is in the style of the Beuronese Art School--a monastery from which Conception Abbey stems (and then its sister monastery as well). My Benedictine medal is in the same style. According to the Wikipedia article, Klimt was influenced by this movement as well. Benedictine fingers extending all over.