"Inspirational Artwork Week," Day 1

Discovery Channels' "Shark Week" begins today, and that means a good number of my small group of followers (my boys and their cousins) are going to be tuned in to that for the foreseeable future. I actually considered doing my own little tribute to sharks, but then thought better of it. I can't compete with "Shark Week," and I'm not even going to try! I did a "T-Rex Week" in June, which was a lot of fun. But I wanted to do something really different this time.

So I decided to have a week, beginning today and ending on Friday, devoted to art--specifically, beautiful pieces of religious artwork. I am always so drawn to images of the saints, Our Lord, and the Blessed Mother. I love images of angels, too. So many great artists have used these holy subjects as their inspiration for some of the most magnificent artwork ever created in the history of mankind. (Think Michelangelo's "Pieta" and his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.) There is something about gazing on these types of images that helps the viewer "ascend more easily in spirit to Heaven." (This is a quote from the Fatima Crusader that may sound familiar, as I used it in my May 15 post.)

After writing about St. Philomena yesterday, I found I was still thinking about her this morning. So I'm going to start out "Inspirational Artwork Week" with this lovely painting of St. Philomena, the young virgin martyr who is called "Powerful with God."

"Pray to St. Philomena, whatever you ask from Her She will obtain for you." (Pope Gregory XVI)