What Madness is This?

Sunday, March 17, 2024 12:00 pm EST

Joshua Johnson, civil engineering major at Notre Dame, introduces The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew by Francesco Trevisani.

This artwork is a very jarring piece. Our eyes are immediately drawn to the central focal point of the suffering of Saint Andrew whose arms and legs are restrained in an outstretched cross formation. He is about to be crucified because he had converted many to the Christian faith throughout the Mediterranean, including the wife of a Roman governor. That governor got his revenge by immediately ordering Andrew to be scourged and then crucified.

As grisly as the scene appears, Saint Andrew’s gaze upward towards heaven is full of hope. An angel above him carries his eternal rewards—the crown of rejoicing, otherwise known as the crown of the martyrs, is visible. We can also see the faces of angels beaming down in joy at the sacrifice of Saint Andrew.

But what madness is this? How can heaven rejoice at such a scene?

Saint Andrew was one of the original Apostles—those who were called by name by Jesus, those who walked and talked with the Savior—a direct encounter with the divine. After experiencing firsthand the reality of Christ, his death, burial, and resurrection, the Apostles’ unwavering devotion suddenly becomes understandable.

Suffering and death had lost their sting because Saint Andrew had seen the promise of the Father fulfilled in the Son. He knew that his adoption into this divine family promised the ultimate hope of resurrection beyond earthly death, something that each of us is offered as well.

We ask the Lord in prayer to give us an unshakable experience of his Son so that we might persevere in love, joy, and hope beyond all our trials.

This Lent, ThinkND invites you to join FaithND and the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art for a journey of Lenten discovery through some of the most significant liturgical paintings in the Raclin Murphy collection, challenging you to contemplate prayer, fasting, sinfulness, mercy, grace, and God’s infinite love from the perspectives of the artist’s gaze. To subscribe to the FaithND Daily Gospel Reflection visit faith.nd.edu/signup.