It is estimated that nearly 500 paintings in the [early medieval] period included the goldfinch, either perched on the Madonna’s fingers or nestled in Christ’s hands. The European Goldfinch was considered a “savior” bird. Here’s some background: Goldfinches eat mainly thistle seed. Thistles, having thorns, were symbolically associated with the thorns in Jesus’ crown during the crucifixion. There is even a story that when Jesus was carrying the cross to Calvary, a goldfinch flew down to remove a thorn from Jesus’ crown of thorns. When it plucked out the thorn, the bird’s face was stained red with Jesus’ blood. As the story goes, that’s why the European Goldfinch has a red face.
Welcome to Day 14 of the Wonders of Worship (WOW) series. Today we ponder the Gospel Acclamation.
“[H]ow accustomed we too grow to the false comforts of our traps, how unwilling to leave them for the terror of freedom, how we too may need a gentle push to feel our own wings.” —Maria Popova
The European Goldfinch in my painting is preparing to take flight, like we do when we rise to sing “Alleluia!” readying ourselves to hear the liberating news of the Gospel.
Ways to Engage:
- Practice Visio Divina (receive, reflect, respond, rest) with the painting.
- Download the B&W image. Color it on your own or with a friend. Color in silence or while listening to the European Goldfinch song. Let it inspire further contemplation/conversation.
- You do you. Trust your intuition and engage in the way your heart desires.
To download the black and white image for personal use: on a computer, click and drag the image to your desktop; on a phone, press on the picture until it gives you the option to save it to your photos. The image is formatted to fit on an 8.5″x11″ piece of paper, but feel free to print it whatever size you’d like.
Background: I created a series of forty 5″x7″ watercolor paintings inspired by the elements of worship. It was work commissioned by a project with Nourishing Vocation with Children at St. Olaf College, a program funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative.
As the paintings are shared, you may notice a pattern:
- Music = Songbird
- Prayer = Seed and/or Fruit
- Word = Leaf
- Order of Service = Element of Nature
- Season = Insect with a Flower
One final creative invitation for this project remains for me: to paint a Tree of Life holding all forty elements. I plan to share its progress here.
For this series, I am grateful to have used handmade paper from White Dragon Paper and watercolor paints from Natural Earth Paint.
vonda drees art 