Wrapping up this course with a new knowledge base of the Catholic Church and it's history, I was presented with many themes and ideas that flourished throughout the Church's rich historical timeline. Three of these themes, sacrifice, art, and politics, took the center stage in the events of the Church's history and shaped or were shaped by these occurrences. Today, these themes remain and continue to be active elements within the Catholic Church's structure.
The death and resurrection of Jesus was the first sacrifice that Christians witnessed. Christians were so moved by this grand sacrifice of Jesus, he willingly giving up his life so that we could have salvation and eternal life as well. Early Christians were devoted followers of Jesus and spread the good word as best they could, however, they were persecuted harshly after some time. Martyrs were the next example of the sacrifice theme in Catholic history. Brave men and women who lived and died by the gospel and for the gospel were murdered because of their beliefs. For example, in Rome we saw churches dedicated to martyrs such as St. Prassedes and St. Pudenziana who were sisters and martyrs that held mass in their home and willingly died to send the message that Jesus was their salvation and Christians were ultimately on the right side of history. Following the crucifixion of Jesus and the deaths of many martyrs, there came a time when Christians were not being persecuted as fiercely because they gained acceptance in the Roman Empire's society. This prompted the rise of monasticism or the way of life of monks and nuns who separated from society to pray for the world. This practice came to replace martyrdom as the model of Christian perfection. Many monastic orders were vowed to chastity, poverty, and prayer. They live strict lives as a way to carry on the sacrifice that Jesus made as well as the martyrs that followed him. In addition, the Eucharist now serves as the bloodless sacrifice of Christians today. The Eucharist embodies God and Jesus sacrificing for us, and us sacrificing to God and Jesus in return. The Eucharist is participating in the life of God through the blood and body of Jesus.
Art is a theme largely seen in the Catholic Church throughout time. Art was reflective of what was happening with the church at the time. For example, during the black death many religious artworks were created in a realistic approach. Bloody and gruesome artworks of Jesus being crucified and Mary mourning after him were commonly seen at this time, relating to the suffering of the black death. Not only was art influenced from suffering, but from social and cultural movements as well. The Renaissance brought new types of art and architecture that was utilized by the Catholic Church. Gothic architecture that replaced Romanesque architecture brought in large stained glass windows to churches and pointed roofs to raise the minds of worshippers and let in the light of God. Several churches we saw in Rome had overwhelmingly beautiful pieces of art within them, most commissioned by the Church to famous artists such as Caravaggio and Michelangelo. For example, The Martyrdom of St. Matthew painted by Caravaggio was placed in the church of San Luigi dei Francesci. The cardinal whose chapel the painting was to be placed in left specific instructions for what he wanted in the painting; architecture, the saint being murdered by a soldier, and crowds of witnesses displaying heavy emotion. The artist was paid for this work, so they were to paint what their commissioner asked of them. Of course, the artists found ways to incorporate their own styles and visions for these religious works of art, many of them being deeply religious as well. There is often the question of whether it is truly right for the Catholic Church to have these glorious art filled and beautifully architected churches. It can be argued to be just in many ways, for one, it can be seen as a commemoration of looking at how far the Catholic Church had come. Once a persecuted group of outcasts, Catholics continued to follow the gospel and eventually flourished, the places of worship can be used to remember how far they've come and what they've been able to build out of nothing. It can also be argued that it is okay for the church to be so heavily decorated, because it is not one person's belongings. The Church belongs to everyone, the donors who spent money to put art in the churches could be seen as a testimony of how generous they were to give back to the church. The rich did not own the Catholic Church, it belonged to everyone and anyone who followed the gospel.
Politics and the church is another theme that has been played out in the history of the Catholic Church. Once Constantine converted to Christianity and made it the official religion of the Roman Empire, it meant both good and bad for the church. The positives were the Romans would pray for the clergy, Christian values influenced the law of the land, Christianity being the state's religion gave Christians a deeper sense of civic duty, and Christians could justify defending the state by referring to the Bible. On the negative side, emperors often overstepped their powers and intervened in church affairs, there was corruption of the church through wealth and political gain, it tested the Christian conscience, and led Christians to persecute non-believers. Once Christianity and politics mingled, it was hard to separate the two and for a long time the two institutions would influence each other to a great extent. Pope Leo I was a key figure in centralizing the papal authority and declared that Popes are direct successors of St. Peter, thus having a lot of power. There was often power struggle or power cooperation between the Popes and the Kings throughout history. For example, Pope Stephen crowned Pippin the King of the Franks in 754 which had advantages for both parties. Pippin could cement his claim to kingship over the Franks and create a central monarchy and have full authority because he was appointed by the Pope. In return, the Pope was given a large chunk of Italy to rule over as a spiritual leader and a king. Instances such as these show the dysfunction of the Church and Politics, and how at times, the Church's leaders went against what they preached. This of course led to revolutions within the Church and some groups subsequently breaking off on their own, such as the Lutherans.
The Church has seen many changes over the course of history, but I believe it is okay to assume that sacrifice, art, and politics will see their way into the coming future of the Catholic Church.
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