| | | Jess Fellmeth is the Web Marketing Manager at Catholic to the Max. Growing up in a grayscale-tinted, secularized culture in Manchester, New Hampshire, Jess' ultimate act of teenage rebellion was joining the Catholic Church at 15 years-old. Now a blissfully-married newlywed and recent Psychology graduate of Franciscan University, Jess happily makes the most her love of tradition and beauty by her work in marketing Catholic to the Max products. Jess paints, sings, and is even working to coordinate a schola for the traditional Latin mass at St. Peter's Church in Steubenville. |
| | I'll admit it: I didn't expect to like this book.
I love beauty, I love form.
Things like Pre-Raphaelite art, and the traditional Latin mass have captivated my heart and my imagination for some years now. Growing up in such a big city, I was steeped in a culture that was rebellious, anti-authoritarian, and relativistic. So when Our Lord called me into the Church as a teenager, it's no surprise that I was drawn to the ancient beauty and structures of Catholicism.
It's not unusual among converts--we gravitate toward what we were missing.
This week, when I was handed a copy of Dr. Paula T Trzepacz's Meditations on the Passion of Christ, I wasn't inclined to be impressed.
"Modern Art? Ugh, why are we selling this?" was my immediate, internal reaction.
I had never understood abstract art, and unfortunately it is easy to judge based on appearances. You can make assumptions, for instance, that the painter's choices of color and shape were random occurrences for which they later had to fabricate explanations. |
| Let me tell you right now, from the bottom of my heart: Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
I was expecting weird, sentimental explanations, bereft of any intellectual foundation, simply because it was abstract art. What I found instead, written into the notes and explanations on each painting, was that Dr. Trzepacz had reflected deeply on Our Lord's Passion. |
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But Dr. Trzepacz went a step further: she used her knowledge of psychology to guide her choice of colors to direct the emotional responses in her viewer. None of her colors are random; each was chosen for a distinct purpose. The effect makes it seem even more that you are right there with our Lord, toiling with him.
As I read both the introduction to the book and the explanation notes for each painting, I was surprised to be moved by these images and their accompanying texts. It was striking how very personal the reflections are. The author clearly put herself into this writing, and you can tell that every word was intentionally chosen, reflecting her own personal love of Christ, empathy with His Passion, and desire to walk the road up to Calvary with Him.
My recommendation to each and every one of you is to order this book, take an hour or so to read it on Good Friday, and use it to walk with Him- to understand Him better- to reflect on your actions- to love Him.
If you are already moved by modern art and its raw emotional content, this book is for you. If you are of a traditionalist bent, maybe this will be a source of humility and help you to use not just your intellect, but your emotions, too, to serve The Lord. |
| | I'm reminded of a quote from Ernest Hemingway, when he came under criticism from William Faulkner for his lack of vocabulary and terse writing structure:
“Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.”
That is precisely what Dr. Trzepacz has done here: she walks us through the Passion, including the big emotions, in simple and moving way.
It has humbled me, taught me new things, and helped me to lift my heart and mind to God.
May it do the same for you.
Jess Fellmeth
April 10th, 2019
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Meditations on the Passion of Christ by Paula T. Trzepacz, MD
$9.95
Place an order by 4/12
and you can get it by Good Friday! |
| | | About the Artist, Paula T. Trzepacz, MD
Paula grew up as a cradle Catholic and, like most young people, didn't really understand the faith or care for the faith as she grew up. She poured herself into her education and work: first college, then medical school, only to end up working long hours of extremely residency training.
After years of living and working like this, some conversations with a coworker led her to a renewed conversion to Christianity and then ultimately back to the richness of Catholicism. The result was an unexpected zeal for learning about her faith, studying the Bible, attending conferences, and often attending weekday mass.
Some years later she discovered painting as a welcome recreation from her usual duties. All of her works are vibrantly colorful and carry an implicit meaning about the beauty and sacredness of life. Most of her works are semi-abstract: the subject matter is more or less evident, and symbolism of colors adds meaning. |
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