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Experiences of True Love |
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written
by daw84 / 10.24.2005 |
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| The Ecstasy of Beata Ludovica Albertoni |
1 of 1 |
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Assignment |
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Beata Ludovica Albertoni and Saint Theresa are captured in the moment that their wildest dreams and passions have been realized, but each woman is experiencing something entirely different. The two ecstasy sculptures encapsulate _____, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
His strong, calloused hands gripped her own as he led her up the stairs from the noisy house party below. He had caught her eye days before, working hard in the fields, the sun beating down on his broad, bronze back made strong from years of hard work. Tonight, his youthful eyes had finally met her own, and finally, he had asked her to dance. How smoothly he led her gliding across the dance floor. They were in their own world. In the open spaces, he set her free to twirl, spin, and put her head back in complete freedom, and in the crowds, he drew her close to his muscular chest in the now-familiar, protective embrace.
She dedicated her life to the service of Jesus Christ. In her youth, it had been the appeal of wearing the long, dark robes which attracted her to the convent. Soon after becoming a nun, however, she discovered it was far more than simply that. Although by no means a life removed from happiness and joy, her lifestyle necessitated the denial of all worldly pleasures. Long days in prayer, fasting, and silence made her solely dependent on Christ and the Word of God for strength. She was far from perfect. Her mind went wild with the temptations and desires to forget all her promises, and twice she almost rebelled from what she had sworn before Almighty God. Eventually and mysteriously, however, the One whom she spent so much time studying about, reading of, and praying to, wooed her heart with the price He had paid for her on the cross. Then, the burden of her duties transformed to joy as she carried them out in response to God’s love for her.
In the midst of the passion of the evening, he pulled her in, her body completely united with his own, and whispered in her ear a secret invitation to escape from the crowds to the upstairs prepared room. In the flurry of activity that followed, she followed him blindly and ignorantly, completely seduced by his youthful strength, and the two became entangled in love for just an instant. And, in that instant, the two experienced the culmination of a passionate, intimate one-night-stand. He ravished her then tossed her aside, where Bernini captured her image. The state of her heart on her beautiful face showing a tragic combination between ignorant satisfaction and painful anguish as the object of her love fades into the distance. She was robbed of all he had wanted from her. Her youthful body had given him all he desired, the pinnacle of their fleshly love, so he left her falling, her clothes collapsing into soft folds around her, as he ran off with her heart forever.
Over the years, she had fallen deeper and deeper in love with God. The vow to chastity which once seemed such a struggle almost seemed trivial now, for she had completely exchanged physical intimacy for the spiritual intimacy which far surpassed her wildest dreams. Falling into a deep sleep, she saw the clouds burst open above her. Light brighter than any that the sun could ever provide burst upon her face. She saw her Savior and the love of her life. But in that instant of elation, an intense feeling of uncleanliness stabbed deep into her chest. She was in the presence of Almighty God, and the clear, penetrating light of His holiness shot deep into her revealing the darkness of the depths of her heart. But in the midst of the horrible revelation, a small angel with a sharp golden arrow flew towards her. Thrusting the arrow into her breast, it went straight to her barely beating heart hissing as it seared out the dark, imperfect portions. And as the angel withdrew the arrow of purification, her face turned once more to the glory above her, and miraculously her stabbed heart was healed by the power from above. And finally, her Heavenly Father, who loved her even while knowing the very depths of her heart, called her to come, ride up in the clouds, and enter into His presence, which is where Bernini caught her in his Ecstasy of St. Theresa.
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