Vermeer was besotted with sin. He did not glorify sin, but showed how common the sins of the growing middle class were. His paintings provide parables of what not to do before choosing mortal sin.
Pearls were a symbol of prostitution and loose women. Men were shown drinking to excess, a mortal sin, and women were shown being compromised.
Why was he so intrigued by sin? One suspects that he wanted to show the new arrivals into society that they were being foolish, stupid, trivial.
He was showing the depth of the falling away of people from Christianity because they could afford to do so. Greed, Avarice, lead to Lust, to Anger, to more and more sins, piled upon one another, until a person's conscience is like the core of an onion, covered in layers. A small thing, like accepting a glass of wine from a rich man, could lead a young woman to sin.
Vanity, vainglory, pride lead to greater sins.
Look closely at the little hints in these pictures. Social satire should bite the soul. Today, we are surrounded by images of sin. I cannot abide television, as sin abounds. Most popular music extols sex outside of marriage and other mortal sins. We are brainwashed by sin. And, yet, the pulpits remain silent. Why?
God destroyed the earth once in water. He destroyed four out of the five cities of sodomy, including the two largest. He has allowed empires to fall, nations to disappear, peoples to become extinct in certain parts of the globe.
God will not stand by while the world commits moral outrages, a list one need not make, as we all know these sins. They are in our own hearts, minds, souls.
This is the time of mercy, but it is coming to a close soon. I know this.
Mercy and Justice go hand in hand. Justice will come. Those in sin act as though there is no such thing as Divine Justice. Please, warn them. Teach your children to pay attention to their own souls.
God is Good, and most of us do not understand what this means. He is Perfection.
Only the perfect see God.
If priests were doing their job, I would not have to write about these things. I want to be Supertradmum, not Supertradfather. Sadly, the fathers have abdicated their roles. When the men in a family do not teach the truth, the women must.
Souls are at stake, and time is short.
The Good News of the Gospel is that God has redeemed us, given us the means to be free.
In an old pamphlet for over a hundred years ago, a priest wrote this: the sign over heaven reads, "Enter those who have chosen freedom". Freedom is obedience, humility, peace in God. Sin puts one in a cage, and forever, one does not choose grace.
Freedom is in God, in Christ, through the Holy Spirit.
In this last painting, a woman at work with a balance weighs things. But, behind her, is a painting of Christ at the Last Judgment, weighing the merit of those who are good and those who are bad.
Vermeer understood the need for conversion. He knew the people around him needed to be reminded of the spiritual realities which were being forgotten because of consumerism and materialism. Let us be reminded that one mortal sin deprives us of not only sanctifying grace, but everlasting life.
