Notes: | PLEASE USE THIS BRIEF CREDIT INFORMATION FOR FREE, NON-COMMERCIAL CONGREGATIONAL PRINTING: Cara B. Hochhalter, Even the Dogs. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=58944 FOR OTHER USES: Full credit information can be found below in the Copyright Source field.
COMMENTARY BY THE ARTIST: Even the Dogs Mark 7:24-30 "This story is often referred to as a time when even Jesus made a mistake and changed his mind. It is also a time when he listens to someone he perceives as “less than” and learns. How important this is in the process of peacemaking... Presumably, Jesus is talking about his own people as the children of God whom he says deserve to be fed first, and not have their food fed to the dogs. What an insulting thing to say and so uncharacteristic of our perception of Jesus. It is a wonder the writers of both Matthew and Mark include this story, but the fact that it is included, gives us reason to ponder it. The woman is quick and responds cleverly, 'Even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.' Jesus is impressed. Perhaps this story is to remind us that all people deserve to have their basic needs met; to have access to food and healthcare..." The Rev. Cara B. Hochhalter is a United Church of Christ (UCC) minister. She received her Masters of Divinity from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, where she studied the intersections of art, theology and justice. She served the Charlemont Federated Church in Massachusetts for ten years and now lives in Hyde Park, New York. “Over the last thirty years, through my work as a Christian Educator, a seminary student and UCC minister, I have created images that interpret the powerful stories around the life of Jesus. These stories hold universal truths not limited to Christianity but relevant for all our lives and times. I find that art provides a very special means to break into these texts.” The images in her book, A Challenging Peace in the Life and Stories of Jesus were created through the simple print-making process of carving out a block, applying ink and pulling a print. Cara says, “The interaction of light and dark is important in each image as we cannot have one without the other. The dark defines the light, and vice versa. I find this to be theological as we look to the whole—the light and the dark, the joy and the despair, the peace and the conflict—all under an umbrella of Divine Love that yearns for wholeness.”
Using her book, Cara also offers three online discussion groups: Jesus and Justice, Parables and Peace-making, and The Paradox of Humility in the Stories of Jesus.
To contact Cara B. Hochhalter for information about her art, to purchase signed prints of the images, or her book, A Challenging Peace in the Life and Stories of Jesus, please email: hochhalter.cara@gmail.com |
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