A Prayer to See through Our TearsBy Meg Bucher "When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.'When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up in him, and he was deeply troubled.‘Where have you put him?' he asked.They told him, ‘Lord, come and see.'Then Jesus wept." – John 11:32-35 NLT Jesus wept. He felt deep anger and was deeply troubled. His friends were hurting. He was hurting. Fully human, The loss of a friend and all of the feelings wrapped around the human experience of that moment enveloped Him, just like us. He prayed through tears.  It's so important to understand the humanity of Jesus. Because when we do, we truly embrace the lyric, ‘What a friend I have in Jesus.' It's indescribable how it feels to know someone understands everything we are feeling. And yet, He isn't us; He is fully God. So, in our crumbling heap moments, we know He will sit with us ...yes. But we also know He is faithful and will not leave us weeping for long. For joy comes in the morning. The Lord's mercies are new every day. Pray through the tears, knowing the friend you have in Jesus.  Let's pray:Father,Crying is difficult. It takes a lot of physical energy. Especially the really ugly cries, when the sobs take over our bodies and slump in defeat to their direction. But the wonderful thing about tears is the way they rinse off the brunt of the pain, at least for a little while. There is a release in letting our emotions and thoughts burst out at Your feet, our great God, who can handle the ugliest cry and most dramatic flip out we can muster. You are not rattled by us. In fact, You know us so well. As we smile and nod knowingly at our children when they are upset, wisely knowing from age they will be ok even when they aren't so sure, You, too, smile and hold us together as we fall apart in our own strength.  God, in Jesus, we have a friend in us and with us who has the power to resurrect our lives from every dire situation, from every notion of despair and ache of pain. Yet, even when it persists, the physical and emotional pain, we have hope and joy, peace and love, which feels like floating on a cloud in an out-of-body experience at times as we let You lead us out of the muck and the mire of our sadness and anger. Joy can be a difficult concept for us to understand, God. It's hard to have hope when we are feeling so hopeless. Help us to see You through our racing minds and emotions, to find peace and calm through the hope and joy we have in Jesus.  So often, we try to minimize pain and sadness, missing the cue our tears are trying to tell us. The wisdom in breaking down comes from getting back up. Every mistake, hardship, and hard thing in life has the potential to develop our character, faith, and fortitude. Tears make us wise, so why, God, do we try so hard to hold them in ...and hide them away? Help us to fall at Your feet, God, as Martha fell at the feet of Jesus. Remind us, Jesus, You are fully human, and You don't need us to pull ourselves together in Your presence. You are with us as we fall apart and are the glue that holds us together in hard times.  Father, bless our lives with Your perspective when we are trying to navigate hard days. When it feels overwhelming and impossible, help us to remember Jesus weeping for His friend. God, give us the wisdom to listen patiently to Your every word, direction, and movement in our lives. It won't always be fair. It won't always feel good. But God, we know there is joy and hope to be embraced every single day. Help us to find it as we pray through our tears. We love you. Help us to remember that You are a personal God, who, through Christ Jesus, we can come to freely ...forever. God we ache for the time there is no more pain when Jesus returns to right all things ...including our emotionally trying moments on this earth! Until then, what hope do we have? What a joy in Jesus. Move our hearts to remember to pray through the tears.In Jesus' Name,Amen.    Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Cecilie_Arcurs Meg writes about everyday life within the love of Christ at megbucher.com. She is the author of "Friends with Everyone, Friendship within the Love of Christ," "Surface, Unlocking the Gift of Sensitivity," "Glory Up, The Everyday Pursuit of Praise," "Home, Finding Our Identity in Christ," and “Sent, Faith in Motion.” Meg earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University but stepped out of the business world to stay home and raise her two daughters ...which led her to pursue her writing passion. A contributing writer for Salem Web Network since 2016, Meg is now thrilled to be a part of the editorial team at Salem Web Network. Meg loves being involved in her community and local church, leads Bible study, and serves as a youth leader for teen girls. Teach Us to Pray is a FREE prayer podcast hosted by iBelieve writer Christina Patterson. Each week, she gives you practical, real-life tips on how to grow your faith and relationship with God through the power of prayer. To listen to her episode on What to Pray in the Morning for a Worry-Free Day, click below! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. The post A Prayer to See through Our Tears – Your Daily Prayer – June 14 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer to See through Our TearsBy Meg Bucher "When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.'When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up in him, and he was deeply troubled.‘Where have you put him?' he asked.They told him, ‘Lord, come and see.'Then Jesus wept." – John 11:32-35 NLT Jesus wept. He felt deep anger and was deeply troubled. His friends were hurting. He was hurting. Fully human, The loss of a friend and all of the feelings wrapped around the human experience of that moment enveloped Him, just like us. He prayed through tears.  It's so important to understand the humanity of Jesus. Because when we do, we truly embrace the lyric, ‘What a friend I have in Jesus.' It's indescribable how it feels to know someone understands everything we are feeling. And yet, He isn't us; He is fully God. So, in our crumbling heap moments, we know He will sit with us ...yes. But we also know He is faithful and will not leave us weeping for long. For joy comes in the morning. The Lord's mercies are new every day. Pray through the tears, knowing the friend you have in Jesus.  Let's pray:Father,Crying is difficult. It takes a lot of physical energy. Especially the really ugly cries, when the sobs take over our bodies and slump in defeat to their direction. But the wonderful thing about tears is the way they rinse off the brunt of the pain, at least for a little while. There is a release in letting our emotions and thoughts burst out at Your feet, our great God, who can handle the ugliest cry and most dramatic flip out we can muster. You are not rattled by us. In fact, You know us so well. As we smile and nod knowingly at our children when they are upset, wisely knowing from age they will be ok even when they aren't so sure, You, too, smile and hold us together as we fall apart in our own strength.  God, in Jesus, we have a friend in us and with us who has the power to resurrect our lives from every dire situation, from every notion of despair and ache of pain. Yet, even when it persists, the physical and emotional pain, we have hope and joy, peace and love, which feels like floating on a cloud in an out-of-body experience at times as we let You lead us out of the muck and the mire of our sadness and anger. Joy can be a difficult concept for us to understand, God. It's hard to have hope when we are feeling so hopeless. Help us to see You through our racing minds and emotions, to find peace and calm through the hope and joy we have in Jesus.  So often, we try to minimize pain and sadness, missing the cue our tears are trying to tell us. The wisdom in breaking down comes from getting back up. Every mistake, hardship, and hard thing in life has the potential to develop our character, faith, and fortitude. Tears make us wise, so why, God, do we try so hard to hold them in ...and hide them away? Help us to fall at Your feet, God, as Martha fell at the feet of Jesus. Remind us, Jesus, You are fully human, and You don't need us to pull ourselves together in Your presence. You are with us as we fall apart and are the glue that holds us together in hard times.  Father, bless our lives with Your perspective when we are trying to navigate hard days. When it feels overwhelming and impossible, help us to remember Jesus weeping for His friend. God, give us the wisdom to listen patiently to Your every word, direction, and movement in our lives. It won't always be fair. It won't always feel good. But God, we know there is joy and hope to be embraced every single day. Help us to find it as we pray through our tears. We love you. Help us to remember that You are a personal God, who, through Christ Jesus, we can come to freely ...forever. God we ache for the time there is no more pain when Jesus returns to right all things ...including our emotionally trying moments on this earth! Until then, what hope do we have? What a joy in Jesus. Move our hearts to remember to pray through the tears.In Jesus' Name,Amen.    Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Cecilie_Arcurs Meg writes about everyday life within the love of Christ at megbucher.com. She is the author of "Friends with Everyone, Friendship within the Love of Christ," "Surface, Unlocking the Gift of Sensitivity," "Glory Up, The Everyday Pursuit of Praise," "Home, Finding Our Identity in Christ," and “Sent, Faith in Motion.” Meg earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University but stepped out of the business world to stay home and raise her two daughters ...which led her to pursue her writing passion. A contributing writer for Salem Web Network since 2016, Meg is now thrilled to be a part of the editorial team at Salem Web Network. Meg loves being involved in her community and local church, leads Bible study, and serves as a youth leader for teen girls. Teach Us to Pray is a FREE prayer podcast hosted by iBelieve writer Christina Patterson. Each week, she gives you practical, real-life tips on how to grow your faith and relationship with God through the power of prayer. To listen to her episode on What to Pray in the Morning for a Worry-Free Day, click below! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. The post A Prayer to See through Our Tears – Your Daily Prayer – June 14 appeared first on GodUpdates.

My first child was born after midnight on a Thursday in August. As a daily newspaper reporter at the time, I had a camera handy and was taking close mental notes. We have images of the boy’s blood-smeared body in the doctor’s gloved hands. He came in a rush: eyes closed, his face a tiny pink grimace. I remember that slap on his little buttocks, then that sharp, piercing cry—an explosive wail. The doctor let me cut the cord. Later, I walked by the windows alongside the nursery. I saw a nurse putting my swaddled son into a clear plastic bassinet. That’s when it hit me. I was a dad. Deep joy and exhilaration. But underneath was a somber pathos. This boy, I knew, would one day be there when my eyes closed for the last time. And as I looked out into the years ahead for him, I sensed my utter inability. How was I to be who he needed me to be as a father? No book, no tutorial, no sage advice seemed enough. Biblical Lament There are many reasons why it’s hard to be a dad. Chief is the unique helplessness it brings. Even the most successful and well-intentioned fathers live in some measure of lament—a soul cry that’s entirely biblical and sometimes devastating. Fathers grieve the lack of control we have over that little (yet so enormous) life—in the cradle, in the playpen, in the classroom, in the dorm room, in the apartment, at the wedding ceremony, at the graveside. Some of the most poignant fatherly laments come from those who see suffering in their children, who experience pain in their marriage as a result of children’s travails, or who have lost children. Scripture is full of fathers whose laments are part of God’s teaching about men in families. Scripture is full of fathers whose laments are part of God’s teaching about men in families. Abraham’s lament was silent as he climbed the mountain with the son God had told him to kill. “God will provide for himself the lamb,” he told Isaac quietly (Gen. 22:8). Jacob lamented the fury of his two sons who had butchered so many in Shechem after the rape of their sister (34:30). David’s loud mourning for the rebellious Absalom was so powerful it rocked the nation, and one of his generals rebuked him for it (2 Sam. 18:33; 19:1–6). Job’s lament—one that involves lost children—takes up most of the 42 chapters in the book named for him (Job 1:18–19). Lament is part of the human experience. For some who reject God or don’t know him, it can arise from anger—at the Creator, at the world as they’ve experienced it, at themselves. But in the Bible, arising from believers, it can be proof of our relationship with God, like a child asking “Why?” or “How long?” to a dad she trusts. Music as a Means of Lament Fatherly lament shows up in popular music. Father songwriters lament many things. It might be their often clunky quest to be effective mentors to their children (e.g., “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin, about a too-busy dad) or a lament over a child’s long illness (e.g., “Possibilities” by Darius Rucker, written by a father watching his son battle leukemia). Or it might be lament over how a pursuit of extramarital romance destroyed the trust of a father’s family (e.g. in “4:44,” Jay-Z admits his infidelity to wife Beyoncé, saying, “If my children knew, I don’t know what I would do”). Other laments are tied to grief over lost children. Most of TobyMac’s album Life After Death is a cry to God about his son Truett McKeehan (“TruDog”), who entered eternity after an accidental fentanyl overdose. In the song “21 Years,” the sorrowful father laments his all-too-brief time with his son: “21 years makes a man full grown; 21 years what a beautiful loan.” TobyMac told a broadcast interviewer that his last text from his son contained the words “You always made me feel like a superhero.” We weep with him. Steven Curtis Chapman, another Christian music artist, lost a child to a terrible accident in 2008. In his 2009 album, Beauty Will Rise, Chapman puts his fatherly grieving process to song. Eric Clapton’s life as a dad forever changed when, in 1991, his 4-year-old fell out of an accidentally open window in a 53rd-story apartment. We feel Clapton’s fatherly soul pain in “Tears in Heaven.” Music can also provide catharsis for fathers seeking to learn from the mistakes of previous generations in their own fatherhood journeys. In his “Happy Father’s Day,” Christian rapper Shai Linne poignantly works through “emotions trapped in silence locked deep in [his] heart” related to his estranged father. The pain of fathers and children goes both ways. Plenty of pop music’s laments come from offspring crying out over fathers who left or neglected them. We hear it in the Temptations’s “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone,” Neil Young’s “Old Man,” Everclear’s “Father of Mine,” and Frank Turner’s “Father’s Day,” to name a few. Some fathers’ laments are tied up with the fact that they caused pain and lament in their children. Some fathers’ laments are tied up with the fact that they caused pain and lament in their children. But not all fatherly lament arises out of sin, parental failure, or death. Sometimes it comes from the reality of children’s natural progression in life. Kids leave home to return rarely or never. Cory Asbury’s “These Are the Days” is a recent example of this universal lament over parenthood’s brevity: “Tell ‘em bed time stories / Give ‘em a kiss good night / Darlin’ before we know it / This old house will be quiet.” The prevalence of fatherly lament in music—across so many genres and eras—shows how universal this feeling is for dads. And the popularity of these songs shows how cathartic it is for others to see these emotions publicly expressed. We can feel alone in our emotions until we see others give voice to their emotions in beautiful, relatable ways. This is and always has been one of the profound purposes of the arts and humanities. They facilitate connection between humans by sparking universal resonance from the particular experiences of life’s joys and struggles. Laments Take Courage but Bring Healing There’s a scene in the 1983 film Tender Mercies where a father, an acclaimed singer-songwriter who’d never been able to talk deeply with his daughter, comes to her casket after she’d been killed in a drunk driving accident. Just before her death, she’d asked him to play “Wings of a Dove,” a gospel song about Jesus’s love. He couldn’t do it. And she left sad, feeling alone. Now, facing the girl’s closed casket, and in a hushed tone, he begins, slightly off-key, “On the wings of a snow-white dove / He sends his pure sweet love—a sign from above, on the wings of a dove.” The powerful scene speaks to how—for dads willing to shed pretense and express lament—there can be healing. There can be healing in solitude as a dad cries out to God in honest pain, leaning on him for strength and hope. But there can also be healing in finding a community of other dads whose suffering might lie hidden until they express it in lament. Strong fathers are willing to lament in a world that might see it as weakness. They’re real about the fact that fatherhood is often joyful but occasionally sorrowful: it’s strength and vulnerability, laughter and weeping, the delight and the pain of watching your kids grow up. Decades after that August day when I first entered the vulnerable but glorious vocation of fatherhood, I can vouch for the reality that lament will come for every dad, as surely as joy. And lamenting what’s lamentable has made me a better father.

The Gospel Coalition’s 2024 Women’s Conference is just around the corner. Thousands of women of all ages will gather from around the globe to think more deeply about the person and work of Jesus Christ. My whole family will be there either volunteering or attending. There’ll be a sense of excitement as thousands of Christian women gather to fellowship and learn. The lineup of speakers is excellent and the breakout sessions look edifying. Additionally, we’ll be worshiping together with Shane & Shane. But for many of us, the bookstore is also an exciting attraction. This year’s conference bookstore will feature more than 3,200 books and resources from 40 publishers. There’ll be featured areas for TGC speakers’ books, best-selling Bibles, Spanish titles, and gospel-centered resources for children and parents. Many of these will be at deep discounts. Save room in your luggage to carry some of these books home. Or, if you prefer, 10ofthose is offering shipping so you can have your new resources sent directly to your home. Courtney Doctor and Joanna Kimbrel, Behold and Believe: A Bible Study on the “I Am” Statements of Jesus (TGC/Crossway, 2023) $9.99 (38 percent off) Seeing is believing. If we want to know who Jesus is and why he is important to our lives, we need to take a closer look at what he said about himself. Jesus describes himself as the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd, and more. His bold words invite us to behold him―and then to trust him. This seven-week Bible study that ties directly to the conference theme will help you explore Jesus’s identity using the “I Am” statements in the Gospel of John. Melissa Kruger and Megan Hill, eds., Fruitful: Cultivating a Spiritual Harvest That Won’t Leave You Empty Doubt (TGC/Crossway, 2024) $7.50 (50 percent off) As Christians, we long for spiritually fruitful lives. However, our attempts to work more and hustle harder only leave us feeling weary and worn. Thankfully, God’s Word supplies the nourishment we so desperately need. As we abide in Jesus, he fills our emptiness with an abundant crop of spiritual fruit. This 40-day devotional explores each of the nine fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5. Kathryn Butler, What Does Depression Mean for My Faith? (TGC/Crossway, 2024) $4.00 (50 percent off) What should Christians think about clinical depression? How can church leaders respond lovingly to those who face this dark, unsettling, and sometimes baffling dilemma? Author and physician Kathryn Butler addresses common misconceptions about mental illness in the church. She offers grace, relief, and practical help to Christians who feel shame, and she equips church leaders with the tools they need to extend Christ’s love to the vulnerable. This is the latest offering in the TGC Hard Questions series, which also includes volumes like these: Sharon James, Is Christianity Good for the World? (TGC/Crossway, 2023) Jeremy Linneman, Why Do We Feel Lonely at Church? (TGC/Crossway, 2023) Samuel D. Ferguson, Does God Care About Gender Identity? (TGC/Crossway, 2023) Randy Newman, Questioning Faith: Indirect Journeys of Belief Through Terrains of Doubt (TGC/Crossway, 2024) $10.04 (33 percent off) After 40 years of listening to hundreds of people’s stories of faith, Randy Newman (who recently went to be with Christ) came to see that answering spiritual questions usually involves a series of twists and turns, not a direct ascent from one belief to another. Our political view, family background, understanding of sexuality, and religious background all play a part in our faith journeys. If you or a friend are navigating terrains of doubt, you’ll find Newman’s book a faithful guide. This title will help you sort through your many questions and find solid answers. Ginger Blomberg, Charlie and the Preschool Prodigal (TGC/Crossway, 2024) $7.50 (50 percent off) Eddie decides to run away from home, taking his brother Charlie’s candy and his father’s new tie with him on his journey. When Eddie returns home feeling scared and guilty about his choice, his father is waiting for him with open arms. But Charlie, who is confused by his father’s immediately welcoming reaction, is hesitant to join in the celebration. This book, like the parable, doesn’t resolve Charlie’s story but instead invites young readers to imagine themselves in Charlie’s position―spurring thoughtful discussion between parents and children as they learn about sin, grace, and the unconditional love of the Father through his Son’s death on the cross. This is the latest offering in the TGC Kids series, which also includes titles like these: Betsy Childs Howard, Arlo and the Great Big Cover-Up (TGC/Crossway, 2020) Megan Hill, Meg Is Not Alone (TGC/Crossway, 2022) Melissa Kruger, Lucy and the Saturday Surprise (TGC/Crossway, 2023) Ana Ávila, Make the Most of Your Productivity (TGC/Crossway, 2024) $8.50 (50 percent off) This user-friendly guide teaches six principles to help you honor God with all you have and reflect his character through your creativity. Along with a gospel-centered perspective on life, you’ll learn skills to increase efficiency, such as forming healthy habits, using productivity tools, creating tasks and projects, and more. Whether you are achievement-oriented or struggle with discipline, Ávila will show you how to reorient your time, boundaries, decisions, focus, habits, and tools around God’s main design for productivity: serving him and helping others. Other Deals Worth Noting: Danny Akin, 10 Women Who Changed the World (B&H, 2024), $12.59 Rebecca McLaughlin, Jesus Through the Eyes of Women (TGC, 2022), $8.00 Cameron Cole, Heavenward: How Eternity Can Change Your Life on Earth (Crossway, 2024), $11.38 Courtney Doctor, From Garden to Glory: How Understanding God’s Story Changes Yours (Harvest, 2024), $9.00 Megan Hill, Sighing on Sunday: 40 Meditations for When Church Hurts (P&R, 2024), $10.00 Chelsea Sobolik, Called to Cultivate: A Gospel Vision for Women and Work (Moody, 2023), $10.23 Adriel Sanchez, Praying with Jesus: Getting to the Heart of the Lord’s Prayer (New Growth Press, 2024), $11.38 Rebecca McLaughlin, Does the Bible Affirm Same-Sex Relationships? (The Good Book Company, 2024), $5.99 Kenneth Padgett and Shay Gregorie, The Story of God Our Savior (Wolfbane, 2024), $15.00 Nora Allison, A Short Guide to Women’s Ministry (B&H, 2024), $10.49 Ivan Mesa and Elliot Clark, eds., Faithful Exiles (TGC, 2023), $3.00 Rebecca McLaughlin, The Secular Creed (TGC, 2021), $8.00

Jen Wilkin explores God’s gifts in women to lead, teach the Bible, and create spaces for others to thrive. After her talk, Wilkin joins Melissa Kruger, Rebecca McLaughlin, Courtney Doctor, and Elizabeth Woodson to discuss women’s contributions to the church, the importance of sibling relationships within God’s family, and overcoming opposition in ministry. The panelists encourage and equip women with tools to prepare for these callings and persevere through challenges.

MSNBC’s Joy Reid opened her nightly hourlong cavalcade of hateful ramblings with a justification of the climate extinctionists that very briefly interrupted the Congressional Baseball game at Nationals Park before getting swiftly speared into oblivion by the U.S. Capitol Police. Watch as Reid blames last night’s “direct action” on “our completely dysfunctional Congress”: JOY REID: As for the chaos at home, allow me to share a story you don’t hear much about, you probably didn’t hear much about: last night's congressional baseball game, an annual affair that's normally pretty innocuous, a vestige of bipartisanship and congeniality that raises money for charities. But this year, it was interrupted by climate protestors. Eight people were arrested as they tried to protest on the field wearing shirts reading “End Fossil Fuels”. Meanwhile, Representative Lauren Boebert was reportedly flouting Nats Park rules by vaping where it's forbidden. The whole affair is in some ways emblematic of our politics, where crucial issues like the climate catastrophe are no longer debated in the halls of our completely dysfunctional Congress. Particularly, the embarrassing House of Representatives where Boebert is the typical Republican member. Flouting the rules of class and decency. Which leaves people who care about crucial issues for our planet or our country to try to litigate them with lawmakers in the public square. Oh, we heard about the climate kids’ little run-in, all right. And how could we not, when they posted incessantly about it on X? What kind of narcissists gloat about getting driven into the outfield? The kinds of narcissists that glue themselves to walls and block pavements and throw soup at art exhibits under the guise of advocacy, but who really just want to be the center of attention. Well, at least they gave us some creative fodder:  https://t.co/NKEKJc6xu0 pic.twitter.com/PdudPBm67P — Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) June 13, 2024 And if that were all there was to it, we’d rather not have anything to do with Reid enabling these lunatics and just call it a night. But there is history with the Congressional Baseball Game, and with narcissistic madmen taking the bleatings of an MSNBC host a little too seriously and performing a “direct action”.  That’s precisely what happened seven years ago, when a deranged Bernie Sanders follower and MSNBC viewer took Rachel Maddow’s apocalyptic rants a little too seriously and shot up a baseball field full of GOP congressmen, nearly killing Rep. Steve Scalise. The record reflects that the shooter had no contact with Maddow whatsoever prior to the shooting. But he didn’t need to. And in an interesting bit of trivia, who was it that immediately dumped on Scalise as he was recovering in the hospital? You guessed it- Joy Reid. The clip you saw above was actually part of her introduction into an extended panel whine over former President Donald Trump’s return to the Capitol. And it is in this chain of incoherent ramblings and non sequitur cheap shots that she justifies what happened at Nats Park. You ramble enough about Congress being a place where “crucial issues…are no longer debated”, and eventually some nutjob takes the hint. Yesterday, it was a bunch of bored (likely) trust fund babies taking “direct action”. We certainly hope it stays that way, Reid’s dangerous rhetoric notwithstanding.  

A large “espalier” (horizontal) tapestry commissioned by a Gonzaga cardinal in 1528 has been acquired by the Ducal Palace in Mantua. Manufactured in Mantua by a Flemish master, the tapestry was offered at auction at Roseberys in London, and the Ducal Palace made the winning bid to bring the work home again. The final price including buyers premium was £15,744 ($20,000), a bargain considering the historical and artistic significance of the tapestry to Mantua. An espalier tapestry is much wider than it is high. This one is almost 20 feet wide and 5’9″ high. It was created by Flemish emigré weaver Nicolas Karcher who moved to Mantua around the time this tapestry was made and took many commissions from the ruling Gonzaga family. It is one of the oldest examples of tapestries of Italian design made in Italy. Art historians have found that it was sold in 1879 by an unknown Mantuan. It left Italy in 1969 and moved to the Isle of Jersey. It hasn’t been back to its homeland since, not even as a loan, which is particularly notable because the tapestry is an important piece and has been published both as part of a compendium of Gonzaga art in 1985 and as the subject of an in-depth study in 2010. The tapestry is centered around the allegory of Justice. She stands in the middle of the wide field, holding the fasces, the bundle of rods that symbolized magistral power in ancient Rome. On the left side, Saint Peter stands between the kneeling pope and Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga. His identity is signaled by the Gonzaga coat of arms hanging on a tree. The pope is probably Clement VII as he had made Ercole Gonzaga a cardinal the year before the tapestry was woven. On the right side is Moses with horns (a depiction common the Renaissance based on a mistranslation of “rays” as “horns” in Exodus 34) presenting the tablets of the Ten Commandments to two figures, thought to be the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, kneeling at his side. The figures are set against a lush country landscape of hills, lakes and trees. The newly-acquired tapestry will be going on display at the Castle of San Giorgio.

A mother of one of the four Hamas hostages rescued by Israeli forces during an operation last weekend spoke about the “very strange rules” her son said the terrorists made him live by. Evgeniia Kozlova,…