Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Pietà
Michelangelo Buonarroti
1499 / Vatican Museums

First Reading
From the Book of the Proverbs

When one finds a worthy wife,
her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her,
has an unfailing prize.
She brings him good, and not evil,
all the days of her life.
She obtains wool and flax
and works with loving hands.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her fingers ply the spindle.
She reaches out her hands to the poor,
and extends her arms to the needy.
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;
the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her a reward for her labors,
and let her works praise her at the city gates.

Picture and quote (below) are from Art and the Bible: http://www.artbible.info/

Pietà is Italian for pity, as in "have pity on me". In the arts, the word is used to refer to images of the Virgin Mary and her recently deceased son. The Bible does not mention such a moment. This clever composition shows all the master's skills. As with his David, the figures are deliberately out of proportion to achieve the desired pyramidal structure. The right hand supports the dead body, while the left hand seems to call for compassion. Against tradition, Mary is shown as a young woman. It is said that Michelangelo motivated his choice by arguing that Mary’s virginity would have kept her from ageing normally. This Pietà was made for St. Peter's Basilica, in Rome, where it still is on display. It is probably Michelangelo's most famous sculpture, maybe only matched by his David in Florence. It is the only work he ever signed.

Mass times in the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth: http://www.fwdioc.org