Tony Bothel's Uploads

The Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary by the Archangel Gabriel. This is also considered the Incarnation of Jesus. Those letters "ICXC" are an abbreviation of the Greek name of "Jesus Christ" ("IHCOYC XPICTOC"), hence she is conceiving Jesus by the Holy Spirit and power of the Most High. ^_^ That's why the light is going towards her. Her arms are crossed in humility as if she was saying "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word". Gabriel the Archangel and Blessed Mama Mary, pray for us! O:)

Jesus gives the great gift of Himself in the 5th and last Luminous Mystery: The Institution of the Eucharist. This is the Sacrament in which in chapter 6 of the Gospel says: "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you" to this statement in John 6:66 "After this many of his disciples went back; and walked no more with him". Indeed it is a hard saying to accept but Jesus was firm "67: Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do you also wish to go away?' 68: Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; 69: and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." Let us accept Jesus' great gift in the one and only Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and if we can't make it for whatever reason let us pray the Holy Spirit to dwell more fully in our hearts and enkindle our Souls in the Love and the Peace of God. Peace be with you all. #Jesus, #gospel, #rosary, #catholic, #christian, #eucharist

My very first complete Watercolor painting: The Holy Spirit! in humanoid form instead of dove form. Of course God is love so I have his heart and the 3 flames are 3 because the Trinity. The Holy Spirit can take any form He wants and so I've always thought he also has like a spiritual humanoid form, I mean he can't just always be in dove form. :P I tried watercoloring in the past but never seriously, I don't even remember what I tried but I never finished anything, I just remember how frustrating the coloring process was and had many bleed throughs. That's why I've always prefered Acrylic. This time I gave it a try though after watching some videos with tips n tricks. I painted it on some small postcard sized watercolor paper. I'll probably make one with all the gifts and fruits in the future but I gotta finish my rosary mysteries, only 4 more to go! #Catholic, #Christian, #HolySpirit, #HolyGhost, #Watercolor, #Paint,

The North American Martyrs. From left to right, bottom: St. Jean de Lalande, St. Rene Goupil, St. Isaac Jogues, St. Jean de Brébeuf - top: St. Noël Chabanel, St. Antoine Daniel, St. Charles Garner and St. Gabriel Lalemant. Remember the price our fellow brothers and priests had to pay. #northamerica, #unitedstates, #canada, #mexico, #france, #catholic, #christian #martyrs, #america

And here it is! The Theophany (Manifestation of the Holy Trinity on earth for our Salvation), The 1st Luminious Mystery of Light: The Baptism of Jesus! Here's some of the symbolism explained: John the Baptist gestures up and down indicating the Divinity and Humanity of Christ. Christ blesses John. Christ identifies himself with our purification and with mankind. Voice of Father and Spirit reveal Trinity. Dove reminds us of Noah's flood, Christ Baptism frees us from the flood of sin. Angels are submissive and glorify God as we should. Ax cuts down the fruitless "The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire" (Matthew 3:10). Christ blesses water to become water of renewal. Jordan river, the fleeing man in the water, turns back (Psalm 113), and the seas are represented by the drake. Hope ya'll enjoy! ^_^

The 4th Joyful Mystery, the Presentation of Jesus. I put Joseph up front because he had a very important part not only in the Circumsision of Jesus after 8 days but also the Presentation of Jesus after 40 days. In fact the Fathers are the ones who offer the sacrifice in private (with other jewish priests etc.) in order to "Redeem" the child. Hence one of Saint Joseph's titles: "The Redeemer of the Redeemer". He also has the unique title of the "Savior of the Savior" because in the flight to Egypt after this event Joseph saved Jesus from the hands of Herod. Oh and I got to see the tomb of Saint Simeon! It's in Zadok and we got to see his body, he still had flesh but his beard had fallen out (poor guy, lol). He was a very holy man, I could feel the graces there. ^_^ St. Simeon and St. Anna the Prophetess, pray for us! Luke 2: 22-39 22 And after the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried him (Jesus) to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord: 23 As it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord: 24 And to offer a sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons: 25 And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was in him. 26 And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, 28 He also took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said: 29 Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace; 30 Because my eyes have seen thy salvation, 31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: 32 A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33 And his father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; 35 And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed. 36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; she was far advanced in years, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. 37 And she was a widow until fourscore and four years; who departed not from the temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day. 38 Now she, at the same hour, coming in, confessed o the Lord; and spoke of him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel. 39 And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth

St. Michael the Archangel taking out the trash. :P :)

Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: The carrying of the cross. So I basically have 5 stations of the cross combined into one. The carrying of the cross (2nd station), When he sees our Blessed Mother (4), Simon of Cyrene forced to help (5), St. Veronica wipes his face (6), he meets the women (8). In between these are the 3 times he fell, the first station of his condemation and then the striping before the final mystery of the Rosary. "And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull)" (Mk 15:21-22). "By accepting in his human will that the Father's will be done, he accepts his death as redemptive, for 'he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree' (1 Pt 2:24)" (CCC, 612). Our Father, 10 Hail Marys (contemplating the mystery), Glory be to the Father.

Angel drawing practice! Pit from Kid Icarus. #KidIcarus, #Pit, #SuperSmashBros, #Nintendo, #Angel, #Sketch, #ColoredPencil,

I made this Icon Style Sketch on my new cappuccino colored (mid tone) sketchbook. It gives it a more antique feel, like an ancient scroll or something! :D This is of course, as it says, Saint Raphael the Archangel. You can see that he is about to give the Medicine of God because "God Heals" as his name says. ^_^ #Catholic, #Christian, #Saint, #Raphael, #Archangel, #Angel, #Icon, #Sketch,

It's one of Luisa's best buddies: Padre Pio! Now in color! Doesn't seeing Capuchin colors make you feel like having a cappuccino? Just make sure you have your coffee with milk in the morning here in Italy, otherwise you will scandalize all the Italians. lol. What can I say about Padre Pio, well he knew about the Divine Will and Luisa and he had the stigmata and mystical experiences and well he's just one cool dude that don't mess around. lol (I hope this translates well enough for the italians reading this, heh). #padrepio, #LuisaPiccarreta, #StPadrePio, #divinewill, #catholic, #christian, #saint, #franciscan, #capuchin, #StPio, #Stpius, #stigmata, #mystical, #Cappuccino

Child Jesus loves you! Jesus likes every now and then to appear in child form in order to teach us many things and relate with us. To remember to be little and rely on God our father. ^_^ He's levitating and his robe is long so you can't see his lil feet. I made this sketch awhile back but like a lot of things now I decided to color it. Digital color makes things pop! #jesus, #catholic, #christian, #littleness, #little, #spiritualchildhood, #childhood, #kid, #children, #child, #sketch, #digitalcolor, #childjesus, #sacredheart.

My Art is a form of prayer. I need the Flying Friar's intercession! He is the patron of Students and Exams! Exams are on the way and I feel so underprepared. Please pray for me everybody! St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us! So someone might ask how could this man fly? Well I'll answer that with a quote from someone on why the angels fly: “Angels can fly because they can take themselves lightly. This has been always the instinct of Christendom, and especially the instinct of Christian art. ...The tattered cloak of the beggar will bear him up like the rayed plumes of the angels. But the kings in their heavy gold and the proud in their robes of purple will all of their nature sink downwards, for pride cannot rise to levity or levitation. Pride is the downward drag of all things... One "settles down" into a sort of selfish seriousness; but one has to rise to a [joyful] self-forgetfulness. ... solemnity flows out of men naturally; but laughter is a leap. It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light. Satan fell by the force of gravity.” - G.K. Chesterton So let's be little, forget about ourselves and make a leap of laughter! and one day we will fly with the angels! ^_^ #stjosephofcupertino, #saint, #joseph, #cupertino, #catholic, #saints, #christian, #flying, #fly, #levitate, #levitation, #angel, #angels, #G.K.Chesterton, #Chesterton, #gkchesterton, #laugh, #Laughter, #littleness, #spiritualchildhood, #art, #digitalart

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Loreto! This is the Holy Family of Loreto or should I say Nazareth. The very house of Nazareth was taken up and brought to Loreto long ago. The walls are so sanctified and even hover an inch above the foundation by some miracle. I'm about to do a retreat there so pray for me! If your ever in Italy you must visit Loreto, the church is amazing! But the main thing is the have Eucharistic Adoration and the Holy House of Nazareth! Our Lady of Loreto and the Holy Family, pray for us! #loreto, #catholic, #church, #holy, #sanctified, #Nazareth, #HolyFamily, #OurladyofLoreto, #cattolico, #cattolica, #Eucharist, #Adoration, #Cathedral, #christian, #jesus, #mary, #joseph, #angels.

So if Animal Crossing had a Catholic Church, one of the windows might look like this, because in the museum there are several cathedral windows with an Owl on them (Blathers). It's interesting how this particular art form of the church has inspired cultures throughout the ages, even in our modern times in video games. An owl is a symbol of wisdom. So this is the Eucharist, fount of all wisdom or rather even Wisdom itself (as He is God). Heh, it's pretty fun finding all these lil Catholic things in games ^_^

Raphael the Archangel. Why Green? Healing. Why Ears? Homage to Tolkien (similarities between elves and angels).

I'm on a role so I might as well complete the Evangelists. :) This is St. Mark the gospel writer of yeah, you guessed it, Mark. He's on his symbolic Lion, besides the Regal symbolism I always thought the Lion was also because there are more exorcisms in Mark than any other Gospel (When ya think Lions ya think of battles and for him spiritual ones). But yeah, He's all about Christ the King n stuff, you know how they say that the Lion is the King of the Jungle, well Big J.C. is King of the Universe! :P

Ok made the 2nd Mystery of the Mysteries of Light: The Wedding of Cana. Also an important revelation and the prime miracle that started Jesus' "hour". I definately spent much more time on the Baptism because of it's important icon significance but I found some good lil inspiration for this too, a bit more simple but nice. ^_^ Oh and if you don't know the story: John Chapter 2 1 And the third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee: and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 And Jesus also was invited, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And the wine failing, the mother of Jesus saith to him: They have no wine. 4 And Jesus saith to her: Woman, what is that to me and to thee? my hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith to the waiters: Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye. 6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three measures apiece. 7 Jesus saith to them: Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And Jesus saith to them: Draw out now, and carry to the chief steward of the feast. And they carried it. 9 And when the chief steward had tasted the water made wine, and knew not whence it was, but the waiters knew who had drawn the water; the chief steward calleth the bridegroom, 10 And saith to him: Every man at first setteth forth good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse. But thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee; and manifested his glory, and his disciples believed in him

And here it is: The Transfiguration! in color ^_^ Elijah and Moses with Jesus and the Apostles from left to right: James the Greater, John and Peter. I have his stigmata in gold because we hadn't recieved the wounds yet but this vision is a big revelation and confirmation of His divinity and mission so I put some signs there, but the apostles would not yet understand, but after they would. Matthew 17: 1-9 [1] And after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: [2] And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. [3] And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. [4] And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. [5] And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him. [6] And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. [7] And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them, Arise, and fear not. [8] And they lifting up their eyes saw no one but only Jesus. [9] And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead.

First Sorrowful Mystery: The agony in the Garden. The Angel is dressed in black because it is fortelling his death and the chalice is like a bitter black liquid. Jesus suffered such agony in the Garden of Gethsenami that it would have been enough to save us all but he wanted to give an abundance of graces and spiritual gifts for our salvation by suffering for us all possible pains we could experience. So that even pain can bear fruit in our lives. "Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, 'Sit here, while I go yonder and pray.' And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.' And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will"' (Mt 26:36-39). "Such a battle and such a victory become possible only through prayer. It is by his prayer that Jesus vanquishes the Tempter, both at the outset of his public mission and in the ultimate struggle of his agony" (CCC, 2849). Our Father, 10 Hail Marys (contemplating the mystery), Glory be to the Father.

No matter how dark things get, hold on to the Light of Hope! Even if you seem to be surrounded by shadows, know that you have people and spiritual beings that care about you. Your Guardian Angel is always by your side and your Father is always watching you, silently, lovingly. All you have to do is reach out. Cry out and listen in the silence of your heart. Nourish the light inside and it will grow until your eyes are healed from the blindness this world gives. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:5) The darkness has not and will not overcome it, you are in my prayers and God loves you. ^_^ I'm feeling more energy now to draw and study, please pray for me as well, I must pray or else the waves of depression will tear me down. I care about you, let's walk together and overcome all the obstacles we have been given. We won't stop! Onward! #Light, #darkness, #shadow, #sketch, #heart, #love, #hope,