Scripture · Colossians 3:11
Philippians 1:21
The Girlhood of St Theresa
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
A richly dressed girl walks hand in hand with a smaller boy beside a stone wall, a rosary hanging from her free hand.
About the artwork
The painting selects departure rather than the end of the children’s adventure. Teresa’s larger figure leads the composition, while the boy’s raised hand and the objects they carry keep the scene at a child’s scale. The wall and tower locate the movement in an imagined historical setting.
At its 1893 exhibition, the picture carried words adapted from the opening of George Eliot’s Middlemarch, describing Teresa setting out to seek martyrdom with a smaller brother. Teresa’s own autobiography tells of the childhood plan, but later accounts differ from Eliot over the brother’s age. The painting follows the literary presentation rather than proving those biographical details.
Featured in: John Everett Millais’s Bible Paintings: The Holy Family That Made Dickens Furious
What does Philippians 1:21 mean?
Philippians 1:21 expresses Paul’s conviction that life is Christ and death is gain. The surrounding verses immediately complicate any simple preference for death: continued life means fruitful labor and is necessary for the people he serves. His allegiance shapes both possibilities.
Teresa’s childhood desire for martyrdom offers a later and very different context for considering that statement. The children’s departure should not turn the verse into praise for seeking danger. Reading Paul’s concern for ongoing service alongside their youthful enthusiasm gives the pairing a fuller balance.
Philippians 1:21 supplies a theme of life devoted to Christ; its surrounding verses also affirm the value of remaining to serve others.
Sources
John Everett Millais’s Bible Paintings: The Holy Family That Made Dickens Furious. Artwork reading adapted from this guide.
Philippians 1 — Berean Standard Bible. Context for Philippians 1:21.
Also from Philippians:Saint Paul in PrisonThe Penitent Saint Jerome (Stockholm)
Continue looking:Saint Francis in Meditation