“WHILE YET I LIVE” is alluding to the painting “The Execution of Lady Jane Grey,” by Paul Delaroche completed in 1833. The story is about the 15-year-old Lady Jane Grey who had reluctantly agreed to be put on the throne of England. Proclaimed queen on 10 July 1553, Lady Jane ruled for nine days, after which she was deposed by the supporters of Mary Tudor, found guilty of treason, and executed at the Tower of London on the morning of February 12, 1554. During her brief nine-day rule, Lady Jane Grey had no significant impact on the arts, science, culture, law or policy. Rather, it is her innocent readiness to be of service to the ambitions of others for a cause greater than herself that is considered her most admirable legacy. And so is her unwavering faith.

Over the centuries, Lady Jane Grey has been viewed as a Protestant martyr, “the traitor-heroine” of the Reformation, and her tale has long captured the popular imagination. In her final speech, the teenage-martyr said, “And now, good people, while I am alive, I pray you assist me with your prayers,” asking the small audience to pray for her soul “while yet I live,” and thus conveying her disagreement with the Catholic practice of saying masses for the deceased.

In his painting, Paul Delaroche portrays Lady Jane as a beacon of light in the gloom of the tower, attempting to elicit the viewer’s sympathy and compassion. An innocent life is swept aside by a political plot, but the Soul is immortal and lives on forever. After the bells have ceased swinging the air, the soul of Lady Jane Grey is still alive with its echoes and reverberations of love and faith throughout the ages.—Diana Guber, “The Frequency of Love,” 2020. Copyright© 2020. All Rights Reserved.