Wise Men aWakening

My wise men have been hermetically sealed in bubble wrap for the past 3 months.

Was that necessary? Well, there was really no where for them to reside in safety.

At least they had their favorite Thomas Merton book to keep them company.

And since we are moving into our new digs within the coming week I thought it best to wake them,

after all Epiphany is right around the corner!

Unfortunately I’m bringing them back on the Feast of the Holy Innocents.

This is not their favorite memory as they feel responsible for

Herod killing innocent children in an attempt to kill the Christ.

But how were they to know?

Anyway, here is today’s Collect – Let us continue to pray for the grieving families of Newtown, CT.

We remember today, O God,

the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod.

Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims;

and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants

and establish your rule of justice, love and peace;

through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Mary of the Sign

Today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception,

which has been celebrated as far back as the 7th century

and celebrates the conception of Mary in her mother Anne's womb.

 

As we count down the days until the birth of Christ,

let us honor Mary through this icon (and what, in an ancient yet modern way,

resembles an ultrasound of the child she carried!)

The following piece is from  the December issue of

Contemplative Outreach News

which you can read in its entirety here.

Mary of the Sign

Mary stands square to the viewer, her poised

stillness or silent constant prayer is noted in

the hands, palms extended outward in total

surrender to what has been given. Mary clutches

and yearns for nothing. In early icons Mary was

portrayed as the Burning Bush and Christ the

fire that burns within. She is represented as the

divine vessel of burning love. She knows

and loves Him even before His birth.

 

The orb containing this revelation rests within her

being, Christ surrounded in gold, symbolizing

the totality of God without image. Christ is

holding a tiny scroll, a symbol of the Scripture

being fulfilled in Him and later to be filled in

each and every one of us. Christ is our interior

teacher, guide master, and rabbi. The icon’s

theology is the link between the Jewish tradition

and the new understanding of Christ.

 

“The Lord Himself will give you a sign, behold a

young woman shall conceive and bear a child

and his name will be Emmanuel.” - Isaiah 7:14.

 

Excerpt taken from The Mary Collection 2008

by Mary Jane Miller. To see more work done by

Mary Jane Miller, go to:

http://sanmiguelicons.com/galleries.php

 

 

click here to see Mary Jane Miller's icon of Mary of the Sign.

it is stunning!

Be Fruitful!

"Preparing food is not just about

yourself and others.

It is about everything."

Shunryu Suzuki

At our recent church staff meeting I was completely undone

by a fruit salad. Really. I was overwhelmed by the beauty

of the fruit - the colors/shapes/textures/ and yet I could not separate all of that from

the inner beauty of the woman who had carefully and lovingly crafted this work of art

for our nourishment and delight. It was a Christ-filled Eucharistic moment.

And I was not the only one to take a photo of this offering.

We all felt the "everything" that the author of this quote speaks of.

For a moment we hesitated about digging into that pineapple,

but we did so with gusto and do you know what it tasted like?

PURE LOVE

Thank you Elizabeth Sepesy

for gifting us with your fruitfulness

Lucy's Feast Day

Today is the feast of Saint Lucy. There are various traditions associated with this saint.  In Sweden, the oldest (or youngest) daughter, while wearing lighted candles upon her head, carries a tray of coffee and pastries to her parents before they arise in the morning. That's a tradition worth starting! (the coffee and pastry part - not the lighted candles on top of any of my kid's heads.) Happy Feast Day Lucy!

Here she is receiving her blessing on the Feast of St. Francis.

Lydia's Joy

Today Lydia Joy was baptized!

Sustain her O Lord, in your Holy Spirit.

Give her an inquiring and discerning heart,

the courage to will and to presevere,

a spirit to know and to love you,

and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works.

Amen.

The Baptismal Covenant

I will faithfully continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship,

in the breaking of bread and in the prayers.

Where there is evil, I will resist it.

Whenever I fall into sin, I will repent and return to the Lord.

I will proclaim, by both word and example, the Good News of God in Christ.
I will seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving my neighbor as myself.

I will strive for justice and peace, among all people,

and respect the dignity of every human being.

All Saints Day Prayer

Living God, in whom there is no shadow or change,

we thank you for the gift of life eternal,

and for all those who, having served you well,

now rest from their labours.

We thank you for all the saints remembered and forgotten,

for those dear souls most precious to us.

Today we give thanks for those who during the last twelve months,

have died and entered into glory.

We bless you for their life and love,

and rejoice for them,

"all is well, and all manner of things will be well."

God of Jesus and our God,

mindful of all those choice souls who have gone on ahead of us,

teach us, and each 21st century disciple of every race and place,

- to follow their example to the best of our ability,

- to feed the poor in body or spirit,

- to support and comfort the mourners and the repentant,

- to encourage the meek and stand with them in crises,

- to cherish and learn from the merciful,

- to be humbled by, and stand with, the peacemakers.

Let us clearly recognize what it means to be called the children of God,

and to know we are to be your saints neither by our own inclination nor in our strength

but simply by the call and the healing holiness of Christ Jesus our Saviour.

Amen.

Prayer of Remembrance by Bruce Prewer, Uniting Church of Australia

photo from wikimedia -

All Saints Day, 1st November 1984 in the Beskiel Cemetery, Oswiecim, Poland.

Blessing of the Animals

"Dear St. Francis,

The animals here today are doing good and have good homes.

The birds are fine too but our oceans are filled with oil.

Help the animals that are hurting and please make them better.

Amen."

Lydia, Age 8

photo: this is the cover of the most amazing 2011 calendar.

they sold like hotcakes at our animal blessing today!

Oakerhater's Path

Today is the feast of David Pendleton Oakerhater

who was first known as the fierce Cheyenne warrior, "Making Medicine."

He fought against the US government in disputes over Indian land rights in
Oklahoma but was captured in 1875 and sent to prison in Florida.

There he learned English, taught art and converted to Christianity.

After completing his studies he was ordained as a Deacon in 1881 and returned to Oklahoma, where he founded Whirlwind Mission
and served amongst his people until he died in 1931.

There's a great quote by Joseph Campbell that starts with this line,

"If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step,
you know it's not your path."

I imagine that when Making Medicine was a young boy

he would never have imagined the path God set before him.

So go ahead and make your plans, but don't be surprised

when you end up in places beyond your wildest imagination!

This art is by David Pendleton Oakerhater. Isn't it wonderful?

Feast of Mary Magdalene

"It is clear that Mary Magdalene's life was radically changed by Jesus' healing.

Her ministry of service and steadfast companionship,

even as a witness to the crucifixion, has, through the centuries,

been an example of the faithful ministry of women to Christ.

All four Gospels name Mary as one of the women who went to the tomb

to mourn and to care for Jesus' body. Her weeping for the loss of her Lord

strikes a common chord with the grief of all others over the death of loved ones.

Jesus' tender response to her grief - meeting her in the garden,

revealing himself to her by calling her name -

makes her the first witness to the risen Lord."

Lesser Feasts and Fasts - 2006 p. 314

May we, like Mary Magdalene,

live as joyful witnesses to Christ's resurrection.

painting by Tanya Torres

visit her website to see her art.

This particular work is "Mary Magdalene of the Roses"

which is installed at Holy Rosary Church in East Harlem

be fully alive

June 28th, Feast of St. Irenaeus

Bishop of Lyons, c. 202

"The glory of God is a human being fully alive;

and to be alive consists in beholding God."

— Saint Irenaeus

Trinity Sunday

"Each member of the human family

is equal in dignity and has equal rights

because

we are all children of the one God.

We are sisters and brothers to each other.

We understand God to be a trinity of persons

and so we see the image of God reflected

not only in individuals,

but also in communities.

Together in community

we bear the image of our God

whose very nature is communal."

- Sandie Cornish

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Many depictions of the life-giving event that occurred

at Pentecost craft the Holy Spirit as a tiny flame

resting on the top of the disciple's heads,

but this artwork by Estella Canziani draws us into

a wild, all-encompassing, uncontainable Spirit who

filled every ligament, every vein of those present.

No wonder some thought they were drunk!

Gotta have me some of that!

A Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Breathe in me O Holy Spirit

that my thoughts may all be holy;

Act in me O Holy Spirit

that my works, too, may be holy;

Draw my heart O Holy Spirit

that I love but what is holy;

Strengthen me O Holy Spirit

to defend all that is holy;

Guard me then O Holy Spirit

that I always may be holy.

St. Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430)

Ascencion Art?

Someone asked about yesterday's Ascension art - so here goes: Disclaimer:  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  These comments are only my reactions.  The artwork on the right (which fills the "too renaissancey" slot) shows a "ripped" Jesus with a perfectly sculpted six-pack - which I'm assuming he worked on when he wasn't teaching, praying, and healing?  As for the completely clothed apostles, 6 are actually watching him ascend while the other 6 are looking everywhere but up.  I guess they were used to such sights.

Which brings us to the "too clip artsy" artwork - a flowing Jesus who seems to have lost an eye in the ascension process....oops...at least he's clothed....:)

And for the "too creepy" category...how does this one strike you?  This darkness doesn't exactly exude a sense of warmth...know what I mean?  But again, as stated in the disclaimer: beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Now for the "too cutesy" category- (as in cutesy feet sticking out from the grey clouds) - which I snitched from here.  This scene appears to be attached to a cross of some sort and again, most of the apostles aren't watching the ascension. What could be distracting them? 

And there you have it!  Human beings interpreting Jesus in so many ways.  We are a wild and crazy crew - made in the image of a God who gave us each such uniqueness.  Gotta love that!   

Ascending Feet

Yesterday was the Feast of Jesus' Ascencion into Heaven. I searched and searched for a picture but was unable to find one that I liked - as many of the artistic interpretations were either too cutesy, too renaissancey, too clip-artsy or just downright creepy, so I'm re-posting the artwork I used last year.

Imagine yourself on the ground, as one of the disciples, craning your neck as you watch Christ ascend above your head. And as he silently floats away into the distant sky, the only part of his body you can still catch sight of are his feet, the same ones that walked this earth beside you. Would your mind turn to the night when he washed your own feet?

According to the scriptures you would not have been fearful or sad at this event but would have returned to Jerusalem with great joy...because you knew that Jesus would always be with you..

"O Thou dweller in my heart,

Open it out,

Purify it,

Make it bright and beautiful,

Awaken it,

Prepare it,

Make it fearless,

Make it a blessing to others,

Rid it of laziness,

Free it from doubt,

Unite it with all,

Destroy its bondage,

Let thy peaceful music pervade all its works,

Make my heart fixed on thy holy lotus feet

And make it full of joy, full of joy, full of joy.

- M. Ghandi

Feast of Julian of Norwich

"As truly as God is our Father,
so truly is God our mother.

And he revealed that in everything

and especially in these sweet words
where he says,

“I am the power and goodness of fatherhood,

I am the wisdom and lovingness of motherhood.

I am the light and grace
which is all blessed love.”

Julian of Norwich (1342-1416)

author of first book written in english by a woman

do you know what she is holding in her hand?

who belongs to the truth?

Today was Christ the King Sunday - the last Sunday of the liturgical calendar. Today's Gospel reading was John 18:33-37. This is the story of Jesus appearing before Pilate, the one in which Jesus is asked if he's the king of the Jews. The dialogue goes back and forth and then Jesus has the last word: "Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." This verse undid me today. I kept repeating it and then flipped it to read, "Everyone who listens to my voice belongs to the truth."  That appeared to make more sense, but did it really? hmmm...

I love this artwork by Nikolai Nikolaevich Ge (1831-94). Here we see Pilate, with the light shining on him, asking Jesus, in the shadows,  about truth.  Who is really in the dark here?

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

This is the day that animals flock to churches with their humans, to receive their blessing in honor of their patron saint, Francis of Assisi, who loved animals & nature and considered everything to have been created for the glory of God. Here is the pet blessing that will be said at many churches today:

"Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen."

The photo is from the animal blessing at St. John the Divine in New York. The article will explain the camel :)

Augustine

Yesterday was the Feast of Augustine of Hippo (354-430) - philosopher, theologian, prolific writer & primary shaper of early Western Christianity. He had a more than colorful life & became the champion & defender for Christian doctrine. The story goes that while worshipping in a church Augustine was spotted by a bishop who demanded he be ordained a priest at that very moment, against his will. So much for the discernment process! Out of the amazing array of quotes to choose from I was drawn to this promise of Christ's comfort.

Circle them O Lord

Yesterday was the feast day of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the woman whose womb contained the Holy One.

This photo of an Afghan woman and her child is yet another incarnation of Mary - maybe it's the blueness of her burqa that touches me, or it could be the regal way she carries herself and her child. Let us pray for our Afghan sisters who do not share the freedoms that we take for granted. Let us pray for all Human Rights workers who strive to ease the suffering caused by regressive regimes, who are intent on stripping away all Afghan women's rights. Pray for their upcoming elections.

These are our sisters, holy ones created in God's image. Circle them O Lord. Keep despair out, and hope alive.

The "Hootspa" of St. Laurence

It's the feast of St. Laurence, Deacon and Martyr, (258) who literally took the riches of the church and gave them to the poor and the sick. When he was commanded to "show me the money" by the jealous emperor Valerian he presented those same people while telling the emperor "these are the treasures of the church." Whoa! That took some faith, or at least some major hootspa on Laurence's part.

You can imagine the response of Valerian....not good - and Laurence was grilled to death. Of course that has been disputed over the centuries but it makes for a great story - and for the eating of waffles in commemoration....I kid you not!

This is one of those legendary martyr deaths that freaked me out as a child. I didn't care what Laurence had done in life - I could only concentrate on his manner of death and worry that God would call me to become a shish-ka-bob for Jesus....

So now as an adult I am in search of some deeper meaning in Laurence's story. I found it in Sam Portaro's "Brightest and Best" "Laurence's witness is indicative of the paradoxical nature of Christian living...We grow more constrained every day, more eager to gather in than to give away. We worry that our resources are diminishing and conservation is our only hope of survival, our overriding fear that what we have might be taken away - or worse, that we might be surpassed by someone else. We are afraid of dying, of being done to death by the many demands and the complexities of our living, afraid that we shall not be adequate to all that is asked of us." p. 136

St. Laurence, pray for us, that the flames of Divine love may burn away all traces of vice within us, and that we may be practical and zealous in the service of the poor. Amen.
(i bet you never view waffles the same after reading this)