A short meditation posted by Vicki K. Black on Speaking to the Soul at the Episcopal Café.
God the Trinity of Love
Daily Reading for June 4
God is Love, Lover, and Beloved.
An ancient Sufi mantra.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Trinity Sunday III
Today at church, our first reading for Trinity Sunday was Isaiah 6:1-8.
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.’ Isaiah 6:1-3
The second reading was Revelation 4:1-11.
After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! And the one seated there looks like jasper and cornelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God; and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal.
Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing,
‘Holy, holy, holy,
the Lord God the Almighty,
who was and is and is to come.’
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,
‘You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.’
The imagery in these passages causes my imagination to run wild. I want to see them in a painting.
In the first, the Lord sits on the lofty throne with his train filling the temple, and the six-winged seraphs hover with their wings positioned just so. This could be painted.
In the second passage, the imagery is much more complicated and detailed. The one on the throne looks like cornelian and jasper? How would you paint that? A rainbow like an emerald? The elders in the white robes and golden crowns, the flashings of lightening, the flaming torches, and the see of glass would be easy - if you were an artist. The four living creatures, like to a lion, an ox, a human, and an eagle, with all the eyes, inside and out, each with six wings - that would be a challenge.
I'd like to see an attempt. Has it perhaps been done? Is there a half-mad mystic of an artist who tried? Someone like William Blake, perhaps?
The imagery of the twenty-four elders falling down and casting their crowns before the Lord has, for some time, signified to me the proper attitude of heart when we gather together to worship God.
To finish off, I'm stealing this poem on the Trinity by John Donne from Aghaveagh at The Moon By Night:
BATTER my heart, three person'd God; for, you
As yet but knocke, breathe, shine, and seeke to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow mee,'and bend
Your force, to breake, blowe, burn and make me new.
I, like an usurpt towne, to'another due, 5
Labour to'admit you, but Oh, to no end,
Reason your viceroy in mee, mee should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weake or untrue.
Yet dearely'I love you,'and would be loved faine,
But am betroth'd unto your enemie: 10
Divorce mee,'untie, or breake that knot againe;
Take mee to you, imprison mee, for I
Except you'enthrall mee, never shall be free,
Nor ever chast, except you ravish mee.
The final three lines are magnificent.
Aghaveagh says of the poet:
Today is the feast day of John Donne, priest. I have always felt an affinity to Donne. For him, belief is a turbulent, violent maelstrom. Whether tumbling into lustful union with his mistress, or wrestling with his faith, his is, as he puts it, a "holy discontent."
Surely, this post must appear to be the ranting of a half-mad (not holy) discontent.
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.’ Isaiah 6:1-3
The second reading was Revelation 4:1-11.
After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! And the one seated there looks like jasper and cornelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God; and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal.
Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing,
‘Holy, holy, holy,
the Lord God the Almighty,
who was and is and is to come.’
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,
‘You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.’
The imagery in these passages causes my imagination to run wild. I want to see them in a painting.
In the first, the Lord sits on the lofty throne with his train filling the temple, and the six-winged seraphs hover with their wings positioned just so. This could be painted.
In the second passage, the imagery is much more complicated and detailed. The one on the throne looks like cornelian and jasper? How would you paint that? A rainbow like an emerald? The elders in the white robes and golden crowns, the flashings of lightening, the flaming torches, and the see of glass would be easy - if you were an artist. The four living creatures, like to a lion, an ox, a human, and an eagle, with all the eyes, inside and out, each with six wings - that would be a challenge.
I'd like to see an attempt. Has it perhaps been done? Is there a half-mad mystic of an artist who tried? Someone like William Blake, perhaps?
The imagery of the twenty-four elders falling down and casting their crowns before the Lord has, for some time, signified to me the proper attitude of heart when we gather together to worship God.
To finish off, I'm stealing this poem on the Trinity by John Donne from Aghaveagh at The Moon By Night:
BATTER my heart, three person'd God; for, you
As yet but knocke, breathe, shine, and seeke to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow mee,'and bend
Your force, to breake, blowe, burn and make me new.
I, like an usurpt towne, to'another due, 5
Labour to'admit you, but Oh, to no end,
Reason your viceroy in mee, mee should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weake or untrue.
Yet dearely'I love you,'and would be loved faine,
But am betroth'd unto your enemie: 10
Divorce mee,'untie, or breake that knot againe;
Take mee to you, imprison mee, for I
Except you'enthrall mee, never shall be free,
Nor ever chast, except you ravish mee.
The final three lines are magnificent.
Aghaveagh says of the poet:
Today is the feast day of John Donne, priest. I have always felt an affinity to Donne. For him, belief is a turbulent, violent maelstrom. Whether tumbling into lustful union with his mistress, or wrestling with his faith, his is, as he puts it, a "holy discontent."
Surely, this post must appear to be the ranting of a half-mad (not holy) discontent.
Trinity Sunday - II
In honor of Trinity Sunday, I wanted to say a serious word or two. The Lectionary lists the following reading from Ephesians as the second reading for today, although we did not hear this one read in church this morning.
Ephesians 6:11-16
The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 3until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
As the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion suffer through controversies, accusations, threats of division, and obfuscations, it's well to keep in mind that the church does not belong to the progressives, nor the conservatives, nor the "reasserters", nor the reappraisers", but it is Christ's church, and in the end, Our Lord will have his way.
We can plan, and scheme, and plot, and maneuver, but it may all come to naught, if we are not centered in Our Lord Jesus Christ and guided by the Spirit of the living God.
Ephesians 6:11-16
The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 3until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
As the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion suffer through controversies, accusations, threats of division, and obfuscations, it's well to keep in mind that the church does not belong to the progressives, nor the conservatives, nor the "reasserters", nor the reappraisers", but it is Christ's church, and in the end, Our Lord will have his way.
We can plan, and scheme, and plot, and maneuver, but it may all come to naught, if we are not centered in Our Lord Jesus Christ and guided by the Spirit of the living God.
Trinity Sunday
I was going to do a post with a beautiful image in honor of Trinity Sunday, but it's been done so well by my friends in the blogscape, that I'm going to simply refer you to their websites.
First here's a link to El Padre with his lovely pictures and words from St. Gregory of Nazianzus:
If ever there was a time when the Father was not, then there was a time when the Son was not. I f ever there was a time when the Son was not, then there was at time when the Spirit was not. If the one was from the beginning, then the three were so too. If you throw down the one, I am bold to assert that you do not set up the other two.
Then a link to the MadPriest with his introduction to the Evensong service for his congregation:
This evening we continue to worship God as the eternal Trinity. Sometimes it can be difficult to understand, and even accept that our one God can exist in three persons. Perhaps this is because we tend to think of one being being split up into three persons. However, if we contemplate, in stead, three persons coming together into such a close union that they are one person then the concept of the Trinity becomes something we can begin to understand because most of us, sometime in our lives, will experience something that is similar to such closeness between persons.
Next is Ed, from Simple Village Organist:
Despite an ancient tradition of the feminine Spirit and a fairly exhaustive search, I only came up with this one image of the Trinity that was not three men or two men and a bird. Much as I love the art of the traditional iconography, This Will Just Not Do! Certainly not for my congregation, and not really for me any more. Wise Women of the World, unite; throw off the bird.
To which I would answer, "Wisdom (Lady Sophia) was a lady." Read the good book. The feminine pronoun is used throughout.
Here's a trinity that's interesting and different from Ed, the Presbyterian, who, as you see, is being corrupted more and more each day through his association with irreverent Episcopalians and Anglicans.
Ed has a question for you, which you can answer in the comments to his post:
In conclusion, and somewhat in the spirit of the mentor of many of us, MadPriest, I offer a Trinitarian icon guaranteed to offend just about everyone. Who's who in it? I leave it to your imagination!
First here's a link to El Padre with his lovely pictures and words from St. Gregory of Nazianzus:
If ever there was a time when the Father was not, then there was a time when the Son was not. I f ever there was a time when the Son was not, then there was at time when the Spirit was not. If the one was from the beginning, then the three were so too. If you throw down the one, I am bold to assert that you do not set up the other two.
Then a link to the MadPriest with his introduction to the Evensong service for his congregation:
This evening we continue to worship God as the eternal Trinity. Sometimes it can be difficult to understand, and even accept that our one God can exist in three persons. Perhaps this is because we tend to think of one being being split up into three persons. However, if we contemplate, in stead, three persons coming together into such a close union that they are one person then the concept of the Trinity becomes something we can begin to understand because most of us, sometime in our lives, will experience something that is similar to such closeness between persons.
Next is Ed, from Simple Village Organist:
Despite an ancient tradition of the feminine Spirit and a fairly exhaustive search, I only came up with this one image of the Trinity that was not three men or two men and a bird. Much as I love the art of the traditional iconography, This Will Just Not Do! Certainly not for my congregation, and not really for me any more. Wise Women of the World, unite; throw off the bird.
To which I would answer, "Wisdom (Lady Sophia) was a lady." Read the good book. The feminine pronoun is used throughout.
Here's a trinity that's interesting and different from Ed, the Presbyterian, who, as you see, is being corrupted more and more each day through his association with irreverent Episcopalians and Anglicans.
Ed has a question for you, which you can answer in the comments to his post:
In conclusion, and somewhat in the spirit of the mentor of many of us, MadPriest, I offer a Trinitarian icon guaranteed to offend just about everyone. Who's who in it? I leave it to your imagination!
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Pharisaios Journal Anniversary
Today, I was going to write about my adventure with my grandchildren to see "Shrek the Third", but having just received a personal email from the editors, noting the sixth anniversary of The Pharisaios Journal, I was drawn away from Shrek and toward the Diocese of Wenchoster. Shrek will keep for another day.
In the beginning:
The year was 2001 and it was coming up to Trinity Sunday. A Pharisaios Blog was already in existence publishing deep theological reflections on hemorrhoids and other sundry ecclesiastical topics; there had been a flurry of idea exchanges between the two Pharisaios editors, rumours of rumours, and dreams about a proper website. A second Blog then appeared with new chapters from the Curates in Space saga. And then, in a flash of lurid green, on the day of the feast itself, the Pharisaios Weekly was born.
Doesn't that whet your appetite for more? Sometimes when I reference their site, I worry that I quote beyond fair use, but it's hard to choose what to leave out. Please go visit, because there is more, so much more.
When you get there, be sure to scroll down and click on the Procession, which includes a letter from the bishop, songs, such as "The Haemorrhoids Song", diaries of a country cleric and a city cleric, and "I am the Bishop of the Diocese," with apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan, all of which are must-reads. An early edition of the journal references this news story:
A meeting took place yesterday, at an undisclosed location, of senior Anglican clergymen dedicated to opposing any moves to ordain women into Holy Orders in the Church of England. Calling themselves “Militant Innocents Against the Ordination of Women” (henceforth referred to as MIAOW) they set about devising a programme intended to mobilise their grass root supporters up and down the country, and to act as a focus for ecumenical dialogue....
Moving on to the second Procession, we find a letter from the Dean of the Cathedral of Wenchoster, from which I quote:
The Cathedral Chapter has been asked why we spend so much of our time maintaining these electronic pages, but the answer is simply that it helps us reach out to our parishioners, both those who physically live here, and those who associate themselves with us because of our open Christian ethos. In an age when the Anglican Communion appears to be fragmenting, the Diocese of Wenchoster stands as a beacon in the darkness, welcoming all who are willing to live with and worship with and have faith with difference. The New Testament churches founded by Paul all had their individuality. None were alike, but they still possessed unity. We firmly believe that unity is possible without, and different from, uniformity. It is in difference that we are strengthened, for different lights of understanding cause different aspects of our faith to be illumined.
This is why we do what we do. And if you wish to walk with us on our pilgrimage, you are welcome.
Rupert Henry Philpott-Thrashington
I don't know about you, but I want to walk with them on their pilgrimage.
Included in the second Procession are more hymns, icons, notes on liturgy, and the account of a new curate's test-walk through his town - all from the early days.
I will close by taking note of the touching pastoral concern shown by the Diocese of Wenchoster in issuing this virus-alert:
Clergy and laity in the diocese of Wenchoster have been warned to take extra care when managing their e-mail accounts after a new virus attacked the computer network at the Diocesan Offices last Monday. Hidden within an attachment sent by a company advertising home visits for cassock measuring, the now named “Alpha” virus swiftly deleted all references to priesthood, and replaced the Canon Law database with a long list of useful scriptural references for use in times of doubt and sorrow.
I ask you, "Do you get virus-alerts from your diocese?"
You have been warned: never open an email with an attachment concerning home visits for the purpose of cassock-measuring.
In the beginning:
The year was 2001 and it was coming up to Trinity Sunday. A Pharisaios Blog was already in existence publishing deep theological reflections on hemorrhoids and other sundry ecclesiastical topics; there had been a flurry of idea exchanges between the two Pharisaios editors, rumours of rumours, and dreams about a proper website. A second Blog then appeared with new chapters from the Curates in Space saga. And then, in a flash of lurid green, on the day of the feast itself, the Pharisaios Weekly was born.
Doesn't that whet your appetite for more? Sometimes when I reference their site, I worry that I quote beyond fair use, but it's hard to choose what to leave out. Please go visit, because there is more, so much more.
When you get there, be sure to scroll down and click on the Procession, which includes a letter from the bishop, songs, such as "The Haemorrhoids Song", diaries of a country cleric and a city cleric, and "I am the Bishop of the Diocese," with apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan, all of which are must-reads. An early edition of the journal references this news story:
A meeting took place yesterday, at an undisclosed location, of senior Anglican clergymen dedicated to opposing any moves to ordain women into Holy Orders in the Church of England. Calling themselves “Militant Innocents Against the Ordination of Women” (henceforth referred to as MIAOW) they set about devising a programme intended to mobilise their grass root supporters up and down the country, and to act as a focus for ecumenical dialogue....
Moving on to the second Procession, we find a letter from the Dean of the Cathedral of Wenchoster, from which I quote:
The Cathedral Chapter has been asked why we spend so much of our time maintaining these electronic pages, but the answer is simply that it helps us reach out to our parishioners, both those who physically live here, and those who associate themselves with us because of our open Christian ethos. In an age when the Anglican Communion appears to be fragmenting, the Diocese of Wenchoster stands as a beacon in the darkness, welcoming all who are willing to live with and worship with and have faith with difference. The New Testament churches founded by Paul all had their individuality. None were alike, but they still possessed unity. We firmly believe that unity is possible without, and different from, uniformity. It is in difference that we are strengthened, for different lights of understanding cause different aspects of our faith to be illumined.
This is why we do what we do. And if you wish to walk with us on our pilgrimage, you are welcome.
Rupert Henry Philpott-Thrashington
I don't know about you, but I want to walk with them on their pilgrimage.
Included in the second Procession are more hymns, icons, notes on liturgy, and the account of a new curate's test-walk through his town - all from the early days.
I will close by taking note of the touching pastoral concern shown by the Diocese of Wenchoster in issuing this virus-alert:
Clergy and laity in the diocese of Wenchoster have been warned to take extra care when managing their e-mail accounts after a new virus attacked the computer network at the Diocesan Offices last Monday. Hidden within an attachment sent by a company advertising home visits for cassock measuring, the now named “Alpha” virus swiftly deleted all references to priesthood, and replaced the Canon Law database with a long list of useful scriptural references for use in times of doubt and sorrow.
I ask you, "Do you get virus-alerts from your diocese?"
You have been warned: never open an email with an attachment concerning home visits for the purpose of cassock-measuring.
Friday, June 1, 2007
What Grandpère Grows In His Garden
Photo by FotoSearch.
It's long past due for me to commend Grandpère for his gardening prowess. At the present time, we are enjoying bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, Creole tomatoes to die for, corn, and blueberries, fresh from his garden. We are savoring some of the sweetest and best-tasting blackberries I have ever eaten, picked in the wild by him and my grandson.
In addition, we eat fresh fish and shrimp that he catches, and fresh crabs and, in season, fresh crawfish that we buy. I tend to take this bounty for granted, because we have enjoyed it for such a long time, but I should not.
I thank God and my hard-working husband for providing the sumptious feasts. In addition, Grandpère does most of the cooking.
I'm ashamed that I don't have my own photo and had to borrow one online.
Feast Day Of Justin Martyr
Padre Mickey in Panama is the man to see for the commemoration of the early Christian saints. He has a lovely post about Justin Martyr.
PRAYER
Almighty and everlasting God, who found your martyr Justin wandering from teacher to teacher, seeking the true God, and revealed to him the sublime wisdom of your eternal Word: Grant that all who seek you, or a deeper knowledge of you, may find and be found by you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
The Visitation Of Mary
The Visitation by Domenico Ghirlandaio - Musée du Louvre, Paris
Image from The Web Gallery of Art
Coming in the midst of our present time of war and grief are stories of new life springing forth. During the time preceding the Visitation, the angel Gabriel was about his business of carrying messages from God announcing impending births, first to Zechariah, telling him that his wife Elizabeth was to give birth to a son, and then a few months later to Mary, giving the news of her pregnancy, although she knew not man.
Soon after learning that she was with child, Mary set off to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who, in her old age, had conceived her child, John The Baptist, the herald of Mary's child, Jesus, Our Savior.
Where was Joseph during this time that Mary visited her cousin? Hard at work at his carpentry in Nazareth, I suppose.
The reading from the Gospel for the feast of the Visitation includes The Magnificat, Mary's song of praise, one of the most glorious prayers in all of the history of Christianity.
In the Old Testament Book of Samuel, we read of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, who also conceived in her old age, after giving up hope of having a child. She prayed in thanksgiving and praise to God after the birth of her son, who became a judge and a prophet. Hannah's prayer prefigures Mary's prayer.
1 Samuel 2:1-10
Hannah’s Prayer
Hannah prayed and said,
‘My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength is exalted in my God.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in my victory.
‘There is no Holy One like the Lord,
no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.
The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low, he also exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honour.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and on them he has set the world.
‘He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness;
for not by might does one prevail.
The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered;
the Most High will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king,
and exalt the power of his anointed.’
Luke 1:39-55
The Visitation
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
PRAYER
Father in heaven, by whose grace the virgin mother of your incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed in keeping your word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
I highly recommend that you visit In A Godward Direction, Tobias Haller's blog, to listen to his musical composition: Setting of the Magnificat from "Mountain Vespers" by Tobias Stanislas Haller BSG, sung by the members of the Brotherhood of Saint Gregory.
It's lovely.
And isn't Ghirlandaio's painting beautiful?
Supporting The Troops
Yes, I'm obsessed. Yes, I'm depressed. I don't seem to be able to get away from the subject. The killing and the maiming go on without ceasing, and my neighborhood paper continues to supply me with material.
Yesterday, again in the Baton Rouge Advocate, was an account of a Memorial Day tribute on the U.S.S. Kidd, a destroyer which is docked permanently in Baton Rouge.
A retired captain and now state appellate court judge told an audience of about 200 people Monday that supporting the troops needs to be more than lip service.
J. Michael McDonald, who served three years during the Vietnam War as an intelligence officer and then 27 more years in the U.S. Navy Reserve, said he’s worried that American attitudes are turning not just against the war in Iraq, but against the troops themselves.
The judge may be worried that attitudes are turning "against the troops themselves", but in fact, as I see it, Americans are doing a good job of distinguishing between the powerful people who took us into the Iraq War and the troops who lay their lives on the line every day to fight the war. We're not making the same mistake as in the Vietnam War of blaming the troops.
He told those gathered at the USS Kidd Veterans Memorial and Museum on Monday that he remembers having students at Brown University throw rocks at him in 1969.
He said he had friends who were spit on in airports. He also recalled a newspaper story from the time where a returning veteran was told that he deserved his war injuries.
I believe the good judge may be conflating two wars here, Iraq and Vietnam.
“If someone tells you they don’t support the war, but they support the troops, ask them, exactly, how,” McDonald suggested. “If they can’t tell you, they’re not supporting the troops.”
Now I realize that I do not have the judge's credentials. I have never served in the military. I have never fought in a war. However, I'll take a stab at telling the judge how the leadership who sent the troops to war could have supported the troops. Wouldn't the major responsibility to support the troops have rested on the shoulders of those who decided to send them to war?
The judge should be asking the question about supporting the troops of the Bush maladministration, those who ordered the troops into the misbegotten and catastrophic war, and the Congress who enabled them.
Here's what supporting the troops would have meant:
In the first place, supporting the troops would have meant refraining from sending them to attack a country which had not attacked us and was not a threat to us.
Once the leadership decided to go ahead with the war, based on a pack of lies, supporting the troops would have meant sending sufficient numbers of them to keep order once the dictator was toppled.
Supporting the troops would have meant supplying them with enough body armor and armored vehicles to protect them.
Supporting the troops would have meant supplying them with safe food and drinking water, instead of spoiled food and contaminated water served up by the maladministration's best friend, Halliburton.
Supporting the troops would have meant giving the very best medical care to the wounded - and not in hospitals with moldy walls and ceilings, and the best follow-up care to restore them to physical and mental health, sparing them long waiting periods for further care.
Supporting the troops would have meant getting checks to the disabled quickly and sparing them from having to deal with tangled masses of red tape.
Supporting the troops at the present time would mean bringing them home from the killing fields of this unwinnable war, beginning now.
There. I'm sure that this is not an exhaustive list. I'm sure that we failed the troops in ways that I have not mentioned.
Maybe I'm done on the war for a while, but don't count on it. Folks keep saying stupid things and riling me up.
UPDATE: I reworded this post and shortened it some and mailed it to the Advocate. I think it's probably still too long, and they won't publish it, but we'll see. 6-1-07
Yesterday, again in the Baton Rouge Advocate, was an account of a Memorial Day tribute on the U.S.S. Kidd, a destroyer which is docked permanently in Baton Rouge.
A retired captain and now state appellate court judge told an audience of about 200 people Monday that supporting the troops needs to be more than lip service.
J. Michael McDonald, who served three years during the Vietnam War as an intelligence officer and then 27 more years in the U.S. Navy Reserve, said he’s worried that American attitudes are turning not just against the war in Iraq, but against the troops themselves.
The judge may be worried that attitudes are turning "against the troops themselves", but in fact, as I see it, Americans are doing a good job of distinguishing between the powerful people who took us into the Iraq War and the troops who lay their lives on the line every day to fight the war. We're not making the same mistake as in the Vietnam War of blaming the troops.
He told those gathered at the USS Kidd Veterans Memorial and Museum on Monday that he remembers having students at Brown University throw rocks at him in 1969.
He said he had friends who were spit on in airports. He also recalled a newspaper story from the time where a returning veteran was told that he deserved his war injuries.
I believe the good judge may be conflating two wars here, Iraq and Vietnam.
“If someone tells you they don’t support the war, but they support the troops, ask them, exactly, how,” McDonald suggested. “If they can’t tell you, they’re not supporting the troops.”
Now I realize that I do not have the judge's credentials. I have never served in the military. I have never fought in a war. However, I'll take a stab at telling the judge how the leadership who sent the troops to war could have supported the troops. Wouldn't the major responsibility to support the troops have rested on the shoulders of those who decided to send them to war?
The judge should be asking the question about supporting the troops of the Bush maladministration, those who ordered the troops into the misbegotten and catastrophic war, and the Congress who enabled them.
Here's what supporting the troops would have meant:
In the first place, supporting the troops would have meant refraining from sending them to attack a country which had not attacked us and was not a threat to us.
Once the leadership decided to go ahead with the war, based on a pack of lies, supporting the troops would have meant sending sufficient numbers of them to keep order once the dictator was toppled.
Supporting the troops would have meant supplying them with enough body armor and armored vehicles to protect them.
Supporting the troops would have meant supplying them with safe food and drinking water, instead of spoiled food and contaminated water served up by the maladministration's best friend, Halliburton.
Supporting the troops would have meant giving the very best medical care to the wounded - and not in hospitals with moldy walls and ceilings, and the best follow-up care to restore them to physical and mental health, sparing them long waiting periods for further care.
Supporting the troops would have meant getting checks to the disabled quickly and sparing them from having to deal with tangled masses of red tape.
Supporting the troops at the present time would mean bringing them home from the killing fields of this unwinnable war, beginning now.
There. I'm sure that this is not an exhaustive list. I'm sure that we failed the troops in ways that I have not mentioned.
Maybe I'm done on the war for a while, but don't count on it. Folks keep saying stupid things and riling me up.
UPDATE: I reworded this post and shortened it some and mailed it to the Advocate. I think it's probably still too long, and they won't publish it, but we'll see. 6-1-07
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Leopard Leaps Into Bed
From the Associated Press via Yahoo News:
JERUSALEM - A man clad only in underwear and a T-shirt wrestled a wild leopard to the floor and pinned it for 20 minutes after the cat leapt through a window of his home and hopped into bed with his sleeping family.
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"This kind of thing doesn't happen every day," said 49-year-old Arthur Du Mosch, a nature guide. "I don't know why I did it. I wasn't thinking, I just acted."
This is more MadPriest's style, but, since I've been sad the past couple of days, I felt in need of a little levity. MadPriest, you can steal this and save it in your cats folder, if you ever get that back up on your blog.
JERUSALEM - A man clad only in underwear and a T-shirt wrestled a wild leopard to the floor and pinned it for 20 minutes after the cat leapt through a window of his home and hopped into bed with his sleeping family.
ADVERTISEMENT
"This kind of thing doesn't happen every day," said 49-year-old Arthur Du Mosch, a nature guide. "I don't know why I did it. I wasn't thinking, I just acted."
This is more MadPriest's style, but, since I've been sad the past couple of days, I felt in need of a little levity. MadPriest, you can steal this and save it in your cats folder, if you ever get that back up on your blog.
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