Magnificat

"Annunciation" by Donatello - c. 1435 - Gilded pietra serena, Santa Croce, Florence

Mary’s Song of Praise

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.’

The rector used the quote below in his Sunday sermon, and that put me in mind of the magnificent Magnificat.

"Here we have a passage which has become one of the great hymns of the Church - the Magnificat. It is steeped in the Old Testament and is closely related to Hannah's song of praise in 1Samuel 2:1-10. It has been said that religion is the opiate of the people; but it has also been said that the Magnificat is the most revolutionary document in the world.

....

He scatters the proud in the plans of their hearts. That is a moral revolution. Christianity is the death of pride. Why? Because if people set their lives beside that of Christ, it tears away the last vestiges of their pride."

The Gospel of Luke by William Barclay

And a modest offering from me - an O Antiphon of sorts.

O Blessed One

Mother of God, O holy one,
Inside your body, the Word made flesh,
As an infant, suckled at your breast.
The God-child, cared for gently, lovingly,
Grew in wisdom and in grace.

Mother of God, what did you know?
Were you sad? Were you fearful?
Midst the joy of family life,
Did you feel a piercing in your heart?
O blessed Mary, pray for us, sinners all.

Grandmère Mimi - 7/17/07


Image from the Web Gallery of art.

O Adonai

December 17

O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel,
Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush,
and gavest him the law in Sinai,
come to redeem us with an outstretched arm!

Latin

O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel,
qui Moysi in igne flammæ rubi apparuisti,
et ei in Sina legem dedisti:
veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.


Isaiah 11:4-5

But with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

Once again, one day off from the Roman Catholic Church with the medieval Anglican Sarum Use dating.


Video from YouTube. Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Oxford.

Text from Fish Eaters.

UPDATE: Once again, check out Vicki Black's post on Speaking to the Soul at the Episcopal Café. I now know to link each day before I post on the antiphon.

Letter From Jesus About Christmas

Ann at What the Tide Brings In received the following in an email. She made it part of her sermon yesterday, which I think was a lovely idea. We should all be prepared with printed copies to hand out to folks who complain about the war on Christmas. We can have the letter saved on our computers to copy and send to those who email us about the war on Christmas.

Letter from Jesus about Christmas (slightly edited for Episcopalians)

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many you are upset that folks are removing My name from the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year -- it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually the time of pagan festival. Of course, I do appreciate being remembered at any time.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, here's how: GET ALONG WITH EACH AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on... If it bothers you that the town where you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen in your own front yard and put out your own Nativity scene. If all of My followers did that, there wouldn't be any need for a display in the town square because there would already be so many all around your community.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made ALL trees. You can remember Me any time you see ANY tree. Decorate a grapevine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten what I said, look up John 15: 1- 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wishlist.

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing the President to complain about the wording on the White House cards this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then do it! It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. People in your town will attempt to take their own lives this season because they feel so alone and hopeless. Since you don't know who they are, give everyone you meet a warm smile -- it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit-picking about what retailers call this holiday, be patient with the people who work for them. Give each a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support organizations like Episcopal Relief and Development, who are working for better lives for refugees, prisoners, people suffering from diseases that are easily curable with a small amount of money, giving tools and resources so people can support their families.

9. There are individuals and families in your town who will not only have no "Christmas" tree, but also no presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, take some food and gifts to a charity who will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do or say things that you wouldn't do or say in My presence. Remember -- When you speak badly of my children, you are speaking badly of Me; when you treat each other badly, you do the same to Me. Let people know by your words and actions that you are one of Mine.

Don't get so worked up about what you think are slights about me that occur in the material world. I am God and I can take care of Myself. I am not diminished by those things.

Instead, simply love Me and do what I have asked you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love.

AMEN.

What would I do without help from my friends?

Why Do I Bother?

Here's Ruth Gledhill at the Times Online, on the Archbishop of Canterbury's letter to the primates of the Anglican communion, which the headline characterizes as calling the American church to account because of its "pro-gay agenda".

I bother because of the comments. There were several that made me laugh.

The very first comment says that not only is same-sexuality sinful, but just thinking about it is sinful. Can you write about same-sexuality without thinking about it? Just askin'.

Another says that he thinks he might be gay, so he's joining the priesthood to get the thought out of his mind.

In the UK, there are 26 million Anglicans, but only 1 million attend church. The commenter asks how the other 25 million are known to be Anglican and says that he hopes they're not counting him.

Advent Letter From Bishop Jenkins

From Churchwork, the publication of the Diocese of Louisiana, from The Rt. Rev. Charles E. Jenkins:

"Do we think that God participates in the life of the world? Do we believe that God has taken flesh in the person of Jesus Christ? The revelation of God in Holy Scripture is that God has become one of us, taking human nature from the Blessed Virgin Mary and at the very same time maintaining the Divine nature. This is the incredible good news for which we both prepare during Advent and celebrate in Christmas. In the testimony of the fourth Gospel we read, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." And the Good News continues, for God's taking of humanity, though done once and for all, is not the end of God's dealing with us. The Holy Spirit has been given and is given to us for the salvation of the world.

"There is an unmistakable and necessary moral and social implication to the Incarnation that is sometimes lost in the rush of holiday festivity. In the Incarnation, God did not simply "come down" but has also "raised up" humanity to the Divine. This action of God, known in the New Testament and in classical theology as theosis, is one of the foundational truths upon which rests the baptismal affirmation of the dignity of every human being. The missio dei, or "mission of God," with which we are engaged is not simply about us only, but about all humanity. Indeed, we who are of the Faith continue the journey of sanctification (holiness) nourished by the Sacraments, encouraged in Community, guided by the Holy Spirit, grounded in Holy Scripture. and assured in Christ's one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Our journey to holiness of necessity includes the missio dei which is the perfect goal of our ministry. There is nothing selfish about the missio dei, for it is instead about the generosity of self-offering.

"The ministry of our diocese has changed greatly over the last two years. The generosity of others has enabled our self-offering in this ministry. We should all know of our common work in feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, caring for the sick, seeking quality education for all children, cleaning up the destroyed homes, and even rebuilding those homes. Yet there is another quality to our ministry which I think also speaks to the missio dei. We are involved in a ministry of advocacy for those who have no one else to speak with them and for them. This ministry is not associated with any political theory, movement or party as such. Instead, our work of advocacy for the dignity of every person is based in Scripture, theology and common prayer.

"I cannot come to the altar for my Christmas Communion without a lively sense of this ministry of advocacy. As others advocate for us so, must we take up and continue that ministry on behalf of the world.

"You will find Christ and be found by Him in your Christmas Communion. You will be nourished with the bread of angels. Let us not leave God's altar unchanged and uncritically accepting of the social situation in which we live. May the blessings of the "Word made flesh" be yours this Christmas and for all time, and may we be a blessing to the world in which we minister.

+Charles E. Jenkins"

Amen. May the blessings of the "Word made flesh" be also with you, Bishop Jenkins.

Don't Blame Me, Blame Doug - Again

A burglar broke into a house one night. He shined his flashlight around, looking for valuables. He picked up a CD player to place in his sack, when a strange, disembodied voice echoed from the dark saying, "Jesus is watching you."

He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze. When he heard nothing more after a bit, he shook his head and continued. Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard, "Jesus is watching you."

Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice. Finally, in the corner of the room, his flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.

"Did you say that?" he hissed at the parrot.

"Yep," the parrot confessed, then squawked, "I'm just trying to warn you that he's watching you."

The burglar relaxed. "Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?"

"Moses," replied the bird.

"Moses?" the burglar laughed. "What kind of people would name a bird Moses?"

"The same kind of people that would name a Rottweiler Jesus."

"How Beautiful..."

Our friend, Ann, has set up a new blog called How Beautiful... The purpose of the blog will be to bring to us the good news from the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.

Upon hearing about Ann's blog, I had mixed emotions for a selfish reason. Ann has supplied me with material that I have used in posts for my blog, and now I presume she will save the best for her own blog - of course! She has begun to give us the good news of the kingdom, right here and right now. Please pay her a visit.

The Advent Antiphons

Image from the massive Ghent altarpiece, "The Adoration of the Lamb" by Hubert and Jan van Eyck at St. Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium. Wiki has the whole altarpiece, except for missing parts, and is worth a look.

The well-known carol, “O come, O come, Emmanuel,” provides just such a passageway linking the old and the new. The carol’s familiar names for Christ are based on the Advent Antiphons—the “Great O’s”—which date back possibly to the sixth century. These antiphons—short devotional texts chanted before and after a psalm or canticle—were sung before and after the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, at Vespers from December 16 through December 23. Each of the antiphons greets the Messiah and ends with a petition of hope. The simple refrain of the carol, “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!” sets the tone for this Advent time of waiting and expectation.

From "Hasten the Kingdom: Praying the O Antiphons of Advent" by Mary Winifred, C.A. (Liturgical Press, 1996).

From Speaking to the Soul, posted by Vicki Black at the Episcopal Café.

Over the next several days, beginning tomorrow, I plan to post each day on the "O Antiphon" of the day.

Image from Fish Eaters.

Censored Levee Video

Do go watch the spoof levee video at Through the Dust, put together by high school students from New Orleans, which was censored, but the censorship backfired, and we are now permitted to watch once again.

Please Help Christ The King Church In Rio

I'm not a good beggar. Others have more skills in cajoling, using humor and other techniques to get attention. But I do believe in the cause. The donations go to the Anglican Church of Christ the King, located in one of the poorest and most violent slums in Rio de Janiero. Our virtual friend Luiz Coelho, a candidate for the Anglican priesthood, worked for nearly a year with the children of the City of God. As of yesterday the amount of $5537.49 has been collected in 16 days. Thanks be to God.

As I said in another post on the City of God:

We are taught that God loves each of us infinitely, but I cannot help but believe (probably heretically) that the destitute and the poor amongst us are more precious in the sight of God than those of us who possess more of the world's goods. God is surely present with those who live in the City of God slum.

Go here to make a donation by Paypal, or:

In the U.K. cheques (made payable to "St. Francis Church") should be sent to:

CITY OF GOD APPEAL,
St. Francis House
18 Cotswold Gardens
High Heaton
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE7 7AE

Please write "City Of God Appeal" on the reverse of the cheque.

In the United States, cheques (made payable to "The Episcopal Church of St. Paul") should be sent to:

CITY OF GOD APPEAL
c/o The Reverend Elizabeth Kaeton
The Episcopal Church of St. Paul
200 Main Street
Chatham, NJ 07928

Please write "City Of God Appeal" on the front of the check.

Thanks to Paul at Byzigenous Buddhapalian for the picture.