O Emmanuel

December 23

O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos Domine Deus noster.

O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, yea, and salvation thereof, come to save us, O Lord our God!



Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.


Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Oxford.

Text from Fish Eaters.

Leading Up To Christmas

Watch and pray:
The Lord shall come.
Those who are longing
await His appearing.
Those who listen
await His cry.
Watch...Wait...Listen.


From Celtic Daily Prayer.

"The Loss Of A Virtual Friend"

But as I pondered the loss I became aware of something. I have never met Gideon in person. This connection of ideas, and words, and a willingness to dialog about it was entirely virtual. Our book club exchanges were all video based. And our chats were all textual. That’s it. Gideon was the textbook definition of a virtual friend. But I felt his loss as though he were someone I had met. I felt the loss the same as those who I have lost in my life. The image of God, reflected in Gideon, was now gone.

And that's the truth. I still miss the image of God reflected in Roseann.

From Jonathan Brink at Missio Dei.

Thanks to Ann for the link.

Story Of The Day - Purple Madonna

One time on Hollywood Boulevard I saw
a young girl with a baby. It was a crisp
winter morning & her hair shone dark
purple in the sun. She was panhandling
outside the Holiday Inn & the door clerk
came out & told her to be on her way & I
wondered if anyone would recognize the
Christ child if they happened to meet. I
remember thinking it's not like there are
any published pictures & purple seemed
like a good color for a Madonna so I gave
her a dollar just in case.


From StoryPeople.

O Rex Gentium

December 22

O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum,
lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum:
veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

O King of the Gentiles, yea, and desire thereof!
O Corner-stone, that makest of two one,
come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earth!


Isaiah 9:7

His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 2:4

He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Oxford.

Text from Fish Eaters.

Murphy's Lesser Known Dictums...

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.

Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.

The things that come to those who wait will be the things left by those who got there first.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.

A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.

When you go into court, you are putting yourself In the hands of 12 people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.


Thanks to Ann.

THE LONGEST NIGHT OR BLUE CHRISTMAS

 

Tonight, many churches will celebrate "Longest Night" or "Blue Christmas" services. From Episcopal Life.

During these shortest days and longest nights of the year, many Episcopal Church congregations are offering services meant to bring comfort to those who struggle to find the joy of the Advent and Christmas seasons.

Often called Blue Christmas or Longest Night services, many take place the evening of December 21, the night of the winter solstice, and are designed for people who are coping with loss. Those people hear the Christmas song that describes "the most wonderful time of the year with the kids jingle belling and everyone telling you 'Be of good cheer'" but instead feel they are living the lyrics of the 1957 hit "Blue Christmas" when Elvis Presley sings "I'll have a blue Christmas without you, I'll be so blue just thinking about you."

 

We hold before God:
those for whom life is very difficult;
those who have difficult decisions to make , and who honestly do not know the right thing to do.

We hold before God:
those who have difficult tasks to do and to face, and who fear they may fail in them;
those who have difficult temptations to face, and who know only too well that they may fall to them, if they try to meet them alone.

We hold before God:
those who know that they can be their own worst enemies.

We hold before God:
those who have difficult people to work with;
those who have to suffer unjust treatment, unfair criticism, unappreciated work.

We hold before God:
those who are sad because someone they loved has died;
and any who are disappointed in something for which they hoped very much.

William Barclay

From Celtic Daily Prayer.

H/T to Nicholas Knisely at The Lead for the reminder.

"...because I love God...."

Stephen Bates, who formerly wrote for the Guardian on religious affairs and apparently sometimes still does, became an agnostic during his tenure as a reporter on matters religious. What a sad commentary.

Bates' latest article in the Guardian is bitter-sweet. Despite the seeming best efforts of certain leaders of the Church of England to spread confusion and dismay in their church, the people in the pews and the priests who serve them carry on because as:

"One senior London cleric, himself in a gay partnership, says: "We are asked to make sacrifices of relationships, of part of our lives, that are unimaginable to our heterosexual colleagues, which they would never be asked to make. There is a failure to stand up for honesty, against prejudice, that is quite horrible. I stay because I love God and love the church, but it is like being in an abusive relationship."

Once again, although I know that Archbishop Rowan Williams is the primer inter pares of the world-wide "Anglican Communion", I'd advise him to direct more of his attention to tending to his own garden. The ABC should be aware that his critical words and actions directed toward other churches in the "AC" for supporting couples who faithfully love one another, whatever their sexuality, and his weak words to church leaders who support draconian laws to punish same-sex couples who love one another, negatively affect the members, both lay and clergy, of his own Church of England. Does the ABC suffer from the delusion that the members of his own church in faithful same-sex relationships and their supporters don't take his words and actions to heart? The statement above from the senior cleric should be enough for him to shed the delusion.

The entire article is worth reading.

H/T to Doorman-Priest and Torey Lightcap at The Lead for the link to the article.

Feast Of Thomas The Apostle

"The Incredulity of Saint Thomas" - Caravaggio, 1601-02 - Sanssouci, Potsdam

Readings:

Psalm 126
Habakkuk 2:1-4
Hebrews 10:35--11:1
John 20:24-29


But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

John 20:24-29

PRAYER

Almighty and everliving God, who strengthened your apostle Thomas with sure and certain faith in your Son's resurrection: Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting in your sight; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.


Peter and Thomas are two of my favorite saints, because they were human and obviously imperfect, and yet we celebrate their lives even now. Their humanity and imperfection further my hope that one day I will join them in the heavenly kingdom with the rest of the saints.

The following poem came to me as I pondered the lives of the two saints.

God's Woman

Peter, Thomas, are you my kin?
I call you, "Brother". Are we alike?
You imperfect ones, a doubter, a denier,
Am I your sister?

"I tell you I do not know him!"
Three times your Lord denied.
Oh, Peter, when you heard the cock crow,
Your salty tears were bitter.

You, Thomas, to touch, to see was all.
"Me believe? When I see the nail marks,
When I put my finger in his side."
"My Lord and my God!"

You, my brothers, deeply, fully human,
You flaw-filled men of God,
You give me strength; you give me courage.
Perhaps I'll be God's woman, after all.

Grandmère Mimi 4/18/07


Image from Web Gallery of Art.

O Oriens

December 21

O Oriens, splendor lucis æternæ, et sol justitiæ:
veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light,
Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death!


Isaiah 9:2

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.


Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Oxford.

Text from Fish Eaters.