FEAST DAY OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN

Assumption of the Virgin - El Greco - 1577 - Art Institute of Chicago

Luke 1:46-55

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.’

In her beautiful prayer of praise to God, The Magnificat, Mary says, "All generations will call me blessed." I carried my habit of honoring the mother of Jesus over from the years spent in the Roman Catholic Church, but I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of my fellow Episcopalians who give honor to Mary. The Roman Catholic Church, celebrates the bodily Assumption of Mary into heaven on August 15.

I love the story of the wedding at Cana. When Mary tells Jesus that the hosts of the wedding feast have run out of wine, he says to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not come." Mary seems to ignore his words and tells the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Jesus, of course, makes more wine for the feast. I find this glimpse into the intimate relationship between Jesus and his mother so very touching. And wouldn't we all do well to heed the final spoken words of Mary in the Bible? "Do whatever he tells you."

The El Greco Assumption is magnificent, so powerful, full of movement, emotion, and glorious color. Although he lived and painted in the 16th and 17 centuries, his painting seems of another age, very much ahead of its time.

PRAYER

O God, who have taken to yourself the blessed Virgin Mary, mother of your incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been redeemed by his blood, may share with her the glory of your eternal kingdom; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

READINGS:

Isaiah 61:10-11
Psalm 34 or 34:1-9
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 1:46-55

Reposted from four years ago. (Four years! Can it really have been that long ago?)

Image from Wikipedia.

YOUR DAUGHTER IS PREGNANT

A mother took her daughter to the doctor and asked him to give her an examination to determine the cause of the daughter's swollen abdomen.

It only took the doctor about 2 seconds to say, "Gimme a break, lady! Your daughter is pregnant!"

The mother turn red with fury, and she argued with the doctor that *her* daughter was a good girl, and would *never* compromise her reputation by having sex with a boy.

The doctor faced the window and silently watched the horizon. The mother became enraged and screamed, "Quit looking out the window! Aren't you paying attention to me?"

"Yes, of course I am paying attention, ma'am. It's just that the last time this happened, a star appeared in the east, and three wise men came. I was hoping they'd show up again, and help me figure out who got your daughter pregnant!"

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.

STORY OF THE DAY - CURIOSITY

Can I count on you to be there, no
matter what? she said & I said no & she
said what kind of friend are you? & I
said the kind who won't lie to you any
time you want & I think she kept me
around as a curiosity after that

From StoryPeople.

SAVE THE CHILDREN IN THE US! - UN REPORT ON CHILD WELFARE

From the United Nations report: An overview of child well-being in rich countries (PDF).

A comprehensive assessment of the lives
and well-being of children and adolescents
in the economically advanced nations

Click on the image for the enlarged view.

There we are at the bottom of the list in overall welfare of children, not quite last but next to last. Shameful isn't it?

I'm not especially fond of perusing charts, graphs, or statistics, but I found the report easy to understand.

MICHELE BACHMANN...'I AM NOT ANYONE'S JUDGE'

Damn! You could have fooled me, Michele.

H/T to Leonardo at Eruptions at the Foot of the Volcano.

ANOTHER ANTI-GAY REPUBlICAN...

From TPM:

An Indiana state Representative, who recently voted for a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage, has been accused of using Craigslist to offer an 18-year old male $80 for "a couple hours of your time tonight" plus a tip "for a really good time."

The Indianapolis Star obtained e-mails sent from Rep. Phillip Hinkle's (R) publicly listed personal address, responding to a Craigslist posting by Kameryn Gibson that said "I need a sugga daddy." Gibson told the Star that the post was in the "Casual Encounters" section under m4m, or men for men. He used his sister Megan's e-mail address -- and she later sent the e-mails to the Star.

"Cannot be a long time sugar daddy," says the e-mail response from what is allegedly Hinkle's address, "but can for tonight. Would you be interested in keeping me company for a while tonight?"

"I am an in shape married professional, 5'8", fit 170 lbs, and love getting and staying naked," the e-mail says.

They never learn. Is there a list of anti-gay politicians and activists who have been caught being gay? If such a list exists, it is long, even if it covers just the last few years.

THE ANGEL OF THE NORTH...and me

The Angel of the North is a contemporary sculpture designed by Antony Gormley, which is located in Gateshead, England.

It is a steel sculpture of an angel, standing 20 metres (66 ft) tall, with wings measuring 54 metres (177 ft) across.[1] The wings themselves are not planar, but are angled 3.5º forward, which Gormley used to create "a sense of embrace".

It stands on a hill on the southern edge of Low Fell, overlooking the A1 and A167 roads into Tyneside, and the East Coast Main Line rail route, south of the site of Team Colliery.

The huge sculpture is impressive with its placement on a hill, which gives it even more height and visibility. Not all the English agreed with the original idea, nor do all like the finished product, but, to many, the Angel is now an icon of the North of England.

The proportions of the Angel, with the apparent lightness of the wingspread, which is more than twice the height of the tough steel structure, lend the sculpture an appearance of both grace and sturdiness which I admire.

Up close, the enormous size of the Angel is quite apparent, with just the lower leg dwarfing me.

I'm still there - the incredible shrinking woman.

 

A back view of the Angel from the motorway layby.

The picture and quote at head of the post are from Wikipedia.

UPDATE: Mrs MadPriest took the two photos of me near the statue. I thank MadPriest and Mrs MadPriest for their welcome and kindness to me during my stay in the Newcastle area, although it must have been inconvenient to have me hanging about in the days immediately preceding their house move. I offered to help pack boxes, but I wasn't allowed. At least, I had my own place to stay, so I was not underfoot ALL the time. On the very afternoon of the day they moved, MadPriest took time out to take me to the train station.

THE 'GOOD NEWS' - TURN OR BURN

From the church's Facebook page.

H/T to Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin.

FEAST DAY OF FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE

Nevertheless I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterwards you will receive me with honour.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.

Psalm 73:23-26

PRAYER

Life-giving God, who alone have power over life and death, over health and sickness: Give power, wisdom, and gentleness to those who follow the lead of your servant Florence Nightingale, that they, bearing with them your presence, may not only heal but bless, and shine as lanterns of hope in the darkest hours of pain and fear; through Jesus Christ, the healer of body and soul, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Tobias Haller, who blogs at In a Godward Direction, wrote the lovely icon pictured above.

James Kiefer writes at the Lectionary:

The commemoration of Florence Nightingale is controversial. On the one hand, she doubted or denied many of the central articles of the Creed. On the other hand, she believed in God and devoted her life to His service as she understood it.

I'd say more than good enough. Thanks be to God for the life and service of Florence Nightingale.

DID YOU EVER NOTICE...

Not before now. I never did.

Don't blame me. Blame Doug for destroying your innocence.