MY MOTHER'S MARY

The statue of the Virgin Mary pictured above was amongst my mother's few possessions when she died in the nursing home some years ago. The slender, elongated, and perfectly symmetrical figure has an Art Deco look about it. A friend gave the statue to her, and my mother whispered to me that it may be worth a good deal of money. I think not, but the Mary figure is a keepsake and, in appearance, is more interesting than most devotional statues of Jesus and the saints.

A gold sticker on the bottom of the statue reads:

RELIGIOUS FIGURE
Sculptor A. Santini
MADE IN ITALY

After Googling around a bit, I found the website Amilcare Santini.

In 1958 with his son Nedo, 23 years old, he decided to begin the production of statues in imitation alabaster and, some months later, the production of statue in alabaster powder and oxolyte under the name of ISAC DI SANTINI NEDO (INDUSTRIA STATUE ARTISTICHE CECINESI) in a small plant in Cecina, Via della Madonna n°12.

My statue is a little over 10" tall and may be made of bonded or imitation alabaster.

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.’

(Luke 1: 46-55)

JONATHAN IS NOW KINDLING

Available by monthly subscription at a cost of just of just £2.49 (slightly less than $4.00) per issue. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time.

NOW AVAILABLE IN KINDLE FORMAT

Click over to St Laika's Shoppe for details and links to subscribe or purchase the Kindle version.

Jonathan's alternative services for Holy Communion are lovely. The collects, intercessions, post-communion, and other prayers blend with Lectionary readings from the Scriptures of the day and flow smoothly into the eucharistic service. The prayers for Holy Week are especially moving and truly fine work. I know Jonathan, and, since he's a bit of a rogue, I wrote to ask how he could write such beautiful prayers. His response to me makes very good sense: "I think you have to be a rogue to write good prayers. If I was holy, I could only write 'God is wonderful' stuff. When I pray I am praying for myself and, being fully aware of my shortcomings, I am actually grateful for what Jesus has done for me."

Clergy looking for alternative services would do well to give them a try. Lay church-going folks may wish to pass them along to their pastors or just use the prayers at home outside of church services. I subscribed in the PDF version, and I highly recommend them.

Jonathan Hagger blogs by the name of MadPriest.

PREY UNCEASINGLY

Alas, must Rowan make do with the floor, rather than a prie dieu, because he's not a 'real' archbishop in the eyes of the pope?

The proposed Anglican Covenant is, in part, an attempt by the Archbishop of Canterbury to gain the approval of Pope Benedict and ease the way into a closer relationship between the Vatican and Canterbury. You see, we Anglicans are, at present, a diverse lot, a messy communion of autonomous churches, and Rowan wants to gather us into a 'real' Anglican church vis-a-vis the church of Rome. He should know that the attempt is similar to the old cliché of trying to herd cats. Besides, no matter what Rowan does, the pope will not accept him as a 'real' archbishop, nor will he accept Anglican orders as valid. Even if the ABC joined the ordinariate or converted to the RCC, he could not be a bishop, much less an archbishop, because he is married.

Anglicans decided nearly 500 years ago that they preferred an autonomous church, the Church of England, which was not under the authority of Rome. Why is Rowan so anxious to curry favor with the RCC, especially after the recent shabby treatment of only very short notice by of the powers in the Vatican before the predatory RC ordinariates were set up in England to woo away disaffected Anglicans? Why try to foist the covenant on the churches in the Anglican Communion partly to 'relate' better to Rome? We (at least a good many of us) want to be in communion with other Anglican Churches, but we do not want to be a worldwide Anglican Church.

Clever and very funny photoshop from The MadPriest Internet Chop Shop.

JUAN COLE TRANSLATES OMAR KHAYYAM

Omar Khayyam (55)

Bartender, since fate
has defeated you and me,
and this world is not a
dwelling for you and me;
but given that we have a glass of wine
in our midst
know for sure that the truth
is in your hand and mine.

Translated by Juan Cole
from [pdf] Whinfield 55

Ah yes. Sometimes it is exactly so.

From Juan Cole at Informed Comment.

KIDS START YOUNG

A little girl and a little boy were at daycare.

The girl approached the boy and said, "Hey, Stevie, wanna play house?"

He said, "Sure! What do you want me to do?"

The girl replied, "I want you to communicate."

He said to her, "That word is too big. I have no idea what it means."

The little girl smirked and said, "Perfect. You can be the husband."


Cheers,

Paul (A.)

Of course, Paul (A.) is in no way included in the characterization of men as poor communicators.

JESUS AND MO - TONE

From Jesus and Mo.

AND REMEMBER...

Yes to the Anglican Communion.

No to the proposed Anglican Covenant.

'NOW THAT I AM OLD AND GRAY-HEADED O GOD DO NOT FORSAKE ME'

From the Lectionary today:

PSALM 71:17-21

And now that I am old and gray-headed,
O God, do not forsake me, *
till I make known your strength to this generation
and your power to all who are to come.
Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens; *
you have done great things; who is like you, O God?
You have showed me great troubles and adversities, *
but you will restore my life
and bring me up again from the deep places of the earth.
You strengthen me more and more; *
you enfold and comfort me,
Therefore I will praise you upon the lyre for your faithfulness, O my God; *
I will sing to you with the harp, O Holy One of Israel.
My lips will sing with joy when I play to you, *
and so will my soul, which you have redeemed.
My tongue will proclaim your righteousness all day long, *
for they are ashamed and disgraced who sought to do me harm.

Alas, I play neither lyre nor harp, but my lips will sing, and my tongue will proclaim God's righteousness.



The Fron Choir sing "Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer".

'BISHOP YELLOW BELLY FIGHTS BACK'

Passage of the Anglican Communion Covenant was supposed to be an easy task in England. But then people started reading, marking, learning and inwardly digesting the document and found it gave them stomach cramps. And this has made Bishop Yellow Belly "very, very angry."

H/T to SCG at Wake up and Live.

FULL MOON

Cloud-streaked moon in full
Werewolf howling noisily
Beneath glowing orb

Sorry. My picture does not show the clouds.