SPY WEDNESDAY (WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK) - "SAID JUDAS TO MARY"

Sydney Carter's 'Said Judas to Mary' as recorded by Michele Troy and John Brothers.

Sydney Carter is best known for his hymn "Lord of the Dance".

H/T to Anamchara who says:

But he (Carter) was a genius and his poetry can be sublime and transmit truth.  "Said Judas to Mary" has a definite Celtic background, and it is a powerful testament to the fickleness and faithlessness of Judas and the enduring power and mercy of the Christ.  I find it beautiful, and because it sums up the confusion and hope of the first three days of Holy Week, I hope you find it worthy of a listen and a prayer. 

Lovely...worthy of a listen and a prayer.

In Western Christianity the Wednesday before Easter is sometimes known as "Spy Wednesday",as a reference to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot, indicating that it is the day that Judas Iscariot first conspired with the Sanhedrin to betray Jesus for thirty silver coins.

This event is described in the three Synoptic Gospels: Matthew 26:14-16, Mark 14:10-12, Luke 22:3-6.

 From Wikipedia.

PRESIDENT OBAMA AT EASTER PRAYER BREAKFAST

 

Remarks by the President at Easter Prayer Breakfast

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, everybody.  (Applause.)  Please, have a seat.  Have a seat.  Well, welcome to the White House.  It is a pleasure to be with all of you this morning.

In less than a week, this house will be overrun by thousands of kids at the Easter Egg Roll.  (Laughter.)  So I wanted to get together with you for a little prayer and reflection -- some calm before the storm.  (Laughter.)

It is wonderful to see so many good friends here today.  To all the faith leaders from all across the country -- from churches and congregations large and small; from different denominations and different backgrounds -- thank you for coming to our third annual Easter prayer breakfast.  And I’m grateful that you’re here.

I’m even more grateful for the work that you do every day of the year -- the compassion and the kindness that so many of you express through your various ministries.  I know that some of you have joined with our Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.  I’ve seen firsthand some of the outstanding work that you are doing in your respective communities, and it’s an incredible expression of your faith.  And I know that all of us who have an opportunity to work with you draw inspiration from the work that you do.

Finally, I want to just express appreciation for your prayers.  Every time I travel around the country, somebody is going around saying, we’re praying for you.  (Laughter.)  We got a prayer circle going.  Don’t worry, keep the faith.  We’re praying.  (Laughter.)  Michelle gets the same stuff.  And that means a lot to us.  It especially means a lot to us when we hear from folks who we know probably didn’t vote for me -- (laughter) -- and yet, expressing extraordinary sincerity about their prayers.  And it’s a reminder not only of what binds us together as a nation, but also what binds us together as children of God.

Now, I have to be careful, I am not going to stand up here and give a sermon.  It’s always a bad idea to give a sermon in front of professionals.  (Laughter.)  But in a few short days, all of us will experience the wonder of Easter morning.   And we will know, in the words of the Apostle Paul, “Christ Jesus...and Him crucified.”

It’s an opportunity for us to reflect on the triumph of the resurrection, and to give thanks for the all-important gift of grace.  And for me, and I’m sure for some of you, it’s also a chance to remember the tremendous sacrifice that led up to that day, and all that Christ endured -- not just as a Son of God, but as a human being.

For like us, Jesus knew doubt.  Like us, Jesus knew fear.  In the garden of Gethsemane, with attackers closing in around him, Jesus told His disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”  He fell to his knees, pleading with His Father, saying, “If it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.”  And yet, in the end, He confronted His fear with words of humble surrender, saying, “If it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

So it is only because Jesus conquered His own anguish, conquered His fear, that we’re able to celebrate the resurrection.  It’s only because He endured unimaginable pain that wracked His body and bore the sins of the world that He burdened -- that burdened His soul that we are able to proclaim, “He is Risen!”

So the struggle to fathom that unfathomable sacrifice makes Easter all the more meaningful to all of us.  It helps us to provide an eternal perspective to whatever temporal challenges we face.  It puts in perspective our small problems relative to the big problems He was dealing with.  And it gives us courage and it gives us hope.

We all have experiences that shake our faith.  There are times where we have questions for God’s plan relative to us -- (laughter) -- but that’s precisely when we should remember Christ’s own doubts and eventually his own triumph.  Jesus told us as much in the book of John, when He said, “In this world you will have trouble.”  I heard an amen.  (Laughter.)  Let me repeat.  “In this world, you will have trouble.”

AUDIENCE:  Amen!

THE PRESIDENT:  “But take heart!”  (Laughter.)  “I have overcome the world.”  (Applause.)  We are here today to celebrate that glorious overcoming, the sacrifice of a risen savior who died so that we might live.  And I hope that our time together this morning will strengthen us individually, as believers, and as a nation.

In his remarks, the president does not come across like a person reading a speech written by someone else to which he has given little thought.  I have my differences with Obama, but I believe he is a man of faith.

H/T to Torey Lightcap at The Lead.

STORY OF THE DAY - TREASURES

The most important thing you leave 
behind is the stuff that turns into 
treasures when children find it. 

From StoryPeople.

FOR THEE, BUT NOT FOR ME

From the Advocate in Baton Rouge:

Gov. Bobby Jindal wants state employees to contribute more toward their future pension benefits.

But legislation Jindal is proposing exempts the governor and other elected officials who are members of the Louisiana State Employee Retirement System, called LASERS, from the 3 percent increase in the contribution rate sought in the legislation.

The 3 percent translates into a near 40 percent increase for rank-and-file members of LASERS. But not for the governor and other elected officials — their contribution rates would not increase.

“... this Act shall not apply to an elected official during the term of office he is serving on July 1, 2012. The contribution rate for such a member shall remain what it was on July 1, 2012, for the duration of his term of office,” according to Senate Bill 52 and House Bill 56, two pension revamp measures backed by Jindal.

The law will not apply to the present administration and legislators, but why should not the pain be shared by all state employees?  The exemption is an outrage!  Jindal refuses all requests for interviews.

The legislature has the opportunity to tinker with Jindal's proposals, but they have so very often shown themselves to be sheep-like in following the governor's directions.

If you read the entire article, you will note that Jindal is zealous in providing for the portion of his own retirement that will be paid out of state coffers.

LEONARD COHEN - 'IF IT BE YOUR WILL'

MORE BIBLICAL FARSIDE

Thanks to Frank.

A PRAYER FOR THE CROWN NOMINATIONS COMMISSION

Mr CatOLick offers for our personal use a prayer for the Crown Nominations Commission as they begin the process of choosing candidates for the position of Archbishop of Canterbury. 

Dear Father,

Help the CNC members to put away their own agendas and let them know that they, and their tribes have had their time.

Help them to listen to people outside of London and not to just give lip service to the northern folk.

Father, we just ask that you show them how to get their secretarial work right and pass on information.

Father, put your protecting power around their photocopier so that documents can be read.

Father, help them to remember more and more that Oxford and Cambridge are not the only universities in England.

Father, help them to show compassion and love, cast out any spot of arrogance and high handedness, and protect them from snobbery and pomposity.

Father, let your Holy spirit come down and work amongst them.  Let them know that you know the secrets of all our hearts and know even the secrets of the CNC.

Amen.

IN THE NAME OF SECURITY

From U.S. News:

Siding with security needs over privacy rights, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that jailers may subject people arrested for minor offenses to invasive strip searches.

By a 5-4 vote, the court rejected a challenge from a New Jersey man who argued it's unconstitutional to force everyone to strip down for inspection. Albert Florence was arrested by a state trooper because of an error in the state's records that mistakenly said he was wanted on an outstanding warrant for an unpaid fine. Even if the warrant had been valid, failure to pay a fine is not a crime in New Jersey.
....

Siding with security needs over privacy rights, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that jailers may subject people arrested for minor offenses to invasive strip searches.

By a 5-4 vote, the court rejected a challenge from a New Jersey man who argued it's unconstitutional to force everyone to strip down for inspection. Albert Florence was arrested by a state trooper because of an error in the state's records that mistakenly said he was wanted on an outstanding warrant for an unpaid fine. Even if the warrant had been valid, failure to pay a fine is not a crime in New Jersey.

This is so depressing.  I've come to dread Supreme Court sessions, because the justices will almost surely make mischief and worse, e. g., Citizens United (corporations are people). When will we have lost enough of our rights and privacy in the name of security to say that the terrorists have won?

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP

From the BBC:

An investigation is under way after indecent images were "inadvertently" shown by a Catholic priest during a presentation at a primary school in County Tyrone.

Father Martin McVeigh projected the images onto a screen during a meeting for parents in Pomeroy in preparation for First Holy Communion. One child was also present.

Parents said 16 indecent images of men were displayed. The priest said he had no knowledge of the offending imagery.

Cardinal Sean Brady said the PSNI had indicated that no crime had been committed.

After the priest left the meeting in dismay and embarrassment, he returned later and said that children making their First Holy Communion receive lots of money, and they should think about giving some of the money to the church.

H/T and thanks to MadPriest for my first belly laugh of the day.  I have no idea what is the story behind the story of the images on the memory stick.  Sabotage?  No crime was committed, but a major gaffe was committed, surely inadvertently.   

"JESUS PRAYS ALONE"

"Jesus Prays Alone" - Doug Blanchard

And he said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.’ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He said, ‘Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.’

 (Mark 14:34-36)

If you visit his blog, you can see Doug Blanchard's entire stunning series of "Gay Passion of Christ" paintings, which carry great power when seen all together.  Every single painting is marvelous, but as I looked at the pictures a day or so ago and came upon "Jesus Prays Alone", my heart skipped a beat when I saw the depiction of the lonely Jesus.  Why do particular pieces of art affect us with such force?  And then today at church, we heard the words above from Mark's Gospel.  

A couple of years ago, Doug honored me with permission to use his paintings during Holy Week and Eastertide.  Today, Jesus in Love Blog begins a Holy Week series which includes Doug's "Gay Passion of Christ" paintings and reflections on passages from the Scriptures.