Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Scene in Ft. Worth Stockyards, 1955

Via Traces of Texas where he astutely observes, "The young man's expression pretty much tells you all you need to know!"

Psalm 45 — A Wedding Hymn

Well aware that the Word is the Son of God, the psalmist sings in 45 in the voice of the Father, "My heart has uttered a good Word."
Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

This psalm is unique in that it is a royal wedding song. The first part addresses, the bridegroom who is also the king. The second part addresses the bride, of course the queen. Jewish tradition read the paslm as a prophecy of the Messiah. The Church took up that thinking and applied it to Jesus, the Messiah, with the Church being his bride.

David Foresees the Mystic Marriage of Christ and the Church

There is so much excellent commentary from the Church Fathers on this psalm that it is difficult to know what to share here. I have picked one that mostly talks about how this psalm calls Jesus fairest of humankind while Isaiah (53:2-3) talking about the Suffering Servant (also understood to be about Christ the Messiah) says that he had no beauty of majesty. It reconciles the two passages by looking to the inner meaning. I found it really interesting. 

45:2 The Fairest of Humankind
His Form. Chrysostom: How, then, does another inspired author say, "We saw him: he had no form or beauty; instead, his form was dishonorable, of no importance beside human beings. He is not speaking about deformity—God forbid—but about an object of scorn. You see, once having deigned to become human, he went through every demeaning experience, not choosing a queen for his mother, not placed in a bed of gold at the time of swaddling clothers but in a manger, not reared in an affluent home but in an artisan's humble dwelling. Again, when he picked disciples, he did not pick orators and philosophers and kings but fishermen and tax collectors. He shared this simple life, not owning a house or clad in rich clothing or enjoying similar a similar fate, but nourished at others' expense, insulted, scorned, driven out, pursued. Now he did this to trample underfoot human conceit in fine style. So, since he did not fit himself out in any pomp or circumstance or attach to himself hangers on or bodyguards, but went about at times alone, like any ordinary person, thus that suthor said, "We saw him, and he had no form or beauty," whereas the psalmist sayd, "Comely to behold beyond all human beings," suggesting grace, wisdom, teaching, miracles. Then to underline the comeliness he says, "Grace streamed out on your lips."
Chrysostom's Commentary on the Psalms 45
Psalms 1-50 (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture)
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An index of psalm posts is here.


Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Lagniappe — Ray Bradbury on Edgar Rice Burroughs

Edgar Rice Burroughs never would have looked upon himself as a social mover and shaker with social obligations. But as it turns out — and I love to say it because it upsets everyone terribly — Burroughs is probably the most influential writer in the entire history of the world. ... By giving romance and adventure to a whole generation of boys, Burroughs caused them to go out and decide to become special.
Ray Bradbury
This tickles me. And I agree!

Man Feeding a Child

Ivory carving of a man feeding a child, Edo period, Japan.

 

Monday, February 17, 2025

Dogma

In truth there are only two kinds of people, those who accept dogmas and know it and those who accept dogmas and don't know it.
G.K. Chesterton
Ain't that the truth!

Presidents' Day

Which used to be a day for George Washington and a day for Abraham Lincoln.

Washington-Franklin Issues
of 1908 - 1923, 5c
via Wikipedia


Abraham Lincoln
Issue of 1866
Also via Wikipedia

Sunday, February 16, 2025

3rd Sunday of St. Joseph

Reflecting on St. Joseph on the seven Sundays leading up to his solemnity is an old tradition. 


 Lorenzo Lotto. Madonna and Child with St. Jerome, St. Joseph and St. Anne.

Joseph, Husband of Mary

Painters have traditionally depicted Joseph as an elderly man in order to emphasize the perpetual virginity of Mary. Yet it is more likely that Joseph was not much older than Mary. You don't have to wait to be old or lifeless to practice the virtue of chastity. Purity comes from love; and the strength and joy of youth are no obstacle to a noble love. Joseph had a young heart and a young body when he married Mary, when he learned of the mystery of her divine motherhood, when he lived in her company, respecting the integrity God wished to give the world as one more sign that he had come to share the life of his creatures. (St. Escriva, Christ is passing by)


Let us ask the Holy Patriarch to teach us how to live this kind of love in the circumstances to which God has called us. We want this love that lights up the heart (St. Thomas, On Charity) so that we may perform our ordinary work with joy.

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Holy Martyrs of Libya, pray for us

21 Martyrs of Libya
by Tony Rezk (with permission)
(See more about this icon below)
The martyrs of Libya are the 21 young men who withstood imprisonment by ISIS for 40 days and then were murdered when they refused to renounce Jesus Christ.

They died with Jesus' name on their lips, saying "Jesus help us" and "My Lord Jesus."

They were martyred on this day in 2015.
The blood of our Christian brothers and sisters is a testimony which cries out to be heard. It makes no difference whether they be Catholics, Orthodox, Copts or Protestants. They are Christians! Their blood is one and the same. Their blood confesses Christ. As we recall these brothers who died only because they confessed Christ, I ask that we encourage each another to go forward with this ecumenism which is giving us strength, the ecumenism of blood. The martyrs belong to all Christians.
In these uncertain times, I am strengthened by their witness, faithful unto death. I pray that I may likewise bear faithful witness in whatever circumstances I find myself.

Let us pray for those persecuted for their faith, for the persecutors to recognize the truth they strive to silence, and that we will be as faithful our love and witness.

Holy martyrs, pray for us and for the whole world. Amen.
+Milad Makeen Zaky
+Abanub Ayad Atiya
+Maged Solaimain Shehata
+Yusuf Shukry Yunan
+Kirollos Shokry Fawzy
+Bishoy Astafanus Kamel
+Somaily Astafanus Kamel
+Malak Ibrahim Sinweet
+Tawadros Yusuf Tawadros
+Girgis Milad Sinweet
+Mina Fayez Aziz
+Hany Abdelmesih Salib
+Bishoy Adel Khalaf
+Samuel Alham Wilson
+Ezat Bishri Naseef
+Loqa Nagaty
+Gaber Munir Adly
+Esam Badir Samir
+Malak Farag Abram
+Sameh Salah Faruq
+Matthew Ayairga, originally non-Christian, who was captured with the others and witnessed their faith. When terrorists asked if he rejected Jesus, despite knowing he would be killed, he said, "Their God is my God."
ICON NOTE

21 Martyrs of Libya icon

I discovered this icon at New Liturgical Movement which shared insights about the symbolism, always important for any icon.
[Matthew Ayairga is] represented here in the middle of the group. Note also that the rest of them are shown with the same face as Jesus, whose Holy Name they spoke as they were killed; the sea behind them is shown reddened by their blood. The red stoles and crowns above them symbolize their martyrdom; the stoles are arranged like those of Coptic deacons during the liturgy. ... The red stoles worn by Christ and the martyrs symbolize the cross identifying them as Christlike Cross bearers, (staurophoroi).
Here is an interview with Tony Rezk where he talks about his faith and the Coptic Church.

Holy Martyrs of Libya icon

Holy Martyrs of Libya
by Nikola Sarić (with permission)
Notice how the waves of the sea stained with the martyrs’ blood are shown around the edge of the image; Matthew Arayiga is distinct among the group on the top right. The men were killed wearing orange prisoners’ jumpsuits; all them are looking at Christ except for the one at the bottom, who is looking out at us.

Friday, February 14, 2025

Something Romantic for Valentine's Day



This was shot in Iceland, starring one of Bollywood's most famous pairs for romantic movies - Shah Rukh Kahn and Kajol. It is breathtakingly beautiful (I love those scarves) and it even has a translation so you can get all the nuances!

When we watched the movie, the translation was "color me the color of saffron" which I took to be the symbolic color of love. One of the things I love about Indian culture is the symbolism color holds (in the same way that I love the Catholic liturgical color symbolism — it adds depth to everything). It turns out that "gerua" actually is an old fashioned term for a color. From Quora:
I have heard this colour described so many different ways....reddish pink, yellowish red, saffron, orange--it seems that every media outlet has taken a shot at what the actual meaning of "gerua" is.

When producers were first explaining it and talking about the writing of the song "Gerua", they talked about the ambivalence of opinion on this particular colour and that that was one of the things they liked. The word "gerua" is actual a very old word which was (until Dilwale) almost lost to common use. SRK himself said he like the idea that it was an old-fashioned word because it fit with the film.

The best explanation I have seen is that the colour in Kajol's dupatta when she and SRK are on top of the deserted plane is the colour of "gerua".
Bollynook points out:
This colour is significant here as it defines the purity and sanctity of love and it is compared to Godliness. Hence in a way, it is pointing out that how deep and meaningful love is to the pair.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Gifted Versus Believing

A man may be profoundly gifted, have a strong consciousness of self, undergo deep natural-religious experiences — until he has more than these, compared to the inwardness under discussion, he remains superficial. On the other hand, the man of strictly commpnplace natural gifts has that "dimension" in him when he believes in the God of revelation and loves Him. The point is such that interiority is not psychologically deeper, or spiritually nobler, but essentially different from any natural interiority; it is a gift of grace from the Spirit.
Romano Guardini, The Conversion of Augustine
So true.

A Sister of Charity rescuing a child during the Siege of Paris

Gustav Dore, A Sister of Charity rescuing a child during the Seige of Paris.
It seems that Dore based this on an incident he himself witnessed as a member of the National Guard.