A Touch of Winter

A Touch of Winter, by our favorite - Remo Savisaar

Whispers of Mary: What Twelve Old Testament Women Teach Us About Mary by Gayle Somers

Throughout the history of the Bible, incredible women have played a part in the story of salvation. Steeped in Scripture, the Blessed Mother would have known and pondered the stories of these women. She might even have recognized pieces of her own story in theirs.

Whispers of Mary invites Catholics to explore Marian typology through the lives of women like Eve, Esther, and Judith. With thought-provoking commentary and hundreds of Scripture verses, Whispers of Mary deepens readers' appreciation for the story of salvation by revealing how even in the Old Testament, the lives of heroic women pointed toward Mary, and through Mary, to God.

This was a really good look at the precursors to Mary in Scripture. The 12 women highlighted were familiar to me but the author almost always found something new to consider, quite often because of a close reading of text I just hadn't noticed. I especially appreciated the way thar Somers gave context for each woman's place in salvation history. I also really enjoyed the last chapter about Mary which considered how she might have been influenced by her own scripture knowledge showing echoes of their stories in her own life. That hadn't occurred to me before.

I didn't always agree with Somers's points, for example the absolutism of "never tell a lie" brought up when looking at Judith but there weren't a lot of those moments. To be fair, it did spark a household discussion of the topic ranging from St. Augustine to Corrie ten Boom's experiences in The Hiding Place. So, that in itself had value.

I also never use discussion questions but did note that these seemed more salient than most. None of them were interesting to me but I think a lot of women would find them fruitful.

Recommended.

First Communion - Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso. First Communion. 1895-96.
via My Daily Art Display

Of course, the big surprise in this painting is not the subject matter, though I really love the piece. It is the artist. This is from Pablo Picasso's early years. My Daily Art Display has more information about Picasso during that time.

St. Juan Diego Feast Day

Today the Church in the United States celebrates the optional memorial of St. Juan Diego, an Indian convert, to whom the Virgin Mary appeared as he was going to Mass in Tlatlelolco, Mexico. Our Lady asked him to tell the Bishop that she desired a shrine to be built on the spot to manifest her love for all mankind. She left a marvelous portrait of herself on the mantle of Juan Diego as a sign for the Bishop. This miraculous image has proved to be ageless, and is kept in the shrine built in her honor, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas.

Catholic Culture

Click through on the link to read more, see prayers, activities, and lots of good stuff. 

 I really love Our Lady of Guadalupe but hadn't ever stopped to think about her humble servant, Juan Diego. When I do I can see parallels to my own life, as removed as it may seem from his so long ago and in such different circumstances. One of my favorite parts of the story involves Juan Diego having a problem that makes him miss his appointment with Mary.

By Monday, December 11, however, Juan Diego's uncle Juan Bernardino had fallen sick and Juan Diego was obliged to attend to him. In the very early hours of Tuesday, December 12, Juan Bernardino's condition having deteriorated overnight, Juan Diego set out to Tlatelolco to get a priest to hear Juan Bernardino's confession and minister to him on his death-bed. Fourth apparition: in order to avoid being delayed by the Virgin and embarrassed at having failed to meet her on the Monday as agreed, Juan Diego chose another route around the hill, but the Virgin intercepted him and asked where he was going; Juan Diego explained what had happened and the Virgin gently chided him for not having had recourse to her. In the words which have become the most famous phrase of the Guadalupe event and are inscribed over the main entrance to the Basilica of Guadalupe, she asked: "¿No estoy yo aquí que soy tu madre?" ("Am I not here, I who am your mother?"). She assured him that Juan Bernardino had now recovered and she told him to climb the hill and collect flowers growing there. Obeying her, Juan Diego found an abundance of flowers unseasonably in bloom on the rocky outcrop where only cactus and scrub normally grew. Using his open mantle as a sack (with the ends still tied around his neck) he returned to the Virgin; she re-arranged the flowers and told him to take them to the bishop. On gaining admission to the bishop in Mexico City later that day, Juan Diego opened his mantle, the flowers poured to the floor, and the bishop saw they had left on the mantle an imprint of the Virgin's image which he immediately venerated.

Wikipedia

I love that in order to avoid delays and embarrassment, Juan Diego goes a different way. I have way too many times in my life like that. Though I rarely have such a good excuse as caring for an ill relative. And the fact that Mary chides him for not turning to her with his problem is a good reminder that too often I forget to enlist God's help in the challenges in my life.

We are trying to celebrate saint days more intentionally in our lives. So we will get some special roses, have Oh Gosh cocktails (like a margarita but made with rum — can't help it that we don't like tequila, we do the best we can!) . 

Feast of the Immaculate Conception - Holy Day of Obligation

Luca Mombello (1518-1520/ 1588-1596)
Immacolata Concezione con Dio Padre / The Immaculate Conception with God the Father
via Idle Speculations where there is some fascinating information
about paintings of the Immaculate Conception with the Son included.

 Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Our Lady's preservation from all stain of original sin is an absolutely unique privilege. According to theologians, the fullness of grace in Mary's case was the principal ground and characteristic of her human nature. Every aspect of her being shone with the splendour of that harmony with which God had originally wanted to endow all humanity ... We understand clearly that God prepared with infinite love the one who was to become the Mother of his Son: How would we have acted if we could have chosen our own mother? I'm sure we would have chosen the one we have, adorning her with every possible grace. That is what Christ did. Being all-powerful, all-wise, Love itself (1 John 4:8), his power carried out his will. (St. Josemaria Escriva)

The life of the Immaculate Mother of God will always be a worthy ideal for us all to imitate, because she is a model of sanctity in ordinary life, of the kind of holiness that is accessible to everyone in everyday circumstances. It is a quiet dedication that often passes unnoticed.

In Conversation with God, Special Feasts: July - December

I do love those moments when modern science catches up to the Church. Today, believe it or not is one such day. This blew me away.

The gift of the Immaculate Conception was given contemporaneously with Mary's microscopic sparking to life. ... God chould choose His own mother and so logically chose a perfect one. As the author of creation, He crafted a pristine soul incapable of sin or moral disorder. ...

When she is just a fetus, a woman has as many eggs as she will ever have. The ovaries of a female fetus are saturated with eggs whose numbers will only decrease over time. So half of the genetic material necessary to form an embryo has waited, latent, inside of that embryo's mother since the time that mother was herself in utero. The unbroken chain of human life is unfathomably beautiful. Grandmother, mother, and grandchild are, in a certain sense, bound together, united, in every woman expecting a daughter. When Mary was conceived in the womb of Saint Anne, then, the DNA of Jesus of Nazareth was already present in the embryonic Mary. This is a biological fact, not a statement of faith. At the Annunciation, when Mary miraculously conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, that "Lord and Giver of Life" spoke through the words ofthe Archangel Gabriel and sparked Christ to first stir with humanity deep inside the body where His genes had long been waiting. ...

In Saint Anne, God was readying the fairest flower of Israel, her most modest daughter and humble rose, for Himself. Mary's virtues of humility and obedience would straighten the path twisted by Eve's sins of disobedience and pride.

Father Michael Black, Saints and Feasts of the Catholic Calendar, Vol IV

If you've been saying the Immaculate Conception novena, here's the final day's prayer.

Marianne Stokes, Madonna and Child, 1907-1908

via Wikimedia Commons

I discovered this image via Magnificat's cover years ago. Our Lady is so serene and loving looking that I wanted to include it here, despite the fact that it isn't specifically about the Immaculate Conception.

Immaculate Conception Novena - Day 8

Domenico Ghirlandaio, Birth Of Mary
(I like thinking about the practicalities as well as the theological at this moment.
Just like her son, Jesus, would do, Mary is a sign to us that God works in the material things —
the "matter" of our world.)

GATE OF HEAVEN

St. Alphonsus Liguori affirms that Mary is the Gate of Heaven, since in the way all befits a king confers first to pass through his palace gate, no grace comes down from heaven without first passing through the hands of Mary. Even during her earthly life we see how Our Lady was the dispenser of Divine grace. Precisely through her the unborn Jesus blesses the Precursor from his Mother's womb on the occasion when Mary has gone in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Jesus performs his first miracle by changing water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee -- at Mary's insistence. The disciples begin to put their faith wholly in Jesus from this very moment. The Church in history and in the nations of the world began on that day of Pentecost -- in the presence of Mary.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the eighth day.

Optional Memorial of St. Nicholas, bishop

St. Nicholas was born in Lycia, Asia Minor, and died as Bishop of Myra in 352. He performed many miracles and exercised a special power over flames. He practiced both the spiritual and temporal works of mercy, and fasted twice a week. When he heard that a father who had fallen into poverty was about to expose his three daughters to a life of sin, Nicholas took a bag of gold and secretly flung it through the window into the room of the sleeping father. In this way, the three girls were dowered and saved from mortal sin and hell.

We came to the realization of the true day to celebrate the saintliness of Nicholas very late and our kids were too old to get into it though I made the effort for a few years to leave chocolate coins in their shoes outside their door. Evidently a lot of the stories floating around are impossible to verify so I will leave you with this nice food for thought from Catholic Culture where there are prayers, recipes, and activities.

Not much is known about this 4th century bishop, but that doesn't diminish his popularity around the world, both in the East and West. It is known that Nicholas was born in Lycia in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) and died in 352 A.D. as the Bishop of Myra. All other stories that surround Nicholas illustrate that he practiced both the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. He was generous, strove to help the poor and disadvantaged, and worked tirelessly to defend the faith. His legends of generosity and a slip of the tongue from other languages has made St. Nicholas or Sinterklaas into today's Santa Claus.

Immaculate Conception Novena - Day 7

Madonna of the Roses, William-Adolphe Bouguereau

 

REFUGE OF SINNERS

Cardinal Newman recommends that we do not think of God as a severe and harsh taskmaster. One who himself acts out of anger, with severity or harshness, or who is easily offended by others, is often led to perceive God in this light. Jesus, however, loves each one of us beyond our wildest imaginings. He seeks us out all the more earnestly the worse our situation may appear to us. Since God is forever kind and merciful, Our Lady's role is not to soften Divine justice, but to prepare our hearts to receive the countless graces the Lord has prepared for us.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the seventh day.

The Black Madonna by Gaston de La Touche, 1908

TV You Might Have Missed #18 — Devil Judge

Set in a dystopian version of South Korea, where courtroom trials are held through a live TV show, where the audience votes through an app if the guilty need to be punished or not. Chief Judge Kang dispenses cleverly appropriate but merciless justice, earning him the title Devil Judge.

After watching Beyond Evil we were ready to try something lighter. However, my attention was captured by this title and we stayed in a serious, dramatic world for our next series. It was really worth it since this multi-layered, fast paced story kept us talking about it in the days between watching episodes. At the heart of this exciting drama is justice — from a wide variety of vantage points. 

Viewed through the eyes of junior judge Ga On, we learn about Judge Kang Yo Han, the titular Devil Judge. At times he seems like Batman, a hero of the people who is dispensing appropriate justice for those who trample the lttle guy. At other times he seems like the Joker, wreaking havoc for no reason other than sheer entertainment. Ga On is undercover as he tries to determine just what Judge Kang is up to. 

There are a lot of plots in this but one of my favorites was watching Ga On become a humanizing influence on Kang and his sister, who are both quite antagonistic towards each other. The scenes where Ga On is cooking, playing games, helping them to see how to understand each other, and be a family are just lovely. And we see the payoff as the show continues.

The design, acting, pacing, and story were simply superb and kept us on the edge of our seats. We continually flipped over whether Judge Kang was Batman or the Joker. And just how did that church fire begin?

This was my favorite television show of the year. 

Immaculate Conception Novena: Day 6

Mother of God Oumilenie
(Affectionate Tenderness), Russia, XVth Century
via Icons Explained

MOTHER MOST AMIABLE

Next to the Lord, when he is nailed to the Cross stands Mary, John the beloved disciple, and some holy women. At this climactic moment the Lord speaks to the Blessed Virgin with words that have particular meaning for each one of us. He says to her: "Woman, behold thy son." Then He says to the disciple, "Behold thy mother." (John 19:27) ... It is moving to see Jesus forgetful of his own sufferings and loneliness during the anguish of the Passion ... The immense love he shows for Mary, whom he does not want to leave on her own, still moves us today. There, next to Mary, John personifies every single one of us. Christ gave us his mother to be our own.

On this day of the novena we can consider our own personal relationship with her. Do we approach her trustingly as St. John would? Do we often remember that she is at our side? Do we seek her intercession frequently, saying with all our heart: Mother, O Mother of mine...

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the sixth day.

Last Shot Boots and Dr. Pepper

Taken by my brother as he wended his way between Dallas and San Angelo in April of 2018. His occasional visits are always a delight, all the more so since it's usually several years between visits.

Immaculate Conception Novena: Day 5

Maternal Bond,* Timothy P. Schmalz

MYSTICAL ROSE

But Mary kept in mind all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:19) And his mother kept all these things carefully in her heart. (Luke 2:51)

The Blessed Mother treasures in her heart the events she is privileged to witness. She ponders the great and small happenings of her ordinary life in the light of faith. Her considerations, full of affection, colour her entire attitude toward the various occurrences of her life as they unfold. Mary gives us a supreme example of interior recollection. Her insistent prayer rises to heaven like the sweet perfume of the rose...

The Blessed Virgin shows us how to ponder the truths of the Faith in our heart. We also come to perceive the events of our life in the light of God's presence. Apparent disaster and success, the birth of a child and the death of a loved one, the difficulties that arise at work and in family life and the experiences of our friendship, all these will take on their deepest meaning before our contemplative gaze. Like Mary our model, we can habitually seek the Lord in the intimacy of our soul in grace.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the link for the fifth day of the novena.

*Note: you may order replicas of the statue at the artist's website. 

Notes on Mark: Running to Jesus

I couldn't find good images of people running to Jesus, but this captures the mood.

MARK 6:53-56
I never noticed this before and certainly never thought about it ... but who would not run to see Jesus if he showed up nearby?

Have you noticed how in Mark's Gospel, when people heard that Jesus had arrived in a certain place, they ran to him. They did not walk to see Jesus, they ran to see him. They ran to the other side of the lake to listen to him (Mark 6:33), and when he returned, they ran to bring the sick to him (6:55). When he returned from the mountain where he was transfigured, the people ran to him again(9:15), and later, the rich young man ran up to him (10:17).

The people ran because they were powerfully drawn to Jesus. They saw that he was able to heal and to teach them, and it attracted them. They earnestly longed for what he offered: Words of hope and comfort, revelation about the love of the Father, and the power of a humble, surrendered life. They ran just to see him heal the sick. There was an urgency: We must go to Jesus now!

Mark: A Devotional Commentary
(The Word Among Us)

===== 

Sources and Notes Index     

Immaculate Conception Novena: Day 4

Thirteenth century Madonna with Child in the Italo-Byzantine style

Lord our God, you were pleased to bring joy into the world through the Incarnation of your Son. Grant that we who honour his Mother, the cause of our joy, may always walk in the way of your commandments with our hearts set on true and lasting joy in you. (Prayer over the Gifts, Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Christ is our principal reason for happiness. He removes every trace from sadness from our hearts. Our Lady is truly the Cause of our joy, since her cooperation in the economy of salvation makes it possible for Christ to enter into us.

...The Blessed Virgin can show us how to be the cause of joy for others in our family life, at our place of work and in all our social contacts, our most casual encounters with acquaintances, our interviews and business trips. The brief duration of our meeting with neighbors does not matter ... Our own original source of joy is God, to whom the Blessed Virgin leads us.

On this fourth day of the Novena in honour of the Immaculate Conception we can examine the quality of our joy. Can others find God through our cheerful disposition? Are we uplifting -- do we bear charm not harm for those with whom we come into contact every day? Today we can offer Our Lady a firm and sincere resolution: May we make the way lovable and easier for others, since life brings enough bitterness with it already. Our cordiality is a way of imitating the blessed Virgin, who smiles on us from heaven as we brighten up the way of holiness for our fellow men. She encourages us to discover her Son in others.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the fourth day.

Julie and Scott break the curse and boldly face the 8 gods. Then they spend the rest of the book doing everything they can to avoid sainthood.

 Scott and I discuss What Monstrous Gods in episode 368 of A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast. Join us!

24 Hours in Ancient Rome: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There

What was it like to live in one of the ancient world's most powerful and bustling cities—one that was eight times more densely populated than modern day New York?

In this entertaining and enlightening guide, bestselling historian Philip Matyszak introduces us to the people who lived and worked there. In each hour of the day we meet a new character—from emperor to slave girl, gladiator to astrologer, medicine woman to water-clock maker—and discover the fascinating details of their daily lives.

This book really lives up to the "entertaining and enlightening" claim. I like the author's sly sense of humor which he uses just enough, without ever making fun of how they lived long ago. It's about the situations, not the people.

I especially like the way that each hour-long section leads to the next with an overlap of people in a scene or one occupation necessarily leading to the next. By the end of the book, we've seen some of the ones from the beginning woven into the later stories. It gives the overall day a sense of richness and completion.

Mostly I like the little things I am learning. I've read several books about life in Rome, ancient travel, etc. This is surprising me with bits of new information and presenting it in a very appealing way as we see these people's lives.

Immaculate Conception Novena - Day 3

Mary and Jesus Under a Palm Tree (Middle Eastern)

 

HANDMAID OF THE LORD

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; because He has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid (Entrance Antiphon, Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

...The Blessed Virgin gives us a perfect example of how to fulfill the Will of God by our complete availability. How unfortunate it would be if, in one way or another, we were to try to exercise our own caprice in the matter. We can best cooperate with the Lord through our complete dedication when we allow him free rein in our life.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the third day.

 

Arabic Madonna and Child by Albert Aublet, 1898.

Immaculate Conception Novena: Day 2

Mary and Jesus (Chinese)

 

HOUSE OF GOLD

Before God made known his coming into the world in the fullness of time, He prepared Mary as the suitable creature within whom He would dwell for nine months, from the moment of his Incarnation until his birth in Bethlehem. Evidence of God's power and love show forth in his creation. Mary is the House of Gold, the new Temple of God, and is adorned with so great a beauty that no greater perfection is possible. The grace of her Immaculate Conception, including all the graces and gifts God has bestowed on her soul, are directed towards the fulfillment of her divine maternity.

St. Thomas Aquinas quoted in
In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the second day.

Virgin and Child with angels by Le Pho

Immaculate Conception* Novena: Day 1

As has become tradition over the years, let's say the Immaculate Conception Novena together to get us in the proper frame of mind as we approach that feast day.

I always like to begin this novena with images that remind us about some of the happiest mother-child moments — tickling and giggling together.

Master of the Winking Eyes, Madonna and Child, ca. 1450

Mary's purpose is to show us her Son. She always points the way to Him. I have never known her to fail me whenever I have asked her to show me Jesus. I will be posting something each day as this is a very worthy Advent contemplation.

Mary constantly showers down graces and favours on the faithful, and so has won the prerogative all-powerful intercessor. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Christians know that they can reach God through his Mother. She is our shortcut — the most direct path to God for us. Our love for her is shown in our continually coming up with new ways of expressing affection for her. We begin the Novena leading to the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception by trying to offer Our Lady something special each day.

In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

DAY 1: MORNING STAR

Our Lady's appearance is the first ray of dawn that shines forth in the world. She rises over the horizon and is the forerunner to the brilliant splendour of salvation that will enter the world through Jesus Christ.

Paul VI quoted in
In Conversation With God :
Feast Days July - December(vol.7)

Here is the novena for the first day.

An ivory carving ca. 1275–1300 from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

* The Immaculate Conception is a belief in the Catholic church, as well as some Protestant denominations, that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was protected by God from the original sin during her own conception. Since she subsequently lived a life completely free from sin, this makes her perfectly pure. The idea of the Immaculate Conception is often confused with the doctrine of the Incarnation and Virgin Birth of Christ. The Immaculate Conception was defined as dogma by Pope Pius IX in 1854 and consecrated by Pope Pius XII in 1942. However, this tradition had existed within the Catholic church for more than a millenium. Eastern Orthodox Christians do not believe in the Immaculate Conception, because they have a different view of the original sin from Catholics, and in their tradition, it would be unnecessary for Mary to require divine purification from this. The majority of Protestants reject the idea because it is not explicitly stated in the Bible.  (Description from Olga's Art Gallery.)

What I'm Reading for Advent — The Art of Advent by Jane Williams

 

I really love Jane Williams' art/devotional books books and I've used this book for Advent off and on over the years. This year I'll be reading it again. (Others of hers I can recommend are Faces of Christ: Jesus in Art, Angels.) 

Every day of Advent I find food for thought and inspiration. Sometimes the art leads to other reflections than directly on the painting but it is the way that Williams opens up the art, connecting it with Advent, that I love most.

Here's a bit on the Holman Hunt painting, Light of the World.

Holman Hunt's picture is full of symbolism, all of it taking us more deeply into Advent reflection. There are three light sources in the painting, but they all cluster around Jesus. Behind him is the dawn light, struggling to make its way through the dark woods, towards that central figure. Then there is the lantern that Jesus is carrying, a bright, homely light to welcome wandering travelers. And finally, there is the light that shines around Jesus' head, his own inner brightness, from which the other lights take their meaning. Behind Jesus are threatening, twisted trees, shedding rotting fruit to the ground. They are the trees that Adam and Eve ate from, and the tree on which Jesus dies, and all our long family trees, waiting to be lit up and filled with life again. The lantern that Jesus is holding throws a reddish light back on to his cloak, which makes it look similar to the wood of the door. After all, Jesus said that he is the door or the gateway (John 10:7). So we have two doorways, facing each other, as we wait to see whether one will open to the other. ...