Awareness of God

Welcome to Sabbath Moments, a Saturday meme hosted by Colleen at Thoughts on Grace.  Visit her to read of moments other bloggers had when “being” with God rather than “doing” touched their lives, and when they found Him in the ordinary.

This week Roger and I judged the 4H photography entries for the county.  Although there were less than 20 entries, we found some real talent in those young people.  The top blue ribbon went to a young man who captured a moment of God’s majesty in a lightening storm.  On the left was half a rainbow.  From the right, reaching across a gloomy sky to the rainbow were two bolts of lightening. The young man who captured this moment on film was only 15.

I love to see how God blesses His children with talents and I loved writing suggestions for improvement to each of the kids who worked hard to submit images.  We don’t know what plans God has for these young people, but we do know that they will help others find Him in beauty.

This morning in the Divine Office of the Blessed Virgin on Saturday the lesson from Prime comes from Cant. 2:10-17.  For years I’ve pondered its meaning and today I finally understood at least a little of it.  This passage is the Church, the Bride of Christ speaking of the Savior who “feeds among the lilies” (the pure and chaste) until the day break (the 2^nd coming) and the shadows retire (no more death, suffering, demonic power against His bride).

My Beloved speaks to me: Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come.  For winter is now past, the rains are over and gone.  The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is come: the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.  The fig tree has budded her green figs; the vines in flower yield their sweet scent.  Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come.  My dove in the clefts of the rocks, in the hollow place of the wall, show me thy face, let thy  voice sound in my ears; for thy voice is sweet and thy face comely.  My beloved to me and I to him who feeds among the lilies, till the day break and the shadows retire.

I know there is much more symbolism to ponder in this passage, but I’m thrilled to have finally gotten a start in probing the depths.  My takeaway from this sudden burst of understanding is that we must spend time every day looking for scriptural understanding, whether it be in reputable blogs, books, or meditation.  If I had not stumbled upon a convert’s post about the psalms being the prayer of the Church, I would not have thought to look at this passage as the Bride of Christ speaking of Her relationship with our Savior.

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.  I believe the Blessed Mother gave me this sudden gift of understanding today, even though I don’t deserve it.  But isn’t that what a loving mother does – gives her kids signs of affection just because?

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V. Praised be Jesus Christ!

R. Now and forever. Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

This past Divine Mercy Sunday is a day I’ll remember for the rest of my life.  Not just because of the beatification of Pope John Paul II, either.

While we were pleading for God’s mercy on the whole world, Navy SEALS pulled a job as expertly as any Israeli force and as gutsy.  In forty minutes Osama bin Laden was dead in Pakistan and shortly thereafter buried at sea.

I am very, very proud of our SEALS. They train for this kind of work daily.  And all over the world jihadist leaders got a strong message: No matter who you are or where you try to hide, eventually we will get you if you attack this country.

As for bin Laden, I prayed for his soul even though I didn’t much want to.  I only did it because Jesus died for him, too, and it is sad that he never opened himself up to know Our Lord.

The mercy God showed us by allowing his death is an incentive to keep praying for the end of wars, the conversion of sinners – including ourselves, and to continue to plead for God’s mercy on the world.  What mercy God may have shown bin Laden we cannot know.  But his death is a lesson to us to live the Gospel and always be prepared to meet Jesus as we surely will the moment our soul leaves the body.

For myself, I felt relief and gratitude to God first, and second, to our fine military. For awhile Al Qaeda will be in confusion, making attacks by them more difficult.  In the never ending war between the Palestinians and Jews, the terrorists have lost an icon of militancy.  As for the United States, now is a time for increased vigilance by the ordinary man, living in ordinary neighborhoods.  Revenge is a key component of jihadists everywhere and no doubt jihadists are in our midst.  Just look at Ft. Hood.

For the Christians living in Muslim dominated lands, we must pray that they remain steadfast in the faith and if God wills it, to continue to suffer martyrdom for the sake of Jesus.  This, too, is a cause to plead for Divine Mercy, especially on them.

Islam is the enemy of all mankind and the enemy of God Himself.  It thrives on death, destruction, violence and lies.  For now, at least, let us rejoice and glorify God that one terrorist leader can do no more harm.  Let us also pray that the families who lost loved ones on 9-11 will find some measure of peace.  The architect of that day is dead.

With the victory over bin Laden fresh in my mind, as I prayed Lauds from the Divine Office Monday morning these psalm verses jumped out at me:

Psalm 46

All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness,

For the Lord, the Most High, the awesome is the great king over all the earth…

For king of all the earth is God; sing hymns of praise.

God reigns over the nations, God sits upon His holy throne…

For God’s are the guardians of the earth; He is supreme.

Psalm 28

Give to the Lord, you sons of God, give to the Lord glory and praise.

Give to the Lord the glory due His name; adore the Lord in holy attire.

The Lord is enthroned above the flood; the Lord is enthroned as king forever.

May the Lord give strength to His people; may the Lord bless His people with peace!

Canticle of David (1 Par. 29)

Blessed are You, O Lord God of Israel our Father, from eternity to eternity.

Yours, O Lord, are grandeur and power, majesty, splendor and glory.

For all in heaven and on earth is Yours; Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; Yours the prince supreme over all.

Riches and honor are from You; You govern all things.

In Your hand are power and might; Yours it is to give everything grandeur and strength.

And now, our God, we give You thanks and we praise the majesty of Your name.

Psalm 116

Praise the Lord, all you nations; glorify Him, all you peoples!

For steadfast is His kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the Lord endures forever.

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V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Since we celebrated the Presentation this week, I want to bring you a gorgeous rendition of  this ancient prayer to the Blessed Mother by Dimitri Bortniansky.  I love the Byzantine liturgical music – so solemn and holy.

Sub Tuum Praesidium dates from between 250 and 280, predating the Hail Mary.  It is found as an antiphon at the hour of Compline in the Divine Office.  You can read more about this at New Liturgical Movement. I have unashamedly stolen this video from the wonderful article by Henri de Villiers, Paris.  If you like Byzantine music, you may want to check out oiscandero’s submissions at YouTube.

The literal translation from the Latin:

Under your
patronage
we take refuge
Holy Mother of God;
our petitions,
do not despise
in necessities,
but of all dangers
deliver us always
glorious Virgin
& Blessed.

Choir directors: the article at New Liturgical Movement contains a downloadable page of Marc Antoine Charpentier’s (1643 † 1704) composition of this prayer.

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V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

The Breslauer Epiphany - Don Simone Camaldolese, 1390s, Tempera and gold on parchment, Bernard H. Breslauer, New York

January 6 was a favorite feast day for me when I was a child.  It was a holy day of obligation in those days, which made it a bid deal in my little kid’s mind.

The idea that three kings would make a long journey through the desert guided by a star on pure faith clicked a romantic spot in my brain. We were taught about the gold, frankincense, and myrrh they brought as gifts, but the significance of the gifts never registered in my child’s brain. It just seemed quite wondrous and exciting that three important men from far away somehow knew that Jesus was so important they embarked on a long and tiring journey to bring Him expensive presents fit for a king.

I could see them in their fine robes sitting on their camels with the bright light slowly moving through the night sky guiding them many miles to the stable of Bethlehem. The jaunty hymn “We Three Kings of Orient Are” was fun to sing, but we never got past the first verse to the symbolic meaning of the gifts, or if we did, the importance flew past me.

Threefold Epiphanies

To me, Epiphany meant only the three Kings bringing Jesus gifts.  I didn’t know the meaning of the word, and the inclusion of the Baptism of Christ and the wedding at Cana as part of the feast went right over my head, even though there it was plain and simple in the sacred liturgy.

Now that I’m grown up, I understand that “epiphany” comes from a Greek word meaning “to manifest”, referring to an encounter with the Divine.  The Church calls our attention not only to the three Wise Men visiting Jesus, she invites us in the antiphon of the Benedictus to contemplate Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan when the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove and announced Jesus as the Son of God. The same antiphon mentions the wedding  feast of Cana where Jesus revealed His power over all the earth by changing water into the finest wine. This occasion of Christ beginning His public ministry was the beginning of many epiphanies for those who encountered Him.

Baptism of Christ in the Jordan, 1716, Jacob de Wit (b. 1695, Amsterdam, d. 1754, Amsterdam), Chalk and pen drawing, Amstelkring Museum, Amsterdam

Takeaways from the Epiphany

In all three cases, God is doing the manifesting to us.  He is the initiator.  We are the receiver of the grace.

The Wise Men: They were the first gentiles to recognize Christ in His divinity.  Jesus looked like an ordinary infant, but He revealed Himself as God. How many times a day does Jesus reveal Himself to us in the ordinary, and do we look for Him “undercover” as it were, quietly working His miracles for us?

Baptism in the Jordan: The Father reveals Jesus as His Son through the Holy Spirit. Everybody around saw and heard this manifestation.  Today we see Christ by faith in the seven sacraments. By Baptism we are His brothers and sisters.  Would our heavenly Father say to us individually through the Holy Spirit, “You are my beloved son (daughter) in whom I am well pleased”? If not, we have some work to do with the help of our Divine Brother.

Cana: Jesus reveals Himself as Lord of all, not with flashing lights, trumpet blasts and drum rolls.  He did it quietly with a blessing of water, changing it into wine. Jesus works quietly in us.  Do we take the time to recognize His work and celebrate what He is doing in our lives like the wedding guests at Cana?  Or are we too busy being “in charge” and trusting ourselves only?

Today is a rich feast.  I wonder if it really ought to have lost its status as a holy day of obligation.

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V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Tomorrow we begin the wonderful O Antiphons, chanted before and after the Magnificat at Vespers. Last Advent I posted the antiphon for each day with a short commentary.  Please join me in using these links every day to pray the O Antiphons again this year.

December 17: O Sapientia – O Wisdom

December 18: O Adonai

December 19: O Radix Jesse – O Root of Jesse

December 20: O Clavis David – O Key of David

December 21: O Rising Dawn – O Oriens

December 22: O Rex Gentium – O King of the Gentiles

December 23: O Emmanuel

Most Catholics are familiar with the Advent hymn “O come, O come Emmanuel”.  The O Antiphons are the source of this hymn.  Here is the great Hungarian composer, Zoltan Kodaly’s rendering of the Gregorian chant with polyphony by L’Accorche-Choeur, Ensemble vocal Fribourg. Wouldn’t you love to hear this at your parish?

Thank you for stopping by and God bless you.

V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Thanks to Karinann over at Blessings for The Day for informing her readers about online Eucharistic adoration.  Of course we can pray to Jesus anytime.  He is always with us.  But for us Catholics, adoration is very special.  Under the appearance of bread He is present personally – Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.  The King of creation wills to be with us and wills us to be with Him so that He can continue to nourish us as He did in the Eucharistic celebration on Sunday.  It is by faith we know this to be true.

So many of us are unable to get out much because of our infirmities or other aspects of our life situation.  The site, Savior.org is a wonderful way to spend time with Jesus much more often. Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament is presented live via webcam from the Chapel of Divine Love in Philadelphia (the City of Brotherly Love – how apropos), PA – a source of perpetual Eucharistic adoration by the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters since 1916.

This is an answer to prayer.  I have wanted to be able to spend time in adoration and been frustrated by a number of practical factors.  When I read about fellow bloggers who have stopped for a short visit with Jesus at a chapel, I felt happy for them and sad for me.  Now I can say the Divine Office in His presence, do spiritual reading, or just pray.

Click on the picture above or on the link and it will take you to the live feed. This site has much to offer, too.  Here are some paragraphs from their “About online adoration” section:

A Powerful Channel for the Aged, Lonely and Suffering

The favorite of Our Savior, the aging, lonely and suffering are those in greatest need of His Love. The on-line access available through Savior.org, provides new hope for these individuals stemming from the electronic access they can now have to the Living Presence of Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament. The suffering will have new opportunities to unite their pain with the passion of Our Lord, yielding merits for their souls and the souls of others. The aged, free from the distractions of their earlier years, can now spend increasing hours in the presence of Our Lord strengthening their bond to Him during the twilight of their lives. And the lonely will benefit from the abundance of love and hope poured forth from this Most Faithful of Friends.

Technology is a wonderful thing if used to do God’s will. Join us at Savior.org in ‘taking back the Internet for Christ’.

Suggestions on How to Utilize Savior.org

On-line Adoration - Be with Our Lord, centered on Him wholly and completely. Sit in silence with Him – The Sacred Doctor of human hearts. Utilize some of the many on-line devotional aides to structure a Holy Hour with Him. Or pray your own favorite adoration prayers and meditations.

Liturgy of the Hours and Other Daily Prayers - Enrich your daily recitation of the liturgy of the hours and other daily prayer routines by conducting them in the presence of a live electronic image of Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Invite Our Lord into your day – In your office or at home conducting your daily activities, offer your work as a prayer to Our Lord. We offer a low-bandwidth feed for those who wish to maintain the live feed over an extended period of time, as well as a static image for those who cannot maintain a persistent connection (dialup users).

Family Rosaries - Say your family rosary in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament on-line.

Saying Goodnight – Our children have quickly adopted a routine of wanting to ‘say goodnight to Jesus’ on-line. Before they go to bed, they will ask us to bring up the Blessed Sacrament online, then they will say their evening prayers and say ‘goodnight’ to Jesus as the last act before they climb into bed.

For only $10 you can purchase flowers for the altar and everyone participating will pray for your intentions for that week. I encourage my readers to take advantage of this opportunity to spend more time with Jesus.  Prayer is an important part of wellness.

Sabbath moments are the moments we rest in God, when we take time to just Be with God rather than Do. Sabbath moments are those times when we live in the moment and find the holy in the ordinary.  Visit Colleen at Thoughts on Grace to read about the Sabbath moments others have had this week.

Keeping Life in Perspective

Throughout Paschaltide a Chapter reading at Lauds in the Divine Office causes me to stop and think about our destination in the next world.  It is St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, 3:1-2:

If you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Mind the things that are above, not the things that are on earth.

Nearly every morning this week after I finished praying my Rosary, I contemplated his words for awhile as the fresh breezes of late April blew through my window and the birds twittered happily about their morning business.  To me, St. Paul is urging us to keep our minds on heavenly things and not get caught up in earthly concerns as an end in themselves. His words encourage us to “do all things in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4: 13).  If we follow them we practice the virtue of detachment, we keep our lives simple, and we go about our daily duties without being obsessed with power, approbation, wealth and possessions.

Christ in Glory, 1597-98, oil on canvas, Annibale Carracci (b.1560, Bologna, d. 1609, Roma), Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence

St. Paul is saying to keep everything in perspective as if we were somehow seeing through God’s eyes.  He is not telling us to neglect our daily duties nor turn aside from the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  We are in this world because God created us and we work out our salvation through this world, but always as St. Paul urges, with the Grand Prize (Acts 17: 11) of heaven in mind.  Moreover, his words say that God is always in charge and imply the necessity to do our best while trusting Him in everything.  For myself, I’ll know that I have perfect trust in God when I quit worrying about “the things that are on earth.”

Crucifixion, 1524, Breu, Jorg the Elder, b. 1475/76, Augsburg, d. 1537, Augsburg, Wood, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

V.  We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee.

R.  Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, they crucified Him there, and with Him two thieves, one on the right and the other on the left, and Jesus in the midst.  My people, what have I done to thee?  I have exalted thee with great power, and thou hast hanged Me on the gibbet of the cross.¹

V.  They have pierced my hands and my feet.

R.  They have numbered all my bones.²

Let Us Pray

O God, who by the passion of Thine only-begotten Son, / and by the five wounds from which His blood was poured, / didst repair the evil wrought by sin in our human nature: / grant, we beseech Thee, / that we who here on earth revere the wounds which He received, / may be worthy to obtain in Heaven, the fruit of His most precious blood. / Through the same Christ our Lord.  Amen.³

Hymn: Let me to my latest breath, in my body bear the death of that dying Son of thine.

¹ Lk. 23: 33,  Jn. 19: 18 and Reproaches of Good Friday. ² Ps. 21: 17-18. _³ Collect of the Feast of Five Wounds.

*****

Feast of the Five Wounds: The Church and all the great saints have from time immemorial encouraged us to meditate on the Passion of Our Lord.  Sts. Bernard and Francis of Assisi spread the devotion to the Five Wounds in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and by the 14th century a Mass, known as the Golden Mass, was included in the Roman Missal.  The Passionists spread devotion to the Five Wounds and in 1831 a feast was assigned to the Friday after the third Sunday in Lent.  The Divine Office for the feast dates back to the Middle Ages.

The entire Church does not celebrate this feast, and indeed I could not find it in either of my two 1962 missals, but according to the 1913 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia it is placed in the appendix of some Breviaries and Missals.  If anyone can find the Divine Office and Mass for this feast, please leave a comment here so I can update this post. I suspect it can be found in Franciscan, Dominican, or Passionist Breviaries and Missals based on the history of the devotion.

Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

V.  We adore Thee, O Christ, and we praise Thee.

R.  Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Lo, we have seen Him and there is no beauty in Him nor comeliness;  He is despised and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity.  His countenance is, as it were, hidden, whereupon we esteemed Him not.  His appearance is inglorious among men, and His form among children of men.  And yet, He is the beautiful one above all the sons of men, and by His bruises we are healed.¹

V.  Turn not Thy face away from us.

R.  And withdraw not from Thy servants in Thine anger.²

Let Us Pray

O God, who dost renew us to Thine image / by the precious blood of Jesus Christ Thy Son: / lead our footsteps in Thy paths, / so that we may truly obtain the gift of Thy divine charity. / Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.³

Hymn: Make me feel as thou hast felt; make my soul to glow and melt with love of Christ my Lord.

¹ Third Responsory, Tenebrae of Holy Thursday, Is. 53: 3, 52: 14, Ps. 44: 3. ² Ps. 26: 9. ³ Secret, “For Charity”.

Tenebrae, meaning “darkness”, is the name given to the liturgy of the Divine Office – Matins and Lauds – on the last three days of Holy Week.  It is sung around 3 p.m. on the eve of the day to which it belongs.  During this service, the lights are gradually put out, a practice dating from the fifth century.  On Holy Saturday the church is in darkness from the beginning to the end of the service except for a single candle near the lectern to read by.  These three days commemorate the death of Jesus and the time of His entombment with the liturgy conducted in a spirit and demonstration of mourning. Tenebrae is a lengthy service observed in monasteries and in a few parish churches or oratorios where the public may take part.

Cometary knots in the Helix Nebula

Another prayer from the Hour of Prime prayed daily by those keeping the 1962 liturgical books…

I manipulated the Hubble image at the left by saturating the colors, rotating it, and rendering it as an oil painting with none of the detail of the original.  Then I laid down the script to make another prayer card which you may copy if you wish.  I love the colors and wish this photo would inspire a textile designer to create a woven or print fabric for a long dress!  (Sorry, guys – maybe a shirt?)

The following information from APOD tells the context of the cometary knots.  If you click on “Helix Nebula” you will see the very famous telescope photo called “The Eye of God”.

The Helix Nebula is the closest example of a planetary nebula created at the end of the life of a Sun-like star. The Helix Nebula, given a technical designation of NGC 7293, lies about 700 light-years away towards the constellation of Aquarius.

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights;

Praise Him, all you His angels, praise him, all you His hosts.

Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars. (Psalm 148: 1-3)

Welcome to Sunday Snippets where Catholic bloggers link to their favorite posts of the week.  Anyone is welcome to join in the fun.

This week I didn’t post much, even though I had good intentions.  I just got overtaken with duties and only so much energy to accomplish them. Nevertheless, I’ve managed to keep to my 1/2 hour of spiritual reading every day but one.  This Lent my book is Romano Guardini’s The Art of Praying: The Principles and Methods of Christian Prayer which I started a few years ago and never finished.  It’s one of my top 10 recommended for Lent.

This week I was determined to conquer one aspect of the digital art program I use.  It resulted in my post on a prayer from the Divine Office of Prime superimposed on a Hubble photograph of Pismus 24.  I hope to create more of these as time goes on.

I researched and wrote an article on the history of Ash Wednesday which is here.  The clip art was black and white, but I used my digital art program to add color.

This week I read The Last Train from Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back (John MacRae Books)by Charles Pellegrino and will be reviewing the book soon.  The survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki saw the heart of hell and endured as eye witnesses of the greatest evil created by man.  A great and holy man, Dr. Paul Takashi Nagai, born into Shintoism, turned atheist and finally Catholic is revered by all Japanese for his wisdom and approach to healing from the wounds of the bombs.  Today I checked a book out from the church library about him: A Song for Nagasaki: The Story of Takashi Nagai-Scientist, Convert, and Survivor of the Atomic Bomb.  If you like Asian history or world history, these books provide valuable insight into the dynamics of the War in the Pacific.  The first should be required reading for all high schoolers and the second for Catholics from teens on up.

Today I add one more Kseniya Simonova sand art piece.  Although I can’t read Russian, I got it that she had a friend whose baby died.  What a memorial!  God bless everyone, stay safe, and pray for the conversion of hearts to God.

The hour of Prime from the Divine Office is my favorite.  It was suppressed after Vatican II when a totally new breviary came out, but those who stay with the 1962 liturgical books pray it every day. This is one of two beautiful prayers which I superimposed over a star shot from NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day.  I adjusted the color intensity and made some changes to accommodate the need for script visibility.  You can print it out and use it for a prayer card.

Pismus 24 is one of my favorite images taken by the Hubble telescope.   Originally astronomers thought it was one star, but the excellent pictures taken by Hubble show that Pismus derives its luminosity from not one but at least 3 stars. Toward the bottom of the image, stars are still forming in the associated emission nebula NGC 6357.

“The heavens are telling the glory of God…” (Ps 19: 1)

Hoar frost on viburnam

This morning when I woke up, what did my wondering eyes behold but spectacular hoar frost on everything.  This phenomena occurs every now and then in the Ozarks and thanks to my very nice husband, I have some photos to share with you.

On clear, frosty nights, God works His wonders, readying winter beauty to greet the dawn.  If vegetation or objects have been chilled below freezing by radiation cooling, ice crystals form and the fragile pointy thorns create a fantasy world we glimpse only until the sun melts them with its warmth.  Radiation cooling is the process by which a body loses its heat by radiation and that’s enough science for today.

Gods gift this morning reminded me of the canticle of Daniel in the Divine Office hour of Sunday Lauds (praise).  The third chapter, verse 69 calls out:

Frost and cold, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever.

Through Daniel we find ourselves realizing that our poor efforts at praise need the help of all creation. Beginning with verse 57 through verse 90 we call upon the heavens, the earth, the angels, spirits of the just and men to praise and bless the Lord, ending with joyful thanks for deliverance from the powers of hell and death through the salvation Jesus brings.

The fence post is cropped from a larger photo and colored sepia.  the hoary tentacles reminded me of the head of Medusa, hence the title of the picture.

Hoar frost on fence with honeysuckle behind.

This image makes a brilliant graphic statement.  Roger has a real eye for this kind of thing.

Greenbridge

Frosty trees  set off a country bridge near home.  Locals call it “Greenbridge”.  You can see the river underneath on the right.

Forming a perfect background for the hoary branches, still water mirrors the trees on the river bank at the city park.  Cropped from a larger image.

Branch over the river

Lastly, a view from the bridge upriver.  The trees appear to be embracing all the sky.  Cropped image from a larger composition.

On the river bank

These images are copyrighted, but if you want to use them  you may as long as you credit Barb Schoeneberger and Roger Prai and if you would, please donate a little to this site.

Snow-covered honeysuckle in our back yard

Friday’s hour of Lauds, meaning “praise”, in the Divine Office celebrates deliverance from the Babylonian captivity in Psalm 147 (147 B) and Jerusalem’s God-given privilege.  In a short verse from Romans following the psalms we receive an instruction about how to live in this deliverance.

As I looked out the window watching the snow falling, I thought that although it is cold and gray outside, how perfect is this time to praise with the psalmist the power and glory of God.  So after I finished morning prayers I stumbled out into the gently falling snow and took a few pictures to share along with this  psalm.

Psalm 147

Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Sion.

For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you.

He has granted peace in your borders; with the best of wheat He fills you.  He sends forth his command to the earth; swiftly runs His word!

He spreads snow like wool; frost He strews like ashes.

He scatters His hail like crumbs; before His cold the waters freeze.

He sends His word and melts them; He lets His breeze blow and the waters run.  He has proclaimed His word to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.

He has not done thus for any other nation; His ordinances He has not made known to them.  Alleluia.

"He spreads snow like wool..."

Looking at the allegorical meaning of these scriptures, after the winter of sin comes the springtime of salvation.  Beneath the snow lies the promise of new life – Redemption.  The all-powerful Father sends His Word to melt the cold of our hearts, bringing us the warmth of spiritual peace, joy and prosperity. He fills us with the best of wheat – the Holy Eucharist and the graces It brings.

With His commandments and His blessings (the Beatitudes), He strengthens the bars of the gates of our hearts against Satan and the world. He shows us how to live as people redeemed, laying aside the works of darkness and putting on the armor of light, walking becomingly as in the day (Rom. 13:12-13).  We are a privileged people (“praise your God, O Sion…He has not done thus for any other nation”) with an obligation of lighting the way for those still in winter who do not yet know him or who have fallen away.

O Emmanuel, Rex et Legifer noster, exspectatio gentium, et salvator earum; veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Deus noster.

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Expectation and Savior of the nations, come and save us, O Lord our God.

Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel.

Isaiah: 33: 22: For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king: he will save us.

Emmanuel means “God with us”.  Jesus promised He would be with us until the end of time.  We find him in the Holy Eucharist.  We receive Him into our hearts at Holy Communion. We ask him to come and rule over our hearts, to help us to live according to His laws. We await His coming this Christmas with great expectation.

And how will we know He has come?  We see him in the arms of Mary, the virgin of virgins, the most holy and perfect virgin.  She presents Emmanuel to us to bow down before and adore.