Music Monday--Hildegard Von Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen was born in Germany in 1098. She was dedicated to the church at the age of 3, either because she was the tenth child in her family (hence, the tithe), she was extraordinarily intelligent, her family could not afford to feed her, or a combination of these reasons. Whatever the reason, her intelligence, intuitive spirituality and talent for music and medicine were nurtured in the 11th century Benedictine monastery.

She was a visionary who wrote books about science, medicine and natural healing as well as writing letters to saints, popes, kings and queens of her time. Her visions were often critical of the corruption she saw around her.

Her music was chant-like, but original and hauntingly beautiful.

This song, O viridissima virgo, compares the Blessed Mother to nature.

O greenest branch, hail,
who came forth in blowing wind
from holy wise men.

When the time came
that you bloomed in your branches
hail, hail to you,
the heat of the sun infused you
with balsamic fragrance.

The beautiful flourished in you
gave its aromatic fragrance
to all that was withered.

And thus all appeared
in full greenness.

The heaven spread dew over the grass
and the whole earth was made glad
because her womb brought forth fruit
and the birds of the skies had their nests in her.

Thus was made the food for humanity
and great joy among the dinner companions.
And therefore, of mild Virgin,
no joy is missing in you.

All of this Eve had disdained.
But now praise be to the highest.


Hat tip to Dr. Marcia Ramos-e-Silva

If Other Planets Were as Close as the Moon

Scale from Brad Goodspeed on Vimeo.

Twitter Feed on Sidebar

I've added a new feature to The Well.  We now have a Twitter feed on the sidebar under my profile.  Just scroll down to find it.

On it we have tweets on Catholic spirituality from Fr. Stan and Franciscan Minute Meditations as well as two different feeds from our Orthodox brethren. Use it as a spiritual "shot in the arm" for the day!

Check frequently to see who else I find to add to our list!

Also, I've added a Twitter haiku feed to Karumi Garden Haiku and a poetry feed to Falling Plum Poetry.  Stop by and check them out!

Sunday Snippets, A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This week we once again heard from Z. Randall Stroope, in Langston Hugh's poem set to music, A Time of Silver Rain.  On Tuesday, we visited Rod Tryon's sidewalk trompe l'oeil, Koi Pond with Snake and Wednesday we looked at The Guppy  by Ogden Nash.

Saturday we looked at parts of Psalm 87 and how it relates to today's headlines in Egypt.  I also linked to a BBC story on Why Egypt Matters.

Keep praying, people!

The BBC on Why Egypt Matters

Lots is happening in Egypt, traditionally one of the most stable countries in the Middle East.  Everything is up in the air right now, and who ends up taking power there has far reaching implications for the entire world.

One concern is that the Muslim Brotherhood could fill the power vacuum. Interestingly, on January 22, the Obama administration decided to lift the ban on their leader entering the United States, a complete turn around from last March, when it asked the courts to uphold the ban begun in the Bush years.

Click here for the BBC's concise analysis.

Hat tip to Fiftysomething, and Lisa Graas.

Scripture Saturday--Good Lord, Deliver Them!

Today's Scripture Saturday is taken from Psalm 87, prayed for night prayer on Friday night, as the streets of Egypt were filling with protesters, defying their government's curfew.

Lord God, my saviour,

 I have cried out to you by day and by night.

Let my prayer come before you:

  turn your ear to my request.

You have taken my friends away from me:

  you have made me hateful in their sight,

  I am shut in, I may not go out.

My eyes are weak from my sufferings.

I have called to you, Lord, all the day;

  I have stretched out my hands to you.

Please pray for all the people of Egypt!!

Poetry Wednesday--Ogden Nash

I've loved Ogden Nash's poetry since I was a child.  His poems are thought provoking yet whimsical.  Enjoy this one about the guppy.

The Guppy  by Ogden Nash

Whales have calves, Cats have kittens, Bears have cubs, Bats have bittens, Swans have cygnets, Seals have puppies, But guppies just have little guppies.

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Rod Tryon

This 3-D sidewalk art is Koi Pond with Snake by Rod Tryon done for the International Art Festival in South Carolina.  It took about 25 hours to complete and was 10' by 14'.

Rod is a street painting artist represented by Art for After Hours.

I think these street "paintings" are a breakthrough in art on the scale of the ancient Greeks first discovering how to use perspective.  Unlike those upright works, these are on the ground, using such realism as to fool the eye and make you think you will fall into the koi pond or be bitten by the snake.

Music Monday--Z. Randall Stroope

Today's Music Monday once again features Z. Randall Stroope. In Time of Silver Rain is a poem by Langston Hughes that Stroope set to music.

The original poem is below.



In Time of Silver Rain
By Langston Hughes

In time of silver rain
The earth
Puts forth new life again,
Green grasses grow
And flowers lift their heads,
And over all the plain
The wonder spreads

Of life,
of life,
of life!

In time of silver rain
The butterflies
Lift silken wings
To catch a rainbow cry,
And trees put forth
New leaves to sing
In joy beneath the sky
As down the roadway
Passing boys and girls
Go singing, too,
In time of silver rain

When spring
And life
Are new.

Sunday Snippets, A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This week, we discussed John Michael Talbot, the artist Grace Divine, William Carlos Williams, Norman Rockwell, and Christ as the Eternal High Priest.

Have a blessed and productive week, everyone!

Scripture Saturday--Faith in Christ the Eternal High Priest

This is a very difficult time to be in the Church. More and more we are being made aware of the horrible failings of those within the Church who we are meant to trust.

Thursday morning I was on Universalis, ready to read the morning prayer, when "something" told me to read the Mass readings instead. The first reading from Hebrews stood out.

To suit us, the ideal high priest would have to be holy, innocent and uncontaminated, beyond the influence of sinners, and raised up above the heavens; one who would not need to offer sacrifices every day, as the other high priests do for their own sins and then for those of the people, because he has done this once and for all by offering himself. The Law appoints high priests who are men subject to weakness; but the promise on oath, which came after the Law, appointed the Son who is made perfect for ever.

To suit us, as the Letter to the Hebrews says, the ideal high priest would have to be blameless and beyond the influence of sinners.  No one in the Church is such a person.  We all are born and live out our lives in the world. Today, more than ever, there are strong influences against acting from the love and grace of God.  It is crucial to our walk with Christ to remember that we all struggle to live up to the standards of heaven.  It  is not healthy to base our faith on earthly people--even holy ones.

We are all on a journey to oneness with God; becoming like Him.  As long as we are on this earth, all of us will struggle and fall--even saints.  The people in the Church, both clergy and laity, are human beings. The pope is a human being. Human beings can and often do, do things ranging from the stupid to the cruel.  But we all have the same Father in heaven and we all have the same chance to accept God's Grace and Mercy and grow in holiness.

Jesus is the eternal High Priest. Cling to Him and do not be discouraged  or surprised by reports of others' failings, or, even your own.

Poetry Wednesday--William Carlos Williams

The Red Wheelbarrow
by William Carlos Williams

I'm not sure what depended on the red wheel barrow.  Perhaps just the poem, with its sharp contrast between the wet, shiny red wheel barrow and the soft, fluffy white chickens, pecking for seed in the grass underneath.

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Norman Rockwell

Today is Art and Beauty Tuesday here at the Well, and this is a little extra bit of  art history with a big dose of American history thrown in.

This is a 1941 compilation from the FDR library.  At the beginning of the film, we see Norman Rockwell in the process of painting his "Four Freedoms" including the famous painting we see every year on Thanksgiving, "Freedom from Want."  Fascinating to see the models he used for the paintings--they were his neighbors.

The rest of the film shows FDR talking about the importance of war bonds in raising money for the war, and Eleanor visiting soldiers and telling a joke (albeit a bit racist from today's standpoint.)

Anyway, I thought the beginning of the film particularly interesting from an artistic standpoint.

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Grace Divine

This painting, called Volcanic Red Colors is part of the California Plein Air Collection of SplendidCalifornia.com. The reds and blues are the perfect juxtaposition of contrasts in the California sky and loudly and intensely proclaim the creative power of God.

En plein air is French for in the open air and refers to the art of painting out of doors.  The technique of painting in natural, outdoor light became especially important for the Impressionists including Monet and Renoir.

This is a more modern painter who uses contrasting colors and bold light to her greatest advantage.

The reds are indeed volcanic and seem to overcome and consume the strong blue of the sky.  The California trees and ground are black as if burned and almost disappear in contrast to the strong light in the sky.

Music Monday--John Michael Talbot

John Michael Talbot has been composing and singing since the 1970's.  He began at the age of 18 in a rock group called Mason Profitt and was the opening act for such groups as The Byrds, Pink Floyd, Janice Joplin and the Grateful Dead.  Once he realized how his musical idols were living--how shallow and sad their drug-filled lives were, he knew he had to get out and live a more authentic life.

He is the founder of Brothers and Sisters of Charity and Little Portion Hermitage which follow a Franciscan spirituality and is open to both married and single people.

You can find some of his teachings on his website as well as on his YouTube site, where you can also find videos of his music like the one below.

This is John Michael Talbot's Hymn to the Praises of God.

Sunday Snippets, A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing. This week we talked about Z. Randall Stroop, John Michael Talbot, Robert Browning, the Baptism of Our Lord and Psalm 51. We also saw a very creative pair of painted tennis shoes.

Have a blessed week!

Psalm 51

This is a video I did some years back on Psalm 51, a psalm that is prayed every Friday in the Church.

Scripture Saturday--A Voice from the Clouds

Both this week and last week's Gospel reading for Sunday are about the Baptism of Jesus.  Last week, we heard God the Father's voice come from the clouds saying This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.

Who do we seek to please? Whose voice of approval are we listening for?

It is so easy to hunger and thirst after others' approval and to strain to listen for that verbal "pat on the back" from a society whose values we are trying not to follow! It is hard to feel like the lone person in the wilderness, but, perhaps that is why Jesus, and many after Him, have gone into the desert before public ministry.

We need to withdraw from the world and its impossible expectations in order to focus on and please God.  There will be times when we feel, like Jesus, like the Israelites, like John the Baptist and like the early monastics, that we are alone in the desert.

Using a basic "rule" of prayer is a good start to keeping fed spiritually so we don't find ourselves running after "food that does not satisfy."  We need to "hunger and thirst for righteousness," which can only be found in God.  His is the Voice that we will hear if we listen closely enough and call out.

That is also why community is so important.  We are blessed in this country with freedom of religion and freedom of assembly.  We can worship with others and not have to go it alone.  The internet is also a good resource for prayer and community.

Go into the desert--away from the temptations and strife of the world.  But, remember, you are never alone.  You are there with Jesus.

Poetry Wednesday--Robert Browning

Today's Poetry Wednesday features Home Thoughts From Abroad by Robert Browning as read by Geoffrey Palmer.  The poet speaks of the longing for home.  I think in all of us exists a longing for our heavenly home which Jesus spoke of as the Kingdom.  We ache for peace and love for ourselves and for the world.

Heavenly Coincidence--John Michael Talbot on the Early Monastics

Today I was perusing the subscriptions on my Youtube channel when I came across the music of John Michael Talbot.  After listening to his beautiful playlist, Quiet Reflections, a series of his songs along with some inspirational readings, I heard the following 2009 teaching on St. Antony of the Desert come up on the playlist I had subsequently clicked.

I was struck by his words on not placing blame on others for our problems.  The current political situation in the United States is rife with blaming and this teaching really hit home for me. I know it is difficult, too, not to blame outside people and forces for our own personal problems.

I decided to post it today, wondering when the actual feast of St. Antony fell. I was shocked to realize it is January 17th, this coming Monday; surely a Heavenly coincidence!

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Beauty in the Everyday

This is a bit of a departure for Art and Beauty Tuesday, but I think it is important to note that beauty can surround us in the mundane as much as in the sublime. Beauty need not be contained only in so-called "fine art". Art is something everyone can and should participate in. It is important to think outside the box.

I was unable to find the artist who painted these shoes with the image of the night sky, but I was delighted to have found them.

Surround yourself with beauty.

I hope you enjoy.

Music Monday--Z. Randall Stroope

I discovered this song on YouTube, having had no prior experience with it.  Sung here by the Philippine Madrigal Singers, it is both moving and stimulating.  Below are the lyrics with translation.



We Beheld Once Again the Stars
by Z. Randall Stroope

Ma la notte risurge
Oramai e da partir
Che tutto veduto
Ritornar!
Vexilla Regis prodeunt inferni!

Ma la notte risurge
Salimmo su, tanto ch'i' vidi
De le cose belle che porta
Ciel, per un pertugio tondo.
Quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle

But soon it will be night and we must rise to the stars.
Now is the time to depart this place
for we have seen and experienced it all.
Keep moving! Return to paradise.
The wings of hell's monarch are heard nearby.
We must leave quickly,

but soon it will be night.
I climbed toward paradise with no thought of looking back.
I passed through a small opening
and finally saw heaven and the supreme light
and beheld once again the stars.

Sunday Snippets, A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This first full week of 2011 we talked about Guy Lombardo, Peder Mork Monsted, and Robert Frost, as well as the Feast of the Epiphany, and the mercy and love of God.

I pray everyone has a blessed 2011!

Scripture Saturday--God is Merciful

This weekend's second reading shows us how God worked in St. Peter's life to change his mind about an issue he thought he knew all about--eating meat considered unclean.  As a devout Jew, there were types of animals that Peter was not allowed to eat.  As a Christian, Peter continued to follow that tradition as well as the Jewish tradition of circumcision.  Paul's letter to the Galatians tells us that Peter had refused to eat with gentiles after pressure from Jewish Christians.  He must have felt very conflicted as to what God's will was in regards to these laws he had followed all his life.

In the verses prior to this weekend's second reading, Peter has a vision. The Spirit shows Peter a number of the earth's animals and asks him to eat them.  Peter refuses three times because they are "unclean".  (Notice the parallel to Peter's 3-time denial of Christ and his later 3 time profession of love.)

God sends a Roman centurion, Cornelius, to him and Peter then realizes the meaning of the vision:

Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: ‘The truth I have now come to realize’ he said ‘is that God does not have favorites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him.  Act 10: 34-35

How truly freeing that is!! God does not want to heap burdens on our backs that are impossible to carry.  He wants us to live in Love.

 God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, rich in kindness and relenting in punishment. Joel 2:13

I think this is one of the main messages of Christ--mercy and forgiveness for all, from all.

Jesus admonished the "scholars of the law" because they impose on people burdens that are hard to carry but don't lift a finger to help them. (Luke 11:46)  Instead, Jesus long(s) to gather (His) children under (His) wings. (Matthew 23:37)

Sometimes, we must let go of old ideas and listen to God's cry for Love. Our God came and conquered death, not with military might, but as a poor helpless infant and as a peaceful enemy of the state, sentenced to death.

He lived Love. He preached Love. He *is* Love.

The Feast of the Epiphany

Seeking God

What I love about the story of Epiphany are the magi searching for knowledge. They used cutting edge science that was available to them to search for God among man. They were foreigners who had probably studied the Hebrew scriptures and were open to wisdom from a land other than their own.

They traveled to Bethlehem and brought news of the Savior born among the Jews to their home countries. They prefigured Jesus' own attitude towards the power structure of His day by following the dream given to them by God and not revealing to Herod the whereabouts of Jesus.

They were the first gentile Christians and were a sign to us that all are loved by God.

The word "epiphany" means to have a revelation.  The magi were constantly seeking wisdom and this led them to God. Let each of us follow their example.

Blessing the House 

An Epiphany tradition in some parishes is to hand out blessed chalk to the congregation who then write above every door in their home 20 C+M+B 11.  This stands for the first 2 numbers of the year, the names of each of the three kings (Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar) and the last 2 numbers of the year.  The letters also stand for Christus Mansionem  Benedicat which is Latin for "Christ, bless this house".

Have a happy Epiphany and a joyful 2011!!

Poetry Wednesday--Robert Frost

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

This famous poem by Robert Frost is an apt accompaniment to yesterday's snowy painting by Peder Mork Monsted.  

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Monsted

In today's Art and Beauty Tuesday segment, we feature Peder Mork Monsted's Forest in Winter.  As usual, the small picture here does not do it justice.

The horse pulls the man and his gathered wood down a snow covered road.  We see the tracks of other travelers that preceded him.  They do not mar the beauty of the scene, but show that the people who live here continue their lives through the cold, snowy winter season.

The painting is nearly photographic.  In the foreground we see white branches bowed under by the weight of the snow.  Behind them, the trees' branches as well, are covered with snow and their trunks show us the direction of the storm as it came through the forest.

The sky is a subtle mix of wintery pastels, any dreariness there being overpowered by the reflection of light on snow.

On the right we see 2 piles of wood--possibly the destination of the man and the horse, having traveled  a long distance in the cold.

This painting makes me want to get outside, far away from people and architecture, to enjoy the architecture of creation.

Music Monday--Guy Lombardo

Every New Year's Eve, my parents and I would watch Guy Lombardo on TV.  That spoiled me with good music, and I've never been able to watch any television New Year's celebrations with  more a "modern" flair since then.

I hope you all have a blessed 2011!

Sunday Snippets, A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.This week, we listened to Benjamin Britten, looked at an icon of the Nativity,  and part of a poem by John Donne. We also talked about spiritual perfection and wisdom.

Scripture Saturday--Jesus is Wisdom

John draws an obvious parallel in this weekend's Gospel between Jesus and Wisdom from Ecclesiasticus.

In the first reading, the Old Testament writer tells us that  Wisdom speaks her own praises, in the midst of her people, she glorifies in herself.

God told Wisdom to pitch your tent in Jacob, make Israel your inheritance and Wisdom says that in the beginning He created me, for eternity, I shall remain.

At the start of his Gospel, John tells us

In the beginning was the Word:
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.


The Word was made flesh,
and pitched his tent among us,
and we saw his glory.

Ecclesiasticus, by the way, is one of the so-called "apocryphal" books of the Bible, that were removed by Protestant groups after the Reformation because they include such teachings as praying for deceased persons.  It is also objected to because they believe that Jesus and the disciples do not quote from those books, but as we have seen, that is obviously false.

Ecclesiasticus is also called Sirach or The Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach, or The Wisdom of Sirach,
not to be confused with either Ecclesiastes or The Book of Wisdom.

If you have a Catholic Bible, peruse Ecclesiasticus and partake of its wisdom.

The illustration, above, is a portion of Ecclesiasticus in Hebrew.