The effect of hearing the story of Jesus’ transfiguration this morning — just before Lent — has the effect of framing the whole of Lent between two parallel stories. A story of Jesus going into a lonely mountainous place to pray, attended by his three closest friends: Peter; James; and John. A story in whichContinue reading “Rowan Williams on the Transfiguration”
Tag Archives: Crucifixion
Friday
We nailed the hands long ago,Wove the thorns, took up the scourge and shoutedFor excitement’s sake, we stood at the dusty edgeOf the pebbled path and watched the extreme of pain. But one or two prayed, one or twoWere silent, shocked, stood backAnd remembered remnants of words, a new vision,The cross is up with itsContinue reading “Friday”
The Wicked Fairy at the Manger
My gift for the child: No wife, no kids, home;No money sense. Unemployable.Friends, yes. But the wrong sort –The workshy, women, wimps.Petty infringers of the law, personsWith notifiable diseases.Poll tax collectors, tarts:The bottom rung.His end?I think we’ll make it public, prolonged, painful. Right, said the baby. That was roughlywhat we had in mind. U. A. Fanthorpe
Prayer for a New Mother by Dorothy Parker
The things she knew, let her forget again –The voices in the sky, the fear, the cold,The gaping shepherds, and the queer old menPiling their clumsy gifts of foreign gold. Let her have laughter with her little one;Teach her the endless, tuneless songs to sing,Grant her her right to whisper to her sonThe foolish namesContinue reading “Prayer for a New Mother by Dorothy Parker”
Eucharistic Hymn from the Acts of Thomas
We eat your holy bodywhich was crucified for us.We drink your holy bloodwhich was shed for us.May your body be our salvationand your blood forgive us our sins. Because for our sake you tasted gall,may the enemy’s bitterness be killed in us. Because for our sake you drank sour wine,may what is weak in usContinue reading “Eucharistic Hymn from the Acts of Thomas”
He is great in heaven who humbly submits to his neighbor
He is great in heaven who humbly submits to his neighbor, and, without any cause for shame, bears patiently accusations made against him, even though they are false, if by this he may be at peace with his brother. St. Basil the Great, Homily 20
A dread and marvelous mystery
A dread and marvelous mystery we see come to pass this day. He whom none may touch is seized; he who looses Adam from the curse is bound. He who tries our hearts and inner thoughts is unjustly brought to trial. He who closed the abyss is shut in prison. He before whom the powersContinue reading “A dread and marvelous mystery”
The plant in Eden beautifully transplanted in Golgotha
The Most High planted in the middle of ParadiseThe thrice blessed wood, the gift of life for us,In order that, in approaching it,Adam might find eternal and immortal life,But he did not strive earnestly to know this life,And he failed to attain it, and revealed death.However, the robber, seeing how the plant in EdenHad beenContinue reading “The plant in Eden beautifully transplanted in Golgotha”
Let us now gaze on Christ crucified
That we may be healed from sin, let us now gaze on Christ crucified; for as Moses, says He, lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believes in Him may not perish, but have everlasting life. Just as they who looked on that serpent perished not by the serpent’s bites, so they who lookContinue reading “Let us now gaze on Christ crucified”
A Holy Trunk
The Devil speaks:Now then, Hades, mourn and I join in unison with you in wailing.Let us lament as we see the tree which we plantedChanged into a holy trunk.Robbers, murderers, tax gatherers, harlots,Rest beneath it, and make nestsIn its branches in order that they might gatherThe fruit of sweetness from theContinue reading “A Holy Trunk”
Locus Communis 