Eternal Worlds

Tags

Butterfly, photography, Poetry, William Blake

Monarch butterfly in Valle de Anton, Panama

Trembling I sit day and night, my friends are astonish’d at me,
Yet they forgive my wanderings. I rest not from my great task!
To open the Eternal Worlds, to open the immortal Eyes
Of Man inwards into the Worlds of Thought, into Eternity
Ever expanding in the Bosom of God, the Human Imagination.
O Saviour pour upon me thy Spirit of meekness & love:
Annihilate the Selfhood in me: be thou all my life!
Guide thou my hand, which trembles exceedingly upon the rock of ages.

~~William Blake, Jerusalem

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Saint Clare of Assisi

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Franciscan, Saint Clare

“We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become.”~~Saint Clare of Assisi

Today, August 11, is the Feast Day of Saint Clare, Founder of the Second Order Franciscans, the Poor Clares.

On Palm Sunday of 1212, 17-year-old Clare escaped from the home of her noble parents in Assisi to join Saint Francis. After receiving her vows in religion, cutting off her hair, and giving her a habit to replace her satin finery, Francis placed her in a Benedictine convent. Soon he was able to establish her in the church and convent of San Damiano, where she lived for more than 40 years as head of a community of contemplative nuns. Her sister, Agnes, and her mother became part of her religious order, which spread even in Clare’s lifetime to Germany and Bohemia. Clare is said to have routed the soldiers of Frederick II by her faith in the Blessed Sacrament.

The bond of love between Francis and Clare was strong and significant, though they saw each other only rarely. The example of their love for God, each other, and the whole family of God informs and inspires all Franciscan orders to this day. Clare died two days after receiving the Pope’s approval of her rule binding the Poor Clares to the Franciscan ideal of complete poverty.

Collect: God of peace, who in the holiness of blessed Clare gave us a clear light to shine in the darkness of this world: Give us grace to follow in her footsteps that we may, at the last, rejoice with her in your eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~~From the Devotional Companion of the Third Order, Society of Saint Francis, Province of the Americas

Clare was a vessel of humility, a shrine of chastity, a flame of love, the essence of kindness, the strength of patience, the bond of peace, and the source of loving unity in her community.

~~Document of Canonization

Dreaming Dreams

Tags

Poetry, photography, Nevermore, Edgar Allan Poe, Lomography

Lomo’Instant Wide of Corinne and Nevermore at Bonaventure Cemetery

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore!”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”
Merely this and nothing more.

~~Edgar Allan Poe

Lomo close-up of Corinne

Angel holding Lomo’Instant Wide of herself and Nevermore.

Double exposure of Angel with Lomo’Instant Wide

Shadow on the Floor

Tags

Poetry, photography, Nevermore, Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

A double exposure at Bonaventure Cemetery using my Lomo’Instant Wide camera; Nevermore and Lisa modeling.

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted–nevermore!

~~Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

Lisa and Nevermore at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah

A Lomo’Instant Wide photo of Lisa and Nevermore.

Lomography detail/close-up of Lisa

 

Mary Magdalene

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Collect, Mary Magdalene

Magdalen with the Smoking Flame by Georges de La Tour

Tomorrow is the feast day of Saint Mary Magdalen. She is someone I have always been in awe of having grown up under the shadow of this painting by La Tour, which always held a place of honor in our home (at least, it always stood out to me). It wasn’t just the skull as much as the way she is gazing into the flickering light of the oil lamp and the way her hair shimmers in the light.

In the Episcopal Church, we mark this day in our Calendar of Saints with the following Collect:

Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene
to health of body and mind, and called her to be a witness of
his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by thy grace we may
be healed of all our infirmities and know thee in the power of
his endless life; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and
reigneth, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

John 20:

¹¹ But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; ¹² and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. ¹³ They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴ When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew,“Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her. (New Revised Standard Version)

And from the Gospel According to Mary Magdalene:

Chapter 5

1) But they were grieved. They wept greatly, saying, How shall we go to the Gentiles and preach the gospel of the Kingdom of the Son of Man? If they did not spare Him, how will they spare us?

2) Then Mary stood up, greeted them all, and said to her brethren, Do not weep and do not grieve nor be irresolute, for His grace will be entirely with you and will protect you.

3) But rather, let us praise His greatness, for He has prepared us and made us into Men.

4) When Mary said this, she turned their hearts to the Good, and they began to discuss the words of the Savior.

5) Peter said to Mary, Sister we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of woman.

6) Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them.

7) Mary answered and said, What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you.

Wild Goose

Tags

Poetry, religion, Wild Goose Festival

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

My intention this week was to run the above poem along with a photo as I was going to be away at the Wild Goose Festival. Imagine my surprise and delight when I found the above right next to the Episcopal tent!

The Wild Goose Festival is an art, music, and story-driven transformational experience grounded in faith-inspired social justice, according to Wikipedia.

The Wikipedia article also states that the festival: “encourages co-creation of music, story, theater, and spectacle, and engagement in a wide variety of robust, respectful conversations with participants and with thought leaders and artists from other communities. Wild Goose is welcoming and hospitable to people of all faiths – or no faith – who join in seeking the common good. It fully affirms and celebrates people of every age, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual identity, education, bodily condition, religious affiliation, and economic background, particularly those who are most often marginalized.

“Wild Goose is rooted in Progressive Christianity, moving beyond belief and centered in justice and compassion, in solidarity with the marginalized and the oppressed. The festival is popular among many involved with the emerging church movement.”

Our Diocese is one of the sponsors of the Episcopal tent. The event hosts more than 5,000 people annually.

While we were there so my husband could preach and celebrate at the Noon Friday Eucharist, the tent stays busy all day long . . .