Every so often over the last decades a youngster in the parish asks me to write and sign a sheet for them, most commonly one of the altar servers. This is the 'service' part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Like many others I have watched bits of the TV coverage of Prince Philip's life. For me, it has been these individual moments with youngsters that has brought him closest, and we are being shown that he had a similar keen and personal interest in many other aspects of national life.
My other encounter with his life was on a visit to Corfu back in 1994. On a coach tour of the island we were shown Mon Repos, a large house (below) where, we were told, Prince Philip was born. What a strange journey, from a sunny palace in the Mediterranean, to a life serving Queen and country in distant Britain. May he rest in peace.
The Gospel in today's Mass is the first part of St John's account of the wonderful meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus. ChristianArt sent this interesting painting of the scene. Th egloomy tones evoke the nighttime when Nicodemus came, while a light from what looks like a grave points forward to his role in the burial on Good Friday. Jesus is shown very much as the teacher, with Nicodemus the Pharisee seated before him. We are to be born again of water and the Spirit, he learns, and God loved the world so much that He gave his only Son. There was a lot to take in during that night, but John says the dawn came...
Time for some music - some Easter music to be precise. "This is the day the Lord has made" is one of the ancient texts of Mass for Easter Sunday - or "Haec dies quam fecit Dominus" in Latin. Here is a well-known setting of the prayer by the great English (and Catholic) composer from Tudor times, William Byrd. If you can read music you'll be able to follow the score too. I sang this when I was in our cathedral choir as a lad back in the 60s. And I was one of the top line trebles I'll have you know! Here it is sung by the choir of Trinity College, Cambridge.
Every Easter I look around for any images of the Resurrection that catch my attention. Of Western traditional artists I like Titian's "Noli Me Tangere" in the National Gallery in London. But for the sheer dynamism of Easter I have not found anything to beat the Anastasis in the 'Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora', in Istanbul. Details can be seen via the link.
It was in 1995 that I joined a tour of Turkey that included, of course, the great city of Istanbul, formerly Byzantium, formerly Constantinople. On a free afternoon I got a taxi to the Chora Church that dates back to the fourth century. Like Saint Sophia it later became a mosque and, later again, a museum. Layers of whitewash were removed to reveal astonishing mosaics and frescoes. Like Saint Sophia, it has been returned to a mosque, just last year I think. To the right of the main altar is a chapel believed to have been used in funerals, and there, over the altar is the Anastasis.
The Byzantine tradition of representing the Resurrection is to show Jesus descending to Hell, trampling on Satan and releasing those who are waiting, like Adam and Eve, Moses etc. This is a powerful, energetic Jesus, not like the rather washed out one we sometimes see in Western art. I know he's been dead for a while, but the Resurrection is about life!
...And now the cloth is discarded, left alone - the Lord is risen! A very happy, holy and joyful Easter to all blog-friends. May you find the Risen Christ, out of the tomb, wherever you are and wherever you are seeking Him.
One of the most arresting images in Christian art in my opinion, this is the "Lamentation over the Dead Christ" by Andrea Mantegna. Painted in about 1490, it hangs in the wonderful Brera Gallery in Milan, where I saw it in 2010. It is one of those pictures where reproductions do not really prepare you for the real thing. With very bold foreshortening Mantegna invites us to come up so very close to the dead Christ, who today lies in the tomb.
Here is our Church as prepared for this evening's Mass of the Lord's Supper. We are very grateful to the team who have prepared the sanctuary at St Brigid's each Sunday this Lent. The decision to do so was taken very much in the light of the current live-streaming. With a steady view from the camera (at least most of the time) we wanted to bring interest and variety to our celebration of the season. Tomorrow it will look very different...
Wednesday in Holy Week is sometimes referred to as "Spy Wednesday". Spies, conspiracy, plotting... all these kind of things leave a nasty taste in our mouth. Especially, of course, if we are on the receiving end of the spying or plotting or conspiracy. And yet how easy it can be to find ourselves involved in this kind of thing, even if on a scale much less significant than the plotting against Jesus. Little jealousies, annoyances, "news" whether - fake or not - can all be twisted into stuff to be used against another.
People still argue about Judas - his motives, his intentions and frame of mind. What is clear is that at the end he has not known Jesus well enough, as he has lost hope. For hope is a very precious virtue that I think is often forgotten when compared to its companions faith and charity. Hope gives us a future, we can move forward. I suppose the plotting, spying and conspiracy was, and often is, based in fear. Who is this Jesus, and how is he going to disupt my world and my plans for the future. Better to get rid of him.
At the beginning of Holy Week, here is a compilation of the celebration of the events of the week by the various classes of our wonderful parish primary school, Christ the King. Look at the creativity and sincerity, very touching at many points. Just one xample - don't miss the very bref moment at 6:45...
People may know by now that one of my favourite paintings is that by Antonello da Messina (1430-1479) of the Virgin of the Annunciation. Over the 30 years since I first came across it in the gallery in Palermo it has provided material both for my own reflection and for sharing reflections with others. It's a painting to sit with, to contemplate, to study the details - the hands, the background, the book, the face... It is Mary the moment the angel leaves her, leaving her with so much to ponder - and us.
We
had a lovely thankyou card from Noah's Ark, the children's hospital at
UHW, for a fundraiser we had at St Brigid's some while ago. The original
cheque got lost and cancelled, but eventually our donation got through.
The card has been put together from work at the play therapy sessions
there. It's a bright happy card that seems to point to the arrival
(hopefully) of spring...
Meanwhile, for St Patrick's Day here is a modern interpretation of the famous St Patrick's Breastplate prayer. It's sung by Ronan Johnston and his group Emmaus. Ronan has led worship at our Cardiff Celebrate Conferences (words below).
I arise today With a mighty strength
In the power of the Trinity three in one guiding me
With the speed of light And the depth of the seaGod’s strength this daycome rescue me.
Be beside me Lord Be with me LordBe in me Lord be around me LordBe below me Lord Be above me LordBe on my left and be on my right
I arise today with a mighty strength,
I’m free of the fear of the world,
By the power of your resurrection,
With a holy host,And a tongue of flame,
Protect my life so I can praise your name
I came across this music while preparing for Sunday's Mass. It's a chant for Lent from the Russian Orthodox liturgy, sung simply by four men. It seems to be in Russia, although the church is not set up for Orthodox worship with a screen etc. Maybe it's a church that has been returned to its proper use - perhaps one our Russian viewers could comment or explain?. Anyway, sit back, close your eyes, and enjoy.
Every
so often I revisit some part or another of my vast family tree, to see
if anything or anyone new has appeared on the scene. And so it was that I
discovered Denny in Ohio, who is, I think, my fifth cousin - yes, fifth
cousin. We share ancestors down in Carmarthenshire where my direct line
of Joneses comes from. My great-great-great- grandmother and his were
sisters all those years ago. It turns out he has visited Wales and even
emailed me a picture of him in front of a CARDIFF sign on a station
platform here.
Although
I suppose I'm an old hand at genealogy now, it's still fun to encounter
connections like this. From not knowing about any American family twenty years ago, I'm
now aware of and/or been in touch with folks in New Jersey, Ohio, Utah.
Arizona and California. Sounds like an interesting holiday route!
If
I can help with your family history, let me know - though I make no
promises, especially if your history lies in Ireland. That is
notoriously difficult for genealogists, as most civil records have been
destroyed in conflicts, we're in the hands of church authorities....
Talking of Ireland, I'm about 40% Irish by ancestry and I love music from all the Celtic countries. Here is a traditional song from Ireland popular in the gaelic-speking areas sung by group Clannad. It is from a concert in Christ Church Church of Ireland Cathedral Dublin about 10 years ago. It certainly touches the Celt within me... It's sung in Gaelic so I've put a translation below.
If you want to watch/listen to the whole concert visit https://youtu.be/o2vIu3nr3OI
Full moon and full tide
Ionlán gealaà 's iomlán rabharta
Joy and silence, and beauty in the world
Aoibhneas 's ciúineas, 's áilleacht sa domhain
The murmur of the sea echoing in my ears
Crónán na fairrige ag dul siar ar mo chluasa
The soft music of the water flowing in the river Bog-cheol an uisce ag sileadh sam abhainn
Inside the inlets is an old blessed graveyard
Istigh ar h-inseáin tá sean-reilig bheannaithe
The place where saints lived in ancient times
An áit inar mhaireadh naoimh sam aimsir fadó
There are people inside spending time gayly
Tá daoine istigh ann ag chaith seal do h-aerach
They will no longer walk across the shore Nà shiúlfaidh siad thar fán chladaigh nÃos mó
Today we celebrated the Requiem Mass for Fr Ray O'Shea, former parish
priest of Christ the King, and, a long time ago, assistant at St
Brigid's. As with all funerals at the moment, we had to stay within the
restrictions of the present situation, with no more than 30 present,
social distancing etc. Thank God, all went well.
Ray had the
ability to light up a room, and bring laughter and joy into a situation.
Here of course, his coffin before the altar, he had been reduced to
silence, a silence we could all fill with our own memories, thoughts and
prayers.
After posting "Bridge Over Troubled Water" from the concert
in Central Park, it was suggested I add "Sound of Silence" from the same
performance, another of Simon and Garfunkel's classic songs.
Hello darkness, my old friend I've come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping left its seeds while I was sleeping And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains Within the sound of silence
In restless dreams I walked alone, narrow streets of cobblestone 'Neath the halo of a street lamp I turned my collar to the cold and damp When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light that split the night And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked light, I saw ten thousand people, maybe more People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening People writing songs that voices never share, and no one dared Disturb the sound of silence
"Fools", said I, "You do not know Silence like a cancer grows Hear my words that I might teach you, take my arms that I might reach you" But my words, like silent raindrops fell and echoed In the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made And the sign flashed out its warning in the words that it was forming And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
are written on the subway walls and tenement halls" And whispered in the sound of silence
