INSPIRATION FROM SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

 

Saint John Chrysostom

I have a lovely little red leather bound prayer book that I bought while attending a Ruthenian Byzantine Church, and I haven't looked at it once since I stopped attending that parish, and I wonder why, because it is precious, as in valuable. There are a number of carefully curated prayers, lists of holy things, simple instructions about how to do the different styles of fasting and abstinence, beautiful prayers to our Lady, the Most Holy Theotokos - all sorts of uplifting, and sometimes challenging offerings. I have decided to put it in my stack of favorite books - the books to which I refer daily. It just took me some time to get around to it. It was waiting for me. Kind of like God, I suppose, who waits for us to reach for Him.

While I was perusing it and admiring the beautiful gold-trimmed edges of each page, I found this comment on 2 Corinthians:

"Let no one then, even those who are come to the most
extreme wickedness, despair of himself. For even if you
have passed into the habit, yes and almost into the 
nature of wickedness itself, be not afraid...For he did
not simply say that He would wash us, but that He
would make us 'white as snow and as wool,' in order to
hold out good hopes before us. Great then is the power
of repentance, at least if it makes us as snow, and
whitens us as wool, even if sin has first gotten
possession and dyed out souls. Let us labor earnestly
then to become clean; He has enjoined nothing
burdensome."

I really love this quote because I often feel that I am one step behind everything that requires doing - especially during LENT. The physical pain and my newly acquired ungainly hobble frustrate me so that it is difficult, at times, to stay serene at prayer time. There are occasions when I feel an urgency to get it done NOW because I must put up my feet or I will collapse. It's frustrating, this tension that gets generated so easily. And then I wonder if the way I carry out my daily prayer schedule is as disappointing to Him as it is to me.

But then I read a short reminder like this one and I can breathe a sigh of happy relief because I am re-established in His Truth that He loves us and is not unduly testing us. Like the delighted Father that encourages the baby to walk to Him in its first steps on chubby little baby legs, He is not going to let us fall when we are struggling so earnestly to reach Him! Thank you, Lord, for giving us Saint John Chrysostom and the other holy ones who stand on the sidelines, urging us forward.

God bless us all.

Silver Rose

P.S. As some of you are aware, I am disabled, without family, and in three months, I will be 69 years old.  Social Security is about half of what I need to live, and every year I get further behind while the disabilities increase in number and severity. The car is a junk heap. Credit cards have piled up in a frustrating cycle of robbing Peter to pay Paul. For the last 20 years I have been unable to work (though I have tried various things and continue to slave over the novel and poetries.) Please consider donating to my paypal, above-right, or sending a little food from my Amazon wish list, below.  They have my address and can mail to me directly.

Just click HERE FOR FOOD DONATION

CATHOLICS SHOULD STOP CONFLATING RELIGION WITH POLITICS

Annanias struck dead by the Lord

I am currently taking a couple refresher courses from Father Mike Shmitz; one on the Bible In a Year and one on the Catechism In a Year, and enjoying both of them very much. I am approaching them like college classes and being rigorous in my note-taking and really trying to "up" my knowledge base. Sometimes he talks too fast for me, but in general I feel as if I am getting a lot out of them.

Today I was offered a short video of him "responding" to one of our Representatives in the U.S. government. The headline says, "Father Mike Shmitz Responds to Alexander Asco Cortez on Socialism and Christianity."

I was immediately alarmed, as I always am when I see a Catholic personality allying himself with a political party and taking a stand against a different party.

HERE IS A LINK TO THE SHORT VIDEO

First thing, out of the gate, whoever organized this clip could not be bothered to even spell the name right.  Her name is Alexandria, not "Alexander" and her last name is Ocasio-Cortez - NOT "Asco Cortez." Sloppy and disrespectful.  How would it be if I called Father Shmitz, "that religious guy Mikey?"

After listening to the very short video, I was dismayed to find that, although the Representative for New York's 14th Congressional District had specifically made the point that she was not talking about socialism, but about taxes, and she never brought up Christianity at all, supposedly Fr. Shmitz is "responding" to her on those issues.

Children, this is called a "straw man fallacy" in classical logic, something I learned in my High School writing class, and here is the definition:

"A straw man fallacy occurs when someone takes another 
person's argument or point, distorts it or exaggerates it in 
some kind of extreme way, and then attacks the extreme 
distortion, as if that is really the claim the first person is 
making."

According to Fr. Shmitz, in the video, the U.S. Representative is talking about redistribution of wealth. She does not mention "redistribution of wealth." That is his term. She is not even discussing that topic, actually, unless you understand that the redistribution has already occurred through corporate welfare, unjust taxes systems, and artificial suppression of wages.

Here is a chart of the suppression of wages during the years I worked, plus a couple (1970 through 2005):

As is obvious in this chart, during that 35 year time period, CEO salaries increased by 430% while the average wage earner's income barely went up 26%. I well remember how hard it was to survive on my salary during those years and how IMPOSSIBLE it was to get a raise, even when our bosses announced that we would be working an extra 5 hours a week but we would not be PAID for those hours. (Figures from the Department of Labor.)

THIS is how the wealth of America has ALREADY been "redistributed." It has been and continues to be shuttled from the workers who created it to the handful of CEOs at the top of the scale and to the corporations, the profits for which went up 250% during that period. 

In addition, Fr. Shmitz, like many others, does not know what "Socialism" is. Apparently, he thinks because the word has "Social" in it, that the presence of social programs in a government system equates to "Socialism."  That is not the definition of "socialism." The use of taxes to pay for programs is not "Socialism" either.

The primary defining feature of socialism is when the government owns all means of production. No mention is made of social programs as a defining feature of socialism and many different types of government systems employ social programs.

Here is a typical dictionary definition of SOCIALISM:

"A theory or system of social organization that advocates 
the ownership and control of the means of production and 
distribution, capital, land, etc. , by the community as a 
whole, usually through a centralized government."

To my recollection, only one person in U.S. government is regularly and widely advocating for "socialism." But even Bernie Sanders, is MISusing the term "socialism" to conform to what other people THINK it is, I would guess.  He is in favor of a robust set of social programs so that the poor will not be eaten alive by the rich, as is what happens today.

Fr. Mike Shmitz says:

"There's a huge difference between Christianity and Socialism. 

Both Christians and socialists would see the plight of the world 

and be moved to compassion. Something needs to be done but 

the Christian says this, "where can I give my stuff to help the 

people in need" and the socialist says, "where can I take someone 

else's stuff and help the people in need," because one is charity, 

one is love, the other is theft. One is good and the other is actually, 

genuinely, evil."

To be clear, in this video clip, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez is arguing against unjust, abusive tax structures in which the rich pay little (if any) taxes, while the middle class and some of the poor pay the majority of taxes that keep the country afloat. Obviously, taxes pay for the military; the police; infrastructure such as roads, signs, lights, bridges, tunnels, etc.; and yes, some social programs, as well as other things.

He may not realize it, or perhaps he DOES, I am not sure, but this video, presented this way, has the priest basically saying that repairing these unjust tax structures is evil. He is trying to justify an unjust system and is gaslighting those of us who have struggled to survive during this very difficult period in our history when our just wages have been stolen from us.

He is also calling it "socialism," which it is not, as mentioned, above. I really can't believe he means to do this, and I would rather believe that he lacks the necessary education in this area or he is simply brainwashed by the Republican religion he has absorbed.  I don't know what the problem is. All I know for sure is that he is wrong and is using the same misleading talking points that the GOP talking heads are using all the time.

All he would have to do is look up the definition of "Socialism" in order for him to realize that he can not continue to spread this pernicious lie.

Why am I talking about this political stuff on a blog that is, primarily, spiritual? Because I get sick of seeing examples of how much the Catholic world has sold its soul to one particular political party. Catholics have conflated their religion with politics, and to me, that is the work of the Devil.

I have heard Catholics justify ripping children away from their parents at the border and putting them in cages erected on cement slabs, with no one to care for the screaming babies and medical care almost entirely absent, allowing flu and other diseases to run rampant. Some of those children, to this day, are not reunited with their families because they cannot be found, due to the reprehensibly chaotic and disorganized methods instituted by the Trump administration.

When non-Catholics see priests and other religious defending these horrors, defending the perpetrators, and defending the corporate welfare with which the GOP has robbed wage earners of their share of the wealth they created, it infuriates them - especially on the heels of the many horrific years of priestly sexual abuse and the coverups of those crimes.

As long as we are talking politics, let me say a couple things.

In my mind, it is not the issues on which we differ, it is the manner in which we accomplish our aims. I am QUITE sure, for instance, that there are ways to fix the immigration situation that do not involve jailing babies in cages.

If you doubt that the Trump Administration put babies and kids in cages, read this article from the atlantic:

ATLANTIC MAGAZINE - ARE CHILDREN BEING KEPT IN CAGES AT THE BORDER?

Children and families were also denied medical care and refused vaccinations. 

SEE THIS ARTICLE FROM CNBC ABOUT OUR GOVERNMENT REFUSING FLU VACCINES TO THE MIGRANTS

Also, I am opposed to abortion, but when it is illegal, it just pushes people to get "back alley abortions" and risk losing their own lives, as well as that of the child. That is not a "pro life" result. When I was a young woman, abortions were very easy to be had. They were illegal, but that did not stop anyone determined to have one.

Most women who give a reason for having an abortion cite financial inability. If we would wise up and have the same kind of pro-family social programs that they do in most of the other developed nations, such as child care, generous maternity and paternity leave, and a true living wage, women would not feel so squeezed. The way things are now, many women are forced into abortions they may not ordinarily have, simply because they lack the funds to support the pregnancy and the cost of child rearing.

Also, if our evangelization of the culture was (much) better than it is now, we could have an abortuary on every corner with rarely anyone taking advantage of their services because they believe, as we do, that every human is made in the likeness and image of God and that bringing life into the world is a blessing, not a curse.

So, you see, the difference between right and left really IS is one of METHOD. Most of us agree on the various issues, outside of how, exactly, we advocate that they be "fixed."

And, while we are talking about social programs:

According to Mike Shmitz, social programs organized by the government are "evil." So what would happen if we did not have social programs? I invite you to go to the Social Security Administration's website to read some of the heart-rending letters sent to FDR about the disabled and elderly dying of hunger and cold because there was simply no money to care for them.  Where were the good loving Christians as that time?  They were not willing to support all the old ladies, shivering in their sickbeds with empty bellies.

By what miracle can we expect the good Christians to do something different than what they did during THAT era, when there were a LOT more Christians than there are now? Those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it.

Take a look at a typical letter that was received by President Franklin Roosevelt that details the plight of one such lady at THIS LINK and you will understand what we would return to if social programs were eliminated.

The entire reason we started the Social Security Insurance system was to keep that from happening again, but then BOTH parties "borrowed" from the funds (when they were originally not supposed to be able to do that) and we have the situation in which we find ourselves now, without enough funds to keep the Social Security system afloat in another 30 years.

Greed and selfishness are far more common than Christian love, it seems to me, and it is far more logical to regulate taxes to help the needy than it is to legislate demonstrations of Christian love.

 Don't get me wrong. I get help regularly from one beautiful Catholic family, and occasional surprise packages from a couple others, but if I did not have the Social Security into which I had paid for 30 years and some help with medical care from Medicaid, I would be sleeping outside with millions of other old ladies, or actually I would probably be dead because I am old and disabled, barely able to walk, lost the vision in one eye and losing the vision in the other, and have a host of other illnesses to contend with, some of which are so painful they require morphine.

History has proven that we cannot depend upon the generosity of the Christian folks to support people in their disability and old age. Take a look at the history books to get a picture of life pre-1930's. Don't just listen to the platitudes and buzz-words from either party. Those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it.

Before Social Security, it was a nightmare, and there are now even fewer Christians, percentagewise, than there were before Social Security and other social programs were implemented.

I also seem to remember that in the early days of Christianity, the Christians "held all things in common."

"All the believers were together and had

everything in common. They sold property

and possessions to give to anyone who had

need."

 (Acts 2:44-45)

They were supposed to sell their property and hand over all the money that they received for it, but there was one couple, Ananias and Sapphira, who tried to hide some of the money, and when they were asked if they had given all the money, each in their turn lied and said "yes" and God struck them dead on the spot, which seems just a tad more severe than a simple tax audit, doesn't it?  (See Acts 5:1-11)

Sapphira is struck dead by the Lord

Further, in Acts 2 and elsewhere, we get a picture of how the Christians lived with one another:

"Every day they continued to meet together in

the temple courts. They broke bread in their

homes and ate together with glad and sincere

hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of

all the people. And the Lord added to their 

number daily those who were being saved."

Acts 2:46-47

It doesn't sound much like the Catholic community of today, does it? The fact is that Christians could choose to construct lives that look like early Biblical times, but they have not done so.  I continually hear my brothers and sisters angrily complaining about having to help people through taxes, but they certainly haven't gone so far as to sell everything they owned for the express purpose of helping those in need. Indeed, those social programs they complain about do not address all the needs of the poor. There is still PLENTY to do. For proof, all you have to do is take a drive through certain parts of town to see hundreds of people struggling to survive on the streets.

Homeless Camp in Echo Park

Picture from L.A. Times

I know exactly ONE person who, in addition to her taxes, makes a continuous and substantial effort to relieve the suffering of the poor and disabled. This is in addition to contributing her time and treasure elsewhere in the church. There may be more folks like her, but I've just never seen anyone, other than this friend, who does this in an intentional substantial, continuous manner.  But I DO see a lot of Christians and Catholics bellowing in public about how they should not be made to pay for anyone else's disrress. Most of those people live very comfortable lives.

And what about all those Old Testament commandments that Moses handed over from God that pertained to how they were to organize their lives and their wealth? There was ALWAYS a host of things designed for the care of the people that were in need. It ALWAYS involved the mandatory giving of other people's stuff, right? Why was that right, but social programs today are "evil?" Is it because it was GOD who ordered it and not the electorate? Because, if we have to wait for God to speak up and decree who will get help when they are hungry, a lot of people will probably starve to death while waiting to hear from Him.

I would like to see everyone do a bit more research and study about his or her political opinions and ensure the continuity of thought, with historical reality, as well as verify the underlying facts, such as the definition of "socialism." Father Shmitz could also do some thinking about what exactly is the nature of evil in regard to social programs, as long as he is going to go throwing that "evil" word around.  I mean, is it evil to HAVE social programs if not having them means more people starve to death? It's a fair question.

In my world view, going backwards, eliminating social programs, and allowing a lot more people to die unnecessarily would be the real evil.

God save us all.

Silver Rose

P.S. I am disabled and going blind and, in three months, I will be 69 years old.  As should be clear by now, Social Security is not enough to cover all my expenses, I am unable to work (though I have tried various things) and I am still in need of some help. Please consider donating to my paypal, above-right, or sending something from my Amazon wish list for food.  They have my address and can mail to me directly.

Just click HERE FOR FOOD DONATION

THE TRIALS OF JOB - BEGINNING OF LENT

 

Satan Torments Job

It is expected, during Lent, to offer pains and sacrifices to God, "mortify the flesh," give alms, eschew extravagances, and offer up one's time to extra prayers and religious observances. People 60 and over have fewer requirements during Lent in the Catholic Church, probably because we have enough illnesses, aches and pains from just being old!  I know I do. But still, I love Lent for some reason.  I think it is because it gives me some encouragement to put more energy into my spiritual practices.

This year, I am meditating on The Book of Job because my life, in the last 20 years, looks a lot like his: one crappy circumstance after another.  Chronic daily pain, mobility challenges, blindness, the death of my father, being written out of my father's will AFTER he got Alzheimer's, betrayal and theft by the one close relative I had left, the death of my only child, dropping into a poverty-level socio-economic strata, and losing friends as a result of all the above. 

First, I lost nearly all of my support structure, and then I started getting attacked by various people. I became the object of harrassment by belligerant, angry apartment management. Church ladies started gossipping about me, spreading unkind criticism. Neighbors started spreading lies about me. Hindu friends dropped me when I became Catholic. Parish friends dropped me when I refused to support Trump, forcing me to change parishes. And temporary friends, flitted in and then right back out again when it was found how very useless I am.

I relate to Job because the more devoted I become to God, and the more assiduous I am in practicing my spiritual disciplines, the longer and more calamitous my litany of tribulations becomes!  The moment I add a new religious prayer to my daily routine, without fail, something miserable happens in my life - and it isn't usually something temporary, either! When I become more reliable in my practice of a promised meditation or prayer, BAM! I am rewarded with some new woe. When I do a kindness for someone and deliberately avoid telling anyone else about it, WHAP! Some new financial circumstance arises to create chaos with my already unsteady bank balance.

My litany of woe has been noticed by the small circle of loving friends that remain, and they are wondering what is up with that? One situation after another befalls me. Is God punishing me for something? But, like Job, I don't have an answer for them because, while I don't pretend to be God's MOST reliable devotee, I do my best to avoid evil, do good, obey Him and love Him.  Ever since baptism, I have increasingly repented and repaired. I just do not see a correlation between all the good I do and that dark litany of mishaps.

But it's a good question, isn't it?

AT FIRST, I considered the situation in strictly worldly terms, rather than a spiritual test, because I have experienced a considerable amount of society's enmity in the form of discrimination and contempt against the poor, the elderly and the disabled, which is something that is an entirely new phenomenon for me, since I spent the first half of my adult life in much better circumstances.

I've talked with many disabled and poor old ladies who have also grown used to being treated like pariahs at home, at church, at the grocery store; it's all the same. We meet irritation and disdain, wherever we go, cripping along on our canes or walkers - sometimes zipping past on our battery-powered mobility scooters! The bullies who abuse us will only restrain themselves from rudeness if the disabled old lady has a companion to witness the treatment - something that is rarely available for those of us who are independent and/or without family.

I tell better-situated folk that I am not alone in this and that, especially in the case of single women who have to make their way in the world entirely alone, this condition is quite common, but since they have not experienced it themselves or seen it in the lives of their other well-married and well-housed friends, they have a hard time understanding how this could be true - and who could blame them? I'm the only one in their circle who suffers like this!

Society, in general, does not care about this trend. There is a lot of gossip about the poor: unflattering hearsay that serves to defend the actions of the bullies. Insults about the poor abound. Social media is full of it. Fabrications about poor people pretending to be disabled float like discarded shopping lists on waves of blather.  Cliches that accuse the poor of widespread drug and alcohol abuse flourish, completely ignoring the aspect of inherited illness that causes much of whatever such illnesses exist. All these accusations are free of proof or detail.

I will admit, however, that I have recently discovered that, at least in the town where I live, there are at least a dozen people who have responded to my advertisements for a caregiver who freely tell me that I have to pay them cash because they are living on disbility. My reply, of course, is to tell them that since they are already breaking the law, I do not feel comfortable having them in my home - but that does not go over very well because, you see, they feel entitled to cheat the system. I blame this on the widespread disbelief of God, Heaven and Hell. Some of these people might tell you that they believe in God, but they think he is going to make an exception in their case - or some such nonsense. They also do not believe in the Devil.  I tell them, "that's ok, Satan believes in you."

I do wonder if the unfair wages and other systems that oppress the poor are enough to give God pause when contemplating the final judgment. Perhaps He will be blaming the rich folk who create these systems.

Many "Christians" think the poor must prove they are legitimately poor and have no character defects in order to qualify for the mercy of Christ. (Even though I became disabled due to inherited diseases, I've heard people claim I inherited them because I am fat, when it is actually the fat that is caused by the disease!) 

I got pretty tired of seeing those memes on Facebook complaining about people paying for groceries with "food stamps" while at the same time wearing nice clothes and carrying a cell phone.

Forget the fact that the person making this complaint has no idea where any of that stuff comes from. For all they know, someone gave it to them, or the cell phone is a government phone they got for free, or the "nice" clothes are from the thrift store where women who shop good brands donate their old clothes every season.  Who knows?

I don't see those complaining memes any more. Ever since a particularly critical set of Facebook friends "unfriended" me. Probably a good thing.

What initially brought me to consider the idea that there is a spiritual reason for my litany of calamities is that, while there are many poor folk who share the unfortunate triumvirate of poverty, seniority and disability - not all of them share the number and intensity of vexations as I have experienced. 

There ARE exceptions - so what is going on here, exactly? 

You may remember that, in the Book of Job, Satan claims that Job is only devoutly loyal to God because God is giving him nothing but largesse. He alleges that, if The Lord were to stop showering Job with good fortune, Job would immediately turn against Him.

The Lord, knowing Job's love and allegience to Him, allows Satan to torment Job, who ultimately proves Satan is wrong. Throughout the loss of family, farm, health and everything else worth something in worldly terms, Job continues to love God, praise Him, obey Him, and believe in His goodness.

At the end of the story, the Lord does not replenish Job's storehouses, bring his livestock or his family back to life, or repay Job in any way for his loyalty. In order for Job to love the Lord, he does not have to be paid for it. It is not a shopkeepers religion where the devotee expects benefits in repayment for devotion. He loves God for the sake of God alone.

God had confidence in Job's love for Him.

The idea that God may have confidence in my love for Him and that He knows that I will Love him with my whole being regardless of whether or not I have a litany of woe - THAT makes me very happy. It really does.

There is another aspect of the story of Job that I found helpful. Just as in Job, where Satan is behind the torment of the devotee of the Lord, it occurs to me that the people who abuse me are likewise under the influence of Satan. 

Satan is the source of evil - not God. 

In fact, the more sincerely I follow my spiritual disciplines, prayers and devotions, the more attacks I get from the anti-Catholics, the fake religious, and the like. 

I need not look for a reason why various friends, neighbors and actuaintances take advantage of my kindness (and anything else they can get their hands on), then shun me and spread gossip about me so they can hide their thievery. Fellow co-religionists who snub me without explanation, the ones who left me because I would not support their political candidate, and the ones who made disparaging comments about the poor while claiming to be a follower of Christ are those whose absence I need to celebrate instead of mourn. They were doing harm in the background, while I was trusting them.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter

 the kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the 

will of my Father in heaven."

Matthew 7:21

Every prayer I say, every abstinence, every religious observance I offer to God is a slap in the face of Satan, and he will revile me for it. Through the hands of his peons, he will try to take my heart from God, just as he tried to do with Job.

In the end, if The Lord is the only well-wisher I have left, then so be it.  If He chooses to let me remain in a state of poverty and disability, so be it.  The litany of tribulations can grow longer and longer. It will be what it will be.

It also occurs to me that Satan has reason to be particularly furious that I am not on HIS side in the war between good and evil. He had every reason to believe that I would be "his" from the time I was born, because I was born into an amoral, Catholic-hating natal family. Both Mother and Father were unscrupulous, selfish, and depraved people.

A family of saints.

BUT in my genealogical research, I discovered that I am actually descended from quite a fair number of saints and also I am cousins to an even larger number! The holiness of that family line was broken at my grandparents' generation. They left the Catholic faith behind, and ever since I discovered it, I realized that I can help bring the family back to Holy Mother Church by offering all my pains and sufferings for reparation of my sins and the sins of the world. I must pray to my sainted ancestors and ask for their prayers for the rest of the family, and also pray for the family that left The Church.

This is actually in line with a vow I made when I became Catholic.

When I became Catholic, I privately vowed to offer myself up in hopes of re-uniting the Catholic Church with the Orthodox, so that The Church could breathe through both lungs again - East and West. Bringing my family line back under that canopy seems like a harmonious idea.

While I do not pretend to be thrilled with an ever-growing Litany of hardship and headaches, I can hold onto the thrilling thought that God trusts me as He trusted Job. What could be better?

I would love it if things would return to the smooth path of earlier years - when I had enough money to live comfortably and enough health to do all the practical things. I really miss riding horses. It would be delightful to go shopping and wander between the book store and the cafe. I wish I had done a bit more world travel before I became disabled and could no longer manage it. I would gladly accustom myself to a much shorter litany of longsufferingness. In short: I'm not a masochist! But I accept the role that The Lord has laid on me, and I will do the best I can with whatever reserves of energy I am allowed.

So why am I writing this?

Well, I'm a writer and I can't help myself. But mostly I hope to encourage other folks whose lives are a bit in the ditch and they have begun to wonder what it all means. I am here to tell you that it does not necessarily mean something negative about YOU. I would like you to consider a wider point of view. Jesus loves the poor and downtrodden, you know. It's all over the Bible - so if the world has you looking down your nose at yourself, I suggest you change your perspective and adopt an elevated view. Look at your situation through the loving lens that Jesus uses.

I pray that my numerous sainted ancestors and other relatives intercede on behalf of us all; that they pray at the foot of Our Lord's throne and ask for the re-unification of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, for the healing of my family line and its return to Holy Mother Church, for the reduction of my litany of sorrows and burdens, and for the intentions of my handful of readers.

God bless us all!

Silver Rose

FRA ANGELICO AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF ART - FEBRUARY 18

 

The Dormition of the Virgin

by

Fra Angelico

(born Guido di Pietro, aka Giovanni da Fiesole)

Painter and Dominican Friar

Fra Angelico, one of my favorite painters, was declared the patron saint of Catholic painters in 1984 by Pope John Paul II. He had a lifestyle that may be the envy of most religious painters, as his was a blessed balance between traditional conventual religious life and the spirituality of fine art!

He was called the "Angelic Friar" (which, in Italian, is "Fra Angelico") and of the several names by which he was known, this is the one that "stuck."  He was given this name because his paintings were angelic and depicted calm, illuminated religious subjects, while he himself was exceedingly pious.

The History of Saint Nicholas

by 

Fra Angelico

I have met and read about a number of spiritual personalities who were also deeply spiritual and talented artists. There is something about the enclosed life of contemplation that attracts the heart of the artist with a mystical bent. I was also attracted to it, but came too late to the Catholic faith to be of any use to a convent. Instead, this is exactly the lifestyle I have adopted at home, as a disabled lady, though I can't pretend to come anywhere close to this artist's talent!  Obviously, I am not dead yet, so we will see how I proceed with my novels and my paintings.                                                                              

The Deposition of Christ

by

Fra Angelico

Fra Angelico is obviously very famous and there is quite a lot written about him. His frescoes still contribute to the holy atmosphere of the monastery, and many paintings can be viewed in museums. The largest collection is at the San Marco Museum in Florence, Italy.

Fra Angelico began as an illustrator of missals and religious books sometime around 1418 when he entered a Dominican convent in Fiesole, Italy. After some time, Pope Eugenius IV summoned him to paint some frescoes for the Chapel of the Sacrament at the Vatican that is now, unfortunately, destroyed. Other frescoes were painted at the behest of one Pope or another, usually by his assistants, copying or filling-in his original designs.  

For about three years, he served as the administrative head ("Prior") of the Convent in Fiesole - a job I imagine he would not have enjoyed. Artists are typically uninterested in business and the organization of life. Their souls are usually occupied with The Divine. I don't know why it was such a short time, but perhaps that was the practice at that convent - to keep the duration of office short for the sake of the soul and to keep the person humble. If I can find the time, I will dig into it and learn more about that time period (1449-1452.) (By the way, "convents" are usually insitutions peopled by women in the modern West, and Monasteires are usually for men. Different times and countries used those terms in different fashion.)

Much is written about Fra Agenlico on the internet and elsewhere.  I am willing to bet there are some stunning "coffee table books" of his work, so I won't reinvent the wheel and go into too much more of his life.  I would just like to say a little about the place of the artist and art, in general, with respect to religious life.

In 2012, the DIAKONIA OF BEAUTY was founded to encourage an "exchange between artists and the Church."  It offers education,  prayer, and spiritual and economic support to members. Membership consists of musicians, poets, singers, painters, architects, sculptors, actors and dancers."

"Artistic creation completes, in a certain sense,

the beauty of creation..."

Pope Francis

Divine love is the origin of the artistic gift - that impulse to bring into the world a thing of beauty, in imitation of and perhaps in concert with The Divine, and "authentic art" can "speak eloquently of the beauty and goodness of God." (Pope Francis.)

With Pople John Paul II, Pope Francis said that art must "make perceptible, and as far as possible attractive, the world of the spirit, of the invisible, of God."

The Ascension

I have found a couple articles about the Diakonia, and I offer them, below, for anyone who has interest:

VATICAN NEWS - FEBRUARY 2022

NATIONAL CATHOLIC REGISTER - FEB 2022

ALETEIA ARTICLE - MARCH, 2018

My personal theory is that when a person is born with a natural creative talent, this is not only a gift from God, but a message to the person. That gift is meant to be used for the Glory of God and His people. For me, art is a type of bridge of communication between the soul and the Divine that can be witnessed, appreciated and admired by onlookers.  It is communication in solid form.

As a creative person, I have seen what happens when I try to take as vocation a different path than ART. It does not work very well, Certainly, I was able to take various office jobs to support myself, but I would not say that I was terribly successful in it. It was what I needed to do to support myself, i.e., put a roof over my head and food on the table.  But it did nothing for my soul or anyone else's!

However, it occurs to me now as I write this that God's timing is perfect because, when I was younger, I doubt I had much of anything inspiring to contribute to the world, with either my paintings or my writing. 

The Annunciation

I was born into an anti-religious family of poor moral character, except for my beloved Grandmother who wasn't a saint, but was a very good woman, as far as I was concerned. She was opposed to organized religion, however, and she always used to say that "all you need is the golden rule."  The golden rule is fine, for as much as it speaks about our treatment of others, but it is missing a great deal as the sum total of one's personal philosophy of life. My mother, with whom I lived, absolutely hated Catholics. She eventually became a Jehovah's Witness.

My parents were hostile to religion and I was prohibited from continuing my communication with some Carmelite nuns I had discovered in the town where we were living for a while.  After leaving home during the "hippie era," it took me a long time to "catch up" with the cradle Catholics, having cycled through other religions before taking it up again.  

I have long ago forgiven my parents for the awful childhood they gave me, so there are no worries on that score, but, coming from this family, it was natural that, upon leaving home at age 17, I would start making a lot of mistakes, wandering here and there. I did not know how to "do" life. I did not have a clear picture of what I wanted because, rather than running toward something, I was running away from those people.

Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven

by

Fra Angelico

My journey to Catholicism took a circuitous route, the details of which are not terribly interesting, except that it is important to note that, by the time I became disabled and had to retire on my small Social Security pension, I had seen a lot of the world, had many experiences, spent a lot of time in prayer and reflection, and was finally prepared to contribute art worthy of its Divine purpose, inspired by and infused with The Holy Spirit. Perfect timing.

There is no guarantee that the result will be a masterpiece. I can only pray for The Lord's assistance and apply myself the best I can.

Art is more than something pretty to look at. In 2018, Pope Francis met with a group of two dozen or so artists from around the world, leaders from the Diakonia of Beauty, and he told them, "the gifts that you have received are, for each of you, a responsibility and a mission." In this meeting, his aim was to ask them to help communicate the beauty of transcendence through their artistic language.

Everyone has a vocation, and those of us who are artists have a role as mediators between heaven and earth. Instead of searching for "vainglory or easy popularity, or the "petty calculus of personal profit," we must be dominated by the Divine consciousness.

Coronation of the Virgin

by

Fra Angelico

I hope that this post inspires you to remain true to your Divine Mission and vocation, whatever that is, in artistic or other realms, because it is through this world that we express our gifts and return them as tribute to our Maker.

God bless us all!

Silver Rose

P.S. I have gone mostly blind in the left eye, with unreliable vision in the right, so if you happen to see a typo here and there, please do not hold it against me, but I WILL appreciate it if you would shoot me a message when you find a typo and tell me about it so I can go in and change it.  I will be SO grateful if you would!  Thanks so much.

Also, please do not forget that I am working very hard to finish my novel, and I need some research materials, mostly consisting of prize-winning books published last year that give me a picture of what is happening with modern literature at the moment. In addition, inflation has hit me hard when it comes to putting groceries in the cupboards, so if you could donate to my Paypal link, above right, I would be most grateful.

Anyway, Amazon has my address and can mail the items direct to me from my wish list. Help me to help myself, won't you, even if it is just a book or two from the list?  Here is the link:

AMAZON WISH LIST - HELP ME TO HELP MYSELF

SAINT ERMENGILD OF ELY, WIDOW AND NUN

 

St. Ermengild

Queen of Mercia,

Wife of King Wulfhere (widow)

Became a nun upon widowhood

Feast day: Feb 13

My 4th cousin, 38 times removed

I could not find very many pictures of Saint Ermengild, but she seems to be a worthy object of interest. She managed to convert her pagan husband, King Wulfhere, of Mercia, to the Catholic faith. 

Wulhere appears on the right

Lichfield Cathedral

Lichfield, Staffordshire, England

While I found little more than a mention and some bare facts about Ermengild, her royal and nobel family have quite a bit of information spread throughout the internet.  

Here are a few about her husband, Wulfhere:

Wikipedia of England

History by Nicklin

British History Podcast

There is a YouTube video about King Wulfhere that begins at the time when his father, King Penda, dies:

YOUTUBE VIDEO ABOUT WULFHERE

Her family tree was full of saints, of course, incluing her mother, sainted Queen Sexburga and her daughter, Saint Werburga (for whom there are a lot of photos of pictures, as well as some handsome statues!)

Saint Werburga

Saint Ermengild's daughter

Patron Saint of the City of Chester

in Cheshire, England

Feast day: Feb 3

My 5th cousin, 38 times removed

They are all descended from King Anna, all of whose children were either saints or royal rulers. Talk about a richly appointed background! These people are all related to me in some capacity or another - mostly saints. I find it interesting that we share some of the same blood becuase I hope to inherit as much of their good tendencies as I possibly can!

King Penda

Wulfhere's Father

Although she retired to the life of the widowed nun and managed two monasteries before she died, I am most impressed by Ermengild's ability to evangelize that pagan husband of hers. That is the real feat, as far as I am concerned! Husbands, especially in those days, are not famous for being receptive to learning from their wives. She must have been a remarkably influencial woman, and I would have loved to have met her!

Here are some links to websites that talk about her:

FROM THE ENGLISH WIKIPEDIA

CATHOLIC ONLINE

THE BLOG "THE HOLY ONES"

Her feast day is February 13th, which is also my dearly departed Grammy's birthday - the only relative who ever showed me an ounce of love and affection.

Lichfield Cathedral image

While the histories of this week's sainted ancestors are jam packed with tales of their influence on world affairs, as well as ecclesiastical, there is precious little real information about Ermengilda and the other sainted women, except that they were leaders of various numbers of convents and monasteries.

But that is exactly what I would expect of contemplatives and mystics. Sometimes, these monastics who have royal relatives will be found to make a mark on world history but, for the most part, their work is behind the scenes, hidden. You and I are living like that (and I am speaking to the other half-monastics and independent hermits here.) We know that, if we DO have any worth, it is only felt in the finest of spiritual realms. All of it is behind the scenes, somewhat clandestine and furtive. Meanwhile, the public face of our faith can be, at times, very grand.

Ely Cathedral

This Catheral had its origins in 672 AD

when my cousin St. Etheldreda,

daughter of King Anna,

built an abbey church here.

I know that it can be discouraging to have our time eaten up with the mundane: Paying bills, struggling with health issues, cleaning and organizing our homes, etc. The human heart naturally seeks the embrace of a loving recognition of our spiritual labors by Our Lord, whom we adore. However, we must always keep in mind that our job requires that we remain a bit mysterious and obscure, despite being crucially necessary to the welfare of makind. 

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when

thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;

and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:6

I don't know how, exactly, our Father in Heaven will reward us "openly" for our hidden life of prayer, but I trust that He knows what is best for us and, one day, he will reveal to ALL what He means by this.

In the meantime, we can say to ourselves and to God, "ah! what a beautiful thing!" And we can hold a firm confidence that He will hear us and see the exquisite nature of our holy labors.

My living room prayer wall

We also have one another, and I treasure the correspondence I receive from each one of you that joins with me in our holy labor of prayer and work for the Lord, each in our own little prayer closet or sitting in front of our personal prayer shrines. I love hearing about the causes for which you dedicate your rosaries and chaplets, as well as your other spiritual routines and practices.

May Saint Ermengild, Seaxburga and Werburga, as well as all the other saints who intercede for us at the throne of Our Lord, watch over all of us, and may we all be blessed!

Silver Rose

Back Room Prayer Wall