Images of the Divine.

Every so often you come across a new image that hits you as a glimpse of the Divine Nature.  This one of the Trinity by the LGBT artist Douglas Blanchard did it for me.  OK, the wounded Father /wounded Son image veers towards Patripassianism ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patripassianism )  but I find this image both deeply powerful and engaging.  It earths the Trinity in an imagery I find accessible.  I also like this definition by the Orthodox theologian Thomas Hopko:  

"Thus, according to the Orthodox Tradition, it is the mystery of God that there are Three who are divine; Three who live and act by one and the same divine perfection, yet each according to their own personal distinctness and uniqueness. Thus it is said that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are each divine with the same divinity, yet each in their own divine way. And as the uncreated divinity has three divine subjects, so each divine action has three divine actors; there are three divine aspects to every action of God, yet the action remains one and the same."

Holy God,
faithful and unchanging:
enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth,
and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love,
that we may truly worship you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen

(Common Worship, alternative collect for Trinity Sunday.)

Easter and all that!

 

The end of Holy Week was a wee bit unsatisfactory for me.  Having been fitting things in whilst working in Embra (including deaconing on Maundy Thursday and preaching a bit of the 3 Hours on Good Friday), I took off to Rachel's on Saturday for a weekend together, me being off work.  This mean we had to fit into other Holy Week patterns locally.  The only Easter Vigil we could find suffered from one major problem - it was the 1st time they'd ever done it!!  Shall we say the choreography was not of the standard I have grown used to in the Edinburgh Diocese?  3 out of 5 servers pointing the right way at the Gospel, 1 facing in - but not at the deacon and no 4 pointing east to the altar!!!  It was like coming from Right Flank Company, 2nd Battalion the Scots Guards to the Home Guard, Walmington on Sea platoon!  The chief choreographer was a cleric who bore a most startling resemblance both physically and vocally to Stephen Fry (I now have a fair idea what Mr Fry will look like when he's 70!)  who rather cheered us up afterwards by wandering across the Green in a beanie hat singing "Alleluia!"!!!  The deacon read well and with conviction but really should have put her little flashlight down before making liturgical gestures whilst proclaiming the Exsultet!!  The mini searchlight effect was a tad distracting!

The slightly odd conflation of Easter Vigil (bits of) with Easter Day Eucharist at Eyemouth was also slightly unsatisfactory. Partly the hymns were dull, partly I had had no nicotine or caffeine before going to Church - therefore I was grumpy and critical. The people as ever were awfully friendly and welcoming.  Next year I hope we shall be based in one place and stick with one systematic Holy Week.  Still, Christ is risen and that's what matters.  and I read ch 16 of the Screwtape Letters afterwards to remind myself that the finer points of liturgy and being critical thereof can be a barrier to openness in receiving the grace of God through public  worship.  So my self awareness wasn't entirely AWOL!

Good Friday 2012

The Good Friday crucifix and frescoes on walls of the katholikon in the. Trinity Monastery, Meteora, Greece.

"Merciful God, creator of all the peoples of the earth and lover of souls: Have compassion on all who do not know you as you are revealed in your Son Jesus Christ; let your Gospel be preached with grace and power to those who have not heard it; turn the hearts of those who resist it; and bring home to your fold those who have gone astray; that there may be one flock under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen"

(Solemn Collect for Good Friday, American BCP 1979)

Words are inadequate. Look. Reflect. Sorrow. Pray.

On this night.

Photo: Andreas Praefcke Kath. Pfarrkirche St. Gordian und Epimachus, Merazhofen, Stadt Leutkirch im Allgäu, Landkreis Ravensburg Chorgestühl.

By happy coincidence this year, Maundy Thursday where we commemorate the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper happens to displace the feast of St Juliana of Liege.  In 1211, the 18 year old Juliana had a vision, in which she was instructed to institute the feast of Corpus Christi.Supported by Jacques of Troyes, Archdeacon of Liège, (later bishop of Verdun, Patriarch of Jerusalem and eventually Pope Urban IV).  In 1264 he issued the papal bull Transiturus de hoc mundo making the Feast of Corpus Christi a universal festival in the Western Church.  I'm sure she doesn't mind.  She was ever so slightly keen on the Holy Eucharist!

It's worth recalling some of the words of the Office hymn for Corpus Christi Pange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis Mysterium (also sung to night as we process to the altar of Repose) as we remember the event of the last night of Christ's earthly life and the Passover he celebrated with his disciples.

On the night of that Last Supper,

seated with His chosen band,

He the Pascal victim eating,

first fulfills the Law's command;

then as Food to His Apostles

gives Himself with His own hand.

He feasted, he fulfilled the law and then he offered himself.  Let's remember that tonight as we enter into the Great mystery of the Triduum.

Into the Great Week.

Yes, I'm using the Eastern Term for Holy Week  And an icon of Christ the Bridegroom, showing Jesus in the purple robe with which he was mocked and crowned with a crown of thorns.  Interestingly, the Orthodox tradition has no celebration of the Eucharist on the 1st 3 days of Holy Week, but Communion from the Reserved Sacrament (Vespers and Liturgy of the Presanctified), with anointing on the Wednesday in remembrance of his anointing with perfume (John 12:1-9) as a sign of his impending death.  Foot washing takes place on the Thursday morning during the Chrism Mass.  And there is no Eucharist in any form on Good Friday or Holy Saturday.

I'm actually rather better prepared for Holy Week this year than I have been for ages.  I went to mass, confession and rosary yesterday - and I haven't been a penitent since my crack up by in 2009.  (Mind you, your sharing at meetings does a very reasonable substitute in terms of psychology and non-judgementalism).  matins, mass and then an evening service of lessons, hymns and music  + Compline today.  perhaps this year will be different.  Every year is.  I'll be at St Michael's for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, then off to Burnmouth and Rachel, Easter Eve will be Berwick upon Tweed and Easter Day in Eyemouth.  They won't be quite like Spikey Mike's but then - nowhere is!

Have a Great and Holy Week.