Walter Anderson's Horn Island Triptych
Letting God outa' the Box
St. Philip's Jackson MS
Episcopal Diocese in Mississippi
All Saint's Los Angeles, my Plunge parish
Church of the Atonement, my Chicago Parish
Fun & Free Dog ecards
Spread the Love around
The Episcopal Church
The Anglican Communion
The Hunger Site...a click a day gives food
The Stations of the Cross Online
A couple of fun Irish Clergy comedies from the BBC
Father Ted
Ballykissangel
A Prayer For Peace:
O God, you made us all in your own image
and redeemed us throught Jesus your Son:
Look with compassion on the whole human family;
take away the arrogance and hatred
which infect our hearts;
break down the walls that separate us;
unite us all in the bonds of love and peace;
and work though our stuggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth;
that, in your good time, all nations
and races may serve you
in harmony around your heavenly thone;
we ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Wyatt Waters' Turning Angel
Walter Anderson's Sinbad and the Roc
Wyatt Waters' Halo Goodbye
The Crucifix in All Saint's Church L.A.
Sebastian, Professor of Unconditional Love
Monday, May 12, 2003
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Reading Week
[opps...I should be reading]
I haven't felt moved to post much lately...getting near the end of the quarter and final papers and projects loom. I picked up on a suggestion from my Liturgical Music/Use of Voice professor, and found copies of Bach's St. Matthew's and St. John's passions. Both are wonderful but take some concentration to listen to while following the German and English liner notes. I can see why a friend of Susan's decided to learn German after listening to Bach!
In addition to the looming work, I have picked up LAMB: The Gospel according to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Chistopher Moore...wonderfully interesting fiction about the unknown childhood of Jesus. In the light of studying Children's Spirituality and my ever-present passion for the Spiritual Journey of Teenagers, Moore's storyline is well done. Most teens and children are undergoing a significant amount of growth and development of their minds, physically. The confusions and epiphanies of that time of life seem to be slip away as our brains continue to develop and we mentally move on. Add to the normal confusions of that time in life, the thoughts that you might be your religion's Messiah as well as a the ability to make miracles happen...Wow...poor little Jesus would probably have been forced to spend all his afternoons with a child psycologist or therapist if he were living today (not to mention the pharmacueticals that he would be prescribed).
No great epiphanies today [not that I have given any in the past :} ]. After the short discussion of fear (below), I still think "using fear" in religion has more possibilities for harm than good...yet fear does have it's place and even it's virtues. As many have stated over the years, love remains the most understood word. It brings to mind the phase, "peace that surpasses all understanding". Love (like God) seems to be easily co-oped for our "use". Like a bird, it is caged for our keeping; but, oh, how much more wonderful it is when it is free. Not only free to move and live of its own, but also free in that it is unearned...it is a gift! Sometime I imagine prayer (especially grace at meals) as thank you notes for the "free gifts" that I recieve. Love is a gift that is beyond all understanding...caged and held, I wonder if it can still be called 'love'...by it's nature it seems to be beyond possession...merely a "holy spirit" that we can allow to reside within us...
May such Peace and Love, beyond our understanding, find their was as gifts to us all today
Fr. Bill 10:34 AM