Quotes & Sayings


We, and creation itself, actualize the possibilities of the God who sustains the world, towards becoming in the world in a fuller, more deeper way. - R.E. Slater

There is urgency in coming to see the world as a web of interrelated processes of which we are integral parts, so that all of our choices and actions have [consequential effects upon] the world around us. - Process Metaphysician Alfred North Whitehead

Kurt Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem says (i) all closed systems are unprovable within themselves and, that (ii) all open systems are rightly understood as incomplete. - R.E. Slater

The most true thing about you is what God has said to you in Christ, "You are My Beloved." - Tripp Fuller

The God among us is the God who refuses to be God without us, so great is God's Love. - Tripp Fuller

According to some Christian outlooks we were made for another world. Perhaps, rather, we were made for this world to recreate, reclaim, redeem, and renew unto God's future aspiration by the power of His Spirit. - R.E. Slater

Our eschatological ethos is to love. To stand with those who are oppressed. To stand against those who are oppressing. It is that simple. Love is our only calling and Christian Hope. - R.E. Slater

Secularization theory has been massively falsified. We don't live in an age of secularity. We live in an age of explosive, pervasive religiosity... an age of religious pluralism. - Peter L. Berger

Exploring the edge of life and faith in a post-everything world. - Todd Littleton

I don't need another reason to believe, your love is all around for me to see. – Anon

Thou art our need; and in giving us more of thyself thou givest us all. - Khalil Gibran, Prayer XXIII

Be careful what you pretend to be. You become what you pretend to be. - Kurt Vonnegut

Religious beliefs, far from being primary, are often shaped and adjusted by our social goals. - Jim Forest

We become who we are by what we believe and can justify. - R.E. Slater

People, even more than things, need to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. – Anon

Certainly, God's love has made fools of us all. - R.E. Slater

An apocalyptic Christian faith doesn't wait for Jesus to come, but for Jesus to become in our midst. - R.E. Slater

Christian belief in God begins with the cross and resurrection of Jesus, not with rational apologetics. - Eberhard Jüngel, Jürgen Moltmann

Our knowledge of God is through the 'I-Thou' encounter, not in finding God at the end of a syllogism or argument. There is a grave danger in any Christian treatment of God as an object. The God of Jesus Christ and Scripture is irreducibly subject and never made as an object, a force, a power, or a principle that can be manipulated. - Emil Brunner

“Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” means "I will be that who I have yet to become." - God (Ex 3.14) or, conversely, “I AM who I AM Becoming.”

Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. - Thomas Merton

The church is God's world-changing social experiment of bringing unlikes and differents to the Eucharist/Communion table to share life with one another as a new kind of family. When this happens, we show to the world what love, justice, peace, reconciliation, and life together is designed by God to be. The church is God's show-and-tell for the world to see how God wants us to live as a blended, global, polypluralistic family united with one will, by one Lord, and baptized by one Spirit. – Anon

The cross that is planted at the heart of the history of the world cannot be uprooted. - Jacques Ellul

The Unity in whose loving presence the universe unfolds is inside each person as a call to welcome the stranger, protect animals and the earth, respect the dignity of each person, think new thoughts, and help bring about ecological civilizations. - John Cobb & Farhan A. Shah

If you board the wrong train it is of no use running along the corridors of the train in the other direction. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God's justice is restorative rather than punitive; His discipline is merciful rather than punishing; His power is made perfect in weakness; and His grace is sufficient for all. – Anon

Our little [biblical] systems have their day; they have their day and cease to be. They are but broken lights of Thee, and Thou, O God art more than they. - Alfred Lord Tennyson

We can’t control God; God is uncontrollable. God can’t control us; God’s love is uncontrolling! - Thomas Jay Oord

Life in perspective but always in process... as we are relational beings in process to one another, so life events are in process in relation to each event... as God is to Self, is to world, is to us... like Father, like sons and daughters, like events... life in process yet always in perspective. - R.E. Slater

To promote societal transition to sustainable ways of living and a global society founded on a shared ethical framework which includes respect and care for the community of life, ecological integrity, universal human rights, respect for diversity, economic justice, democracy, and a culture of peace. - The Earth Charter Mission Statement

Christian humanism is the belief that human freedom, individual conscience, and unencumbered rational inquiry are compatible with the practice of Christianity or even intrinsic in its doctrine. It represents a philosophical union of Christian faith and classical humanist principles. - Scott Postma

It is never wise to have a self-appointed religious institution determine a nation's moral code. The opportunities for moral compromise and failure are high; the moral codes and creeds assuredly racist, discriminatory, or subjectively and religiously defined; and the pronouncement of inhumanitarian political objectives quite predictable. - R.E. Slater

God's love must both center and define the Christian faith and all religious or human faiths seeking human and ecological balance in worlds of subtraction, harm, tragedy, and evil. - R.E. Slater

In Whitehead’s process ontology, we can think of the experiential ground of reality as an eternal pulse whereby what is objectively public in one moment becomes subjectively prehended in the next, and whereby the subject that emerges from its feelings then perishes into public expression as an object (or “superject”) aiming for novelty. There is a rhythm of Being between object and subject, not an ontological division. This rhythm powers the creative growth of the universe from one occasion of experience to the next. This is the Whiteheadian mantra: “The many become one and are increased by one.” - Matthew Segall

Without Love there is no Truth. And True Truth is always Loving. There is no dichotomy between these terms but only seamless integration. This is the premier centering focus of a Processual Theology of Love. - R.E. Slater

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Note: Generally I do not respond to commentary. I may read the comments but wish to reserve my time to write (or write from the comments I read). Instead, I'd like to see our community help one another and in the helping encourage and exhort each of us towards Christian love in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. - re slater

Showing posts with label Easter Readings and Poems. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Easter Readings and Poems. Show all posts

Saturday, April 9, 2022

The Stations of the Cross - Reflections on Jesus' Love





The Stations of the Cross - 
Reflections on Jesus' Love

The Stations of the Cross, sometimes called The Way of The Cross, is a meditative prayer based on the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. This devotion grew out of the custom of Holy Land pilgrims who retraced the last steps of Jesus on his way to Calvary. These early Christians marked significant places along the way of Jesus so that others could follow. These places became the Stations of the Cross. In the 17th century, churches placed stations around the walls to commemorate these events.

When praying the Stations of the Cross we pause at each station remembering all that Jesus did for us, and we reflect prayerfully on the scene depicted. We can pray alone or as a group, use our own heartfelt prayers or prayers written by various people throughout the centuries. This meditation helps us to deepen our commitment to follow Jesus, to reflect on his Suffering, Death, and Resurrection and his amazing love for us all.

The Stations of the Cross
  • Jesus is condemned to death on the cross.
  • Jesus accepts his cross.
  • Jesus falls the first time.
  • Jesus meets his sorrowful Mother.
  • Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross.
  • Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
  • Jesus falls the second time.
  • Jesus meets and speaks to the women of Jerusalem.
  • Jesus falls the third time.
  • Jesus is stripped of his garments.
  • Jesus is nailed to the cross.
  • Jesus dies on the cross.
  • Jesus is taken down from the cross.
  • Jesus is placed in the tomb.
  • The Resurrection of the Lord.





The Stations of the Cross (Full Version)
March 13, 2012

This is the full length version of the Stations of the Cross.  Thanks to youtube they have allowed this full version to be broadcast without interruption.  It is the same as the broken up version showed on this network.  Please send this link out for Lent for others to experience.  Share the faith in a more intimate way by following Jesus Christ on the way to the cross.  This version is bound to move the hardest of hearts thanks to the Most Holy Spirit.


The Stations of the Cross with Father Reed
Mar 19, 2011

The Stations of the Cross (or Way of the Cross; in Latin, Via Crucis; also called the Via Dolorosa or Way of Sorrows, or simply, The Way) refers to the depiction of the final hours (or Passion) of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St. Francis of Assisi and extended throughout the Roman Catholic Church in the medieval period. It is less often observed in the Anglican and Lutheran churches. It may be done at any time, but is most commonly done during the Season of Lent, especially on Good Friday and on Friday evenings during Lent.

The Stations of the Cross originated in pilgrimages to Jerusalem. A desire to reproduce the holy places in other lands seems to have manifested itself at quite an early date.


* * * * * * * *


THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS



First Station
Jesus is Condemned to Death


We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
O Jesus! So meek and uncomplaining, teach me resignation in trials.
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.



Second Station
Jesus Carries His Cross


We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
O Jesus! This Cross should be mine, not Thine! My sins crucified Thee.
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.



Third Station
Jesus Falls the First Time


We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
O Jesus! By this first fall, never let me fall into mortal sin.
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.



Fourth Station
Jesus Meets His Mother


We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
O Jesus! May no human tie, however dear, keep me from following the road of the Cross.
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.



Fifth Station
Simon, the Cyrenean,
Helps Jesus Carry His Cross


We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Simon unwillingly assisted Thee; may I with patience suffer all for Thee.
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.



Sixth Station
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus


We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
O Jesus! Thou didst imprint Thy sacred features upon Veronica’s veil; stamp them also indelibly upon my heart.
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.



Seventh Station
Jesus Falls the Second Time


We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
By Thy second fall, preserve me, dear Lord, from relapse into sin.
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.



Eighth Station
Jesus Consoles the Women of Jerusalem


We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
My greatest consolation would be to hear Thee say: “Many sins are forgiven thee, because thou hast loved much.”
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.



Ninth Station
Jesus Falls the Third Time


We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
O Jesus! When I am weary upon life’s long journey, be Thou my strength and my perseverance.
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.



Tenth Station
Jesus is Stripped of His Garments


We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
My soul has been robbed of its robe of innocence; clothe me, dear Jesus, with the garb of penance and contrition.
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.



Eleventh Station
Jesus is Nailed to the Cross


We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Thou didst forgive Thy enemies; my God, teach me to forgive injuries and forget them.
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.



Twelfth Station
Jesus Dies on the Cross


We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Thou art dying, my Jesus, but Thy Sacred Heart still throbs with love for Thy sinful children.
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.



Thirteenth Station
Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross


We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Receive me into thy arms, O Sorrowful Mother, and obtain for me perfect contrition for my sins.
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.



Fourteenth Station
Jesus is Laid in the Tomb



We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
When I receive Thee into my heart in Holy Communion, O Jesus, make it a fit abiding place for Thy adorable Body.
Lord Jesus, help us walk in Your steps.

Amen.

Prayers highlighted in bold in the "Short Way of the Cross" as used by The Franciscan Fathers on their Missions. The accompanying prayers are from traditional Stations of the Cross.

* * * * * * * *



“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18: 20


Links to other videos:

ROSARIES:


CHAPLETS:


PRAYERS:




Sunday, April 4, 2021

R.E. Slater - Ruptured Soils

 


Ruptured Soils

by R.E. Slater


As cold, dark earth must yield,
    to warmth and new life,
Even so does Jesus' Resurrection rupture,
    the broken soils of darkened hearts.
In whom death has been defeated,
    darkness disspelt, and
New life in God's love made alive,
    birthing beauty from old.

Jesus' death and resurrection,
    celebrates all who we are,
Embracing darkness and death,
    before arising, breaking forth.
Bursting the tired bonds of earth's
    unyielding fellowships,
In resurrecting power from death
    to life, by God's renewing Spirit.

We, who are the healed, the delivered,
    from the cold soils of bondage,
Who must shout, who must rejoice,
    "Jesus is Risen!"
Washed in Holy Spirit power,
    raised from creation's cradle,
In whom all our yesterdays, todays, and
    forevers, rise before Calvary's Cross.


R.E. Slater
Easter Sunday
April 4, 2021


@copyright R.E. Slater Publications
all rights reserved




Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Palm Sunday Readings, Poems & Observances

 



Palm Sunday
http://www.seedbed.com/scripture-quotes-poems-palm-sunday/

The Gospel of John notes that Jerusalem welcomed him with palm branches (John 12:13). Palm trees were in abundance in the Mediterranean and were even found on ancient coins. After the Maccabean Revolt (167-160 AD), the Jews rededicated the temple carrying palm branches (1 Macc. 13:51). In Revelation 7:9, people from all nations use palm branches in their worship of Jesus. All four Gospels provide an account of Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem:





Many churches initiate the Palm Sunday service with a procession that represents Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem. This practice is attested to as early as in the 4th century in the Pilgrimage of Egeria.
"Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in." - Psalm 24:7
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us." - Psalm 118:26-27a
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you; righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." - Zechariah 9:9

Palm Sunday Observances & Poems

Within the very liturgy of Palm Sunday, the tension is evident; traditionally, it is the only day with two Gospel readings—the enervating triumphal entry, and the tragic narrative of crucifixion. Palms turn to passion. It is the way God has designed it, for he did not count equality with God something to be graspedBrian Rhea



O Christ our God
When Thou didst raise Lazarus from the dead before Thy Passion,
Thou didst confirm the resurrection of the universe
Wherefore, we like children,
carry the banner of triumph and victory,
and we cry to Thee, O Conqueror of love,
Hosanna in the highest
Blessed is He that cometh
in the Name of the Lord.

Toparion of Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday



When Christ entered into Jerusalem the people spread garments in the way: when He enters into our hearts, we pull off our own righteousness, and not only lay it under Christ’s feet but even trample upon it ourselves. - Augustus Toplady



No pain, no palm;
no thorns, no throne;
no gall, no glory;
no cross, no crown.

- William Penn



Rest for my soul -- REST! Admidst fears,
Doubts, insecurities -- REST! For my anxious
Heart REST! You made the flower of the field and clothed it --
REST! FOR MY WORK-A-HOLIC
BUSY WAY OF AVOIDING YOU -- rest! FOR TIRED
FEET AND TIRED HANDS.
YOU ARE THE ONE UNRAVELING ME --SLOWING ME
DOWN SO I CAN FEEL AGAIN -- SO I CAN FIND Hope
IN SOMETHING MORE reliable than my own success -- 
YOU ARE SETTING ME free
Healing my wounds
Purifying my desires
Pushing back the effects of the fall
And you are coming soon
I can feel it every time I see the flowers.

Samantha Wedelich



The smell of church reminds me of my childhood
but over the years, the priest becomes a foolish man.
I've pondered over my faith for so long -
sometimes I reach into my conscious and
pull out steaming fistfuls of pop culture like,
watching Rosemary's Baby on Saturday.
Was God dead in the 50s?
Not nearly as much as he is now.
Today was Palm Sunday, and I felt like a baby,
so naked in the desert sand.
Delicate church, how do you reel me in?

Kyra Rae



Now to the gate of my Jerusalem,
The seething holy city of my heart,
The saviour comes. But will I welcome him?
Oh crowds of easy feelings make a start;
They raise their hands, get caught up in the singing,
And think the battle won. Too soon they’ll find
The challenge, the reversal he is bringing
Changes their tune. I know what lies behind
The surface flourish that so quickly fades;
Self-interest, and fearful guardedness,
The hardness of the heart, its barricades,
And at the core, the dreadful emptiness
Of a perverted temple. Jesus come
Break my resistance and make me your home.

from a Christian Lectionary


* * * * * * * *




A Collection of Palm Sunday Observances
http://happyvalentineimages.com/palm-sunday-quotes-poem-for-god-from-bible/

Palm Sunday is also known as a "Movable Feast" as the church celebrates on the Sunday before Easter. It celebrates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

1. "Palm Sunday is like a glimpse of Easter. It’s a little bit joyful after being somber during Lent." - Laura Gale

2. "What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured." - Kurt Vonnegut

3. "Palm Sunday tells us that it is the cross [where] is the truer tree of life." - Pope Benedict XVI

4. "Palm Sunday is like a glimpse of Easter. It’s a little bit joyful after being somber during Lent." - Laura Gale

5. "Then I saw heaven opened and a white horse appeared. Its rider is the Faithful and True; he judges and wages just wars." - Revelation 19:11

6. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you; righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." - Zechariah 9:9

7. "It is wiser to build our dependence on God than building it on people because people can choose to leave us at any moment. But only we can choose to leave God because He is ever present and there for those who need and seek Him with a sincere Heart. Happy Palm Sunday!" - Anon

8. "The great gift of Easter is hope – Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake." - Basil Hume

9. A Palm Sunday’s thought: "Life is full of ups and downs. Glorify God during the ups and fully trust in Him during the downs." - Anon

10. "Anyway - because we are readers, we don’t have to wait for some communications executive to decide what we should think about next - and how we should think about it. We can fill our heads with anything from aardvarks to zucchinis - at any time of night or day." - Kurt Vonnegut

11. "What’s with this final curtain? When God-disturbed churches are packed Palm Sunday, Easter, and Christmas, but not in-between? Will we feel the fateful lightening of his terrible swift sword? Is this Armageddon?" - Buck Malachi

12. "Jesus found a donkey and sat upon it, as Scripture says: Do not fear, city of Zion! See, your king is coming, sitting on the colt of a donkey!" - John 12:14

13. "There would be no Christmas if there was no Easter." - Gordon B. Hinckley

14. "Let every man and woman count himself immortal. Let him catch the revelation of Jesus in his resurrection. Let him say not merely, ‘Christ has risen,’ but ‘I shall rise.’" - Phillips Brooks

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Lutheran Hour Ministries - Advent & Lenten Devotionals



Lutheran Hour Ministries



Directions on using the devotionalhttps://www.lhm.org/lent/downloads/directions_full.pdf




Advent Devotional - .pdf or online



Lent Devotional - .pdf or online
https://www.lhm.org/lent/downloads/lent16.pdf



What is Advent? - https://www.lhm.org/advent/advent.asp
The Church divides the year into different seasons that emphasize the life of Christ and the life of the Church. Beginning on Sunday November 27th, 2016, we will enter the season of the Church year called Advent. Advent is the season of preparation and anticipation leading up to Christmas, on December 25th, 2016 and continuing to Epiphany January 6th, 2017.

The focus of Advent is two-fold. On the one hand, we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world as both God and man so that our sins might be forgiven. On the other hand, we anticipate the day when Jesus will return to Earth and bring an end to this world. Those will be scary days, but we can look forward to the end of the world with hope because through faith in Jesus, the end of this world will mean the beginning of a new life with Christ for eternity.

Advent, then, is a time for us to repent and believe. Knowing that Jesus was born to forgive our sins, we repent (admit our failures to God) and believe that we are forgiven because of the death and resurrection of Jesus on our behalf. Also, knowing that Jesus is coming back, we repent and believe that when He returns, He will give us eternal life.



For most Christians, Lent is a season of soul-searching, reflection and repentance. Lent is defined as the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter observed by the Roman Catholic, Eastern, and some Protestant churches as a period of penitence and fasting. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus' withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days.

Special Days During Lent

Ash Wednesday

In the Western church, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and the seventh Wednesday before Easter. Its name comes from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of worshipers to symbolize death and sorrow for sin. In the Orthodox Church, Lent begins on a Monday rather than on Ash Wednesday.

Holy Week (the week before Easter):

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It recalls Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem one week before His execution, when people celebrated His coming by throwing palm branches in His path.

Holy Monday

Commemorates Jesus' cleansing of the temple, when He assaulted money changers and overturned their tables, proclaiming the temple to be a house of prayer. Some believe that this triggered His arrest and crucifixion.

Holy Tuesday

Recalls Jesus' prediction made to His disciples on the Mount of Olives, of the destruction of Jerusalem.

Holy Wednesday

Recalls Judas' decision to betray Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of silver (once called Spy Wednesday).

Maundy Thursday

Commemorates the Last Supper, Jesus agony in the garden and His arrest. "Maundy" is derived from the Latin "mandatum" (commandment of God in John 13:34-35) For centuries, people in authority have washed the feet of their followers on this day.

Good Friday

Recalls Jesus death on the cross. The origin of the word "good" has been lost. Some claim that it is a corruption of "God" and that the early Christian called this day "God's Friday." Others claim that "good" refers to the blessings of humanity that arose as a result of Jesus' execution.

Holy Saturday

The final day of Holy Week and of Lent, a day of sorrowful remembrance of Jesus' time in the tomb.

Easter Sunday

Celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection. In the early church, converts were baptized into church membership on this day after a lengthy period of instruction. This tradition continues today in some churches.


Thursday, July 26, 2012

R.E. Slater - Expressing Love (poem)


The quiet beauty of black-lit roses



Expressing Love
by R.E. Slater

From the fullness of the Father,
From the heart of the Son,
From the help of the Spirit,
Comes Love without end.
From the lips of broken hearts,
From the sufferings of torn lives,
From the tears of sin-stained souls,
Comes Love without end.
From the joys each day begets,
From the quiet support of friends,
From the many gifts of grace,
Comes Love without end.
Each day is a new beginning,
Each past a future promise,
Each yesterday my tomorrow,
To Love without end.


R.E. Slater
July 26, 2012

@copyright R.E. Slater Publications
all rights reserved


  





Wednesday, March 28, 2012

R.E. Slater - A Prayer (a poem)


Meet me along the primrose'd paths...



A Prayer
by R.E. Slater

Meet me along the primrose'd paths
And there abide till days long passed
Be Thou my heart and will's own muse
Forgiven amongst the morning dews.

Stay'd by prayer tho' night enclose
Entwine'd by grace we united arose
O'er misty lands of earthy delights
Or outer isles of nethering dawns.

Where ’ere is sung Thy abiding love
Bowed upon thorny hillock brakes -
“O Lord, Thou art our need and thrall”
“In giving Thyself hast Thou given all.”

May we do no less each Paschal day
Giving all to Thee our help and stay.


R.E. Slater
March 28, 2012

@copyright R.E. Slater Publications
all rights reserved






Thursday, October 20, 2011

Geroge Herbert, "Easter Wings" (poem)


 
Easter Wings
from The Temple (1633), by George Herbert






The same poem turned about on itself
forms a pair of wings






 The poem is usually printed in modern anthologies as seen above. In the 1633 edition. the poem is printed as seen in the scanned copy below, making it look more like its title.






For a different placement here are copies of the Williams Manuscript
(also called MS. Jones B 62 in Dr. Williams Library)






The Bodleian MS (also called MS Tanner)
page 1 of "Easter-wings"



 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~



George Herbert, The Priest to the Temple - http://www.ccel.org/ccel/herbert?show=worksBy


George Herbert - (1593-1633), Poet and divine

George Herbert was born to a noble family in Wales; his mother was patron to John Donne who dedicated his 'Holy Sonnets' to her. He was educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where in 1620 he was elected to the prestigious post of Public Orator.

His first two sonnets were sent to his mother in 1610. On the theme that the love of God is a worthier subject for verse than the love of woman. They foreshadowed his future religious and poetic inclinations, but at first Herbert seemed bent on a secular career, much involved in court life and Member of Parliament for Montgomery in Wales from 1624-5. His only published verse during this period was in Greek and Latin, for formal occasions.

In 1627, however, he resigned as Orator and was ordained a priest, becoming rector at Bemerton in Wiltshire where he was noted for his diligence and humility, traits reflected in his poetry which also expresses the conflict between the religious and worldly life.

When he realized he was dying of consumption, he sent a collection of his poems in manuscript to his friend Nicholas Ferrar to judge whether to burn them or publish them. The result was The Temple, religious poems using common language and rhythms of speech, published to enormous popular acclaim and running to 13 editions by 1680.

Also published after his death, in 1652, was A Priest to the Temple: Or the Country Parson, his Character and Rule of Life homely, prose advice to country clerics.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Related Criticism to Herbert's poem, "Easter Wings"


Joseph Addison, in The Spectator, No. 58, Monday, May 7, 1711, argued against ancient Greek poems in the shape of eggs, &c. as false wit. He continued:
Mr. Dryden hints at this obsolete kind of Wit [shaped poems] in one of the following Verses in his Mac Fleckno; which an English Reader cannot understand, who does not know that there are those little Poems abovementioned in the Shape of Wings and Altars.

       . . . Chuse for thy Command
Some peaceful Province in Acrostick Land;
There may'st thou Wings display, and Altars raise,
And torture one poor Word a thousand Ways. 
This Fashion of false Wit was revived by several Poets of the last Age, and in particular may be met with among Mr. Herbert's Poems; . . . .
Professor's rebuttal (without degrading Addison's perception or gift for expression):

When devices are dropped into/on to a work, they are just ornaments scattered on pseudo-art/kitsch (in this Addison rings true). When ornaments are integrated into the meaning of the work, they loose their ornamentation and become part of the meaning, working together in the poem. Herbert converted the use of popular devices and tricks of his day into his vision of the world, giving an understanding beyond the mundane. [In a similar way that God takes clay and makes something better out of it.] (JRA)

Art Student's Addenda:

This is the difference between Baroque and Classical Art. Baroque art is famous for its ornaments, but details support the concept of the work in Classical Art.

Music Student's Coda:

The history of music classes Bach as baroque, but his "ornaments" advance and echo the message of the piece and hold the entire work together. As Albert Schweitzer shows concerning the Preludes for Organ. In this way Bach was closer to the Classic Period than most give him credit.

The following is quoted "as is" from a University of Texas at Austin page no longer on the Internet:


Interchange 7 on
George Herbert



Herbert II

Leslie Barnett remarks on "Easter Wings":

"With thee
Let me combine,
And feel this day thy victories:
For, if I imp my wing on thine,
Affliction shall advance the flight on me."

I feel that this poem is saying that you can't just "create" someone then leave them on their own to grow. They will not grow into a strong person with good qualities. A person needs nurturing, love, and support before they can take "flight" on their own. the last line says this more directly, if he puts his wing just over the other persons then their strenght will push him to be strong and begin his own flight. The reference to the Lord's creation of man is only symbolic, I feel that he is speaking indirectly about parenting and society's affect on a person.

Cecile Coneway:
I do not understand what the last line ("Affliction shall advance the flight on me") is saying. How does affliction fit into it?

Todd Erickson:
Why is the reference to the Lord's creation only symbolic??

Colleen Ignacio:
Knowing Herbert, it was probably strictly about religion.

Leslie Barnett:
i think affliction means like friction, when the one wing moves and begins flight the other will recieve the initial push to do the same.

Todd Erickson:
Cecile
Flight could have multiple meanings:
uplifting of spirit, or running away

Shannon Byrne:
I felt that he was talking about man and the creation. I thought he was saying that God created man and gave man everything, yet man "foolishly" lost what he gave and became more and more corrupt. The poet is asking for God to let him sing the Lord's praises and by so doing he will fall in the sight of others and this fall will enable him to be closer to God.

Todd Erickson:
Shannon why does he use 'fall'??? That sounds so counterproductive , when he's wanting to fly.

Alicia Lane Jones:
Correct me if I am wrong,however, if we look at the title, maybe THIS poem reflects the second coming of Christ - didn't that happen on Easter - or does easter refer to something else?

Kalisha James:
Affliction seems to mean some sort of punishment in this passage. It advancing the flight in me refers to punishment maybe leading the speaker to do right and therefore advancing his flight to heaven.

Shannon Byrne:
I thought affliction meant that if he is hurt by others because he is "flying" with God his "flight " will advance or his life will be happier.

Chad Dow:
I think that he is asking God to forgive him for all the wrong things he has done. He is simply wanting to be ackowledge by God and asking for help and strength to change and correct his life, so that he can sing wonderful praises up to God.

Jignesh Bhakta:
Alicia, you are right it is a poem of the second coming of Christ

Shannon Byrne:
Todd:
I'm not really sure except maybe he means fall from the graces of society. Maybe he's thinking that if he follows God he will be persecuted.

Leslie Barnett:

another part that seems to support this interpretation would be:

"And still with sickness and shame
Thou didst so punish sinne,
That I became
Most thinne."

it seems to be refering to societies tedency to shy away from those that need help the most. when someone looks sickly we don't want to help and that only makes it worse. agood example would be the homeless.

Xavier Alfaro:
colleen ....i agree, it had to be about religion. he must be casting a sermon down. the wings will only protect you for so long. soon you must make choices. make the right one or else. what the else is, i do not know

Kalisha James:
Alicia, I think you're onto something. Easter is about the rising of Christ. It coould, in fact be speaking of the second rising of Christ.

Shannon Byrne:
Alicia,
I think your right.

Jignesh Bhakta:
What is the deal with the shape of the poem?

Alicia Lane Jones:
you know when you are born you don't have any memory of God - it may take a while to find him again. Maybe this is saying that at his tender age he was foolish and not looking in the right places, but now he has found God and wants to fly

Todd Erickson:
wings wings

Chad Dow:
Jignesh,
I think it is to symbolize the wings and the uplifiting flight the guy is about to go on.

Leslie Barnett:
i feel that in both "redemption" and this poem i failed to see the religious connections/interpretations but what shannon said about this poem and what we discussed in class do make sense.

Shannon Byrne:
Alicia,
wha does That I became most thinne mean?

Xavier Alfaro:
Alicia....you are getting pretty deep. I kind of agree though

Kalisha James:
Jignesh, I think the shape resembles a bird, possibly a dove. A dove is used a lot in the Bible to symbolize some sort of overcoming or redemption, the title does also have the word "wings" in it.

Cecile Coneway:
I thought the quote "And still with sickness and shame\Thou didst so punish sinne,\That I became\Most thinne" is illustrating God's way of letting people deal with their sins and suffer their consequences regardless of their physical state.

Leslie Barnett:
looking at your interpretation i think maybe he became thin because sin was punished with sickness and he was sinning by not believing or following?

Kalisha James:
Shannon, I know you asked Alicia, but i think of "thinne" meaning a moral thinness. Obviously the speaker has done some wrongs in order to be punished.

Shannon Byrne:
Cecile,
Is "Thinne" thin or thine

Colleen Ignacio:
I think in his own personal way, he's renewing his vows with God. Easter probably had something to do with it. He says: "My tender age in sorrow did beginne. . .that I became most thinne." He's remembering what part God plays in his life and wants to continue down that path.

Cecile Coneway:
Shannon: I think it's thin.

Xavier Alfaro:
i do to

Cecile Coneway:
It's kind of neat the way the poem's shape becomes the narrowest when it says "Most thinne".

Shannon Byrne:
Kalisha,
If its moral thinness what do the lines before it mean

Alicia Lane Jones:
Do you all think thinne refers to thin or thine?

Leslie Barnett:
what is thine?

Xavier Alfaro:
thin. what's thine

Jignesh Bhakta:
thine?

Leslie Barnett:
oh, maybe most his?

Kalisha James:
Alicia, Are you saying that before we are born we know God, but when we are born we forget Him?

Shannon Byrne:
thine means that this poet is God's

Cecile Coneway:
Most his?

Leslie Barnett:
thy, thine

Alicia Lane Jones:
thine means yours


Vocal arrangement of Easter Wings (White, Medium-high voice and piano, 430-411 For Sale.)

Background: song of a true lark
Optional music: Welsh folksong "Rising of the Lark" arranged by Red Dragon