The Lord is Risen!

The Lord is risen indeed!  Alleluia! 

Behold the Wood of the Cross

The "Why" of Good Friday

I heard a beautifully clear explanation for Jesus' death on the cross on Word to Life on the Catholic Channel.

The speaker likened it to the process that takes place when they make anti-venom for victims of snake bites.  A bit of venom is injected into an animal that has never come in contact to the poison (often a lamb) until the animal has built up a strong immune response.  Then the blood of the lamb can be used in making anti-venom to save snake bite victims.

I really like this analogy. Christ is the Lamb of God who took upon himself the poison of evil and hatred so that we, by His Blood, can be made clean.  The idea of being healed by the blood of a spotless victim fits in nicely with the Eastern Christian theology of salvation being a healing from God.

I later realized, too, that we can partake of His Blood in Holy Communion at Mass.

We are truly healed by Christ's sacrifice.

Poetry Wednesday----Susan Windley-Daoust

In searching for an appropriate poem for Holy Week, I came across this one by Susan Windley-Daoust at Ironic Catholic.  She writes of the woman (some say this was Mary Magdalene) who anointed Jesus with expensive perfume while he was having dinner at the home of Simon the leper in Bethany. Some of those in attendance were scandalized and thought she should have given the money to the poor, but Jesus told them,

“Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. She has done what she could; she has anointed My body beforehand for the burial.Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her."

In Memory of Her

"Leave her alone."

And for the rest of her life, they do.

They are not supposed to look at me, but

Sidelong glances and traitorous sounds tell them

I am crying.

And words I want to say are choked, stillborn.

I can't tell them how I knew

unless you too, see its obvious

that he was not meant to stay with us forever.

He seemed to know it that day,

the way he ate, so slowly, deliberately,

staring at people, boring into their eyes,

the occasional pause, blink,

seeing something we could, or would, not.

He was with us, and not,

and I knew it was time.

So I rushed to get the jar of spikenard,

my dowry,

and stepped over reclining men,

to his mat.

With a pleading glance, I knelt down

Cracked the seal,

and poured out a portion, then the whole, of my hope,

on his head, and then his feet.

Kneeling at those calloused feet, I wept

with my knowledge of what this means:

I have given my future

To this man, who will die.

As that perfume filled the room,

He smiled, lifting my chin, and addressed me:

"...you will not always have me.

She has done what she could.

She has anticipated annointing my body for burial.

Amen, I say to you, whenever this gospel is proclaimed to the whole world,

what she has done will be told..."


So I was left alone by men.

No one understood then;

truth, I barely understood myself.

But, in that gift, my center shifted

And I knew--despite his coming death--that I was meant to be alone, for him, somehow.


The day after the catastrophe,

I looked at the broken jar

I remembered the fragrance

And I hoped.

Art and Beauty Tuesday--Julia Margaret Cameron

I have recently become aware of the early (19th century) photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron.  When other photographers were taking stiff and formal pictures, with no nuance or art, Cameron was photographing people with amazing attention to light.  Her subjects were either "stripped down", in simple clothing or dressed as believable characters, angels, Madonna and Child poses, or characters from plays.

This photograph is my favorite, of her niece, Julia.  The pose, lighting and dress are amazingly modern.  There is no affectation here.  She looks straight into the camera without the mask of costume, or even of a smile.

Without knowing it she has used many modern photographic portraiture techniques.  With only natural light available to her, her subject has what is called a "hair light"--light falling on the top of the head, on the hair.  She uses what is now called "Rembrandt Lighting"--the face is in half-shadow, with, in this case, barely discernible, "Rembrandt triangle" of light seen on the cheek of the shadow side of her face.  We see the important "catch-light" in her eyes--that little dot of light that makes the subject look alive.

In this example, her lack of costume or even any discernible period dress, makes her someone who could have been photographed at any time or place.  She could be us.

Sunday Snippets, A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets is brought to you each week by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing.

This week's theme at the well was fish. We had a haiku which featured koi and an amazing Japanese artist who paints 3-D gold fish in clear resin.

Our music this week was Laetare Jerusalem by Discantus.

My off-topic post this week was a book review of "Thinking Small", which was a history of the VW Bug.

I posted Fr. Barron's commentary on "The Hunger Games" and the need humans have for scapegoats.

"The Hunger Games" (SPOILERS) - A Commentary by Fr. Barron

This commentary on the movie "The Hunger Games" is fascinating. I am in the process of reading a book by Rene Girard, whom Father Baron speaks of in this video. Father explains its theory of scapegoating succinctly.

This is a very important video to watch, especially in today's climate of fading Christianity and the increasing war-as-default political atmosphere that we are living in today.