jim henson

I will turn my mind to a parable, with the harp I will solve my problem. ~Psalm 49

I came across this Scripture verse during Evening Prayer a couple of weeks ago and I really love it.  Since civilization's infancy, we have looked to art, poetry, literature and music to "solve (our) problems."  Part of the continued relevance of the Bible lies in the fact that it is Truth told in poetry and story.  


Jesus knew the effectiveness of getting one's point across in stories, and told countless parables to the people. 


The Psalms are ancient poetry which cries out to God, giving voice to our deepest longings, darkest sorrow and most transporting joy.  In all of these, God is central and is made a part of the writer's everyday life.  How could it be otherwise? 

Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name; make known among the peoples his deeds!

Sing praise, play music; proclaim all his wondrous deeds!

Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!

Rely on the mighty LORD; constantly seek his face.
-Psalm 105 1-4

The Psalms are beautiful ancient poetry.  Who better to highlight on this Wednesday after Easter than the Old Testament Psalmist, praising God?

This is part of the 105th Psalm from today's Mass.

This is Light Breaking Through Clouds--Pic 1 by Paul Huet.   Since childhood, I have always been mesmerized by scenes like this.  I always felt it showed someone going into Heaven to be with God.

Huet uses very few colors here, but manages to convey the delicacy of the sunlight breaking through the clouds.

There are times in our life when we struggle to see any color at all. Sometimes all it takes is a little Light to give us hope.

For those of you who are fans of pomp, pageantry and incense, look at this *massive* censor from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain!



Imagine learning how to swing that!!

Yesterday, after 40 days of silence, we sang the Gloria once again.

Christ is risen!

Holy Saturday is a time of emptiness and mourning.  The Body of Jesus is in the tomb.  The altar is bare. No Mass is said.  No communion is given.

We wait for the Resurrection.

Take a moment on this Holy Thursday, to reflect on The Last Supper and God's gift to us of Himself for all time.

Here, for Holy Week is the final installment of the beautiful poem of Gregory Petrov.

Glory to Thee, for all nature is filled with Thy laws

Glory to Thee for what Thou hast revealed to us in Thy mercy

Glory to Thee for what Thou hast hidden from us in Thy wisdom

Glory to Thee for the inventiveness of the human mind

Glory to Thee for the dignity of man's labour

Glory to Thee for the tongues of fire that bring inspiration

This painting is called A Peasant at Work in his Vegetable Garden by Chris Van der Windt.

It first struck me that you can hardly see the man in the painting at all and I think this may be purposeful.  What we notice in this painting is the barren landscape and the dilapidated buildings before we notice the gardener.  And yet, the title...

Man has toiled and labored since the dawn of time, against all odds and in near hopeless conditions.  Yet, he continues to labor and to hope that Spring will come.

Today, William Donald Schaefer, former mayor of Baltimore and Governor of Maryland, died at the age of 89.

His long and varied career as a politician who got things done merited an article in the New York Times which said that

“Bawlamer,” as natives call it, was a seedy, shot-and-beer factory town when he became mayor. There had been riots in the late 1960s, and residents and businesses were leaving. Its 18th-century core was a shambles of rotting piers and dilapidated warehouses. Gritty row houses and run-down tenements lined the inner city streets. Neighborhoods ached with poverty, unemployment, drugs and crime.

I remember that Baltimore. Our school cancelled field trips during the late 60's because of the riots that were rampant there and in other major cities.

Schaefer rolled up his sleeves and got right to work in making Baltimore great.

He was not above doing silly things for his favorite city. He said if the Baltimore Aquarium was not finished on time, that he would swim in the seal pool.  The picture speaks for itself.

Again, from the Times:

His methods were unorthodox. He sold 500 abandoned buildings for $1 apiece to urban homesteaders and hundreds of commercial shells for $100 each to businessmen.

He demolished and rebuilt whole neighborhoods. He had city crews salvage the lintels, fireplaces and marble from derelict buildings and sold them for restoration money. He pushed summer festivals and community theaters. He jawboned professional sports teams to stay put, or come to town. He drove around at night looking for potholes, trash, troublemakers and drug pushers, and got things done.

*This* ladies and gentlemen, is what politics is about. It is not about name calling and in fighting. It is about taking pride in your city, town, state and country, and fighting for their lives because their lives are your lives.

Rest in peace, "Mayor" Schaefer.

For this start of Holy Week, today's Lenten meditation is from the Eastern Orthodox Church.  This is called Open to me the doors of Repentance.  For those of you who, like me, were not familiar with this prayer before now, here are the words, although the chant here is in English.

Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.


Open to me the doors of repentance, O Live-giver
For my spirit rises early to pray towards Thy Holy Temple
Bearing the temple of my body all defiled
But in Thy compassion
Purify me by the loving kindness of Thy mercy.

Now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen.

Lead me on the paths of salvation, O Mother of God
For I have profaned my soul with shameful sins
And have wasted my life in laziness
But by your intercessions
Deliver me from all impurity

Have Mercy on me Oh God
according to Thy great Mercy
and according They Loving Compassion
blot out my transgressions.

When I think of the many evil things I have done
Wretch that I am
I tremble at the fearful Day of Judgment
But trusting in Thy loving kindness
Like David I cry to Thee:
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy.

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

This week we looked at a Lenten Music Meditation that encouraged us to fast on petty sinfulness and feast on Christ.  We also looked at Gus Lopez' Rays of Light on a Winter Morning and read another moving installment of Gregory Petrov's beautiful poem in praise of God.

This week was also the feast of St. Gemma Galgani--an early 20th century saint with a traditional spirituality.

This week is Holy Week and we have some beautiful art, music and poetry coming up.

Our poem today is another portion of the beautiful prayer of Gregory Petrov, written in a prison camp in 1940.

Glory to Thee for our unquenchable thirst for communion with God

Glory to Thee, making us dissatisfied with earthly things

Glory to Thee, turning on us Thine healing rays

Glory to Thee, subduing the power of the spirits of darkness

And dooming to death every evil

Glory to Thee for the signs of Thy presence

For the joy of hearing Thy voice and living in Thy love

Glory to Thee, O God, from age to age

This painting is called Rays of Light on a Winter Morning by Gus Lopez.

 I love the juxtaposition of the icy blues and whites of the water with the yellows and browns of the "dead" wintry landscape. Your eye is drawn up into the yellow of the distant trees and further into the whites of the sky and the birches that line the path.

So much to see during the dormant season.

Today is the feast day of St. Gemma Galgani, my patron saint.  Stop by St. Gemma Galgani  for lots of info and pictures of St. Gemma.

The web master has offers of St. Gemma prayer cards and medals.  Scroll down and look at the sidebar there for a great variety offers--some are free!

St. Gemma is the patron saint of pharmacists, those with back pain, migraine and head ache sufferers, those suffering from temptations and those seeking purity of heart. Her spirituality was mystical and deep. She was deeply devoted to Jesus' Passion and to the Sacred Heart and the Passionists consider her one of their own.

If all the world had only a small portion of the love that Gemma bore for Christ, we would all not only be at peace with each other but willing to die for the least of our brothers and sisters.

St. Gemma Galgani, pray for us!!

This Lenten meditation reminds us to fast from petty sinfulness and to feast on the Love of Christ.

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

This week's Music Monday was a Lenten Meditation set to a song called Open my Heart by HARC.

Art and Beauty Tuesday was a surrealistic painting by Walfrido Garcia called Blind Faith.

Poetry Wednesday continues our look at Protopresbyter Gregory Petrov's praise of God written in a 1940 prison camp.

We also had Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring played on a wooden contraption set in motion by a single wooden ball. And amazing piece of artistic and musical engineering.

Have a blessed week!

And now, for a musical interlude--a break from your busy day.

Note how this wooden ball somehow manages to play this peice with human-like feeling--pauses, accents and all.

Another installment from the beautiful prayer/poem of Protopresbyter Gregory Petrov, written in a prison camp in 1940.

Glory to Thee, covering the earth with peace

Glory to Thee for the last ray of the sun as it sets

Glory to Thee for sleep's repose that restores us

Glory to Thee for Thy goodness even in the time of darkness

When all the world is hidden from our eyes

Glory to Thee for the prayers offered by a trembling soul

Glory to Thee for the pledge of our reawakening

On that glorious last day, that day which has no evening

Glory to Thee, O God, from age to age

Blind Faith by Walfrido Garcia is an amazing painting.  It shows an eclipse of the moon over the waves. Garcia's own explanation of the painting is this:


Have you ever believed without seeing?  This painting is a testament to believing in the light through the shroud of darkness. 

The light shines from behind the blocked moon and illuminates the waves.  You can see the light peaking out from the bottom of the moon--a promise of more Light to come.

This is a very meditative Lenten meditation with pictures of the desert, reminding us to enter the desert of denial of our earthly passions in order to allow the grace of Christ's love to replace our human sins and shortcomings.

Edited to add: Sorry I had the wrong link earlier. It has now been corrected.

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

Sorry for the late start for Sunday Snippets this week.  It's still Sunday for another 2 hours! :D

This week we looked at another Lenten Meditation for Music Monday, and more of Gregory Petrov's beautiful poem for Poetry Wednesday.  For Art and Beauty Tuesday, we saw a very moving picture by Alfred Edward Borthwick called The Presence. I also have a post about National Poetry Month.

April is National Poetry Month and Poets.org has 30 ways to celebrate!

Write a poem on your sidewalk with chalk, .listen to an audio poem during your commute or go to a poetry reading.

One of the most intriguing suggestions is to write a favorite poem on a piece of paper, carry it on your pocket and share it with your friends.

Poetry is accessible to everyone.  Long or short, rhyming or free verse, it is something that can be enjoyed and treasured like a well brewed cup of tea.