THE SHEPHERDS

 

“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.”   Luke 2:8-9

Seeing Shepherds II-  Daniel Bonnell

Sheep herding was considered a noble occupation in the old Testament.

Abraham  (Genesis 13) is  described as having much livestock, herds, and flocks of sheep. Moses (Exodus 3:1)  was a shepherd: “Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro.” David  (1Samuel 17) was a shepherd  who took care of his father’s flocks. 

I have sometimes wondered if David wrote some of his psalms (songs) while tending the sheep.  He would have had plenty of time, and certainly the psalms, especially everyone’s favorite (Ps. 23) “the Lord is my Shepherd” could only have been written by someone who understood the sheep.

 The prophets tell of God’s relationship with His chosen people in terms of a shepherd and his flock.

 But by the time Jesus appeared on the scene shepherds were considered to be dishonest and unclean according to the law. They represented  the outcasts and sinners for whom Jesus came.

So is it any wonder that the first recorded people the angels appeared to to tell of the wondrous Birth, were the very people who needed Him the most?

 Jesus later would identify Himself as both  the Good Shepherd (John 10:11).and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World  (John 1: 29). 

CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS

Tsugouharu Foujita – French (d. 1968)

PEACE  AND JOY 

AS HE HAS COME TO SAVE OUR WORLD

 

“O Christ, born for our sake, teach us to walk beside you on the paths of peace.”

Pope Francis, Christmas 2021

MARY OUR HOPE

 

As we are into the final week of Advent, we know it- if we listen- as the time of stillness, for quiet, for discernment. This week  should be one in which we prepare ourselves for the mystery of the Incarnation, the miracle of Emmanuel- God-with-us.

As we consider the wonder of Mary in the expectation of her Child, we should  slow down and ponder in our heart what is really happening, knowing that she is our hope of what is to come.  She gives us courage to face the unknown.

 As we anticipate this greatest of feasts, let us unite ourselves to the Virgin Mother, asking  her to teach us the patience and docility needed to bear Christ in our hearts.

BIRDS IN ADVENT

 

Audubon's 122nd Christmas Bird Count  takes place in the Western Hemisphere from Tuesday, December 14, 2021 through Wednesday, January 5, 2022.   We were to do ours this past Saturday, but a storm was predicted so it was moved to Sunday, 4^th of Advent. Again I did it with 2 Islanders, Gigi (one of  our Oblates) and her husband Jim, an incredible naturalist. 

Prior to the turn of the 20th century, hunters engaged in a holiday tradition known as the Christmas "Side Hunt." They would choose sides and go afield with their guns. Whoever brought in the biggest pile of feathered (and furred) quarry won.

Conservation was in its beginning stages in that era, and many observers and scientists were becoming concerned about declining bird populations. Beginning on Christmas Day 1900, ornithologist Frank M. Chapman, an early officer in the then-nascent Audubon Society, proposed a new holiday tradition, a "Christmas Bird Census" that would count birds during the holidays rather than hunt them.

That first count was in 1900. Twenty-seven birders conducted counts at 25 sites, tallying about 89 bird species. We have come a long way.

Last year’s Christmas Bird Count was  one for the record books.

The COVID-19 pandemic consumed the world after the end of 2019. Even as summaries were being written for last year’s 120th CBC, it was clear that the coming 2020 season—the 121st CBC—would be drastically affected by all the shutdowns and governmental regulations at all levels that had been put in place in an attempt to control the spread of the virus. For a period, it appeared that, for the safety of participants, Audubon would need to cancel the 121st CBC—potentially resulting in the first time in 120 years that a Christmas Bird Count was not held. But COVID-safe guidelines were developed and approved—and followed by compilers—and the count went on.

Birders covered 2,459 circles during the CBC, with 1,842 counts in the United States, 451 in Canada, and 166 throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. While the total number of counts is lower than any season since the 114th CBC, it is still remarkable given the challenges we all faced.

Will be interesting to know the results of this year's count as more and more people are out and about.  How did we do on Shaw as we covered our 7 mile long island?

We saw 11 bald eagles (did not top our 2018 record of 15), a pair of marbled murrelets, a coopers hawk, which flew in front of our car, the annual returning green winged teal (down from 20 to 13) one of my favorite ducks, the ring necks (18), and for me the top passerine (denoting birds of a large order distinguished by feet that are adapted for perching, including all song birds), the varied thrush (pictured at left).  All in all a very fun day.

UNIVERSAL EXPECTATION

Today is the  feast of "OUR LADY of EXPECTATION", which  is also known as  “OUR LADY of the O” because the Church a has just begun to sing the "O” Antiphons at Vespers. They remind us of the universal longing for the coming of the Savior.

Pope Benedict XVI spoke of her with this title in a prayer: O Mary, Virgin of expectation and Mother of hope, revive the spirit of Advent in your entire Church.

Dominican Br. Thomas Davenport, of the Dominican House of Studies in Washington D.C., explains why his community still marks this Dec. 18 feast: “This feast of Our Lady of the Expectation takes the opportunity to contemplate the great longing and anticipation of Advent, in which ‘all creation is groaning in labor pains,’ through the eyes of her who, above all creatures, longed to see the face of Christ, and whose expectation truly was palpable in every fiber of her body.”

The votive Mass of “Our Lady of Expectation” is theologically enlightening and spiritually enriching for the time of Advent and Christmas.   With the entrance antiphon, the Church prays with the prophet for the coming of the Just One from heaven that the earth may be ready to welcome the Saviour: “Send victory like a dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the just.   Let the earth open for salvation to spring up” (Is 45:8).

In the opening prayer, the Church offers the prayer to God through Mary’s intercession: “O God who wished that your Word would take the flesh from the womb of the Virgin as announced by the Angel and whom we confess to be the true Mother of God, may we be helped by her intercession.”

Even though this is not a universal feast there are many images of Mary in expectation from across the globe.

Images: 

 

Top-  India

Middle left-   Madonna del Parto; Unknown Master, Italian; 1490s; Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice, Italy

Middle right-  Lisbon, Portugal

Below left - Prague  17th C. Augustian Church

Bottom right- Unknown Master, French 15th C-  National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Bottom left-  Jen Norton  USA

THE GREAT "O"s

 

Today we start singing the Great ”Os” at Vespers.  Having been taught by the very well educated Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet  in my grammar school years, I am always glad to find some news of them, and this artist is right for the season of Advent.

SISTER ANSGAR HOLMBERG, C.S.J., 87, did a colorful series of the O ANTIPHONS,  which she said she painted for herself not to edify or instruct anyone. She created these seven paintings over the course of three years as a personal way to contemplate Scripture.

December 17 ~ O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.

“I didn’t have any rules or laws or requests put upon me, but it was my own expression of where I was at that time as I worked with these. I put my own spin on it, and it went a bit more cosmic."

She studied with Ade Bethune, but her work took on a more colorful folk style as she progressed as an artist. Unlike Ade, she does not create for a liturgical purpose, rather, her art results from her own spiritual journey and life changes.

These O Antiphons, as they are known, were composed in the seventh or eighth century when monks put together texts from the Old Testament which looked forward to the coming of our salvation. They start on December 17 and are sung before the Magnificat  at Vespers seven days before the vigil of Christmas. Each each begin with the exclamation “O” and end with a plea for the Messiah to come.

December 18 ~ O Adonai, sacred One of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy way on Sinai mountain; come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.

Sister Ansgar joined the St. Jospeh's in 1953 and has been painting since her childhood years. She credits her parochial school teachers for introducing art as a way to understand the church’s liturgical year and spirituality.

I certainly experienced this in my own childhood. Trips to museums were a yearly pilgrimage as well as visits to  lovely churches to study the glass windows.

 Sr. Ansgar recalled. Working as a teacher in Catholic elementary and middle schools, Sr. Ansgar found inspiration from the children she taught and continues to teach through her illustrations in children’s books. 

Now retired, Sr. Ansgar moved to Carondelet Village in 2012 where she lives among her CSJ sisters and neighbors from all walks of life. She says that being an artist is her current vocation, striving to reflect the CSJ call “to love God and neighbor without distinction.”  

December 21 ~ O Dayspring  O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

She says that her ideas arise from her own spiritual journey and flow from scripture, neighborhood, experiences in other cultures such as Guatemala and Africa, people’s ordinary everyday words and, of course, children. Her art teems with images that reference biblical, historical and world events.

 “I like to illustrate scriptural events and the parables of Jesus and how they relate to our time.” The characters in her paintings reflect her deep commitment to inclusivity of genders, ages, races and cultures. “I want people to see themselves in these pictures.”  

December 20 ~  O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel opening at your will the gate of heaven: come break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom.

NOT FAST ENOUGH

 

Most just indeed it is, O holy Mother of God, that we should unite in that ardent desire thou hadst to see Him, who had been concealed for nine months in thy chaste womb; to know the features of this Son of the heavenly Father, who is also thine; to come to that blissful hour of His birth, which will give glory to God in the highest, and, on earth, peace to men of good-will.

Yes, dear Mother, the time is fast approaching, though not fast enough to satisfy thy desires and ours. Make us redouble our attention to the great mystery; complete our preparation by thy powerful prayers for us, that when the solemn hour has come, may our Jesus find no obstacle to His entrance into our hearts.

                                        Hymns and Carols of Christmas

Image:  Efrain Zanabria contemporary Peruvian artist           

MARY’S PAINS

 

 

We ask ourselves what we are waiting for. Are we waiting for something, or perhaps for someone? Are we waiting at all, or have we dropped all expectations in disillusionment in a world that moves too fast and  seemingly does not care? 

We ponder the plight of  the soon to be delivered Mary.   Because Our Blessed  Mother endured pregnancy according to the manner in which Eve would have endured it before the fall  she certainly did not suffer the pains of childbirth,  which are a punishment for sin. Her sufferings because of her Child would come at the end of His life-  at the foot of the Cross.

… Most just indeed it is, O Holy Mother of God, that we should unite in that ardent desire thou hadst to see Him, who had been concealed for nine months in thy chaste womb; to know the features of this Son of the heavenly Father, who is also thine; to come to that blissful hour of his Birth, which will give Glory to God in the highest, and, on earth, Peace to men of good will. Yes, dear Mother, the time is fast approaching, though not fast enough to satisfy thy desires and ours. Make us redouble our attention to the great mystery; complete our preparation by thy powerful prayers for us, that when the solemn hour is come, our Jesus may find no obstacle to his entering into our hearts. (Ancient prayer of Liturgy)

Image on right-  St. Anthony' Shrine Boston

STILL WAITING

 

During these blessed Advent days, we, too, are called to imitate the Israelites by cultivating an attitude of strong hope, patiently waiting as they did, for the arrival of the expected Messiah. The reading and prayers in the liturgy, especially the psalms, encourage us to “relive” Israel’s eager waiting for the Savior, and to do this in peace and joyful expectation. From the depths of our being we pray for Emanuel to come be with us and to save us.

Through our Christian faith we know that the Messiah, the Christ, has already come once and that he will come again, a second time, at the end of time. It is not a coincidence that today both pious Jews and fervent Christians are still awaiting his coming. Indeed we both have much in common. We are both waiting for the same Person!

When he comes, his coming shall be a first time for the Jewish people and second time for the Christians. However, for both Jews and Christians, in fact for all people, this shall be his last and final coming. Thus is our Advent hope and why we find great consolation in our common waiting. Veni, Emmanuel!” Come, Emmanuel!

Br. Victor-Antoine D’Avila Latourrette, OSB    A Monastery Journey to Christmas

Image:  Czech

WAITING

 

Considering the circumstances Mary found herself in,  we can only  imagine her nine-months as filled with anxiety, especially with the initial doubts of St. Joseph, and yet she must have known awe and wonder.

She must have known the road would not be easy, but with hope and confidence placed her life in the Father's hands.   As she prepared for the birth of Jesus, Mary emptied herself, allowing her body and soul to be filled with the grace and spirit of the Lord. During Advent, we pray for a similar experience, that we might approach the birth of Our Savior with hope and confidence.

Message for Advent  from an old acquaintance, Br. Victor-Antoine D’Avila-Latourrette OSB from his book Monastery Journey to Christmas.

We wait and wait for the Lord. We become very conscious of the waiting. It is an eager waiting, full of anticipation and wonder, for as with the prophets of old, our companions on the road, we long to see his face.

The Lord, of course, is very much aware of this patient waiting, of this deep yearning for him, and he is ever ready to come into our lives and fulfill our deepest desires. Advent waiting is always twofold. 

On our part, we await prayerfully, consciously, and anticipate his coming. On God’s part, he is eager to arrive and find a warm dwelling place in our hearts. The greater our desire and patience in waiting for him, the fuller we shall be filled with his presence.

If we learn to cultivate this inner attitude of waiting for him steadily, faithfully, not only during the Blessed Advent days, but throughout the whole of our lives, we shall likewise be rewarded with the grace, joy, and warmth of his real presence in the innermost of our hearts.

Image- top- German

THE VIRGIN'S TEARS

 

 

This 14 century fresco was discovered in a convent in Dirbi, Georgia in the late 20th century. The Virgin has just told Joseph about the baby to come. With her right hand raised to her head and wiping her tears, her left hand is pointing to Joseph that he is not the father. It is a mystery we do not usually associate with this happy time.

Dom Prosper Gueranger (b. 1805- d. 1875) speaks of the feast of the Expectation of Mary in the following:

This Feast, which is now kept not only throughout the whole of Spain but in almost all the Churches of the Catholic world, owes its origin to the Bishops of the tenth Council of Toledo in 656. These Prelates having thought that there was an incongruity in the ancient practice of celebrating the feast of the Annunciation on the twenty-fifth of March, inasmuch as this joyful solemnity frequently occurs at the time when the Church is intent upon the Passion of our Lord, and is sometimes obliged to be transferred into Easter Time, with which it is out of harmony for another reason – they decreed that, henceforth, in the Church of Spain there should be kept, eight days before Christmas, a solemn Feast with an Octave, in honour of the Annunciation, and as a preparation for the great solemnity of our Lord’s Nativity.

 In course of time, however, the Church of Spain saw the necessity of returning to the practice of the Church of Rome, and of those of the whole world, which solemnise the twenty-fifth of March as the day of our Lady’s Annunciation and the Incarnation of the Son of God. But such had been, for ages, the devotion of the people for the Feast of the 18th of December, that it was considered requisite to maintain some vestige of it. They discontinued, therefore, to celebrate the Annunciation on this day; but the faithful were requested to consider, with devotion, what must have been the sentiments of the Holy Mother of God during the days immediately preceding her giving Him birth. A new Feast was instituted, under the name of the Expectation of the Blessed Virgins Delivery.

(source:  The Liturgical Year: Advent, by the Very Reverend Dom Prosper Gueranger, Abbot of Solesmes,  translated from the French by the Revered Dom Laurence Shepherd, Monk of the English-Benedictine  Congregation 1870)