Tag: Christianity

Articles

The Talk of the Three-in-One: Meditations on the Trinity

Trinity Sunday is often joked about in Christian circle as that day anyone can easily fall into heresy via poor analogies for an incomparable mystery. Some insist the topic should not even be broached unless one has a theology degree, and even then it’s a matter that treads thin ice. I, however, take for granted that analogies are inherently imperfect, not depicting what a thing … Continue reading The Talk of the Three-in-One: Meditations on the Trinity

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Articles

Ecce Homo: Pilate as Every Man

In the Passion Narratives of the Four Gospels, the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, is not portrayed as a menacing monster or two-dimensional villain, but as the image of fallen mankind, made of flesh and blood and ambition, along with the underbelly of weakness that accompanies it. He becomes the cynical “every man”, representing each one of us, his fate caught on the swinging … Continue reading Ecce Homo: Pilate as Every Man

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Poetry

Last Temptation

Circle etched in the desert’s droughtHeart pulled out and flesh subduedLove of God that tears the soulApples offered, blood-stain redWho will sever evil’s chainThat binds each one unto the nextBorne within, our nature’s curse?The echo of a serpent’s tongueBare-breasted, or a lion’s roarPride-praising, or alonenessAnd none will hold Your hand…Who will cast the sinless stone?Only those whose eyes are blind.Who will castigate the worldFor the … Continue reading Last Temptation

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Articles

Easter to Me: A Personal Reflection on the Memories and Meanings of Holy Week

My childhood memories of Holy Week, when Christians the world over commemorate the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, are a kaleidoscope of images and impressions, turning from lighter colors to deepening hues. I dyed eggs and watched Peter Cottontail. I savored marshmallow peeps and beamed over My Little Pony toys in my Easter basket. I basked in the lengthening days, the freshness of … Continue reading Easter to Me: A Personal Reflection on the Memories and Meanings of Holy Week

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Poetry

The Annunciation

Ave, the spring of flowerAnd summer’s fernAve, the flow of riverAnd ice’s thawAve, the walls of NazarethWhite as angel wingsAve, the grace of seedThe death and the dawnAve, the hollowed earthAnd Woman’s wombAve, all things rebornThe kiss of God and ManAve, the farmer’s sowingAnd the sun’s ascentAve, the green of treeAnd outstretched limbsAve, the cup that brimsAnd the heart that runs overAve, the lilies and … Continue reading The Annunciation

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Articles

Come, My Love: An Analysis of Thomas Merton’s Mystical Poem “Pass Through My Will”

The poem calls for the coming of the Divine Lover, as “all through the night I lay longing, eagerly to wait for love’s union”. There is no shame in this, but rather a reveling in the anticipation as it was meant to be, not cheap, not base, but holistic between body and soul. Continue reading Come, My Love: An Analysis of Thomas Merton’s Mystical Poem “Pass Through My Will”

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Poetry

Love is Not an Accident

Love is not an accident Of chemicals that crossed in space It flows from Everlasting Choice And rushes with a Timeless Grace For out of nothing, nothing comes Yet that which fills can never drain It is the essence of the soul The proof of some transcendent plain Random reactions ne’er could weave The surge of passions, strength of will The beauty heard in Nature’s … Continue reading Love is Not an Accident

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Articles

Star of the Sea: Marian Devotion through the Prism of a Medieval Hymn to the Virgin

    Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary has played an integral role in Christian devotion since the early days of the Church, and continues to be a vital part of the daily devotions of Catholic, Orthodox, and even some denominations of Protestant Christians to this day. Once a year, during the season of Christmas, even those who typically do not engage in Marian devotion find … Continue reading Star of the Sea: Marian Devotion through the Prism of a Medieval Hymn to the Virgin

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Poetry

Womb of the Universe

Hush, my child, sleep in safety Darkness shows that mother’s near All surrounding love and safety Mother’s song dispels all fear Hush, my child, in the silence Feel the beat of mother’s heart Though the universal longing Soon shall pierce it with a dart Hush, my child, on the journey Far from home, a star shall lead; Soul of Starlight burns within me, Yet the … Continue reading Womb of the Universe

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