Virgin of Guadalupe arrives in Brighton

An image of the Virgin of Guadalupe together with rose petals from her altar arrived, in Brighton thanks to the kindness of Pablo, an American reader.

I am very grateful.

"Blogger" has been off line for almost a whole day.

Ethiopian Icons

I have just acquired a small collection of Ethopian icons. They are all painted in the 20th century on goat skin in the most wonderful colours, the draughtsmanship is amazining. The above, presumably the Eternal Word seems to be a photographic reproduction, though it is on goat skin, the rest are obviously painted.
Click to enlarge

The Trinity

This is St Michael "in Power". Anyone know what the inscription says?

The Eternal Word or God the Father?

I have no idea what this is, there are slight traces of gold (leaf?) on the animal being offered to the serpent.

An anonymous saint, can anyone give a name?

St George

Archangel Gabriel

Mother of God Archangels

Mother of God Archangels

 

St Michael with angels

I have no idea what this represents, it is the crudest, it has gold and silver paint on it, is it perhaps a between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba? The figure with the pet lion (of Judah?) is beardless, there is an inscription.

Anyone read Ge'Ez or know about Ethiopian iconography?

Pope didn't use glass

He did ride in a gondola, he did draw 300,000 to a mega Mass but on his weekend visit to Venice the Pope didn't use a glass chalice.
Venetian glass makers presented the Pope with a set of glass models of liturgical vessel, and there was speculation that these might be used in a liturgical celebration in contravention of Sacramentum Redemptionis which forbids vessel which are made of a fragile material.

Turning the other cheek

I think the world is better off with the terrorist Osama bin Laden dead. However I was a little shocked by the reaction to the Archbishop of Canterbury's words about feeling uneasy about the "taking out" of bin Laden.

Christians have a duty of bringing the voice of Christ into the world which normally doesn't want to hear it. It simply doesn't understand the Christian way of meeting injustice with mercy, violence with turning the other cheek. Some Christians themselves ignore Christ's words about his Kingdom not being of this world. Evil is never overcome by evil, even a little evil.

The Case of Toowoomba

Bishop in the red tie

I am intrigued by the case Bishop William M. Morris of Toowoomba (Australia), especially now Archbishop Bathersby has backed him. He is "open" to the ordination of women, wants the Church to recognise Protestant orders, and that seems to be it.

He is hardly an intellectual heavyweight, and although he is certainly unorthodox I am not sure his position is much different from some Austrian or German Bishops and perhaps even at least half the French bishops. I am sure few of our English bishops would have followed the same line except possibly as theological speculation, maybe a few diocesan employees in the past might have regarded themselves as "thinking Catholics" and bored everyone with this stuff.

People like Bishop Morris are, I hope, a phenomena of the past. In many countries it was only men like these who were put forward after the Council. Some people tend the blame the Blessed John Paul. I suspect it was more the policy of Secretariate of State under Cardinal Casaroli, of ostpolitik fame, never to appoint anyone who might think in terms of a hermeneutic of continuity and to promote those who might favour the propositions of the Bologna School, which has lingered.

It is interesting that there should be tolerance of theological ambiguity in Europe but not in Toowoomba, possibly someome in Australia might be able to explain. In Archbishop Bathersby's own dioces there was the curious case of Fr Peter Kennedy of the St Mary's Community who's parish drifted so far away from Catholic thought and practice that he was eventually excommunicated.

As someone who knows little about the Australian Church, it so often appears to be divided sharply between orthodox and heterodox parishes and diocese in a way that is absent in Europe.

Happy St George's Day

From the Eastern Liturgy:

Liberator of captives, defender of the poor, physician of the sick, and champion of kings, O trophy-bearer, Great Martyr George, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.

Cultivated by God, you became manifest as an honorable tiller gathering for yourself the sheaves of virtue. For you sowed with tears but reaped with gladness; in the contest you competed with your blood and came away with Christ. By your intercessions, O Holy One, all are granted forgiveness of sins.

Two images of the Blessed John Paul

This for me is one of the images of John Paul II that marked a change in the life of the Church the end of much muddle and confusion.

The other image is this one:

The beatification of Pope John Paul II reminds me of what it is to be Catholic, it is to think with the Church. For many John Paul is undoubtably "the Great", for others there might be nuanced thoughts but for all Catholics, today he is "Blessed John Paul".
Now, we are called to accept without question his Blessedness. God worked in an outstanding way through him. I could have put up other images, the vast crowds that flocked to be in his presence, the fall of oppressive regimes at his words, the inspiration he gave the young, his oustanding defence of Life, his heroic struggle with his own sickness.
As with St Peter himself there is ambiguity, but that only serves to make us thank God for his Grace which works on flawed human nature. God loves human beings not plaster statues.