Epiphany
January
6
In the time of King
Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came
to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the
Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him
homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem
with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people,
he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In
Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people
Israel.'"
Then Herod secretly
called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had
appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search
diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I
may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set
out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising,
until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the
star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they
saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage.
Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to
Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Matthew 2:1-12
The Adoration of the Magi
Beuronese mural by Benedictine Monks
1896
Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
Conception, Missouri
http://briansibleysblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/treasuring-up.html
Between 1893 and 1897,
several monks of Conception (Missouri), most notable Lukas Etlin (d. 1927),
Hildebrand Roseler (d. 1923), and Ildephonse Kuhn (d. 1921), the latter two of
whom had studied art at Beuron, redecorated the walls and ceiling of the Abbey
church primarily in the Beuronese manner, retaining elements of the original
Victorian stenciling. This is a curious anomaly since one of the Beuronese
canons was that all decoration should be done without a stencil. Conception’s
was the first church in the United States so decorated. The apse painting of
the Immaculate Conception is an original work by Lukas Etlin. The eighteen
murals in the central axis are copies from twenty-two scenes of the Life of
Mary cycle painted in the church of Emaus Abbey in Prague, Czechoslovakia,
under the direction of Lenz, Wüger, and Steiner between the years 1880-1887.
Wüger, who favored less stylized figures and softer tones, was the principal
artist behind this project. The church at Emaus was bombed and gutted by fire
in 1945, leaving Conception’s murals as perhaps the most complete replica of
the Emaus originals. The four transept murals are scenes from the Life of
Benedict cycle originally painted at the abbey of Monte Cassino in Italy.
Executed under the direction of Lenz and Wüger in the years 1876-1880, they
were destroyed in the bombardment of that monastery during World War II.
http://www.conceptionabbey.org/basilica/beuronese-murals
The most
significant principle or canon of the Beuronese school is the role which
geometry played in determining proportions. Lenz thought that sacred art should
reflect the natural laws of aesthetics through formulae he believed were
forgotten after the Greeks and Egyptians. Geometrical proportions determine
ideal forms, and the result is an innate harmony comparable to the mathematical
relationships in musical composition. This is why the relationship between
Beuronese art and the revival of the “pure” forms of Gregorian chant was so
compelling in the mind of Lenz and others. Other canons of the school include:
·
The orientation of the
art is hieratic, speaking to the spirit of the viewer. The art itself worships
and invites the viewer to join in the worship of God. As such, it should not
stand out boldly of itself but be part of a worshipping environment.
·
Works are anonymous,
done by a group effort, and not for the glory of the artist, but of God.
·
Imitation is favored
over originality, with freehand copying revealing an artist’s genius.
·
There is full
integration of art and architecture. Painting and sculpture are not “additions”
to an architectural given but an integral part of it. Thus Beuronese art
encompasses painting, architecture, and furnishings.
…
The Basilica's panel of the
"Adoration of the Magi" is split into two triangular pieces by
the diagonal beams of the divine light. It and the haloes of the Magi
highlights the Infant Jesus who is raising his hand to bless the adoring Magi,
two of whom are bearing gifts. The posts of the stable (repeated from the
Nativity panel), the straight postures of Joseph and Mary arrest the viewer's
attention to the Infant King. A crown lies on the ground under the elbow of the
Magus closest to Jesus and Mary - a symbol of the humility of the Magi. The
scene is balanced by the camel of the Magi, its handler, and the ox.
http://www.conceptionabbey.org/monastery/41-conception/varia
The most important discoveries will provide answers
to questions that we do not yet know how to ask
and will concern objects we have not yet imagined.
~
John N. Bahcall
Somewhere, something incredible
is waiting to be known.
~
Carl Sagan
Santa
gave me a Selfie Stick for Christmas!
CV
Martyn and Carolyn Alexander
wearing
their twin vests at Painted Toe on Monday.
Another
Selfie!
Liz
Bublitz, Jackie McFarland, her daughter Jan, and Carolyn
at
Painted Toe on Monday. Do YOU have a Selfie Stick?
Jeanne
Gibbard and I had lunch at Keys on the Green.
Rather
than use the Selfie Stick, we had the waitress take our picture.
Vicki’s
doggie, Woofie, had surgery on Monday and is now a Poodle/Tiger!
(Photo
by Vicki Hall)
A
neighbor of Vicki’s is an ice sculpture artist and every Christmas
he
carves something magical.
This
weekend is the Pond Hockey Championship competition at Evergreen Lake.
Much
activity on the lake despite the frigid temperature!
Br-r-r-r-r-r.
We
were cold just walking around the lake!
There
were a LOT of ice fishermen.
Life is an echo.
What you send out comes
back.
What you sow, you reap.
What you give, you get.
What you see in others, exists
in you.
~ Zig Ziglar
January 3, 2016 Second Sunday after
Christmas Day/Epiphany Sunday
Agnus Day, by
James Wetzstein
Agnus Day appears with the permission
of www.agnusday.org
Magi: Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar
Ephesians 1:3-14
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the
world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption
as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his
will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the
Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With
all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will,
according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the
fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things
on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined
according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his
counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ,
might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were
marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our
inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.
Lectionary - Christmas 2C - January 3
Jeremiah 31:7-14 or Sirach 24:1-12
Psalm 147:12-20 or Wisdom 10:15-21
Ephesians 1:3-14
John
1:[1-9], 10-18
Epiphany - January 6
Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7,10-14
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew
2:1-12
·