Reading through the first letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians

Thankfully, as we move through the collection of Saint Paul's letters in the New Testament, they tend to decrease in size, which means that it is easier to see each of them as a whole in our Bibles. And now, as part of my ongoing trip through the Bible, I have arrived at the end of the first letter to the Thessalonians. Let's try and locate Thessalonika on a Google Map:

If we zoom out of this map, using the controls Google provides, we can see the geographical position of Thessalonika, as a natural port and harbour, and in a central position in the Greek mainland, a crucial city today, as it was in the days of Saint Paul. There was undoubtedly a large Jewish population here, with a synagogue and everything else. And so, on to the letter itself. Paul is now in a small missionary group with his tireless helper from Asia Minor, Timothy, who would later become bishop of Ephesus. And the third signatory of the letter is another missionary, Silvanus. The letter begins with a Paul's usual statement of affection for the new church he has built and nurtured through constant correspondence over the years. Paul is gratified that they have been faithful to the teaching he had given them, and they have become co-workers with him in the evangelical mission:

"Our preaching to you did not depend upon mere argument; power was there, and the influence of the Holy Spirit, and an effect of full conviction; you can testify what we were to you and what we did for you. And on your side, you followed our example, the Lord’s example. There was great persecution, and yet you welcomed our message, rejoicing in the Holy Spirit; and now you have become a model to all the believers throughout Macedonia and Achaia." - I Thessalonians, 1: 5-7

And they had sheltered Paul and his fellow apostles, whom they had thus found to be upright and humble men, who did not abuse the rights they had within the Church as apostles. They had even conducted their own businesses, so as not to place any financial pressures on the Thessalonian church; we know that this was Paul's practice anyway, since he continued to work as a tent-maker during his missionary years.

"We never used the language of flattery, you will bear us out in that; nor was it, God knows, an excuse for enriching ourselves; we have never asked for human praise, yours or another’s, although, as apostles of Christ, we might have made heavy demands on you. No, you found us innocent as babes in your company; no nursing mother ever cherished her children more; in our great longing for you, we desired nothing better than to offer you our own lives, as well as God’s gospel, so greatly had we learned to love you. Brethren, you can remember how we toiled and laboured, all the time we were preaching God’s gospel to you, working day and night so as not to burden you with expense." - I Thessalonians, 2: 5-9

It seems that Paul had always been torn between the desire to remain with the churches he had built for some prolonged period, or at least visit them frequently, and the desire to forge onwards to the creation of newer churches. But their freedom was frequently impeded by the circumstances, for Paul says at the end of this second chapter that he had planned a journey to Salonika, but 'more than once Satan has put obstacles in our way.' When such things happened, Paul would send somebody else out instead, and he mentions here that he sent Timothy instead to them, for pastoral support, bringing a full report back to Father Paul:

"That was my reason for sending him, when I could bear it no longer, to make sure of your faith; it might be that the tempter of souls had been tempting you, and that all our labour would go for nothing. Now that Timothy has come back to us from seeing you, and told us about your faith and love, and the kind remembrance you have of us all the while, longing for our company as we long for yours, your faith has brought us comfort, brethren, amidst all our difficulties and trials. If only you stand firm in the Lord, it brings fresh life to us." - I Thessalonians, 3: 5-8

The security of the churches brought great comfort to Paul's mind; he certainly had a fatherly concern for these people and for their personal holiness, whom he had only recently met, for he oftentimes claimed to have begotten them for God and called them 'little children.' Chapter four contains the moral lessons of this letter, which is directed primarily towards adultery and fornication, which may have been a particular concern in Thessalonika.

"What God asks of you is that you should sanctify yourselves, and keep clear of fornication. Each of you must learn to control his own body, as something holy and held in honour, not yielding to the promptings of passion, as the heathen do in their ignorance of God. None of you is to be exorbitant, and take advantage of his brother, in his business dealings. For all such wrong-doing God exacts punishment; we have told you so already, in solemn warning. The life to which God has called us is not one of incontinence, it is a life of holiness, and to despise it is to despise, not man, but God, the God who has implanted his Holy Spirit in us." - I Thessalonians, 4: 3-8

Even that mention of taking advantage of another in his business dealings is sometimes seen as indicating adultery with another man's wife. There also seems to have been overmuch concern about the fate of those who had died, with much profuse lamentation, leading to Paul's celebrated account of the 'rapture,' when God will claim His own; this section does not have to be taken literally, word for word, as many seem to do, although it does seem as if those who have died before the final coming of Christ will rise to their reward before those who will be living on that day:

"Make no mistake, brethren, about those who have gone to their rest; you are not to lament over them, as the rest of the world does, with no hope to live by. We believe, after all, that Jesus underwent death and rose again; just so, when Jesus comes back, God will bring back those who have found rest through him. This we can tell you as a message from the Lord himself; those of us who are still left alive to greet the Lord’s coming will not reach the goal before those who have gone to their rest. No, the Lord himself will come down from heaven to summon us, with an archangel crying aloud and the trumpet of God sounding; and first of all the dead will rise up, those who died in Christ. Only after that shall we, who are still left alive, be taken up into the clouds, be swept away to meet Christ in the air, and they will bear us company. And so we shall be with the Lord for ever." - I Thessalonians, 4: 12-16

And Paul repeats the common Christian warning that would later be carefully placed into the Gospels for us: Christ will return suddenly, without warning, so we'd best be ready!

"...the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. It is just when men are saying, 'All quiet, all safe,' that doom will fall upon them suddenly, like the pangs that come to a woman in travail, and there will be no escape from it. Whereas you, brethren, are not living in the darkness, for the day to take you by surprise, like a thief; no, you are all born to the light, born to the day; we do not belong to the night and its darkness. We must not sleep on, then, like the rest of the world, we must watch and keep sober; night is the sleeper’s time for sleeping, the drunkard’s time for drinking; we must keep sober, like men of the daylight." - I Thessalonians, 5: 2-8

Meanwhile, Christians are to esteem in particular the clergy among them, their spiritual directors, and generally support one another in the faith, being singular in patience.

"Go on, then, encouraging one another and building up one another’s faith. Brethren, we would ask you to pay deference to those who work among you, those who have charge of you in the Lord, and give you directions; make it a rule of charity to hold them in special esteem, in honour of the duty they perform, and maintain unity with them. And, brethren, let us make this appeal to you; warn the vagabonds, encourage the faint-hearted, support the waverers, be patient towards all." - I Thessalonians, 5: 11-14

The rest of the letter consists of one line instructions that we would even today make to one another: do the best for your neighbour, always be joyful, keep praying, thank God always, may He bless and sanctify you, pray for the bishops, etc. And that, with some things passed over, is the letter to the Thessalonians.

Vivaldi: cello sonata, allegro

I understand that musicians continue to suffer dreadfully from the present restrictions, for their usual venues remain mostly closed, many of those venues falling into financial trouble themselves. Meanwhile, here is an idea of what musicians have been doing during coronatide.

Vivaldi Cello Sonata: Allegro from Frank Nowell on Vimeo

Let's begin a picture post series of decent paintings...

Right. I don't know much about the German artist, Meister Karl Julius von Leypold (1806-1874), but I thought this painting of his, entitled Alte Klosterkirche im Winter, is wonderfully done, especially with that rather splendid style; it reminds me of our own John Constable. He's said to be a nineteenth-century romanticist, but I can't find very much more about him on the internet.

Reading through the third book of Kings (aka. the first book of Kings)

Continuing with my sprint through the Bible, I have now come to the end of the third book of Kings (which in many modern Bibles is called the first book of Kings, since the first and second books of Kings are often called the first and second books of Samuel). This is a rather sad book, because the unity of the tribes that David had to struggle long and hard to achieve through diplomacy is ended all of a sudden through the foolishness of his grandson Roboam (aka. Rehoboam). All the glory of Roboam's father Solomon's long reign now begins its slow decline, as both Roboam and his descendants and the new kings of the northern tribes of Israel descend, with one or two notable exceptions, into paganism and idolatry.

But the book begins with the decline of King David, now a very old man. His son Adonias, like Absalom his older brother, attempted to acquire the succession. But, through the cunning of the priest Sadoc and David's strongman Banaias son of Joiada, Solomon's mother Bethsabee acquires the succession for her own son Solomon. Solomon ruled as king of Israel for forty years, as his father David had done, and seems to have been a master at diplomacy, indeed widely renowned in his own lifetime for his wisdom. Solomon began his reign by tying up many loose ends, including the execution of his brother Adonias, who continued to try to oppose his succession; of the captain of the army Joab, whom his father David had learnt to mistrust; and of Semei the Benjaminite, who was a partisan of King Saul of Israel and ever a challenge to David's own rule over Israel.

But Solomon, in his great wisdom, brought properly to reality the prediction that the prophet Samuel had made about the kings of Israel: 

"In answer, then, to their request for a king, Samuel told the people all the Lord had said to him. 'When you have a king to reign over you, he will claim the rights of a king. He will take away your sons from you, to drive his chariots; he will need horsemen, and outriders for his teams; regiments, too, with commanders and captains to marshal them, ploughmen and reapers, armourers and wheelwrights. It is your daughters that will make his perfumes, and cook for him, and bake for him. All the best of your lands and vineyards and olive-yards he will take away, and entrust to his own bailiffs; and he will tithe the revenues of such crop and vintage as is left you, to pay his own courtiers and his own retinue. He will take away servants and handmaids of yours, all the lustiest of the young men, all the asses that work for you, to work for him instead; of your herds, too, he will take tithe. You will be his slaves; and when you cry out for redress against the king you have chosen for yourselves, the Lord will not listen to you; you asked for a king." - I Kings, 8: 10-18

So, Solomon's government grew to exceed David's and, to support the system, Solomon established a revenue service, with twelve commissioners to collect from the twelve tribes of Israel, all listed by name in chapter four. And his kingdom and rule extended to the best of the promises God had made to Moses and Joshua in earlier books, stretching from the Mediterranean on the west to the Euphrates on the east. Even as rumours of the king's wisdom spread throughout the region, revenue from the provinces and tribute from subjected kingdoms poured into the royal treasury at Jerusalem, bringing with it an opulence King David would have been astonished at. Solomon now judged that it was the time to build the Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant, and a palace for himself, alongside a palace for his Egyptian queen and a civic centre called the Forest of Lebanon. For this, he contracted with Hiram, king of Tyre, to acquire not only the best wood and tonnes of gold, but the best craftsmanship that the Phoenicians were capable of. And they were among the best craftsmen of the time. They would work alongside the Hebrews, teaching and guiding.

Chapters six and seven therefore provide a detailed description of Solomon's plan for the Temple, a plan that would follow the proportions of the ancient tabernacle built under Moses' authority, but exceed it in wealth and finesse. The image at the end of this post shows the king planning the Temple, which was completed in seven years. Solomon then built the palaces and the Forest of Lebanon. The building of the Temple ended with a marvellous liturgical ceremony, in the presence of representatives from all the tribes of Israel, when the king formally transferred the cult of sacrifice from the tabernacle that David had had installed in the City of David in Jerusalem to the new building on mount Moria; the Ark of the Covenant now disappeared forever from public view. This ceremony is described in great detail in chapter eight. The Temple now became the centre of the penitential rites of the Hebrew religion

"'Whatever requests I or Thy people Israel make shall find audience here; Thou wilt listen from Thy dwelling-place in heaven, and listening, wilt forgive. Has a man wronged his neighbour, and is he bidden to clear himself of the charge by an oath? Then, if he comes to this house of thine, to swear the lie before Thy altar, Thou, in heaven, wilt be listening, and ready to strike the blow; Thine to do justice between thy servants, passing sentence on the guilty and avenging the wrong, acquitting the innocent and granting him due redress. Are Thy people of Israel condemned to flee before their enemies, in punishment of the sins they will surely commit? Then, if they come here repentant, and acknowledging Thy power, pray to Thee and plead with Thee in this temple of Thine, do Thou, in heaven, listen to them, and forgive the sins of Thy people Israel, and restore them to the land which Thou gavest to their fathers.'" - III Kings, 8: 30-34

Solomon had not built only in Jerusalem, with Hiram of Tyre's help; he had also thought to fortify strategic cities like Heser, Mageddo and Gazer, and indeed any city that stood unwalled. And he built civic buildings all over Israel. And he committed himself to maintaining at least the Temple in Jerusalem. He also reached beyond Edom, which had submitted to him, to establish a port city at Asion-Gaber, at the top of what we call the Gulf of Aqaba, giving himself access to naval trade up and down the Red Sea, another significant source of revenue for the king and the nation. He again received assistance from the Phoenician king Hiram, whose mariners were the best at the time. With all of this wealth, Solomon seems to have built a mightier army than David ever had, with hundreds of chariots and thousands of cavalry. 

But Solomon had his faults. One of his great errors was breaking the old rule and condition of possession of the Holy Land by the people: he married women from the other nations round about. And, inevitably in his old age, he was corrupted by the religions these women brought to Jerusalem. Solomon found himself bowing to several gods: Astharte of the Sidonians, Moloch of the Ammonites, Chamos of the Moabites. He even built shrines to Moloch and Chamos within sight of the Holy City. And with these acts, his reign of peace was disturbed. Enemies arrived in Adad the Idumaean, who resented King David's extermination of his Edomite kingdom; in Razon son of Eliada, a Syrian brigand-turned-king; and, more significantly, in Jeroboam son of Nabat, who would eventually wrest the kingshipd of the northern tribes away from Solomon's son Roboam.

Oh, if only Roboam had been wise enough to lessen the burden his father had placed upon the northern tribes. But, when he foolishly decided to be harsh, Jeroboam took his chance.

"So the third day came, and Jeroboam, with all the people at his back, kept the tryst which the king had made with them for the third day following. And the king, instead of heeding the advice which the older men had given, spoke to the people harshly, with such words as the younger men had prescribed to him. 'If my father’s yoke fell heavy on you, he told them, mine shall be heavier still; if his weapon was the lash, mine shall be the scorpion.' Thus the king refused to fall in with his people’s will; the Lord had left him to his own devices, in fulfilment of the promise Ahias the Silonite made, in his name, to Jeroboam son of Nabat. And when the people found that the king would not listen to them, they were quick with their answer. 'David is none of ours, they cried; not for us the son of Jesse; go back, men of Israel, to your homes! Let David look to the affairs of his own tribe!' And with that, the people dispersed to their homes; none but the Israelites living in the cities of Juda would acknowledge Roboam as king." - III Kings, 12: 12-17

The rest of the book is mostly about the descent of the kings of Israel, Jeroboam and the several others who followed him, further and further into idolatry. Jeroboam had himself attempted to create a religion to rival the cult of the Jerusalem Temple on Egyptian models, as described in chapter twelve. This infidelity to God resulted in much strife in the royal succession of Israel, as kings were treacherously murdered by subordinates, who proceeded to seize power; thus Baasa ended the dynasty of Jeroboam, and Zambri the dynasty of Baasa, Zambri himself being dethroned within a few months by Amri, a soldier in the Israelite army. Judah had better luck with her kings, for although Roboam and Abiam his son were also idolaters (like Solomon in his later years), their successors Asa and Josaphat his son were faithful to the God of Israel. However, Asa and Josaphat failed to destroy the hill-top shrines that had become common by this time.

King Amri of Israel began the greatest dynasty of the northern kingdom, for his son Achab was as powerful and capable as he was, although both were idolaters. Amri had built the city of Samaria, that would stand the test of time. Achab was the king who married the infamous Sidonian princess Jezabel, whose name is even today a byword for cruelty. She had implanted the religion of Baal of the Sidonians in Israel and in the mind of Achab, prompting the arrival on the scene of one of the greatest of the prophets of the God of Israel, Elias of Thesbe (aka. Elijah the Thesbite). After Jezabel had organised a great massacre of the prophets of the God of Israel, Elias arranged his celebrated competition with the prophets of Baal, demanding that the people choose their allegiance either to the God of Israel or to Baal, and to live with the consequences:

"So Achab sent word to all the men of Israel, and gathered the prophets together, there on mount Carmel. And now Elias appeared before the whole of Israel, and thus reproached them, 'Will you never cease to waver between two loyalties? If the Lord is God, then take his part; if Baal is God, then take his.' No word did the people give him in answer, and Elias began speaking to them again; 'Here am I, he said, the only prophet of the Lord left, while Baal has four hundred and fifty. Bring us two bulls; let them choose which they will, cut it up into pieces, and set these upon fire-wood, without kindling it. I will prepare the other bull, and I too will set it on fire-wood still unkindled. Then call upon the names of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord I serve; and the God who sends fire in answer shall be acknowledged as God.' 'Well said,' cried all the people, 'well said!'" - III Kings, 18: 20-24

Of course, Elias was successful, and was able to rid Israel of the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. But when Jezabel found out about it, he fled southward, ending up as far as mount Horeb, where Moses had received the ten Commandments. Elias ends up receiving a mission to anoint a new king of Israel and acquiring a new disciple and successor, Eliseus son of Saphat (aka. Elishah). Meanwhile, Achab's end was swiftly coming, and the book ends with the death of this great king of Israel. After two successes against Benadad, the king of Syria, and the subjugation of Syria, Achab made an ill-advised bid to restore to Israel the cityship of Ramoth-Galaad in the Transjordan from Syrian annexation. With the assistance of the Josaphat, king of Judah, and ignoring the warnings of the prophet Michaeas, Achab  joined battle, was injured in the chest by a stray arrow and died soon after in Samaria. And now on to the fourth book of Kings.

Our wise men are consulting their map

It's slightly out-of-date, but wise men keep archives.

Reading through the book of Psalms

Carrying on with my trip through the Bible, I have arrived at the end of the book of Psalms, the hymn-book of both the Jewish communities and the Church as well. This should be the easiest book to summarise, since it's the only one that I have read repeatedly daily and weekly for more than five years. And this is because the book of Psalms forms the main body of the Divine Office of prayer, which clergy and Religious use every day. So, yes, this should be the easiest book to summarise, but it isn't really, because it is so varied in its sentiment, being a collection or anthology of poetry from various times in the history of the Hebrew people. A lot of it is given as the work of the musician-king, David of Bethlehem, whose portrait is at the bottom of this post, but some psalms seem to predate even him, and several come from the centuries after him. By the time of Christ, the book of Psalms would have been a staple at the synagogues and several if not all of the psalms would have been memorised by the Jews, so that even in His extremity on the Cross, Christ was reciting the psalms. We know this, because several of his recorded words on the Cross, in the gospel accounts of the Crucifixion are extracts from psalms. Being unable to summarise the book well, I shall simply reproduce parts of my favourite psalms, with some commentary. In the extracts, the psalm numbers are provided in the scheme A(B), where A is the Greek numbering in the Catholic Bibles and B is the Hebrew numbering used by the Jewish community and the protestants - so Psalm 50(51), which used to be presented as Psalm 50 in Catholic Bibles, is now more commonly found as Psalm 51 in modern Bibles.

First of all, psalms 1 and 14(15) are tributes to the just person, who has lived a good life (essentially, in the Jewish sense, has dedicated himself or herself to the fulfilment of the prescriptions of the Torah, the Hebrew Law:

"Blessed is the man who does not guide his steps by ill counsel, or turn aside where sinners walk, or, where scornful souls gather, sit down to rest; the man whose heart is set on the law of the Lord, on that law, day and night, his thoughts still dwell. He stands firm as a tree planted by running water, ready to yield its fruit when the season comes, not a leaf faded; all that he does will prosper." - Psalm 1: 1-3

"Who is it, Lord, that will make his home in Thy tabernacle, rest on the mountain where Thy sanctuary is? One that guides his steps without fault, and gives to all their due; one whose heart is all honest purpose, who utters no treacherous word, never defrauds a friend, or slanders a neighbour." - Psalm 14(15): 1-3

These, then, are ideal for (for example) today's feast day of the martyr Saint Stephen, first of the Christians to die for the Faith. The Church has always had her martyrs, for even so-called 'Christian' or 'Catholic' kings have often pushed for control of the Church, through whom they have sought to control the hearts of men and women. To those who persecute the church, the great Messianic psalm 2 is an excellent reply:

"What means this turmoil among the nations? Why do the peoples cherish vain dreams? See how the kings of the earth stand in array, how its rulers make common cause, against the Lord, and against the King He has anointed, crying, 'Let us break away from their bondage, rid ourselves of the toils!' He who dwells in heaven is laughing at their threats, the Lord makes light of them; and at last, in His displeasure, He will speak out, His anger quelling them..." - Psalm 2: 1-5

The first of the seven penitential psalms provides a wonderful image of the penitent sinner, calling upon God to redeem him from slavery to sin, at a moment that predates the dawning understanding of the immortality of the soul:

"Lord, turn back, and grant a wretched soul relief; as Thou art ever merciful, save me. When death comes, there is no more remembering Thee; none can praise Thee in the tomb. I am spent with sighing; every night I lie weeping on my bed, till the tears drench my pillow. Grief has dimmed my eyes, faded their lustre now, so many are the adversaries that surround me. Depart from me, all you that traffic in iniquity; the Lord has heard my cry of distress." - Psalm 6: 5-9

Zipping on to Psalm 8, which wonders at why God on High has selected the children of Men to receive his many gifts and graces, giving them dominion over the rest of Creation:

"I look up at those heavens of Thine, the work of Thy hands, at the moon and the stars, which Thou hast set in their places; what is man that Thou shouldst remember him? What is Adam’s breed, that it should claim Thy care? Thou hast placed him only a little below the angels, crowning him with glory and honour, and bidding him rule over the works of Thy hands." - Psalm 8: 4-7

It's worth mentioning Psalm 17(18), King David's great psalm about the bounty of God to him personally, which would have been dear to the heart of our Blessed Lord, being as He was a descendant of that great king. But I won't quote from it, skipping instead to the blessing psalm, Psalm 19(20).

"The Lord listen to thee in thy time of need, the power of Jacob’s God be thy protection! May He send thee aid from His holy place, watch over thee, there on mount Sion; may He remember all thy offerings, and find savour in thy burnt-sacrifice. May He grant thee what thy heart desires, crown thy hopes with fulfilment. So may we rejoice at thy deliverance, rallied in the name of the Lord our God..." - Psalm 19(20)

Next comes the great passion psalm, Psalm 21(22), which Christ seems to have recited on the cross. We all know the first words of this psalm - 'Eli, Eli, lamá sabáchthani?'

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Loudly I call, but my prayer cannot reach Thee. Thou dost not answer, my God, when I cry out to Thee day and night, Thou dost not heed. Thou art there none the less, dwelling in the holy place; Israel’s ancient boast. It was in Thee that our fathers trusted, and Thou didst reward their trust by delivering them; they cried to Thee, and rescue came; no need to be ashamed of such trust as theirs. But I, poor worm, have no manhood left; I am a by-word to all, the laughing-stock of the rabble. All those who catch sight of me fall to mocking; mouthing out insults, while they toss their heads in scorn, 'He committed himself to the Lord, why does not the Lord come to his rescue, and set his favourite free?'" - Psalm 21(22): 2-9

It even has overtones of the Agony in the Garden, when Christ asked that the bitter chalice of His suffering be taken away, if possible. But it's also the cry of the faithful who suffer in any way whatsoever, without finding any relief from it. Awful, the thought. And yet, the next psalm continues the theme with hope. It's no wonder it's everybody's favourite psalm:

"The Lord is my Shepherd; how can I lack anything? He gives me a resting-place where there is green pasture, leads me out to the cool water’s brink, refreshed and content. As in honour pledged, by sure paths He leads me; dark be the valley about my path, hurt I fear none while He is with me; Thy rod, Thy crook are my comfort." - Psalm 22(23): 1-4

Absolutely wonderful. Continuing on to Psalm 25(26), a favourite with the early Church, which was so concerned for purity before God (I wish we were so concerned today also):

"How well, Lord, I love the house where thou dwellest, the shrine of thy glory! Lord, never count this soul for lost with the wicked, this life among the blood-thirsty; hands ever stained with guilt, palms ever itching for a bribe! Be it mine to guide my steps clear of wrong; deliver me in Thy mercy. On sure ground my feet are set; where His people gather I will join in blessing the Lord’s name." - Psalm 25(26): 8-12

And now we come to the next penitential psalm, Psalm 31(32), whose message is trust in God, stay on the narrow path, don't be stubborn like an animal that needs bridle and bit to be directed correctly. Know your dignity, you who trust in the living God...

"Do not be like the horse and the mule, senseless creatures which will not come near thee unless their spirit is tamed by bit and bridle. Again and again the sinner must feel the lash; he who trusts in the Lord finds nothing but mercy all around him. Just souls, be glad, and rejoice in the Lord; true hearts, make your boast in Him." - Psalm 31(32): 9-11

Zipping along to Psalm 42(43), the song of a priest who has for some reason been kept from his duty of sacrificing to God at the Temple in Jerusalem, but now returns:

"The light of Thy presence, the fulfilment of Thy promise, let these be my escort, bringing me safe to Thy holy mountain, to the tabernacle where Thou dwellest. There I will go up to the altar of God, the giver of triumphant happiness; Thou art my own God, with the harp I hymn Thy praise." - Psalm 42(43): 3-4

One of the most popular of the psalms in the Christian liturgy is Psalm 44(45), which is used constantly for both feasts of the Lord and for feasts of the Blessed Virgin:

"Thine is more than mortal beauty, thy lips overflow with gracious utterance; the blessings God has granted thee can never fail. Gird on thy sword at thy side, great warrior, gird thyself with all thy majesty and all thy beauty; ride on triumphant, in the name of faithfulness and justice. Dread counsel thy own might shall give thee; so sharp are thy arrows, subduing nations to thy will, daunting the hearts of the king’s enemies. Thy throne, O God, endures for ever and ever, the sceptre of thy royalty is a rod that rules true..." - Psalm 44(45): 3-7

It has messianic overtones, like so many other psalms directed either towards powerful tribal leaders of ancient Israel, in the procession through the desert to the promised land, or towards the great Israelite kings, David and Solomon, or indeed towards the great king that everybody was expecting to redeem the fortunes of the people of Israel in the distant future. Meanwhile, in Psalm 49(50), we hear the voice of God speaking of the real end of the sacrificial system of the Hebrew religion. It was not an end in itself, but was intended to draw men and women to worship of God, in praise and thanksgiving, by which they would grow closer to God, and so draw upon his graces and grow in virtue.

"'I do not find fault with thee over thy sacrifices; why, all day long thy burnt-offerings smoke before me. But the gifts I accept are not cattle from thy stock, or buck-goats from thy folds; I own already every wild beast in the forest, the hills are mine, and the herds that people them. There is no bird flies in heaven, no life stirs in the country-side, but I know of it. If I am hungry, I will not complain of it to thee, I, Who am Master of earth and all that earth contains. Wouldst thou have me eat bull’s flesh, and drink the blood of goats? The sacrifice thou must offer to God is a sacrifice of praise, so wilt thou perform thy vows to the most High. So, when thou criest to Me in time of trouble, I will deliver thee; then thou shalt honour Me as thou wilt.'" - Psalm 49(50): 8-15

Thus follows the greatest of the penitential psalms, Psalm 50(51), and a wonderful way of saying Sorry. This was the psalm of King David when he unfortunately fell in love with a married woman, Bethsabee, and proceeded to have her husband killed, so that he might marry her instead. Here this psalm continues the theme of the previous one:

"O Lord, Thou wilt open my lips, and my mouth shall tell of Thy praise. Thou hast no mind for sacrifice, burnt-offerings, if I brought them, Thou wouldst refuse; here, O God, is my sacrifice, a broken spirit; a heart that is humbled and contrite Thou, O God, wilt never disdain." - Psalms 50(51): 17-19

This is what God wants: humility and a heart that desires Him, is pleased to be moulded by Him. Zipping along to Psalm 67(68), we discover more hints of the Suffering Servant of God, either the nation of Israel, toiling under subjugation to foreign powers, or indeed to the unexpected Suffering Messiah of God:

"Draw near in my distress, and grant deliverance; relieve me, so hard pressed by my enemies. Lord, Thou knowest how they reproach me, how I blush with shame; Thou seest how many are my persecutors. Heart-broken with that shame, I pine away, looking round for pity, where pity is none, for comfort, where there is no comfort to be found. They gave me gall to eat, and when I was thirsty they gave me vinegar to drink." - Psalm 67(68): 19-22

These words must have shocked the Apostle and the women at the foot of the Cross, ringing in their ears as they saw how badly Christ was treated there. Carrying on along, I would like to mention Psalm 77(78), which is a wonderful compressed narrative, telling the story of the liberation of the people from Egypt. At a time before writing was commonly a practice, stories and lore were passed on by word of mouth, from father to son, among the people in general. Thus, a history of the nation of Israel was maintained without the facility of books and libraries. It seems to me that this psalm is a good demonstration of how that was done, so is a catechetical summary of events. Psalms 104(105) and 105(106) are similar historical psalms. Here is a nation of people that does not rejoice in their being faithful to their God, but curses their inability to be faithful at all!

"So it was that the sons of Ephraim, bow in hand, were routed in the day of battle. They were false to God’s covenant, refused to follow His law, as if they had forgotten all His mercies, all those wonderful deeds of His they had witnessed. Had not their fathers seen wonders enough in Egypt, on the plains of Tanis, when He parted the sea to let them pass through it, making its waters stand firm as a mound of earth; when He led them with a cloud by day, with glowing fire all through the night? He pierced the rock, too, in the desert, and slaked their thirst as if from some deep pool, bidding the very stones yield water, till fountains gushed from them, abundant as rivers. And still they went on offending Him, there in the wilderness, rebelling against the most High, challenging God in their thoughts to give them the food they craved for." - Psalm 77(78): 9-18

The infidelity of the people would eventually lead to the destruction of the fortunes of the nation and the exile of most of the people, and especially the nobility and the royal family from the Holy Land. And from their place of exile, the people sang hopefully to God, asking for restitution. Here we find the image of Israel as a fruitful vine, devastated but able to be restored. This image was used by Apostles like Saint Paul, to put forth a grafting on of the Christian Church onto this ancient vine.

"Long ago, Thou didst bring a vine out of Egypt, rooting out the heathen to plant it here; Thou didst prepare the way for its spreading, and it took root where Thou hadst planted it, filled the whole land. How it overshadowed the hills, how the cedars, divinely tall, were overtopped by its branches! It spread out its tendrils to the sea, its shoots as far as the great river. Why is it that in these days Thou hast levelled its wall, for every passer-by to rob it of its fruit? See how the wild boar ravages it, how it gives pasture to every beast that roams! God of hosts, relent, look down from heaven, look to this vine, that needs Thy care. Revive the stock which Thy own hand has planted, branches that by Thee throve, and throve for Thee." - Psalm 79(80): 9-16

Sometimes, people say that the book of Psalms has something for everybody, expresses the wide gamut of human emotions. I was unable to understand that idea until I saw the psalm of the person in great depression, at the depths of despair, but still hopeful enough to pray to the God Who listens: 

"Lord God, day and night I cry bitterly to Thee; let my prayer reach Thy presence, give audience to my entreaty, for indeed my heart is full of trouble. My life sinks ever closer to the grave... Thou hast estranged all my acquaintance from me, so that they treat me as a thing accursed; I lie in a prison whence there is no escape, my eyes grow dim with tears. On Thee I call, to Thee stretch out my hands, each day that passes. Not for the dead Thy wonderful power is shewn; not for pale shadows to return and give Thee thanks. There in the grave, how shall they recount Thy mercies; how shall they tell of Thy faithfulness, now that life is gone...? Ever since youth, misery and mortal sickness have been my lot; wearily I have borne Thy visitations; I am overwhelmed with Thy anger, dismayed by Thy threats, that still cut me off like a flood, all at once surrounding me. Friends and neighbours gone, a world of shadows is all my company." - Psalm 87(88): 2-4, 9-12, 16-19

Unlike the other psalms, this one has no resolution, and we leave the psalmist in utter despair, as it seems. And then we come to a more hopeful psalm, which rejoices in God as Protector. This psalm is good enough even for the devil, who tempted Christ with its promise of divine help:

"He, the Lord, is Thy refuge; thou hast found a stronghold in the most High. There is no harm that can befall thee, no plague that shall come near thy dwelling. He has given charge to his angels concerning thee, to watch over thee wheresoever thou goest; they will hold thee up with their hands lest thou shouldst chance to trip on a stone. Thou shalt tread safely on asp and adder, crush lion and serpent under thy feet." - Psalm 90(91): 9-13

Psalm 94(95) is one of the few psalms I know by heart, for it is recited by clergy and Religious practically every day of the year, as the beginning of the Divine Office of prayer, every morning. It is memorable also from the few times it is the psalm at Mass, although I don't think it has the final curse included when it is used at Mass:

"Would you but listen to His voice to-day! 'Do not harden your hearts, as they were hardened once at Meriba, at Massa in the wilderness. Your fathers put Me to the test, challenged me, as if they lacked proof of My power, for forty years together; from that generation I turned away in loathing; These, I said, are ever wayward hearts, these have never learned to obey Me. And I took an oath in anger, They shall never attain My rest.'" - Psalm 94(95): 8-11

This of course refers to the original Israelite nation journeying through the desert towards the Promised Land, where they would enjoy God's Rest. At one fatal moment, when Moses had sent scouts to report on the defences of the Chanaanite people the Israelites were to dispossess of the Holy Land, and the scouts decided that those defences could not be overcome and the people grumbled, God was highly offended at this lack of faith and swore that that generation of people would not enter the Promised Land, but would wander about the desert until they died there; their children would inherit God's Rest.  Anyway, the warning is a good way to begin the day. Now then, going on to Psalm 99, a lovely little hymn that I learnt at school, many, many years ago - the Lord alone is God and we are His people, His sheep:

"Let the whole earth keep holiday in God’s honour; pay to the Lord the homage of your rejoicing, appear in His presence with glad hearts. Learn that it is the Lord, no other, who is God; His we are, He it was that made us; we are His own people, sheep of His own pasturing. Pass through these gates, enter these courts of His, with hymns of praise, give Him thanks, and bless His name. Gracious is the Lord, everlasting His mercy; age after age, He is faithful to His promise still." - Psalm 99(100): 1-5

Carrying on along, Psalm 103(104) is a wonderful psalm about the natural world and its dependence on Holy God for its sustenance. It is rather long, but here's a little bit of it:

"And all look to Thee to send them their food at the appointed time; it is through Thy gift they find it, Thy hand opens, and all are filled with content. But see, Thou hidest Thy face, and they are dismayed; Thou takest their life from them, and they breathe no more, go back to the dust they came from. Then Thou sendest forth Thy spirit, and there is fresh creation; Thou dost re-people the face of earth. Glory be to the Lord for ever; still let Him take delight in His creatures." - Psalm 103(104): 27-31

Any summary of the book of Psalms cannot ignore the quintessential Messianic psalm, Psalm 109(110), which was referenced by Christ Himself, and is recited in the Divine Office of prayer every Sunday evening and on Solemnities too:

"To the Master I serve the Lord’s promise was given, 'Sit here at my right hand while I make thy enemies a footstool under thy feet. The Lord will make thy empire spring up like a branch out of Sion; thou art to bear rule in the midst of thy enemies. From birth, princely state shall be thine, holy and glorious; thou art My Son, born like dew before the day-star rises.' The Lord has sworn an oath there is no retracting, Thou art a priest for ever in the line of Melchisedech." - Psalm 109(110): 1-4

The most important theme of the Old Testament in general is the avoidance of idolatry and polytheism. It seems very important to the living God that His people not decline either left or right towards other religions, staying always true and faithful to Him alone. This has always been a strong point of the Hebrew religion and its daughter religions, Judaism and later Christianity. The next psalm I want to mention, Psalm 113(114), has a rather striking section expressing our absolute contempt for idol-worship:

"Our God is a God that dwells in heaven; all that His Will designs, He executes. The heathen have silver idols and golden, gods which the hands of men have fashioned. They have mouths, and yet are silent; eyes they have, and yet are sightless; ears they have, and want all hearing; noses, and yet no smell can reach them; hands unfeeling, feet unstirring; never a sound their throats may utter. Such be the end of all who make them, such the reward of all who trust them. It is the Lord that gives hope to the race of Israel, their only help, their only stronghold." - Psalm 113(114): 11-17

I really should include the shortest psalm of all, Psalm 116(117):

"Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, let all the nations of the world do Him honour. Abundant has His mercy been towards us; the Lord remains faithful to His word for ever." - Psalm 116(117)

One of my favourites psalms is also the longest of all, Psalm 118(119), a hymn of faithfulness to the Hebrew Law, the Torah, by which God first solemnised his covenant with the nation of Israel, at the end of Exodus and the book of Numbers. I shall only quote a bit from the end that gives the basis of the Divine Office of prayer of the Christian Church (seven moments or hours during the day):

"Votive thanks seven times a day I give Thee for the just awards Thou makest. Very great peace is theirs who love Thy law; their feet never stumble. Valiantly, Lord, I wait on Thee for succour, keeping ever true to Thy charge. Vanquished by great love, my heart is ever obedient to Thy will. Vigilantly I observe precept and bidding of Thine, living always as in Thy sight." - Psalm 118(119): 164-168

We must never forget that the nation of Israel, the People of God, has always gloried not in themselves and their own accomplishments, but in that God had chosen them, and had desired to be present in their midst. This is what has always made them unique. We Christians have inherited this glory in the presence of the Most High in our tabernacles and sanctuaries. A short psalm expresses this well:

"If the Lord had not been on our side, Israel may boast, if the Lord had not been on our side when human foes assailed us, it seemed as if they must have swallowed us up alive, so fierce their anger threatened us. It seemed as if the tide must have sucked us down, the torrent closed above us; closed above us the waters that ran so high. Blessed be the Lord, Who has not let us fall a prey to those ravening mouths! Safe, like a bird rescued from the fowler’s snare; the snare is broken and we are safe! Such help is ours, the Lord’s help, that made heaven and earth." - Psalm 123(124)

Another one of the penitential psalms is known well to us from the funeral services of the Church:

"Out of the depths I cry to thee, O Lord; Master, listen to my voice; let but thy ears be attentive to the voice that calls on Thee for pardon. If thou, Lord, wilt keep record of our iniquities, Master, who has strength to bear it? Ah, but with Thee there is forgiveness; be Thy Name ever revered." - Psalm 129(130): 1-4

Another deep foundation of the Jewish religion, and therefore the Messianic expectation and the Christian religion, is the promises made by God to king David, already mentioned. Because of his faithfulness, which rarely failed during his long life, God told David that his family would always retain the kingship, at least in one place, and one of his descendants would have an eternal throne. And so it was expected that the Messiah, when he finally came, would be of the house and line of David. And, sure enough, the Blessed Virgin happened to be of the house and line of David. This is expressed in Psalm 131(132):

"Think of Thy servant David, and do not refuse audience to the king Thou hast anointed. Never will the Lord be false to that inviolable oath He swore to David: 'I will raise to thy throne heirs of thy own body; if thy sons hold fast to My covenant, to the decrees which I make known to them, their sons too shall reign on thy throne for ever." - Psalm 131(132): 10-12

The People of God has always been convinced of the omniscience of God - his ability to know all things. There's quite no place that anyone can run to, to get away from God. And this too is expressed in a psalm - God has designed us, fashioned us in the womb, and he has a destiny for us all:

"Where can I go, then, to take refuge from Thy spirit, to hide from Thy view? If I should climb up to heaven, Thou art there; if I sink down to the world beneath, Thou art present still. If I could wing my way eastwards, or find a dwelling beyond the western sea, still would I find Thee beckoning to me, Thy right hand upholding me. Or perhaps I would think to bury myself in darkness; night should surround me, friendlier than day; but no, darkness is no hiding-place from Thee, with Thee the night shines clear as day itself; light and dark are one. Author, Thou, of my inmost being, didst Thou not form me in my mother’s womb? I praise Thee for my wondrous fashioning, for all the wonders of Thy creation. Of my soul Thou hast full knowledge, and this mortal frame had no mysteries for Thee, who didst contrive it in secret, devise its pattern, there in the dark recesses of the earth." - Psalm 138(139): 7-15

The final penitential psalm is Psalm 142(143), which has a wonderful end: a plea to God for succour, for no other reason that that the person praying is dedicated to God as His servant. And the servants of God will always have enemies plotting their destruction. I have always liked this ending:

"Thou art my God, teach me to do Thy Will; let Thy gracious spirit lead me, safe ground under my feet. For the honour of Thy own Name, Lord, grant me life; in Thy mercy rescue me from my cruel affliction. Have pity on me, and scatter my enemies; Thy servant I; make an end of my cruel persecutors." - Psalm 142(143): 10-12

And that's the end of the book of Psalms. The last of the psalms are songs of praise to God for his bounty to mankind in need. They all begin with Praise the Lord! I shall only quote the last one, Psalm 150. And I shall do it in full, for that's a good way to end this post:

"Praise God in His sanctuary, praise Him on His sovereign throne. Praise Him for His noble acts, praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Praise Him with the bray of the trumpet, praise Him with harp and zither. Praise Him with the tambour and the dance, praise Him with the music of string and of reed. Praise Him with the clang of the cymbals, the cymbals that ring merrily. All creatures that breath have, praise the Lord. Alleluia." - Psalm 150

Solomon's Temple

I must have posted something like this before, but I've just come to the detailed description of King Solomon's Temple in my marathon Bible read and I adore the 3D reconstructions that are available online. Here's one, and you can follow the description in chapters six and seven of the third book of Kings (also called the second book of Kings in some Bibles). And here it gets a good soundtrack, too:

It's been a busy few days...

...and I'm going to miss Advent. It's been a little longer this year, for we've got quite a full fourth week of Advent. Sometimes you barely get two days. It appears that our Christmas Masses are all booked up, and we've just had two penitential hours, one at Mickleover and one here at Saint Joseph's. Parishioners have kindly helped decorate the tree in the church and erect the crib set in the Martyrs' chapel. A couple of knights of S. Columba rode in the other day and erected another crib set in the parish garden. It's good to see the number of people coming around increase. 

Masses continue at the church, but I've decided to stop listing the Mass intentions here; you would still find them on the newsletters, on the website. Please note that there are daily Masses for seven days after Christmas. This has been arranged to allow people who cannot attend on Christmas Day, for one reason or another, to attend a Christmas Mass during these few days, the eight days (including Christmas day) together being called the Christmas octave.

I'm afraid that we cannot crowd the church on Christmas day. However, please keep trying to book; as with any other booking system, it could be that people decide not to attend here and remember to unbook themselves, freeing up spaces.

Reading through the letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians

Continuing with my cover-to-cover read through the Bible, I have arrived at the end of Saint Paul's letter to the Colossians, a rather short letter and thankfully without any sign of the politics that had arisen in several of the other churches of the time, such as those of the Galatians and the Corinthians, because of other Christian missionaries presenting a rivalry to Paul's message with their attempts to initiate the new gentile Christians into Judaism. But the ghost of that problem still haunts even this letter, for Paul in the second chapter reminds the people that physical circumcision is not necessary for those who are spiritually circumcised. Colossae (of Phrygia in Asia Minor) was not a church built by Paul, although he seems to have corresponded with her by letter. He seems to have been familiar with them, for he mentions a Colossian catechist (and possible priest) called Epaphras who had spoken to Paul about the Colossians.

We could begin with the nice little christological prayer-poem that is inserted in the first chapter, which provides a short catechesis about the Person of Christ:

"Our prayer is, that you may be filled with that closer knowledge of God’s Will which brings all wisdom and all spiritual insight with it. May you live as befits His servants, waiting continually on His pleasure; may the closer knowledge of God bring you fruitfulness and growth in all good. May you be inspired, as His glorious power can inspire you, with full strength to be patient and to endure; to endure joyfully, thanking God our Father for making us fit to share the light which saints inherit, for rescuing us from the power of darkness, and transferring us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. In the Son of God, in His blood, we find the redemption that sets us free from our sins. He is the true likeness of the God we cannot see; His is that first birth which precedes every act of creation. Yes, in Him all created things took their being, heavenly and earthly, visible and invisible; what are thrones and dominions, what are princedoms and powers? They were all created through Him and in Him; He takes precedency of all, and in Him all subsist. He too is that Head whose body is the Church; it begins with Him, since His was the first birth out of death; thus in every way the primacy was to become His. It was God’s good pleasure to let all completeness dwell in Him, and through Him to win back all things, whether on earth or in heaven, into union with Himself, making peace with them through His blood, shed on the cross." - Colossians, 1: 9-20

All of this means incorporation into Christ and through Christ into God implies that we must be thoroughly grounded in the Faith. And Paul mentions the rather Catholic idea of 'offering up' our sufferings to God: 

"Even as I write, I am glad of my sufferings on your behalf, as, in this mortal frame of mine, I help to pay off the debt which the afflictions of Christ still leave to be paid, for the sake of his body, the Church." - Colossians, 1: 24

And all this in the first chapter is Paul's statement of faith, and his proclamation of Christ, the prelude to his demand for perfection among the Christians, to the ordering of their lives according to the traditions they had received. The Faith is rather simple, he says, and they shouldn't allow it to be complicated by the sophisms of human traditions. At this point, Paul plays the poet again, as he describes how the Church has moved beyond the practices of the Law of Moses - physical circumcision, the liturgical festivals of the Hebrews, etc. are all superceded by Christ and so are meaningless:

"In Christ the whole plenitude of Deity is embodied, and dwells in Him, and it is in Him that you find your completion; He is the fountain head from which all dominion and power proceed. In Him you have been circumcised with a circumcision that was not man’s handiwork. It was effected, not by despoiling the natural body, but by Christ’s circumcision; you, by baptism, have been united with His burial, united, too, with His resurrection, through your faith in that exercise of power by which God raised Him from the dead. And in giving life to Him, He gave life to you too, when you lay dead in your sins, with nature all uncircumcised in you. He condoned all your sins; cancelled the deed which excluded us, the decree made to our prejudice, swept it out of the way, by nailing it to the cross; and the dominions and powers he robbed of their prey, put them to an open shame, led them away in triumph, through Him. So no one must be allowed to take you to task over what you eat or drink, or in the matter of observing feasts, and new moons, and sabbath days; all these were but shadows cast by future events, the reality is found in Christ." - Colossians, 2: 9-15

God, in Christ, has cancelled out the Hebrew Law which had excluded the non-Jewish gentiles from the promises that He had made to mankind, thus robbing the dominions and powers (read devils) of these gentiles souls. So, let whoever wants to observe the Jewish feasts and fasts, the various minutiae of the prescriptions of the Law of Moses and so on, but the Colossian Christians are to allow such things to be imposed upon them. The Christian is risen with Christ, above these earthly-minded customs and traditions, and they must also be beyond the sins that are so common to the pagan society surrounding them, instead putting on Christ as a garment, taking on His character, giving birth to a unity that transcends race and kind:

"You must deaden, then, those passions in you which belong to earth, fornication and impurity, lust and evil desire, and that love of money which is an idolatry. These are what bring down God’s vengeance on the unbelievers, and such was your own behaviour, too, while you lived among them. Now it is your turn to have done with it all, resentment, anger, spite, insults, foul-mouthed utterance; and do not tell lies at one another’s expense. You must be quit of the old self, and the habits that went with it; you must be clothed in the new self, that is being refitted all the time for closer knowledge, so that the image of the God who created it is its pattern. Here is no more Gentile and Jew, no more circumcised and uncircumcised; no one is barbarian, or Scythian, no one is slave or free man; there is nothing but Christ in any of us. You are God’s chosen people, holy and well beloved; the livery you wear must be tender compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; you must bear with one another’s faults, be generous to each other, where somebody has given grounds for complaint; the Lord’s generosity to you must be the model of yours. And, to crown all this, charity; that is the bond which makes us perfect." - Colossians 3: 5-14

Also in chapter three come the instructions to families, to spouses and children, that are so much a part of catechesis even today, but are certainly controversial in current society, because of the language used in the relationship between spouses. But the Church was always far ahead of its time in the mutual affection that she demanded of Christians spouses. Mutual affection. Husbands, love your wives; wives love your husbands... and then, there is the instruction for slaves and masters. Faced with a social situation, such as that of the time, Paul was asking his Christians to be the most virtuous, most diligent that they could be.

"Wives must be submissive to their husbands, as the service of the Lord demands; and you, husbands, treat your wives lovingly, do not grow harsh with them. Children must be obedient to their parents in every way; it is a gracious sign of serving the Lord; and you, parents, must not rouse your children to resentment, or you will break their spirits. You who are slaves, give your human masters full obedience, not with that show of service which tries to win human favour, but single-mindedly, in fear of the Lord. Work at all your tasks with a will, reminding yourselves that you are doing it for the Lord, not for men; and you may be sure that the Lord will give the portion he has allotted you in return" - Colossians 3: 18-24

Far from approving of slavery then, Paul was simply acknowledging an existing social structure and moving the centre of interest towards Christ, and this is a rather christo-centric letter from the beginning to the end. Paul ends this section by saying that, after everybody has behaved well, he will be rewarded appropriately by God, for God has no human preferences when he deals out judgement for good and evil. Meanwhile, we are to be prayerful, thankful in prayer, awaiting opportunities to spread the Gospel, while being prudent and respectful about it: 

"Be prudent in your behaviour towards those who are not of your company; it is an opportunity you must eagerly grasp. Your manner of speaking must always be gracious, with an edge of liveliness, ready to give each questioner the right answer." - Colossians 4: 5-6

The last part of the letter draws various influential characters of the Church of that time together in a delightful way. There is Tychicus, who was mentioned also in the letter to the Ephesians; there is Onesimus, who was that slave of Philemon, regarding whom Paul wrote that short letter to Philemon; there is John Mark, cousin of Saint Barnabas, whom we know as Saint Mark, the author of one of our Gospels; and there is Saint Luke, here called the Physician, close friend of Paul's and known to us through his Gospel and his Acts of the Apostles. And that's the end of this review.

Christmas Masses

As I've said often enough, we have become very dependent on volunteer stewards to have the church opened for Masses. As I also say often enough, this is not my doing - my hands are tied by the decisins made by the Bishop and the Diocese. Daily Masses continue, but I need those stewards to have the church doors opened, and for those private Masses to become public Masses. 

That said, our existing band of stewards have come together to make Christmas Masses possible. And I have programmed three Masses for Christmas, one at 18.00 on Christmas eve (Thursday the 24th), one at 00.00 on Christmas Day (the midnight Mass, obviously), and one at 10.30 on Christmas day. The Holy Father had seen fit to allow priests to say four Masses on Christmas day (normally, we are allowed to say only three). So there will be a fourth, but in the absence of stewards on Christmas morning it will be a private Mass. I should add that the Syro-Malabar community have organised the divine liturgy at 21.00 on Christmas eve. So we're nicely stocked, as below:

• Vigil Mass, 18.00, Christmas eve
• Syro-Malabar Holy Qurbana, 21.00, Christmas eve
• Midnight Mass, 00.00, Christmas day
• First day Mass, 8.00, Christmas day (private only)
• Second day Mass, 10.30, Christmas day

Booking is still vital, and we use the common site created for the Diocese.

Catholic line art

When I was a boy, all my joy in books was from the artwork they contained. I still retain that delight, and my favourite books are the ones that attempt at least some type of illustration, or that have inspired illustrators and artists, whose work can be found online. Back then, it was easier and cheaper to reproduce art in colour, and the illustrations were all done in pen and ink - ideal for the kiddies to colour in. The Bible is a wonderful source for the best artwork our artists have produced in the past. But such dramatic and favoured stories as Tolkien's classics, the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, Copperfield's classics, etc. But what I want to talk about and publish here are examples of Catholic line art, which used to and still often do decorate our devotional books, our missals and our Bibles. I'm going to set out five examples of what I appreciate, and I would suggest that they would be more useful for the formation of our children and young people than the usual childrens-cartoon-type artwork we see in bookshops these days. Good art educates, and it does a better job than reams of text, and it works on both children and older people.

Let's start with the Blessed Trinity:

As a child, I was mesmerised by the precision in the depiction of flowing garments, whether these were worn by men and women, or by angels with trumpets. It's what got me to start drawing, too, although I never understood that drapery is drawn over bodies that are drawn anatomically-perfect first. So my figures were always out of proportion and ugly. Here's a Christ Reigning:

The realism of these Western icons is unique, for, in the Christian East, iconography is rather more stylised and can sometimes resemble what we Westerners would call caricature. But, once more, for a child of ten or eleven, that realism gave a credibility to the figures I knew about so well in the stories in my catechism classes and children's bible stories. Here's what I think is the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin in heaven, because those nice angels have crowns in their hands:

These were the types of line art we would have in our devotional books. The last two pictures in this post are one each from two of my favourite wood-cut and engraving artists. Prints made from wood-cuts and later from metal dies were for centuries the best way of making mass-copies of beautiful drawings. The first artist I have selected is the German Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) and this Crowning with Thorns is only one of a multitude of prints he created, always with his distinctive signature included:

The second engraver I wanted to mention is the Frenchman Gustav Doré (1832-1883), who created several extremely-detailed prints of Old Testament stories. Here's only one - the patriarch Jacob wrestling with an angel - but there are several more available to view online and to purchase as prints.

Reading through the second book of Kings (aka. the second book of Samuel)

Continuing on with the Bible in a year (enthusiasm is bringing down the 'year' to ten months), although, I may get bogged down once I hit the prophets Isaiah and Ezechiel. There's a lot of material to cover there. But first, I must get past the legends of the kings of Israel and Juda, the first truly great king being David, the musician-shepherd-warrior. This second book of the Kings (often called the second book of Samuel) starts with the aftermath of the fall of King Saul, who had been grievously wounded on the battlefield at Gelboe, and whose body and those of his sons had been dishonoured by the Philistines at Bethsan. The bodies were recovered and buried honourably in Galaad. And now we continue with the story, as David slowly draws the tribes to himself, overcoming a fierce loyalty of the northern tribes and the tribe of Benjamin to the family of King Saul. David had already ingratiated himself to the people of Iuda at the end of the last book, by sharing with the them the spoils of his successful war against the Amalecites, who had raided much of the south country. 

"When David reached Siceleg, he sent presents to the elders of the neighbouring cities in Juda, bidding them accept his offering taken out of the spoil of the Lord’s enemies." - I Kings, 30: 26

And they were anyway of his clan, and family, so there was family affinity. It wasn't so easy with the northern tribes of primarily Ephraim and Manasses east and Manasses west. For instance, David tries to congratulate Manasses east on risking their lives to secure the bodies of Saul and his sons for burial; no reply to this act of what I consider good diplomacy is recorded, however. 

"And when David heard how the men of Jabes-Galaad had given Saul burial, he sent messengers to say, 'The Lord’s blessing on you, for the faithfulness you have shewn to Saul, your master, in thus burying him; may the Lord make return to you for your loyalty and kindliness! I too will prove myself grateful for it. Strong be those arms of yours, keep your courage high; now that you no longer have Saul to rule over you, the tribe of Juda has anointed me to be its king.'" - II Kings, 2: 4-7

Meanwhile David mourned and lamented publicly the death of the king who had tried so hard to kill him:

"This is the lament David made over Saul and his son Jonathan, and would have this lament of his, 'The Bow, taught to the sons of Juda; the words of it are to be found in the Book of the Upright. 'Remember, Israel, the dead, wounded on thy heights, the flower of Israel, cut down on thy mountains; how fell they, warriors such as these? Keep the secret in Geth, never a word in the streets of Ascalon; shall the women-folk rejoice, shall they triumph, daughters of the Philistine, the uncircumcised? Mountains of Gelboe, never dew, never rain fall upon you, never from your lands be offering made of first-fruits; there the warrior’s shield lies dishonoured, the shield of Saul, bright with oil no more...'" - II Kings, 1: 17-21

After a long period, during which David ruled only over Juda, at Hebron in the south, the kingship of the northern tribe was almost handed to him on a platter soon afterwards, by Saul's cousin and military general Abner, who had fallen into disagreement with Saul's son Isboseth. 

"But Saul had left a concubine, Respha the daughter of Aia; and of her Isboseth said to Abner, 'What, wouldst thou mate with my father’s concubine?' And he, greatly angered by Isboseth’s words, cried out, 'I have made all Juda shun me like a carrion-dog, by befriending the line of thy father Saul, his kindred and his court, instead of giving thee up to David; and am I to be called to account this day over a woman? God punish Abner as he deserves and more than he deserves, if I do not fulfil the promise which the Lord made to David; the kingship shall be taken away from Saul’s line, and David shall reign over Israel and Juda alike, from Dan to Bersabee!'" - II Kings, 3:7-10

But, unfortunately, Abner happened to kill the Asael, the brother of David's military general, Joab, and was drawn into a trap and killed. David diplomatically distanced himself from that act of treachery, held a public funeral for Abner at Hebron and had Joab mourn publicly on that occasion, too.

"And Joab left the royal presence to send messengers after Abner, summoning him back, without David’s knowledge, from the Pool of Sira. No sooner had Abner come back to Hebron than Joab took him aside, there in the gates, under pretence of speaking with him, and smote him in the groin, avenging by that death the death of his brother Asael. It was all over when David heard of it, and he cried, 'Never shall I or my kingdom be held answerable for Abner’s death! On Joab’s head let the guilt fall, and on all his line; let the line of Joab never want a man that has a running at the reins, or is a leper, or works at the distaff like a woman, or falls in battle, or begs his bread.' Thus Joab and his brother Abisai murdered Abner, who had slain their brother Asael in the fighting at Gabaon. As for David, he bade Joab and his men tear their garments and put on sackcloth, and go mourning at Abner’s funeral; he himself followed the bier, and wept aloud over Abner’s tomb at Hebron, where they buried him; all the people, too, were in tears." - II Kings, 3: 26-32

The rivalry between the families of David and Saul continued for years, but when Saul's son Isboseth was treacherously murdered, the northern tribes joined with Juda at Hebron and acclaimed David as king of a united Israel. 

"After this, all the tribes of Israel rallied to David at Hebron; 'We are kith and kin of thine,' they said. It is not so long since Israel marched under thy orders, when Saul was still reigning; and the Lord has promised thee that thou shouldst be its shepherd and its captain.' And so the elders of Israel went to his court at Hebron; and there, at Hebron, in the Lord’s presence, David made a covenant with them, and they anointed him king of Israel. He was thirty years old when his reign began, and it lasted forty years;" - II Kings, 5: 1-4

Thus began a triumphant few years for the Israelites as David extended his power in every direction, creating a kingdom that would only again cover that same territory under the reign of Herod the Great (although then under the protection of the Roman Empire), just before and during the time of the infancy of Christ. The next great move of King David was to acquire his capital city and citadel (chapter five). He moved against the Jebusites, whose capital Jebus would become the Jerusalem we know and love. David then became the prosperous middle-Eastern type of king that we could imagine, with his army of crack troops moving out in raids and invasions to extend his power (although often enough, these troops led by the king himself), while he remained in Jerusalem. After this, David proceeded to move the Ark of the Covenant from its resting place at Abinadab's house in Gabaa to a special tabernacle construction he had prepared for it at Jerusalem. 

"When the ark had been brought into the city, they put it down at the appointed place, in the midst of a tabernacle which David had there spread out for it; and David brought burnt-sacrifices and welcome-offerings into the Lord’s presence there. Then, when his offering was done, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts, and gave to every Israelite, man or woman, a roll of bread and a piece of roast beef and a flour cake fried in oil; and with that, the people dispersed to their homes." - II Kings, 6: 17-19

This was an important move on David's part, for he made his new capital Jerusalem not only the centre of the secular power, but the centre of the national religious cult. Much later on, the kings would declare that sacrifice could only be offered at Jerusalem, as suggested by the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy, 12: 4-11), and smaller shrines and temples would lose their significance, shifting the religious centre further towards Jerusalem. David must have wanted to give this religious centre more permanence, for he wanted to build a wooden temple as a shrine for the Ark, but he learnt from the prophet Nathan that it was far too soon.

"'This message, then, thou wilt give to My servant David from the Lord of hosts: Out in the pasture-lands, where thou wast tending the sheep, I summoned thee away to bear rule over My people Israel; go where thou wouldst, I was ever at thy side, exterminating thy enemies to make room for thee, granting thee such renown as only comes to the greatest on earth. Henceforth My people are to have a settled home, taking root in it and remaining in undisturbed possession of it, no longer harassed by godless neighbours, as they have been ever since I first gave Israel judges to rule them. No longer shall thy enemies trouble thee; and this too the Lord promises, that He will grant thy line continuance. So, when thy days are ended, and thou art laid to rest beside thy fathers, I will grant thee for successor a son of thy own body, established firmly on his throne. He it is that shall build a house to do My Name honour. I will prolong for ever his royal dynasty; he shall find in mMe a Father, and I in him a son. If he plays Me false, be sure I will punish him; ever for man the rod, ever for Adam’s sons the plagues of mortality; but I will not cancel My merciful promise to him, as I cancelled My promise to Saul, the king that was banished from My favour.'" - II Kings, 7: 8-15

Meanwhile, David had finally subdued the Philistines in the south-west, who had plagued Saul, and, after some exertion, the Ammonites in the east and the Syrians in the north-east as well. All this is the substance of chapters eight and ten. He honoured the son of Jonathan, Saul's son, for his old friendship with Jonathan, making him part of the royal household.

"Then the king sent to fetch Siba, that had been serving-man to Saul. 'All that belonged to Saul,' he told him, 'all the household that once was his, I have given to thy master’s heir. Do thou, then, and thy sons, and the servants under thee, till the lands for him, and bring in its revenues to maintain him. He, Miphiboseth, thy master’s heir, shall evermore sit down to eat at my table.' This Siba had fifteen sons, and twenty servants under him, and he told David, 'My lord king, I am at thy service to do thy bidding.' So Miphiboseth ate at the king’s table, as if he had been one of the king’s own sons." - II Kings, 9: 9-11

David's upward career suffered two setbacks, which the chronicle connect with two great sins. The second was his daring to conduct a census of the people, possibly with a mind to setting them to work for the royal house (chapter 25). But the first was not quite the act of adultery which he committed with Bethsabee, the wife of Urias the Hethite, but with his careful contrivance to have Urias killed before the adultery became public knowledge and brought shame to the king.

"And Nathan said to David, 'Thou art the man.' 'Here is a message for thee,' said he, 'from the Lord God of Israel: I anointed thee king of Israel, I saved thy life when Saul threatened it; I gave thee thy master’s goods to enjoy, thy master’s wives to cherish in thy bosom; all Israel and Juda are in thy power, and if that were not enough, more should be thine for the asking. And thou, wouldst thou defy the Lord’s commandment, and do the wrong He hates, putting Urias the Hethite to the sword, so as to take his wife for thy own? The men of Ammon struck the blow, but thou art his murderer. For the wrong thou hast done in robbing Urias the Hethite of his wife, to make her thine, murder shall be the heirloom of thy own race. This is the Lord’s message to thee: I mean to stir up rebellion against thee in thy own household; before thy very eyes take thy own wives from thee and give them to another, that shall bed them in the full light of yonder sun. Thou didst go to work secretly; when this threat of mine is fulfilled, all Israel and yonder sun shall witness it." - II Kings, 12: 7-12

The son Bethsabee had borne died in infancy, but strikingly she later gave him his heir, Solomon, who became an ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is often remarked that some of the most notorious of human errors are found in the very human heritage of Christ. The next few chapters tell the sorry story of David's son Absalom's sedition and attempt to usurp the kingship from his father (chapters thirteen through eighteen). All I could remember before I completed this rereading of the story was the ignominy of Absalom's death: he was riding a donkey (probably a pretence of kingship) and got his head stuck in the branches of a tree, so the donkey marched on and left him hanging. David's general Joab promptly dispatched him, to the deep sorrow of the king. But David recovered his throne and the loyalty of all those who had gone over to Absalom. But in all of this, and as David grew older and lost his strength and agility, the book tells of how his hand-picked fighting men in several companies were vital to his maintaining his power. So we hear of Ioab, who had captained the army of Juda, but now took over the same role for the army of Israel united; we hear of Banaias son of Joiada, who captained the company of the Cerethites and Phelethites. Other champions of the Israelite army are named, chiefly the Three, who accomplished great deeds among thirty other super-soldiers of the king.

"Once, when it was harvest-time, these three, the foremost of the Thirty, were at the king’s side in the cave of Odollam; the Philistines had encamped in the Valley of the Giants, and David kept close in his stronghold. The Philistines had a garrison at this time in Bethlehem: and now David, overcome with longing, said aloud, 'Oh for a cup of water from the well by Bethlehem gate!' Whereupon the three champions broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well by the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it to David. Instead of drinking it, he poured it out as a libation to the Lord; 'The Lord be merciful to me,' said he, 'never that! That were to drink men’s blood; they brought it at the peril of their lives; it is not for my drinking.' Such were the feats of the three first champions." - II Kings, 23: 13-17

The book ends with David's acquiring the land and building an altar where would eventually stand both the first Temple (Solomon's Temple) and, when that was destroyed in 587 BC, the second Temple, which would stand until it was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. Truly, David could be glad for all the support he had received throughout his life, primarily from God. And chapter 22 of the book is a great hymn of thanksgiving to God, further immortalised as Psalm 17(18) in the Book of Psalms. And with this psalm, I leave this commentary on the career of the greatest king of Israel, David son of Jesse the Bethlehemite.

"Shall I not love Thee, Lord, my only Defender? The Lord is my Rock-fastness, my Stronghold, my Rescuer; to God, my Hiding-place, I flee for safety; He is my shield, my Weapon of deliverance, my Refuge. Praised be the Lord! When I invoke His Name, I am secure from my enemies. All about me surged the waves of death, deep flowed the perilous tide, to daunt me; the grave had caught me in its toils, deadly snares had trapped my feet. One cry to the Lord, in my affliction, one word of summons to my God, and He, from His sanctuary, listened to my voice; the complaint I made before Him found a hearing..." - Psalm 17(18): 2-7