Creeds (3)

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father.* With the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. AMEN.

*Roman Catholics and Protestants add ‘and the Son’ at this point.

In the first three centuries, the church was often forced into secrecy and seclusion. As a result, it was fraught with theological disputes and differences, especially concerning the divinity of  Christ.

When Constantine won control of the Roman Empire in 312 A.D., he elevated Christianity to favored status. He soon discovered the fractured state of the church and what it believed. To bring a unity, he convened a council in the year 325 that met in the city of Nicaea. Out of that convention came the Nicene Creed, which is still a standard of belief for many Christian churches.

 The reference to "the holy catholic Church" in both the Nicene and Apostle's Creeds refers to the universal church, not the denomination.

JOURNEY BLESSING

JOURNEY BLESSING

Bless to me, O God,

The earth beneath my foot.

Bless to me, O God,

The path whereon I go ;

Bless to me, O God,

The thing of my desire ;

Thou Evermore of evermore.

Bless Thou to me my rest.

Bless to me the thing

Whereon is set my mind,

Bless to me the thing

Whereon is set my love ;

Bless to me the thing

Whereon is set my hope ;

O Thou King of kings,

Bless Thou to me mine eye. 

graphic: M Culver

Creeds (2)

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; 
he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,the communion of saints.the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

For hundreds of years Christians believed that this the simplest and least dogmatic of the earlier creeds was composed by the the twelve apostles, so much so that  the widely known creed bears their name. According to an ancient theory, the twelve composed the creed with each apostle adding a clause to form the whole.

Today practically all scholars understand this theory of apostolic composition to be legendary. Nevertheless, many continue to think of the creed as apostolic in nature because its basic teachings are agreeable to the theological formulations of the apostolic age.

The full form in which the creed now appears stems from about 700 AD. However, segments of it are found in Christian writings dating as early as the second century. The most important predecessor of the Apostles' Creed was the Old Roman Creed, which was probably developed during the second half of the second century.

Brendan (484 -577)

The Voyage of Saint Brendan

The earliest extant version of The Voyage of Saint Brendan was recorded around 900 AD. There are over 100 manuscripts of the story across Europe, as well as many additional translations. The Voyage of Saint Brendan is an overtly Christian narrative, but also contains narratives of natural phenomena and fantastical events and places, which appealed to a broad populace. The Voyage of Saint Brendan contains many parallels and inter-textual references to the Voyage of Bran and the Voyage of Mael Duin.

A Chapter Synopsis:

1. Saint Barrid tells of his visit to the Island of Paradise, which prompts Brendan to go in search of the isle.
2. Brendan assembles 14 monks to accompany him.
3. They fast at 3-day intervals for 40 days, and visit Saint Enda for 
 

 
1. Three latecomers join the group. They interfere with Brendan's sacred numbers.
2. They find an island with a dog, mysterious hospitality (no people, but food left out), and an Ethiopian devil.
3. One latecomer admits to having stolen from the mysterious island, Brendan exorcises the Ethiopian devil from the latecomer, latecomer dies and is buried.
4. They find an island with a boy who brings them bread and water.
5. They find an island of sheep, eat some, and stay for Holy Week (before Easter).
6. They find the island of Jasconius, have Easter Mass, and hunt whales and fish.
7. They find an island that is the Paradise of Birds, and the birds sing psalms and praise the Lord.
8. They find the island of the monks of Ailbe, with magic loaves, no aging, and complete silence. They celebrate Christmas.
9. A long voyage after Lent. They find an island with a well, and drinking the water puts them to sleep for 1, 2, or 3 days based on the number of cups each man drank.
10. They find a "coagulated" sea.                                                                      
11. They return to the islands of Sheep, Jasconius, and the Paradise of Birds. A bird prophesies that the men must continue this year-long cycle for seven years before they will be holy enough to reach the Island of Paradise.
12. A sea creature approaches the boat, but God shifts the sea to protect the men. Another sea creature comes, chops the first into three pieces, and leaves. The men eat the dead sea creature.
13. They find an island of 3 choirs of anchorites (monks), who give them fruit, and the second latecomer stays behind when the others leave.
14. They find an island of grapes, and stayed for 40 days.
15. They find a gryphon and a bird battle. The gryphon dies.
16. To the monastery at Ailbe again for Christmas.
17. The sea is clear, and many threatening fish circle their boat, but God protects them.
18. They find an island, but when they light a fire, the island sinks; it is actually a whale.
19. They pass a "silver pillar wrapped in a net" in the sea.
20. They pass an island of blacksmiths, who throw slag at them.
21. They find a volcano, and the third latecomer is taken by demons down to Hell.
22. They find Judas sitting unhappily on a cold, wet rock in the middle of the sea, and discover that this is his respite from Hell for Sundays and feast days. Brendan protects Judas from the demons of Hell for one night.
23. They find an island where Paul the Hermit has lived a perfect monastic life for 60 years. He wears nothing but hair and is fed by an otter.
24. They return to the island of Sheep, Jasconius, and the Paradise of Birds.
25. They find the Promised Land of the Saints.
26. They return home, and Brendan dies.
Graphis; various printings of the Navigatio Sancti Brendani /the voyage of Brendan

Brendan in Living water from ancient well

Anam Cara (Part 4a)

Seven Characteristics of Soul Friendship gleaned from the lives of the Celtic Saints (1-5)

1st. soul friendship is associated with great affection, intimacy and depth

As we learn in a passage from the eighth-century Liber Angeli (Book of the Angel): "Between holy Patrick and Brigit, pillars of the Irish, there existed so great a friendship of charity that they were of one heart and one mind." Soul friends share what the Greeks and Romans, as well as early church Fathers and Mothers, equate with true friendship itself: one soul in two bodies, two hearts united as one. In the hagiographies, this intimacy is manifest in ordinary emotions and simple gestures. Saint Brendan, for example, smiles warmly when he thinks of Ita, his foster-mother, and Ita, in turn, experiences the slow passage of time when Brendan is away; Finnian calls his student Ciaran "O little heart" and "dear one" and blesses him before Ciaran leaves the monastery of Clonard; Brendan and Ruadan build their cells near one another so that they can hear the ringing of each other's bells.

2nd. Soul friend relationships are characterized by mutuality:

A profound respect for each others wisdom, despite any age or gender difference, and the awareness that the other person is a source of many blessingstipify these relationships. This quality of mutuality is expressed symbolically in the stories by an exchange of gifts. Brigit gives Finnian a ring. Columcille sends the holy virgin Maugina a little pine box that helps cure her. David of Wales gives Findbarr his horse. Mutuality is also manifest in Brigit's and Brendan's confession to each other. In a story from the Life of Saint Ciaran as he prepares for death we see this quality vividly displayed:

When the time of his death at the age of thirty-three drew near to the holy Ciaran in his little church, he said: "Let me be carried to a small height." When he looked up at the sky and the vast open air above his head, he said, "Terrible is the way of dying." Then angels went to meet his soul, filling as they did all the space between heaven and earth. He was carried back into the little church, and raising his hands, he blessed his people. Then he told the brethren to shut him up in the church until Kevin should come from Glendalough. After three days, Kevin arrived... At once Ciaran's spirit returned from heaven and reentered his body so that he could commune with Kevin and welcome him. The two friends stayed together from the one watch to another, engaged in mutual conversation, and strengthened their friendship. Then Ciaran blessed Kevin, and Kevin blessed water and administered the Eucharist to Ciaran. Ciaran gave his bell to Kevin as a sign of their lasting unity, which today is called Coimgen's Boban [Kevin's Bell].

3rd Soul friends share common values, A common vision of reality and a common intuition

Both vision and intuition are referred to in the story of Ciaran and his spiritual mentor, Enda:

After that Ciaran went to the island of Aran to commune with Enda. Both of them saw the same vision of a great fruitful tree growing beside a stream in the middle of Ireland. This tree protected the entire island, and its fruit crossed the sea that surrounded Ireland, and the birds of the world came to carry off some of that fruit. Ciaran turned to Enda and told him what he had seen, and Enda, in turn, said to him: "The great tree that you saw is you, Ciaran, for you are great in the eyes of God and of men. All of Ireland will be sheltered by the grace that is in you, and many people will be fed by your fasting and prayers. So, go in the name of the God to the centre of Ireland, and found your church on the banks of a stream."

4th Soul friendships include not only affirmation, but the ability of each to challenge the other when necessary.

This facility is sometimes the most difficult aspect of any intimate relationship, but without it the friendship can soon become superficial, stunted, and eventually lost. The story of a holy woman's courage in confronting someone whom she admires provides a good example of this aspect of soul friendship as does the willingness of Senan, an older man, to change:

Canair the Pious, a holy woman living in the south of Ireland, set up a hermitage in her own territory. One night, while she was praying, all the churches of Ireland appeared to her in a vision. It seemed as if a tower of fire rose up to heaven from each of the churches. The highest of the towers of fire, and the straightest towards heaven was that which rose from Inis Cathaig [Scattery Island]. "Fair is Senan's cell," Canair said. "I will go there, that my resurrection may be near it."... Senan knew that she was coming, and he went to the harbour to meet and welcome her. "Yes, I have come," Canair told him. "Go," said Senan, "to your sister who lives on the island to the east of this one, so that you may be her guest."

"That is not why I came," said Canair, "but that I may find hospitality with you on this island. "Women cannot enter on this island," Senan replied. "How can you say that?" asked Canair. "Christ is no worse than you. Christ came to redeem women no less than to redeem men. He suffered for the sake of women as much as for the sake of men. Women as well as men can enter the heavenly kingdom. Why, then, should you not allow women to live on this island?"

"You are persistent," said Senan."Well then," Canair replied, "will I get what I ask for? Will you give me a place to live on this island and the holy sacrament of Eucharist?"

"Yes, Canair, a place of resurrection will be given you here," said Senan. She came on shore then, and received the Sacrament from Senan, and immediately went to heaven.

adapted from material by Edward Snellar

Ed Sellner is a professor of pastoral theology and spirituality. He is director of the Master of Arts in Theology at the College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, Minnesota. He has written numerous articles on Celtic Spirituality, and is the author of Mentoring: the Ministry of Spiritual Kinship; Soul-Making, Wisdom of the Celtic Saints , and most recently, Father and Son.

A W Tozer (1897 - 1963)

 Born on a small farming in western Pennsylvania, Tozer became a follower of Christ as a teenager in Akron, Ohio while listening to a street pracher.

Five years after his conversion, and without formal theological training, He acceptecd his first pastorate, a small storefront church in Nutter Fort, West Virginia. This began 44 years of ministry in association with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Tozer served as pastor for 30 years at Southside Alliance Church, in Chicago (1928 to 1959. The final years of his life were spent in Toronto Canada as Pastor of the Avenue Road Christian and Missionary Alliance Church.

Along with being editor of the Alliance Weekly magazine Tozer penned more than 40 books. At least two of which are considered Christian classics: The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy. His books impress on the reader the possibility and necessity for a deeper relationship with God. He has become a protestant connection to the rich stream of Christian Mystacisim and a spiritual mentor to many.

Tozer and his wife Ada Cecelia Pfautz had seven children, six boys and one girl. Living a simple and non-materialistic lifestyle they never owned a car and preferring bus and train travel. Tozer gained noteriaty as a writer and speaker yet He signed away most of his royalties to the poor.

He is buried in Ellet Cemetery, Akron, Ohio. A simple epitaph marking his grave: "A. W. Tozer - A Man of God."

Mother's Day Blessing

   Mother
 
    pearl of great price,

    too often we have taken you for granted.

    May the Holy Trinity protect you

    May the Three of limitless love renew you

    so that

    An island shall you be in our seas

    A light you shall be in our nights

    A well you shall be in our deserts

    until heaven’s arms enfold you, too.



 a Celtic blessing for mothers, taken from Celtic Blessings: Prayers for Everyday Life. This is offered  to all   the amazing women in the world who have journeyed the path of motherhood. Happy Mother’s Day!

graphic: our daughter Kartikka and two of our nine grand babies

Creeds (1)

A creed is a statement or confession of belief or faith often recited as part of a religious service. The word comes from the Latin: credo for I believe and credimus for we believe.

The most definitive creed in Christianity is the Nicene Creed, formulated in AD 325 at the first of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. Affirmation of this creed, which describes the Trinity, is generally taken as a fundamental test of orthodoxy. The Apostle's Creed is broadly accepted.

Some Christian communities including Unitarians, Quakers, Baptists, and Restorationists reject the authority of creeds.

There is a place in many liturgies for the declaration of a creed. Through out June we'll post a selection of creeds ancient and more recent... they're great for lectio divina and other occassions as well.



living water reprint from 2008

Julian of Norwich (1342 - 1316)

Julian of Norwich is considered one of the foremost Christian mystics. Very little is known of her early  life, including her birth name. She was an English anchoress (similar to a hermit).  She may have been from a privileged family in or around Norwich  Norfolk. At the age of 31, suffering from a severe illness and believing she was on her deathbed, Julian had a series of intense visions of Christ. They ended by the time she recovered from her illness on 13 May 1373. She was at home during her near death experience, and gives no mention of her personal life up until that point. Julian wrote down a narration of the visions immediately following them, which is known as The Short Text. Twenty to thirty years later she wrote a theological exploration of the meaning of the visions, known as The Long Text. These visions are the source of her major work, called Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love (ca. 1393). This is considered by many scholars to be the first book written in the English language by a women.  Julian became well known throughout England as a spiritual director to both men and women. The English mystic Margery Kempe, in her  autobiography, the first written in England , mentions going to Norwich to speak with Julian.  The Norwich Benedictine and Cardinal of England Adam Easton  may have been her spiritual director and editor of her Long Text.

Her theology was optimistic, speaking of God's love in terms of joy and compassion rather than law and duty. Suffering is not seen as punishment that God inflicts.  rather it is part of a transformational process that could facilitate a revaluation of Gods compassion and love. She believed that God loves everyone and desires  to 'save" all. The popular theology of the day interpreted current events including the black death as God punishing the wicked. In response, Julian suggested a more merciful theology. She believed that behind the reality of hell  is a greater mystery of God's love.

Her theology was unique in three aspects: Her view of sin. Her belief that God is all love and no wrath. And her view of Christ as mother. According to Julian, God is both our mother and our father. This idea was also developed by Francis of Assisi in the thirteenth century.  The harmony Julian suggests between the motherly and fatherly qualities of God/Christ have greatly influenced modern feminist theologians.  

Julian taught that humans sin because they are ignorant or naive, not because they are evil or depraved, as  was the  commonly held view of sin during the Middle Ages. Julian believed that in order to learn, we must fail. . The pain caused by sin is an earthly reminder of the pain of the Passion of Christ. Therefore, as people suffer as Christ did, they have the opportunity to draw closer to Him by their experiences.

 Similarly, Julian saw no wrath in God. She believed wrath existed only in humans. She writes, “For I saw no wrath except on man's side, and He forgives that in us, for wrath is nothing else but a perversity and an opposition to peace and to love”. Julian believed that it was inaccurate to speak of God's granting forgiveness for sins because forgiving would mean that committing the sin was wrong. Julian preached that sin should be seen as a part of the learning process of life, not malice that needed forgiveness. Julian writes that God sees us as perfect and waits for the day when humans' souls mature so that evil and sin will no longer hinder one's life. 

 Probably her most controversial theological concept  was her belief in God as mother. Though most scholars read  this as  a metaphor, rather than a dogma. In her fourteenth revelation, Julian writes of the Trinity in domestic terms, comparing Jesus to a mother who is wise, loving, and merciful.  Julian's revelation revealed that God is our mother as much as He is our father. She also connects God with motherhood in terms of (1) "the foundation of our nature's creation, (2) "the taking of our nature, where the motherhood of grace begins" and (3) "the motherhood at work", and writes metaphorically of Jesus in connection with conception, nursing, labor, and upbringing. However, she sees him as our brother and husband as well.

 The saying, "…All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well", which Julian claimed to be said to her by God Himself, reflects her theology. It is one of the most famous lines in Catholic / Anglican theological writing. And one of the best-known phrases of the literature of her era

 Julian is remembered with a feast day on May 13 in the Roman Catholic tradition and on May 8 in the Anglican and Lutheran traditions.

graphics: upper left, an early depiction of Julian in her cell, lower right a page from the Divine Revalation of Love

living water reprint from 2010

I See His Blood

 

I see His Blood Upon the Rose,

I see his blood upon the rose
And in the stars the glory of his eyes,
His body gleams amid eternal snows,
His tears fall from the skies.

I see his face in every flower;
The thunder and the singing of the birds
Are but his voice – and carven by his power
Rocks are his written words.

All pathways by his feet are worn,
His strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea,
His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn,
His cross is every tree.

                  by Joseph Mary Plunkett