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“Happy Epiphany (season) – 2025!”

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“*Triumph of the Innocents,” emphasizing the link between suffering, salvation, and **hope**,*..

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Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

The Book of Common Prayer says that by sharing Holy Communion, Christians become “very members incorporate in the mystical body” of Jesus. The words “corporate” and “mystical” are key. They show that a healthy church has two sides, with the often-overlooked “mystic” side posing the question, “How do I experience God?” This blog will try to answer that.

It has four main themes. The first is that God will accept anyone. (John 6:37.) The second is that God wants us to live lives of abundance.(John 10:10.) The third is that Jesus wants us to read the Bible with an open mind. (As it says in Luke 24:45: “Then He [Jesus] opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”) The fourth theme – another one often overlooked – is that Jesus wants us to do even greater miracles than He did. (John 14:12.)

And this thought ties them together:

The best way to live abundantly and do greater miracles than Jesus is: Read, study and apply the Bible with an open mind. For more see the notes or – to expand your mind – see the Intro.

In the meantime:

Last year I posted on December 17, 2023, but then not again until January 6, 2024. This year I last posted on December 31, ’24, and it’s now January 12, 2025, so I’m getting a bit better. (A 12-day lapse instead of 20.) I also had better luck this past December, driving up to Massachusetts and back, for a family Christmas up there and then one down here in the ATL.

Back in December ’23, driving home, I caught some kind of nasty bug in Wilkes-Barre PA, which led to a “sore throat of Biblical proportions.” Which became a long period of recuperation when I could hardly swallow. (Helped in large part by “generic NyQuil, DayQuil, and lots of new-discovered Vicks VapoCOOL Severe cough drops.” By the way – I wrote – “Those things work great!“) But before getting back to Epiphany ’25, a word about the lead painting above.

The painting recalls the Massacre of the Innocents, from the Feast Day back on December 28, the fourth of the 12 Days of Christmas. I’ll have more on that in a few, but it reminds us that with Jesus, our times of suffering lead to the ultimate hope of redemption. (Not that there’s any connection to current events or anything.) And speaking of 12 days of Christmas, the Feast of Epiphany – celebrated each January 6 – officially ends that shortest of church seasons:

The Twelve Days of Christmas is the festive Christian season beginning on Christmas Day … that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, as the Son of God. This period is also known as Christmastide… The Feast of the Epiphany is on 6 January [and] celebrates the visit of the Wise Men (Magi) and their bringing of gifts to the child Jesus. In some traditions, the feast of Epiphany and Twelfth Day [or “Twelfth Night”] overlap.

Which covers a lot of ground and leads to another tidbit: Aside from being The Epiphany, January 6 and some days close to it – sometimes they overlap – include Plough Monday, Three Kings Day (as in, “We Three Kings of Orient are”), and – as noted – Twelfth Night. To review, the Epiphany “celebrates the revelation of God the Son as human in Jesus Christ:”

The observance [of Epiphany] was a general celebration of the manifestation of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. It included the commemoration of his birth; the visit of the Magi[and] all of Jesus’ childhood events, up to and including his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist…

One of those “childhood events” in the life of Jesus was His having to get circumcised. (A subject “good Christians” don’t like to talk about much.) That event is celebrated each January 1, as the eighth day after Jesus was born. (Assuming that happened on Christmas Eve.)

On January 1st, we celebrate the Circumcision of Christ. Since we are more squeamish than our ancestors, modern calendars often list it as the feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, but the other emphasis is the older. Every Jewish boy was circumcised (and formally named) on the eighth day of his life, and so, one week after Christmas, we celebrate the occasion when Our Lord first shed His blood for us. It is a fit close for a week of martyrs, and reminds us that to suffer for Christ is to suffer with Him. (E.A.)

So much for reviewing some of the 12 Days of Christmas, but one more thing: January 6 also starts the Season of Epiphany, which runs from the day of Epiphany to Ash Wednesday. (In 2025 it comes on March 5, almost a month later than 2024’s February 14, Valentine’s Day, which I found highly ironic if not incongruous.) And Ash Wednesday starts the season of Lent.

Put another way, Epiphanytide runs from January 6 to the Tuesday just before Ash Wednesday, what we call Mardi Gras. (Which in turn means this year Easter comes on April 20.) But, do you see a pattern here? Mardi Gras, Lent and then Easter? These alternating times reflect how life moves in cycles, as shown in both secular politics and the Spiritual Calendar of the Church. And we too tend to alternate between times of spiritual challenge – when our faith is sorely tested – followed by a celebration of the spiritual growth we just experienced.

Or put it this way: “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” A time to be born and a time to die. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to keep and a time to throw away. Which means if you are weeping now – metaphorically or otherwise – you can be sure that after any coming times of challenge, there will be a celebration in your future. (Even if it takes four years.) In the meantime:

Here’s hoping for a happy and prosperous “Epiphany 2025…“

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*“To everything there is a season” – so let’s look ahead to a time of celebration…*

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The upper image is courtesy of the Wikipedia article, “Massacre of the Innocents,” remembered on December 28, “the fourth day of Christmastide.” Caption: “Triumph of the Innocents by William Holman Hunt.” See also The triumph of the Innocents by William Holman Hunt:

Hunt paints a detailed scene where the Holy Family travels in the dead of night, accompanied by the spirits of the innocent children slain by Herod… Hunt delves into the spiritual significance of this journey, highlighting Mary’s compassion for the innocents and the divine mercy bestowed upon them. Through rich imagery and deep symbolism, the narrative emphasizes the connection between suffering, salvation, and hope, ultimately portraying the triumph of innocence amidst grief.

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

“Feast days” are designated days on the liturgical (church) calendar “set aside to commemorate events, saints, or doctrines that are important in the life of the Church. These can range from Solemnities, which are the highest-ranking feast days like Easter and Christmas, to optional memorials that celebrate lesser-known saints.” Feast Days: Celebrating the Church’s Calendar.

For this post I borrowed from 2017’s To Epiphany – “and BEYOND,” On the Epiphany SEASON – 2022, and “Happy Epiphany, 2024!” (Not to mention Epiphany, circumcision, and “3 wise guys,” from January 2016.) A side note: Last year I noted that 2024 was “a Leap Year, meaning we get an extra day, on Thursday, February 29,” and that there was “an election coming up in November, which ‘may determine the future of the Free World.’” But of course, all that’s behind us now…

Re: The 12 Days of Christmas as the shortest church season. See Liturgical year – Wikipedia, from which you could argue that the Easter Triduum – Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday – is the shortest, but I’d say those three days are all part of Lent. (I suppose it depends on how you “define your terms,” a quote attributed to Voltaire and Socrates.)

As to the “to everything” notes, see Ecclesiastes 3 (NIV), and also Turn! Turn! Turn! – Wikipedia.

On a related subject see also Topical Bible: Growth Through Trials:

The concept of growth through trials is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, illustrating how adversity and challenges can lead to spiritual maturity and a deeper relationship with God… Trials serve to purify and strengthen faith, ultimately bringing glory to God.

Citing 1 Peter 1:6-7, and also Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:2-4.

The lower image is courtesy of Mardi Gras – Wikipedia. Captioned: “Mardi Gras Day, New Orleans: Krewe of Kosmic Debris revelers on Frenchmen Street.” (I used it in last year’s post…)

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As noted in the opening blurb, this blog has four main themes. The first is that God will accept anyone. (John 6:37, with the added, “Anyone who comes to Him.”) This is a consistent theme throughout the Bible. From the Old Testament, Psalm 9:10, “You never forsake those who seek you, O Lord.” (In the Version in the Book of Common Prayer.) The second is that God wants us to live abundantly. (John 10:10.) The third is that we should do greater miracles than Jesus. (John 14:12). A fourth theme: The only way to do all that is read the Bible with an open mind:

…closed-mindedness, or an unwillingness to consider new ideas, can result from the brain’s natural dislike for ambiguity. According to this view, the brain has a “search and destroy” relationship with ambiguity and evidence contradictory to people’s current beliefs tends to make them uncomfortable… Research confirms that belief-discrepant-closed-minded persons have less tolerance for cognitive inconsistency…

So in plain words, I take issue with what I came to call “Christian first graders.” Those who stay in a kind of elementary school, and maybe even never go beyond first grade. See John the Baptist, ’24 – and “Christian First Graders,” for more detail. But the key point: “The Bible was designed to expand your mind,” not keep it narrow. Also, the idea that “Jesus was anything but negative. His goal was for you to grow and develop into all that you can be.” (For more on that see ABOUT THE BLOG, above.)

Before that post I wrote that the blog takes issue with boot-camp Christians, the Biblical literalists who never go “beyond the fundamentals.” But the Bible can offer so much more than their narrow reading can offer… (Unless you want to stay a Bible buck private all your life…) Now, about “Boot-camp Christians.” See for example, Conservative Christian – “Career buck private?” The gist of that post is that starting the Bible is like Army Basic Training. You begin by“learning the fundamentals.” But after boot camp, you move on to Advanced Individual Training.”

http://www.toywonders.com/productcart/pc/catalog/aw30.jpg

However, after boot camp, you move on to Advanced Individual Training. And as noted in “Buck private,” one of this blog’s themes is that if you want to be all that you can be, you need to go on and explore the “mystical side of Bible reading.*” In other words, exploring the mystical side of the Bible helps you “be all that you can be.” See Slogans of the U.S. Army – Wikipedia, re: the recruiting slogan from 1980 to 2001. The related image at left is courtesy of: “toywonders.com/productcart/pc/catalog/aw30.jpg.”

Re: “mystical.” Originally, mysticism “referred to the Biblical liturgical, spiritual, and contemplative dimensions of early and medieval Christianity.” See Mysticism – Wikipedia, and the post On originalism. (“That’s what the Bible was originally about!”) See also Christian mysticism – Wikipedia, “In early Christianity the term ‘mystikos’ referred to three dimensions, which soon became intertwined, namely the biblical, the liturgical and the spiritual or contemplative… The third dimension is the contemplative or experiential knowledge of God.” As to that “experiential” aspect, see also Wesleyan Quadrilateral – Wikipedia, on the method of theological reflection with four sources of spiritual development: scripture, tradition, reason, and “Christian experience.”

For an explanation of the Daily Office – where “Dorscribe” came from – see What’s a DOR?

12/31/24 – Ten years of “12 days of Christmas…”

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“**Twelfth Night (The King Drinks)**” – *One way to celebrate the end of Christmastide…*

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12/31/24 – It’s been 18 days since I last posted, in December 13’s Advent ’24 – and “Woe unto you Israel?” In the time since, I’ve taken a 10-day, 2,000 mile road trip up to West Springfield Massachusetts (and back), taken six hours of train rides (one long Sunday, 12/15) down to New York City and back, seen the play Chicago at the Ambassador Theater just off Broadway, and gone through a process of preparing for and going through two family Christmases, one on the day itself and one three days later for the whole extended family. (Including out-of-towners.)

So yeah, I’ve been busy…

But not to despair, we are still within the “12 days of Christmas,” both a festive Christian season and title of a host of songs and spin-offs (including one on a Mustang GT):

The Twelve Days of Christmas is the festive Christian season, beginning on Christmas Day (25 December), that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, as the Son of God. This period is also known as Christmastide… The Feast of the Epiphany is on 6 January [and] celebrates the visit of the Wise Men (Magi) and their bringing of gifts to the child Jesus. In some traditions, the feast of Epiphany and Twelfth Day overlap.

But also mixed up in this slew of Christmas-season celebration-days we find the urge to ponder the past year (2024), and Christmastide-times of years before, and maybe – with enough time and energy – some thoughts about what kind of 2025-year we may be heading into.

For starters we could look back at The 12 Days of Christmas, from January 4, 2015. (And yes that was 10 years ago; I counted on my fingers.) That post noted that aside from a church season, the “12 days” were also featured in an English Christmas Carol – thought to be of French origin – first published in 1780. (A “cumulative song,” meaning each verse “is built on top of the previous verses.”) One common theory said the original lyrics were part of a “secret Catholic code,” going back to a time – from the 16th to the 19th century – “when being a Catholic was a crime in Protestant England.” (As a sneaky way for Catholic children to learn their faith.)

But enough of way-long-ago history. (Aside from the fact that Catholics survived “even to this day,” despite being persecuted for their faith by the powers that be.) From that 2015 post we could fast forward to 2020 – A Christmas[tide] like no other? Four years ago at this time of year we were just at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; the first case in China happened in mid-November 2019 and the first confirmed U.S. case came on January 19, 2020. But as to that “like no other” question, the short answer is, “No, we actually had a similar near-Christmastide-time of disaster, back in 1918. when the Spanish flu pandemic started in February that year and lasted until April, 1920.” (Two years and two months? And in another “deja vu all over again,” the culprit was the H1N1 flu virus, which also caused the 2009 swine flu pandemic.)

Then we could move on to Welcome to Christmas, 2021, which led off with the image at left, “Stink, stank, stunk!” (A year that started off with the January 6 Capitol attack and ended – as of December 5 – with COVID and its variants having claimed the lives of some 803,045 Americans.) Perhaps not surprisingly, I included a note on why it seems that so many bad things happen to so many good people? Which could include at least one silver lining:

There is much we can do to alleviate each other’s suffering when adversity strikes. Our support and empathy toward our fellow human beings in their time of need helps them not only materially but demonstrates to them that they matter… When we act kindly, it also gives meaning to our own life, as we see that we matter to others.

Which I thought was pretty much what Christians are supposed to do anyway. (Show empathy, and try to alleviate the suffering of others. And which was pretty much the point of my post, Another view of Jesus feeding the 5,000.) That rather than waiting on God to perform miracles, we should get to work on problems ourselves. Which brings up the “Christmas spirit.”

The fact that we’ve survived these past catastrophes had to do with Christmas spirit. (Plus the fact that Americans are so ornery; we hate being told what to do.) Anyway, I Googled the phrase “what is Christmas spirit” and got 4,180,000 results. One answer: Christmas Spirit – Its Real Meaning | 7th Sense: That spirit shows in three simple actions: Giving, Appreciating, and Doing service. Another answer: What is Christmas Spirit? – Scientific American Blog Network:

The code of generosity, kindness, and charity toward others is enforced by no one other than ourselves. There are places where this code is strong, and these places (or people) are said to have strong Christmas spirit… After all, we are the sum of the individuals around us who generate the collective force that governs and organizes our social structure… When we “act out” Christmas spirit, we’re making visible this collective force, and we give it power.

So one message from all this Christmas spirit – in spite of all the obstacles life throws at us – could be that “A ‘time of pestilence’ can show there are more things to admire in people than to despise.” (Not that that has anything to do with the coming year, or two, or four…)

Speaking of which, Jimmy Carter just died – at the ripe old age of 100 – and his passing led to some “temporary moments of rapprochement” amid the barrage of “insults and smack talk” so much a part of politics lately. Even Donald Trump – not known for sensitivity to political opponents – was led to call Carter “’a truly good man’ who will be missed,” and to have flags flying at half-mast – in Carter’s honor – at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.

Which could be a good start. “Way to go Jimmy!” Now maybe we’re ready for 2025?

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The upper image is courtesy of The Twelve days of Christmas, with the full caption, “Twelfth Night (The King Drinks) by David Teniers c. 1634-1640.” I borrowed from the 2015 post, On the 12 Days of Christmas. Although it was posted on January 4, 2015, I noted that I’d “left town at 5:00 on the afternoon of Sunday December 21, thinking that he had already published this post on the “12 Days of Christmas.” But somewhere along the line [I] dropped the ball – metaphorically or otherwise – and here it is, Sunday, January 4th.” Meaning I meant to post it before leaving town, “to face the icy arctic blasts of Yankee-land for Christmas;” i.e., Massachusetts. The post includes a link – “for the sake of completeness” – to Jeff Foxworthy – Redneck 12 Days Of Christmas Lyrics, and/or 12 Redneck Days of Christmas by Jeff Foxworthy – YouTube.

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

For this post I borrowed from the 2015 post, On the 12 Days of Christmas, then later The 12 days of Christmas, 2018-2019, and 2020 – A Christmas like no other? That was a Christmas like no other – except maybe this one – but then came Welcome to Christmas, 2021 and The 12 DAYS of Christmas – 2021-22. (And finally – looking ahead – Epiphany ’23, the end of Christmas and “farewell Mi Dulce.”)

The full “COVID” link, Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic – Wikipedia.

The lower image is courtesy of Jimmy Carter set the standard for the modern post-presidency. See also, From ‘worst president’ to ‘highest respect’: Trump softens opinion of Jimmy Carter in death, noting in part, “Trump offered a far less charitable view of Carter when he was alive.” Also:

Amid the barrage of insults and smack talk were temporary moments of rapprochement between the 39^th and the 45^th presidents… During Trump’s first term, Carter occasionally came to his defense… Carter not only attended Trump’s first inauguration, he was the first former president to RSVP. Later that year, in 2017, Carter suggested the media had been harder on Trump than any other president. Trump responded by tweeting a message of thanks to Carter for “the nice remarks.”

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On Advent ’24 – and “Woe unto you Israel?”

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*Advent 2024 – a time to prepare for a challenging year to come – or maybe two, or four…*

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This time last year I posted The First Sunday of Advent. (Last year December 3, this year, December 1) And about how that First Sunday starts both a new church year and a four-week church season that calls us to look four different directions: “back to the past, forward to the future, upwards to heaven, and downwards to earth.” I added that it’s a time of anticipation, and not just for Christmas. Then I hearkened back to a blog post on Advent in 2020:

The first Sunday of Advent is the start of a new liturgical year, and yet there is a continuity with the end of the liturgical year just finished… One does not have to be a prophet of doom to recognize that this year [2020] has been filled with terrible events… We need God to come and fix a broken world. The season of Advent is about [the] “devout and expectant delight” that God will do that. [Fix a broken world that is…]

Those comments – from a post back in 2020 – showed the blogger was right. 2020 was filled with bad events that presented a host of problems, old and new. They included a just-new COVID epidemic and an Election That Seemed Like It Would Never End. And this time last year I said that 2023 would also present even more daunting problems, but then again – as the Bible says – “man is born to trouble as as sparks fly upward.” And it looks as if – in 2025, the new year starting after this Advent 2024 – the trouble and the sparks promise to continue.

On the plus side, the troubling uncertainty that marked the last year or two is over. In the election just past the Sovereign People made their choice. Which means – by all accounts – that we are about to embark on a new adventure in which the limits of American democracy will be tested. Which makes this a good time for a parable of sorts. That is, a short simple story that teaches or explains an idea, “especially a moral or religious idea.”

This parable takes us back to the Children of Israel wandering in the wilderness. It’s also about how they came up with an early version of “Golden Age Fallacy.” For starters, they were slaves in Egypt for 400 years, and that form of slavery was both “evil in motive and cruel in nature:”

Work may be physically and mentally taxing, but that does not make it wrong. What made the situation in Egypt unbearable was not only the slavery but also its extreme harshness. The Egyptian masters worked the Israelites “ruthlessly” (befarekh, Exod. 1:13, 14) and made their lives “bitter” (marar, Exod. 1:14) with “hard” (qasheh , in the sense of “cruel,” Exod. 1:14; 6:9) service. As a result, Israel languished in “misery” and “suffering” (Exod. 3:7) and a “broken spirit” (Exod. 6:9). Work, one of the chief purposes and joys of human existence (Gen. 1:27-31; 2:15), was turned into a misery by the harshness of oppression.

But later on they changed their view of that harsh misery and oppression. Simply put, they reinvented history because they couldn’t handle the problems that come with freedom.

Simple solution? Blame somebody. As in Exodus 16:3, where they blamed Moses for the fact that they couldn’t handle their new-found freedom. (It turned out harder to handle than expected.) “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Another example? Numbers 11:5, “We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.” And also Numbers 16:13, “Is it not enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Must you also appoint yourself as ruler over us?”

But they didn’t sit around pots of meat and eat all they wanted. What happened? Those ancient Hebrews may have been the first – in recorded history anyway – to fall victim to the Golden Age Fallacy. Feeling nostalgic about a past that never was. The problem? “Nostalgia is denial – denial of the painful present.” And who falls prey to such fallacies? People who “find it difficult to cope with the present.” (See also Political Lies: Altering Facts and Rewriting History.)

And again, who did the Children of Israel blame for their problems? Moses, the agent of God who delivered them out of slavery. And just to reiterate: They did not sit around pots of meat and eat all they wanted back in Egypt. There were no great quantities of fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and other goodies. They were slaves, and they were given slave rations; just enough to keep them functioning, barely. As such they initially reveled in being set free, but then found out they couldn’t handle it. Being “free” was harder than they thought.

I also wrote in a past post that “a free people doesn’t go back in time, and especially not to a ‘better time that never was.’” Except that in the election just past, the Sovereign People seem to have done just that. So what happens now? In the case of those Children of Israel reinventing history – wanting to back to a time that never was – their journey to the Promised Land from Egypt should have taken no more than 11 days. Instead it took 40 years, 40 years of mostly wandering around in circles, and not just metaphorically.

Oh yeah, there was also that moment, “Woe unto you, Israel! You have sinned a great sin.” I just hope we don’t have to spend 40 years wandering out of this Wilderness we’re entering.

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*“Moses doesn’t like this. Moses doesn’t like this one bit…*“*

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The upper image is courtesy of Advent 2024 – Image Results.

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

Past-post sources on ancient Hebrew whining in the wilderness include On Moses getting stoned, January 2016, and July 4, 2024 – and a “What would have happened?” See also, from March 2017, On Moses and Paul “dumbing it down.”

Past-post sources on Advent include December 2020, Advent, and a “new beginning,” Advent 2021 – “Enjoy yourself,” On Advent ’22, Tradents, and “Scriptio continua,” On Advent 2022 – and St. Andrew, and On Advent 2023 – “Happy New (Liturgical) Year!”

The “evil in motive and cruel in nature” quote is courtesy of The Harshness of the Israelites’ Slave Labor in Egypt. See also The Golden Age Fallacy – Beyond the Rhetoric.

The Sovereign People reference. See Constitution101: The Sovereignty of the People:

The federal government acts like it stands as sovereign in the American system, but that was never intended by those who created it. In fact, the federal government was never meant to serve as anything more than an agent, exercising the specific powers delegated by the true sovereign – the people… While many Americans assume the federal government sits at the top of the power pyramid, it actually belongs on the bottom.

Something to keep in mind over the next four years…

On why the 40 years for an 11-day journey, see Why did Israel spend 40 years in the wilderness? – BibleAsk and Why was Israel cursed with forty years of wilderness wandering?

I borrowed the lower image from the March 2016 post, On Eastertide – and “artistic license.”See also The Ten Commandments (1956 film) – Wikipedia. I was originally going to use an image courtesy of Wandering In The Wilderness Image – Image Results. It came with a page, Take Bread Crumbs: We Really Do Walk in Circles When Lost, which noted “people really do literally wander in circles when there are no visual clues to keep them on track. The behavior has been observed in other animals before, but until recently it hadn’t been studied in humans.” (Interesting.)

I borrowed the caption from the May 2014 post, On Moses and “illeism.” I tried to go back and bring it up to date, but failed. It was just too old, so I left it that way it was, in part so the reader can see whatever progress I may have made and what this platform sometimes does to old images.

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On Judgment (Good or Bad) – and Thanksgiving 2024

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Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

And this thought ties them together:

In the meantime:

November 30, 2024 – This year Thanksgiving came a mere 23 days after a much-anticipated – and in some quarters much dreaded – set of Election Day results.

But we knew going in that no matter who got elected, the next four years would be as polarizing as the last four years have been. (Depending on whose ox is being gored.) Which brings up the topic of making judgments, as your future expressed opinions may pertain to those results. (And maybe defending “truth, justice and the American Way,” as you define those terms.)

On the one hand Jesus said in Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” (In the King James Bible, the one God uses.) On the other hand, Ezekiel 3:16-27 warns that if we see someone doing something wrong and don’t warn them, we’ll both be punished. (The one who sins and the one who failed to warn him.) But if we warn that erring person and they ignore the warning, that person will be punished but we won’t. (“They will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.”) But doesn’t that type of Bible duty require some type of judgment?

Fortunately we have the internet to turn to for answers, like the article Two Types of Judgments – DBT Center of the South Bay: “We all make judgments, so why is it sometimes bad to be stating judgments?” It turns out that there are two types of judgments; “judgments that are discriminating, and judgments that are evaluative.” I would have thought the “discriminating” type would be bad, but it’s actually the good one: “Judgments that are discriminating (i.e. I prefer X over Y) reflect personal preferences and subjective opinions. They are considered judgments that are effective in terms of not projecting one’s perception as a complete conclusion.”

When judgments are evaluative (i.e. This is horrible) it is stating something as a whole and objectively. It is taking the facts of a situation and adding personal preferences, values, and opinions to make it an objective truth. This type of judgment is ineffective because others may view the same situation differently, whether it is marginally different or completely different.

By using “discriminating” judgments – and opinions – you leave room for other people’s interpretations and perceptions. In other words, “don’t project your own perceptions as a complete conclusion.” In more blunt terms, when expressing your opinions don’t think you’re perfect like Jesus. (The only person in history who can say His opinions are infallible.)

And that’s what Jesus meant when He said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” But just to be on the safe side you might want to add, “That’s my stupid opinion anyway. What’s yours?” That way you might avoid being “weighed in the balances and found wanting,” as shown in the painting below. But this post is also supposed to be about Thanksgiving, so here are some snippets.

For one thing, the idea behind the holiday goes back long before Plymouth Rock and the Pilgrims. For Native Americans, “gathering to give thanks was already a familiar custom, taking place not just annually, but 13 times throughout the lunar, calendar year – a cycle known as the Thirteen Moons. As one Wampanoag said, “Thanksgivings are a big part of our culture. Giving thanks is how we pray.” (The Wampanoags were the tribe who helped the Pilgrims survive their first winter in 1620-21. Of the 102 who landed in November 1620, less than half survived. Of the 18 adult women, only four survived. “And you think today’s politics are bad?”)

Anyway, as it turns out there’s a very good reason why special days of thanksgiving have been around a long time. “As more researchers dig into the science of gratitude, they’ve found the feeling likely played a key role in helping our ancestors band together and survive.”

So, “Who knew there was a science of gratitude?” But there is, and it has a definite healing effect: Whether thanking others, ourselves, Mother Nature or the Lord, “gratitude in any form can enlighten the mind and make us feel happier.” Which explains why our annual Thanksgiving in all its forms has been around so long: “That legacy continues today, as being in the mood for gratitude shapes who we are as a species and how we connect with the people around us.” And we could use a lot of positive shaping and connecting over the next four years…

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*Be thankful! (Don’t end up “weighed in … and found ‘negatively judgmental…'”)*

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The upper image is courtesy of Judgment Image – Image Results, and came with the page The Proper Use of Biblical Judgment – pastorfulmer.com, including another take on Matthew 7:1:

This is a verse from the Bible that is often thrown about with great liberty! Rather than being used as it is presented by the Lord in this text, it seems to be used more as a shield against any form of questioning or examination… When people try to deflect by using the text of Matthew 7:1, realize that it’s probably because they just don’t want to be held accountable for something.

Re: DBT, “Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based therapy that uses dialectical strategies and mindfulness to help change behaviors that prevent people from leading a life worth living.”

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

For more on the Ezekiel quote, see Ezekiel 3:16-27 — Commissioned as the Lord’s Watchman.

The “snippets” came from the post, Thanksgiving 2023 – and an “epileptic Rabbit Trail.” For another snippet see On Thanksgiving 2022 – and an Unknown American Icon (on John Howland – a Pilgrim who almost drowned on the Mayflower‘s voyage over from England – and later “peopled America with his progeny.” He died at the ripe old age of 80 and populated America with 2 million descendants.”) Or see other Thanksgiving posts, from 2015 to 2019, and others.

The lower image is courtesy of Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin Image – Image Results. See also Belshazzar’s feast – Wikipedia.

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…closed-mindedness, or an unwillingness to consider new ideas, can result from the brain’s natural dislike for ambiguity. According to this view, the brain has a “search and destroy” relationship with ambiguity and evidence contradictory to people’s current beliefs tends to make them uncomfortable… Research confirms that belief-discrepant-closed-minded persons have less tolerance for cognitive inconsistency…

For an explanation of the Daily Office – where “Dorscribe” came from – see What’s a DOR?

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Also, an interesting read from November 26, 2024, How these older voters who backed Harris are engaging in “quiet resistance.”

On “Santa Monica” – and the Unforgivable Sin…

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The last post talked about Halloween, and how this year it came five days before Election Day. And how on the day after that election half of America would feel treated, while the other half would feel “tricked;” unhappy, despondent. And how before that election God was no doubt inundated with prayers from both sides, along with lots of begging and pleading.

And speaking of all those prayers, I have a feeling the “treated” half stopped praying and started partying, while the tricked half will move on to doing lots of praying in the coming months. (And years, with the Christians among us keeping in mind the hard parts, like that “love your enemy” thing and how Christ died for the Ungodly, whoever you think they may be.)

But what if you fear that some on the winning half are flirting with the Unforgivable Sin? Do you care, or do you let them “get what they deserve?” One answer comes from Ezekiel 3:16-27, which basically tells you to warn such people about the danger, and how if they ignore your warning you’re okay. However, if you don’t warn them you’ll both be punished. (“Yeesh!”) But what if you won’t have a chance to give such a warning in person? Can you do it indirectly (and thus save your own soul at least)? Saint Monica seemed to think so…

I’ll get to her in a minute, but first here’s more about that most serious of sins. I first read about it when I was young, in Matthew 12:31-32, and it scared the crap out of me:

I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

But what the heck does that mean? Years ago Father Watson down in Florida explained it this way. (After I got a bit older.) “If you’re worried about whether you’ve committed the Unforgivable Sin, you probably haven’t.” Then there’s The Unforgivable Sin … Billy Graham: “Only one sin that can’t be forgiven is … the sin of rejecting Him and refusing His offer of forgiveness and new life in Jesus Christ. This alone is the unforgivable sin.” Or this:

The unforgivable sin is interpreted by Christian theologians in various ways, although they generally agree that one who has committed the sin is no longer able to repent, and so one who is fearful that one has committed it has not done so.

(Eternal sin – Wikipedia.) And finally, Are you afraid of the Unforgivable Sin? Don’t be. “If this is your fear, be encouraged. You have not committed the unforgivable sin.“

Which brings up Saint Monica. She was okay with the Lord, but she worried about her son. And so she prayed – but once, “and that continuously” – that he would turn away from his life of debauchery, then repent and turn to Jesus. Ultimately God answered her prayers, but it wasn’t easy. It took 17 years. (Hopefully our prayers won’t take that long).

At first she was the only Christian in her family, but then she started to pray:

Her prayers and virtues first won over her husband and mother-in-law, then all three of her children. Though Saint Augustine is the most well known, this mother, daughter-in-law, and wife made a difference in the lives of her entire family. Saint Monica is seen by many as a model of hope for those whose family members have gone astray.

In other words, “Monica’s only recourse was prayer. She prayed fervently for her family’s conversion, and her prayers began to take hold.” There was a glitch: On his path to Christianity, Augustine embraced Manichaeism. (“[B]riefly the main rival to early Christianity in the competition to replace classical polytheism before the spread of Islam.”)

But that didn’t faze Monica. “There was one problem Augustine would face: his mother’s prayers and faith were powerful.” She kept following him, first to Rome and then on to Milan, and after those 17 long years her son did indeed – finally – repent and turn to Jesus. And so today she is remembered for her “prayerful life dedicated to the reformation of her son.” Who went on to become one of the most important Fathers of the Western Church, which led to this prayer:

Blessed Monica, mother of St. Augustine, we give thanks to our Father in Heaven Who looked with mercy upon your tears over your wayward son. His conversion and heroic sanctification were the fruit of your prayers.

Bottom line? St. Monica prayed that another person – her son – would repent and turn to Jesus, and it worked! That son – Augustine of Hippo – went on to become a Pillar of the Faith and one of the most important of the early Church Fathers. In doing so he brought many new new people to Jesus and – no doubt – many a lapsed Christian back to Jesus.

Could we do the same thing today, following her example? Maybe even someone who says he’s done nothing to apologize for? (Notwithstanding 1st John 1:8.) Let the praying begin…

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*Thanks to a mother’s prayers, this man brought many to Jesus…*

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The upper image, courtesy of Saint Monica Pray For Us Image – Image Results. It came with a page, “Prayers to St. Monica for Conversions.” Other sources include Saint Monica, Mother of St. Augustine – My Catholic Life, and Augustine of Hippo – Wikipedia. Another note: Popular Christian legends “recall Monica weeping every night for her son Augustine.” (Sound familiar?)

BTW: That Unforgivable Sin comports with Sirach 5:5 (also called Ecclesiasticus), “Do not be so sure of forgiveness that you add sin to sin.”

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

The lower image is courtesy of Augustine of Hippo – Wikipedia, captioned “‘Saint Augustine and his mother, Saint Monica‘ (1846) by Ary Scheffer.”

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“Some hard parts about being a good Christian…”

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*Have you been “arguing with God” about the upcoming election?* Begging? **Pleading?**

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October 30, 2024 – Halloween is coming up, and this year it seems highly appropriate.

That’s because five days after Halloween comes the election, and a day after that half the voters will feel like they’ve gotten a treat. The other half will feel bitter, like they’ve been “tricked.” (Interesting etymology, the word can mean a “cunning or skillful act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit someone.” Or some country?) Which brings up some of the harder parts of trying to be a good Christian.

Regardless of who wins, our ongoing political polarization will likely continue. Which brings up one duty for good Christians, from 2d Corinthians 5:18: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” (As in, to “restore friendly relations between.”) Thus the first big question: “Shouldn’t the group that claims to be more Christian make the first move to reconciling, and ending that polarization?”

But that’s not the hardest part. The hardest part of being a good Christian is the part that says “love your enemy,” what Jesus said to do in Matthew 5:44. (“Geez, what a Radical! No wonder He ended up crucified…”) Beyond that, Paul said in Romans 5:6 that Christ died for The Ungodly. So whoever you think that”ungodly” political enemy is, that’s exactly who Jesus died for.

Which means that no matter how rude or obnoxious a political opponent may act, you are duty-bound – as a good Christian – to say to yourself, “Somewhere in there is a child of Christ. Someone else that Jesus died for.” So like I said, many times being a good Christian is a real pain. (Maybe that’s why so many “Christians” today don’t follow Matthew 5:44?)

Which brings up praying, “of which I’m sure God has heard a lot of” over the past few months. Millions of people asking God – or begging, or pleading – to help Their Guy win. (Which makes me wonder, “Does He ever get tired all that whining?”) Which brings up the next big question: How should we pray when it comes to the upcoming election?

For starters there’s Romans 8:26: The Holy Spirit “helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Of course we could just pray, “Lord, please help My Candidate win,” but wouldn’t that be the same as asking Him to help your favorite sports team win? And that wouldn’t work in court.

Lawyers can’t just go in and ask a Judge for a particular result as a special favor. They have to give a compelling rationale, a good reason for the Judge to grant the request. So one effective prayer might be to ask for the result that will bring more people to Jesus. On the flip side, we could pray that God won’t help a candidate whose election will drive even more people away from The Faith. (Church membership has been declining for years now. “I wonder why?”)

In other words, “arguing with God.” Giving Him reasons to grant your request, like Abraham did in Genesis 18:16-33. (“Abraham pleads for Sodom.”) Or like Moses did in response to God’s threat in Exodus 32:10. (To destroy Israel because of the Golden Calf.) Or like Jacob did back in Genesis 32:22-32. (Just don’t be surprised if you end up with your name changed.) Bottom line? We need to figure out some good legal arguments to help “Our Guy” get elected.

But in the end it may come down to “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me[;] nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42.)

Still, wouldn’t it be nice if that “more Christian group” took those hard starting steps toward stopping our widespread, ongoing polarization? If Americans started reconciling with each other? (Per 2d Corinthians 5:18.) Then we wouldn’t be so much like those Blind men and an elephant in the parable. Each one was partly right but they were all mostly wrong. Why? Because instead of comparing notes and sharing insights – what we used to call Dialectic – they each insisted that their view was the only Truth, the one and only accurate description. I’ll write more on Halloween and “All Saints” in a few days. Meanwhile, something to think about…

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The upper image, courtesy of Wikipedia, is Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, by Alexander Louis Leloir (1865). Leloir (1843-1884), was a a French painter specializing in genre and history paintings. His younger brother was painter and playwright Maurice Leloir. The original caption: “‘Jacob wrestling with the Angel’ – as a result of which his name got changed to Israel.”

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

Re: Polarization in America. The link Political Polarization is Not Unique to the U.S., but its Causes are noted, “what is missing from our politics is a simple respect from both sides, at a minimum because people on both sides of a debate can be right.” I addressed that idea in 2018’s On St. James (“10/23”) – and the 7 blind men. (Each man was partly right but mostly wrong, because each insisted his view was the only valid one.) Then there’s U.S. is polarizing faster than other democracies, study finds. But see also Local Government Navigates Negative Impact of Political Polarization Better than Federal Government: “An overwhelming majority of local government leaders (87 percent) believes polarization is hurting the country but far fewer (31 percent) see negative effects in their own communities.”

Re: Decline in attendance. See The Real Reason Churches Are in Decline | Church & Culture, The State of Church Membership: Trends and Statistics [2024], and Behind Gallup’s portrait of church decline.

Re: God as Judge. 76 Bible Verses about God, As Judge – Online Bible.

Re: Case study and rationale. Law School Case Briefs: Your Ultimate Guide – Barbri: “why the court arrived at its holding. This section of the case brief may be the most important, because you must understand the court’s reasoning to be able to analyze it and apply it to other situations — such as those you will see on the bar exam and in real life scenarios when you are a practicing attorney.”

Re: “Arguing.” From 2014, On arguing with God. From April 2016, More on “arguing with God” – and St. Mark as Cinderella. And April 2018, “Trump-humping” – and Christians arguing with each other.

Re: Luke 22:42. I combined the New International and New King James Versions to make the quote more relevant. Also, in a sense Jesus mirrored what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said when threatened with being thrown into the flames: “If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, he will deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king. But if not…” From my April 2015 post, Shadrach “et al.” and the Fiery Furnace.

Just as an aside, in November 2021 – and in my companion blog – I posted Donald Trump – the newest “Undead Revenant?” It mentioned that at the time “Trump’s star seems to be rising once again,” thus raising the possibility that he just might get elected to a second term.

But once again I tried to look on the bright side. That “freed from a need to pander to his wacko base,” Trump might develop a conscience and start thinking seriously about his legacy.

Which might still happen, but I hope we don’t have to find out. (Which may not be a good-Christian thought, but like I said, it’s a real pain sometimes.)

The lower image is courtesy of Blind Men And The Elephant – Image Results. See also Blind men and an elephant – Wikipedia, for more on the parable. I used the image to lead off last year’s Between Halloween and Thanksgiving – 2023! My caption: “If these Men had compared notes – not argued – they’d have a better understanding” – a more accurate view of the elephant, and by extension, a better way of understanding God. (By sharing insights instead of yelling at each other.) For another “between” post see Psalm 137, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem” – 2021, from November 12, two years ago.

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On “Jesus riding two donkeys – at once?”

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*An 1897 pointing using a “common visual technique” to make sense of* *Matthew 21:7…*

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Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

And this thought ties them together:

In the meantime:

I last posted on August 24, with Pilgrimage, doing penance and “St. Bart – 2024.” It talked in part about my then-upcoming pilgrimage to Spain for a month, to hike the Camino Finisterre and the Camino Ingles. (Respectively, from Santiago de Compostela and then – days later – back to Santiago.) In some ways that post was remarkably prescient, but then “there’s always the unexpected, isn’t there?” There was a lot of that too, but I’ll explain that more in a later post.

In the meantime, back home, I want to move on to my next book. I’m just now finishing up the one on my 2023 hike on the Robert Louis Stevenson Trail in France. (Hopefully it’ll be done before by the end of November.) But for my next project I want to cover why people who interpret Scripture too literally both rob themselves of at least half the Bible’s value, and drive away new recruits “in droves.” (The people who most need the Faith, the “Ungodly” who are just who Jesus died for. Romans 5:6.) I’d settled on a tentative title, “The Bible was designed to expand your mind.” (To the tune, “If it does not fit, you must acquit.”) But I wanted something a bit more catchy, short and sweet that conveyed the message, but with an image behind it.

Then I remembered a painting I saw, years ago, of Jesus riding two donkeys at the same time. I haven’t been able to find it online, but the one at the top of the page is in the ball park. It struck me as odd back then, but now I think to myself, “Jesus didn’t ride two donkeys at one time. That’s Hebrew poetry you knuckleheads!” Of course I know I’d have to dress up that title a bit, but the point is: A big feature of Hebrew poetry – shown most vividly seen in the psalms – is how it describes one thing in two different ways. But it’s not just the psalms, it’s throughout the Old Testament. So if you read a passage like Zechariah 9:9 too literally, you come up with an odd image, as of Jesus riding two donkeys at the same time. Here’s the passage:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

But read that passage too literally is apparently just what Matthew did, as discussed below.

As for my revelation, I thought it was both a ground-breaking idea and a great title for a new and exciting book on how “the Bible was designed to expand your mind.” (Which can’t happen if you read it too literally.) Unfortunately there’s a problem. Somebody else beat me to the punch, as shown in the Wikipedia article Triumphal entry [of Jesus] into Jerusalem.

The article pointed out that Matthew was “the only one of the Synoptics to mention two animals.” But – the article said – he did not take into account “‘the common Hebrew literary device of poetic parallelism,’ mentioning the same animal twice in different ways.” In particular it cited Professor Bart D. Ehrman, who also said Matthew misunderstood Zechariah 9:9:

This repetition is a Hebrew poetic figure of speech which says the same thing twice in different words, but Matthew accidentally turned this into two separate animals which Jesus rode simultaneously instead of [the] one donkey which is described twice. John 12:14-15 refers to the same passage in Zechariah 9:9, but in his case there is only talk of one donkey.

See also the article Poetic parallelism, on the rhetorical device used throughout world history in “poetry, epics, songs, written prose and speech… It is very often found in Biblical poetry and in proverbs in general.” Thus my conclusion, “Rats, I thought I was on to something!”

I may still use the idea in my new-book title, but I need more research and maybe even some lateral thinking on the problem. In the meantime there’s that set of Camino hikes I just finished in September, and how my August 24 post was so prescient – and how it wasn’t.

For example, after the Camino Finisterre we hiked up to Muxía and spent two nights there. (Part of the Costa da Morte or “Coast of Death.”) There we saw the lighthouse and the Celtic stones “said to be remains of the Virgin Mary’s stone boat.” (The one she used to come and comfort St. James the Greater, who wasn’t having much luck trying to “Christianize” the locals.) And saw the “Pedra D’abalar (rocker stone) in front of Nosa Señora da Barca church in Muxía.”

Next we mass-transited up to A Coruña – “the provincial capital of the province of A Coruña” – and stayed two nights there. One thing we did was climb the Tower of Hercules, the famous lighthouse. (Not the last time we saw A Coruna, under less-than-pleasant circumstances.)

There followed some trials and tribulations – described in future posts – but eventually we made it back to Santiago for two nights in the Monastery of San Martiño Pinario. There I did “penance for whatever sins may remain” from what turned out to be an ordeal of a hike. Grueling at times, but the good news? The rooms were stark, as noted – “bed, desk and tiny bathroom” – but the place had a nice lounge on the first floor and served Estrella Damm. (The one that got to be my go-to beer in Spain.) And remember my definition of a Camino hike: At the end of each day you look forward to a warm bed, hot shower and a cold beer.

Which brings up another theme in this blog, bringing people to Jesus. (“Is there any higher calling?”) The best way to do that – it seems to me – is live your life in such a way that potential recruits say, “I want some of that!” Make no mistake, there is that promised triumph – allegorized below – but before it always comes the ordeal, trying, arduous and/or stressful.

As Underhill said, “It is to vigor, not comfort that you are called.” (Then comes the beer…)

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*A “foretaste of that heavenly banquet to come?”*

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The upper image is courtesy of Entry of the Christ in Jerusalem, 1897 – Jean-Leon Gerome. See also Jesus’s Triumphal Entry: A Well-Orchestrated Mock Coronation, which noted that Gerome’s painting “depicts two donkeys – one trailing behind another. This was a common visual technique used by painters in an attempt to reconcile the text of Matthew 21:7, where Jesus is depicted as riding two donkeys at once.” And Triumphal entry into Jerusalem – Wikipedia.

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

Re: “Pilgrimage to Spain for a month.” Technically – and perhaps hypertechnically – the trip extended into two months. The flight from Atlanta left on September 6 and arrived in Madrid the next morning. We arrived back in Santiago on October 3 and I flew home (from Lisbon) on October 7. See also Poetic License Definition and Examples – Poem Analysis.

“Always the unexpected.” See Bridge on the River Kwai Quotes. with a quote from Colonel Green, “As I’ve told you before, in a job like yours, even when it’s finished, there’s always one more thing to do.” And also The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) – Jack Hawkins as Major Warden:

Maj. Warden : Is there something wrong?
Commander Shears : I was just thinking. You speak Yai’s language, I don’t. He’s gonna lead you back to the river Kwai himself, by a route I never took. Will someone tell me why I’m so indispensable to this outfit?
Maj. Warden : I know how you feel, but there’s always the unexpected, isn’t there?

Which is how it turned out on the Camino Ingles…

The lower image is courtesy of Estrella Damm – Wikipedia. An allegory is – in this case – an image expressing an abstract idea or concept. As to “vigor not comfort,” see Underhill’s Practical Mysticism, Ariel Press, 1914, at page 177. Or On the Annunciation (2022) – and Mary “shrinking back.”

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…closed-mindedness, or an unwillingness to consider new ideas, can result from the brain’s natural dislike for ambiguity. According to this view, the brain has a “search and destroy” relationship with ambiguity and evidence contradictory to people’s current beliefs tends to make them uncomfortable… Research confirms that belief-discrepant-closed-minded persons have less tolerance for cognitive inconsistency…

For an explanation of the Daily Office – where “Dorscribe” came from – see What’s a DOR?

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Pilgrimage, doing penance and “St. Bart – 2024…”

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*The “Lighthouses at Muxía,” a maybe-sight on our Camino Finisterre, to “the end of the world…”*

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Saturday, August 24, is the Feast day for St. Bartholomew, also called Bartholomew the Apostle. I’ll write more about him in a bit, but first I’d like to talk about my upcoming pilgrimage, in a return to Spain. In Transfiguration – 2024 I talked about some of my past journeys, leading “to a personal transformation,” but here I’ll talk about the one coming up in September.

The Camino de Santiago … is a network of pilgrims’ ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the Apostle James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition holds that the remains of the apostle are buried.

But this year, instead hiking to Santiago my hiking companions and I will hike from there. Out on the Camino Finisterre to “the end of the known world.” That is, we’ll be hiking to Cape Fisterra, a route “unique because it is the only trail starting in Santiago de Compostela and takes pilgrims west to the stunning Atlantic coast of Galicia.”

We’ll meet up in Madrid, then take a train for two nights in Santiago. Needless to say, over the course of the month we’ll stay in many different places, but here I’ll focus on where we stay two nights – and where I’ve never been. First, two nights in Fisterra (“world’s end”), after hiking five days. Then two more days hiking to Muxía, where we spend two nights. From there we take a bus to A Coruña, and stay there two days, followed by another bus ride to Ferrol, for another two days off. Then we “start hiking again,” for another eight days, heading back to Santiago. All of which means we’ll enjoy way more “two nighters” than usual on past Camino hikes. (Which I define as at the end of each day you look forward to a warm bed, hot shower and a cold beer.) And more bus rides for that matter, but we’ll end up hiking close to the usual 150 miles.

Now, about those two-nighters. I’ve been to Finisterre; we drove there by rental car after an earlier hike to Santiago. (See a photo of that rocky “end of the world” outcrop in the post, James, “the Pilgrim’s Saint” – 2024.) The first “never been there” two-nighter is in Muxía, known for its beaches and its active fishing industry. “Muxía is part of the ‘Costa da Morte‘ or ‘Costa de la Muerte’ (i.e., the ‘Coast of Death’) … because of the large number of shipwrecks along its rocky shore.” (Wikipedia.) Also, local legend says that St. James the Greater tried to “Christianize” local inhabitants but without any luck. Then the Virgin Mary appeared to St. James “to comfort him. The Celtic stones near the church are now said to be remains of the Virgin Mary’s stone boat.” (Seen above left, the “Pedra d’Abalar (rocker stone) in front of Nosa Señora da Barca church in Muxía.”)

So much for Muxía. The next qualifying two-nighter is A Coruña, the provincial capital of the province of A Coruña. As for things to see, “In addition to the Tower of Hercules, one of the symbols of the city, the peninsula on which the Old Town sits is home to a fascinating Romanesque ensemble of medieval streets, squares and churches.” There’s also a museum of fine arts, an archaeology and history museum, and yet another “Church of Santiago (A Coruña).”

Next up, after another long bus ride, comes Ferrol. It features a harbor which, “for depth, capacity and safety, has few equals in Europe. The entrance is very narrow, commanded by forts, and may even be shut by a boom.” It’s close to the Cape Prior Lighthouse:

The [modern] lighthouse has been constructed on a high coastal clifftop, some 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) northwest of Ferrol [but] the geographers of antiquity took notice of the granite protuberance off the northwesternmost point of Iberia which, as described by Strabo and other classical geographers, was used even then as a reference point for the end of the Iberian peninsula… A set of steps descends from the lighthouse down the steep cliff to a viewpoint overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

(Wikipedia.) All of which will be a part of our upcoming 2024 pilgrimage to Spain, where – hopefully – at the end of each day I can look forward to that warm bed, hot shower and a cold beer. (As it says in Psalm 84:4, “Happy are those … whose hearts are set on the pilgrim’s way.”)

But I did say I’d talk some about St. Bartholomew the Apostle, so here goes. There’s lots of gory detail in the links below, but mostly he’s famous for being flayed alive, and the massacre that happened on his feast day in 1572, during the French Wars of Religion:

The St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre … in 1572 was a targeted group of assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence, directed against the Huguenots… Though by no means unique, it “was the worst of the century’s religious massacres.” Throughout Europe, it “printed on Protestant minds the indelible conviction that Catholicism was a bloody and treacherous religion.”

And a personal note: My French ancestors – Huguenots, or Calvinist Protestants – came to America to get the hell away from such ongoing battles of religion and “who’s going to hell.” Yet irony of ironies, this year I’m going back “whence my ancestors came,” for much the same reason they came here. For a bit of spiritual peace and quiet – at least for the month I’m in Spain.

To wrap thing up we’ll end our 2024 hiking pilgrimage with yet another two-nighter, this time at the Monastery of San Martiño Pinario back in Santiago. As noted, “There we will do penance for whatever sins may remain, in that our rooms will be stark. ‘Old monks cells – a bed, desk and tiny bathroom.'” Where no doubt I will get good and “Jesus-upped,” ready to face whatever strife may come in the upcoming October and November, after I get back home…

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*Main entrance to the “Monastery of San Martiño Pinario*…”

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The upper image is courtesy of Fisterra, Muxía, and a Sunset at the End of the World, in a blog by Trevor Huxham. It has lots of useful information on this particular hike, including that by tradition, on reaching Fisterra, “pilgrims would burn their stinky clothes and bathe in the ocean.” (Which we probably won’t do.) Also that “you can often find some sun-bleached t-shirts tied to crosses or tattered hiking boots with sentimental quotes plastered nearby.”

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

Re: “Hiking close to the usual 150 miles.” My rough calculations show a total of around 140 miles, with pack. (Not counting “saunters” around stopover towns without a pack.)

For more on our proposed route, see e.g. Camino Finisterre from Santiago to Muxia:

This stunning region of Galicia is known as the ‘Costa da Morte’ famous for its wild beauty, seafood, and interesting legends… From Santiago to Cee, the Camino is inland, but from Cee to Finisterre (Fisterra) and to Muxia, it follows the coast. Quiet villages and hamlets, remote farmland, and unspoiled countryside await on this Camino route to the sea cliffs of the westernmost point in Spain… After Fisterra (Finisterre), we recommend you continue your journey along the craggy coastline of Atlantic Galicia to the fishing village of Muxía, famed for its sanctuary by the ocean and ‘magic’ stones.

See also Fisterra, Muxía, and a Sunset at the End of the World, and Tourism in A Coruna. What to see. Tourist information | spain. And for the “more spiritual” part of this post I borrowed from or referred to On St. Bartholomew – and “his” Massacre (2017), and St. Bart 2023 – and more mass-shooting massacre, and links therein.

Re: “There we will do penance,” etc. Borrowed from On James, “the Pilgrim’s Saint” – 2024.

The lower image is from Wikipedia on Monastery of San Martiño Pinario, “photo by Diego Delso.”

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On St. Mary, Virgin – 2024

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*Mary (mother of Jesus) – who heeded God’s call “to set out on a mission of charity…”*

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Last Thursday, August 15, was the Feast Day of St. Mary the Virgin, in the Episcopal Church and others. See 2014’s St. Mary, Mother, and Mary (mother of Jesus) – Wikipedia:

She is identified [as] the mother of Jesus through divine intervention. Christians hold her son Jesus to be Christ (i.e., the messiah) and God the Son Incarnate. Mary (Maryam) also has a revered position in Islam, where a whole chapter of the Qur’an is devoted to her, also describing the birth of Jesus. . . [She] is considered by millions to be the most meritorious saint of the Church. Christians of the Catholic Church[,] Anglican Communion, and Lutheran churches believe that Mary … is the Mother of God and the Theotokos, literally “Bearer of God.”

But looking back five years, to 2019, I talked about her special day in St. Mary, “Virgin,” and more on Jerusalem. The post talked about a three-week pilgrimage to Israel in May that year, and especially about my second full day in Jerusalem. And brought back lots of memories:

For starters, we arrived Saturday night [May 11] and the driver from St. George’s College [and Pilgrim Guest House] got us quickly through the dreaded Israeli security at Ben Gurion airport [in Tel Aviv]. But then had a tough time finding my lodging on Al-Isfahani Street [in Jerusalem]. Later, after settling in my new room, at 4:10 that morning I heard what I took to be an explosion. It was actually a cannon, marking the start of another day of Ramadan. (The idea is to give people a chance to eat and drink before the all-day fast.)

That Sunday I wandered Jaffa Street and found a great place to eat, the BeerBazaar, but I’m getting ahead of myself. I was part of a group of 20 people from our local church, rounded out by another 20 pilgrims from around the world. We were there for the Palestine of Jesus course, “a 14-day study pilgrimage focusing on the Scriptures, sites, and landscapes associated with Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.” (Plus some days before the course exploring Jerusalem on my own, then a day or two getting up to Tel Aviv and exploring it before heading home.)

So what the heck does that 2019 pilgrimage to Jerusalem have to do with Mary’s August 15 feast day? Just that Kenneth Clark for one spoke of her as “supreme protectress of civilisation … the human mother in whom everyone could recognize qualities of warmth and love and approachability.” And that she represents an “ideal of beauty and mediator between man and God.” Such that beginning in the 12th century Europeans from all walks of life cooperated in building the cathedrals that were her “earthly abode.” So for that brief time in history, “All hearts were united and each man forgave his enemies.” In plain words, Mary [is] the Model of Charity.

But I didn’t see a whole lot of charity during our visit to Bethlehem on the afternoon of Thursday, May 16, 2019. We ended the day at the Wall of Separation, also called the “Israeli West Bank barrier.” And in an ironic twist, the Wall in Bethlehem passes right by the “Walled Off Hotel.” See Banksy′s hotel with ′the world′s worst view′ opens in Bethlehem, which said this:

“With a play on words on the luxury Waldorf Astoria chain, this place is called the Walled Off Hotel, because it was built almost immediately next to Israel’s separation wall in the Palestinian-ruled city where Jesus Christ was born.”

Which of course was Bethlehem, where Jesus was born and from which “God’s love, mercy, righteousness, holiness, compassion, and glory” were expressed in Him. But seeing “that Wall” in Bethlehem I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. And who knew it could get worse?

Later that night I did some reflecting on the day’s events, and especially the last visit. “I was tempted to conclude that the road to both freedom and spiritual enlightenment seems to be littered with dumbasses along the way. But hey, that wouldn’t be Christian.” Which I suppose is another way of saying that both Jesus and His mother Mary have been working overtime in the years since 2019, and that they could use a lot of help from us down here!

In the meantime in September of 2019 I could look forward to my visit to Portugal. And this year have I have another pilgrimage to look ahead to – to get all “Jesus-upped” – back to Spain and the Camino Finisterre. Which leads me to echo what I said after that May 16, 2019 visit:

Hopefully I won’t find any “Walls of Separation…”

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wallsep1 — *The Wall of Separation, right by the “Walled Off Hotel…”*

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The upper image is courtesy of Mary (mother of Jesus) – Wikipedia. See also Mary’s spring in Ein Kerem – BibleWalks.com, and Ein Karem – Wikipedia, about more cheerful places we visited in Israel. Another note: In Renaissance paintings especially, Mary is portrayed wearing blue, a tradition going back to Byzantine Empire, to about 500 A.D., “where blue was ‘the colour of an empress.’” Another explanation is that in in Medieval and Renaissance Europe:

[T]he blue pigment was derived from the rock lapis lazuli, a stone imported from Afghanistan of greater value than gold. Beyond a painter’s retainer, patrons were expected to purchase any gold or lapis lazuli to be used in the painting. Hence, it was an expression of devotion and glorification to swathe the Virgin in gowns of blue.

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

For this post I borrowed from On St. Mary, Mother (2014), and 2019’s St. Mary, “Virgin,” and more on Jerusalem. (That post noted that the Walled Off hotel “included a bar, where I enjoyed another Taybeh Palestinian beer.”) See also St. Mary, 2020 – and “Walls of Separation,” On the Annunciation (2022) – and Mary “shrinking back,” and last year’s Mary’s Visitation and Jefferson’s Monster – 2023. (Also from 2019, On my first full day in Jerusalem.)

Re: Kenneth Clark, the noted British art historian, museum director, and broadcaster. He created the 1969 TV series, Civilisation. The references herein are from the book version, at pages 58 and 175.) I cited Clark’s take on pilgrim journeys in the March 2019 post, “On to Jerusalem!”

The full “charity” link is Mary as the Model of Charity – Benedict XVI – Crossroads.

Re: The visit to Portugal. The full link is Just got back – Portuguese Camino! And for more on the upcoming trip to Spain see The Transfiguration – 2024.

Re: “To get all ‘Jesus-upped.'” What my non-religious brother said of my planned trip to Israel.

I took the photograph at the end of the main text.

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The Transfiguration – 2024

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*“You call this a ‘pilgrim trail?’ I call it one big pile of **^%$#** rocks!” (Aka, the Chilkoot Trail..*.)

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For this post I went back eight years to The Transfiguration of Jesus – 2016. (Posted July 29.) It had a note that the term transfiguration “stands as an allegory of the transformative nature” of the Bible Faith. (A marked change, “usually for the better.”) And another note, that Thomas Aquinas considered it “the greatest miracle in the world.” One reason: In all the other miracles Jesus did things for other people, while the Transfiguration happened to Him.

But back to that 2016 post. Then I wrote that it “may be the last post I’ll publish for awhile… I’ll be heading north to Skagway, Alaska. From there I’ll spend four days hiking the Chilkoot Trail. (The ‘meanest 33 miles in history.’) Once that’s done, my brother and I will spend 16 days canoeing down the Yukon River, from Whitehorse to Dawson City.” Then, assuming I survived all that, “I should be back in business some time after August 29.”

I next posted on August 28, 2016, “Back in the saddle again,” again.

So what does this have to do with the Transfiguration? Just that in a similar way I too have been transformed, hopefully for the better, through various pilgrimages. Like hiking the Chilkoot Trail, canoeing 440 miles on the Yukon River, and doing various Caminos de Santiago, including the one coming up in a few weeks. (This year the Camino Finisterre.) I’ll have more on such “journeys of personal discovery” in a bit, but first here’s more about the Transfiguration of Jesus. That feast day comes each year on August 6, and the story is told in Luke 9:28-36:

About eight days after Jesus had foretold his death and resurrection, Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem…

On that note the site Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord (now defunct) presented a Greek Orthodox analysis. It said that in the story Moses and Elijah “represent the Law and the Prophets.” (“Moses received the Law from God, and Elijah was a great prophet.”) But Jesus represents something new under the Sun. His Transfiguration was a pivotal moment in time:

[T]he setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven and earth.

But the miracle didn’t just happen to Jesus. Seeing the Transfiguration “transformed” the three disciples who saw it, Peter, James and John. They never forgot what happened that day (which was probably what Jesus intended). John wrote in his gospel, “We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only.” (John 1:14) And as Peter also wrote of the event, “We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain.” They went from being cowards – cowering in an upper room after Jesus “died” – into men who transformed the World. They transformed personally, then went on to Change the World.

In other words, before they could change the world, Peter and the other Disciples had to change from within. Or as one site said, God “brings change from the inside. God works inside out while so many others work outside in.” Which brings up the subject of “pilgrims:”

A pilgrim … is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system. In the spiritual literature of Christianity, the concept of pilgrim and pilgrimage may refer to the experience of life in the world (…as a period of exile) or to the inner path of the spiritual aspirant from a state of wretchedness to a state of beatitude.

You might even say that Peter, James and John were on such a pilgrimage when they hiked up to the top of that mountain – to that “mountaintop experience” – where they saw Jesus being transformed. But they were also transfigured in the process. As a result of that process they went “from a state of wretchedness to a state of beatitude.” And changed the world.

Of course we today can’t personally see Jesus being transfigured on a mountaintop. “That’s ancient history.” But we can – from time to time – get away from the hubbub of everyday life and take time to “pilgrim” – as a verb. To make it easier for God to bring change from the inside.

Put another way, a pilgrim is someone questing to “find himself.” (See also Self-discovery – Wikipedia.) And one way of finding yourself is through a healthy sense of ritual, as noted in the book Passages of the Soul: Ritual Today. It noted that a healthy sense of ritual “should pervade a healthy society, and that a big problem now is that we’ve abandoned many rituals that used to help us deal with big change and major trauma.”

The book added that all true ritual “calls for discipline, patience, perseverance, leading to the discovery of the self within.” More to the point, the book said a pilgrimage – like hiking the Camino Finisterre this year – “may be described as a ritual on the move.” Further, the book said that through “the raw experience of hunger, cold, lack of sleep,” we can quite often find a sense of our fragility as “mere human beings.” And by realizing that fragility we can come closer to that “sense of absolute dependence on God” that is the essence of the Christian faith.

Finally, the book said that such a pilgrimage can be “one of the most chastening, but also one of the most liberating” of personal experiences. Personally I’m hoping to be more liberated than chastened, but since this is my sixth Camino hike coming up, I have a pretty good idea what to expect. But that’s the thing about a pilgrim hike as moving meditation. “There’s always the unexpected, isn’t there?” Or as John Steinbeck said, “You don’t take a trip, a trip takes you.”

Or finally, as it says in Psalm 84:4, “Happy are the people … whose hearts are set on the pilgrim’s way.” So here’s to happy pilgriming in the weeks to come. Stay tuned!

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The upper image is courtesy of Chilkoot Trail – Image Results. I originally included a photo I took – one of a series of photos I took on the Chilkoot Trail (and the Yukon River) – as seen (hopefully) in “Back in the saddle again,” again.

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

For this post I borrowed from 2015’s Transfiguration – The Greatest Miracle in the World On Saint James the Pilgrim – and “Transfiguration 2021”, and 2023’s “Love one another” – get Transfigured (too). And for more on the benefits of such “transformative” pilgrim-journeys see I’m back from my Rideau pilgrimage, from September 12, 2018.

Re: 16 days on the Yukon. It only took 12 days, not including a day off in Carmacks, Yukon Territory. The current was so strong we covered 440 miles in those 12 paddling days, or over 36 miles a day.

Re: “Something new under the sun.” A twist on Ecclesiastes 1:9, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”

Re: “Change from within.” See God Works Change Inside Out – The Gospel Coalition.

The book “Passages of the Soul” was written by James Roose-Evans.

Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768–1834) defined religion – especially Christianity – as a feeling of “absolute dependence on God.”

Re: “My sixth Camino hike.” I define a Camino hike as one where at the end of each day you look forward to a warm bed, hot shower and a cold beer. Thus those six included hikes on the GR 70 last year (the Robert Louis Stevenson Trail) and the Way of St. Francis in 2022. (See Some highlights – Way of St. Francis 2022.) There was no cold beer at the end of the day on the Chilkoot.

Re: “Always the unexpected.” See The Bridge on the River Kwai quotes … Movie Quotes Database.

Re: Steinbeck. The actual quote, “We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.” John Steinbeck – Travel Quote of the Week – Authentic Traveling.

The Psalm 84:4 translation is from the Book of Common Prayer.

The lower image is courtesy of Happy Hiking Image – Image Results.

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DOR Scribe

Expand your horizons – Read the Bible with an open mind

Author Archives: dorscribe@aol.com

“Happy Epiphany (season) – 2025!”

Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

12/31/24 – Ten years of “12 days of Christmas…”

On Advent ’24 – and “Woe unto you Israel?”

On Judgment (Good or Bad) – and Thanksgiving 2024

Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

On “Santa Monica” – and the Unforgivable Sin…

“Some hard parts about being a good Christian…”

On “Jesus riding two donkeys – at once?”

Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

Pilgrimage, doing penance and “St. Bart – 2024…”

On St. Mary, Virgin – 2024

Hopefully I won’t find any “Walls of Separation…”

The Transfiguration – 2024