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Episode Six – Feast of St. Matthias, the latest episode in The Lives of the Saints, First Series: the 1928 B.C.P. Saints, was uploaded to YouTube, with the Podcast version available through our Podbean site. The episode features an early 14th C. icon, a 19th C. stained glass window, and an early 19th C. detail from the Apse mosaic at the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul Outside the Wall, Rome. Continue reading “Lives of the Saints – Episode 6 – St. Matthias”
Episode Five in The Lives of the Saints – First Series, focused on the life and contributions to the Church Universal of St. Paul, was uploaded on January 25th, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. In addition to the familiar unfinished icon by the celebrated Russian icon painter Andre Rublev, I’ve included a 14th C. mosaic at Chora Church, Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) and an early 20th C. mosaic from Romania; and photographs of the exterior and interior of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, Rome, the place of St. Paul’s remains. Continue reading “The Lives of the Saints – First Series – Episode 5”
January has been a productive month. I’ve finished five episodes in the new series, The Lives of the Saints – First Series – the 1928 B.C.P. Saints. The first four of these have been uploaded to our You Tube channel and the fifth, for the Conversion of St. Paul, will be uploaded on January 25th. Continue reading “The Lives of the Saints – First 4 Episodes”
In this Advent Season, when Christians prepare themselves for both the first and second/final coming of our Lord and Saviour, we should understand what the Christian Faith is about. No matter what a certain unnamed politician says, Christianity is not a religion which includes “bedrock” teachings of all other religions. It is the source of the Christian Truth found in the Gospel accounts of the divine origin, Incarnation, life, teachings, Crucifixion, Death on the Cross, Resurrection and promise of Life Everlasting in the divine Kingdom of the Father of the only-begotten Son of God.
I’ve been working on the preliminary plans for a new series of Seasonal Videos and a separate series of Teaching Videos which will be produced in A.D. 2016. The first in the Seasonal Videos series is a two episode series on Epiphany. Continue reading “New Videos in 2016 A.D.”
My Podcast Homily for Sunday Next Before Advent (Stir-up Sunday) has been uploaded to the Podcast Homilies page at the AIC web site. This completes the archive of traditional homilies for all the regular Sundays in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. I include a review of the secular and Scriptural origins of the “Stir-up” idea as well as commentary on the “For the Epistle” reading (Jeremiah 23:5-8) and the Gospel reading (John 6:55-14), St. John’s unique account of the Feeding of the 5,000, the sixth of seven “signs” (Greek: semeion) in St. John’s Gospel. Listen to the Sunday Next Podcast Continue reading “Sunday Next Before Advent”
Episode Seventeen in Revelation: An Idealist Interpretation was uploaded earlier this week and can now be viewed on the AIC’s You Tube channel and linked from the Bible Study page at the AIC web site: www.AnglicanInternetChurch.net. The topic is Revelation, Chapter 12, the Woman, the Child and the Dragon. It is loaded with three illustrations from the Bamberg Apocalypse as well as icons from the 6th though the 18th Centuries, a painting from the early 19th C., a mosaic from the Hagia Sophia, and a picture of a gold and enamel figure from the Basilica of St. Mark, Venice (9th Century). Watch Episode 17 Continue reading “Revelation – Episode 17 and Ninth Sunday After Trinity”
The War on Christianity continues, with imperial edicts promoting transsexuals in the military, fines for opposing gay marriage, gag orders against expressing Christian doctrine, and, yesterday, murders in the American heartland. I do not think there has ever been a more concerted, disciplined assault on Christianity in the United States. I fear more is coming. Your only defense is the practice of Christian Spirituality, which they cannot take from you. More on that in a later post.
Revelation – Episode Fifteen, focused on Chapter 10, the Mighty Angel and the Little Book, is now available on our You Tube channel and our Podcast channel. Continue reading “Revelation – Episode Fifteen and Seventh Sunday After Trinity”
Episode Thirteen in Revelation: An Idealist Interpretation has been uploaded to the AIC You Tube channel and is available through a link on the Bible Study page at the AIC web site. The focus of Episode Thirteen is Chapter 8, St. John’s account of the first four trumpets, illustrated with several new pictures from the Bamberg Apocalypse. Watch Episode 13 Continue reading “Revelation – Episode 13 and Fifth Sunday After Trinity”
BLESSED IS HE WHO COMETH IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!
Earlier this week I uploaded to Podcast Homilies page a new homily for Palm Sunday. Owing to space and time limitations, I did not comment on the Epistle reading for Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is one of two days in the Church Year in which my homilies at my former parish of St. John Chrysostom and the AIC Podcast Homilies at the AIC web site do not use the appointed prayer book readings. That is because, for reasons beyond my comprehension, Archbishop Cranmer and other authors of the BCP chose to put the Gospel reading describing Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the First Sunday in Advent and not on Psalm Sunday. The Psalm Sunday reading, one of the longest if the prayer book, covers material that I use in homilies and readings for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
For the Podcast Homily series I have used a combination of the four Gospel accounts on the entry into Jerusalem, pointing out the differences between what Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote. Not using these readings on Palms Sunday, it seems to me, deprives the laity of the Church of a contextual narrative of what led to the terrible events of Holy Week. While the Podcast Homilies, being audio files, cannot have pictures, I have provided here three illustrations of the Entry into Jerusalem from the 12th, 15th and 19th Centuries.
The first illustration (above) is a 12th Century mosaic at Palermo Cathedral, Palermo, Sicity, Italy, in the Byzantine style still common in Italy at that time. Jesus is shown riding the donkey sidesaddle, which is a royal style and which is still preferred in Eastern Orthodox Church art works.
The second illustration (right) is a Russian Orthodox icon at Tver, Russia, painted in the 15th Century in yellows and golds with Jesus, clad in a blue robe, again riding side-saddle. In both
cases, Jesus is at the center of the image. The final illustration (left) is an oil on canvas by Russian historical painter Vyacheslav Grigorivich Schwartz showing a symbolic procession imitating the Triumphal Entry reenacted in Red Square in front of the Kremlin in the mid-19th Century.
In St. Luke’s Gospel the royal imagery is most apparent:
Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the Highest (Luke 19:38).
The Eastern Church incorporated the account to St. Luke and St. John, plus the Hebrew/Old Testament understanding the imagery of palms as a symbol of victory, into this prayer for Palm Sunday:
By raising Lazarus from the dead before Thy passion,
Thou didst confirm the universal Resurrection, O Christ our God!
Like the children with the palms of victory, we cry out to Thee, O Vanquisher of Death;
Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord! Amen.
Archbishop Cranmer modified a Collect from the Gregorian Sacramentary (late 6th, early 7th C) for the 1549 BCP
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who, of thy tender love towards mankind, hast sent Thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, to take upon Him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the Cross, that all mankind should follow the example of His great humility; Mercifully grant, that we may both follow the example of His patience, and also be made partakers of His Resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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