From SheisCatholic. (see more of her at http://www.youtube.com/user/sheiscatholic?feature=results_main)
Learning, Cracking and Sharing The Mysteries of Catholicism
Posts tagged “Christianity”
Hold the mayo! I have had a profound awakening today. An awaking that I think will change my life – like peanuts changed m&m’s– for the better. Has anyone noticed the lack of continuity in my posts? One minute I talk about not eating processed foods and the next I talk about eating donuts. I talk about no BPA’s and then buy a plastic water kettle. I preach the need for bringing all my kids to church then “accidentally” forget one at home with my husband (she is small… and hard to see). I should have figured this out after setting New Year’s resolutions for about 20 years to lose the 20 pounds and never doing it. I am sure most of you have…
Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi (also known as the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ). If you didn’t guess from the name, it is the day that Catholics celebrate the transfiguration of the holy Eucharist. Traditionally it is held (in America) on the Sunday following Trinity Sunday and is one of the ten holy days of obligation. That is what the Feast of Corpus Christi is on the surface but beneath:
We come together to consider the depths of our Lord’s love for us, which has led him to stay with us, hidden under the appearances of the blessed Sacrament. via Opus Dei – DAILY MESSAGE – “On the feast of Corpus Christi”.
The belief in Christ’s actual body and blood in the bread and wine during the sacrament of the Eucharist is one of the main reasons I became Catholic. I think of it as the mystery among mysteries. I find it magical in a world of ordinary. How wonderful to have a miracle happen every Sunday and what a profound gift. In fact, I completely understand where Saint Juliana of Mont Cornillion was coming from when she saw the need for a “celebration” in reverence of the Eucharist. As a spanking new Catholic, I wasn’t really sure what the Feast of Corpus Christi entailed so I did some foraging. Below I am posting my most interesting finds — it’s a small world after all:
Feast Food!
I really wanted to celebrate with an actual feast today. Surprisingly, I couldn’t find many “traditional” Corpus Christi dishes. It seems most people just “feast” in general. I did find a dish from Guatamala which looked amazingly good. The picture above is Pepián with Tayuyos Tamales. via Guatemalan Corpus Christi Food | AntiguaDailyPhoto.Com. I was totally going to try to make this but I couldn’t find a recipe for tayuyos. Then I decided I could just make tamales, but realized I probably couldn’t pull them off without at least three days of prep. So, I kept foraging and found this awesome blog called Global Table Adventures . It features the following dish: Pepian Sauce (For stewed chicken or veggies):
Just look at the ingredients for the sauce yum!!:
This takes it a bit far, but I’ve always thought the unleavened bread in the Eucharist looks just like a tortilla! symbolically a nice enchilada dish with red sauce (bread and wine) could work just as well for the feast as the more labor intensive dishes above. Am I veering off track?
Corpus Christi Processions!—Rome! Pope Benedict leads Corpus Christi procession in Rome on June 7, 2012. (As a side note, this was an interesting article:) Pope Benedict XVI says the Second Vatican Council did not reject Eucharistic adoration outside of Mass, including the Corpus Christi procession that he led this evening in Rome.via Pope says Vatican II did not reject Eucharistic adoration or processions :: Catholic News Agency (CNA).
Poland! From the early morning inhabitants are busy decorating the procession route – over 2 km long – with flowers collected beforehand in meadows, fields and gardens. The most common motifs on the carpets of flowers praising the Lord are religious: chalices, fish, crosses, doves, images of the Virgin Mary. The Spycimierz tradition of laying floral carpets is over 200 years old and is unique in the world. Local families try to one-up each other in creating the most beautiful designs, which are placed directly in front of the family’s property. The procession starts at the end of mass, at 5 p.m. Soon afterwards, the carpets are trodden underfoot by the congregation and disappear. via Corpus Christi in Spycimierz – Events. Click here to see a movie of Spycimierz, Poland’s Feast of Corpus Chrisi
- (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Venezuela! People dressed as dancing devils walk down a hill during a traditional dance celebration in Naiguata, Venezuela, Wednesday June 22, 2011. Spanish conquerors and Catholic priests presented dancing devils ceremonies to Latin America’s African slave population 200 years ago, who adopted it and incorporated drums into the ritual. The dancing devil ceremony comes the day before the Catholic holiday of Corpus Christi. via In Focus – Bonfires of Saint John and Corpus Christi – The Atlantic.
To see more amazing images of the Feast of Corpus Christi click here!
Is the Pope Catholic? Yes. Do angels have wings? Uh… not so much. This is a bubble bursting moment: some angels look like intersecting wheels with eyes! What!? Talk about feeling watched! Angels are so much more than those little Putti! May I dare to say they are… bad-ass? Because they are, especially Throne Angels, the third choir of angels! I couldn’t find a picture that represented this quality well enough so I went ahead and created the one you see above. In my head I hear the whaa, whoosh, whaa, woosh of it spinning. Something like the sound of a Star War’s lightsaber as it cuts through space. According to the bible, Thrones can move in any direction without turning. Maybe that is what the eyes are for? Or Are they symbolic or even all-seeing?
These Angelic Princes are often also called “Ofanim, Wheels or Galgallin.” It is said that they were the actual wheels of the Lord’s Heavenly Chariot (Merkabah). “The four wheels had rims and they had spokes, and their rims were full of eyes round about.” They are also frequently referred to as “many-eyed ones.”
Rosemary Gulley (1996: p. 37) states that:
The ‘thrones’; also known as ‘ophanim’ (offanim) and ‘galgallin’, are creatures that function as the actual chariots of God driven by the cherubs. They are characterized by peace and submission; God rests upon them. Thrones are depicted as great wheels containing many eyes, and reside in the area of the cosmos where material form begins to take shape. They chant glorias to God and remain forever in his presence. They mete out divine justice and maintain the cosmic harmony of all universal laws.[1]
Thrones in the Bible:
Colossians 1:16
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.
Ezekiels Vision of Ophanim/Thrones
Ezekiel 1:15
15 Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings, for each of the four of them. 16 The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like sparkling beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another. 17 Whenever they moved, they moved in any of their four directions without turning as they moved. 18 As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about. 19 Whenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. 20 Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction. And the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. 21 Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those stood still, these stood still. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.
Daniel 7:9
“I kept looking
Until thrones were set up,
And the Ancient of Days took His seat;
His vesture was like white snow
And the hair of His head like pure wool.
His throne was [h]ablaze with flames,
Its wheels were a burning fire.
I’ve been Catholic since the Easter Vigil this year and I already feel embattled. I don’t like to feel embattled, I like to feel peaceful, prayerful and calm. I know this is part of being Catholic, that Jesus was embattled, but I already lack the required amount of sleep needed to function sanely because of a wily two-year old and I honestly don’t think I have the energy. Along with feeling embattled, little flies of doubt keep buzzing around me like I’m the lemonade at a picnic. I feel challenged to explain a faith I just gained. First, I have Grandpa, “The Cheetos Loving Atheist,” sending me emails to make sure I am up to date on any controversy from the Vatican or as…
Chunky little naked babies with wings are not Cherubim. Chunky little naked babies with wings are Putti (pronounced Poo-tee). Seen in Renaissance, Mannerist, Baroque and Rococo art, Putti have often been described as “Cherubs” an obvious link to Cherubim but unfortunately not accurate. Actually “Putti” is a fun little word to say and I’m thinking of making it my husband’s new nickname — not that he is chubby or cheeky (well sometimes) but Putti were sassy little facilitators of love. (By the way, feel free to call him Putti or Putto (singular) too— maybe the harassment will make him stop rolling his eyes at me when I talk about angels! ) Alright, back to Cherubim…Cherubim are actually fierce creatures of God as described in…
At breakfast yesterday I told my children to say a prayer for their grandfather who is in the hospital after stubbornly deciding to tile Nana’s backyard patio all by himself. I said, “Kids, pray really hard for Papa.” They proceeded to clasp their little hands together in a super tight grasp and through clenched teeth pushed out a prayer, straining to say it as “hard” as they could. I laughed to myself thinking how cute and how innocent. Maybe that prayer would be the most powerful I thought. I spent the rest of the day worrying about how I should pray for my father. I said a personal prayer but wanted to do more. This was important and I really needed God to hear…
One of my greatest challenges as a “baby Catholic” is to have the courage to proclaim my faith. It isn’t easy for me as I feel somewhat like a hypocrite after so many years spent looking down on people who “needed” religion. I used to see it all as a sort of hocus-pocus brain washing by “those people”. Now, I often think of Jesus and feel pangs of guilt wash over me. To my former self, Jesus had been the nerdy kid we all laughed at. From American media, my college professors and almost everyone I was surrounded by on a daily basis, I ascertained cool people and Jesus didn’t really hang out. Now, of course I wonder, if I was “cool” and didn’t…
My road to Catholicism stage one: Just Another Vision From God In my post Foraging Squirrel, I talked about having a “vision from God – that was kind of like the Blue’s Brother’s but without the back flips.” It has been fifteen years since my vision and I am only now comfortable with calling it that. I know it was not a dream or a hallucination and I wasn’t on crack because crack is wack. I simply had a vision from God. As it turns out, visions from God are common enough that I’m really not that special for having one. People have experiences like mine all the time all over the world, we just don’t tend to talk about them for fear of…
“Come To Me” My Journey to Confirmation. A thunderous roar, a storm rushing seized my soul and I was there. Ethereal in light, fierce Love flooding my spirit. Blinding Love, a pure white sphere of fire. “Come To Me” Love called from the flame and grasped for my heart. Frightened, I turned away, rushing back, downward, into myself, into paralyzing emptiness, darkness without. And in that hollowness time passed and I stumbled. Please, I prayed, come back to me. I cautiously began to seek, following breadcrumbs along His path to this sacred Parish home. Broken, I was enfolded in many arms, gently guided by many hearts. And now, mended and reconciled I climb back in faith joyfully awaiting this precious moment — Love’s sweet…
