Ashes of the Phoenix

Day's Saints
Blessed Gerardesca, Camaldolese
Pope Saint Paul VI

Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

Gospel Jn 19:25-34

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother

            and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,

            and Mary of Magdala.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,

            he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”

Then he said to the disciple,

            “Behold, your mother.”

And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished,

            in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,

            Jesus said, “I thirst.”

There was a vessel filled with common wine.

So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop

            and put it up to his mouth.

When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,

            “It is finished.”

And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

Now since it was preparation day,

            in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,

            for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,

            the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken

            and they be taken down.

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first

            and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,

            they did not break his legs,

            but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,

            and immediately Blood and water flowed out.

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Water lilies are beginning to bloom.

Today has been an arduous day. In the last several days I have created several weblogs only to hit an immoveable object. So I left Wordpress and am back at Blogger. Having used Blogger for a long time, I grew used to the ease with which you can set up a web page, compared to Wordpress, which I would have to pronounce an abomination.

One can hardly escape the news, and it has been on the one hand hilarious, and on the other, almost apocalyptic. It is enough to make the hairs in your nose curl up as if singed by the emissions of a sulfer-spewing volcano.

But now, by this evening, things have mellowed out, after dinner, and I hope I get some sleep tonight.

Life as a hermit is elemental, meaning very simple and mostly uneventful. Every now and again, events arrange themselves such that life gets interesting, without being frightening. I still urge people to pray. That may require more effort than usual, but it will be so efficacious.

God bless you all, Brother Michael of the Cross +