"Christianity has always insisted that the cross we bear precedes the crown we wear. To be a Christian one must take up his cross, with all its difficulties and agonizing and tension-packed content and carry it until that very cross leaves its mark upon us and redeems us to that more excellent way which comes only through suffering".
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The defunding and dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) just over a year ago deeply disturbs me. I’m usually very private about such things, but since I don’t know what to do with this sadness and rage, this image is my lament. It is created with pure emotion, without proper proportions or certain design elements.
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"if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand." (Mark 3:25. KJV) more >>
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other."
(Luke 16:13,…
“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19, NIV)
“Choose you this day whom ye will serve…As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua… more >>
The Coventry Carol
Unknown Composer
Robert Croo (lyricist)
Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child,
Bye bye, lully, lullay.
Thou little tiny child,
Bye bye, lully, lullay.
O sisters too, how may we do more >>
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The Three Wise Kings
Ruben Dario (Author)
Salomon de la Selva (Translator)
My name is Kaspar. I the incense bear. more >>
The glamor of the Star has made me wise.
I say that love is vaster than the skies.
And God exists. And Life is pure and fair.
My…
"I Wonder, As I Wander"
John Jacob Niles (adapter)
When Mary birthed Jesus, 'twas in a cow's stall
with wise men and farmers and shepherd and all.
but high from God's heaven a star's light did fall,
and the promise of ages it did then recall.
I wonder as I wander, out under… more >>
Bethlehem
Babatunde Olatunji (Composer)
Wendell P. Whalum (Arranger)
We are glad that we have a Father to trust. more >>
We are glad to have a Father to rely upon.
Where was Jesus born?
Where was he born?
Bethlehem the city of wonder.
That is where the Father was born for sure.
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The Carol of the Birds
William G. James (music)
John Wheeler (lyrics)
Out on the plains, the brolgas are dancing more >>
Lifting their feet like horses prancing
Up to the sun, the woodlarks go winging
…
Here, Mid the Ass and Oxen Mild
Traditional French Carol
Charles Winfred Douglas (Translator)
Here, mid the ass and oxen mild, more >>
Sleep, sleep, sleep my little Child
Thousand seraphim, thousand…
On the Night of Christmas (Laylat-al-Milad)
Lebanese Maronite Carol
Unknown composer, lyricist, and translator
When we offer a glass of water to a thirsty person, we are in Christmas more >>
When we clothe a naked person with a gown of love, we are in Christmas
When we wipe the tears from weeping eyes, we are…
The Carol of the Bells
Mykola Leontovych (Music)
Peter Wilhousky (Lyrics)
Hark! how the bells more >>
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O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come, and behold Him, born the King of angels!
John Francis Wade (English); Translator: Frederick Oakeley (1841)
Merchandising America has pushed forward the beginning of the holidays so cash registers have more time to ring. We'll be taking advantage…
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[The Lord] will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.(Psalm 91:4, NIV)
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were… more >>
Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him… more >>
When a large crowd was gathering, as people were coming to him from town after town, [Jesus] said in a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed some fell on a path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.
And a certain scribe came, and said unto [Jesus], Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. (Matthew 6:19-20, KJV)
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[Jesus] put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come… more >>
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor… more >>
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in… more >>
‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.' (Exodus 19:2, NIV)
Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft, t
He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
They give drink to every beast of the field:
the wild asses quench their thirst.
By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
(Psalm 104:10-12, KJV)
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How lovely is your dwelling place, more >>
Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the…
Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” So he did what the… more >>
The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate our fill of… more >>
And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made...He sent forth the dove out of the ark; And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was… more >>
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after… more >>
Who teaches us more than the animals of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’ Job 35:11
After a summer pause, the Sacred Art Pilgrim Collection is back on-line with a series devoted to biblical "bird-watching," showcasing images of birds depicted as actors and emblems in sacred narratives from the Hebrew Scriptures and…
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The Sacred Art Pilgrim is taking time off to
"cultivate his garden" and will be back
on-line in August.
Have a good summer!
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My final type of Marian image this month is known among Western Christians as The Virgin of Mercy and among Eastern Christians as The Protection of the Mother of God, where Mary spreads a cloak or veil to offer a place of safety to the needy. I have three variations from the Sacred Art Pilgrim Collection to present, beginning…
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The fourth major type of Marian imagery found in the Sacred Art Pilgrim Collection is The Virgin Enthroned, where Mary sits in regal splendor with the Christ Child on her lap. This devotional motif is also known as "The Seat of Wisdom," where Mary is viewed as a throne for her divine son, the source of all truth. I…
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My Mary in May art offerings this week are four contemporary variations of The Virgin of the Sign, one of the oldest types of Marian imagery, whose prototype can be found in 4th century Roman catacombs. The title of this portrait of Mary with a second image of Christ contained within a circle representing her womb is taken from…
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A devotional image of Mary, beloved around the world, is the Virgin of Tenderness, also known as "The Icon of Sweet Kisses," where the Virgin Mary rests her cheek against the cheek of the baby Jesus. This endearing portrait of mother and child is said to have been painted from life by the Apostle Luke. I'm presenting it in…
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May is the month traditionally devoted to the Virgin Mary. During the next five weeks, I'll be presenting images from the Sacred Art Pilgrim Collection representing four different types of Marian portraiture, beginning with one of the oldest and most revered depictions of the Mother of Christ, known as "The Virgin Who Shows the Way." Mary supports the Christ…
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CHRIST IS RISEN!
He is risen, indeed!
HAPPY EASTER!
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UKRAINIAN WAY OF SORROW
The Angel of Death
In memory of Mikhailo Movchan (b.1981),
killed in the battle for Bakhmut, July 14, 2023
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down
one’s life for one’s…
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UKRAINIAN WAY OF SORROW
Enshrouded
When they look on the one whom they have
pierced, they shall mourn for him as one mourns
for an only child and weep bitterly over him as
one weeps over a firstborn.
Zechariah 12:10 (NRSVue)
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UKRAINIAN WAY OF SORROW
Christ Attacked
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me,
from the words of my groaning?"
Psalm 22:1 (NRSVue)
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UKRAINIAN WAY OF SORROW
UKRAINIAN WAY OF SORROW
UKRAINIAN WAY OF SORROW more >>
UKRAINIAN WAY OF SORROW
"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup more >>
When Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, few outside observers believed the Ukrainians would be able to hold off Putin's brutal war machine for long. To the astonishment of the world, three years later they continue to fight back, offering an inspiring example of true heroism in resisting tyranny. During this time so full of memories, it… more >>
Ukrainian Crucifixion
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not perish
but may have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NRSVue)
The Wartime Watercolors of Danylo Movchan III
March 16, 2025
The Road to Golgotha
Bear one another’s burdens, andThe Wartime Watercolors of Danylo Movchan II
March 9, 2025
The Man of Sorrows
He was despised and rejected by others; a man
of suffering and acquainted with infirmity, and
as one… The Wartime Watercolors of Danylo Movchan I
March 2, 2025
Prayer
from me, yet not my will but yours be done."
Luke 22:42 (NRSVue)Artists in Profile: New Iconography of Lviv III
February 22, 2025
Picture in Focus: Nativity by Kateryna Shadrina
December 25, 2022
