RELIGION AND ART

The angel came to speak to me, and said, 'Come here and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has married.' In the spirit, he took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a great height, and  had twelve gates; at each of the twelve  gates there was an angel, and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; on the east there were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.  The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Mass Readings Saint Batholomew Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law; the one about whom the prophets wrote: he is Jesus son of Joseph, from Na

I dismiss you from  your office, I remove you from your post, and the same day I call on my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah.  I invest him with your robe, gird him with your sash, entrust him with your authority; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the House of Judah. I place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; should he open, no one shall close, should he close, no one shall open. I drive like a peg into a firm place; he will become a throne of glory for his father's house.  Isa. 22:19-23 Mass Readings How rich are the depths of God - how deep his wisdom and knowledge - and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor? Who could ever give him anything or lend him anything? All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory for ever! Amen. Rom. 11:33-36 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this qu

The angel took me to the gate, the one facing east. I saw the glory of the God of Israel approaching from the east. A sound came with it, like the sound of the ocean, and the earth shone with his glory. This vision was like the one I had seen when I had come for the destruction of the city, and like the one I had seen on the bank of the river Chebar. Then I prostrate myself....... Ezekiel 43:1-7  Mass Readings Ave Maria The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone. You have made their gladness greater, you have made their joy increase; they rejoice in your presence as men rejoice at harvest time, as men rejoice at harvest time, as men are happy when they are dividing the spoils...... Isaiah 9:1-7    Ave Maria The Queenship of Mary           Ave Maria The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David: and the virgin&#

It was our God who gave us the courage to proclaim his Good News to you in the face of great opposition. We have not taken preaching because we are deluded, or immoral, or trying to deceive anyone; it was God who decided that we were fit to be entrusted with the Good News, and when we are speaking, we are not trying to please men but God, who can read our inmost thoughts. You know very well, and we can swear it before God, that never at any time have our speeches been simply flattery, or a cover for trying to get money; nor have we ever looked for any special honor from men, either from you or anybody else, when we could have imposed ourselves on you with full weight, as apostles of Christ. Instead, we were unassuming. Like a mother feeding and looking after her own children, we felt so devoted and protective towards you, and had come to love you so much, that we were eager to hand over to you not only the Good News but our whole lives as well. Mass Readings Saint Pius X, Pope   &