Apr 27, 2019, 22:21 pm
Happy Easter!
For all those who acknowledged Easter on April 21, I send my regards and best wishes. We continue on celebrating the Easter season as the day is honored in the realm of Eastern Orthodox Christianity today, April 28.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Symbolism of the Passion Flower
Most of the rich symbols of the Passion of Our Lord have their roots in the Middle Ages, but there is one that comes from the American continent. It is the Passiflora, passion flower (in English), fruit de la passion (in French), fruta de la pasión (in Spanish) or flor-da-Paixão or flor de maracujá (in Portuguese).
When the Spanish and Portuguese missionaries and explorers came to the Americas in the 16th century, they were charmed by the exuberant beauty and features of this perfumed flower and immediately associated it with elements of Christ's Calvary. The Jesuits named the flower Flos Passionis or Flor de las Cinco Llagas, Flower of the Five Wounds. They brought it back with them to Spain and later the fruit found its way to other parts of Europe and the world.
In the flower of this purple-colored fruit one can find many of the symbols of the Passion. For this reason the early Catholic missionaries saw it as a gift of God to help them in their work of teaching the Indians to understand the Passion of Christ and the Crucifixion. Even the purple color of the flower was remindful of the liturgical color of Lent. Let us look at the many symbols found in the Passion flower:
• Its central pillar represents the column where Our Lord was so brutally flogged, and the many slender tendrils surrounding its base were likened to the cords and whips used in the scourging.
• The three top stigma, each with a roughly rounded head, symbolize the three nails used to drive the spikes into our Lord's flesh.
• The five anthers are symbolic of the five Sacred Wounds and the circle of filaments that compose the dramatic center of this flower represent the Crown of Thorns.
• The rays within the flower form a nimbus, representing Our Lord's divine glory.
• The leaves on many of these plants are shaped like the spear that pierced His Heart.
• The 10 petals represent the 10 apostles who forsook their Master and fled, omitting Judas, the traitor, and St. John, who remained with Our Lady under the Cross.
A symbolic meaning was found even for the often round shape of the Passion fruit itself: it represents the sinful world that Christ came to save by the supreme sacrifice of His life.
The fruit of the Passion flower.
Our first sketch of this exotic plant is from a pamphlet dated 1609. The Dominican monk Simone Parlasca clearly sketched the passion fruit vine, emphasizing the symbols of Christ's passion we find in the flower. One year later, another sketch by Eugenio Petrelli on the frontipiece in a book by Antonia Possevino, made the symbols even more distinct. This model was widely used in pamphlets of the time.
There are now believed to be more than 500 species of the Passion flower around the world, but mostly in Brazil. Some are edible, especially the most popular Passiflora edulis. Its fruit is eaten fresh or used in drinks, desserts, jams and ice creams. A vigorous and rapid climber, it supplies shade, color and nectar all year and is quite easy to grow.
Roots and leaves of the Passion flower have been used to make a tea which treats epilepsy, hysteria and insomnia. This tincture even has properties that help to soothe pain. The Europeans soon discovered the value of this marvelous plant and took up its use, especially for calming the nerves. It is yet another symbolic aspect of the Passion fruit: like Christ who came to relieve the sufferings and anxieties of fallen man, so this marvelous plant relieves the angsts and pains of those who take advantage of the properties imbued in it by God the Creator.
The Passion flower is the state wildflower of Tennessee. It was recognized as the state flower in 1919, chosen by the schoolchildren of Tennessee. In 1973, legislation was passed that officially designated the flower as the state wildflower. As of 2012, the Passion flower now shares the honor with the Tennessee coneflower.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Positive News:
Donations to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral near $1 billion
PARIS – Notre Dame Cathedral was perhaps only minutes away from total destruction when Monday's blaze swept through the medieval building, authorities said.
At least 30 firetrucks, vehicles and even boats on Paris’ River Seine responded quickly to the blaze – most reaching the scene within 11 minutes, according to French firefighters.
One of the first firefighters on the scene said the fast response was related to the deep knowledge of the inside of the 850-year-old house of worship. “We knew the church really well because we had done a lot of drills there,” Chief Cpl. Miryam Chudzinski said Wednesday at a news conference.
Chudzinski recounted that when she arrived at the scene and saw large crowds watching, and in many cases filming the fire with their phones, she realized the scale of what they were dealing with. “We are proud of how we handled it,” she said.
Gabriel Plus, a representative for the Paris Fire Brigade, said Wednesday that at least 60 members of his organization remain at Notre Dame to check the cathedral’s structural integrity.
“When the fire reached the center of the cathedral, a robot was brought in, and my firefighters were pulled out, to douse the flames,” Plus said. “It was too dangerous for them once the flames reached the spire.”
Donations neared the $1 billion mark and recovery efforts ramped up Wednesday at the charred cathedral.
Priceless relics and historical treasures were saved from a devastating fire that left Paris – and much of the world – in shock.
Engineers and historians are likely to put up a temporary roof to protect the cathedral from the elements, assess damage and salvage materials before beginning repairs that may take decades.
Plus said the building’s outer buttresses are secure, but some damaged stonework will be cleared. Scaffolding damaged in the fire – part of renovation work before the blaze – will be removed.
Structural engineers, stained-glass experts and stonemasons from across the globe are likely to head to Paris to help with restorations in the next few weeks.
The cost to completely repair the church will reach $1.13 billion to $2.3 billion, according to Stephane Bern, who heads heritage renovation programs across France.
Bern said about $995 million was raised in just a day and a half from French business leaders and ordinary worshipers at home and abroad. The French government is gathering donations and setting up a special office to deal with them.
The cathedral's 18th-century organ suffered some burn damage but has not been lost, Olivier Latry, one of the church's three organists.
French Deputy Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said efforts to save the cathedral’s stone structure and two towers "came down to 10 to 15 minutes."
Nunez said fires were stopped before they had an opportunity to spread and it was only this "small window" and the heroic efforts of firefighters who formed a human chain to save relics that staved off more damage.
American art historian Andrew Tallon used laser technology to completely digitally map Notre Dame in 2015, creating a replica that could help architects and engineers rebuild the Gothic cathedral.
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world...493655002/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pablo Casals
O Vos Omnes
Composed: 1932
Performed by: Antiphon
Directed by: Matthew Cann
The performance was filmed at Buckfast Abbey on Saturday March 3, 2012 in a program entitled Lent Reflections.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paschale Mysterium: Gregorian Chant for Easter
Recorded: 1995
Released: February 19, 1997
1. Vexilla Regis Prodeunt, Hymn 4:14
2. Domine, Exaudi, Tractus 4:51
3. Crucem Tuam Adoramus, Antiphon 4:55
4. Improperia II 7:24
5. Incipit Oratio Ieremiae Prophetae (Sabbati Sancti, Lectio Terza) (Manuscrit Q43 Du Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale, Bologna) 3:55
6. Exsultet Iam Angelica Turba Caelorum 18:01
7. Cantemus Domino, Canticum 3:08
8. Surrexit Dominus Vere, Alleluia. Venite, Exultemus Dominuo (Psalm 94) 9:06
9. Alleluia, Haec Dies, Antiphon 2:13
10. Haec Dies, Confitemini, (responsorium, Graduale) 4:39
11. Alleluia Pascha Nostrum 2:33
12. Victimae Paschali Laudes, Sequence In Mode 1 For Easter (1. T/GR 198, Liber Usualis No. 780) 2:13
13. Exsultemus Et Laetemur, Cantus Responsorialis 2:42
14. Aurora Lucis, Hymn For Easter 2:27
15. Benedicamus Domino, Alleluia. Deo Gratias 1:00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
George Frideric Handel
Messiah (HWV 56)
Composed: 1741
Conductor: Christopher Hogwood
Orchestra: The Academy of Ancient Music
Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Words Selected from Holy Scripture by Charles Jennens
Soloists:
Judith Nelson (Soprano 1)
Emma Kirkby (Soprano 2)
Carolyn Watkinson (Contralto)
Paul Elliott (Tenor)
David Thomas (Bass)
Recorded in Westminster Abbey, London, 1982
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Alexander - The Magic Art Instructor #106
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
James Findley - The Art of Aquascaping
Aquascape Tutorial - Continuity
Kevin from the Northern Ontario Aquarium Hobby YouTube channel:
"The Difference Between Low-tech vs. High-tech Planted Aquarium Tanks"
For all those who acknowledged Easter on April 21, I send my regards and best wishes. We continue on celebrating the Easter season as the day is honored in the realm of Eastern Orthodox Christianity today, April 28.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Symbolism of the Passion Flower
Most of the rich symbols of the Passion of Our Lord have their roots in the Middle Ages, but there is one that comes from the American continent. It is the Passiflora, passion flower (in English), fruit de la passion (in French), fruta de la pasión (in Spanish) or flor-da-Paixão or flor de maracujá (in Portuguese).
When the Spanish and Portuguese missionaries and explorers came to the Americas in the 16th century, they were charmed by the exuberant beauty and features of this perfumed flower and immediately associated it with elements of Christ's Calvary. The Jesuits named the flower Flos Passionis or Flor de las Cinco Llagas, Flower of the Five Wounds. They brought it back with them to Spain and later the fruit found its way to other parts of Europe and the world.
In the flower of this purple-colored fruit one can find many of the symbols of the Passion. For this reason the early Catholic missionaries saw it as a gift of God to help them in their work of teaching the Indians to understand the Passion of Christ and the Crucifixion. Even the purple color of the flower was remindful of the liturgical color of Lent. Let us look at the many symbols found in the Passion flower:
• Its central pillar represents the column where Our Lord was so brutally flogged, and the many slender tendrils surrounding its base were likened to the cords and whips used in the scourging.
• The three top stigma, each with a roughly rounded head, symbolize the three nails used to drive the spikes into our Lord's flesh.
• The five anthers are symbolic of the five Sacred Wounds and the circle of filaments that compose the dramatic center of this flower represent the Crown of Thorns.
• The rays within the flower form a nimbus, representing Our Lord's divine glory.
• The leaves on many of these plants are shaped like the spear that pierced His Heart.
• The 10 petals represent the 10 apostles who forsook their Master and fled, omitting Judas, the traitor, and St. John, who remained with Our Lady under the Cross.
A symbolic meaning was found even for the often round shape of the Passion fruit itself: it represents the sinful world that Christ came to save by the supreme sacrifice of His life.
The fruit of the Passion flower.
Our first sketch of this exotic plant is from a pamphlet dated 1609. The Dominican monk Simone Parlasca clearly sketched the passion fruit vine, emphasizing the symbols of Christ's passion we find in the flower. One year later, another sketch by Eugenio Petrelli on the frontipiece in a book by Antonia Possevino, made the symbols even more distinct. This model was widely used in pamphlets of the time.
There are now believed to be more than 500 species of the Passion flower around the world, but mostly in Brazil. Some are edible, especially the most popular Passiflora edulis. Its fruit is eaten fresh or used in drinks, desserts, jams and ice creams. A vigorous and rapid climber, it supplies shade, color and nectar all year and is quite easy to grow.
Roots and leaves of the Passion flower have been used to make a tea which treats epilepsy, hysteria and insomnia. This tincture even has properties that help to soothe pain. The Europeans soon discovered the value of this marvelous plant and took up its use, especially for calming the nerves. It is yet another symbolic aspect of the Passion fruit: like Christ who came to relieve the sufferings and anxieties of fallen man, so this marvelous plant relieves the angsts and pains of those who take advantage of the properties imbued in it by God the Creator.
The Passion flower is the state wildflower of Tennessee. It was recognized as the state flower in 1919, chosen by the schoolchildren of Tennessee. In 1973, legislation was passed that officially designated the flower as the state wildflower. As of 2012, the Passion flower now shares the honor with the Tennessee coneflower.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Positive News:
Donations to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral near $1 billion
PARIS – Notre Dame Cathedral was perhaps only minutes away from total destruction when Monday's blaze swept through the medieval building, authorities said.
At least 30 firetrucks, vehicles and even boats on Paris’ River Seine responded quickly to the blaze – most reaching the scene within 11 minutes, according to French firefighters.
One of the first firefighters on the scene said the fast response was related to the deep knowledge of the inside of the 850-year-old house of worship. “We knew the church really well because we had done a lot of drills there,” Chief Cpl. Miryam Chudzinski said Wednesday at a news conference.
Chudzinski recounted that when she arrived at the scene and saw large crowds watching, and in many cases filming the fire with their phones, she realized the scale of what they were dealing with. “We are proud of how we handled it,” she said.
Gabriel Plus, a representative for the Paris Fire Brigade, said Wednesday that at least 60 members of his organization remain at Notre Dame to check the cathedral’s structural integrity.
“When the fire reached the center of the cathedral, a robot was brought in, and my firefighters were pulled out, to douse the flames,” Plus said. “It was too dangerous for them once the flames reached the spire.”
Donations neared the $1 billion mark and recovery efforts ramped up Wednesday at the charred cathedral.
Priceless relics and historical treasures were saved from a devastating fire that left Paris – and much of the world – in shock.
Engineers and historians are likely to put up a temporary roof to protect the cathedral from the elements, assess damage and salvage materials before beginning repairs that may take decades.
Plus said the building’s outer buttresses are secure, but some damaged stonework will be cleared. Scaffolding damaged in the fire – part of renovation work before the blaze – will be removed.
Structural engineers, stained-glass experts and stonemasons from across the globe are likely to head to Paris to help with restorations in the next few weeks.
The cost to completely repair the church will reach $1.13 billion to $2.3 billion, according to Stephane Bern, who heads heritage renovation programs across France.
Bern said about $995 million was raised in just a day and a half from French business leaders and ordinary worshipers at home and abroad. The French government is gathering donations and setting up a special office to deal with them.
The cathedral's 18th-century organ suffered some burn damage but has not been lost, Olivier Latry, one of the church's three organists.
French Deputy Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said efforts to save the cathedral’s stone structure and two towers "came down to 10 to 15 minutes."
Nunez said fires were stopped before they had an opportunity to spread and it was only this "small window" and the heroic efforts of firefighters who formed a human chain to save relics that staved off more damage.
American art historian Andrew Tallon used laser technology to completely digitally map Notre Dame in 2015, creating a replica that could help architects and engineers rebuild the Gothic cathedral.
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/world...493655002/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pablo Casals
O Vos Omnes
Composed: 1932
Performed by: Antiphon
Directed by: Matthew Cann
The performance was filmed at Buckfast Abbey on Saturday March 3, 2012 in a program entitled Lent Reflections.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paschale Mysterium: Gregorian Chant for Easter
Recorded: 1995
Released: February 19, 1997
1. Vexilla Regis Prodeunt, Hymn 4:14
2. Domine, Exaudi, Tractus 4:51
3. Crucem Tuam Adoramus, Antiphon 4:55
4. Improperia II 7:24
5. Incipit Oratio Ieremiae Prophetae (Sabbati Sancti, Lectio Terza) (Manuscrit Q43 Du Civico Museo Bibliografico Musicale, Bologna) 3:55
6. Exsultet Iam Angelica Turba Caelorum 18:01
7. Cantemus Domino, Canticum 3:08
8. Surrexit Dominus Vere, Alleluia. Venite, Exultemus Dominuo (Psalm 94) 9:06
9. Alleluia, Haec Dies, Antiphon 2:13
10. Haec Dies, Confitemini, (responsorium, Graduale) 4:39
11. Alleluia Pascha Nostrum 2:33
12. Victimae Paschali Laudes, Sequence In Mode 1 For Easter (1. T/GR 198, Liber Usualis No. 780) 2:13
13. Exsultemus Et Laetemur, Cantus Responsorialis 2:42
14. Aurora Lucis, Hymn For Easter 2:27
15. Benedicamus Domino, Alleluia. Deo Gratias 1:00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
George Frideric Handel
Messiah (HWV 56)
Composed: 1741
Conductor: Christopher Hogwood
Orchestra: The Academy of Ancient Music
Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Words Selected from Holy Scripture by Charles Jennens
Soloists:
Judith Nelson (Soprano 1)
Emma Kirkby (Soprano 2)
Carolyn Watkinson (Contralto)
Paul Elliott (Tenor)
David Thomas (Bass)
Recorded in Westminster Abbey, London, 1982
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Alexander - The Magic Art Instructor #106
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
James Findley - The Art of Aquascaping
Aquascape Tutorial - Continuity
Kevin from the Northern Ontario Aquarium Hobby YouTube channel:
"The Difference Between Low-tech vs. High-tech Planted Aquarium Tanks"