Today, I spent a good bit of fun with a sarcastic Facebook stat from a friend of mine, a devout Russian Orthodox man... (I am a Catholic Russian-Polish-German- really, I think only transsubstantiation divides us. I too can easily identify as a Cossack/ monarchist. Play with that word, transsubstantiation ... I'll answer it as best I can, later.) Everyone has been semi-sarcastically posting about Facebook sending the earth into the sun, and using the new privacy setting messages with new phrasing. My friend the Dom Cossack, posted a variation that led to a spirited conversation delving into King Arthur, perhaps in actuality a warlord, who was of Welsh extraction and whose true name is Pendragon.
And into Good King Wenceslas, patron saint of the Czech Republic, canonized by both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches when he died in 935AD. My Czech pediatrician (who still loves me and calls me her princess... I was her special baby, even though she scared the heebie jeebies out of me!) told me of him and taught me my favorite Christmas carol, based on Wenceslas's journey of mercy to help a poor man on the Feast of Stephen, December 26th.
(That's right, a martyred saint helping another on the feast day of another martyred saint.) This Wenceslas went by the birth name, Vaclav. He is not to be confused with Wenceslas I of Bohemia (Former Czechloslovakia.)
"Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;
Brightly shone the moon that night, tho' the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gath'ring winter fuel.
"Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know'st it, telling,
Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain;
Right against the forest fence, by saint agnes' fountain."
"Bring me flesh, and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither:
Thou and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither."
Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together;
Through the rude wind's wild lament and the bitter weather.
"Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blows stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how; I can go no longer."
"Mark my footsteps, good my page. Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage freeze thy blood less coldly."
In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
Therefore, christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing"
-Public Domain. Lyrics- John Mason Neale.
Basically, one evening, the king, went out to help a poor man, bringing with him a young servant, who was freezing, until the king told him to walk where he trod. There was a heat, a small furnace, in each footstep, and the servant helped his master in pure comfort. He was known to go to churches with alms, in the bitter snow, barefoot. Pope Pious II recreated this, himself going through snow barefoot, for a terrifying 10 miles!
Remember your family, love and keep them, and yourself, but offer some peace to someone you may not know, in whichever way you can. Merry Christmas, God jul, С Рождеством, feliz navidad, Happy Christmachanukwanzasolsticekuh, and a delightful Eid to you and yours!
Oh, and that minor, teeny-tiny issue, transsubstantiation.
This small issue divided major religions during the Council of Niccea. (Also the namesake of the "I believe" Niccean Creed)- When Jesus broke the bread and offered around the wine, saying "Take eat/drink, this is my body/ this is my blood", did he do so literally, meaning, did bread become flesh, and wine, living blood, or was this simply a symbol? Does it matter? Really--- to be honest, I believe, but don't think that this is a good reason for the shism- split. May we someday, truly have peace, and show Christian love, regardless of faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment