Imagine the kings, the caravans’ stilted procession
As they make for the cave, or, rather, three beams closing in
And in on the star, the creaking of loads, the clink of a cowbell;
(No thronging of Heaven as yet, no peal of the bell

That will ring in the end for the infant once he has earned it).
Imagine the Lord, for the first time, from darkness, and stranded
Immensely in distance, recognizing Himself in the Son
Of Man: His homelessness plain to him now in a homeless one.

Read it all.

Anonim după / Anonymus after
Rafael Sanzio de Urbino (1483-1520)
The Adoration of the Magi
16th century
Oil on canvas
Nostalgie. Amintire. Regăsire. Peisajul european și ruina în secolele XVI-XIX | Muzeul Național de Artă al României, Bucureștihttps://t.co/iH6Mf1pOd9 pic.twitter.com/1774sLInAB

— madalina potinc (@madalinapotinc) August 3, 2022

Lyrics:

The wise men came from the East to Jerusalem
asking questions and saying:
Where is he that is born [King of the Jews],
whose star we have seen?
We have seen that star in the East,
and we have come [with gifts] to worship the Lord.
Herod questioned the magi what sign they had seen
above the new-born king? We recognized that brightly shining star
whose lustre lights the world and us.
We have seen, and have come to worship the Lord

“Recently we celebrated the day on which the Lord was born of the Jews; today we are celebrating the one on which he was worshiped by the Gentiles; because salvation is from the Jews (Jn 4:22); but this salvation reaches to the ends of the earth (Is 49:6). On that day the shepherds worship him, on this one the Magi. To those the message was brought by angels, to these by a star. Both learned about him from heaven, when they saw the king of heaven on earth, so that there might be glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will (Lk 2:14).”

For he is our peace, who made both into one (Eph 2:14). Already from this moment, by the way he was born and proclaimed, the infant is shown to be that cornerstone; already from the first moments of his birth he appeared as such. He began at once to tie together in himself two walls coming from different directions, bringing the shepherds from Judea, the Magi from the East; so that he might establish the two in himself as one new man, making peace; peace for
those who were far off, and peace for those who were near (Eph 2: 15. 17). Thus it is that those hurrying up from nearby on the very day, and these arriving today from far away, marked two days to be celebrated by posterity, and yet both saw the one light of the world.

–Sermon 199, On The Lords Epiphany

6 January

Sandro Botticelli, Adoration of the Magi, 1475, including self-portrait of the artist at far right, looking directly at the viewer… pic.twitter.com/PfuCReCUDo

— rowenamezzo (@rowenamezzo) January 6, 2024

10. What statement about friendship can be more sublime, more true, more valuable than this: it has been proved that friendship must begin in Christ, continue with Christ, and be perfected by Christ. Come, now: propose what in your opinion should be the first question about friendship.

IVO. I think we should first discuss what friendship is, lest we appear to be painting on a void, not knowing what should guide and organize our talk.

11. AELRED. Is Cicero’s definition not an adequate beginningfor you? “Friendship is agreement in things human and divine, with good will and charity.”

12. IVO. If his definition suffices for you, it’s good enough for me.

–Aelred of Rievaulx Spiritual Friendship I.10-12 (Lawrence C. Braceland, tr., Marsha L. Dutton ed., Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2010), p.57

Aelred of Hexham, Abbot of Rievaulx, 1167 pic.twitter.com/JvFmCfvhrR

— Tewkesbury Abbey (@TewkesAbbey) January 12, 2024

Almighty God, who didst endow thy abbot Aelred with the gift of Christian friendship and the wisdom to lead others in the way of holiness: Grant to thy people that same spirit of mutual affection, that, in loving one another, we may know the love of Christ and rejoice in the gift of thy eternal goodness; through the same Jesus Christ our Savior, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Today the Church of England celebrates Aelred of Hexham, Abbot of Rievaulx, 1167

Image: Aelred depicted in a C13th manuscript of The Mirror of Charity, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons pic.twitter.com/QClMgzcZW5

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) January 12, 2024

Almighty God, who hast manifested thy Son Jesus Christ to be a light to mankind: Grant that we thy people, being nourished by thy word and sacraments, may be strengthened to show forth to all men the unsearchable riches of Christ, so that he may be known, adored and obeyed, to the ends of the earth; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

Today is #Epiphany or Three Kings' day. The Adoration of the Magi by Stefano da Verona Pinacoteca di Brera #Milano https://t.co/2Wpe7iYV5f pic.twitter.com/Qk4njLKzTt

— milanoArte.net (@milanoarte) January 6, 2017

Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
For we share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end, while it is said,

“Today, when you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

Who were they that heard and yet were rebellious? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses? And with whom was he provoked forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they should never enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

–Hebrews 3:12-19

There's such a soft, quiet beauty about winter light and the muted colours of a misty morning. Gone are the bright, bird-loud summer dawns; it feels instead as if Nature is just easing gently into the day, stretching, yawning, turning up the brightness and volume oh so slowly. pic.twitter.com/3WFx957Gp8

— peaklass (@peaklass1) January 12, 2024