O GLADNESS! that suspend’st belief
For fear that rapture dreams;
Thou also hast the tears of grief,
And failst in wild extreams.

Tho’ Peter make a clam’rous din,
Will he thy doubts destroy?
Will little Rhoda let him in,
Incredulous with joy?

And thus thro’ gladness and surprize
The saints their Saviour treat;
Nor will they trust their ears and eyes
But by his hands and feet.

These hands of lib’ral love indeed
In infinite degree,
Those feet still frank to move and bleed
For millions and for me.

A watch, to slavish duty train’d,
Was set by spiteful care,
Lest what the sepulchre contain’d
Should find alliance there.

Herodians came to seal the stone
With Pilate’s gracious leave,
Lest dead and friendless, and alone,
Should all their skill deceive.

O dead arise! O friendless stand
By seraphim ador’d—
O solitude! again command
Thy host from heav’n restor’d.

Read it all.

The joy and hope of #Easter is more than one day. It’s an entire season…between #EasterSunday and #Pentecost Sunday, when the beauty of #spring coincides with Catholics proclaiming, “Alleluia,” “Praise the Lord.” Bishop Sullivan's @cathstarherald column! https://t.co/5Orfg4FR8R

— Diocese of Camden (@camdendiocese) April 19, 2024

Lyrics

Even before we call on Your name
To ask You, O God,
When we seek for the words to glorify You,
You hear our prayer;
Unceasing love, O unceasing love,
Surpassing all we know.

Glory to the father,
and to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit.

Even with darkness sealing us in,
We breathe Your name,
And through all the days that follow so fast,
We trust in You;
Endless Your grace, O endless Your grace,
Beyond all mortal dream.

Both now and forever,
And unto ages and ages,
Amen

.

You may listen directly here

or you may download it on spotify there.

Willem Drost (19 April 1633 – 25 February 1659) was a Dutch painter.Saint John pic.twitter.com/qEIhl182eK

— Yiannis Einstein-Ιωάννης Αρβανιτάκης (@yianniseinstein) March 30, 2020

God of hosts,
who so kindled the flame of love
in the heart of your servant George
that he bore witness to the risen Lord
by his life and by his death:
give us the same faith and power of love
that we who rejoice in his triumphs
may come to share with him the fullness of the resurrection;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Wishing a very happy and blessed #StGeorgesDay to all as #England celebrates its patron saint. #SaintGeorge is a saint who has meant so much to so many around the world over centuries, and whose life exemplifies the strength, courage and faithfulness that we all aspire to today. pic.twitter.com/Z7B2xIAuGr

— Archbishop Angaelos (@BishopAngaelos) April 23, 2024

So how did England end up with St George as its patron saint, instead of any of these? Of course St George, as everybody knows, never came anywhere near England. Though the precise historical basis of his legend is disputed, the roots of his story lie in the eastern Mediterranean, with the earliest sources for his life dating from the fifth and sixth centuries. Even here there’s some disagreement about the details of his life, but he’s said to have served as a soldier and suffered martyrdom when he refused to renounce his faith.

For the first 1000 years or so of his history, St George was much more popular in Eastern Christianity than in the West. His name was known in early medieval England, but only as one among many other saints (even Ælfric tells his story – minus the dragon, which was a later addition to the legend). His popularity in this country is mostly a product of the later Middle Ages, boosted first by the Crusades, which brought an increasing interest in military saints, and later by a story that St George had miraculously aided the English army at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

As a soldier-saint George became associated with all the aristocratic parade of Christian chivalry, beloved of medieval knights and kings. Edward III founded the Order of the Garter under the saint’s patronage in the 14th century, helping to encourage a link between George and the English monarchy. St George’s popularity was also growing elsewhere in Europe in the later Middle Ages; he was included as one of the “Fourteen Holy Helpers”, a group of widely-venerated saints whose aid was sought against all kinds of disasters. In medieval legend, George was sometimes known as “Our Lady’s knight”, because one version of his story told how the Virgin Mary brought him back from the dead to fight the dragon.

By the 15th century lavish celebrations were taking place in various parts of England in honour of St George’s feast day.

Read it all.

Today in #history: George of Lydda (Saint George) is executed for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. (303 CE). #SaintGeorgesDay pic.twitter.com/goFkOi68MR

— World History Encyclopedia (@whencyclopedia) April 23, 2024

O Heavenly Father, by whose gracious will we have been born again by the Word of truth: Make us ever swift to hear that Word and responsive to its saving message, that henceforth we may live as those who are partakers of thy new creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Good morning all
Buenos días
Thick Trunk Tuesday #thicktrunktuesday pic.twitter.com/ZiRD4x2Jig

— 🌱Mystic Mel (@Melshenny1) April 23, 2024

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace.

We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brethren beloved by God, that he has chosen you; for our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit; so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us what a welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

–1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Volop ruimte voor de zon. Fijne dinsdag😀 #natuur #landschap #lente #Rhenen #ElstUt #Elsterbuitenwaard #Nederrijn #zonsondergang #mooieluchten pic.twitter.com/OUlh7FPpTK

— Tjark Dieterman (@DietermanTjark) April 23, 2024