Peace-able Kingdom?

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."  Isaiah 11:6


I imagine this verse is being emblazoned on blogs around the world today.

Last evening, President Obama visited Tuscon to speak at a memorial service in honor and support of the victims of the tragic shooting there last Saturday. Was there anyone hearing his inspiring speech for whom this verse did not bubble up from his/her soul?

I suppose there are. I'm not naive enough to think that everyone heard with the same ears I did. But what I heard was a tribute to all the victims, especially to a beautiful little girl named Christina who should, by all rights, have had an equally beautiful life. The President exhorted the nation to "place our hands over our hearts, and commit ourselves as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit."

Christina Taylor Green was, from all accounts, an extraordinary child, born on 9/11, and raised by two very loving and aware parents. It seems she was filled with many special qualities...precious gifts that will never be used here on Earth.  Such potential. Such tragic waste. Such a shame in every sense of the word.

We can debate all we want the cause and the blame for her senseless death. We can continue to point fingers and deny responsibility and create distractions.

The truth of it is harsh. As it is when any child is killed horribly, senselessly, needlessly...we all share the shame of her death. 

The light-filled spirit of Christina is now called upon to use her gifts to lead the wolves, the leopards, and the lions of this country toward a peaceable kingdom.  Of course, reason tells us that such a feat is nearly impossible. Great intellectuals have tried and failed. Lawmakers have tried and failed.  Men and women of power and influence have tried and failed. Are we really able to coexist peacefully in a kingdom of such diverse and predatory beings?  If so, it will take an extraordinary leader to do it.

It will take a child.

__________


Edward Hicks (1780-1849) was an American, self-taught artist with deep roots in Quaker life. The Peaceable Kingdom was a life-long study for him, and he painted the subject sixty-one times. This is his last version, finished shortly before his death in 1849.  I think he got it right.


Peaceable Kingdom - Edward Hicks, oil on canvas, 1849

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Angels Among Us


I'm feeling much better about the world today. Well, I really could have used one more snow day with my grandchildren, but we can't have everything, right?  While everyone else seems to be complaining about the inefficient snow removal in their municipalities, I find myself extremely disappointed at the ridiculously effective snow removal here in Weldon Spring. Really? Six inches of snow, and all we get is one lousy snow day? Something's got to be done about this.

But back to the subject at hand. The encouraging sighting of angels all around us during this dark time. As Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us, darkness can only be overcome by light, and the light shining from these angels is brilliant, indeed.

I'm referring today to earthly angels...like the community activist in Tuscon who has gathered a small army of angels to protect a grieving family from an army of hate-mongers intent on disrupting the burial of their precious little girl. These angel/people, nearly 300 as of last night, will dress in white and line the streets and entrances to the cemetery. About thirty of them will be equipped with 'wings,' poles of draped white fabric meant to shield the immediate family from the "protesters" from Westboro Baptist "Church." These angel/people will not wave banners, hurl insults, or make threats. They will not get in anyone's face to thrust their opinions upon them. They won't get loud, angry, or malicious.

They will not inflict hate upon the hate-mongers, for hate only begets hate.

They will simply, peacefully, beautifully, stand in loving solidarity with the family, forcing the darkness out with the light. 

The message is this; "Do what you will. Darkness will always be overcome by Light. Hate will always be overcome by Love."

I hope this message reaches extremists everywhere who are intent on spreading fear and hate.I'm counting on lots of angels to deliver it.



These thoughts sent me on a quest to find how angels are portrayed by great artists...here's some of what I found. (Angels in art can be found in all cultures throughout history.  These three examples just appealed to me today.)




St. Francis and the Angel – Orazio Gentileschi, 1613


Early 1600's we see the portrayal of angels as guardians of the saints and martyrs of early Christianity. Note the use of contrasting light and dark (chiaroscuro) on the angel.



I love the angels in the painting below by French painter Bouguereau. Who wouldn't love to be serenaded by a trio this heavenly?


Song of the Angels - William-Adoph Bouguereau, 1881

 

Finally, we have the noble archangel Michael. Michael is often depicted armed with a sword, though I don't think he needs it. I guess it's more of a "walk softly but carry a big stick" metaphor. Michael is also depicted with a face of great peace and beauty, confident in the knowledge that love will always conquer evil. Note one more common theme...Satan under his foot.

St. Michael the Archangel, Scipione Tadolini, 1865

 
Wishing you a day filled with hope for the future.

The Passage Through the Darkness and the Mist

The American flags are lowered to half staff today. President Obama has decreed a moment of silence to be observed at 10:00 a.m. CST in honor of the victims. Along with the rest of the country, I'm at a loss to understand.

I was both appalled and saddened all day yesterday by the tragedy that occured in Arizona on Saturday. Twenty people shot at a grocery store? Six people dead? How is this possible? A nine year old child was one of the victims. For heaven’s sake, what is wrong with us?

I avoided the television altogether. I’m afraid I’ve had my fill of the ‘news’ networks, who really don’t give us much in the way of news, but continue to rehash and repackage old news all day long. Every network seems to place an emphasis on “getting the scoop” on other networks while ignoring the accuracy or ethics of the stories they offer up.

Anyway, nothing I attempted to do to assuage the grief worked for long. I meditated. Rather, I tried to meditate.I took a good long soak in a very hot tub, filled with every elixir I owned, from soothing lavender essential oil, to luxurious bath foam, to my precious gold oil. I baked cookies with my grandchildren…lots of cookies, ginger snaps and chocolate chip, to be precise. I played with them and read to them. I wanted nothing more than to look at their angelic faces all day. My heart was heavy. Still is heavy.

I’m concerned about the ethos of our country as a whole, and what it will take to turn the tide of anger we see being played out again and again…anger which gnaws away at our country’s character with each attack. As I told a friend, I believe that every individual is now called upon to turn the tide in our own hearts away from hate and toward love, and thereby collectively heal the spirit of America, which suffers so greatly today.

The problems we face in these turbulent times are not new to our democracy. Abigail Adams wrote these words to her husband, John Adams, in the late 1700’s;

“These are the times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised, and animated by scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities which would otherwise lay dormant, wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman."


Where are our heroes and statesmen? Where are the great characters of this era? I hope they step forward soon and take their places alongside the other great heroes of American history. Please hurry...I’m not sure we can wait much longer.

Yesterday afternoon, as often happens when I’m preoccupied, a song began to play in my head, the words repeating over and over; “a place in which our children can grow free and strong.” James Taylor. “Oh, yeah,” I thought, “Shed a Little Light.” I know it’s still a few days early for Martin Luther King Day, but this poem in song, meant as a tribute to him, could not be more appropriate today. The lyrics, in part, read,

”We are bound together,
In our desire to see the world become,
A place in which our children
Can grow free and strong.

We are bound together,
By the task that stands before us,
And the road that lies ahead,
We are bound and we are bound…”


As Abigail pointed out, great necessities call out great virtues. We are bound together. It’s time to call out the great virtues within us so that the light can overcome this darkness.

Wishing you a light-filled day.

The Artist's Reply

‎"This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” - Leonard Bernstein


From the tragedy of the African slave trade, to the heartache of the Trail of Tears...from Auschwitz to Northern Ireland to Normandy, Tripoli, and Tibet...from every corner of the world, music and art have arisen from the depths of despair to comfort and redeem the human race.

Thanks to my friend, opera soprano Christine Brewer, for this poignant quote. Thanks, also, for the great contributions she and other artists have made to our collective soul.

Today I take comfort in the music of Jules Massenet's opera, Thais. This particular portion is called "Meditation," and is played by the incomparable Israeli/American violinist, Itzhak Perlman.

I wish you Peace.