“Our Fallen Nature’s Solitary Boast” (William Wordsworth): Mary The Mother Of God. Face To Face With Our Lady Of Guadalupe.

Painting of The Virgin Of Guadalupe.

Circa 1700.

Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Featuring a Crown on the Virgin’s head,

which was later removed.

Artist: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

This Article, dated 12 December 2024, is taken from, and can be read in full at, FR. Z’s BLOG

The Church, as God’s Subcreator, has given to the World two great gifts which reflect God’s love, truth and beauty: 

Art and Saints. 

In Art, truth, beauty, and love, are manifested in the arrangement of matter or physical sound waves. 

In Saints, truth, beauty, and love, are manifested in the actions of one of God’s images, a person.

Studying the lives of Saints and gazing at an image crafted by a true Master, hearing a composition of a devout Composer who intended to open us up into mystery, can, over time, produce great fruits.

For example, consider the famous 6th-Century A.D. Byzantine icon of Christ Pantocrator (see, below). 

Christ’s face is odd. 

One might be inclined to say that the artist botched it. 

On deeper inspection, we see that His face reveals two attitudes in the two halves of His face. 

On the Right side, He holds perhaps the Gospels – perhaps the Book in which all things are written – and His attitude is that of the severe Judge, Whom nothing shall escape. 

On the Left side, His hand Blesses and His face is gentle.

“Christ Pantocrator” (Christ The Almighty).

This artistic treasury yielding spiritual dividends is made by a man.

How much more might it be true of an image made by God ?

First and foremost, we contemplate Christ Himself, The Eternal Word Made Flesh. 

The Son is the perfect invisible image of the invisible Father, begotten but not made. 

In His Incarnation and Birth, the Son takes His Body, made with the Virgin Mother, and becomes the perfect visible image of the invisible Father. 

In contemplating Him we find infinite Mysteries, awesome and alluring.

Next, each one of us are images of God. 

Each person reflects Mystery, as do especially the Saints who beautifully reflect God in living flesh.

However, “Our Fallen Nature’s Solitary Boast” (William Wordsworth), Mary the Mother of God, presents Mystery to us in her own way.

Let’s see the the Tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose Feast it is [Editor: This Article is dated 12 December 2024].

The Tilma has revealed many Mysteries. 

As science advances, more and more fascinating – and hitherto unknown elements – are discovered in it, much as what is happening with the image of Mary’s Crucified Son, the Shroud of Turin (which I happen to accept as being authentic).

That said, there are things to be discovered not through Tech, but through Attention.

The writer, Pete Baklinski, gazed at the image of Mary in the Tilma. It eventually occurred to him that one side of her face looked happy, pleased, while the other side looked said.

The Left Side.

The Right Side.

He explored Mary’s message at Guadalupe and found themes of both joy and sadness. He suspects that her image means to reflect both.

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William Wordsworth called Mary, the Mother of Jesus, “our tainted nature’s solitary boast.”

Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica Of The Nativity Of Saint Mary, Milan, Italy. Basilica Cattedrale Metropolitana Di Santi Maria Nascente, Milano. (Part Three).

English: Milan Cathedral.

Italiano: Milano - Duomo.

This File: 30 January 2014.

Source: Own work.

This file is licensed under the

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 3.0 Unported Licence.

User: Чаховіч Уладзіслаў

(Wikimedia Commons)

Duomo of Milan.

The Church That Took 600 Years To Finish.

Available on YouTube

HERE

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless stated otherwise.

Stained-Glass Window,

Milan Cathedral.

Photo: 18 September 2013.

Source: Own work.

Author: Max_Ryazanov.

(Wikimedia Commons)

In 1386, Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo began construction of the Cathedral.[7] The start of the construction coincided with the ascension to power in Milan of the Archbishop’s cousin, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, and was meant as a reward to the noble and working classes, who had suffered under his tyrannical Visconti predecessor, Barnabò.

The construction of the Cathedral was also dictated by specific political choices: With the new construction site, the population of Milan intended to emphasise the centrality of Milan in the eyes of Gian Galeazzo, a prominence questioned by the choice of the new lord to reside and maintain his Court, like his father Galeazzo II, in Pavia, and not in Milan.[8]

Before work began, three main buildings were demolished: The Palace of the Archbishop; the Ordinari Palace; and the Baptistry of Saint Stephen at the Spring, while the old Church of Santa Maria Maggiore was exploited as a stone quarry.

Luigi Benedetti plays the Organ in the Duomo, Milan.

Available on YouTube

HERE

The Duomo di Milano Organ.

Built by Mascioni of Cuvio (Varese) and Tamburini of Crema in 1938, restored and relocated entirely in the Presbytery by Tamburini in 1986, the Grand Organ of the Duomo is the largest in Italy and firmly maintains its second place in Europe as regards the number of Pipes and Stops (surpassed only by the Organ of Passau Cathedral, in Germany) and is among the fifteen largest Organs in the World.

The current numbers of this giant are truly impressive:

15,800 Pipes, the highest over nine meters high, while the smallest measures just a few centimetres.

Five Organ Cases (Grand Organ North and South Side – Positive and Recitative North Side – Solo and Eco South Side – Choral at the Altar level).

Five Consoles (main Console with five manuals, Altar-side Console with three manuals, Choral Console with two manuals, two Apse Consoles with one manual).

Read about Milan Cathedral’s magnificent Organ

HERE

Design for the Crowning of Ferdinand I of Austria 

at the Duomo in 1838, by Alessandro Sanquirico.

Date: 22 September 2014.

Source: http://www.gramilano.com/2013/11/sanquirico-designer-norma-anna-bolena-finally-rests-among-greats/

Author: Alessandro Sanquirico, before 1833

(Wikimedia Commons)

PART FOUR FOLLOWS.

Saint William (☩ 8 June 1154). Archbishop Of York (Twice). Confessor. Feast Day 8 June. White Vestments. A Tale Of Mayhem, Political Intrigue, Suspicion Of Murder, Plotting, Envy, Hate. Good Job We Don't Have That Now. (Part Three).

Mediæval carved plaque showing Saint William of York crossing the River Ouse. The Bridge collapses, but no-one dies.

Photo: 20 February 2010.

Source: 

Originally posted to Flickr as 

Saved from the Ouse.

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution 

2.0 Generic Licence.

Author: Katy Stuart.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

William accompanied Thurstan into exile in Europe and on embassies to the Papal Court.[10] 

Reconciliation with Henry I allowed a return to York in 1121. 

A Papal ruling in favour of the independence of the Archbishops of York was finally delivered in 1127.[11]

Election problems.

In January 1141, William was elected Archbishop of York.[12] Originally, the Cathedral Chapter of York had elected Saint Waltheof of Melrose, Scotland, in 1140, but that election was set aside, as one of Waltheof’s supporters had made an Uncanonical gift (bribe) to secure Waltheof’s election. 

Then, Henry of Blois tried to secure the See for Henry de Sully, another nephew of Stephen and Henry’s. 

Sully’s election was opposed by Pope Innocent II,[13] who refused to confirm him as Archbishop while he remained Abbot of Fécamp, Normandy, France.[14] 

Pedestal fragment of the principal Shrine 

of Saint William of York, in the Yorkshire Museum.

Photo: 12 August 2013.

Source: YORK MUSEUMS TRUST

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 4.0 International Licence.

Author: York Museums Trust.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Only at a third election in January 1141 was William chosen. Whether he had been a candidate in the previous two elections is unknown.[13]

The election was opposed by the Cistercian Monasteries of Yorkshire and by the Archdeacons of York.[15] 

PART FOUR FOLLOWS.

Saint Willibald O.S.B. (700 A.D. - 787 A.D.). Bishop Of Eichstätt, Bavaria. Feast Day 7 July. White Vestments.

Statue of Saint Willibald on the façade of the Hospital 

Church of Eichstätt, Bavaria. Made by the Baroque 

sculptor, Christian Handschuher, Late-17th-Century.

Figur des hl. Willibald an der Fassade der Spitalkirche 

von Eichstätt von dem Barock-Bildhauer Christian Handschuher, Ende 17., Anfang 18. Jahrhundert

Date: 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Rensi.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,

unless stated otherwise.

Willibald (Latin: Willibaldus; circa 700 A.D. – circa 787 A.D.) was an 8th-Century A.D. Bishop of Eichstätt, Bavaria.

Information about his life is largely drawn from the “Hodoeporicon of Willibald”, a Text written in the 8th-Century A.D. by Huneberc, an Anglo-Saxon Nun from Heidenheim-am-Hahnenkamm, who knew Willibald and his brother.[1]

The Text of the “Hodoeporicon” (“Itinerary”) was dictated to Huneberc by Willibald shortly before he died.

Willibald’s father was Richard the Pilgrim, and his mother was Wuna of Wessex. His brother was Winibald and his sister was Walburga.[2]

Willibald was well-travelled and the first-known Englishman to visit the Holy Land.[3] His Shrine is at Eichstätt Cathedral, Germany, where his body and Relics from his journeys are preserved. His Feast Day is 7 July.

Willibald was born in Wessex on 21 October around the year 700 A.D. His mother, Wuna of Wessex, was reportedly a sister of Saint Boniface. His father, Richard the Pilgrim, was a Chieftain of Wessex.

At the age of three, Willibald suffered from a violent illness. His parents Prayed to God, vowing to commit Willibald to a Monastic life, if he was to be spared.

Willibald survived and, at the age of five, entered the Benedictine Monastery at Waldheim (Bishop’s Waltham, Hampshire) and was educated by Abbot Egwald.[4]

At the Monastery, he became accustomed to the Irish and Anglo-Saxon Monastic ideal of “Peregrinatio Religiosa”, or “Pious Rootlessness”.[5]

Saint Willibald.

Apostle of Bavaria and Patron of Pilgrims.

Available on YouTube

HERE

In 721 A.D., Willibald set out on a Pilgrimage to Rome with his father and brother. After departing by ship, the group arrived in Rouen, France, visiting Shrines and spending much of their time in Prayer.

Eventually, they arrived in Lucca, a City in Northern Italy. It was here that Willibald’s father became gravely ill and died.

After burying their father, Willibald and Winibald continued on their journey, travelling through Italy until they reached Rome.

Here they visited the Lateran Basilica and Saint Peter’s. They spent some time in Italy, strengthening in devotion and discipline, but soon the two brothers became ill with the Black Plague (although Mershman says it was Malaria).[4]

Hunebrec recounts the disease and miraculous recovery:

“Then, with the passing of the days and the increasing heat of Summer, which is usually a sign of future fever, they were struck down with sickness. They had caught the Black Plague.

“But God, in His never failing providence and fatherly love, deigned to listen to their Prayers and come to their aid, so that each of them rested in turn for one week whilst they attended to each other’s needs”.[6]

Willibald left Rome in 724 A.D, heading for Naples. From there, accompanied by two unnamed companions, he departed by sea, visited Sicily and Greece, and arrived in Asia Minor.

Parish Church of Saint Willibald, Weihmichl, Bavaria.

Die Pfarrkirche St. Willibald, Weihmichl, Bayern.

Photo: 21 June 2015.

Source: Own work.

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 4.0 International Licence.

Author: H.Helmlechner

(Wikimedia Commons)

Winnebald had, after the departure of his brother for Palestine, lived in a Monastery at Rome.[4]

In Asia Minor, Willibald and his companions arrived in the City of Ephesus. Here, they visited the tomb of John the Evangelist. They then continued on to Patara, in Lycia, where they waited out the Winter, and then travelled to Mount Chelidonium, almost dying of hunger and thirst.

They departed by boat and arrived on the island of Cyprus. Following a stay in Cyprus, they reached Antadoros (now called Tartus) where they had an audience with a Greek Bishop and visited the Church of Saint John the Baptist.

Willibald’s journey then took him and a group of seven companions to Palestine (circa 723 A.D).

There he visited Nazareth. From Nazareth, he went to Bethlehem, and thence into Egypt. He returned to Nazareth, and thence travelled to Cana, Capharnaum, and Jerusalem,[7] where he arrived on 11 November 725 A.D.

After waiting for some time in Tyre, Willibald was able to sail to Constantinople. He remained in Constantinople for some two years, and was provided with a small room in an annex of the Church of the Holy Apostles.

He spent part of this time in Nicaea, visiting a Church and studying documents from the First Council of Nicaea that was arranged by Emperor Constantine.

He left Constantinople and sailed for Sicily, arriving in Naples approximately seven years after he had left Italy.

Pulpit in the Parish Church 

of Saint Willibald, Weihmichl, Bavaria.

Weihmichl, Hauptstraße 24. Pfarrkirche St. Willibald. Saalkirche mit eingezogenem Chor, Langhaus und Chor barock. Barocke Kanzel mit gewundenen Ecksäulchen. Figuren der vier Evangelisten in den Feldern. Auf dem Schalldeckel Engel mit Posaune.

Photo: 12 September 2010.

Source: Own work.

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 4.0 International Licence.

Author: Elcom.stadler.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Willibald and his remaining companion, Tidbercht, joined the Benedictine Community at Monte Cassino. Here Willibald taught the Community about his travels.

He would spend over ten years at Monte Cassino and another local Benedictine Monastery, where he served roles as, “Sacrist, Dean, and Porter.”[8]

According to David Farmer, his new-found Monasticism was drastically shaped by his experiences in both England and Palestine, allowing him to play a major role in the reformation and future prosperity of the Monastery.[9]

It happened that, in 738 A.D., Saint Boniface, coming to Rome, asked of Pope Gregory III that Willibald might be sent to assist him in Eichstätt, Bavaria.

The Pope desired to see the Saint Willibald, and was much delighted with the history of his travels, and acquainted him of Boniface’s request.[7]

Upon arriving at Eichstätt, Willibald was Ordained a Priest by Boniface on 22 July 741 A.D., and asked to begin missionary work in the area.

A year later, Boniface summoned him to Thuringia. While travelling, Willibald encountered his brother, Winibald, whom he had not seen for over eight years.

Shortly thereafter, he returned to Eichstätt to begin his work. In 742 A.D., he and his brother, Winibald, Founded the Double Monastery at Heidenheim.

Winibald served as the first Abbot. Following his death, Willibald’s sister, Walburga, was appointed the first Abbess of the Monastery.[10]

In 746 A.D., Boniface Consecrated Willibald Bishop of Eichstätt.[7]

According to Bunson, Eichstätt was the site of Willibald’s most successful Missionary efforts, although specific details like the means of conversion and number of converts are not known.[8]

The Monastery was one of the first buildings in the region and served as an important centre, “not only for the Diocesan Apostolate, but also for the diffusion and development of Monasticism.”[11]

Willibald served as the Bishop of the region in Franconia for over four decades, living in the Monastery and entertaining visitors throughout Europe, who would come to hear of his journey and Monasticism.

Absurd Victorian Occupations.

Saint William (☩ 8 June 1154). Archbishop Of York (Twice). Confessor. Feast Day 8 June. White Vestments. A Tale Of Mayhem, Political Intrigue, Suspicion Of Murder, Plotting, Envy, Hate. Good Job We Don't Have That Now. (Part Two).).

Mediæval carved plaque showing Saint William of York crossing the River Ouse. The Bridge collapses, but no-one dies.

Photo: 20 February 2010.

Source: 

Originally posted to Flickr as 

Saved from the Ouse.

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution 

2.0 Generic Licence.

Author: Katy Stuart.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless stated otherwise.

New research, however, suggests that Emma may have been a daughter of Hunger FitzOdin, who held lands in Dorset in the Domesday survey.[2] 

William was born sometime before the 1090s, but the date is unknown.[2]

William held the Prebendary of Weighton, in the Diocese of Yorkshire, between 27 June 1109 and 24 February 1114.[7] 

[Editor: A Prebendary is a member of the Catholic or Anglican Clergy, a form of Canon with a role in the administration of a Cathedral or Collegiate Church. 

[When attending Services, Prebendaries sit in particular Seats, usually at the back of the Choir Stalls, known as Prebendal Stalls.]

Prebendal Stalls in the Choir 

(Quire) of Salisbury Cathedral.[1]

Note the Prebendary names affixed to the Stalls.

Photo: 20 July 2009.

Source: 

Originally posted to Flickr 

as Salisbury Cathedral Quire.

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 2.0 Generic Licence.

Author: Amanda Slater.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Sometime between 1109 and 1114, he was appointed Treasurer of York.[5] He was also appointed Archdeacon of the East Riding of Yorkshire at an unknown date between 1125 and 1133.[8] 

The influence of his rich and powerful father, who had many land-holdings in Yorkshire, may have been of benefit in gaining him these offices at a relatively early age.[9] 

Fragment of the 14th-Century Shrine 

of Saint William of York in The Yorkshire Museum.

Photo: 1 January 2010.

Source: YORK MUSEUMS TRUST

This File is licensed under the 

Creative Commons Attribution-

Share Alike 4.0 International Licence.

Author: York Museums Trust.

(Wikimedia Commons)

William apparently held both of these offices until his election as Archbishop.[8] 

Serving under Archbishop Thurstan of York, William became involved in Thurstan’s dispute with King Henry I, after Henry demanded that the Archbishops of York accept subordination to the Archbishops of Canterbury.

PART THREE FOLLOWS.

Absurd Victorian Occupations.

 

Saint Norbert (1080-1134). Bishop And Confessor. Founder Of The Norbertines. Whose Feast Day Is, Today, 6 June. White Vestments.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,
unless stated otherwise.

Saint Norbert.
   Bishop And Confessor.
   Feast Day 6 June.

Double.

White Vestments.

Saint Norbert.

Artist: René de Cramer.

“Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium”.

Used with Permission.

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Norbert, born in 1080 at Xanten, near Cologne, Germany, was educated at The Holy Roman Emperor's Court. One day, when he was riding, accompanied by a servant, he was surprised by a hurricane. Like Saint Paul, on the way to Damascus, he heard a voice calling him to the service of The Church. At that moment, a crash of thunder threw him to the ground. He got up again, determined to Consecrate himself to God.

Having been admitted to Holy Orders, he devoted himself entirely to Preaching The Word of God (Collect).

Later on, guided by The Holy Ghost, Who continually Sanctifies The Church through the Centuries, he chose a Retreat in a deserted spot, called Prémontré, not far from Soissons, and Founded there The Order of Premonstratensians (Collect).

At the death of this Holy Founder, this new family numbered, at this place alone, over one thousand Canons Regular. Saint Norbert shared the full Priesthood of Christ, being Anointed Archbishop of Magdeburg, Germany (Introit, Epistle, Gradual, Offertory). He helped Pope Innocent II to triumph over the Anti-Pope, Anacletus, and was the friend of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. In The Netherlands, he defended Eucharistic Worship against The Heresy of Tanchelmus (see Illustration, above).

Engraving of Prémontré Abbey,

Département Aisne, France.

Founded by Saint Norbert in 1120.

Artist: Tavernier de Jonquières.

Date: 1780s.

Source/Photographer: BNF Richelieu Estampes et photographie Rés.Ve-26j - Fol. Destailleur Province, t. 5 , n. 1200; Bibliothèque nationale de France

(Wikimedia Commons)

After having put to full profit the talents with which God had entrusted him for the government of his Religious Family and Diocese (Gospel, Communion), "This Man of God," says The Breviary, "full of The Holy Ghost and laden with merits, fell asleep in The Lord, 1134 A.D."

Let us ask of God "to practise what Saint Norbert taught by word and by example" (Collect).

Mass: Státuit.

English: Painting of the triumph of Saint Norbert

over the Heretic, Tanchelmus, in 1124.

Deutsch: Der Triumph des hl. Nobert

über den Irrlehrer Tanchelm im Jahre 1124.

Artist: Joseph Appiani (1706–1785).

Date of painting: 1750.

Current location: Bavarian National Museum.

Source. Own work.

Author: User:FA2010, 2009.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Basil Of Caesarea. 4th-Century A.D. Bishop. Letter 90.

Saint Basil the Great.

Mosaic. Kiev Hagia Sophia.

Українська: Святий Василій Великий. Мозаїка в Київському соборі Святої Софиї, XI століття.

Русский: Свт. Василий Великий. Мозаика, 

Киевский собор Святой Софии, XI в.

Date: XI-Century.

Source:

http://www.sedmitza.ru/index.html?sid=883&did=49554&p_comment=belief

Author: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

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The evils which afflict us are well known, 

even if we do not now mention them, 

for long since have they been re-echoed 

through the whole World. 

The teachings of the Fathers are scorned; 

the Apostolic Traditions are set at naught. 

The fabrications of innovators 

are in force in the Churches.

These men, moreover, train themselves 

in rhetorical quibbling and not in theology. 

The wisdom of the World takes first place 

to itself, having thrust aside the glory of The Cross. 

The Shepherds are driven away, 

and in their places are introduced 

troublesome Wolves 

who tear asunder the flock of Christ. 

The Houses of Prayer are bereft of those wont to assemble 

therein; the Solitudes are filled with those who weep. 

The elders weep, comparing the past with the present. 

The young are more to be pitied, 

since they know not 

of what they have been deprived.

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Basil of Caesarea, 

Letter 90.

(tr. Roy J. Deferrari).

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The above was taken from 

FR. Z's BLOG