The Song Of Songs.

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

Head-piece to The Song of Solomon. Canticles 1:4. Vignette with a winged heart with flowers

and a halo of stars standing upon a skull with snake coiling around it and an orb, a glowing

Hebrew inscription in sky above; letterpress in two columns below and on verso. 1796.

Inscriptions: Lettered below image, "P J de Loutherbourg", "J. Landseer Fec" and publication line: "Published Jany. 1796/ by T. M[ ] Fleet St London". Print made by John Landseer.

Date: 1 January 1796.

Source: Photos by Harry Kossuth.

Author: Phillip Medhurst.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Joshua 1:1 in The Aleppo Codex.

Source: http://www.aleppocodex.org

Author: see en:Aleppo Codex;

scanned by http://www.aleppocodex.org

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Song of Songs, also known as The Song of Solomon, The Canticle of Canticles, or, simply, Canticles (Hebrew: שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים Šîr HašŠîrîm; Greek: ᾎσμα ᾈσμάτων asma asmaton, both meaning "Song of Songs"), is one of The Megillot (Scrolls) of The Ketuvim ("The Writings", the last Section of The Tanakh or Hebrew Bible), and The Fifth of The "Wisdom" Books of The Christian Old Testament.

The only piece of erotic literature in The Bible,

this book was regarded by earlier devotees as an allegory of God's love

for His people. The Text is introduced by A.S. Byatt.

Canongate Books.

1 Jan 1999.

Bibles - 48 pages.

GOOGLE BOOKS

Scripturally, The Song of Songs is unique in its celebration of sexual love. It gives "the voices of two lovers, praising each other, yearning for each other, proffering invitations to enjoy". The two are in harmony, each desiring the other and rejoicing in sexual intimacy; the women (or "daughters") of Jerusalem form a chorus to the lovers, functioning as an audience, whose participation in the lovers' erotic encounters facilitates the participation of the reader.

The following Song of Songs Text is from

http://www.mechon-mamre.org/

Song of Songs Chapter 2 שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים

א  אֲנִי חֲבַצֶּלֶת הַשָּׁרוֹן, שׁוֹשַׁנַּת הָעֲמָקִים.	1 I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
ב  כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה בֵּין הַחוֹחִים, כֵּן רַעְיָתִי בֵּין הַבָּנוֹת.	2 As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
ג  כְּתַפּוּחַ בַּעֲצֵי הַיַּעַר, כֵּן דּוֹדִי בֵּין הַבָּנִים; בְּצִלּוֹ חִמַּדְתִּי וְיָשַׁבְתִּי, וּפִרְיוֹ מָתוֹק לְחִכִּי.	3 As an apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. Under its shadow I delighted to sit, and its fruit was sweet to my taste.
ד  הֱבִיאַנִי אֶל-בֵּית הַיָּיִן, וְדִגְלוֹ עָלַי אַהֲבָה.	4 He hath brought me to the banqueting-house, and his banner over me is love.
ה  סַמְּכוּנִי, בָּאֲשִׁישׁוֹת--רַפְּדוּנִי, בַּתַּפּוּחִים:  כִּי-חוֹלַת אַהֲבָה, אָנִי.	5 'Stay ye me with dainties, refresh me with apples; for I am love-sick.'

In modern Judaism, the Song is read on The Sabbath during The Passover, which marks the beginning of the grain harvest as well as commemorating The Exodus from Egypt. Jewish Tradition reads it as an allegory of the relationship between God and Israel. Christian Tradition, in addition to appreciating the literal meaning of a romantic song between Man and Woman, has read the poem as an allegory of Christ (The Bridegroom) and His Church (The Bride).

English: Church of Santa Caterina del Sasso, Varese, Italy. Fresco showing

a Lily among Thorns, symbolising The Virgin Mary, according to a quotation

from The Song of Solomon.

Deutsch: Santa Caterina del Sasso ( Varese ). Kirche - Fresko: Lilie unter

Dornen als Symbol der Jungfrau Maria nach einem Zitat aus dem Hohen Lied Salomos.

Date: 1 August 2010.

Source: Own work.

Author: Wolfgang Sauber.

(Wikimedia Commons)

"The Song of Songs".

Artist: Gustave Moreau (1826–1898).

Date: 1863.

Current location: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, France.

Source/Photographer: Art Renewal Center

(Wikimedia Commons)

The 0815 hrs Margate To Charing Cross Is Now Arriving At Platform Three. (The Second-Largest Steam Locomotive In The World).

Union Pacific 3985,

Westbound at Sloat, California,

2 September 2005.

Source: UP 39859-02-05 022xxx4rp sloat

Uploaded by PDTillman.

Author: Drew Jacksich

from San Jose, California.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Union Pacific 3985

returns to Cheyenne, Wyoming,

1999.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Union Pacific 3985, or UP 3985, is a four-cylinder simple articulated 4-6-6-4 Challenger-type Steam Locomotive, owned by Union Pacific Railroad.

It was built in 1943 by The American Locomotive Company of Schenectady, New York. The Locomotive is one of only two of the original 105 Union Pacific Challengers in existence, the other being UP 3977 on static display in North Platte, Nebraska. Before it was stored, it was the largest and heaviest operational preserved Steam Locomotive in the World.

English: Union Pacific Challenger 3985 steams past our front yard

in Alton, Iowa, United States of America.

Deutsch: Dampflok Challenger 3985 in Alton, Iowa, USA.

Photo: 1 October 2008.

Source: originally posted to Flickr as Challenger 01

Author: Mark Evans

(Wikimedia Commons)

Union Pacific Senior Manager of Heritage Operations, Ed Dickens Jr., announced in February 2016 about UP 3985 possibly returning to Excursion Service after the restoration of Union Pacific 4014 is completed.

If the Locomotive is restored and does return to Service, it will become the World's second-largest operating Steam Locomotive after UP 4014.

From First Vespers In Advent (Today) To Second Vespers Of 2 February (Feast Of The Purification Of Our Blessed Lady), The Marian Anthem Is "Alma Redemptoris Mater".

"Love's Pure Light".

The Blessed Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus.

Artist: Kathy Lawrence.

Illustration: PINTEREST

"Alma Redemptoris Mater".

For Six Voices.

Composed by Diego Ortiz.

Sung by: Cantar Lontano.

Director: Marco Mencoboni.

Available on YouTube at

https://youtu.be/iVT9sxyr2I0

ALMA REDEMPTORIS MATER

Alma Redemptoris Mater,

quæ pervia cæli Porta manes,

et stella maris, succurre cadenti,

Surgere qui curat, populo:

tu quæ genuisti,

Natura mirante,

tuum sanctum Genitorem,

Virgo prius ac posterius,

Gabrielis ab ore,

Sumens illud Ave,

peccatorum miserere.

Mother of Christ ! Hear thou thy people's cry,

Star of the Deep, and Portal of the Sky !

Mother of Him Who thee from nothing made,

Sinking we strive and call to thee for aid;

Oh, by that joy which Gabriel brought to thee,

Thou Virgin first and last, let us thy mercy see.

"Alma Redemptoris Mater"

(Simple Tone).

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Alma Redemptoris Mater (English: Loving Mother of our Saviour) is a Marian Hymn, written in Latin hexameter, and one of four Seasonal Liturgical Marian Antiphons sung at the end of The Office of Compline (the other three Antiphons being Ave Regina Cælorum, Regina Cœli and Salve Regina).

"Alma Redemptoris Mater".

Composer: Tomás Luis de Victoria

(Ávila, Spain, 1548 - Madrid, Spain, 1611).

Sung by:

Ensemble Plus Ultra.

Director: Michael Noone.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Hermannus Contractus (also called Herman the Cripple, 1013–1054) is said to have composed the Hymn, based on the writings of Saints Fulgentius, Epiphanius, and Irenaeus of Lyon.

The Alma Redemptoris Mater is mentioned in The Prioress's Tale, one of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

It is sung at The Divine Office of Compline, from First Vespers of Advent, until Second Vespers of The Feast of the Purification of The Blessed Virgin Mary (2 February).

"Alma Redemptoris Mater".

For Four Voices.

Composer: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

(1525 – 1594).

Sung by:

The Choir of Merton College, Oxford.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Saint Sylvester. Abbot. Feast Day 26 November.

Text from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal,

unless stated otherwise.

Saint Sylvester.

Abbot.

Feast Day 26 November.

Double.

White Vestments.

Saint Sylvester receives Holy Communion from The Hand of Our Lady

(see, below).

Artist: Claudio Ridolfi.

Date: 1632.

Illustration: VULTUS CHRISTI

Saint Sylvester was born of noble parentage at Osimo, in The Marches of Ancona, Italy. Owing to his rare merit, The Canons of the Cathedral of Osimo admitted him to share their dignity. When present, one day, at the funeral of an illustrious man, a relative of his, he was struck by the hideous appearance of the body of  a man who had been so handsome, and exclaimed: "I am, today, what he was, and one day I shall be what he is" (Collect).

He immediately gave up everything (Gospel) and retired into a desert, where he devoted himself to Penance and Meditation (Introit). "Later, he built at Monte Fano," says The Roman Breviary, "a Church in honour of The Holy Father, Benedict, who advised him in a vision to Found a Religious Order, whose Rule and Habit he described to him. It was The Order of The Sylvestrines."

This Branch of The Benedictine Order spread in a short time and already numbered twenty-five Houses in Italy when its Founder died in 1267, at the age of ninety.

Mass: Os justi. Of Abbots.

Commemoration: Saint Peter of Alexandria.

The following Text is from VULTUS CHRISTI

Communion from The Hands of Our Lady.

The most famous Marian prodigy in his life took place when, of a night, The Blessed Virgin appeared to him in a dream and said, “Silvester, dost thou desire to receive The Body of my Son ?”

With trepidation, he answered, “My heart is ready, O Lady; let it be done unto me according to thy word.”

What I find most extraordinary is that Saint Silvester, being a Monk already steeped in The Word of God through the familiar repetition of it in The Sacred Liturgy, answered Our Blessed Lady in two phrases already held and pondered within her Immaculate Heart.

The first phrase, taken from Psalm 107:2  — Paratum cor meum Deus paratum cor meum — “My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready” is the perfect act of preparation for Holy Communion.

The second phrase is Our Blessed Lady’s own acquiescence to The Mystery of The Incarnation, as recorded in Luke 1:30  — Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum — “Be it done to me according to thy word”. Receiving her very own words from the lips of her servant Silvester, The Mother of God gave him Holy Communion.

Claudio Ridolfi painted the episode in 1632.

"I Don't Mind If You Don't Like My Manners. I Don't Like Them Myself. They're Pretty Bad. I Grieve Over Them On Long Winter Evenings."

TAKE A PACKARD . . .

1949 Packard Station Sedan.

Illustration; HEMMINGS DAILY

PLAY BACKGROUND MUSIC . . .

"Nightmare".

by Artie Shaw.

[The perfect Intro to . . .

you know whom.]

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

ADD A DAME . . .

Lauren Bacall.

American Actress.

Illustration: THE NEW YORK TIMES

ADD A DASH OF RYE . . .

   

Straight Rye Whiskey.
Date: 2 September 2005 (original upload date). Source:

Transferred from en.wikipedia; Transferred to Commons by User:JohnnyMrNinja Author: Original uploader was Zoicon5 at en.wikipedia. (Wikimedia Commons).
Whisky Tumblers Picture. Illustration: LUXDECO

PUT ON A TRENCH COAT

Illustration: THE BOGIE FILM BLOG

AND WHAT D'YER GET ?

Screenshot of Humphrey Bogart

from the trailer for the film Invisible Stripes.

Date:1939.

This File: 15 February 2008.

User: Rossrs~commonswiki.

(Wikimedia Commons)

"The Big Sleep".

Philip Marlowe meets Vivian Rutledge (Lauren Bacall).

"I don't mind if you don't like my manners . . ."

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

"Nightmare".

by Artie Shaw.

[The perfect Finale to . . .

you know whom.]

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Illustration: BUZZQUOTES

Beata Es Virgo (Blessed Is The Virgin). Composer: Diego Ortiz. Sung By: Cantar Lontano. Director: Marco Mencoboni.

Photo: Our Lady of Lourdes

by Lawrence OP

on Flickr

Illustration: PINTEREST

"Beata Es Virgo"

(Blessed Is The Virgin).

Composed by Diego Ortiz.

Sung by: Marco Mencoboni and Cantar Lontano.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

"Alma Redemptoris Mater".

For Six Voices.

Composed by Diego Ortiz.

Sung by: Marco Mencoboni and Cantar Lontano.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Claudio Monteverdi, Vespers (1610).

"Lauda Jerusalem".

Sung by: Marco Mencoboni and Cantar Lontano.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG). To The Greater Glory Of God.

Ad maiorem Dei gloriam

or

ad majorem Dei gloriam,

also rendered as the abbreviation AMDG,

is the Latin motto of The Society of Jesus (Jesuits),

a Religious Order of The Catholic Church.

It means "To the greater glory of God".

(Wikipedia)

Illustration: PINTEREST

Don't Chatter During Mass. Consider This Illustration, Instead.

Instead of talking during Mass,

why not give deep consideration

to this image during The Consecration ?

Illustration: PINTEREST

The British Sausage Appreciation Society Has "More Members Than The National Secular Society", Says Brother Ivo.

Illustration: FLOCCHINI

Brother Ivo @BrotherIvo has Tweeted that: "When the National Secular Society pronounces, do remember it has fewer members than The Sausage Appreciation Society".

If true, this is . . .

erm . . .

er . . .

. . . interesting.

Brother Ivo writes a Blog BROTHER IVO'S BLOG

and The British Sausage Appreciation Society

has a Blog at LOVEPORK.CO

Illustration: STARMEN.NET

Ely Cathedral.

The Choir,

Ely Cathedral,

Cambridgeshire, England.

Photo: BARRIE TUMBRIDGE

Illustration: PINTEREST

The following Text is from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia.

Ely Cathedral has its origins in 672 A.D., when Saint Etheldreda built an Abbey Church. The present building dates back to 1083, and Cathedral status was granted it in 1109. Until The Reformation, it was the Church of Saint Etheldreda and Saint Peter, at which point it was re-Founded as The Cathedral Church of The Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely, continuing as the principal Church of The Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England.

It is the Seat of The Bishop of Ely and a Suffragan Bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. Architecturally, it is outstanding, both for its scale and stylistic details. Having been built in a monumental Romanesque Style, the Galilee Porch, Lady Chapel and Choir were rebuilt in an exuberant Decorated Gothic Style. Its most famous feature, however, is the central Octagonal Tower, with Lantern, above, which provides a spectacular Internal space and, along with The West Tower, gives a unique Exterior landmark that dominates the surrounding landscape.

The Lady Chapel,

Ely Cathedral,

Cambridgeshire, England.

Photo: 29 July 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff.

Attribution: "Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

License: CC-BY-SA 3.0".

(Wikimedia Commons)

"Pulcherrima Rosa". The 15th-Century Motet To The Blessed Virgin Mary. "The Most Beautiful Rose".

Illustration: PINTEREST

"Mon Jésus, Je Vous Aime, et me donne á Vous pour toujours."

"My Jesus, I love You, and give myself to You for always."

Illustration: PINTEREST

"Pulcherrima Rosa"

(The Most Beautiful Rose).

By The Hilliard Ensemble

and Jan Garbarek.

The Chapel of Jesus College,

Cambridge, England.

1994.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Pulcherrima rosa de spina floruit

Ex flore germinosa lilium genuit

Servans pudorem ex virgineo more

Peperit factura factura factorem.

Virgo singularis te nulla dignior

Fulgens stella maris luna lucidior

Sic succuristi regina mundo tristi

Eve matris sic quae noxam que solvisti.

Esto nobis grata tis aput filium

Mater advocata post hoc exilium

Nos per iuvamen pater natus ac flamen

Tuum mater virgo solvat omnes.

Amen.

Latin Text: CPDL

Most Beautiful Rose blooming from a thorn

From the budding flower, a lily born

Serving modestly and in a Virginal way

The created one bore The Creator

Unique Virgin, no-one is worthy of you

Gleaming Star of the Sea, Light and the Moon

Serving modestly and in a Virginal way

The created one bore The Creator

Such succour Queen of this sad World

And Mother of Eve who lightens our punishment

Serving modestly and in a Virginal way

The created one bore The Creator

Freely for us, beside your Son, Mother and witness

After this Earthly exile

Serving modestly and in a Virginal way

The created one bore The Creator.

Amen.

English Text: DATAB.US

Illustration: PINTEREST

"Rosa Mystica" (Mystical Rose) is one of Our Lady's beautiful Titles.

It is included in the recitation of The Litany to Our Lady (The Litany of Loreto).

Combat Rosary. Carry Yours On You At All Times. You Never Know When You'll Need It.

Combat Rosary.

You Never Know When You Are Going To Need It.

Available from ROMAN CATHOLIC GEAR

Saint Clement I. Pope And Martyr. Feast Day, Today, 23 November.

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

Saint Clement I.
Pope and Martyr.
Feast Day 23 November.

Double.

Red Vestments.

Illustration: TRANSALPINE REDEMPTORISTS

Saint Clement, a successor of Saint Peter, is named third in The Canon of The Mass, after The Apostles.

The Letter of Saint Clement to The Corinthians is one of the most precious documents of the earliest Christian Centuries.

Following the affirmation of Origen, The Roman Breviary confuses this Saint with another Clement, an auxiliary of Saint Paul. Wherefore, the Epistle chosen is that in which The Apostle speaks of the Clement who worked with him for the Gospel and whose name is written in The Book of Life.

On the testimony of The Greek Acts of Saint Clement, dating from the 4th-Century A.D., The Roman Martyrology likewise declares that "relegated to Chersonese during Trajan's persecution, he at last won the glorious Crown of Martyrdom, having been cast into the sea with an anchor attached to his neck." "His body," it adds, "was carried to Rome, under the Pontificate of Pope Nicholas I and Solemnly laid in the Church which had been built in his memory."

English: Basilica of Saint Clement, Rome.

Italian: Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano

Photo: May 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Berthold Werner

(Wikimedia Commons)

Interior of the Basilica di San Clemente,

Rome, Italy.

Photo: March 2006.

Source: Own work.

Author: Sixtus

Permission: GFDL

(Wikimedia Commons)

This Church, where The Station is held on The Monday of The Second Week in Lent, is one of the most interesting in Rome, because it most faithfully represents the ancient Plan of a Roman Basilica. It has, in front, an Atrium, or Courtyard, surrounded by Porticoes, with the Fountain in the centre, where the Faithful cleansed themselves before entering The Holy Building, and which is recalled by our Holy Water Stoups and Baptismal Fonts at the entrance of our Churches.

The Interior comprises three Naves, separated by Columns; the central Nave contains the Ambos, or Pulpits, where the Epistle and Gospel are read. The Lateral Naves were reserved, one for men, the other for women.

The Ceiling of the Basilica of Saint Clement, Rome.

Photo: May 2007.

Source: Own work.

Author: Berthold Werner

(Wikimedia Commons)

Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius

bring the body of Saint Clement to Rome.

11th-Century fresco in the Basilica di San Clemente, Rome.

Source/Photographer: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Behind the Altar, at the back of the Apse, stands the Bishop's Chair, around which was grouped the Clergy. It is the only Church which gives such a clear account of the distinctions made among Christians.

In the first precinct, were admitted Catechumens and Penitents, who could only be present at the first part of The Mass (from the Introit to the Offertory), thence called Mass of the Catechumens. In the second part were the Faithful, who heard the second part of The Mass (from the Offertory to the end), thence called Mass of the Faithful. In the Apse, was the place reserved for Priests, whence it is called Presbyterium. Christian architecture thus showed forth the hierarchy established by Divine Right in The Church.

Mass: Dicit Dóminus.
Commemoration: Saint Felicitas.

It's Official: Jesus Christ Is Now The King Of Poland !!! Deo Gratias.

Illustrations: RORATE CAELI

This Article is taken from, and can be read in full at, RORATE CAELI

By Fr. Paul McDonald.
Special to Rorate Caeli.

20 November 2016.

Radio Maryja (@RadioMaryja) reports that the Bishops of Poland have enthroned, or, to use the Bishops' more sober expression, "recognised" Christ as the King of Poland. This was done in the official presence of the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda.

Many pilgrims were present in Poland for this event. Today, the act will be repeated in all the Polish Cathedrals and Parishes. This took place yesterday, Saturday, 19 November 2016, at The Church of Divine Mercy, in Krakow, Poland.

The providential and proximate origin of the act is to be found in revelations received, or said to be received, by The Servant of God, Rosalia Zelkova. The Lord, she said, demanded that He be enthroned as King by The Polish Nation as such, and not just in the hearts of The Poles, in a particular manner, and this would have saved Poland in the War that was coming.

At first, especially after Vatican II, the idea did not find much support among the Bishops. One may think that the shadow of Dignitatis Humanae was a factor, especially since the theme of the Social Right to Religious Liberty was so strong in the teaching of Pope Saint John Paul II.

Another factor would have been the proximate origin, spoken of above. The same factor afflicts The Fatima Message. Under the diffused influence of Theological Modernism, there is a diffidence even about the possibility of communications from Heaven.

But The Social Kingship of Our Divine Lord is absolutely Founded in necessary and dogmatic truths about Christ. It is not merely an element of private revelation. Saint Gregory the Great said that they were Heretics, who denied that Christ is The King of, and over, everything.

Miss Marple Always Caught The 07.30 hrs Train When Travelling Up To London From Saint Mary Mead.

Illustration: PINTEREST

Joan Hickson.

The definitive Miss Marple.

Copyright holder: BBC Enterprises.

(Wikipedia)

The following Text is from Wikipedia.

The character of Jane Marple in the first Miss Marple book, The Murder at the Vicarage, is markedly different from how she appears in later books. This early version of Miss Marple is as a gleeful gossip and not an especially nice woman. The citizens of Saint Mary Mead like her, but are often tired by her nosy nature and how she seems to expect the worst of everyone. In later books, she becomes more modern and a kinder person.

Miss Marple solves difficult crimes because of her shrewd intelligence, and Saint Mary Mead, over her lifetime, has given her seemingly infinite examples of the negative side of human nature. Crimes always remind her of a parallel incident, although acquaintances may be bored by analogies that often lead her to a deeper realisation about the true nature of a crime.

She also has a remarkable ability to latch onto a casual comment and connect it to the case at hand. In several stories, she is able to rely on her acquaintance with Sir Henry Clithering, a retired Commissioner of The Metropolitan Police, for official information when required.

Joan Hickson's Gravestone.

"The archetypal Miss Marple".

Sidbury Graveyard

Devon, 

England.

Died 17 October 1998, aged 92.

Illustration: FIND A GRAVE

Miss Marple never married and has no close living relatives. Her nephew, the "well-known author" Raymond West, appears in some stories, including Sleeping Murder and Ingots of Gold, which also feature his wife, Joan, a modern artist (though prior to their marriage she is referred to as "Joyce Lemprière", in The The Thirteen Problems stories).

Raymond overestimates himself and underestimates his aunt's mental acuity. Miss Marple employs young women (Clara, Emily, Alice, Esther, Gwenda, and Amy) from a nearby orphanage, whom she trains for service as general housemaids after the retirement of her long-time maid-housekeeper, faithful Florence. She was briefly looked after by her irritating maid, Miss Knight. In her later years, companion Cherry Baker, first introduced in The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side, lives in.

Miss Marple has never worked for her living and is of independent means, although she benefits in her old age from the financial support of Raymond West, her nephew (A Caribbean Mystery, 1964). She is not from the aristocracy or landed gentry, but is quite at home among them and would probably have been happy to describe herself as "genteel"; indeed, a gentlewoman.

Miss Marple,

played by Joan Hickson,

in 

Agatha Christie's

"The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side".

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Miss Marple may thus be considered a female version of that staple of British detective fiction, the gentleman detective. She demonstrates a remarkably thorough education, including some art courses that involved study of human anatomy through the study of human cadavers. In They Do It with Mirrors (1952), it is revealed that Miss Marple grew up in a Cathedral Close, and that she studied at an Italian finishing school with Americans Ruth Van Rydock and Caroline "Carrie" Louise Serrocold.

While Miss Marple is described as 'an old lady' in many of the stories, her age is mentioned in "At Bertram's Hotel", where it is said she visited the hotel when she was fourteen and almost sixty years have passed since then. Excluding "Sleeping Murder", forty-one years passed between the first and last-written novels, and many characters grow and age. An example would be the Vicar's nephew: In The Murder at the Vicarage, the Reverend Clement's nephew, Dennis, is a teenager; in The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side, it is mentioned that the nephew is now grown and successful and has a career. The effects of ageing are seen on Miss Marple, such as needing a holiday after illness in

A Caribbean Mystery.

Little is known about Miss Marple's background, except that she has two younger sisters. One of them is the mother of Raymond, and the other is mother to Mabel Denham, a young woman who was accused of poisoning her husband Geoffrey (The Thumb Mark of Saint Peter).

Joan Hickson

as Agatha Christie's

Miss Marple.

Available on

YOU TUBE

Joan Bogle Hickson, OBE (5 August 1906 – 17 October 1998) was an English actress of theatre, film and television. She was particularly known for her role as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series Miss Marple. As well as portraying Miss Marple on television, Hickson also narrated a number of Miss Marple stories on audio books.

Born in Kingsthorpe, Northampton, Joan Hickson was a daughter of Edith Mary (née Bogle) and Alfred Harold Hickson, a shoe manufacturer. She made her stage debut in 1927, and for several years worked throughout The United Kingdom and achieved success playing comedic, often eccentric characters in London's West End, including the role of the cockney maid, Ida, in the original production of See How They Run, at The Q Theatre in 1944, and then at The Comedy Theatre in January 1945.

She made her first film appearance in 1934. The numerous supporting roles of her career included several Carry On films, including playing The Nursing Sister in Carry On Nurse.

Miss Marple,

played by Agatha Christie's

Joan Hickson.

Available on YouTube at

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In the 1940s, she appeared on-stage in an Agatha Christie play, Appointment with Death, which was seen by Christie, who wrote in a note to her, "I hope one day you will play my dear Miss Marple". From 1963–1966, she played Mrs. Peace, housekeeper to Reverend Stephen Young (played by Donald Sinden) in the highly-rated TV series Our Man At Saint Mark's. Hickson played the housekeeper in the Marple film Murder, She Said, in 1961, (based on Agatha Christie's original novel 4.50 From Paddington), which starred Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple.

From 1970–1971, she played Mrs Pugsley in Bachelor Father. Hickson played Mrs Chambers in Whatever Happened to The Likely Lads ? In 1986, she played the part of Mrs. Trellis in Clockwise.

Her stage career included roles in Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit, the Tony Hatch-Jackie Trent 1975 musical The Card, and Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce, for which she won a 1979 Tony Award for 'Best Featured Actress in a Play'. In 1980, she appeared in yet another Agatha Christie production, as Mrs. Rivington in Why Didn't They Ask Evans?.

The BBC began filming the works of Agatha Christie in the Mid-1980s, and were conscious of the criticism that had been levelled at the most famous portrayal of Miss Marple given by Margaret Rutherford.

In making a new series, the makers determined to remain faithful to the plotlines and locales of Christie's stories, and most importantly to represent Miss Marple as written. Hickson played the role in all twelve adaptations of the novels produced from 1984 to 1992, and received two BAFTA nominations for Best TV Actress, 1987 and 1988.

When the OBE was bestowed on Hickson in June 1987, Queen Elizabeth II was reported to have said: "You play the part just as one envisages it." When Joan Hickson retired from the role, believing that she should stop while the programme was still at the peak of its popularity, she stated that she had no intention of retiring from acting altogether.

“Cast Your Burden Upon The Lord, And He Will Sustain You”. On Cleaving To God. Saint Albert The Great.

This Article is taken from ENLARGING THE HEART

English: Saint Albert the Great

(Albertus Magnus).

Deutsch: Albertus Magnus, Tafelgemälde des Joos (Justus) van Gent, Urbino.

Artist: Justus van Gent (circa 1410–1480).

Date: Circa 1475.

(Wikimedia Commons)

There, in the presence of Jesus Christ, with everything, in general and individually, excluded and wiped out, the mind alone turns in security confidently to The Lord its God with its desire.

In this way, it pours itself forth into Him in full sincerity with its whole heart and the yearning of its love, in the most inward part of all its faculties, and is plunged, enlarged, set on fire and dissolved into Him.

Certainly, anyone who desires and aims to arrive at, and remain in, such a state, must needs above all have eyes and senses closed and not be inwardly involved or worried about anything.

Saint Albert the Great

(Albertus Magnus).

Artist: Tommaso da Modena (1326–1379).

Date: 1352.

Current location: Treviso - Chiesa di San Nicolò,

Sala del Capitolo (Seminario di Treviso), Italy.

Source/Photographer: Kapitelsaal des ehemaligen Dominikanerklosters San Niccolò in Treviso.

First uploaded by sv:Användare:Lamré to Swedish Wikipedia as sv:Bild:AlbertusMagnus.jpg.

(Wikimedia Commons)

He should not be concerned or occupied with anything, but should completely reject all such things as irrelevant, harmful and dangerous.

Then he should withdraw himself totally within himself, and not pay any attention to any object entering the mind except Jesus Christ, The Wounded One, alone.

And so he should turn his attention with care and determination through Him into Him – that is, through the man into God, through the wounds of His humanity into the inmost reality of His Divinity.

Here, he can commit himself and all that he has, individually and as a whole, promptly, securely and without discussion, to God’s unwearying providence, in accordance with the words of Peter, cast all your care upon Him (1 Peter 5.7), Who can do everything.

And, again. In nothing be anxious (Philippians 4.6), or what is more, Cast your burden upon The Lord, and He will sustain you (Psalm 55.22).

[ . . . ] The bride, too, in The Song of Songs, says: "I have found Him Whom my Soul loves"(Canticle 3.4), and, again, "All good things came to me along with her" (Wisdom 7.11).

This, after all, is the hidden Heavenly Treasure, none other than The Pearl of Great Price, which must be sought with resolution, esteeming it in humble faithfulness, eager diligence, and calm silence before all things, and preferring it even above physical comfort, or honour and renown.

For what good does it do a Religious, if he gains the whole World but suffers the loss of his Soul ? Or what is the benefit of his state of life, the holiness of his profession, the virtue of his Habit and Tonsure, or the outer circumstances of his way of life, if he is without a life of spiritual humility and truth in which Christ abides through a Faith created by love.

This is what Luke means by, The Kingdom of God (that is, Jesus Christ) is within you (Luke 17.21).

Albert the Great (1193/1206–1280) [attributed]: On Cleaving to God, 1 and 2.

The World Health Organization Declares An End To Global Health Emergency Over The Zika Virus. Deo Gratias. But Keep Praying.

Nine photos taken in September 2016 of infants, who were born with microcephaly,

in Pernambuco State, Brazil. The World Health Organisation declared an end to the

global health emergency for the virus on 18 November 2016.

Photo Credit: Felipe Dana/Associated Press.

Illustration: THE NEW YORK TIMES

The World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) declared an end to its global health emergency over the spread of the Zika virus on Friday, 18 November 2016, prompting dismay from some public health experts still wrestling with the epidemic.

An agency advisory committee said it ended the emergency — formally known as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern — because Zika is now shown to be another dangerous mosquito-borne disease like malaria or yellow fever, and should be treated, like them, as an ongoing problem, not an exceptional situation.

The experts who recommended ending the emergency were at pains to explain that they did not consider the current Zika crisis over.

“We are not downgrading the importance of Zika,” said Dr. Peter Salama, executive director of the W.H.O.’s emergencies programme. “We are sending the message that Zika is here to stay and the W.H.O. response is here to stay.”

Like other mosquito-borne diseases, Zika is seasonal and can be expected to return, Dr. Salama added, and Countries now need to consider it an endemic disease and respond accordingly, with help from the W.H.O.