The Book Of Ruth: “Whither Thou Goest, I Will Go. And, Where Thou Goest, I Will Lodge. Thy People Shall Be My People,. And Thy God, My God”.

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

Illustration from
CHRIST MY COVENANT

Ruth (Hebrew: רוּת, Modern Rut Tiberian Rūθ), is the main character in The Book of Ruth in The Hebrew Bible.

Ruth was a Moabitess, who married into the Hebrew family of Elimelech and Naomi, whom she met when they left Bethlehem and relocated to Moab, due to a famine. Elimelech and his two sons died, leaving Naomi and her two daughters-in-law as widows.

When Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, Ruth decided to go with her, despite the fact that Orpah, Naomi's other daughter-in-law, went back home.

Ruth famously vowed to follow Naomi in the following passage:

"  Entreat me not to leave thee,

   or to return from following after thee:

   for whither thou goest, I will go;

   and where thou lodgest, I will lodge:

   thy people shall be my people,

   and thy God my God:

   Where thou diest, will I die,

   and there will I be buried:

   the LORD do so to me, and more also,

   if ought but death part thee and me. "

   (Ruth 1:16-17, King James Version)

"Ruth in the Fields"

by Merle Hugues, 1876.

Illustration: BIBLE-PEOPLE

"Whither Thou Goest".

Sung by Perry Como.

Available on YouTube at

YOU TUBE

Ruth went to glean in the fields, where she met Boaz. At the instigation of Naomi, she forced Boaz to declare his intentions regarding Ruth by slipping into the threshing floor at night, uncovering his feet, and lying at his feet (Ruth 3:8), in the Mosaic tradition of having the nearest relative be the kinsman redeemer (Leviticus 25:25-55).

Boaz indicated his desire to marry her, and called Ruth a "woman of noble character". After overcoming the obstacle of having a relative with a stronger claim (per the Mosaic requirements in Deuteronomy 25:7-9), Boaz married Ruth, and they had a son, named Obed.

The genealogy, in the final Chapter of the Book, explains how Ruth became the Great-Grandmother of David: Boaz begot Obed, Obed begot Jesse and Jesse begot David (Ruth 4:17). She is also, thus, the ancestor of Joseph (husband of Mary and foster-father of Jesus), and is one of the five women mentioned in The Genealogy of Matthew (along with Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Mary).

I Bet You Didn't Know That Westminster Bridge Will Make You Green With Envy.

Westminster Bridge, London,

circa 1910. It is the third Bridge built over The River Thames, after London Bridge

and Putney Bridge. The current Westminster Bridge is the third Bridge to built at Westminster.

It was built in 1739-1750. I bet you didn't know that. Richard Butters saved to Bygone Times In England. The current Bridge, by Thomas Page, in 1862, is painted Green, to match

the Leather Seats in The House of Commons, Westminster.

Illustration: PINTEREST

First Sunday Of Advent. 27 November 2016.

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

First Sunday of Advent.

Station at Saint Mary Major.

Stational Indulgence of 10 years
and 10 Quarantines.

Privileged Sunday of The First-Class.

Semi-Double.

Violet Vestments.

"See the fig tree and all the trees: When they now shoot forth their fruit,

you know that Summer is nigh; so you also, when you shall see these things

come to pass, know that The Kingdom of God is at hand".

Illustration: UNA VOCE OF ORANGE COUNTY

Artist: Rene de Cramer.

"Copyright Brunelmar/Ghent/Belgium".

Used with Permission.



The First Sunday of Advent.
Available on YouTube at
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At Christmas, Jesus will be born into our hearts, for at that time the Anniversary of His Birth will be Celebrated. He refuses nothing to the Prayer of The Church, His Spouse, and thus He will grant to our Souls the same Graces which He gave the Shepherds and the Three Kings.

Christ will come again, also, at the end of time, to "condemn The Guilty to the flames, and to call The Just with a loving voice to Heaven" (Hymn for Matins).

The whole of today's Mass is a preparation for this double Advent of Mercy and Justice. Some parts of it can be applied equally to either (e.g., the Introit, Collect, Gradual, Alleluia), while others refer to our Divine Redeemer's lowly birth, and others, again, (e.g., the Epistle and Gospel), to His coming in the splendour of His power and majesty.

Liturgy for the First Sunday of Advent.

Available on YouTube at

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The same welcome will be given to us by Our Lord when He comes to Judge us, as we give to Him now, when coming to redeem us. Let us prepare for the Christmas Feast by Holy Prayers and aspirations and by reforming our lives, that we may be ready for that last great assize, upon which depends the fate of our Soul for all Eternity. And all this with confidence, for those "who wait upon the Lord will never be confounded" (Introit; Gradual; Offertory).

In former times, on this First Sunday of Advent, all the people of Rome made the Station at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, to assist at The Solemn Mass which the Pope Celebrated, surrounded by his Clergy. This particular Church was chosen because it is Mary who gave us Jesus, and because Relics of the Crib, in which The Blessed Mother placed her Divine Child, are preserved in this Church.

Every Parish Priest says Mass for the people of his Parish.

Sermon for The First Sunday of Advent.

Available on YouTube at

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Mass: Ad te levavi.

The Gloria in excelsis is omitted during Advent, except on Feast Days.

When, on The Ferias of Advent, The Mass of The Sunday is said, the Alleluia and its Versicle are not said, but only the Gradual.

Preface: Of The Most Holy Trinity.

During the week: The Common Preface is said.

The Benedicamus Domino is said instead of Ite Missa Est, as is the rule whenever the Gloria in excelsis is omitted.

During Advent and Lent, on Ember Days, Vigils, and Rogation Days, when a Mass of any Feast is said, Commemoration is always made of The Feria.

For the Commemoration of The Ferias of Lent, the Collect, Secret, and Postcommunion of the preceding Sunday are said, except on Ember Days, which have Proper Prayers.

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

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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

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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.