Sunday 29 April 2012

"Humbug"


"A false friend and a shadow attend only while the sun shines"
(Benjamin Franklin)



"Humbug"
You tossed me something that
looked like a friendship;
I thought it would be sweet,
but it was crunchy and embittered
and splintered my kind words.
In the eagerness for Humbug,
never take sweets from a stranger.

                                                Gigi

                                          



"When things go bad, don't go with them"
(Elvis Presley)



Wednesday 25 April 2012

The Friendship of God: St Teresa of Avila


“Prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.”
(St Teresa of Avila)


I've been sent a beautiful clip of the New Zealand based folk group "Lava" singing "Inner Peace" and wanted to share it on here and build a post around the sentiments. One of the founding members of the group, Amanda O'Connor, was inspired to compose the piece by the writings of St Teresa of Avila. This inspiration is immediately evident.
St Teresa joined the Carmelite Order when she was twenty.  After a further twenty years, she felt that God was asking something more of her. She founded her own convent and monastery, St Joseph's in Avila, Spain, amid a great deal of opposition. Many condemned her as a woman deceived by her own experiences in prayer; her conviction that she had become friends with God. Eventually, the initial hostility subsided. Over the next twenty years of her life, she founded many more houses for sisters and friars across Spain. Teresa introduced a fresh orientation into the Carmelite life: she combined solitude and stillness with community living and the apostolic power of prayer. Her writings are brimming with love and serenity, yet her unfailing energy and sense of humour are also present.
In March, I joined a Day Retreat at the Carmelite Priory in Oxford. It was a day of some friendly chatter, some stillness, some smiles; and much peace. The Priory is set in untampered grounds which seemed to ring with St Teresa's urgings to surrender to calm, peace and joy: some of which I've included here.
Sadly, I've now learnt that Amanda O'Connor passed away last November, following complications with her pregnancy. She was only 39 years of age and will be greatly missed by her husband and co-musician Sean, their two little girls; and by the many friends of their music.


"There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers" 
"I do not fear Satan half so much as I fear those who fear him"
"It is true that we cannot be free from sin, but at least let our sins not be always the same!"  
"Each of us has a soul, but we forget to value it. We don’t remember that we are creatures made in the image of God. We don’t understand the great secrets hidden inside of us" 
"It is love alone that gives worth to all things”
"Anyone who truly loves God travels securely"

Carmelite Priory, Oxford. Photo: Gigi

"Untilled soil, however fertile it may be, will bear thistles and thorns; and so it is with man's mind" 
"Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life. . . . If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing" 
"What a great favour God does to those He places in the company of good people!"

The Carmelite Priory, Oxford. Photo: Gigi, album

"About the injunction of the Apostle Paul that women should keep silent in church? Don't go by one text only...!"

"Inner Peace"  performed by Lava, written by Amanda O'Connor


"Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All things pass; God never changes. Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices"


Carmelite Priory, Oxford. Photo: Gigi

Tuesday 24 April 2012

By George... a new type of dragon


 

 "Upon this charge, cry God for England, Harry and Saint George!"
(from Shakespeare's Henry V)

 
Yesterday, 23rd April, was the anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth and death; also the feast of St George, patron saint of England. I wanted to post something nice and uplifting for St George's Day, but first I wanted to check the outcome of Sunday's march through Brighton by the interestingly named English Defence League. "Interesting", because of course England as part of the United Kingdom has a ready defence in her armed forces. The British Armed Forces are a professional force to be reckoned with: a combined strength of around 190,000 regular personnel and more than 35,000 volunteer reserves: the British Armed Forces constitute the second largest military body in the European Union. Charged with the defence and protection of the UK as a whole plus her "overseas territories and Crown Dependencies", they also promote her wider security interests and support international peacekeeping efforts. Nearly 10 percent of all serving members are from ethnic minorities.
Now, the English Defence League have a mission statement which I have taken the time to read: I was particularly interested to clarify the origins of their name and their obviously proud use of the cross of St George in their logos and promotions. Apparently, the EDL see themselves as "a Human Rights organisation that was founded in the wake of the shocking actions of a small group of Muslim extremists who, at a homecoming parade in Luton, openly mocked the sacrifices of our service personnel without any fear of censure".  I see.  Surely the key here is that this was a small group of extremists? I well remember the reportage of this inexcusable and pathetic behaviour, and the condemnation it drew from British Muslims. The web page does indeed appear to condemn racial prejudice and race-based violence; it acknowledges that there are personnel from ethnic minorities making an invaluable contribution to Britain's armed forces. But it also suggests that Halal restaurants and fast-food establishments should serve non-Halal dishes, out of respect. Hmm. Should pizza establishments be obliged to offer pie, mash and bread and butter pudding? Would I really go to my favourite Indian restaurant and enthusiastically demand egg, chips and a nice fried slice? Or is this simply directed at our Muslim population; and isn't that exclusively targeting? Somewhere, something in my head is still beeping "Racism". However gentle and bland the mission statement and their other formal publicity aims to be, I have read some of the forum comments on the website.
It was important to me as a Christian to be able to include St George's cross in this post, yet I was a bit apprehensive. In this week's New Statesman, George Eaton quotes from a recent poll that only six out of ten of those who describe themselves English associate their national flag with pride and patriotism, compared with eight out of ten in similar polls in both Scotland and Wales. Even more depressing, one in three of the English interviewees under the age of forty think of racism and extremism when they see St George's Cross. This sad attitude has been attributed to the reputation for appalling behaviour of some of our football supporters, but also to the toxification of the flag by the extremism and sometimes "street hooligans" membership of some semi-politicised, socially divisive groups. The red cross on a white background has been associated with St George since medieval times, adopted in the coat of arms and flags of several countries and cities of which St George is patron, notably England, Georgia, Aragon, Greece, Genoa and Barcelona. For centuries, and notably as carried by crusaders throughout Europe during the crusades, it has long been referred to as "God's Flag". This interpretation was carried to America by the early Church of England and Anglican communities. Recognised as God's Flag rather than representing any nationality, it is the only flag allowed to fly (in pennant form) higher than the United States national flag in certain restricted circumstances: specifically during church services for naval personnel when masses are conducted by a naval chaplain at sea.
During the first Crusade, the Pope decided that knights of different nationalities should be distinguished by different crosses. English crusaders originally wore a white cross on red; French crusaders a red cross on white, Italian knights a yellow cross on a white. However, at some stage, English crusaders began wearing the red cross. In the late twelfth century, Phillip II of France agreed to the English claim to the red cross on white. Subsequently, as the majority of Christian crusaders had been associated with the symbol, it became the standard flag of the crusaders. Already in widespread use, in 1277 St George's cross officially became the flag of England, with the three lions retained as the coat of arms of the monarchy. The cross may also be formally displayed by churches of the Church of England.


There were about 150 marchers from the EDL at Brighton station on Sunday, rather fewer than the official defence forces of these islands. Several were wearing the cross of St George in their insignias, although some had their faces covered. They were met by more than 400 anti-fascism protesters: as one of my neighbours said, we may be a bunch of latter-day, seaside hippies in Brighton, but we don't take kindly to this kind of thing. Of course, the long-suffering police and their poor beleaguered horses were in the midst of it all. There isn't a chapter of the EDL in Brighton, but they've marched here before and I sense they will do again. Brighton doesn't have a history of racial tension and it's not what we want for the future of the city. The most recent census shows that nearly ninety five percent of the population is white with less than five percent of mixed race backgrounds or from ethnic minorities. Around sixty percent of the population call themselves Christian: less than two percent are Muslim. The EDL gathering on their mission in Brighton reminds me of the invasive presence of the despicable National Front when I was growing up in south London. They were times that grounded me and bonded me to my beliefs, but they're still unpleasant memories.
I wonder just how much these staunch self-appointed defenders and crusaders know about the man beyond the flag. George wasn't England's first patron saint. His veneration spread to the Roman empire from the Middle East during the fourth century. He was canonised in 494AD by Pope Gelasius, but his popularity as a militant Christian martyr and a medieval man's man really developed from Richard the Lionheart's devotion to him. Richard believed that the saint appeared to him to encourage him and his despondent crusaders. In 1222, the Council of Oxford declared 23rd April to be St George’s Day and he eventually replaced St Edmund the Martyr as England’s patron saint in the 14th century. In 1415, 23rd April became a national feast day.
St George is now probably globally known as the patron saint of England and legendary slayer of the dragon. He's also the patron protector of soldiers, archers, knights, saddlers, sword-cutlers, scouts, of horses, of those suffering from fevers and plagues... He's regarded as one of the most prominent of the military saints and is venerated in the Anglican and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches as well as Catholicism. Something of an exception amongst Christian saints, St George is also known and respected in the Muslim faith: his standing in the Middle East derives from a composite character pieced together from Biblical and Qu'ranic sources as well as folklore. Most Muslims revere Saint George, identifying him with the Prophet Elijah, and have long allowed Christians to celebrate an annual mass at his supposed tomb in Palestine, in what is now a consecrated mosque. The first church in the Middle East to be dedicated to St. George, in 514AD, was also sited in an existing mosque. In fact, the first recorded "George and the dragon" legend tells that he killed the beast at the seashore in Beirut; a popular shrine grew up there in the early 20th century.
Traditionally, George lived between  275 - 303AD, a Roman soldier in the guard of the emperor Diocletian. Disappointingly for the EDL, it seems very unlikely his feet walked upon England's green and pleasant land. There seems to be strong historical evidence that he was born to a noble Christian family, either in Syria or Turkey, and that he died in Nicodemia, about sixty miles east of the modern city of Istanbul. His father was a famed Roman officer named Gerontius and his mother Polychronia was from Palestine. The Latin name "Georgius" means "worker of the land". By the time he was in his late teens, both his parents had died; at this point he decided to travel to Nicodemia to present himself to the emperor for military service. Within ten years, George was promoted to the rank of tribunus, an imperial guard. However, Diocletian's favours were fickle: in 302AD, he issued an edict that all Christian soldiers in his army should be arrested and that his soldiers must make sacrifice to the Roman gods. The strength of George's faith came to the fore: he publicly renounced the edict and proclaimed himself a Christian. Nor willing to lose his best tribune and the son of a legendary warrior, the emperor offered George money, land and slaves if he would bow to the Roman gods and make sacrifice to them. George resolutely refused all his offers and bribes. Exasperated, Diocletian ordered his execution. Before his death, legend tells that George gave away everything he owned to the poor. He was tortured horribly at length, including laceration on a wheel of swords. He was resuscitated three times before he was finally beheaded, on 23rd April in 303AD. Apparently, witness reports of his torture and death led to the conversion to Christianity of the empress, Alexandra, and a pagan priest named Athanasius. The latter would become St Athanasius the Great and one of the acknowledged pillars of Christianity. George's body was taken to Palestine, where a cult of veneration quickly grew up around his story.


Eastern Orthodox depictions of St George slaying a dragon often include a young maiden, looking on from a distance. Traditional iconographic interpretation of the tale is that the dragon represents Satan or evil itself; therefore in this instance the Roman Empire. The maiden is presumed to be Alexandria, the emperor's wife. The legend of St George and the dragon originated during the Crusades. The western version evolved as the thirteenth century poem "The Golden Legend", originally an epic in Latin with a distinctly courtly romantic flavour that tinctures the holy narrative. This widely popular poem was recited in many versions, resulting in the localising of the adventure in very different places. Where and how this poem originated remains a part of The Golden Legend itself. Essentially, a dragon or perhaps a crocodile nests at the site of the water-spring at the city, possibly in Libya or the Holy Land. The people cannot collect their water because of the terrifying reptile; to pass to the spring, they have to offer it a sacrifice of a sheep, or failing that a maiden. Having drawn lots, one day the king's own daughter is the elected unfortunate. Enter St George, who faces the dragon, slays him and rescues the princess. The king and his people are so grateful that they immediately convert to Christianity. There are obvious parallels with ancient tales pre-dating Christianity, of Perseus' rescue of Andromeda from the sea-monster and even with Zeus' defeat of Typhon the Titan: yet George's dragon may often represent pagan cults. There have been various suggestions that George's tale is a Christianised version of that of older deities in indo-european culture. From the time of Hercules, wherever there has been a dragon, there has been a George.
St. George and his dragon sometimes surface around rural England in "Mummers plays" at Easter and Christmas: traditional folk dramas based on tales championing Christendom. On 23rd April, English scouts and guides groups often organise local parades and attend mass in honour of their patron. Traditionally, St George's Day is the day to wear the red rose of England in your button-hole. However, England does not celebrate it as Americans celebrate 4th July. In fact, you're more likely to see a St Patrick's Day parade in England than you would a St George's Day celebration. Personally and as a Christian, I would welcome the revival of his feast day as one of national festivities. I'm not so sure of St George's pleasure as a figurehead of groups like the EDL. St George was traditionally unafraid and intolerant of bullies and oppressors;  a defender of those unwilling to compromise their right to practise their faith. I wonder where he would have seen the dragon on Sunday outside Brighton station? As a peaceable vegetarian and Catholic, I do hope the EDL members managed to grab a tasty kebab before they caught their trains back home.




"Now order the ranks, and fling wide the banners, for our souls are God's and our bodies the king's, and our swords are for St George and for England"
(Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)




"Jerusalem"  sung by Paul Robeson
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Monday 23 April 2012

Have you seen Simba?

Beautiful Simba

My lovely friend Nuala can't find her beautiful black cat, Simba. He's 17 years old and on medications. He went missing from the Ormeau Road area of Belfast on Saturday. As you can see from the photo, he's a gorgeous fellow; he has neither his teddy nor the 'phone with him. Nuala is distraught and I know exactly what this situation feels like. If you have any idea where Simba is, please call her on:  07967322639. 
Thanks so much.
Gigi

    

Friday 20 April 2012

"Gratitude is the Memory of the Heart": Sisters of the Good Shepherd


"The coming generations will learn equality from poverty, love from woes."
(Khalil Gibran)
Photo: Gigi

Nuns - just how much d'you know about 'em? Quiet, retiring, gentle ladies who live away from the world as Brides of Christ, pray a lot and sing beautifully? Well, I was taught by nuns from the age of six; some were quiet, shy and retiring, others not so much! At various stages, nuns taught me to hopscotch expertly, play netball very badly, swear in French and Latin and how to tell the gender of a hedgehog (answer: with difficulty). I've known nuns to be feisty, grumpy, arty and hilarious. What the majority of them have had in common was a faith in God and a belief in the essential goodness of people.
I belong to a section of the Catholic Women's League outside of Brighton; recently, the group invited a lovely nun from the Philippines to talk at our monthly meeting. Some of the group had already met Sister Genny from the Sisters of the Good Shepherd when she joined the recent Parish Retreat. She's currently staying at Geo House in Ashurst, Hampshire; a retreat and mission centre jointly formed by the Volunteer Missionary Movement and the Montfort Missionaries. Those of us she spoke to, even briefly, on our coach journey were greatly impressed by her warmth, humility and the obvious joy she's found in the missionary work of her order. We were keen to hear her speak more about their global communities.
Sister Genny welcomed the opportunity to share the dedication of her congregation with the CWL: which is primarily to protect, educate and help women and girls around the world. The Roman Catholic Order of the Religious of the Good Shepherd (there is now an Anglican community for women which has the same name) was originally a branch of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, founded in seventeenth century France by St John Eudes. He was personally dedicated to opening safe-houses for prostituted and abused women and children. After the French Revolution, these established communities rehabilitated displaced women and orphaned infants. Genny reminded us that in times of war and social deprivation, women and children are often still the most affected.
The congregation was modelled on St John Eudes' order, founded by St Mary Euphrasia (Pelletier) in Angers, France, in 1835. The Sisters of the Good Shepherd today are guided in their missions by her words; she believed that "One person is of more value than a world". Canonised in 1940 for her lifelong devotion and fidelity, she originally used donations to "purchase" and house female African slaves who had been brought to Europe. In her lifetime, more than a hundred Good Shepherd convents were opened, establishing sixteen provinces throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and the United States. In 2010, the congregation was comprised of more than five thousand Sisters working in seventy two countries, now including provinces in Oceania. Originally a cloistered order, it's now largely apostolic: with Sisters working and residing in deprived communities as outreach workers, social workers, special needs teachers, health care advisers, nurses and advocates for social justice and change.



She spoke movingly of the work of the order in her homeland. The Philippines is a huge archipelago of seven thousand islands and the Sisters now have communities spanning at least one hundred of them of them. Her family are indigenous to the country; the Philippines have multiple ethnicities, having been claimed by several empires over the centuries, only gaining independence in 1945. Genny told us that the indigenous population has historically been forced further into the mountains and forests. These areas are not only vulnerable to the scores of typhoons and seasonal floods which hit the islands each year, but have also been plundered by overseas mining and wood-trade corporations; unfortunately, I learned that one of the largest mining companies to stake a claim there is British. She stressed that it's often difficult to talk about a loving God to those with hungry stomachs. As well as educating previously unschooled children, the Sisters are involved in re-working rural areas to provide local trades and goods. One of the local communities of the Good Shepherd opened a training centre for young people; this centre now produces internationally acclaimed jams, marmalade and peanut butter!
With the twelfth largest population in the world, an additional eleven million Filipinos live overseas; 81% of these migrant workers are women, traditionally sending money home to the Philippines. Genny explained that sex-trafficking is still rife in the Philippines, as it is elsewhere in the world. Often, "jobs overseas" are promised to girls by neighbours or even family members; the girls are unwittingly sent across the world to a life of modern-day slavery. The Sisters provide a presence in airports and areas known to be part of this trade. As well as counselling abused women and children and providing sanctuaries, there are now Good Shepherd centres providing guidance on International Labour Laws and advising migrant workers on welfare rights and benefits and, of course, loneliness and homesickness. Genny had recently asked to visit the "red-light" areas in Southampton, a stone's throw from the leafy grounds of the priory she's been staying in. She says her personal preconceptions have been challenged by her experiences as a nun: how love for families and the need to survive and can still force the disadvantaged and marginalised to compromise and even endanger themselves. We may find the idea of prostitution distasteful, yet it's a strong love that will force a mother onto the streets for her child, or a daughter for her elderly parents. Or simply for food, to see another week.

"Hope has two beautiful daughters: their names are anger and courage. Anger that things are the way they are. Courage to make them as they ought to be."
(St Augustine)

In 1996, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd became affiliated with the United Nations as an NGO (Non-governmental Organisation). This enables them to actively work with or on occasion challenge the UN to promote justice and peace where there is poverty, inequality, victimisation and conflict. In the UK, some Good Shepherd homes have been taken over by Social Services, but there are still some communities in Newcastle, Manchester, Kent and London; also in Ireland. Sisters in the UK sell Fairtrade produce from Thailand to raise funds. "HandCrafting Justice" was created by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in 1997 as a fairtrade marketplace for goods produced in developing regions sponsored by the order. The approach is holistic, providing spiritual empowerment and economic opportunity; telling the stories of the craftsmen and women to those buying the handmade goods. As well as Thailand and the Philippines, goods are marketed from across Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Pacific. And of course, you can shop "HandCrafting Justice" online! They have some truly beautiful and unique things: www.handcraftingjustice.org


Genny will be returning to the Philippines in May, to learn where her next mission will be. She spoke to me of working in her beloved homeland but also of her concern for the women and children in stricken Syria and Lebanon. She speaks about the work of the order and her own experiences without reference to notes and seemingly often without drawing breath! She speaks from the heart and is just naturally charismatic. Note to my brother-in-law if he should ever read this post: Sister Genny would dispel your notion that nuns are shy, silent and mousey and don't live in The Real World. Wherever she finds herself needed, I hope she'll stay in touch with her new friends in the UK.

 

"Gratitude is the Memory of the Heart"
(St Mary Euphrasia)




"A Woman's Heart"  Eleanor McEvoy (with Mary Black)


 

Sunday 15 April 2012

The Real Thing...



(NASA's authentic and gorgeous photo of the Helix Nebula taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2003,  frequently dubbed "The Eye of God'.  Disregard any other "big brother", online or elsewhere).
 
 

Saturday 14 April 2012

Friday's Child



Photo: Gigi family album

"Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go, 
Friday's child is loving and giving, 
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day,
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay."
(English fortune-telling nursery rhyme, circa 1838; uncredited)

I was born on a Friday, and the number thirteen has followed me through life from house numbers to close friends' birthdays to holiday flights and exam numbers. So yesterday's date held no fear for me. Yet at least three people reminded me that it was Friday 13th and that I am "accident prone". This is not entirely true, although I do love heights and have a habit of then falling off high things or not being able to find the easy way down: but these are all different stories. I would go so far as to say that thirteen has been something of a "lucky" number for me; certainly it is a familiar one and I'm very comfortable with it.
Various cultures have noted similar folkloric aspects of the number thirteen: this could be partially due to cultures around the world employing lunar-solar calendars; due to the number of lunations in any one solar year, there are twelve "true" months, with days left over for a smaller and allegedly portentous month. The end of the Mayan calendar's thirteenth "Baktun" is still feared by many today as the harbinger of the alleged 2012 apocalypse.  In many ancient cultures, the number thirteen represented femininity, corresponding to the number of lunar and menstrual cycles in a year. As the solar calendar repressed the lunar cults by ultimately replacing the lunar calendar, the number thirteen became an anathema.
When Christian monks were charged with organising the calendars and therefore the regularity of religious festivals, a year which contained thirteen full moons instead of twelve would cause a great deal of upset; it would be considered an "unfortunate" year for that reason alone.  And yet the moon moves thirteen degrees around the earth every day, and it takes thirteen days for the new moon to become full and another thirteen to wane back.
In ancient Iranian civilisation and the Zoroastrian religion, the number has always been considered sinister. The thirteenth day of each new Iranian year is still considered a day when evil powers may thrive. Despite the wishes of the Islamic government, this day remains a holiday for many in Iran. In the divinations of the Mesoamerican peoples, thirteen was the number of fortune and misfortune; whilst in pagan wiccan traditions, there would usually be thirteen members in a coven and "adepts" would be initiated into the craft at thirteen years of age. Yet in Judaism, it is the age when a boy becomes a "Bar Mitzvah", a full and mature member of the Jewish faith. There were indeed thirteen principles of the ancient Jewish faith; according to the Rabbinic Torah, God has Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. The number thirteen relating to cycles is also held sacred to the teachings of the Kabal.


Notably, many religions have twelve followers (disciples) of one Prophet or Messiah, a brotherhood of thirteen. At Jesus' last supper, there were thirteen people around the table, until Judas departed to betray Him. It's still considered "unlucky" to seat thirteen people around a dinner or meeting table: many companies, establishments and hotels may use a different way of numbering to get round the issue of thirteen seats, rooms or floors. Whereas in numerology twelve was seen as the number of completeness, reflected in the twelve months, twelve hours of the clock, twelve gods of Olympus, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve successors of Muhammad; the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing completeness.
Historically, a hangman's noose, when it was still knotted rather than clamped, would comprise thirteen knots; it was thought anything less would not break a neck. Coincidentally, there were traditionally thirteen unlucky steps to the gallows. Fear of the number was recognised as a phobia in 1911, triskaidekaphobia. Sufferers will go to great lengths to avoid anything relating to or labelled as thirteen. ( The fear of Friday 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia, incorporating "Frigga", after the Norse goddess that Friday was named after). Yet many celebrities and in particular sportsmen and women favour the number; in my own favourite sport, rugby union, thirteen is worn by one of the two starting centres. Notable centre and Ireland national captain Brian O'Driscoll (love him) has frequently stated that the number thirteen jersey has been lucky for him.
Elsewhere, there are thirteen cards in a suit, whatever your dexterity or fortune; although the thirteenth card in a tarot deck is the card of death! A baker's dozen is rounded up to thirteen loaves. Thirteen colonies originally formed the United States of America; the flag originally had only that number of stars, with new stars added as other states joined the union, but to this day the flag retains thirteen horizontal stripes. There are thirteen shots fired to salute United States Army, Airforce, Navy and Marine Corps generals and admirals. In fact, thirteen is unusually related to United States symbols, The Great Seal being a perfect illustration. The Seal has thirteen stripes, thirteen olive leaves and thirteen olives, thirteen breast coverts on the eagle, thirteen layers of bricks in the pyramid, thirteen arrows in the grips. In Catholicism, the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima in 1917 were said to have recurred on the thirteenth day of six consecutive months. The feast day of St Anthony of Padua, one of my and my Dad Tony's favourite saints, falls on 13th June; devotions to him include dedicated prayers on thirteen consecutive Tuesdays, and St Anthony's Chaplet of thirteen sets of prayer beads.



And what of Friday? In some cultures, particularly maritime environments, it's been seen as unlucky to embark on a journey or a new venture on Friday since the publication of "The Canterbury Tales," at the end of the fourteenth century. A more recent legend tells of the Royal Navy commissioning a ship, HMS Friday, in the nineteenth century, specifically to dispel such superstition. Her keel was laid on a Friday, she was launched on a Friday and she set sail on her maiden voyage on a Friday; under the command of Captain James Friday. Unfortunately, she vanished without trace and no wreckage has ever been found. This may be due to the origin of this particular urban legend: the inimitable Irish comedian Dave Allen "commissioned" this tale for his 1970s T.V. show!
The phrase "Black Friday" was coined in the 1800s in reference to stock-market crashes and other socio-economic disasters. However, there is no recorded evidence in folklore for a "Friday 13th" superstition before the nineteenth century. A biography of the composer Rossini, published in 1869, reveals that "he regarded Fridays as an unlucky day and thirteen as an unlucky number; it is remarkable that one Friday 13th of November, he died". Indeed, many theorists claim that any Friday 13th superstition is a modern amalgamation of the two older, separate superstitions. Dan Brown's 2003 novel "The Da Vinci Code" popularised the historical connection between Friday 13th and the Knights Templars. On Friday 13th October, 1307, Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of hundreds of Knights Templars: the majority would be executed, apparently for heresy and immorality. More accessible for most Christians, the grief and pain associated with Christ's betrayal and crucifixion on a Friday has been compounded by the number of diners at His last supper.
The Greeks and many Spanish speaking peoples consider a Tuesday 13th to be an unlucky day: the only recorded explanation I can find for this may be that Tuesday was named after the god of war and discord, Mars or Aries. Again, confusingly, in Italy Friday 17th is held to be an unfortunate date.

This year on Friday 13th January, the luxury cruise ship "Costa Concordia" sank at the Tuscan island of Giglio; at least thirty people were killed and many more injured. On the same day, Europe plunged to new depths of financial crisis as the credit ratings of nine countries were downgraded by the credit agency Standard and Poor's. Yesterday, Friday 13th April, an earthquake hit Palermo in Sicily. On Friday 13th April 2029, scientists predict that the asteroid Apophis will have a worryingly close encounter with our planet, far closer than the orbit of any communication satellite. There have been many days in many years when misfortune has struck or the ways of evil in the world have been clearly visible. Some of them will have been Fridays and the thirteenth days of the month. Many more will not. Days, dates and numbers, like colours, perfumes and melodies, will continue to have associations or familiarities for individuals or groups of people, some of whom would baulk at the notion of superstitions. And religious reverence and ritual may always involve an element of superstition; reverence and devotion need not be diluted by that. I still don't walk under ladders, partly because my mother told me it was disturbing the Trinity; partly because I feel I might just trip over. I asked my brother-in-law to place an each way bet on the Grand National today, on a jockey I thought had a good chance of becoming the first female competitor to win. She came third, which is still pretty fine! I realised afterwards that her horse "Seabass" was numbered thirteen. I have a feeling he won't have placed a bet for me as he thinks I know nothing about the gee-gees. Now, that would be bad luck...






"Perfect Day" Lou Reed & various artists (BBC promotion)









Sunday 8 April 2012

"Egg"



"Egg"
Your friendship breaks in me
like an over-yolked egg,
all sunshine yellow and sustenance.
Because You love me,
I can face those who do not see me;
because I have meaning for You
I stand tall when there's no place for me.
I breath
because there is air;
I rise
in the cooling rain;
I shine
underneath the sun;
I dance
by the light of the moon;
I sing
because my heart still beats;
I believe
because You have faith in me.


Your friendship breaks in me
like a thousand tiny birds,
sweet cacophony of Easter chicks.
Because You know me
I understand some things need not concern me;
because You gave Yourself for me
I take the world as it is.
I heal
because there is time;
I hope
 because  the dawn breaks;
I try
because of the stars;
I reach
when the sky is so clear;
I run
to a brighter horizon;
I believe
because You have faith in me.

                                                    Gigi