Saint Mel Parish

"CHRIST OF SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS" BY SALVADOR DALI "Christ of Saint John of the Cross" is a painting by Salvador Dalí made in 1951. It depicts Jesus Christ on the cross in a darkened sky floating over a body of water complete with a boat and fishermen. Although it is a depiction of the crucifixion, it is devoid of nails, blood, and a crown of thorns, because, according to Dalí, he was convinced by a dream that these features would mar his depiction of Christ. Also in a drea...m, the importance of depicting Christ in the extreme angle evident in the painting was revealed to him. The painting is known as the Christ of Saint John of the Cross, because its design is based on a drawing by the 16th-century Spanish friar John of the Cross. The composition of Christ is also based on a triangle and circle (the triangle is formed by Christ's arms; the circle is formed by Christ's head). The triangle, since it has three sides, can be seen as a reference to the Trinity, and the circle may be an allusion to Platonic thought. The circle represents Unity: all things do exist in the "three" but in the four, merry they be. On the bottom of his studies for the painting, Dalí explained its inspiration: "In the first place, in 1950, I had a 'cosmic dream' in which I saw this image in color and which in my dream represented the 'nucleus of the atom.' This nucleus later took on a metaphysical sense; I considered it 'the very unity of the universe,' the Christ!" In order to create the figure of Christ, Dalí had Hollywood stuntman Russell Saunders suspended from an overhead gantry, so he could see how the body would appear from the desired angle. Painted in 1951 and purchased by the City of Glasgow in 1952, Dali’s iconic painting has become one of the best-loved in the entire collection of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland. The painting was one of the more controversial purchases made by Dr Tom Honeyman, then Director of Glasgow Museums, having been damaged twice, most famously when the canvas was badly torn by a visitor wielding a sharp stone. Conservators at Kelvingrove were able to repair the painting to the extent that the damage is now barely visible. More than 60 years on since its original purchase, the enduring appeal of the painting shows no signs of diminishing and it is now one of the most popular exhibits in the museum. https://en.wikipedia.org//Christ_of_Saint_John_of_the_Cross

ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS - HERO OF THE DAY, ROY CAMPBELL Meet the man who inspired J.R.R. Tolkien's character "Aragorn" from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Roy Campbell was a well regarded poet and is the most famous Spanish to English translator of St. John of the Cross' poetry. In 1935, South African poet, Roy Campbell and family came to Toledo, Spain as new converts to Catholicism. Roy Campbell was keenly interested in everything the Carmelites could tell him of St. John of... the Cross and he and his family quickly became part of the extended Carmelite community. After the 1936 elections, Spain devolved into a Civil War in which the Communists began to kill Catholic religious and burn priceless Catholic art and books. Roy Campbell and his family took great risk in sheltering Toledo's Discalced Carmelites, both priests and friars, in their home. Due to the risk of the destruction of the priceless letters and poems of St. John of the Cross, the Carmelites asked Roy Campbell if he would hide a truck full of these original documents in his home. Even though he knew that safeguarding these documents would put his entire family at risk of death, Roy Campbell agreed to do so. Studying St. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila had a profound effect on the spiritual life of Roy Campbell and his family. Roy Cambell tells us that he prayed to St. John of the Cross to protect his family and in return he would translate all of his poetry into English after the war. The Communists and anarchist ultimately destroyed 30,000 manuscripts from the convent's library and killed 16 priests and students. The soldiers came to search the Campbell home, but the soldiers did not open the trunk that one of the soldiers leaned his rifle upon. The documents were saved for mankind and in 1960 Roy Campbell fulfilled his obligation to St. John by translating these poems to great critical acclaim in the book, "St. John of the Cross, Poems" (London: Penguin Books Ltd., 1960). The poet and critic Kathleen Raine, writing in the New Statesman, encapsulated the critical consensus that Campbell’s translations represented a superlative achievement in English verse: Of all living English poets Roy Campbell is the most masterly in his use of rhyme, and he is able to use meter so as to convey a sense of intense passion. He has reproduced the Spanish rhymes and meters as closely as possible, and yet his English versions have the freshness of original poems. READ THE FULL STORY HERE: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk//the-poet-who-saved-a-sai/

Daily Mass - Veterans Day

St. Mel honors all military veterans today and we say Thank you for your service and sacrifice. The parish office is closed today in observance of the holiday but the church is open for prayer and we will have Eucharistic Adoration st 4:30 as usual.

THE MCCARRICK REPORT AND POPE JOHN PAUL II: CONFRONTING A SAINT’S TARNISHED LEGACY St. John Paul II greets throngs of Poles waiting for a glimpse of their native son at the monastery of Jasna Gora in Czestochowa during his 1979 trip to Poland. April 2, 2020, is the 15th anniversary of the pope's death in 2005. (CNS photo/Chris Niedenthal) The release of the long-awaited McCarrick Report by the Vatican this morning provided significant information about Theodore McCarrick’s ...abuse of minors and adult seminarians, as well as a long and shameful history of church leaders ignoring complaints and concerns about Mr. McCarrick. It also raised the inevitable questions of who knew what and when, including regarding three popes: John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. John Paul II was canonized by Pope Francis in 2014, less than 10 years after his death. Mr. McCarrick, once a priest and an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York (full disclosure: Mr. McCarrick was the homilist at America’s 100th anniversary Mass at St. Ignatius Church in New York City in 2009), served as the first bishop of the newly formed Diocese of Metuchen in New Jersey from 1981 to 1986, as archbishop of Newark from 1986 to 2000 and as archbishop of Washington from 2000 to 2006. He was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001. In June 2018, he was removed from ministry after the Archdiocese of New York deemed an allegation that he had abused an altar boy decades earlier credible and substantiated. In the weeks following, further allegations emerged of inappropriate behavior with minors and adults, including seminarians, and officials in the Archdiocese of Newark and the Diocese of Metuchen admitted that both had reached financial settlements with alleged victims of Mr. McCarrick over a decade earlier. He was finally removed from the clerical state by Pope Francis in February 2019 after a canonical trial and an unsuccessful appeal by Mr. McCarrick of the guilty verdict. https://www.americamagazine.org//mccarrick-report-saint-jo

FIVE TAKEAWAYS FROM THE VATICAN’S EXPLOSIVE MCCARRICK REPORT A new report about a disgraced former cardinal had the potential to implicate three separate papacies in scandal. On Tuesday the Vatican released a massive report investigating how Theodore E. McCarrick, a disgraced former cardinal and archbishop of Washington, rose to the heights of the Catholic Church, despite leaders receiving reports that he had sexually abused minors and adult seminarians over the course of dec...ades. Here are five takeaways from the report: Pope John Paul II knew of allegations of Mr. McCarrick’s sexual misconduct. Pope John Paul II personally made the decision to elevate Mr. McCarrick even after a U.S. cardinal warned that he had been accused of sexual misconduct. In 1999, when Mr. McCarrick was being considered to take over the Archdiocese of New York, Cardinal John O’Connor of New York wrote a six-page letter to the Vatican’s ambassador to the United States. He raised concerns that Mr. McCarrick had asked young adult men to sleep in his bed with him and that some priests had experienced psychological trauma from Mr. McCarrick’s inappropriate behavior. I regret that I would have to recommend very strongly against such promotion, particularly if to a Cardinatial See, Cardinal O’Connor said. Nevertheless, I subject my comments to higher authority and most particularly our Holy Father. https://www.nytimes.com//theodore-mccarrick-vatican-report

"PEANUTS" BY CHARLES M. SCHULTZ (DECEMBER 14, 1973)

Daily Mass 12-14-20

"PEANUTS" BY CHARLES M. SCHULTZ (NOVEMBER 11, 1973)

A JESUIT'S GOSPEL REFLECTION: CHRIST HEALS THE LEPERS This story of Jesus’ compassion is peculiar to Luke.We are told that Jesus was traveling on the borders of Galilee, the northern province of Palestine, and Samaria, which lies between Galilee and the southern province of Judea. Jesus is making for the Jordan valley on his way south to Jericho, one of his last stops before reaching his final destination in Jerusalem. Just as he entered a village he was met by ten lepers (it...Continue reading

ST. MARTIN OF TOURS (316-97) - PATRON OF SOLDIERS A conscientious objector who wanted to be a monk; a monk who was maneuvered into being a bishop; a bishop who fought paganism as well as pleaded for mercy to hereticssuch was Martin of Tours, one of the most popular of saints and one of the first not to be a martyr. Born of pagan parents in what is now Hungary, and raised in Italy, this son of a veteran was forced at the age of 15 to serve in the army. Martin became a Christi...Continue reading

GOD'S WORD TODAY: LUKE 17:11-19 As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, Jesus, Master! Have pity on us! And when he saw them, he said, Go show yourselves to the priests. As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at t...he feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God? Then he said to him, Stand up and go; your faith has saved you. (Image: "Christ Heals The Leapers" by Unknown Iconographer (1335) Byzantine, Visoki Deani Monastery, Kosovo, Serbia)

MORNING MEDITATION: PSALM 23:1-6 The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.... In verdant pastures he gives me repose; Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side With your rod and your staff that give me courage. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. (Image: "Christ The Good Shepherd" by Unknown Iconographer, Byzantine, BlessedMart.com, Sofia, Bulgaria) See more

"PEANUTS" BY CHARLES M. SCHULTZ (NOVEMBER 10, 1973)

St. Mel Moment 181