Hi there! Here is a little of the latest on our whereabouts and whatabouts...
We have really enjoyed the time in Dublin, and just returned from a service at Christ Church, the oldest in Dublin, and where Handel's Messiah was first performed. The choir and Organ were overwhelming and eerie, but beautiful.
The other day we were blessed to go see the Book of Kells. It's a book written in the 8th century by a small group of monk scribes depicting the 4 gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The artistry and detail is truly incredible. No pictures were allowed to be taked so you might be lucky to find some images on the web if interested. Here is an 11th century poem in honor of St. Columba, who had a great deal to do with the inspiration of the Book of Kells :
My sharp quill is not steady
My slender beaked pen juts forthA black draught of shining dark blue ink
A stream of the wisdom of blessed God
springs from my fair brown shapely handson the page it squirts its draught
of ink of the green-skinned hollyMy little dripping pen travels
Across the plain of shining booksWithout ceasing for the wealth of the great-
Whence my hand is weary of writingWhile here, we visited a Famous Library Collection and were able to see some amazing writtings from 150-250 A.D. Writings of the Books of the Bible, written in Greek on Papyrus..some of the oldest found texts of the Scriptures! Wow!
Other photos include, the city market, cafe photos of Joseph and I, and a funny pub name...
Tomorrow, we are taking a bus to Cork to stay for a while with a fellowship called Ballincollig/Celtic Prayer Center...Will be in touch.
Lots of love,
Have a jolly good day and enjoy yourself and others.
J and C
2 comments:
'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth,' expresses the same principle: the same law holds in the earth as in the kingdom of heaven. How should it be otherwise? Has the creator of the ends of the earth ceased to rule it after his fashion, because his rebellious children have so long, to their own hurt, vainly endeavoured to rule it after theirs? The kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor; the meek shall inherit the earth. The earth as God sees it, as those to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs also see it, is good, all good, very good, Þt for the meek to inherit; and one day they shall inherit it-not indeed as men of the world count inheritance, but as the maker and owner of the world has from the Þrst counted it. So di¦erent are the two ways of inheriting, that one of the meek may be heartily enjoying his possession, while one of the proud is selÞshly walling him out from the spot in it he loves best.
The meek are those that do not assert themselves, do not defend themselves, never dream of avenging themselves, or of returning aught but good for evil. They do not imagine it their business to take care of themselves. The meek man may indeed take much thought, but it will not be for himself. He never builds an exclusive wall, shuts any honest neighbour out. He will not always serve the wish, but always the good of his neighbour. His service must be true service. Self shall be no umpire in a¦air of his. Man's consciousness of himself is but a shadow: the meek man's self always vanishes in the light of a real presence. His nature lies open to the Father of men, and to every good impulse is as it were empty. No bristling importance, no vain attendance of fancied rights and wrongs, guards his door, or crowds the passages of his house; they are for the angels to come and go. Abandoned thus to the truth, as the sparks from the gleaming river dip into the þowers of Dante's unperfected vision, so the many souls of the visible world, lights from the father of lights, enter his heart freely; and by them he inherits the earth he was created to inherit-possesses it as his father made him capable of possessing, and the earth of being possessed. Because the man is meek, his eye is single; he sees things as God sees them, as he would have his child see them: to confront creation with pure eyes is to possess it.
-George MacDonald, The Hope of the Gospel
Hey friends,
I am so glad you enjoyed Dublin, it truly is a fair city indeed. You can feel the reverberations of the millions of feet that have trod the streets there from century to century.
Cork is a fair city as well, and the green hills and castles between are indeed enrapturing.
Enjoy your time, and give our best to the brothers in sisters in Ballingcolig of like vision..
Dave
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