Be still!

 “Peace! Be still!” 

~ Jesus, Mark 4:39

Hans Küng passed away on April 6, 2021

Catholic theologian Hans Küng was buried April 16 in the southwestern German city of Tübingen following funeral services. Küng, a native of Switzerland, died on April 6 at the age of 93 (www.ncronline.org/).

The foregoing excerpt is from the National Catholic Reporter. The article also reads as follows.

The world-renowned theologian planned the final ceremonies himself, with the saying of prayers that he formulated and the performance of cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach and compositions by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Due to ongoing pandemic restrictions in Germany, only a limited number of people were present. The local television broadcaster SWR carried the ceremonies live.

In the funeral sermon, Fr. Wolfgang Gramer said Küng had fought for the freedom of God's children, including in his efforts to challenge what he viewed as the wrongly understood dogma of papal infallibility. The Vatican and the German bishops had withdrawn Küng's teaching license in 1979 partly because of the theologian's critique of the dogma (www.ncronline.org/).

I personally never had the opportunity to meet Hans Küng, but if you are interested in finding out more about him, it will not be too difficult to find a plethora of material written about him or by him. The world of Theology and Ecumenism lost a hero on April 6, 2021. I do not think I can share more about him than what others have said. I strongly recommend reading more about him if you have never done so. I certainly have found him very inspiring for many years.

The Catholic Weekly said the following:

Hans Küng certainly had talent. His doctoral dissertation on Karl Barth, arguably the greatest of 20th-century Protestant theologians, became a pioneering book in ecumenical theology.

 The Guardian published the following about Küng:

Despite the impression that this self-confident, clever and ever so slightly vain priest may have given, Küng was not one of nature’s rebels. His chosen approach would have been to work from within, but the Catholic church in his heyday was intolerant of such dissenting voices among its priests. If the choice was silence or uneasy internal exile, he was not going to bite his tongue.

When challenged about his maverick role in the history of modern Catholicism, he remained fond to the end of quoting one of his heroes, Pope Gregory the Great: “If scandal is taken as the truth, then it is better to allow scandal to arise than to abandon the truth.”

As I said before, it will not be too difficult to find a plethora of material written about Hans Küng, or written by him. A warning, however, be prepared to be informed. I really cannot say more than others who knew him well, so I will end here. Regardless, it is an honor to do this brief homage to him. Rest in Peace, Hans Küng. A final note: feel free to click on the links to the referenced articles below to read more.

 

 

 

References:

https://www.catholicweekly.com.au/george-weigel-hans-kung-and-the-perils-of-fame/

https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/funeral-hans-k-ng-celebrated-ecumenist-great-spiritual-teacher

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/08/hans-kung-obituary

 

Eyes on Sparrows?

Sammy Davis Jr. in the theme for an old TV show sang the following lyric line: "...keep your eye on the sparrow, when the going gets narrow.” Many churchgoers have sung a hymn that contains a lyric line which says: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches over me." I want to share a little history about the latter.

"His Eye Is on the Sparrow" is a gospel hymn written in 1905 by lyricist Civilla D. Martin and composer Charles H. Gabriel. It is most associated with actress-singer Ethel Waters who used the title for her autobiography.[1] Mahalia Jackson's recording of the song was honored with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2010 (wikipedia.org).

The foregoing is according to Wikipedia, no doubt. Mahalia Jackson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and she passed away in Illinois in 1972. The posthumous honor from the Grammy Hall of Fame obviously came 38 years after.  With relevance to the two hymn authors, Wikipedia says the following:

Civilla Durfee Martin (August 21, 1866 – March 9, 1948) was a Canadian-American writer of many religious hymns and gospel songs in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Her husband, Walter Stillman Martin…(wikipedia.org).

Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (August 18, 1856 – September 14, 1932) was a writer of gospel songs and composer of gospel tunes. He is said to have written and/or composed between 7,000 and 8,000 songs,[1] many of which are available in 21st century hymnals. He used several pseudonyms, including Charlotte G. Homer, H. A. Henry, and S. B. Jackson (wikipedia.org).

Sometimes we learn more about the story behind a hymn or a song with just a little research. Of course, I always take any information on the internet with a grain of salt. The mention of Charles Hutchinson Gabriel writing so many hymns may mean he would probably have to have written about 2 hymns daily for 10 years to get around 7000, as a possibility example. So, it is possible, but seemingly a lot of work. Paul Tillich said, "doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith." I felt like adding the foregoing in here even if it may seem irrelevant.

Oh, by the way, the Sammy Davis Jr. song was Baretta's Theme which was written by David Grusin and Morgan Ames. On a personal note, Dave Grusin has been one of my favorite jazz keyboardist and composers for many decades. I especially love his collaborations with Lee Ritenour. Done here...blessings!

 

 

Reference:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Eye_Is_on_the_Sparrow.

Isaiah 50

Isaiah 50

New Revised Standard Version

50 Thus says the Lord:
Where is your mother’s bill of divorce
    with which I put her away?
Or which of my creditors is it
    to whom I have sold you?
No, because of your sins you were sold,
    and for your transgressions your mother was put away.
2 Why was no one there when I came?
    Why did no one answer when I called?
Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem?
    Or have I no power to deliver?
By my rebuke I dry up the sea,
    I make the rivers a desert;
their fish stink for lack of water,
    and die of thirst.[a]
3 I clothe the heavens with blackness,
    and make sackcloth their covering.

The Servant’s Humiliation and Vindication

4 The Lord God has given me
    the tongue of a teacher,[b]
that I may know how to sustain
    the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens—
    wakens my ear
    to listen as those who are taught.
5 The Lord God has opened my ear,
    and I was not rebellious,
    I did not turn backward.
6 I gave my back to those who struck me,
    and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;
I did not hide my face
    from insult and spitting.

7 The Lord God helps me;
    therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like flint,
    and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
8     he who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
    Let us stand up together.
Who are my adversaries?
    Let them confront me.
9 It is the Lord God who helps me;
    who will declare me guilty?
All of them will wear out like a garment;
    the moth will eat them up.

10 Who among you fears the Lord
    and obeys the voice of his servant,
who walks in darkness
    and has no light,
yet trusts in the name of the Lord
    and relies upon his God?
11 But all of you are kindlers of fire,
    lighters of firebrands.[c]
Walk in the flame of your fire,
    and among the brands that you have kindled!
This is what you shall have from my hand:
    you shall lie down in torment.

Footnotes

• Isaiah 50:2 Or die on the thirsty ground

• Isaiah 50:4 Cn: Heb of those who are taught

• Isaiah 50:11 Syr: Heb you gird yourselves with firebrands

Source:

www.biblegateway.com 

Cardinal Burke Homily

 Watch this! Blessings!

Source:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MOCyqWsVkr0&feature=share

Questions I ask myself about this ecumenism blog

Why am I still posting on here?

Why do I bother?

Does anyone really care about ecumenism?

With relevance to the previous question, if they do care isn't it really just on their terms?

If people want ecumenism on their terms are they really interested in hearing the other person?

Do people really want unity, or is it just something they say they want to make themselves feel good about themselves?

I have two other blogs, and this one is the least popular based on the stats, why should I continue posting on here?

Should I just go on a hiatus with this blog?

On the deep meaning of Christmas Carols

Christmas comes around every year. Every year can sometimes become a bit of a repetitive routine. We do the same things such as the decorations, Christmas trees, gifts, and so on. We tend to also hear the same music and carols repeatedly, again and again. Sometimes, we probably do not even focus on the depth and meaning of some of those carols. A perfect example of this is probably the words of Edmund Hamilton Sears from 1849 in one of those carols which read as follows:

 

It came upon the midnight clear,

that glorious song of old,

from angels bending near the earth

to touch their harps of gold:

"Peace on the earth, good will to men,

from heaven's all-gracious King."

The world in solemn stillness lay,

to hear the angels sing.

 

Still through the cloven skies they come

with peaceful wings unfurled,

and still their heavenly music floats

o'er all the weary world;

above its sad and lowly plains,

they bend on hovering wing,

and ever o'er its Babel sounds

the blessed angels sing.

 

And ye, beneath life's crushing load,

whose forms are bending low,

who toil along the climbing way

with painful steps and slow,

look now! for glad and golden hours

come swiftly on the wing.

O rest beside the weary road,

and hear the angels sing!

 

For lo! the days are hastening on,

by prophet seen of old,

when with the ever-circling years

shall come the time foretold

when peace shall over all the earth

its ancient splendors fling,

and the whole world send back the song

which now the angels sing.

 

 

Hope you understood my point…lol. Merry Christmas!

 

 

References:

https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/it_came_upon_the_midnight_clear.htm

https://hymnary.org/person/Sears_EH

 

Words: Edmund Hamilton Sears, in the Christian Register (Boston, Massachusetts: December 29, 1849), Vol. 28, #52, p. 206.

Afterwards published in Sermons and Songs, 1875, 5 stanzas of 8 lines.

Source: Edmund H. Sears, Sermons and Songs of the Christian Life (Boston: Noyes, Holmes, and Company, 1875), pp. 17-18.

Music: "Carol," Richard Storrs Willis, 1850