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For Trinity Sunday…

June 6, 2009

The Holy Trinity appears in this beautiful music book, by Father Athanasius Kircher, Musurgia Universalis, in the University of Glasgow’s collection.

The triangle at the top is the symbol of the Holy Trinity and sheds its rays over the whole of the top of the picture. Kircher held to the medieval idea that music is a reflection of the essential mathematics and proportions inherent in all Creation so the Trinity was not only a symbol but a real dogma.

Under the Trinity we find the nine angelic, four-voice choirs, singing a 36-part canon by Romano Micheli.

The canon is properly described as “canoni sopra le vocali di piu parole” (“on the vowels of a few words”) although in the present case the words ascribed are those of the angelic choirs in the Trishagion – “Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus“, as described in Revelation.

The strip of text reads: “Angelic choir of 36 voices” (then the Sanctus music notated in staff notation) “distributed in 9 choirs”.

The middle section is dominated by a globe of the World, on which is seated Musica, holding the lyre of Apollo and the panpipes of Marsyas. The globe is encircled by the Zodiac, and Musica holds also a streamer bearing the legend “Of Athanasius Kircher of the Society of Jesus, Universal Musicmaking or the Art …” (being the beginning of the full title of the work).

Round the last part of the streamer is displayed the dedication “To His Serene Highness Leopold William, Archduke of Austria.” Other symbols in this section include rings of dancing mermaids on the shore, a shepherd trying out the echo and the winged horse of the Muses, Pegasus.

The lowest part of the picture shows blacksmiths in a cave: the sound of blacksmiths hammering had led Pythagoras to important conclusions about the nature of pitch and the blacksmiths are acknowledged in the picture by being pointed out by Pythagoras, who also holds an illustration of his theorem, also using triangles, and hence referring obliquely once again to the top of the picture.

The muse on the right may be Polymnia who appears in standard pose surrounded by musical instruments of various kinds.

On Taking the Train…

June 6, 2009

Air-France trauma continues, with more disturbing theories about flight’s possible demise:

Prior to the disappearance of the aircraft, ACARS messages revealed the indicated air speed (IAS) was unclear to the flight crew.[22] The systems involved in the calculation of airspeed are the Air Data Reference unit, the ADIRU (2 in normal operation and a 3rd in standby), and the control flight computers that generate and output to the primary flight display, and also can control the aircraft in Normal Law mode (see Automated messages and equipment malfunction. Three reports are on file at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) of Airbus A330 problems with the flight computer, and one with a Boeing 777.[Note 2][86] Another incident occurred outside of Australian airspace on an Airbus flying over the Western Pacific. These incidences begin similarly. The autopilot may automatically disengage, followed by warnings that an ADIRU unit has failed, and finally the Aircraft may engage in a steep climb or descent. Investigators with Airbus have found that the flight computers continue to use data from the ADIRU despite the fault, and that a multistep operation needs to be performed to keep the units from reporting faulty data to the primary flight computer. In the October 2008 incident, this fault caused injuries to passengers and damage to the Aircraft. A Qantas flight, QA 72, was forced into a dive by a malfunctioning ADIRU. Because of the complexity in ceasing faulty ADIRU output, the flight computer initially refused to allow pilot correction. The flight crew was able to regain control of the aircraft and make a safe emergency landing.

Using ACARS messages as the only source of information on AF 447, there are similarities with the QF 72. Both chain of events started with the autopilot disengaging on its own and sending ADIRU failure messages. Incorrect speed indications were also observed.[86] The airframe and the ADIRU involved in the QA 72 was also previously involved in another incident on Qantas Flight 68. The ADIRU unit on all four previous Airbus incidences was a Northrup Grummen device. However the ADIRU on AF 447 flight appears to have been made by Honeywell. On June 6, 2009, the agency investigating the crash said Air France had not replaced flight instruments such as the air speed measure on the Airbus A330 and therefore mechanical failures might have played a role.[87]

Ick.

The Book of Tobit is a treasure. (Today’s readings rather alarmingly cuts from verses three to sixteen…) One of my friends was laughing over the story yesterday about bird droppings getting in Tobit’s eyes:

On the night of Pentecost, after I had buried the dead,
I, Tobit, went into my courtyard
to sleep next to the courtyard wall.
My face was uncovered because of the heat.
I did not know there were birds perched on the wall above me,
till their warm droppings settled in my eyes, causing cataracts.

As he becomes miserable and cantankerous, yet still speaks with an assumed long suffering nobleness, his equally long suffering wife chimes in:

So she retorted: “Where are your charitable deeds now?
Where are your virtuous acts?
See! Your true character is finally showing itself!”

They really are living in horrible times, in the diaspora after the kingdom has fallen. He’s blinded by bird doo, which can only be called unfortunate, and their life becomes a misery. The angel Raphael is sent to help them! And help them he does, eventually being an instrument of God’s healing for poor Tobit’s eyes.

A major point being, they live in horrible times yet they remain faithful. They experience tragedy, drama, the onslaught of evil, yet God finds a miraculous and mysterious way to help them. It’s a very human tale, with humorous moments, insights into the mysteries of Faith, and lessons in living through difficult times.

Tomorrow we backtrack through the Book of Tobit a bit, which makes no sense to me. Can’t we just read the story? If the point is to read through all of Scripture in three years, why chop it up so much? Especially Tobit which not many people read as it is.

It’s a short simple and delightful book. Highly recommended!

And you can tell everyone about the Archangel Raphael, one of only three Archangels found in Scripture, and about the great exorcism prayer that Tobit’s son Tobias(h) prays with his wife before they go to bed on their wedding night. A lot of people should read that prayer because they like to have it at their weddings, but that’s a different story, though no less charming.

Raphael tells some interesting things about how angels interact. He appears to be human, and they see him eating and walking with them, etc. But he eventually tells right before he leaves them, that what they saw was an illusion, since of course angels are spirits and don’t eat or drink, or really even walk for that matter.

Times may be difficult, but life doesn’t have to be lifeless. There is only life, and God is always reaching out to us in it, often through all the people, things and events of the world …. seen and unseen.

On a Tuesday Morning…

June 2, 2009

Much to do today. Meanwhile…

Now is the time for Christians to rejoice, since Scripture says that we should rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering trains us to endure with patience, patient endurance makes us pleasing to God, and being pleasing to God gives us ground for a hope that will not be disappointed. Only let the love of God be poured forth in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. (Ro 5:5)

From the writings of Origen on today’s feast, of the martyrs Marcellinus and Peter. Useful to remember that we’re called to be witnesses of faith in a world which really doesn’t necessarily want witnesses to faith. Martyrs, in other words.

Obama is useless. Worse than that, he’s dangerous. Which is why, if he has any patriotism left after the thousands of meetings he has sat through with corporate contributors, blood-sucking lobbyists and corrupt politicians, he ought to step down now — before he drags us further into the abyss.

I have this ongoing fascination with the right vs left political banter, and they seem to be catching up to one another. The above from very liberal writer
Ted Rally.

Since when, however, have you heard of an organization of former pregnancy resource center
directors who have repented of saving babies and are now pro-abortion?

Pro-life update from Priests for Life; basically, research and science is, actually, on the side of the pro-life movement.

The Advocate

May 19, 2009

And when he comes he [the Holy Spirit, the Advocate,] will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

That’s pretty amazing. Talk about a different world view. So we’re convicted in sin, righteousness and condemnation?

“Sin because they do not believe in me.”

If we really believe in Jesus Christ our lives change. Our actions change; we can never go back to the old self without a sense of wrong. It’s sort of like the guilty feeling when you quit smoking and suddenly find yourself lighting up out of the blue. It’s just never as enjoyable again, because you know it for what it is.

“Righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me”

What in the world is righteousness anyway (And why don’t I know that by now)? Webster’s defines it as:

The quality or state of being righteous; holiness; purity; uprightness; rectitude.
Note: Righteousness, as used in Scripture and theology, in which it chiefly occurs, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law.

We’re simply restored in our basic nature by the mysterious salvation which Christ ensures for us.

“Condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned”

Are our lives ordered towards a genuine belief in Jesus Christ, or towards the ‘things of the world’? The world, created by God, is indeed good. But we are called to live a properly ordered life; i.e. to have our priorities straight and our heads screwed on right.

The Holy Spirit, the Advocate, will teach us all things and will speak to our conscience about the truth of sin, about growing in holiness and uprightness, and about the enemy of our souls.

Sounds like a pretty good friend to keep in touch with.