doves and pigeons being basically identical scientifically speaking is so important to me.
the dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit, of God's immeasurable love and mercy come to intercede for us. is the same bird as the common "flying rat" of the cities, the slums, the poor, dilapidated areas that most folk would never willingly go.
even there. there is God. and He comes scruffy and dirty
“Subverting” Catholic art? Oh, okay. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You log onto the internet and you post about how “Wound of Christ” from Psalter and Prayer Book of Bonne de Luxembourg, attributed to Jean le Noir, c.1349, for instance, looks like a vulva because you're trying to tell the world that you enjoy Catholic art and imagery in an alternative, queer, risqué way that challenges Christian beliefs. But what you don't know is that that stigma isn’t just a vulva. It's not just a mandorla. It's not just yonic. It's actually intentionally erotic. And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that around 1297, Saint Angela of Foligno experienced a vision of Christ himself, who called her to put her mouth to the wound in his side and lick the freshly flowing blood. And then I think it was Saint Catherine of Siena who drank blood and a clear liquid from the wound before receiving a ring made from Christ’s foreskin? And then graphically erotic encounters with the side wound of Christ quickly showed up in the writings of eight different mystics. And then the yonic interpretation of the stigmata filtered down through the illuminated manuscripts and then trickled on down into some pseudo-intellectual corner of the internet…where you, no doubt, fished it out of some Pinterest board. However, that interpretation represents hundreds of years and countless visions of religious ecstasy. And it's sort of comical how you think that you've come up with an idea that exempts you from Christian theology when, in fact…you're posting an image that was sexualized for you by the very Medieval saints you think you’re so different than…from “subverted” Catholic art.
Happy feast day to St Julian of Norwich (yes ik she’s only canonized in the Anglican Church I don’t care she’s a canonized saint to me the anglicans got this one right) the best anchoress to ever live
- Penned the famous all shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well line
- Wrote about a Christ who willingly chooses to become permanently disabled out of love for humanity and how this elevates the honor and dignity of the disabled body
- Lowkey a universalist?? She hedges it by going “of course disclaimer here I agree with the church” but fully espouses a theology in which all shall be saved and all shall be restored to Christ and thus all shall be well
- Had a cat
- Gave us gems like the world is a hazelnut
- Apparently cast Satan out of her anchorhold “the power of Christ compels you” style
- Was a renowned teacher and frequently sought after for advice in her community and by pilgrims including the famous Margery Kempe
- Seriously go read revelations of divine love/the shewings of Julian of Norwich it’s so good it changed my relationship with religion
Diagrams for an Ecumenical Mysteries Rosary on Different Bead Layouts
I've developed these adaptations to help Christians from different traditions pray an ecumenical version of the Catholic rosary, no matter which prayer bead layout they have.
I started with the traditional Dominican Rosary, since it is the original version of the rosary that focuses on the mysteries of Christ's life. I did my best to keep the spirit of the original while still making it more accessible to non-Catholics who might be distracted by the Hail Marys or closing prayers/litanies. I'm certainly not the only person to create an ecumenical adaptation, but I hope this version is a helpful tool for someone looking for more resources.
As always, when adapting Catholic rosaries and chaplets, I make no claims about the traditional promises associated with the original or whether they apply to adaptations. I have great respect for my Catholic siblings, and don't intend to present these adaptations as better than the original.
To God be all the glory.
A list of the mysteries and written out prayers can be found below the cut!
The Mysteries
The mysteries can be prayed on any day, but have traditional rotations for which set is prayed on which day. Two additional, alternative mysteries are offered for those who are uncomfortable with the two Marian Glorious Mysteries. Because the Anglican/Week layout only has four sections, those utilizing those layouts will either need to recount a section or choose a mystery to skip.
If you're unfamiliar with any of the mysteries, I highly recommend you take some time separate from praying the rosary to familiarize yourself with them so that your meditation can be more fruitful. The Joyful Mysteries are a great onramp for this, because they are recorded basically consecutively in the first two chapters of Luke.
The Joyful Mysteries (Mondays, Saturdays, Sundays in Advent)
The Annunciation - (Luke 1:26-38)
The Visitation - (Luke 1:39-56)
The Nativity - (Luke 2:1-20)
The Presentation in the Temple - (Luke 2:22-40)
The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple - (Luke 2:41-50)
The Luminous Mysteries (Thursdays)
The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan - (Matthew 3:13-17)
The Wedding at Cana - (John 2:1-12)
The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God - (Mark 1:14-15).
The Transfiguration - (Matthew 17:1-8)
The Institution of the Eucharist/Lord's Supper - (Luke 22:14-20)
The Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesdays, Fridays, Sundays in Lent)
The Agony in the Garden - (Matthew 26:36-46)
The Scourging at the Pillar - (John 19:1)
The Crowning with Thorns - (Matthew 27:29)
The Carrying of the Cross - (John 19:17)
The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus - (Luke 23:33-46)
The Glorious Mysteries (Wednesdays and Sundays)
The Resurrection - (Matthew 28:1-10)
The Ascension - (Luke 24:50-53)
The Descent of the Holy Spirit - (Acts 2:1-13)
The Assumption of Mary - (Revelation 12:1; Tradition)
The Coronation of Mary - (Revelation 12:1; Tradition)
*The Road to Damascus - (Acts 9:1-9)
*The Wedding Feast of the Lamb - (Revelation 19:7-10)
The Prayers
Trinity Prayer/Sign of the Cross
"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen"
If making the sign of the cross, touch your forehead on "... the Father," your chest/breastbone on "... the Son," your left shoulder on "... Holy," and your right shoulder on "Spirit."
Opening Prayer (From 1 Thessalonians 5:13-23)
"Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. Don’t quench the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies. Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (WEB)
The Lord's Prayer/Our Father
"Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done,
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen."
The Apostles' Creed
"I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen."
Agnus Dei
"Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.”
Glory Be/Doxology
"Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen."
Jesus Prayer
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."
Closing
When you finish the final Glory Be/Doxology, I'd encourage you to take a moment to quietly reflect on anything that stood out to you during your meditations on the the mysteries. This is a good way to let these pre-written, formulaic prayers sink in and give yourself more room for personal response before rushing into a busy day.
It's incredibly interesting being in the neutral zone of religion and spirituality. Do I know what's going on with the universe? Lol no. Is something spooky happening though? Absolutely.
[ ID: Artwork of Jesus Christ holding a small child in his arms, with his hand over his face and two halos behind them. Jesus is a man with medium tone skin, long, dark brown hair and a beard, wearing a black and white keffiyeh over his head, a red tunic and a green shawl, which is wrapped over the child as well. The child has light tone skin and black and has several bandages on their face and arms. Background is gray. /End ID ]
[ PT: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” /End PT ]
In general, I think it's currently really important for progressive Christians to be very loud about being both progressive and deeply religious Christians, and for everyone else fighting for progressive values to be supportive of them doing just that. I know that's like, idk, counter-intuitive or cringe or whatever, but seriously folks, the alternative is that progressive Christians have to be quiet about their faith to be accepted within broader secular and interfaith progressive advocacy, which means that the regressive asshole Christians (a) sound that much louder and (b) dominate the USian religious landscape all the more. That's a problem, for all of us.
We need people pushing back within the faith as well as outside of it, because that destroys any edifice that this is about Christianity and religious freedom.
You can be a devout Christian and also:
Openly, proudly, and without being forced to remain celibate or otherwise limit your full expression of self, identify as LGBTQ+ or be a supportive ally.
Advocate for full reproductive autonomy and comprehensive sex education.
Love and support people of other religious groups, non-religious people and/or atheists, by choosing to believe that a truly loving God would not pursue anything less than universal salvation.
Stand against evangelism and proselytizing as they have thus far been interpreted and used, because there are ways to interpret the Great Commission that don't promote colonialism and cultural genocide.
A steward of the earth, protecting God's beautiful creation and lovingly tending to it as the unique and incredible gift that it is.
A believer in science, rationalism, and human progress as part of God's divine plan for humanity.
A believer in history and someone who understands that the Bible can be both divinely given and open to interpretation (no really)(if you're confused, please talk to a knowledgeable traditional Jew)
An ally to Jews, who stands against supercessionism and antisemitism in the church.
And in before regressive Christians come shouting at me that (1) what do I know, I'm a Jew and (2) no lol you can't because of ___ reason:
My source is that I've personally met and talked to Christians of great faith and integrity - people who embody the closest forms of kindness I've seen to what Jesus himself advocated - who are each of these things.
It is 100% possible; you just choose to believe otherwise.
At this point I think it's time to start preaching and claiming the moral high ground here.
Right-wing evangelical Christians want you to think that they're the moral ones, when they EXPLICITLY defy the word of God. They routinely:
Evade taxes intended to help the poor
Oppress the foreigner
Hoard wealth
Hate their fellow in their hearts
Destroy God's creation that they were entrusted to steward, intentionally and recklessly as well as carelessly
Cast the first stone
Preach idolatry through the prosperity gospel and the American cult of nationalism
Sacrifice their children to Molech through encouraging a culture of gun violence
Commit true sexual abominations, such as rape and pedophilia, and/or cover these things up or engage in apologetics
Encourage actual child and spousal abuse while calling it "traditional family values"
Oppress and demean women, when their main guy uplifted and valued women outside of marginal roles
Smugly quote scripture to satisfy their bigotries and to benefit themselves without caring about the true message
Fail to acknowledge God as the True Judge by substituting their prejudices for God's love and mercy
.......and plenty more. These are not just a few bad actors; this lifestyle is ENCOURAGED by this irresponsible and immoral cult. They are leading people astray into a life of sin and a culture of callous cruelty.
Is this the Christianity you want the world to know you by?
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
'Biblically accurate angels' is actually just a statistical error. The average angel has a humanoid form. Ezekiel's Eldritch Many-Eyed Georg, whose true form is terrifying and incomprehensible, is an outlier and should not have been counted.
titsay
kaledo-art
vaporwave
annaxmalina
andulkaphoto
germansingergirl
theartofmadeline
