Old World Swine

Here They Come a-Caroling...

Ignorance & Want

I wouldn't ordinarily post on anything related to Christmas this early in the year... goodness knows, I've just now put the yacht into dry dock and hung up my seersucker suits. But I see in the news that the garn-teed Christmas blockbuster A Christmas Carol came out this past weekend, and is making big at the box office, though not as big as some studio execs had hoped.

Personally, it's not one I'm all hopped-up to see. Dickens' A Christmas Carol has been interpreted so many times, and there are so many versions that I already enjoy, that one more just isn't of much interest unless it offers to bring something really unique and special to the table. As I'm not one who is normally bowled over by special effects as such, I'm just kind of ambivalent about this new Robert Zemeckis movie. I haven't seen it, though, so there's always a chance I might change my mind.

One of my favorite versions is a couple of major epochs behind in terms of animation technology, but is one I still find stunning in many ways, simply because of the expressive artistry.

The one I'm talking about is the Oscar-winning, animated version directed by Richard Williams, and executive produced by Chuck Jones (though you might never guess it), released in 1971. I remember seeing it as a boy on a black and white television, and I was absolutely dumbstruck by the artwork.

Williams and Jones and their team of animators made a tremendously beautiful film by forgetting about making a pretty or a happy-Jingle-Bells-y kids' film. They stripped all the modern holiday fluff from the more stark passages of Dickens' tale and let it be itself, and yet brought their own interpretation to Dickens' powerful visual metaphors. I only wish that it was longer, like feature-length... instead of being only 28 minutes.

Much of the film is more or less conventionally animated, but many scenes appear to make full use of the most basic drawing tools, exploring the raw emotive power of charcoal or pencil. I only recently re-discovered this animated version, and was almost disappointed that it was in color. I may just go to the MENU button on my TV remote and turn off the color, if I can buy a copy on VHS.

Meanwhile, you can watch it on YouTube, which I consider to be like a promo for an eventual DVD release. It is also available on VHS through Amazon.

A Poem from Pavel Chichikov

SHEPHERDS OF JESUS

 

Who laid a white cloth

On the river’s black table?

Who’s woven a weave,

A fine cloth of crystal?

And who will set table

On this Christmas Eve

For the stars and the planets,

The chorus of angels?

 

Then underneath the tablecloth fine

Running in currents the river’s black wine,

Glasses of ivory rest on the trees

That all of the shepherds of Jesus be pleased,

Dishes of snow on the hollows and hills

That guests for a season of grace must be still

- Pavel Chichikov

*More of The Poetry of Pavel Chichikov

 

This image of Botticelli's Mystical Nativity comes from Artchive.com, which also carries a helpful description and background of the work;

A painting of Christ's Nativity is often a comfortable Christmas card. Botticelli's picture is the reverse. It is the record of a spiritual struggle, a pilgrim's progress in which the pain is remembered.

On earth there is a strenuous convergence of diagonals. The paths and rocky walls zigzag angrily, their movements only slightly modified by the three figures in the foreground ('men of goodwill , as their fluttering scrolls inform us) who are receiving angelic comfort, and whose angular poses ascend in contrary direction to the plot of ground on which they stand. At the sides of the cave the scars in the rock are like the lances of an invading army, and within it there is a design of dangerous sharpness, as of some complex machine which will cause us pain unless we can master it. The sharpest point touches the Virgin's brow.

But above the roof the rhythm changes. The angularities of trouble are cut short, their halt made less abrupt by a fringe of trees, and there appears in the clear winter sky, capped by a golden dome, a circlet of angels so light, so free in their ecstatic movement from the discords of human conflict, that they remain in the mind's eye as the purest expression of heavenly bliss.

I see
The heavens laugh with you in your jubilee:
My heart is at your festival,
My head has its coronal
The fullness of your bliss, I
Feel - I feel it all.

Now, this is such a singularly magnificent painting that - just on the off chance -I went a-Googling to see if G.K. Chesterton had ever remarked on it.

Did he ever. He said of Botticelli's Mystical Nativity (Sorry, I'm uncertain of the original source);

Do you blame me that I sit hours before this picture?
But if I walked all over the world in this time
I should hardly see anything worth seeing that is not in this picture.

A blessed Christmas to you all. It has been one of my great pleasures over the last year or so to interact both with readers of this blog and with other bloggers, and come to feel that I know some of you in such a way that I don't feel it strange to call you friends.

May the Spirit of Christ bring you Peace.

Some Nativity Art for Your Viewing Pleasure

Just some nativity paintings I found floating around in cyber-land. This is the plus side of the internet, and almost makes up for all the e-mail scams and pop-up ads. The Pieter Aertsen piece is especially worth a closer look, though it is a pretty big file. What kills me about the Flemish masters like Aertsen is that you see their work in a book or on a screen and the level of detail makes you think they must be ten feet wide, when they often turn out to be about the size of a legal pad.


Caravaggio - Nativity with Saints Francis and Lawrence., 1609

Pieter Aertsen - The Adoration of the Magi; c. 1560



Ghirlandaio - The Adoration of the Magi, 1485

An Open Letter to Children at Christmas

SinterKlaas

(Photo from the blog Attitude of Gratitude)

Lately you may have heard some adults or some of your friends saying that Santa Claus is not real, and I'm here to tell you that's bunk (that means "nonsense").

Saint Nicolas - as real a person as you and I - lived in what is now Turkey hundreds and hundreds of years ago (the Dutch people later called him SinterKlaas... sound familiar?). He was a good man - a great man - and he was known especially for giving presents and helping people (especially poor people). He lived such a good life that the Church declared him a "saint", which is just a way of saying that we know for sure that he still lives, now, in heaven.

So, Saint Nicolas - Santa Claus - is a real guy and he is really still alive in heaven.

Does he still give gifts? Well, yes, but not in exactly the way you might think. One gift that he gives is his prayers for all those who ask him, and being a saint his prayers mean a lot. Being in heaven, he sees and knows God in a special way that we can't on Earth. Day and night he is in God's company. You can talk to Saint Nicolas and he can hear you and he does care about you.

Also because of his legendary love of giving, he keeps inspiring people - even those who don't really believe in him - to think of one another and give gifts and surprises to one another. So at Christmas, when you get a nice present or some special treat, it really is like Saint Nicolas had a hand in it. If it weren't for him, people might not have ever started giving presents at Christmas, so every Christmas present - in a way - does come from him (between you and me, though, I'd much rather have the prayers than the presents. You may not feel that way right now, but you might when you're older).

Most important, because of Saint Nicolas, we especially remember the poor this time of year. St. Nicolas loved Jesus, and wanted to be like him. Jesus loved the poor, and so Saint Nicolas treated the poor with special care. We should always find a way to help the poor at Christmas. They could use our help the rest of the year, too.

Of course, Saint Nicolas would mostly want everyone to remember that Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, which was the biggest miracle ever. God - who created the universe - became a little baby, born in a cave among the farm animals... and that's no legend or myth.

Now, some of the Santa story - popping down chimneys and flying reindeer and that kind of thing - were just fun stories and tales that people made up about Saint Nicolas. Some of these stories were old myths and legends that got mixed up with the real Saint Nicolas later... but everyone knows - and always did know - that they're not real and are just for fun, so there is no harm in still telling these stories. People have always liked to pretend and tell stories, so there's nothing wrong with looking for Santa's boot print in the ashes around the fireplace, or sitting up in bed because you think you might have heard sleigh bells.

Chesterton on Father Christmas

I love this little passage;

Father Christmas is not an allegory of snow and holly; he is not merely the stuff called snow afterwards artificially given a human form, like a snow man. He is something that gives a new meaning to the white world and the evergreens, so that the snow itself seems to be warm rather than cold.

(from Chesterton's The Everlasting Man)

The Christ child, in a way unique among the world's religions, gives warmth to the idea of Winter. In the bleakest, darkest time of year, His cradle is the hearth-fire around which may gather all people of goodwill.

The secular trappings can be fun and even spiritually profitable for one who carries that fire in his heart, but they fail as a substitute... like gathering around the picture of a fire. You might find a very good picture on some wide-screen, high-definition television... but try roasting marshmallows by it, or warming your hands.

This is, I think, partly what irritates some irreligious folk about the holy days. Our claim to have a real fire, with real warmth, and our invitation to gather around it are to them infuriatingly condescending, so they stay rooted in front of their picture-fire, just to show us. "Too good to stand here with me, eh? Think my picture is no good, eh? Snobs. I'd sooner stand here in the cold than give you the satisfaction.".

Blessed Christmas

I have been hunting around the internets for some truly great nativity paintings. Doing any kind of internet search involving the word madonna requires an iron stomach, but I did find a few I want to share. I discovered (again) how truly difficult such paintings are to pull off. Even the masters struggled with the subject, in my opinion. By far, most nativity paintings I wouldn't care to hang on my wall. Some of these can be viewed at the Art Renewal Center (link at left). You can also purchase a high quality reproduction of almost any image in their vast online collection.

God bless all on this Holy Day.

Franz Von Rhoden

Raphael's Sistine Madonna

Sassoferrato

Wm. Bougereau

Christmas Trees Unsafe - Faith Inconvenient

I link THIS STORY (Reuters) - about the removal of Christmas trees due to the risk of fire - only because it reminded me of an incident that took place when I was a newly minted Catholic and Parish Council member.

During one council meeting I noted that some parishioners had asked me to ask if we couldn't have some votive candles in the church. The priest made some remarks about the fire hazard, and said he wasn't sure about insurance and liability, and stuff. He suggested electric candles. The meeting moved on, as I silently resolved not to press the issue lest we actually wind up with prayer candles that turned on and off and reminded me of a tacky chandelier at my aunt's house.

Father then read a letter from our Bishop, directing all parishes to begin working toward perpetual Eucharistic Adoration as soon as possible.

If there is a word the opposite of "enthusiasm", it was written all over our priest's face. Once again, he noted all the problems that would have to be overcome... security, scheduling... well, that was about it, but the upshot was that it was going to be a pain in the tush and the Bishop's letter was going to be ignored. That was it.

I must have made some sort of grunt of perplexitude, because I remember Father explaining to me again what a  gigantic logistical headache perpetual Adoration would be, and ending with the clincher that "This parish is just not that devotionally-minded".

Had I been older, and a more grizzled and seasoned Catholic, I might have asked the question that popped into my head, "...and you are okay with that? As the spiritual father of the parish, the complete lack of interest in classic Catholic devotions doesn't bother you just a teensy bit?". I guess I didn't ask because I knew the answer.

This also got me to thinking about another question that has bothered me from time to time, about why we don't hear from the ambo more encouragement for Catholics to make use of the sacrament of Confession. It seems like it is always scheduled at dawn-thirty on Saturday mornings, and I can count on one hand the number of times I have heard even the mildest endorsement of it in a homily. Forgive me if I have entertained the idea that some priests might not push Confession because they really don't want to make more work for themselves.

It must be a dreary job, in a sense, listening to the same old sins week in and week out, and some that must grieve any sensible person. There is no one else in the parish who can do it. My Dad was a cop for a number of years, and I think the constant exposure to the underbelly of the human family took its toll on him over the years, though he never talked about it. Cops are basically the guys who follow after the parade with a shovel.

I would like to have some input from priests or others who might be able to answer the question. Are some priests, perhaps, partly motivated to keep mum on the dearth of confessing Catholics by a desire not to further clutter their already busy schedules? Just asking.

A Christmas Gift from U.K. Religious Leaders

I actually began to tear-up a little at THIS STORY, sent by my sweet wifey.

According to the article, religious leaders of all different stripes in the U.K. are coming to the defense of Christmas and the right to celebrate it publicly without, ya know, being accused of Gross Religious Bigotry and Insensitivity, or something;

Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims joined Britain's equality watchdog Monday in urging Britons to enjoy Christmas without worrying about offending non-Christians.

"It's time to stop being daft about Christmas. It's fine to celebrate and it's fine for Christ to be star of the show," said Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

More eye-moistening excerpts;

"Hindus celebrate Christmas too. It's a great holiday for everyone living in Britain," said Anil Bhanot, general secretary of the UK Hindu Council.

Sikh spokesman Indarjit Singh said: "Every year I am asked 'Do I object to the celebration of Christmas?' It's an absurd question. As ever, my family and I will send out our Christmas cards to our Christian friends and others."

Muslim Council of Britain spokesman Shayk Ibrahim Mogra said "To suggest celebrating Christmas and having decorations offends Muslims is absurd. Why can't we have more nativity scenes in Britain?"

See, the careful planning of the social engineers will always be undermined by such common sense from common people. They are saying to the hyper-sensitive PC enforcers what Jed Clampett once said to Jethro - "Stop helpin' me, boy.".

Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and everyone else of genuine good will will not be offended at my public displays of faith for the same reason that I won't be offended by theirs... because we are not jerks. People who are offended at the mere sight of perfectly ordinary religious symbols or behaviors are the ones who have a problem with intolerance and bigotry. They are jerks, they are rude and they are the ones trying hardest to shove their beliefs down the throats of others. This is just becoming more and more evident as these bitter, carping, politically correct foot soldiers endeavor to push any display of religious faith further and further out of public view. The intention and unavoidable result of this kind of thinking is to eventually confine all religious behavior strictly to the private thoughts of the individual. Ironically, it can only end in forced education (or "de-programming"), book-burning and the like. Tyranny in the name of "tolerance".

A hearty "Thank you!" and Merry Christmas to all those U.K. religious leaders who had the spine to stand up and tell the anti-religion busybodies to take a flying leap.