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dunge0nsnd00dles · 5 years ago

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Makaria: do you ever think before you speak?

Tobit: I have never thought abt anything ever

Tobit: Fuck You

#dnd #doodles #dnd doodles #makaria uses she/her pronouns #tobit uses they/them pronouns #both are chaotic neutral #tobit has a ribcage they wear as a vest #and magic reindeer antlers #its an aesthetic

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barbaramoorersm · 4 years ago

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November 8, 2020

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

The Book of Wisdom 6: 12-16

We rarely hear the use of a feminine pronoun in Scripture when referring to divine qualities, but this ancient author describes Wisdom as a woman.

Psalm 63

The psalmist shares how God is encountered in life.

1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18

In this letter, Paul speaks of his understanding of death.

Matthew 25: 1-3

Matthew shares the familiar parable of the ten bridesmaids.

This is a very familiar parable. The bridesmaids are described as “wise” and “foolish”; as “prepared” and “unprepared”; as “recognized” and “unrecognized”; as “invited in” and “refused admission” by their host. We also get a sense of the elaborateness of the ancient wedding. Perhaps the groom was delayed as he negotiated his bride’s dowry. Some have raised questions about the story. Usually lamps are not carried to a wedding but one can see that it was not until midnight that the groom arrived. All ten maidens fell asleep and some ask why didn’t they share their oil with these who needed it? But some scholars believe this story was pointing to the final judgement days. But one conclusion I believe we can all reach is that you and I often fall into one or both of these maiden’s behaviors. That is, we can be “wise” or “foolish”, “prepared” or “unprepared” and to be honest, we often experience both realities at the same time.

Ordinarily, I concentrate a bit more on the Gospel, but for a change, I would like to reflect on our first reading from the Old Testament Book of Wisdom and the importance of wisdom in our lives. Throughout the Old Testament, “wisdom” is referred to in books such as our first reading, as well as in Job, Tobit, Proverbs, Sirach, Solomon and Ecclesiastes. We also find “wisdom” mentioned in the Book of Kings and the Book of Psalms. But we often fail to mention what is revealed in our first reading. “Resplendent and unfading is wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her”. Note the feminine pronoun ascribed to “wisdom”. “…. whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate.”

Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza in her book, “Miriam’s Child, Sophia’s Prophet”, shares with all of us wonderful information about the gift pf wisdom. The term Miriam is the Hebrew version of Mary and Sophia is the Greek version of Wisdom. She goes on to write that, “Israel is the chosen people among whom God is present in the female presentation of Divine Wisdom”. (135). I find that rather stunning and so contrary to what we often hear. In reading the Wisdom literature from the Old Testament we find her. Fiorenza adds that, “Some of the earliest traditions of the Jesus movement understood the mission of Jesus is that of a prophet of Sophia sent to proclaim that the Sophia-God of Jesus is the God of the poor, the outcast and all those suffering from injustice”. (140)

In these days of discord and division it seems to me that our communities desperately need the person and values of wisdom. Our first reading tells us how readily available she is. “…whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed…and (she) graciously appears to them in the ways and meets them with all solicitude”. Some see her as a feminine face of God, others as a quality so desperately needed in our harried and fast-paced world. Some of us cherish this feminine expression of the divine.

In the Wisdom of Solomon, the author describes the qualities of Wisdom. As I share some of them, I hope you will conclude how much they are needed in our wounded nation and world. “There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy, clear…loving the good, keen…free from anxiety, all powerful, pure…(and) in every generation she passes into holy souls…”. (7:23)

Wisdom, just like God’s grace is available to all. Wisdom is the virtue that enables us to avoid the foolishness mentioned in our Gospel. She invites us to be prepared and thus recognizable by our God. She, in the minds and hearts of many, is the feminine face of God. Paul reminds the Corinthians that, “…to those who are called both Jews and Greek, Christ (is) the power and the wisdom of God”. (1 Cor. 1:24)

“Resplendent and unfading is wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her.” (Wisdom 6:12)

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saintmachina · 6 years ago

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I love all of your writing a lot, especially those about Lucifer. I’m currently thinking of writing a book about the archangels in modern day. I found some good sources, but I was wondering how you would characterize them. Like, a summery of their personalities, biblically and historically speaking. I, of course, am not trying to say that I want to copy you in any way, as that is NOT my intent. I’m just curious on what your take is? Like I said, I hope this doesn’t sound rude or anything

Hey! No worries, I take no offense. There’s a big difference between asking about what inspires others and lifting people’s ideas wholecloth, I get that.

Anon I wish I could help you out more than I can. There are a lot of people on tumblr right now writing about modern angels and prophets and such; we experienced a Bible AU boom about four years ago that’s still circulating some good content. Most of my modern angels meta is on my Millennial Gospel blog and I have this Lucifer and Michael photoset over here, and this first person prose poem from the Devil’s perspective. I also have a mini short story about the creation of the universe from the four archangels perspective, mostly Gabriel’s.

I wrote a lot of more modern angel stuff about five years ago and worked on a novel about it in college, but lately I’ve been more into the literary explorations of angels as eldritch and other and ineffable. That doesn’t mean I won’t riff on them in a more interpersonal and modern context again, but right now I can’t seem to find the right story to tell there, and I feel like the Devil in Modern America story has been done and done again, so I don’t want to keep writing unless I feel like I have something new to add to discussion.

All that said, I can point you to some Biblical source material, meager though it may be. Raphael is a major player in the Book of Tobit, an apocryphal fable I recommend to everyone; it’s short, funny, magical, and even a bit romantic. It’s where some ideas about his patronage of the medical arts, magical healing, lovers, and safe travel comes from.

Gabriel is the angel who appears to Mary in the Bible during the annunciation, and prophesies the girth to John the Baptist to Zachariah. For me. Gabriel is the hardest one to map onto and get a feel for. He/She/They (I’m going to use the male pronoun from here on out because it’s theologically and artistically traditional, but I don’t think it’s an accurate representation of angelic bodies/selves) are very high-ranking and seem to serve primarily as a messenger. In the African-American diasporic tradition there is a motif of Gabriel being the one to blow the trumpet at the end of time signalling the rebirth of the world. Islam remembers him as the archangel who appeared to the Prophet Muhammad to commend him to recite the first five verses of the Quran. In addition, Islam imagines Raphael to be the one to sound the trumpet at the end of days. Michael also appears in Islam, for those interested, but I’m not an Islamic scholar so my knowledge of the overlap ends there.

Michael is mentioned in Revelation 12:7-9, in relation to the Satan falling from grace story:

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought backbut he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” (ESV)

He also makes an appearance in Jude 1:9. The first chapter of Jude is really dense with references to other parts of the Bible, ethical law, and references to issues facing the early church, and it’s kind of difficult even if you have a theology background and are going through it with a fine-tooth comb, but suffice to say this is the passage:

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (ESV)

The issue of this “dispute” is debated by scholars since it doesn’t show up in the Bible, to my knowledge, but I suspect Jude is riffing on a well known rabbinical/folk story or polemic here to make his point. Modern readers just aren’t in on the story, but once again we see Michael set against Satan on equal ground, suggesting a close association, be it an antagonistic one.

If you’re interested in reading more about angels from scripture I suggest the Books of Enoch. They’re apocryphal but they’re largely concerned with angelic drama at the dawn of the world, and I adore them.

#angels #people of the page

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dunge0nsnd00dles · 5 years ago

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