Posted on 08/14/2018 8:51:52 AM PDT by Salvation
Flowers, besides being beautiful, have often been used in Christian tradition to signify virtues and remind us of the saints. For example, consider this brief meditation of St. Augustine on the virtues related to our state in life:
I tell you again and again, my brethren, that in the Lord’s garden are to be found not only the roses of his martyrs. In it there are also the lilies of the virgins, the ivy of wedded couples, and the violets of widows. On no account may any class of people despair, thinking that God has not called them. Christ suffered for all. What the Scriptures say of him is true: He desires all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth (Sermo 304, 1-4: PL 38, 1395-1397).
In addition, a number of flowers trace their name to the Virgin Mary. The marigold, most often a bright yellow color, is a shortened version of “Mary’s gold.” The carnation is a corruption of the word “coronation”; these flowers were often used to crown statues of Mary. The herb rosemary is said to honor Mary’s title Rosa Mystica, (Mystical Rose). The beautiful Lady’s Slipper was shortened from “Our Lady’s Slipper.”
Consider, too, this old Dutch carol from the 17th century, which links various virtues to flowers in the garden of King Jesus:
King Jesus has a garden, full of diverse flowers
Where I go cutting bright bouquets, all times and hours.
Refrain:
There, naught is heard but Paradise bird,
Harp, dulcimer, lute,
With cymbal, trump and timbral,
And the tender, soothing flute.
The Lily, white in blossom there, is Chastity:
The Violet, with sweet perfume, Humility.
The lovely Damask-rose is known as Patience:
The bright and sturdy Marigold, Obedience.
The Crown Imperial also blooms in yonder place,
`Tis Charity, of stock divine, the flower of grace.
Yet, mid the brave, the bravest prize of all may claim
The Star of Bethlem—Jesus—blessed be his Name.
Ah! Jesu Lord, my heal and weal, my bliss complete,
Make thou my heart thy garden-plot, fair, trim and neat.
–Traditional Dutch, from Geestlijcke Harmonie, 1633; tr. George Woodward in Songs of Syon, 1908.
A few years back I made a video that features a rendition of this carol. I hope you’ll enjoy the music and the beautiful flowers and celebrate the virtues in the garden of King Jesus.
Monsignor Pope Ping!
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?*
28Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.
29But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. 30*
If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? (Matthew Chapter 6)
Refrain:
There, naught is heard but Paradise bird,
Harp, dulcimer, lute,
With cymbal, trump and timbral,
And the tender, soothing flute.
Interesting timing. Yesterday I was looking at the common chickweed:
Derivation of the botanical name:
Stellaria, Latin stella, "star,", referring to the star-shaped flowers.
media, in the middle, between; intermediate.
Flowers: 5 white petals, shorter than the sepals and deeply incised nearly to their base, giving the appearance of flowers with 10 narrow petals; 5 sepals about 5 mm long, oblong-lanceolate in shape with obtuse to acute tips
Hebrew Name: כוכבית מצויה
Plant Family: ציפורניים
Paradise bird, from Eden.
chickweed (n.)
late 14c., chekwede, applied to various plants eaten by chickens, from chick + weed (n.). In Old English such plants were cicene mete "chicken food."
weed (n.)
"plant not valued for use or beauty," Old English weod, uueod "grass, herb, weed," from Proto-Germanic *weud- (source also of Old Saxon wiod, East Frisian wiud), of unknown origin.
Everyone's looking up for stars, while this one gets trampled and/or blasted with Round Up.. good luck with that:
Exo 32.13. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever:
Talk about imagery. You can't make this stuff up.
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