November 29: Drawn Into Wonder
♫ Music:
Day 3 - Tuesday, November 29
Title: THE PROPHECY OF ISAIAH #2
Scripture: Isaiah 9:6-7
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Poetry & Poet:
“Carol 3”
by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz
1. Where are you going children?
2. To Bethlehem,
To see wonders,
that are to be seen.
1.Tell us, children,
How do you know this?
2. In the air it is sung by Angels
with loud voices. Listen, heed!
Verses
Today you see in a stable
The word speechless,
Greatness in smallness,
Immensity in blankets.
All: Such wonders!
From a star the Sun is born,
the Ocean reaches a shore
and a Flower blooms,
infant fruit wakens.
All: Such wonders!
The Immutable is in pain
the burning Fire cools down,
Divinity becomes human,
and Rectitude inclines.
All: Such wonders!
The One before all tremble, trembles;
Sovereignty steps down,
Courage diminishes
and Laughter itself cries.
All: Such wonders!
The earth is Heaven now
in this Night that is Dawn;
Eternity is temporary,
and death is what Life was.
All: Such wonders!
Truth is today disguised,
Strength weakens,
Omnipotence shrinks
and clear Light is now eclipsed.
All: Such wonders!
Now Royalty is humble,
now Happiness is tears,
now hardships are tenderness
and Justice is now Mercy.
All: Such wonders!
Now Wealth is poverty,
and the Powerful a beggar,
and the Lion, always victor,
is now Lamb for sacrifice.
All: Such wonders!
He who had no beginning
his being of Time begins;
the Creator, as a creature,
is now subject to our griefs.
All: Such wonders!
Men: Hear these wonders
that are more than human joys:
God is Man, Man is God,
and among them they are in touch.
All: Such wonders!
DRAWN INTO WONDER
Wonder at the Incarnation––this is the connection between the three texts we are contemplating today. Isaiah 9:6-7 refers to the coming of the Messiah as “Wonderful.” The lyrics sung by the Seraph African Choir arise from these biblical verses and repeat the exclamation “O, Wonderful!” The poem written by a seventeenth-century Mexican nun and philosopher, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, encourages us to imagine children traveling together to Bethlehem “to see wonders” (line 3). After encountering the multiple paradoxes of Christ’s birth, these children repeatedly declare, in unison, “Such wonders!”
As listeners and readers, we ourselves are gently drawn into wonder as we overhear these exclamations coming from the prophet Isaiah, the members of the Seraph Choir, and the children poetically represented by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. According to Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word for “wonder”––“thambos”, is used in Holy Scripture to signify “astonishment, amazement (allied to terror or awe)." So, the idea of a salutary, reverential fear of the Lord imbues the declarations of wonder in today’s texts. Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, in particular, can help us journey towards the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ with amplifying awe during the 2022 Advent season.
Like the children journeying to Bethlehem in her poem, we too can allow ourselves to be freshly astonished by the paradoxes of what theologians term the “hypostatic union”: God and humanity united in Christ. Sor Juana beautifully evokes the mystery of this union in phrases such as “Greatness in smallness,” “Immensity in blankets,” “Rectitude inclines,” “Omnipotence shrinks,” and “Royalty is humble” (lines 11, 12, 22, 36, and 39). These oxymorons are not puzzles to be cleverly solved by our intellect but mysteries to be humbly contemplated, and peacefully pondered in our hearts, as we imagine the birth and infancy of Christ. And, true to the Greek thambos, there is a tinge of terror in the exclamation of Sor Juana’s imagined children: “Such wonders!” Christ’s destiny, as the one who would die to atone for our sins, was there from his birth; “…the Lion, always victor, / is now Lamb for sacrifice” (lines 46-47). The reality of Christ’s sacrificial and atoning death is inextricably linked to the tangible details of his birth for Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. As a Catholic nun, she would have journeyed through the wonder of Advent with a crucifix before her eyes. For her, human grief is mixed into the miraculous wonders and joys of Christ’s arrival. Yet, she concludes with resounding gratitude for how the hypostatic union keeps humanity and God intimately “in touch” (line 57).
Consider how closely in touch Mary and Jesus are in today’s painting by Janet McKenzie. How can we stay this intimately in touch with God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, this Advent?
Prayer:
Lord, you are closer to me than my own breath, nearer to me than my hands and feet.
Amen.
––St. Teresa of Ávila
Dr. Natasha Duquette
Vice-President Academic and Professor of Literature
Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College
Barry’s Bay, Ontario, Canada
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Mary and Jesus with the Papel Picado
Janet McKenzie
2016
Oil on canvas
Collection of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul
Burlington, Vermont
Mary, holding the beloved child Jesus in her arms, looks at us with compassion––her love knows no bounds. She understands the suffering in our lives, reminds us of God's loving mercy, which extends to the entire human family. Artist Janet McKenzie creates masterful paintings that celebrate all people, particularly women and people of color. Papel picado (perforated paper) is a traditional Mexican decorative folk art made by cutting elaborate designs into sheets of tissue paper commonly displayed for both secular and religious occasions, such as Easter, Christmas, the Day of the Dead, as well as during weddings, quinceañeras, baptisms, and christenings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papel_picado
About the Artist:
Janet McKenzie is an American artist. Ms. McKenzie studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology (NYC) and the Art Students League (NYC). She was the recipient of the Edward McDowell Traveling Scholarship, which sent her to Europe for a year to study and travel. After returning to New York, she has focused her life's work primarily on the subject of women. In the mid-nineties Janet McKenzie began to incorporate diversity, children, and symbolic imagery into her work with women. At the same time, the need to explore a sacred voice within her work surfaced, partly influenced by time spent in New Mexico. McKenzie is known for her controversial painting entitled Jesus of the People—the first-place winner of the National Catholic Reporter's global competition entitled "Jesus 2000." Dark and modeled by a woman, this inclusive image pays homage to people of color and women, two groups traditionally under- represented or left out of traditional imagery of Christ. Initially met with controversy, over time however people the world over stood up for the work—far outnumbering those who rejected it. Jesus of the People, twenty years later, is now embraced as a true icon of this era. McKenzie has received commissions including those from the University of Dayton, Carlow University (Pittsburgh, PA), St. Mary's University of Minnesota (Winona), Loyola University (Chicago), Mepkin Abbey (Moncks Corner, SC), and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish (Carnegie, PA).
https://janetmckenzie.com/AboutJanetMcKenzie.html
About the Music:
“Unto Us a Child is Born” from the album Christmas in Africa
Lyrics:
For unto us a child is born,
Unto us a son is given,
And the government shall
Be upon His shoulders.
For unto us a child is born,
Unto us a son is given,
And the government shall
Be upon His shoulders.
And He will be called Wonderful,
Wonderful Counselor; Mighty God.
The Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace, Mighty God
And there shall be no end
To the increase of His rule,
To the increase of
His government and peace.
For He shall sit on David’s throne,
upholding righteousness,
Our God shall accomplish this.
And He will be called Wonderful,
Wonderful Counselor; Mighty God.
The Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace, Mighty God.
For He is the Mighty God,
He is the Prince of Peace,
The King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Full honor to the king,
Full glory to His name,
For now and evermore.
And He will be called Wonderful,
Wonderful Counselor; Mighty God.
The Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace, Mighty God. (3x)
About the Performers:
The Seraph African Choir has been together since 1992. All of its members are British citizens originally from the central African countries of Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire).The choir represents a variety of churches, however, they are all united in their Christian faith and love of music and singing. Before coming to England, all of the members belonged to similar choirs in Africa, and therefore the group sings in a variety of languages and styles. Their singing style is particularly distinctive because of the intricate harmonies and the mixture of folk, traditional, and religious songs. “Unto Us a Child is Born” can be found on their second album, Christmas in Africa. The album is a beautiful compilation of traditional Christmas songs and carols sung in English, French, and various African languages—a glorious and unique expression of the celebration of Christmas.
About the Composer:
David Hadden is one of the pioneers of British congregational praise whose songwriting came into wider view in the UK in 1980's via Mission Praise and Dales and Wales Bible Weeks.
https://www.soundsofwonder.org/artists/david-hadden/
https://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/David_Hadden_The_UKbased_veteran_worship_leader/40420/p1/
About the Poetry & Poet:
Dona Inés de Asbaje y Ramírez de Santillana, better known as Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz OSH (1648–1695), was a Mexican writer, philosopher, composer, Hieronymite nun, and poet of the Baroque period. Her contributions to the Spanish Golden Age gained her the nicknames of "The Tenth Muse" and "The Phoenix of America," and historian Stuart Murray calls her a flame that rose from the ashes of "religious authoritarianism." Sor Juana lived during Mexico's colonial period, making her a contributor both to early Spanish literature as well as to the broader literature of the Spanish Golden Age. Beginning her studies at a young age, Sor Juana was fluent in Latin and also wrote in Nahuatl (people native to Southern Mexico and Central America), and became known for her philosophy in her teens. Sor Juana educated herself in her own library, which was mostly inherited from her grandfather. After joining a nunnery in 1667, she began writing poetry and prose dealing with such topics as love, environmentalism, feminism, and religion. She turned her nun's quarters into a salon which was visited by Spain's female intellectual elite. Her criticism of misogyny and the hypocrisy of men led to her condemnation by the Bishop of Puebla, and in 1694 she was forced to sell her collection of books to focus on charity towards the poor. She died the next year, having caught the plague while treating her sisters. After she had faded from academic discourse for hundreds of years, Nobel Prize–winning Mexican poet Octavio Paz reestablished Sor Juana's importance in modern times. Scholars now interpret Sor Juana as a proto-feminist, and she is the subject of vibrant discourse about themes such as colonialism, education rights, women's religious authority, and writing as examples of feminist advocacy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juana_In%C3%A9s_de_la_Cruz
About the Devotion Author:
Dr. Natasha Duquette
Vice-President Academic and Professor of Literature
Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College
Barry’s Bay, Ontario, Canada
Dr. Natasha Aleksiuk Duquette is Vice-President Academic and Professor of Literature at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College. She currently serves as the editor-in-chief for The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Romantic-Era Women’s Writing and is the author of 30-Day Journey with Jane Austen (2020). She lives with her husband Frederick Duquette in the small village of Killaloe, Ontario, Canada.