March 8: Membra Jesu Nostri Patientis Sanctissima
♫ Music:
WEEK THREE INTRODUCTION
GETTING ALONG WITH OTHERS
March 8 - March 14
We live in a vitriolic time when civility and grace have been replaced with bombastic rhetoric and “fake news.” It is harder and harder to determine who is telling the truth or who can be trusted. Scams, threats, hacking and lawsuits have elbowed virtues like honesty and genuine kindness out of the picture. This week The Ladder focuses on the ways we treat others that are in relationship with us. One might think that of all people, Christians would be much different than their non-Christian counterparts when it comes to caring for their brothers and sisters in Christ. Yet, so many of the divisions and splits in the body of Christ have resulted in ungodly behaviors such as anger, malice, slander, gossip and lying. These weaknesses and sins while expected in the world, are disturbing when they issue forth from those who claim to belong to Christ, most often with catastrophic consequences. One Christian leader recently quipped, “I’m pleasantly surprised when someone who names the name of Christ acts like a Christian.” All too often we take our cues from the world, keen to incriminate those that we feel have wronged us.
John Climacus was speaking to a group of unrelated men from multiple backgrounds with a variety of personalities who were living in close proximity. It seems that wherever people are gathered together there is the possibility of conflict. Paul writes to the Church at Rome “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” Here the Apostle suggests that dealing with others will be challenging. Yet the burden of responsibility rests with us. Author Dallas Willard, a man of unwavering faith, once said that every morning he asked the Lord to keep him from lying. The world desperately needs men and women of deep integrity who have learned to control themselves and live to serve others in love--who have come to see those around them as better than themselves.
Day 12 - Sunday, March 8
Hymn of Supplication: Oh, the wretched anger of Judas! He saw the harlot kiss the footsteps of Christ, but deceitfully he contemplated the kiss of betrayal. She loosed her hair while he bound himself with wrath. He offered the stench of slander instead of myrrh, for envy cannot distinguish value. Oh, the wretched malice of Judas! Deliver our souls, from this, O God. Seeing God wondrously incarnate, let us shun the vain world and set our minds on things divine; for God descended to earth to raise to Heaven those who cry to Him: Alleluia!
Scripture: 2 Peter 1: 1-11
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Poetry:
[F982A] If I can stop one heart from breaking
by Emily Dickinson
If I can stop one
Heart from breaking
I shall not live
in vain
If I can ease one
Life the Aching
Or cool one Pain
Or help one fainting
Robin
Unto his Nest again
I shall not live
in vain.
MEMBRA JESU NOSTRI PATIENTIS SANCTISSIMA
October 10, 2009 … the day dawned; a typically sunny and beautiful Southern California morning, but there was nothing typical about this day for our family. In a few hours, my son, Jonathan, and his fiancé, Jessica, would pledge their lives to one another. One of their desires was to memorialize the sacramental symbolism of their marriage vows in a way that went beyond could be captured in a photograph. Believing that a creative work could be inspired in the midst of that momentous occasion, Jonathan commissioned Nathan Huff, brother of a dear Biola friend, to interpret their union with his artistic eye. Thus, while the bride and groom stood before one another and declared their vows, Nathan stood before a blank canvas with an assortment of oil paints and brushes. As he listened and observed, he created a stunning depiction of two trees growing and merging together—an original creation which has held a place of honor and significance in their home.
This memory came vividly to mind as I learned that artwork accompanying the haunting music in today’s Lent meditation has a similar beginning. Artist Robyn Sand Anderson paints art that is both abstract and representational as she listens to choral music, which she claims is “a trigger for her creativity.” Today’s painting was created on April 21, 2013 as Duke University’s Vesper’s Choir performed the cantata Membra Jesu nostri patientis sanctissima by Dietrich Buxtehude, based on 12th Century Latin text. The title translates in English to The Most Holy Limbs of our Suffering Jesus. Each of the seven cycles of the cantata address a different part of Christ's crucified body: feet, knees, hands, sides, breast, heart, and face.
Note that the selection that accompanies today’s readings, Membra Jesu Nostri, BuxWV 75: Ad Pedes translates literally: to the feet. As you gaze at this interpretive artwork and listen to the Latin words sung in this sacred cantata, reflect on the profound depth they express:
Behold, upon the mountains
the feet of one bringing good news
and proclaiming peace.
Hail, salvation of the world,
Hail, hail, dear Jesus!
On Your cross would I hang
Truly, You know why
Give me Your strength.
The nails in Your feet, the hard blows
and so grievous marks
I embrace with love,
Fearful at the sight of You
Mindful of Your wounds.
Sweet Jesus, merciful God
I cry to You, in my guilt
Show me Your grace,
Turn me not unworthy away
From Your sacred feet.
Likewise, in our Scripture reading, Peter reminds us that as a result of Christ’s sacrifice, we have been given everything pertaining to life and godliness—because we are partakers of His divine nature. What a sacred and mysterious thought. On the basis of this, he calls us to devote ourselves to practice the virtues of moral excellence, self-control, perseverance, brotherly kindness, and love – not because we are working to earn God’s favor, but because we are the recipients of His favor and these qualities are already ours.
During this Lent season, let us ponder the depths of His sacrifice for us and allow our hearts to expand with love for Him and a desire to keep enlarging our capacity to demonstrate self-control, perseverance, and to cultivate brotherly kindness and love. Nearly every day provides an opportunity to practice these Kingdom virtues—if we would but ask God to make us more attentive to each situation we encounter. Indeed, as Emily Dickinson reminds us with her stark and simple words, if we can stop one heart from breaking or ease one person’s ache, we shall not live in vain.
Prayer:
Grant me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know,
To love what I ought to love,
To praise what delights Thee most,
To value what is precious in Thy sight,
To hate what is offensive to Thee,
Do not suffer me to judge according to the sight of my eyes,
Nor to pass sentence according to the hearing of the ears of ignorant men;
But to discern with a true judgment between things visible and spiritual
And above all things always to inquire what is the good pleasure of Thy will.
- Thomas a Kempis
Dr. Deborah Taylor
Provost and Senior Vice President
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, poetry, and devotional writer selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
To learn more about the themes of this year’s Lent Project, please go to:
https://ccca.biola.edu/lent/2020/#day-feb-25
About the Art:
Ad Pedes (To the Feet)
Robyn Sand Anderson
2012
Acrylic on gesso board
36" x 24" x 2"
This painting is a visual interpretation of composer Dieterich Buxtehude's Membra Jesu Nostri (The Limbs of our Suffering Jesus). It is one of a series of seven paintings for seven Cantatas as a collaboration with the Duke University Vespers Choir for a concert on Sunday, April 21, 2013, a video of which can be found on Youtube. The Cantatas begin with the one this painting represents, paying homage to Christ’s feet, and they progress upward to the knees, hands, sides, breast, and heart to finally reach the face. The painting is a composition of vibrant sonorous color, texture and light that form an implied cross. Toward its base, the feet of Christ come into focus, nailed together to the cross and framed as the prime object of our contemplation. They reflect the lyrics of the music recalling Isaiah 52:7 and Romans 10:15, which tell us how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. Drips and water drops stain the surface to show that that good news comes at the cost of the most profound suffering and sacrifice.
About the Artist:
Robyn Sand Anderson, a native of Decorah, Iowa, has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art and Art Education from Luther College in Decorah. For over thirty years she has been a professional artist specializing in transparent watercolor and acrylic, and she works as an illustrator using a variety of styles and media. After a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis in 2008, her paintings changed. Her experience of suffering led her to acrylic abstract expressionism which, in her words, speaks more eloquently to the mystery of suffering and hope, those things that are hard to understand or explain, and to our relationship with God and each other. Most recently, Anderson has been interpreting choral, orchestral, and even eclectic folk music with color, movement, and texture in her art.
http://www.robynsandanderson.com/
About the Music:
“Membra Jesu Nostri, BuxWV 75: Ad Pedes” from the album Dietrich Buxtehude: Membra Jesu Nostri
The Lyrics:
Ecce super montes
pedes evangelizantis
et annunciantis pacem
Salve mundi salutare,
salve, salve Jesu care!
Cruci tuae me aptare
vellem vere, tu scis quare,
da mihi tui copiam.
Clavos pedum, plagas duras,
et tam graves impressuras
circumplector cum affectu,
tuo pavens in aspectu,
tuorum memor vulnerum
Dulcis Jesu, pie Deus,
Ad te clamo licet reus,
praebe mihi te benignum,
ne repellas me indignum
de tuis sanctis pedibus.
Salve mundi salutare,
salve Jesu care!
Cruci tuae me aptare
vellem vere, tu scis quare,
da mihi tui copiam.
Lyrics Translation:
Behold, upon the mountains
the feet of one bringing good news
and proclaiming peace.
Hail, salvation of the world,
Hail, hail, dear Jesus!
On Your cross would I hang
Truly, You know why
Give me Your strength.
The nails in Your feet, the hard blows
and so grievous marks
I embrace with love,
Fearful at the sight of You
Mindful of Your wounds.
Sweet Jesus, merciful God
I cry to You, in my guilt
Show me Your grace,
Turn me not unworthy away
From Your sacred feet.
Hail, salvation of the world,
Hail, hail, dear Jesus!
On Your cross would I hang
Truly, You know why
Give me Your strength.
About the LyrIcist:
Arnulf of Leuven (c. 1200–1250) was the Abbot of the Cistercian Abbey in Villers-la-Ville, Belgium. After serving in this office for ten years, he abdicated with hopes of pursuing a life devoted to study and asceticism. Unfortunately he died within a year and little else of his life is known. Arnulf is the probable author of the Membra Jesu Nostri, a cycle of seven poems, each a meditation on one of the wounds of the crucified Christ.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnulf_of_Leuven
About the Composer:
Dietrich Buxtehude (1637/39–1707) was a Danish-German organist and composer of the Baroque period. His organ works represent a central part of the standard organ repertoire and are frequently performed at recitals and in church services. He composed in a wide variety of vocal and instrumental idioms, and his style strongly influenced many composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach. Today, Buxtehude is considered one of the most important German composers of the mid-Baroque. Although more than 100 vocal compositions by Buxtehude survive, very few of them were included in the important German manuscript collections of the period and, until the early twentieth century, Buxtehude was regarded primarily as a keyboard composer. His surviving church music is praised for its high musical qualities rather than its progressive elements.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieterich_Buxtehude
http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/buxtehude.php
About the Performers:
Musica Lingua and L’Arpa Festante, conducted by Stephan Schreckenberger
L'Arpa Festante is a German chamber orchestra, specializing in the revival and performance of unknown works, especially from the Baroque era. It was established in Munich in 1983 by Michi Gaigg, who also led the ensemble as concertmaster until 1995. The ensemble takes its name from Giovanni Battista Maccioni's dramatic cantata L'arpa Festante (The Festive Harp) which was first performed in 1653, inaugurating what was to become the Bavarian State Opera. L'arpa Festante plays in varying ensembles of up to 40 players, often with choirs and soloists. Early music is played on period instruments in historically informed performances.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27arpa_festante
Stephan Schreckenberger (b. 1955) is a German bass singer and conductor, specializing in the field of early music. He has been a teacher at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt since 2003 and the director of the festival Weilburger Schlosskonzerte since 2011. In 1999, Schreckenberger founded the vocal ensemble Musica Lingua. Since 2003, he has taught singers and vocal ensembles at the department of historically informed performance of the Musikhochschule Frankfurt. Schreckenberger conducts today’s recording, a contemplation on the feet of Jesus, with deep feeling and sensitivity. Musica Lingua and L’arpa Festante reach the very heart of this music in their resonant, clear, yet fragile performance. Completely taken in, listeners hear the panorama of a lost world unfold from the harsh dissonances of the plaintive introductory prayer to the trust in God exuded by the closing Amen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephan_Schreckenberger
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=176815
About the Poet:
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (1830–1886) was an American lyric poet who lived in seclusion and commanded a singular brilliance of style and integrity of vision. Dickinson is widely considered as one of the two leading 19th-century American poets, alongside Walt Whitman. After studying at the Amherst Academy, she briefly attended the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's home in Amherst, Massachusetts. By the 1860s, Dickinson lived in almost complete isolation from the outside world, but actively maintained many correspondences and read widely. Dickinson’s poetry was heavily influenced by the metaphysical poets of seventeenth-century England, her reading of the Book of Revelation, and her upbringing in a Puritan New England town, all of which encouraged a conservative approach to Christianity. While Dickinson was extremely prolific as a poet and regularly enclosed poems in letters to friends, she was not publicly recognized for her poetry during her lifetime. It was not until after her death, when Lavinia, Dickinson's younger sister, discovered her cache of poems, that the breadth of Emily’s work became apparent. A complete collection of her poetry became available for the first time when scholar Thomas H. Johnson published The Poems of Emily Dickinson in 1955.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/emily-dickinson
About the Devotion Writer:
Dr. Deborah Taylor
Provost and Senior Vice President
Biola University
Dr. Deborah Taylor is Provost and Senior Vice President at Biola and holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from Biola University and a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University. Prior to coming to Biola, she was the principal of a K-8 private school. She has had the joy of being a faculty member, as well as serving in a variety of administrative roles since coming to Biola in 2001. She has a lifelong love for beautifully written and illustrated children’s literature, and currently finds great pleasure sharing her vast collection with her seven adorable grandchildren.