The collected life & sayings of Dwight the #theologycat, part III, Advent & Christmastide 2022
In which Dwight the #theologycat shares his #catechesis, quotes Rowan Williams and T.S. Eliot, and fails to steal the Christmas cookies.
Gentle reader,
Please enjoy this latest installment of the wisdom and sayings of Dwight the #theologycat. CATechesis is his catly joy.
Dwight is getting into the Advent season by nibbling wreaths & singing Charles Wesley; “Come, thou long-expected Jesus, Born to set thy people free.”
Dwight invites us to pray for families, for the trials of parents & children, for those who live alone, for the family of God.
Dwight directs our attention to Rowan Williams’s poem "Advent Calendar."
He will come like last leaf’s fall. One night when the November wind has flayed the trees to bone, and earth wakes choking on the mould, the soft shroud’s folding.
Dwight continues to direct our attention to "Advent Calendar."
He will come like frost. One morning when the shrinking earth opens on mist, to find itself arrested in the net of alien, sword-set beauty.
Dwight finishes the Williams poem, "Advent Calendar."
He will come like dark. One evening when the bursting red December sun draws up the sheet and penny-masks its eye to yield the star-snowed fields of sky.
He will come, will come, will come like crying in the night, like blood, like breaking, as the earth writhes to toss him free. He will come like child.
Dwight directs our attention to T.S. Eliot's, "The Cultivation of Christmas Trees."
There are several attitudes towards Christmas, Some of which we may disregard: The social, the torpid, the patently commercial, The rowdy (the pubs being open till midnight), And the childish – which is not that of the child For whom the candle is a star, and the gilded angel Spreading its wings at the summit of the tree Is not only a decoration, but an angel.
Dwight continues with the T.S. Eliot.
The child wonders at the Christmas Tree: Let him continue in the spirit of wonder At the Feast as an event not accepted as a pretext; So that the glittering rapture, the amazement Of the first-remembered Christmas Tree, So that the surprises, delight in new possessions (Each one with its peculiar and exciting smell), The expectation of the goose or turkey And the expected awe on its appearance,
Dwight reads more of the T.S. Eliot.
So that the reverence and the gaiety May not be forgotten in later experience, In the bored habituation, the fatigue, the tedium, The awareness of death, the consciousness of failure, Or in the piety of the convert Which may be tainted with a self-conceit Displeasing to God and disrespectful to children (And here I remember also with gratitude St.Lucy, her carol, and her crown of fire):
Dwight finishes the T.S. Eliot reading.
So that before the end, the eightieth Christmas (By “eightieth” meaning whichever is last) The accumulated memories of annual emotion May be concentrated into a great joy Which shall be also a great fear, as on the occasion When fear came upon every soul: Because the beginning shall remind us of the end And the first coming of the second coming.
This is a yawn, but Dwight doesn’t mind if you go ahead and read it as a fanged threat to the powers of darkness. He is a sleepy cat, but he is also a warrior for good.
Dwight offers this nerdy summary of faith, good even if you don't otherwise do Latin.
imago Dei felix culpa protoevangelium Agnus Dei sola gratia extra nos Christus Victor Communio sanctorum Gloria in Excelsis Deo In saecula saeculorum
Dwight invites us to pray for all creatures warm & cuddly, especially those, human & not human, who could use a lot more cuddling.
Dwight draws our attention to a favorite Advent carol.
People, look east. The time is near Of the crowning of the year. Make your house fair as you are able, Trim the hearth & set the table. People, look east & sing today Love, the guest, is on the way
Dwight continues the carol.
Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare, One more seed is planted there Give up your strength the seed to nourish, That in course the flower may flourish People, look east & sing today Love, the rose, is on the way
Dwight continues to sing.
Birds, though you long have ceased to build, Guard the nest that must be filled. Even the hour when wings are frozen God for fledging time has chosen. People, look east & sing today Love, the bird, is on the way
Can’t you see Dwight’s longing for that bird?
Dwight sings another verse, as Christmas draws near.
Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim One more light the bowl shall brim, Shining beyond the frosty weather, Bright as sun and moon together. People, look east and sing today: Love, the star, is on the way.
Dwight sings the final verse.
Angels, announce with shouts of mirth Christ who brings new life to earth. Set every peak and valley humming With the word, the Lord is coming. People, look east and sing today: Love, the Lord, is on the way.
Dwight creeping on the Christmas cookies. Sometimes, we go away unsatisfied, but that doesn’t mean satisfaction isn’t coming. #ComeLordJesus
Merry Christmas from the Joneses. Here’s a Christmas reflection.
Dwight invites us to pray for holiday pain, Christmas doldrums, seasonal grief, every certain pain that will afflict precious humans this week.
Dwight is quoting John 12:15, and reminding us that Jesus IS our theology of kingship;
“Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.
Look, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
Dwight is quoting John 18:37;
"Pilate asked him, 'So you are a king?' Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.'"
Dwight is quoting Isaiah 33:17 and reminding us that Jesus IS our theology of kingship;
"Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will behold a far-distant land."
Dwight is taking a social media break for a few weeks, but he'll be back on my social media feeds sometime after the New Year.
Meanwhile, he wishes all a Merry Christmas and a blessed start to the year of our Lord, 2023.
Grace & peace,
BFJ
This piece contains associate links. I’m always grateful if you choose to forward, share, or subscribe. You can find all Dwight’s links here.
