Monday, July 9, 2012

One more post and this blog will have 1000 posts. I feel like quoting G. K. Chesterton.

So I will.

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, ‘Do it again’; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, ‘Do it again’ to the sun; and every evening, ‘Do it again’ to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”
--G. K. Chesterton

Praise Him.

God, I mean, not G.K. Chesterton.

The part of the quotation that reminds me most of blogging is “the grown-up person does it again [and again and again, I might add] until he is nearly dead.”

Still, it can be rather exhilarating.

That passage from Chesterton makes me want to show you as well St. Francis of Assisi’s song, Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon, written in 1224:

“Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord,
All praise is Yours, all glory, all honour and all blessings.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.

Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour,
Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all weather’s moods,
by which You cherish all that You have made.

Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water,
So useful, humble, precious and pure.

Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You my Lord through our Sister,
Mother Earth
who sustains and governs us,
producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.
Praise be You my Lord through those who grant pardon
for love of You and bear sickness and trial.
Blessed are those who endure in peace,
By You Most High, they will be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Death,
from whom no-one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Blessed are they She finds doing Your Will.
No second death can do them harm.
Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks,
And serve Him with great humility.”

[end of quotation]

The Devil, they say, is in the details.

Sometimes God is too. Especially when He says, “Do it again.”

5 comments:

  1. i achieved the greatest of all blog feats {feets} when i was once a blogger, so you cannot, will not acheive beyond me<><>when i did it 500 was the unobtainable now you johnny come latelies want to steal all my thunder, but i won't let that happen<><>i will praise my own 500 as extraordinary and shout it from the banna tree tops<><>i feel like quoting p q barlowson my great anchestors who said," you don't have to try, you don't have to do all you do is sit back and let fame engulf you with her arms<><><>fame is female, one of those 20 virgins that the moslems all want to meet<><>boy that was a long comment

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  2. That thought by G.K. Chesterton is beautiful. It grabbed my heart and held it for just a beat. Thank you. My favorite Chesterton piece ~ perhaps until now ~ is The Donkey. Perhaps you know it? I suspect you do.

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  3. light expectations, why didn't you mention the thought from, p q barlowson and it's beautiful sentament of not try ing and not doin but sitting and being engulfed????????

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  4. My apologies, Putz. I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with the work of Mr Barlowson, but I do love that line "fame is female". And I agree wholeheartedly that we were not created to sit! We'll definitely be engulfed by something!

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  5. I have been derelict in not responding to my commenters lately. I see that you talk to one another in the meantime. As Samuel F. B. Morse once telegraphed, What Hath God Wrought?

    Light, I do know Chesterton's "The Donkey" but hadn't thought of it in a very long time. Thank you for refreshing my memory.

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<b>Always true to you, darlin’, in my fashion</b>

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