'Tis better to be lowly born . . .

I would rather be a poor beggar's wife and be sure of heaven, than queen of all the world . . ..

 

Verily, I swear, ’tis better to be lowly born
And range with humble livers in content
Than to be perked up in a glist’ring grief
And wear a golden sorrow.

 

-- Anne Boleyn of Catherine, in William Shakespeare, Henry VIII, Act 2, scene 3

What's more miserable than discontent?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 My heart is drowned with grief,
Whose flood begins to flow within mine eyes,
My body round engirt with misery;
For what’s more miserable than discontent?

-- William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 2, Act 3, Scene 1

Music was the opiate of the people long before religion ever was

 

 Ev'ry thing that heard him play,

Ev'n the billows of the sea,

Hung their heads, and then lay by;

In sweet musick is such art,

Killing care, and grief of heart,

Fall asleep, or hearing die.

 

-- William Shakespeare, Henry VIII          

 

And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

 

-- I Samuel 16:23

Daily bread, daily trouble

Cease, man of woman born! to hope relief

From daily trouble, and continued grief.

 

-- Matthew Prior

 

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

 

-- Matthew 6:34

Grief's a robber

The tears steal from our eyes, when in the street

With some betrothed virgin's herse we meet;

Or infant's fun'ral, from the cheated womb

Convey'd to earth, and cradled in a tomb.

-- John Dryden

Creepy connubial Christ talk at First Things and the Book of Revelation

Loving with Mary :

Mary, the Shulammite, turns around to Jesus. In his voice and face, she recognizes her husband, her Lord. Jesus is the groom; we ourselves are Mary, the Shulammite. Her grief is our grief, her tears our tears, and her despair our despair. ...

We, his bride, hold on to him, united to him in faith. Every Eighth Day, he comes to us in the preaching of the gospel; every Sunday morning in the breaking of the bread.

When we walk into church and the doors close behind us, we enter into heaven. Eastertide begins; time and space are reconfigured. It is the Eighth Day; we are in Paradise. Eve, the Shulammite, Mary Magdalene—we all join Jesus at the altar. Bread and wine show up. It’s a marriage supper. Our groom, our Lord, unites himself to us, his bride.

Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and his Bride has made herself ready;

it was granted her to be clothed

with fine linen, bright and pure—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints (Rev. 19:6–8)

And you thought gender confusion was so . . . fringe.

Shakespearean schadenfreude

When we our betters see bearing our woes,

We scarcely think our miseries our foes.

Who alone suffers, suffers most i' th' mind,

Leaving free things and happy shows behind.

But then the mind much sufferance doth o'erskip

When grief hath mates and bearing fellowship.

How light and portable my pain seems now

When that which makes me bend makes the king bow.

-- William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 3, Scene 6

The scholar's life

 

Yet hope not Life from Grief or Danger free,

Nor think the Doom of Man revers'd for thee:

Deign on the passing World to turn thine Eyes,

And pause awhile from Learning to be wise;

There mark what Ills the Scholar's Life assail,

Toil, Envy, Want, the Garret, and the Jail.

See Nations slowly wise, and meanly just,

To buried Merit raise the tardy Bust.

-- Samuel Johnson

Why did Jesus appear to go quietly to his death?

Jesus is reported to have said little at the trials which shortly preceded his execution.

This is often understood to mean that Jesus previously had resigned himself to the idea that it was God's will that he be crucified, but only after wrestling with God in prayer in the garden before his arrest, so that he did nothing to stand in the way of the inevitable once events had gotten underway in earnest. This "Stoical" demeanor later became an important part of early Christian preaching about Jesus' crucifixion, for example as reported in Acts, and became an important model for taking persecution with equanimity:

The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth. -- Acts 8:32

This fact of Jesus' silence at his trials is well known from the Synoptics:

And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But Jesus held his peace. -- Matthew 26:62f.

And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace, and answered nothing. -- Mark 14:60f.

And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. -- Matthew 27:11ff.

And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto him, Thou sayest it. And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing. And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee. But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled. -- Mark 15:2ff.

And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.

 -- Luke 23:8f.

But you would be hard pressed to find this silence in the Fourth Gospel.

In John, by contrast, Jesus is not at all silent but has quite a lot to say at his trial, as a reading of John 18 amply testifies. And there is no evidence of any personal struggle in prayer, either, in the Garden of Gethsemane preceding his arrest, but rather a bold, self-assured confrontation with his betrayer. The only evidence of silence from the whole episode is more of Jesus pausing for effect than refusing or being unable to speak:

And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. -- John 19:9

But that too passes as Jesus shortly does give reply.

In comparison to the Synoptics John's account is almost surreal, as if there is lurking there a Jesus who could actually be thinking he's not going to die and that God is still going to intervene at the very last second. In the end all the human drama is wrung out of John's wooden account in the service of a comprehensive theology about a descending and ascending incarnate Logos. 

But if it may be doubted that John is writing history, reasons remain to doubt the Stoical model susceptible from the Synoptic accounts as well.

For one thing, from the accounts of the struggle in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane one cannot conclude there was any succor such that Jesus was now prepared to go quietly to his fate. The closest thing we get to that is in Luke 22:43, where we are told an angel appeared from heaven to strengthen Jesus. (Who was awake to see this?) But immediately after that Jesus is back on his knees praying again, in worse shape than before, sweating blood.

For another, Matthew 26 and Mark 14 omit the appearance of any angel, but the ongoing anxiety despite prayer is palpable in both accounts in that Jesus repeats his prayer three times asking that "this cup pass". While Luke has Jesus engaged in supplication only twice, all three include some form of the petition "not my will but thine be done", as if Jesus is still dwelling on what he wants to be the reality, but still is not.

Furthermore, the psychological terminology used in these accounts in the Garden is striking but is rarely allowed to paint a picture of the depressed state of mind into which Jesus is descending.

And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful (λυπεῖσθαι) and very heavy (ἀδημονεῖν). -- Matthew 26:37

The terms signify grief leading to tears, and a feeling of being lost and totally out of place (the KJV translation shown leaves quite a lot to be desired).

Mark says he was struck with terror, and felt lost:

And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed (ἐκθαμβεῖσθαι), and to be very heavy (ἀδημονεῖν). -- Mark 14:33

As if those terms weren't enough, both Matthew and Mark pile up worse ones in the immediately following verses. Jesus is "beyond sorrowful", so sad he could die.

Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful (Περίλυπός), even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. -- Matthew 26:38

And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful (Περίλυπός) unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. -- Mark 14:34

And Luke piles on that he was in utter agony, a terrible struggle with himself.

And being in an agony (ἐν ἀγωνίᾳ) he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. -- Luke 22:44

What we have here is a man falling into a major depression, full of fears, feeling as if lost in unfamiliar country, isolated and alone, suddenly driven to repetitious behavior, perhaps seeing things, and speaking of dying.

It's a short step to catatonic stupor, in which you say nothing and become so rigid you just stand there and take it.

PetSmart won't comment about pet animal vendor cited for 117 violations of federal Animal Welfare Act

a Zebra finch

On occasion our society treats pets worse than we do our own unborn.

Did I just say that?

From the story here:

The company has already lost business as a result of the publicity surrounding its facility, with Petco announcing in January it dropped Holmes as a supplier. PetSmart, however, refuses to say whether it is still getting animals from Holmes.

If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days. -- Deuteronomy 22:6f.

Time Out

Not for him was there ever any waiting for that wisest of all counselors. The old gray head was always a fool, and could never wait for anything.

Not for him at the end of days will grief do its work now, and bring its gift.

Not for him will loss mean standing alone for once, in command of himself. Only now, after all these years, is it plain that he is not a man in full.

It teaches all things as it grows old, but not to this old goat. He changes women like a pair of too tight pants, like a bull answering the rut before the ashes have even grown cold. Like an ever rolling stream, it has born her away. She flies, forgotten, as a dream dies at the op'ning day.

Some of him is passed on because of you, because you were the same way once, and made the same mistakes. You may yet learn from yours, but he will never really know he made any.

It is said that the truth is the kindest thing we can give another in the end, but it is a pearl as surely trampled on by a certain sort as it is by others redeemed, and treasured, in time.

"Them Most Scorning are Most Bad of All"

“Of Mockers and Scorners, and false Accusers”

O HEARTLESS fools, haste here to our doctrine,

Leave off the ways of your enormity,

Enforce you to my precepts to incline,

For here shall I show you good and verity:

Incline, and ye find shall great prosperity,

Ensuing the doctrine of our fathers old,

And godly laws in valor worth great gold.

Who that will follow the graces manifold

Which are in virtue, shall find advancement:

Wherefore ye fools that in your sin are bold,

Ensue ye wisdom, and leave your lewd intent,

Wisdom is the way of men most excellent:

Therefore have done, and shortly speed your pace,

To acquaint your self and company with grace.

Learn what is virtue, therein is great solace,

Learn what is truth, sadness and prudence,

Let murmuring be gone, and gravity purchase,

Forsake your folly and inconvenience,

Cease to be fools, and ay to sue offence,

Follow ye virtue, chief root of godliness,

For it and wisdom is ground of cleanliness.

Wisdom and virtue two things are doubtless,

Which man endues with honor special,

But such hearts as sleep in foolishness

Know nothing, and will nothing know at all:

But in this little barge in principal

All foolish mockers I purpose to reprove,

Claw he his back that feels itch or grief.

Mockers and scorners that are hard of belief,

With a rough comb here will I claw and grate,

To prove if they will from their vice remove,

And leave their folly, which causes great debate:

Such captives spare neither poor man nor estate,

And where their self are most worthy derision,

Other men to scorn is all their most condition.

Yet are more fools of this corruption,

Which of wise men despise the doctrine,

With grimaces, mocks, scorn, and collusion,

Rewarding rebukes for their good discipline:

Show to such wisdom, yet shall they not incline

Unto the same, but set nothing thereby,

But mock they doctrine, still or openly.

So in the world it appears commonly,

That who that will a fool rebuke or blame,

A mock or grimace shall he have by and by:

Thus in derision have fools their special game.

Correct a wise man that would eschew ill name,

And gladly would learn, and his lewd life amend,

And to thy words he gladly shall intend.

If by misfortune a rightwise man offend,

He gladly suffers a just correction,

And him that him teaches takes for his friend,

Him self putting meekly unto subjection,

Following his precepts and good direction:

But if that one a fool rebuke or blame,

He shall his teacher hate, slander and defame.

Howbeit his words oft turn to his own shame,

And his own darts return to him again,

And so is he sore wounded with the same,

And in woe ends, great misery and pain.

It also proved full often is certain,

That they that on mockers alway their minds cast,

Shall of all other be mocked at the last.…

But who that of sin is clean in deed and thought,

May him well scorn whose living is stark nought.

The scorns of Nabal full dear should have been bought,

If Abigail his wife discrete and sage,

Had not by kindness right crafty means sought,

The wrath of David to temper and assuage.

Hath not two bears in their fury and rage

Two and forty children rent and torn,

For they the prophet Elisha did scorn.

So might they curse the time that they were born,

For their mocking of this prophet divine:

So many other of this sort often mourn

For their lewd mocks, and fall into ruin.

Thus is it folly for wise men to incline,

To this lewd flock of fools, for see thou shall

Them most scorning that are most bad of all.…

From SHIP OF FOOLES, by Alexander Barclay, circa 1550, edited and adapted