“But since a deed done is more prized the more it manifests within itself the mark of the loving heart and goodness of the doer, the Everlasting Love, whose seal is plain on all the wax of the world, was pleased to move in all His ways to raise
you up again. For God, in giving Himself that man might be able to raise himself, gave even more than if He had forgiven him in mercy..”
― Dante, Paradisio
LUKE 6:27-38
27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. 32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
ST. FRANCIS’S PRAYER OF DESIRE
Therefore, let us desire nothing else, let us want nothing else, let nothing else please us and cause us delight except you our Creator, Redeemer and Savior, the only true God, Who is the fullness of good, all good, every good, the true and supreme good, Who alone is good, merciful, gentle, delightful, and sweet, Who alone is holy, just, true, holy, and upright, Who alone is kind, innocent, clean, from Whom, through Whom and in Whom is all pardon, all grace, all glory of all penitents and just ones, of all the blessed rejoicing together in heaven. Amen.
ART APPRECIATION
Inness was commissioned in 1855 by the president of the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad to paint the site of the railroad’s first roundhouse in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The result was The Lackawanna Valley. Art historians have noticed the train and the field of tree stumps in the middle of the painting. They think that Inness was unhappy about the effect of industrialization on the landscapes that he loved. 1
George Inness (1825-1894) was a prolific American landscape artist, producing over 1,150 paintings, watercolors, and sketches. He was a part of a group of artists in the Hudson River School who strove to represent nature as faithfully as possible. Inness believed that there was a relationship between the natural and spiritual worlds. His philosophical and spiritual ideas inspired his work.
2
MUSIC APPRECIATION
Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: I. “Allegro maestoso” by Wolfgang Amadeus Motzart
Mozart was riding the crest of his popularity as a composer and pianist in Vienna when he premiered his Piano Concerto, Number 21 on March 9, 1785 at the Burg Theater, in one of his subscription concerts. That evening was a well-attended leading musical and social event, with a new concerto from the composer. The critic, Niemetschek, reported that his playing “captivated every listener and established Mozart as the greatest keyboard player of his day.” Leopold Mozart, who was visiting his son at this time, noted that the work was “astonishingly difficult.” This happy visit would be the last time that the father and son would see each other. At this time, Mozart was highly energized—he had completed K. 467 only one month after Piano Concerto Number 20 and within the upcoming 21 months would produce four more.
3
Wolfgang Amadeus Motzart (1756-1791) was one of the most influential, popular and prolific composers of the classical period. He composed over 600 works, including some of the most famous and loved pieces of symphonic, chamber, operatic, and choral music. Mozart was born in Salzburg to a musical family. From an early age, the young Mozart showed all the signs of a prodigious musical talent. By the age of 5 he could read and write music, and he would entertain people with his talents on the keyboard. By the age of 6 he was writing his first compositions. Mozart was generally considered to be a rare musical genius, though Mozart said that he was diligent in studying other great composers such as Haydn and Bach.4
- Lange, Krista, and Leigh Lowe. First Grade Enrichment: Classical Core Curriculum. Teacher Guide. Memoria Press, 2017. ↩︎
- Ibid. ↩︎
- “Mozart: Symphony No 21.” Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, 1 Feb. 2021, http://www.indianapolissymphony.org/backstage/program-notes/mozart-symphony-no-21/. ↩︎
- Opera Philadelphia. “Composer – Mozart Biography.” Opera Philadelphia, http://www.operaphila.org/whats-on/on-stage-2016-2017/figaro/composer/. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024. ↩︎
Providence School of Tifton 