Anamchara

ST. MICHAEL AND THE FEAST OF THE ANGELS

A BLESSED MICHAELMASS--SEPTEMBER 29--TO YOU FROM SKELLIG MICHAEL, IRELAND!

In Celtic  lands like Ireland and Scotland, St. Michael's Day was one of the greatest feasts of the year.  It was a time to thank God for the harvests being brought in, and it was a time to preapare for the cold, dark winter that was soon to come.  St. Michael and the angels were seen as protectors of the People of God.  St. Michael, as in other places of Europe, dwells in the seas and in the heights.  As the one who cast Lucifer from heaven, he protects from evil and leads the faithful to their heavenly reward. The heights of Skellig Michael and Little Skellig are sacred to the winged saint.  Anyone near their unearthly beauty knows it is no poet's license to say that sometimes one can feel the brush of angel wings and be in awe of their great presence.

THE SKELLIGS

Out of the mists of time,

From fog enshrouded sea,

They appear around the point

Of Ballinskelligs' Bay.

A moment frozen in eternity

Of some massive spirit,

Rising from the ocean,

Gripping sword and shield in hand.

Michael the Victorious!

Michael of the Sea!

Michael of the high places,

Angel of Light protect me!

     From all that would harm,

     From all that would darken

     From all that would turn

          and shadow my way.

No waves that bent,

No winds that howl,

No storms that shriek,

Can shatter those splintered rocks.

No sun shines peacefully there.

All is angles and reaching upward,

Angels' efforts to seek the Divine.

No breeze caresses the face

Without the touch of angel wings.

Michael the Victorious!

Michael of the Air!

Michael of the struggle

Wing wrap my soul to spare

     From all that defeats me

     From all that weakens me,

     From all that tempts me,

          and twists me apart.

Like a boat seeking safety,

In your sheltered harbor,

So my life bends to your refuge

Midst the towering waves.

Lost am I, without anchor,

Your Rock a way station,

Last outpost before the empty seas,

Gateway to the uttermost West.

Michael the Victorious!

Michael of my heart!

Michael hope for the hopeless,

     Snare me with your spear!

     Float me on your shield!

     Bear me to the Spirit of Rest!

     Carry me to the Son of Peace!

      Lead me to the Father of   

          Love!

                                             

                                                          

                                                                    E. Barr

                                                                    August 10, 2000

Skellig Michael, dedicated from ancient Christian times to the Archangel of the same name and Little Skellig lie 8 miles off the coast of Kerry, the last outposts of Europe, looking to the West.[all pictures by E. Barr]

PRINCE CASPIAN--RETURN TO NARNIA!

GET READY FOR A GREAT MOVIE: MAY 2008

All signs point to a great Narnia film next spring.  What will make this version of Prince Caspian unique?  Several things:

• It will be darker than the novel and more epic.  Why?  There are difficult themes about being orphaned, a people and land losing their faith and their heritage, even environmental issues, along with the usual good vs. evil themes where greed and the lust for power will cause creatures to kill the innocent for their own gain.  What C.S. Lewis could only hint at in his children's book will get a more complete treatment in the film.
• It will be more spectacular than the first film.  Disney realizes it has a franchise and is investing much capital in this movie.
• Whether it will be true to the Christian roots of the original novel remains to be seen but Lewis' stepson, Douglas Gresham, remains a major advisor and it seems unlikely that the film will veer much from Lewis' vision.  Andrew Adamson is back as director and that bodes well.

Even more than the first novel and movie, the subject matter of Prince Caspian speaks to our times.  I remember reading this novel for the first time over two decades ago and was deeply moved at the particular theme of loss of faith.  In an age where even Catholic theologians question the reality of Christ's miracles and the secular world questions the uniqueness of Christ, the story Lewis tells, and which hopefully will come through in the movie, is that the Christ story is the one tale that really happened, here in our reality.  Get ready for those who hate the faith to try and rip this film apart.  They despised the first film and I don't expect much from them this time around.

Good film making is hard to find but I think we will not have to worry much.  This second installment will be as good or better than the first.  For those of you who have never visited the Narniaweb site, I encourage you to do so for lots of Narnia news and updates.  Check the link here--narniaweb.  This is a movie worth getting excited over.

MADELEINE L'ENGLE--FAREWELL AND GODSPEED!

FAREWELL FOR A SHORT WHILE

MADELEINE L'ENGLE

1918-2007

The great writers of fantasy continue to pass away.  Arguably the greatest of those yet living died on September 6.  The author of A WRINKLE IN TIME, A WIND AT THE DOOR, A SWIFTLY TILTING PLANET, MANY WATERS, and more gave not only me but tens of millions of people, especially young ones, a glimpse of reality through the lens of fantasy.  Far from a make believe world, L'Engle created something that only an artistic genius can do:  tell a story that makes reality even more real.  Unabashedly Christian in concept, her fantasy books blended science, miracle, myth, poetry, prophecy and the Bible to tell stories of God's intervention into human history and, or course, as in all great fantasy, re-interpret the struggle of good against evil.

Her prose was poetic and her style captured a sense of wonder amid a common sense view of reality.  She was much closer in style and content to C. S. Lewis than Tolkien.  Lewis was much more of an apologist for the faith then L'Engle.  I believe that she took her personal faith as a given and wove it into her tales.  She was not proselytizing.  And yet, my faith was strengthened through reading her books.  Her work, A SWIFTLY TILTING PLANET, represents her foray in Celtic fantasy with a New World Native American twist--very cool, and as far as I am concerned, her best effort.

The world will miss her, but she deeply believed in an afterlife, and I hope she is hobnobbing with Tolkien, Lewis, Chesterton and the other greats.  They'll have a lot to talk about.  If I make it to heaven, I hope there will be a long, slow afternoon with an empty seat next to these folks so I can listen to them talk and swap stories.  Thank God for the storytellers who make the dogmas of our faith live not only in our imaginations, but in our hearts and thus in our lives.  Off to the Summer Country with you too, Madeleine!  May you rest in peace!