With A Song in the Heart

Ubi—
            the glare of,
                        —caritas—
            yes, the sun’s benevolent glare
                                    —et amor—
            on her wedding day

birds singing in the trees;
musicians playing and singing;
a song arose in her own heart.

—congregavit nos in unum—
            “we are gathered together”
—simul ergo cum in unum congregemus—
            “as gathered into one body”

behind the glare of the sun
stood an angel aglow with fire,
bearing circlets of rose and lily.

—ne nos mente dividamur—
            “let those who are now joined”
                        —caveamus—
            “not be sundered”

the husband and his brother
deigned to the swim she offered,
according to the song of her heart.

—Exultemus—
            let us Rejoice!
                        for the vision seen
                        for the life given
                        for the love shared

—cantantibus organis—
            for while the music played
            the glare of the sun
            tore open the sky
            broke open her heart
            and the stars flocked like birds
            through its torn veil
            bringing their heavenly songs
            to every open place.

—dum aurora finem daret—
            at the last stroke,
            into the open earth
            her heart sang out,
            pure to the last
—fiat cor meum immaculatum—

—non confundar
            alleluia
            alleluia
—Deus ibi est

            alleluia
            alleluia

© 2017 by Elisabeth T. Eliassen

//

Cecilia (patron saint of musicians and poets and venerated in the Roman canon of the mass) is a most unlikely saint from Roman times. No particular miracles are attributed to her, although she was able to convince two men (her new husband and his brother) that she knew an angel; she was martyred because she was a Christian (though, according to legend, was apparently difficult to dispatch); and when her remains were uncovered centuries later, they were incorrupt, to the astonishment of those who discovered them. There are a few quotes attributed to her that are probably derivative of psalms, and not much else is known.

But mythmaking, I believe, always has a basis in truth; there was a person so special that her memory could not be erased from her community, even generations following her death. The basis of truth about Cecilia is perhaps that she sang, and she wanted her song to be for Jesus, for God. Oddly, the root of the name implies blindness; this person’s perception was evidently triggered and opened by music to experience the divine.

That is most likely the miracle.

I have folded words from the hymn “Ubi Caritas,” as well as some the words attributed to Cecilia into this meditation (apologies for any over-simplifications of the Latin on my part):

Ubi caritas et amor – where benevolence and love are

Congregavit nos in unum – we are gathered into one

Simul ergo cum in unum congregemus – as we are gathered into one body
Ne nos mente dividamur, caveamus – beware, lest we be of divided mind

Exultemus – Rejoice

Cantantibus organis – instruments played
Dum aurora finem daret – while dawn was breaking into day

Fiat cor meum immaculatum – let my heart stay pure

Non confundar – not be confounded
Deus ibi est – God is there

Small Miracles

At the risk of sounding maudlin, I wish to report another holiday miracle.

It is a small thing, but I believe it illustrates something significant about humanity.

At least six months ago, both of my children's scooters were stolen. I had gone to the trouble of marking them, both with indelible markers and with a metal etching tool, with each child's name and my phone number.

Alas, the phone did not ring.

I sent an email request to my local FreeCycle network, to see if anyone had a scooter or two piled up in the garage.  FreeCycle, by the way, is a fabulous help when it comes to household management. All the world is a swap meet, after all, and if you need to get rid of that something that has been gathering dust, but that someone else might want enough to drive to your house and pick up, this is the network for you.

After a few weeks, I received a reply from a woman who was clearing out her garage. Evidently, her teens had moved on from kick scooters to bicycles or even cars. So she had a tangled mass of scooter frames in various states of disrepair. I took those off her hands, but we hadn't gotten around to reconstruction.

("HA!" You say. "You just added to your JUNK!" Read on.)

Just the other day, we received a phone call from a woman who had been cleaning out her back yard and had discovered a scooter that did not belong to her family, with this name and phone number. Did the scooter belong to us?

My husband had to drive half an hour to retrieve the scooter, which had seen much use during its walkabout. I was emboldened to pull out the snaggle of scooter frames from the garage. From five scooter skeletons, we were able to reconstruct two useable scooters, one of which I carefully inscribed with my daughter's name and my phone number.

The children were delighted to have scooters once again.

I, meanwhile, have resolved to obtain the needed parts for the remaining three frames and to finish fixing them up. I will then donate the four extra scooters to a nearby homeless shelter. One good turn deserves another. Amen! And, let us pass it on!

Even at this time of year, when people seem to be all about things and commerce, there are golden individuals who will go out of their way do the right thing. This is the significant point about humanity.

May your Winter Holiday, whichever it may be, be filled with the goodness and kindness of humanity in all your travels and meetings.

Be filled, and pass it ON!