I went to a friend's wedding at this church, St. Louis, on Saturday. It has recently been renovated. This is the church where I got married, but it looks completely different. There's been an interim renovation which you can see here, but I can't find what it looked like 41 years ago. I think it's a great improvement. I took the picture on the left through one of windows in the hall outside the church.
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We had the alternate readings for the Feast of the Holy Family in our parish yesterday. I was really struck by the story of Hannah and Samuel. I've read and heard this many times, but I've never really thought about before except as a precursor to Mary. We don't know how long Hannah had been waiting for a child, but she waited a long time, and prayed fervently that the Lord would send her one. Then, after Samuel is born, as soon as she is weaned, she takes him to the temple and leaves him there. How hard that must have been for her. I can't imagine. I wonder if she ever got to see him or talk to him.
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We went walking through the field again today, and this time we turned back through another path that leads through some woods. I love to go down this path because there's an old house there. I tried to get the chimney in the shot, but it's hiding behind a tree on the left.
Here's a shot through the front door, and out a back window. You can see the steps and that they are a few feet in front of the house. I looks like there may have been a porch in between.
There's still a window shade hanging on a window in a partially collapsed wall. It's still amazingly white.
And there was some kind of outbuilding across the path.
I love to look at buildings like this and think about the people who lived there and what their lives must have been like. I'm pretty sure that the family that owns the land now is the same family that owned this house. They live in a newer house (obviously newer) across the street.
And finally, here is some sumac because I like sumac.
AMDG
"The shacks look so organic."
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful church.
Actually, they do. ;-) I think it's all that organic matter growing up in them.
DeleteAMDG
We were completely bowled over by the St. Louis renovation. We used to go to noon Mass there all the time when we lived in Memphis . . . now I wish we still could.
ReplyDeleteI like that sumac shot a lot.
Did you just see it for the first time? There's something very powerful about it. It almost forces you to kneel down and pray.
ReplyDeleteAMDG
I, too, can't imagine giving up my child as Hannah did. She must have seen him, though, at last once a year because I think the ancient Israelites had to make an annual pilgrimage to the temple.
ReplyDeleteCouple of lovely paintings at the Wikipedia Samuel page: Samuel as an infant and Hannah presenting him to the priest.
After dropping him off she did visit every year, and made a new coat every year to take along for him.
DeleteThe Samuel being presented in that painting is far too young: I can't imagine he was weaned before he was 5 or 6. That's still unimaginably young to be sent away, but I can't imagine Eli finding much use for a toddler's service.
DeleteThat's a pretty funny thought, actually--Eli and a 3-year-old.
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