Christian Art | The Story Of Joseph In The Bible
Listen To The Story Of Joseph (And His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat) In The Bible – Genesis
A Song For Simeon | T.S. Eliot | Audio
T.S. Eliot’s poem ‘A Song for Simeon’ explores existential themes of mortality and the pursuit of meaning in a world characterized by impermanence. Eliot prompts readers to engage with universal struggles encompassing life, death and spiritual fulfilment.
Eliot’s depiction of Simeon’s existence as ‘light, waiting for the death wind’ encapsulates profound existential dilemma inherent in human life. This imagery of a feather poised in anticipation of an impending gust conjures a sense of fragility, mirroring transient nature of existence. Simeon’s journey becomes emblematic of humanity’s overarching quest to discover meaning amid constraints of mortality. The presence of blooming Roman hyacinths and the feeble illumination of the winter sun suggests paradoxical coexistence of vitality and death, with the ‘stubborn season’ serving as a reminder of life’s inescapable finitude.
Symbolism and Allegory
Imagery of ‘dust in sunlight’ and ‘memory in corners’ serves as metaphors for past experiences and the passage of time. Such symbolism, paired with a thought of ‘waiting for the wind that chills towards the dead land’, evokes nostalgia and a contemplation of an uncertain destiny. The notion of ‘waiting’ weaves through the poem, portraying the tension between human aspirations and mortality. Simeon’s dwelling, representing legacy and familial continuity, stands in stark contrast to the spectre of ‘foreign faces and foreign swords’, of feelings of displacement and loss.
Religious Allusions and Redemption
Simeon’s entreaty, ‘Grant us thy peace, ‘ resonates with the biblical concept of peace as a divine reassurance and salvation. The poem’s structure mirrors Simeon’s quest for peace, transitioning from earthly concerns to spiritual transcendence. Simeon’s virtuous life, evidenced by his benevolence and hospitality, embodies a life well-lived. Yet, uncertainties persist regarding the legacy he bequeaths, highlighting disquiet that accompanies life spent awaiting an elusive promise.
Excerpted
‘Before the stations of the mountain of desolation, Before the certain hour of maternal sorrow, Now at this birth season of decease, Let the Infant, the still unspeaking and unspoken Word, Grant Israel’s consolation To one who has eighty years and no to-morrow.’
The poem presents an image of a fallen soldier in the snow, as his comrades try to move him into the sun in hopes of reviving him. This act becomes a metaphor for futile efforts of better-humanity to counteract ridiculous war and death. The poem juxtaposes the soldier’s past experiences of the sun’s warmth and life-giving qualities with the current reality of his lifeless state, highlighting stark contrast [ … ]
Saint Augustine’s commentary on Psalm 141 presents the suffering of Christ as inseparable from the suffering of the Church. Saint Augustine interprets the Psalmist’s plea—“Lord, I have cried to you, hear me”—as the voice of Christ in his human nature, but also as the voice of his body, the Church. This identification between Christ and the Church is fundamental to Saint Augustine’s theology. The trials of the faithful are not isolated events; they are part of the ongoing participation in the passion of Christ. Just as Christ prayed in anguish in Gethsemane, sweating drops of blood, so too does the Church continue to suffer until the end of time. The martyrdom of believers, both literal and spiritual, is an extension of Christ’s own sacrifice [ … ]
The Jews – often in the Gospel of John a generic term for those who reject Christ, or those who are so muddled, contentious and sectarian among themselves that they threaten the continuity of themselves in the Law – do not reject Jesus for any good reason. They do so rather because they cling to what precious little they have, within their prison walls, and so they deliberately blind themselves to the universal, and universalizing, truth which Christ brings. Jesus knows this. Nevertheless, through justice, he must give to the Jews this additional opportunity to listen to his teaching and recognize the truth of who he is. We may imagine that Jesus is truly desperate for the people of God to put aside their differences and truly be with God [ … ]
