For Sunday: Sacred Music from Georgia

 

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Mother of God of Mt Carmel, Pray for Us

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel in the Latin Church. The Carmelites trace their history back to the prophetic community that formed around St Elias on Mt Carmel. They have retained much of their Eastern tradition in the emphasis on contemplation and the eremetical life. Flos Carmeli is the traditional prayer associated with the Virgin of Carmel:

FLOS Carmeli, vitis florigera, splendor caeli, virgo puerpera singularis.	FLOWER of Carmel, Tall vine blossom laden; Splendor of heaven, Childbearing yet maiden. None equals thee.
Mater mitis sed viri nescia Carmelitis esto propitia stella maris.	Mother so tender, Who no man didst know, On Carmel’s children Thy favors bestow. Star of the Sea.
Radix Iesse germinans flosculum nos ad esse tecum in saeculum patiaris.	Strong stem of Jesse, Who bore one bright flower, Be ever near us And guard us each hour, who serve thee here.
Inter spinas quae crescis lilium serva puras mentes fragilium tutelaris.	Purest of lilies, That flowers among thorns, Bring help to the true heart That in weakness turns and trusts in thee.
Armatura fortis pugnantium furunt bella tende praesidium scapularis.	Strongest of armor, We trust in thy might: Under thy mantle, Hard press’d in the fight, we call to thee.
Per incerta prudens consilium per adversa iuge solatium largiaris.	Our way uncertain, Surrounded by foes, Unfailing counsel You give to those who turn to thee.
Mater dulcis Carmeli domina, plebem tuam reple laetitia qua bearis.	O gentle Mother Who in Carmel reigns, Share with your servants That gladness you gained and now enjoy.
Paradisi clavis et ianua, fac nos duci quo, Mater, gloria coronaris. Amen	Hail, Gate of Heaven, With glory now crowned, Bring us to safety Where thy Son is found, true joy to see.

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Orthodoxy in Uganda

“Orthodox Christianity is not new to Africa. According to tradition, the Evangelist Mark arrived on the continent around A.D. 43, and founded the Church of Alexandria and, by extension, all Africa. But “all Africa,” for most of the church’s history, effectively ended at the Sahara. Orthodox missionaries sat out the 19th century’s “scramble for Africa,” when European Catholics and Protestants fanned out across the continent to save souls and build colonies. The story of how the Alexandrian Church came to have an affiliate in faraway Uganda, a country with no previous connection to the Orthodox world, is therefore not a tale of white men bearing the message of God to a dark continent. Rather, the Ugandan church traces its roots to two Africans who, rebelling against colonial rule, fled to a religion they felt was pure and politically uncompromised. This makes Uganda’s small community of 60,000 Orthodox Christians nearly unique within their home country. They found their faith on their own.”

Read more, from One:

http://www.cnewa.org/default.aspx?ID=3211&pagetypeID=4&sitecode=HQ&pageno=1

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