THE HOSPITALITY OF ABRAHAM

Historical, Cultural, and Religious Background:

In Genesis 18, we read about the encounter between Abraham and three Angels. In the text, they are never called "angles" but "men". However, tradition has inferred for the story that these were in fact Angels (in light of Geneses 19:1) where two of them are identified as Angels. Abraham consistently calls the third one "Lord".

Hospitality is a very important action in the Jewish tradition. They point to the example of Abraham and Sarah as the source of their belief in the importance of showing hospitality to strangers.

The Icon:

The Icon I am using shows the three angles sitting at the table with the Lord at the head. Abraham and Sarah are serving them water and freshly made bread. The three angles are pictures in the traditional way with wings.

Personal Journey:

I live most of the time in solitude never having anyone visit and rarely seeing anyone else on a day to day basis. I cannot say that I am lonely; I rather enjoy my solitude. That does not mean that I do not enjoy visits from others! I just wish they would stay longer.

When I wish young, my family was the only American family in our little city in the interior of Brazil. If there anyone from the USA in the city, we would very likely be their host. I cannot remember my parent's turning anyone away. Mom would cook a big meal; whoever was in the "guest room" would move out; Dad would visit with our guest(s). Specifically, I remember having a Roman Catholic Priest stay overnight with us. He was a war soul and did not seem to mind the difference in our faiths.

Message:

The message in this Icon is straightforward; its implementation into our modern culture is anything but. Our modern lives isolate each of us. Most of us expect visitors to call before visiting. "Drop-in" visits are a thing of the past. In the USA, a lot of us grew in families where we learned about the westward expansion of our ancestors seeking more "elbow room." We have a lot of room for improving our hospitality.

Rabbi Eve Ben-Ora asked an interesting question in one of his medications on the subject of Hospitality: "Do you consider being friends with someone of Facebook the same as showing hospitality?" My answer is that it can be. I know that I have a lot of "friends" to whom I marginally show hospitality in any significant meaning of the word. Never the less, Facebook has made it possible for me to reconnect with many childhood friends. Also, I have made many new ones. It is amazing how much Facebook can foster a sense of community. Along the same line, I am an administrator of a forum for people affected by cancer (www.cancerforums.net). Over the last four years, I have made so very dear friends there. We have been through so much together. Nevertheless, as I often tell them, "While virtual hugs are wonderful, there is nothing like a real hug!" The same thing goes for hospitality: Yes, Facebook and forums can be a way for us to express "virtual" hospitality but it is nothing compared to the real thing.

Icon found in several public sources including collections of the GreekOrthodox Archdiocese of America. 

22 Itajabá, Minas Gerais

ARCHANGEL COUNCIL

Historical, Cultural, and Religious Background:

Of all the heavenly being mentioned in the Bible, no title is used less often then the title of "Archangel". In fact, the world is only used once (Jude 1:9). Since only Michael is specifically called an Archangel the Bible, most protestants do not recognize any other Archangel. Certainly, many protestant would agree that the Angel Gabriel holds a higher rank than others. Nevertheless, Michael is the only universally accepted Archangel (Jews, Muslims, and Christians).

Outside of Protestantism, those from the Roman Catholic Orthodox traditions do not reserve the title to just the ones whose names are found in the Scriptures. It is common to find references to a council of Archangels with 7 members. Although not all of the lists agree on the names of these members, all agree on four: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. The others differ from list to list. Note that each of their names (and the name of all Archangels) ends in "el". "el" is the Hebrew word for "Lord". However, it is often used in the place of the name "God." (For more explanation of the meaning of each name: http://www.angelfocus.com/archangels.htm ).

The title of Archangel denotes an angel of higher rank or a chief among the angels. Sometimes, you will find them listed as Saints as well. In a sense, a loose translation of "Archangel" could be "senior or chief messenger of the God." In the case of St Michael, he also has the task of leader the Army of God who defeated Lucifer and threw him out of Heaven.

I am not exactly sure how to understand the Archangels in the light of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. I have not had a personal experience with an Archangel like I have had with the Holy Spirit. The same can be said about Lucifer, the Falling Archangel. It is hard for me to believe in the existence of ANY archangel because of my lack of a personal contact with them.

Also, the struggle between Good and Evil, God and Satan, has always struck me as a form of dualism. Maybe the fight between St Michael and Lucifer is intended to alleviate this problem by distancing God from the fight. It is much easier to answer this criticism if the fight is actually between two Archangels rather the between two deities.

The Icon:

The icon I chose for this meditation is of the Archangels Council. In this icon, we see the seven archangels with two of them holding the image of Christ. Directly above Christ stand Michael holding in his right hand the name symbol for "Jesus" and in his left the name symbol for "Christ" (this is commonly found on Icons). From left to right we see: Jegudiel, Gabriel, Selaphiel, Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Barachiel. Beneath Christ are three representatives of two other heavenly beings: Cherubims (blue) and Seraphim (red). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archangel

Personal Journey:

I am going to be selling my house and moving into an apartment in Paducah as soon as possible. In order to do this, I have to take on what seems like an impossible job: organize and clean years of documents, books, furniture, decorations, and other objects collected by my parents and me. Moving from a house with three bedrooms and a finished basement into a small apartment is a daunting task.

Message:

Throughout history, there have been times when God needed to speak to humans in a unique way. Whether at the Annunciation to Mary of the coming of the Messiah or the encounter with Abraham before the destruction of Sodom, God needed to make God’s presence felt in a very personal and even physical way. I believe that this need culminated in the coming of Christ. In fact, the Annunciation is the last appearance of an Archangel in history.

I wish that at times like this in my life, God would make clear which direction I should go. Others have expressed the same sentiment to me: “I wish God would appear to me and clearly tell me what I should do!” Unfortunately, an Archangel has never come to me to enlighten me. It would be comforting to know that there is a council of Archangels fighting our war with the Evil One. I look at this Icon and ask “Where are you?” I can hear some people replying: “You just are not listening hard enough.” OK, maybe. I don’t know about that. All that I know is that I have tried throughout my life to listen. Sometimes, I did think I had heard God’s messengers only to be disappointed. It is so hard to know where our thoughts come from. Are they coming from some external source are from a mix of your wishes, history, upbringing, nature, religion, or families? Do we do what we do simply to satisfy our own needs… including the need for affirmation from others or God?

It seems like at this point in my life I should have more answers than questions. Alas, this is not the case. Maybe knowing what I do not know is the beginning of wisdom? Archangels, please speak to me! (Deafening silence).

Icon found in several public sources including collections of the GreekOrthodox Archdiocese of America.

21 Matriz de Barbaçena, Minas Gerais

First Contact

04 Trecho de Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

If you are a reader of my blog or even if this is your first visit, you already have noticed the water paintings by the artist Franz Kohout I am using at the top of each of my entries. I really did not think that many people read this blog. To my surprise and great joy I received an email from the daughter-in-law of the artists expressing her happiness that I was using these painting. Her husband has a large portfolio of these paintings and she was wondering how I came to have these. I am totally overwhelmed that she found this blog. It just shows how powerful the Internet really is.
This contact just makes this collection so evermore valuable to us. It bring a lot of new and intriguing family history questions. Do we have all 60 of the original copies in this set? How did or parents come to have them in the first place; they were by no means art aficionados.
One intriguing but yet unconfirmed possibility is that Franz Kohout stayed in our home. When we live in Rio and in Tupã, my parents where always willing to hosts people traveling through the area. It is possible the Mr. Kohout was one of those traveler looking for inspiration. We are looking in our parants guest book for his signature.
This seems to be an ever increasing story and I will try to post what we find.