Christ is the Crocus of Eternal and New Life

The Chinese use plants: bamboo, plum blossoms, chrysanthemums and the orchid as symbols which speak about life and virtue.

The significance of the plum blossom runs deep in Chinese history - it signifies feminine beauty and the ideal of chosen seclusion and moral rectitude.
The story is told that Meifei had become the favorite concubine of the Emperor. She surrounded herself with plum blossom trees and at blooming time lingered among them into the night. Meifei was retiring, cultivated and compliant. In time, she lost favor with the Emperor to Yang Gifei who was aggressive, vulgar, vindictive and shrewd.

Now Meifei spent her lonely hours writing about plum blossoms, comparing her fleeting happiness to the short life of the plum petals that soon fell to the ground. At her death, she was buried beneath the flowering plums, and so, the plum tree came to symbolize feminine inner beauty of soul.
In the Song Period, the plum became an enduring emblem of the high minded scholar. Li Bu lived a life of modest retirement on Gushan ("Lone Mountain"). He devoted himself to calligraphy, poetry, planting plum trees and raising cranes. Although he was poor, he did not seek fame. He never married and so the people said the flowering plum was his wife and cranes his children and so, the flowering plum became associated with chosen seclusion and moral pre-eminence.
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Also, note that what is sometimes called the Lotus flower is actually the Crocus and in the ancient world a symbol of the Resurrection (not reincarnation). The crocus we refer to here are the ones growing from earth (not swamps like reincarnation lotuses) especially the snow crocus for its early bloom while snow is on the ground. Jesus Christ is the First born of Mary (the blessed virgin who is the Christmas rose of pure white), He is also the First born from the dead in the flesh – the first one resurrected – who will resurrect us. The snow crocus is deep blue just like the traditional color associated with nativity scenes.

"All Wisdom comes from the LORD...
He poured it forth upon all his creatures." (Sir 1:1,8)
Mary is the spikenard (fragrance of incense before the Lord) of whom was the Christ, Who is the Word Wisdom and Power of the Father in the Unity and Power and Bond of love of the Holy Spirit, may the Holy God especially by the prayer of Mary bless you.

CHINESE PAINTING

http://www.albany.edu/faculty/hartman/eac280/19.html

 

 

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God is reflected in His creation but is not His creation. He is the Creator.

 

Gn:1:
1 ¶ In the beginning God created heaven, and earth.
2  And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.
3 ¶ And God said: Be light made. And light was made.
4  And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness.
5  And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night; and there was evening and morning one day.
6 ¶ And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7  And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament, and it was so.
8  And God called the firmament, Heaven; and the evening and morning were the second day.
9 ¶ God also said; Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done.
10  And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11  And he said: let the earth bring forth green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done.
12  And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
13  And the evening and the morning were the third day.
14 ¶ And God said: Let there belightsmade in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years:
15  To shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth, and it was so done.
16  And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night: and The stars.
17  And he set them in the firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth.
18  And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19  And the evening and morning were the fourth day.
20 ¶ God also said: let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth under the firmament of heaven.
21  And God created the great whales, and every living and moving creature, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged fowl according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22  And he blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth.
23  And the evening and morning were the fifth day.
24 ¶ And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, according to their kinds. And it was so done.
25  And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and every thing that creepeth on the earth after its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 ¶ And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth.
27  And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.
28  And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.
29 ¶ And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat:
30  And to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so done.
31 ¶ And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.
(DRV)

 

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                                       500 BC

                               CONFUCIAN ANALECTS

                                   Confucius

                              2

 

The Master said, "The superior man is catholic and not partisan. The

mean man is partisan and not catholic."

 

 

 

Chinese Gardens

http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~rviau/japanchinagardens.html

 

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Lk:12:
54 ¶ And he said also to the multitudes: When you see a cloud rising from the west, presently you say: A shower is coming. And so it happeneth.
55  And when ye see the south wind blow, you say: There will be heat. And it cometh to pass.
56  You hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the heaven and of the earth: but how is it that you do not discern this time?
57  And why, even of yourselves, do you not judge that which is just?

 

 

Confucius saw the need to honor parents and neighbors. The ancient Chinese understood that such virtue, such justice, brought peace to the land.

 

 

                                     500 BC

                               CONFUCIAN ANALECTS

                                   Confucius

                              1

 

  The Master "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance

and application?

  "Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters?

  "Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure

though men may take no note of him?"

  The philosopher Yu said, "They are few who, being filial and

fraternal, are fond of offending against their superiors. There have

been none, who, not liking to offend against their superiors, have

been fond of stirring up confusion.

  "The superior man bends his attention to what is radical. That being

established, all practical courses naturally grow up. Filial piety and

fraternal submission,-are they not the root of all benevolent

actions?"

  The Master said, "Fine words and an insinuating appearance are

seldom associated with true virtue."

 

 

 

 

Seals and Calligraphy on Chinese Paintings

http://www.asia-art.net/chinese_brush.html

http://www.asia-art.net/chinese_ink_s.html

http://www.asia-art.net/calligraphy.html

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The best composer of all is God Himself. He made all of creation.

Jn:1:

1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God: and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made.
4 In him was life: and the life was the light of men.
5 ¶ And the light shineth in darkness: and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light.
9 That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world.
10 He was in the world: and the world was made by him: and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own: and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name.
13 Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.
15 ¶ John beareth witness of him and crieth out, saying: This was he of whom I spoke: He that shall come after me is preferred before me: because he was before me.
16 And of his fulness we all have received: and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses: grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Mt:7:14:
14 How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it! (DRV)

Jn:14:6:
6 Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. (DRV)

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500 BC

THE DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN

Confucius

What Heaven has conferred is called The Nature; an accordance with

this nature is called The Path of duty; the regulation of this path is

called Instruction.

The path may not be left for an instant. If it could be left, it

would not be the path. On this account, the superior man does not wait

till he sees things, to be cautious, nor till he hears things, to be

apprehensive.

There is nothing more visible than what is secret, and nothing

more manifest than what is minute. Therefore the superior man is

watchful over himself, when he is alone.

While there are no stirrings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, or joy, the

mind may be said to be in the state of Equilibrium. When those

feelings have been stirred, and they act in their due degree, there

ensues what may be called the state of Harmony. This Equilibrium is

the great root from which grow all the human actions in the world, and

this Harmony is the universal path which they all should pursue.

Let the states of equilibrium and harmony exist in perfection, and a

happy order will prevail throughout heaven and earth, and all things

will be nourished and flourish.

Chung-ni said, "The superior man embodies the course of the Mean;

the mean man acts contrary to the course of the Mean.

"The superior man's embodying the course of the Mean is because he

is a superior man, and so always maintains the Mean. The mean man's

acting contrary to the course of the Mean is because he is a mean man,

and has no caution."

The Master said, "Perfect is the virtue which is according to the

Mean! Rare have they long been among the people, who could practice

it!

English translation of 300 Selected Poems from Tang Dynasty

http://www.chinapage.com/poem/300poem/t300a.html

 

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Chen Ziang

ON A GATE-TOWER AT YUZHOU

 

 

I think of heaven and earth, without limit, without end, _________________________________________________________

 

God’s creation is indeed without end in time although it had it’s beginning at the moment of creation. Although His creation is finite in space, He is not finite but infinite beyond all. Yet He is here with us.

 

Acts:17:27:
27  That they should seek God, if haply they may feel after him or find him, although he be not far from every one of us. (DRV)

 

 

The Gallery of China

http://www.the-gallery-of-china.com/

 

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Mt:11:25:
25 ¶ At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. (DRV)

 

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500 BC

                               THE GREAT LEARNING

                                   Confucius

 

  WHAT THE GREAT LEARNING teaches, is to illustrate illustrious

virtue; to renovate the people; and to rest in the highest excellence.

  The point where to rest being known, the object of pursuit is then

determined; and, that being determined, a calm unperturbedness may

be attained to. To that calmness there will succeed a tranquil repose.

In that repose there may be careful deliberation, and that

deliberation will be followed by the attainment of the desired end.

  Things have their root and their branches. Affairs have their end

and their beginning. To know what is first and what is last will

lead near to what is taught in the Great Learning.

  The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue

throughout the kingdom, first ordered well their own states. Wishing

to order well their states, they first regulated their families.

Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their

persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified

their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be

sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts,

they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of

knowledge lay in the investigation of things.

  Things being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their

knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their

thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts

being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being

cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being

regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being

rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made tranquil and happy.

  From the Son of Heaven down to the mass of the people, all must

consider the cultivation of the person the root of everything besides.

  It cannot be, when the root is neglected, that what should spring

from it will be well ordered. It never has been the case that what was

of great importance has been slightly cared for, and, at the same

time, that what was of slight importance has been greatly cared for.

 

 

 

Ps:104:18:
18  (103-18) The high hills are a refuge for the harts, the rock for the irchins. (DRV)

Chinese Poems with English Translation

http://www.chinapage.com/poetry.html

 

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Ps:9:11:
11 ¶ (9-12) Sing ye to the Lord, who dwelleth in Sion: declare his ways among the peoples.

 

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To what can our life on earth be likened?
To a flock of geese,
alighting on the snow.
Sometimes leaving a trace of their passage.

 

Su Shi (Su Dongpo)