Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Happy Ash Wednesday

"Consider the Lilies" (1939) by Stanley Spencer, from his series of eight paintings, Christ in the wilderness 

I would subtitle this "Be Not Anxious" (from the full quote, below).

via Wikiart

The flowers are those of Spencer's  home town, Cookham, England. ("Earth's crammed with heaven,"--Elizabeth Barrett Browning)
But I love best Jesus's hair.*

Matthew 6:28-34 American Standard Version (ASV) 

28 And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

*Point of grammar: It used to be the style not to add a possessive "s" to Jesus, but I never thought that seemed right---I pronounce the possessive Jesus-uz, don't you? 
I see the practice is changing.

2 comments:

bink said...

I was taught to never add a 's to any word ending in s--only add '. But I did almost always pronounce the extra "uz" sound: though as in the grammarphobia article, I wouldn't say Achilles-uz or Xerxes-uz. I had no idea this concept was being debated! Argh! How will I keep track of such grammar changes? It took me forever to get out of the habit of double spacing at the end of sentences! I can see I'm doomed to more and more grammar failures the older I get and the more times change.

Fresca said...

Eh. Not to worry---as long as you're understandable, which you are!