Christmas 11: Upsidedown

One of the more curious lost phenomena of Christmas was the late Medieval custom of appointing a so-called “Lord of Misrule” (or, as called in Scotland, the “Abbot of Unreason”). This involved either a peasant or an unimportant figure in the church being appointed to oversee the Christmas revelries. A related or parallel custom involvedContinue reading “Christmas 11: Upsidedown”

Lent 29: Wednesday of Fourth Week

The blind, the lame, are let inside; the cursed now are blessed. The king in triumph rides upon a humble donkey’s colt.   The temple tables overturned, the mind thrown into chaos, prophecies are rendered true in ways that chill our hearts.   The unexpected king burns bright with anger at the sham. He knowsContinue reading “Lent 29: Wednesday of Fourth Week”