On Faith

Lakshmi

I accidentally met the Hindu goddess Lakshmi this week when a podcast devoted to her origins and evolution came up after the end of another.   Among other things, she is the patron of good government and fertility.  Her iconography includes elephants, lotus, gold coins, and cow dung (fertilizer).  What's not to like?

The "good government" connection made me wonder if there were a Christian patron of good government?  The answer is yes,  sort of.  Thomas Moore, Catholic saint since 1935 and Anglican saint since 1980, was assigned the duties of patron saint to "statesmen and politicians" by Pope John Paul II in 2000.  Moore's head got cut off in 1535 because he would not agree to say a few lines he did not believe .  In the light of our current politics, he sounds terribly quaint.

Thomas Moore

Saint Hilary

Hillary is the feminine for Hilary (the name derives from the same root as hilarious).  Saint Hilary protects against snakebites; no relation to Saint Patrick, who protects against snakes.  But those of us who think of Trump as a snake-in-the-grass-roots should burn incense at both shrines.

Saint Emydius (aka Emygdius) protects against earthquakes.   He and St Patrick are co-patrons of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.  Those concerned with a possible Trump victory in November could do worse than pray to St. Emydius.

Saint Donald

Little is known of Saint Donald.  He apparently is not the patron saint of anything.  Interestingly, most people named Donald are not named for the saint, but for the Scottish clan, Donald.  I'm just guessing, but I expect very few new born boys will be named Donald in the USA in the next few generations.

Saint Expeditous

Saint Expeditous, patron of urgent causes, probably never existed.  Nevertheless, many older european churches include shrines dedicated to him.  People looking for work, spouses, cures, and loans pray at them.   Those who wish we had candidates to believe in should light a candles at his alter.

We passed this car on our Monday morning bike ride.  I found myself wondering WWJD about a Supreme Court Nominee.  Would he promote the paradigm of a "living constitution?"  Or would he nominate an "originalist?"

My chance encounter with the red Mustang provoked my curiosity about the iconography of the "Jesus for President" campaign.  A google - image search returned lots of hits.  I like the image above because it takes "change" out of its usual political context.

I don't much like the following image, but it is reminiscent of the famous 2008 Obama "Hope" poster.

I like the "Vote Jesus" image for its graphic design.

The last image in this series of spiritually inspired reflections on the election was amusing when I photoshopped it, but now it seems very sad.  There is no joy here.

Herod's step daughter Salome, danced before Herod.   He was pleased and offered her anything she might ask for in return. When she asked her mother what she should request, she was told to demand the head of John the Baptist on a plate.  Herod, feeling he had a binding commitment, issued the necessary orders. (According to the Gospel of Saint Mark)