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Be ready at all times,(Luke 21:36) and so live that death may never find you unprepared.
Imitation of Christ – THOMAS A kEMPIS
Chapter 23
A Meditation on Death
Very soon the end of your life will be at hand: consider, therefore, the state of your soul. Today a man is here; tomorrow he is gone.(I Macc.2:63) And when he is out of sight, he is soon out of mind. Oh, how dull and hard is the heart of man, which thinks only of the present, and does not provide against the future! You should order your every deed and thought, as though today were the day of your death. Had you a good conscience, death would hold no terrors for you; (Luke 12:37) even so, it were better to avoid sin than to escape death.(Wisd.4:16) If you are not ready to die today, will tomorrow find you better prepared?(Matt.24:44) Tomorrow is uncertain; and how can you be sure of tomorrow? Of what use is a long life, if we amend so little? Alas, a long life often adds to our sins rather than to our virtue!
Would to God that we might spend a single day really well! Many recount the years since their conversion, but their lives show little sign of improvement. If it is dreadful to die, it is perhaps more dangerous to live long. Blessed is the man who keeps the hour of his death always in mind, and daily prepares himself to die. If you have ever seen anyone die, remember that you, too, must travel the same road.(Heb.9:27)
Each morning remember that you may not live until evening; and in the evening, do not presume to promise yourself another day. Be ready at all times,(Luke 21:36) and so live that death may never find you unprepared. Many die suddenly and unexpectedly; for at an hour that we do not know the Son of Man will come.(Matt.24:44) When your last hour strikes, you will begin to think very differently of your past life, and grieve deeply that you have been so careless and remiss.
Happy and wise is he who endeavours to be during his life as he wishes to be found at his death. For these things will afford us sure hope of a happy death; perfect contempt of the world; fervent desire to grow in holiness; love of discipline; the practice of penance; ready obedience; selfdenial; the bearing of every trial for the love of Christ
From the Confessions of Saint Augustine, bishop
From the Confessions of Saint Augustine, bishop
O eternal truth, true love and beloved eternity
Urged to reflect upon myself, I entered under your guidance into the inmost depth of my soul. I was able to do so because you were my helper. On entering into myself I saw, as it were with the eye of the soul, what was beyond the eye of the soul, beyond my spirit: your immutable light. It was not the ordinary light perceptible to all flesh, nor was it merely something of greater magnitude but still essentially akin, shining more clearly and diffusing itself everywhere by its intensity. No, it was something entirely distinct, something altogether different from all these things; and it did not rest above my mind as oil on the surface of water, nor was it above me as heaven is above the earth. This light was above me because it had made me; I was below it because I was created by it. He who has come to know the truth knows this light.
O Eternal truth, true love and beloved eternity. You are my God. To you do I sigh day and night. When I first came to know you, you drew me to yourself so that I might see that there were things for me to see, but that I myself was not yet ready to see them. Meanwhile you overcame the weakness of my vision, sending forth most strongly the beams of your light, and I trembled at once with love and dread. I learned that I was in a region unlike yours and far distant from you, and I thought I heard your voice from on high: “I am the food of grown men; grow then, and you will feed on me. Nor will you change me into yourself like bodily food, but you will be changed into me.”
I sought a way to gain the strength which I needed to enjoy you.
But I did not find it until I embraced the mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who is above all, God blessed for ever. He was calling me and saying: I am the way of truth, I am the life. He was offering the food which I lacked the strength to take, the food he had mingled with our flesh. For the Word became flesh, that your wisdom, by which you created all things, might provide milk for us children.Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace
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Day to night: Stephen Wilkes¿ photographs capture iconic cities by day and night in just one picture | Mail Online
Most photographers would be happy to capture a beautiful sunset or sunrise.
But for one artist, that wasn’t enough – so he decided to show the world’s most iconic cityscapes by day and night – in just one picture.
The mesmerising images show the beautiful transition from day to night in some of the world’s most iconic cities from the Shanghai skyline to New York’s Central Park.
Time Square in New York is given a fresh new look in just one picture. The mesmerising image show the beautiful transition from day to night
New York Library is one of the 15 images that show how the city’s character changes over time
Gramercy Park in New York was snapped by photographer Stephen Wilkes who spends up to 15 hours to create just one composite image
Santa Monica Pier in California has two very difference sides as this images shows – from the bright sandy beach with blue waves hitting the shore in the day to a bustling, illuminated pier at night
The unusual images were taken by photographer Stephen Wilkes who spent up to 15 hours and shot up to 1500 photos to create just one composite image.
The collection entitled Day to Night features 15 images including works from Times Square, The Western Wall and The Capitol.
To create the images, Stephen, 55, from Connecticut, U.S.A., shoots across the entire landscape from sunrise to sunset.
He then returns to his studio to blend around 50 of the best photographs to create one seamless image. Each piece takes around one month to edit.
A day in the life of Capitol Hill, Washington DC: Although the crowds remain the same, the photographer captured the beauty of the changing light
The Western Wall is one of Jerusalem’s most iconic images – and now this composition shows just how important it is to the city
The High Line in New York is one of the city’s most photographed spots and this image shows its look changes during the course of just one day
The Flat Iron building in New York looks like it’s dividing two different cities in this composition
Stephen said he first came up with the idea of shooting multiple images across a landscape when taking the cast picture for Baz Lurman’s blockbuster Romeo and Juliet for Life Magazine, in 1996.
But it wasn’t until he was asked to shoot the High Line for New York Magazine that Stephen used this technique to show the passing of time.
Stephen said while he is fascinated by architecture, people and the cities of the world, what he really loves to shoot is history. And he has even shot Day and Night images of President Obama’s inauguration speech as well as New Year’s Eve in Times Square.
There are currently 15 images in the collection but he is currently working on images from Chicago, and hope to add works from London and Paris in the near future.
Stephen wants to add as many images as possible to his collection.
No matter what time of the day it is, New York is always heaving with people and always alight with adverts
Central park in New York shows how the beautiful and busy park can turn spookily quiet in the evening. Mr Wilkes frst came up with the idea of shooting multiple images across a landscape when taking the cast picture for Baz Lurman’s blockbuster Romeo and Juliet
Park Avenue in New York looks like the scene of a blockbuster as the dark sky looms over the avenue that sees taxis race up and down the road
A wintry Central Park looks crisp and bright – until the sun sets and a dark grey shadow is cast over the sprawling public space
Washington Square Park is caught between the day and the night as part of Mr Wilkes unique way of capturing scenes
He said: ‘I remember saying that New York was very active and busy at lunchtime and very spooky at night.
‘I like to say it’s a labour of love for you to stay 15 hours and shoot 1500 images where most of the time there is no bathroom.
‘I am a street photographer by training and Day to Night is essentially all the things I love about photography; my son describes it as my symphony.
‘The images are so layered; there are so many elements that I love about the medium: Street, history, people environment, narrative, and storytelling.
‘I’m drawn to cities that have not only fantastic architecture, but also fascinating street life.
‘The human narrative is the subtext is in a lot of my photographs, so more you look at it, the more you are going to discover.
‘There is a layered effect so you will discover something new whenever you view it.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2386197/Day-night–Stephen-Wilkes–photographs-capture-iconic-cities-day-night-just-picture.html#ixzz2cw3oxsOK
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