I have the blessing of being surrounded by very intelligent, introspective, and faithful people who willing share these gifts with me. Recently a musician friend and I were discussing a piece of music, specifically a moment in the text which reminded him of one line in W.H. Auden's poem Hymn to St. Cecilia; "Wear your affliction like a rose." You will find this phrase just to the left of this post, as a sort of motto for my blog. Of course, I was internally prompted to study the piece more fully.
What a beautiful phrase for the sinner. Auden clearly understands what it is to live in tribulation, to be burdened under something that weighs heavily but is never gone. My endeavor was to tear this phrase down into it's parts and see what insights I could find. Here is what I discovered.
To "wear" something is to have it on ones body, to employ it, make use of it, clothe ourselves with it, to use something as an adornment.
The word "your" implies ownership, belonging to the self. Not belonging to another but to "me" and me alone.
I think we all understand, in some respect, the term affliction but realize that the word is rather encompassing. The dictionary defines it as trial, adversity, distress...so it can be anything that stands as a challenge from the smallest annoyance to the largest obstacle. It also implies a pervasiveness, something that is not easily overcome or ignored.
It would be irresponsible of me to ignore what may seem a simple phrase "like a." It is key to understanding Auden's concept and recognizing the simile he is creating. This phrase could be restated to say "as if it were" or "as you would" in order to truly understand the entire line.
Now, the "rose." Auden is speaking of the flower, the bloom we recognize as symbolic of so many things. Red roses, pink roses, white roses, yellow roses...they come in all colors of the rainbow but as the recipient of roses the emotions they arouse are quiet similar. We love roses! When I woman receives roses she receives an unspoken message from the sender...messages of love, of thoughtfulness and care, messages of healing or penitence. The messages are as numerous as the colors but the rose itself is the glorious messenger. We wear roses at weddings, at anniversaries, at confirmations, at special events. They are a flower of recognition and adornment used to herald those we wish to stand out from the rest. Realize however, the rose comes with a thorn. There is, buried amidst the beauty of the rose, the prickle, the tiny pin-prick of pain or annoyance or "affliction."
Thus, we come full circle. To "wear our affliction like a rose" becomes much more poignant for me when I realize that I am to adorn myself with my own trials or challenges as if they were roses, given to me in love...painful yet beautiful in their own right.
What does this mean? (how very Lutheran of me!) It means that we all have been given afflictions ...whether they be health issues or infirmities, struggles with depression, poor eye sight, strained relationships, or even my singleness. These trials should not be denied but recognized as part of ourselves; they do belong to us. And, while they are challenges, they can be used for God's good purpose. We can wear them on our lapels, adorn ourselves with them. And, while the thorn pricks the wearer, the world can see the beauty that can come from us as we allow those tribulations to work for God's glory.
So, during this Lenten season I am challenging myself and I will challenge all of you to "wear your affliction like a rose" realizing that it is not in your perfection that you show God to the world but in how you accept your shortcomings, understand how they effect you, and live in the Gospel, showing the beauty of that Rose to all who you encounter.
May God grant you all a blessed, prayerful, and poignant Lenten season.
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