Give these guys some honey!

The bee is truly a miracle of God's creation. The complexity of their hive society, their harvesting of nectar and pollen, and their gifts of honey, beeswax, and pollination all testify to the glory of God. Now they're fighting bad guys too!

US military trains 'air force' of bomb-sniffing bees

bees

One of the classic blog posts of all time is at the late Gerard Serafin's now-archived blog: a reprint of Carol Zaleski's article Bring Back the Bees. She points out that the current English translation of the Exultet, the majestic Easter Vigil hymn, inexplicably deletes an affectionate tribute to the bee and its wax:

I italicize omitted passages:

"Therefore, in the grace of this night, receive, holy Father, this evening sacrifice of praise, which most holy Church renders to you in this solemn offering of wax, through the hands of the ministers from the works of the bees.

Now we behold the splendors [praeconia] of this pillar, which the glowing fire enkindles in honor of God. Which, although divided into parts, suffers no loss from its light being shared. For it is nourished by the melting wax, which the mother bee brought forth into the substance of this precious lamp."

bees
Image from a medieval Exultet roll. More here .

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