Tea for Two

Jamie & St. Anthony

samsonb7:
gotham-ruaidh:
gotham-ruaidh:
saint-hildegard-of-bingen:
(post by @gotham-ruaidh and @saint-hildegard-of-bingen)
Near the end of episode 304, just before Jamie leaves Helwater, and Willie, this poignant scene occurs, much as it happened in Voyager. Jamie places on a makeshift altar a few special things he had hidden away, among them a statue of St Anthony of Padua holding a child. Anthony is well know as the Patron Saint of Lost Things, a good tie in to the title of this episode. What may be less well-known about Anthony is that the child he is holding is Jesus. Statues of Anthony and the child Jesus can be found all around the world, even in the most remote locations…even in a village in the bush of northern Madagascar, as seen by one of us.
Anthony of Padua was a 13th century Franciscan priest, known throughout Italy for his depth of kindness, his outreach and care for the poor, as well as for his preaching skills. Anthony carrying the imaginary God-child, imaginary only in that Jesus died hundreds of years before Anthony was born, reflects not only a love for children, but on a deeper level it reflects the child in each of us, as well as our vulnerability and humility, our joy and littleness, our need for others to love and care for us.
The subtext in the tender scene between Jamie and Willie is that St. Anthony - the patron saint of lost things - is cradling a child. As Jamie reminds Dunsany at the beginning of the episode, he has already lost two children - and in this scene with Willie, he is just about to lose yet another.
Jamie has a need to love and care for others - his children, Jenny and Ian and their family, Murtagh, the Lallybroch tenants, Claire - but for the most part, his life has denied him that opportunity. So the only way he can love and care for them is to hold them in his heart, and ask for the intercession of St. Anthony - who can see everyone and everything that he can’t. It is as though Jamie imagines St. Anthony holding his dear ones close, protecting them, sheltering them, and watching over them.
Sharing our analysis - thanks @saint-hildegard-of-bingen for the lovely idea! 😙
Bringing back @saint-hildegard-of-bingen’s amazing analysis on this!
This is lovely, and and so very telling. Thank you @saint-hildegard-of-bingen .
It pains me that they didn’t show more of both Jamie and Claire’s faith in the show, because it was such an important element in the novels. Both Jamie & Claire’s faith is constantly challenged because of the circumstances of which they find themselves. They are often forced to make immoral decisions to protect others, but they never commit these acts for their own sakes. It sets up an internal conflict that haunts them through their lives. Thank you for this, @saint-hildegard-of-bingen. Do more!

Beautiful entry, @saint-hildegard-of-bingen. The show has never embraced faith, and it’s a glaring omission to those of us who read the books. It’s at the root of everything, for Jamie in particular.