DOCSLIB.ORG

What Is Orthodox Easter?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
What Is Orthodox Easter? St. Xenia of Rome Independent Catholic Orthodox Mission What is Orthodox Easter? Orthodox Easter, also called Pascha and Resurrection Sunday, is the oldest and most important festival in the Eastern Christian tradition, celebrating Jesus Christ's resurrection (rising from the grave) following his crucifixion and death. His resurrection forms the basis of Christian faith as it demonstrates Jesus to be the Son of God, and symbolizes his conquest of death. Orthodox Easter celebration in Cyprus In most years its date differs from the date of Easter in Western Christianity (catholic and protestant Easter), and is usually one week, but occasionally four or five weeks, later. However, in some years Orthodox Easter coincides with Western Easter and both observances fall on the same date. In Western Christianity, the date of Easter is based on the Gregorian calendar and can fall between March 22 and April 25. The Eastern Christian tradition bases its calculations of Orthodox Easter on the Julian calendar, which differs from the Gregorian calendar by 13 days. This results in a possible date range of April 4 to May 8. However, both Western and Eastern churches agree that Easter should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, but always after Passover. Occasionally initiatives are started to introduce a fixed and unified date of Easter (probably the second or third Sunday in April), however there are currently no concrete plans to do so. The following WikipediA pages explain the list of dates for Easter for both Western and Easter church traditions for the years 2000 to 2040: 1 List of dates for Easter This is a list of dates for Easter. The Easter dates also affect when Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost occur, consequently determining the liturgical year except the calendar of saints, feasts of the Anunciation and the nativities of St. John, the Baptist and Jesus. Easter may occur on different dates in the Gregorian Calendar and the Julian Calendar. The accompanying table provides both sets of dates, for recent decades and forthcoming years — see the computus article for more details on the calculation. Contents Earliest Easter Western (Gregorian) Orthodox (Julian) Latest Easter Western (Gregorian) Orthodox (Julian) Western and Orthodox Easter on the same date Range of dates for Western and Orthodox Easter Public holidays References External links Earliest Easter Western (Gregorian) In 1818 the Paschal Full Moon fell on Saturday, March 21 (the equinox). Therefore, the following day, March 22, was Easter. It will not fall as early again until 2285, a span of 467 years. The next earliest Easter between 1818 and 2285 (March 23) occurred in 1845, 1856, 1913 and 2008, and will occur again in 2160— an 11, 57, 95 and 152-year gap, respectively. Easter last occurred on March 24 in 1940 and will not occur on that day until 2391, a 451-year gap. Orthodox (Julian) The earliest dates for Easter in the Eastern Orthodox Church between 1875 and 2099 are April 4, 1915 and April 4, 2010 (Gregorian). Both dates are equivalent to March 22 in the Julian Calendar. Latest Easter Western (Gregorian) Dates for Easter for 20 years in the past and in the future (Gregorian dates, 2000 to 2040) In 1943 Easter fell on Sunday, April 25. The last ecclesiastical full moon preceding the Paschal did not occur until Saturday, March 20; prior to Year Western Eastern March 21, the fixed date to which the vernal equinox is assigned for the 2000 April 23 April 30 purposes of the computus, meaning the Paschal full moon did not happen until Sunday, April 18. Consequently, Easter was the following Sunday 2001 April 15 (April 25). Easter will not fall as late again until 2038—a span of 95 years. 2002 March 31 May 5 The second latest date for Easter, April 24, occurred in 2011. The last time 2003 April 20 April 27 this occurred was in 1859 and will not happen again until 2095—spans of 152 and 84 years. 2004 April 11 2005 March 27 May 1 Orthodox (Julian) 2006 April 16 April 23 2007 April 8 The latest dates for Orthodox Easter between 1875 and 2099 are May 8, 2008 March 23 April 27 1983, and May 8, 2078 (Gregorian). Both dates are equivalent to April 25 in the Julian Calendar. Orthodox Easter has never fallen on Gregorian May 7 2009 April 12 April 19 yet; it will happen in 2051 unless these churches change to another calendar. 2010 April 4 2011 April 24 Western and Orthodox Easter on the same date 2012 April 8 April 15 2013 March 31 May 5 Despite using calendars that are apart by 13 days, Easter 2014 fell on the same date. According to the Western (Gregorian) calendar, the first Paschal 2014 April 20 Full Moon after the Spring Equinox (March 20) fell on Monday, April 14, 2015 April 5 April 12 2014. The following Sunday, April 20, was, therefore, Easter Day. 2016 March 27 May 1 According to the Orthodox (Julian) calendar (which is 13 days behind the 2017 April 16 Gregorian calendar), the Spring Equinox also falls on March 21. However, 2018 April 1 April 8 in the Gregorian Calendar, this is April 3. The first Orthodox Full Moon after the Equinox falls on (Julian) Tuesday, April 2, 2014 (Gregorian April 2019 April 21 April 28 15). The following Sunday, (Julian) April 7, is, therefore, Easter Day 2020 April 12 April 19 (Gregorian April 20). 2021 April 4 May 2 Range of dates for Western and Orthodox 2022 April 17 April 24 2023 April 9 April 16 Easter 2024 March 31 May 5 Both calendars (Gregorian and Julian) calculate Easter as falling on dates 2025 April 20 between March 22 and April 25 on their calendars. However, because of the 2026 April 5 April 12 13-day difference, any member of an Orthodox church would observe that 2027 March 28 May 2 the Western Easter falls between March 10 and April 12 on the Julian calendar. Conversely, any member of a Western church would observe that 2028 April 16 Orthodox Easter falls between April 4 and May 8 on the Gregorian calendar. 2029 April 1 April 8 Beginning March 14, 2100 (February 29, 2100, in the Julian Calendar), the 2030 April 21 April 28 difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars will increase to 14 2031 April 13 days. 2032 March 28 May 2 Public holidays 2033 April 17 April 24 2034 April 9 In Hungary, Kenya, the United Kingdom (except Scotland), Australia, 2035 March 25 April 29 South Africa, Germany, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland and New Zealand, 2036 April 13 April 20 Easter has two public holidays, Good Friday and Easter Monday, making a four-day weekend. The moveable date of Easter sometimes brings it into 2037 April 5 conflict with other, fixed, public holidays. 2038 April 25 2039 April 10 April 17 In the United Kingdom in 2000 and 2011, the May Day bank holiday was one week after Easter Monday, causing there to be 2040 April 1 May 6 three consecutive weeks with a bank holiday. (In Scotland this did not occur as Easter Monday is not a bank holiday.) In 2011, a bank holiday was declared on Friday 29 April for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton;[1] consequently there were four bank holidays within three consecutive calendar weeks (including two in one week), creating two consecutive four-day weekends (Friday 22 – Monday 25 April and Friday 29 April – Monday 2 May), with a three-day working week in between (Tuesday 26 – Thursday 28 April). In Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in 2008, Saint Patrick's Day (Monday 17 March) fell six days before Easter (Sunday 23 March), creating a three-day week (Tuesday 18 – Thursday 20 March). This will next happen in 2035, when Saint Patrick's Day falls on Saturday, so the public holiday is moved forward to the following Monday 19 March, again six days before Easter. In the Catholic liturgical calendar, saints' feasts are not observed when they fall during Holy Week; this caused Saint Patrick not to appear in the liturgical calendar for 2008; 17 March was simply celebrated as Holy Monday. In Ireland, the Church chose to celebrate Saint Patrick on Saturday 15 March instead.[2] In Australia and New Zealand, ANZAC Day is a public holiday on 25 April. In 2000 and 2011, this created a five-day weekend over Easter: in 2000, Easter Monday fell on 24 April, with the following Tuesday, 25 April, then being ANZAC Day; in 2011, ANZAC Day and Easter Monday coincided on Monday 25 April, which led to a substitute public holiday being declared for Tuesday 26 April.[3] In 2003 and 2014, ANZAC Day fell on the Friday after Easter, and in 2019 it fell on the Thursday after Easter, and in 2038 it will fall on Easter Sunday; the consequence is three-day working weeks immediately following the Easter weekend. Easter is not a federal holiday in the United States. In North Carolina, however, it was a public holiday from 1935 to 1987.[4] In Norway Easter is celebrated with public holidays on the Thursday and Good Friday before, and Easter Monday, but schools and businesses traditionally have a half-day on the Wednesday as well. The same goes for Denmark. References 1. "Royal Wedding Bank Holiday in the United Kingdom" (https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/ uk/royal-wedding-bank-holiday). 2. "Irish bishops move St. Patrick's Day 2008 over conflict with Holy Week" (https://www.catholicn ewsagency.com/news/irish_bishops_move_st._patricks_day_2008_over_conflict_with_holy_w eek).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Norms for Holy Week, the Paschal Triduum, and Easter in the Diocese of Paterson by Mandate of the Bishop
    Norms for Holy Week, the Paschal Triduum, and Easter in the Diocese of Paterson By Mandate of the Bishop By mandate of the Supreme Pontiff, Francis, the diocesan bishop has ​ ​ been given wide discretion by Decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (Prot. N. 153/20) regarding the observance of Holy Week, the Paschal Triduum, and Easter for the year 2020 in the local church entrusted to his apostolic care. In keeping with the provisions of the aforementioned decree and as moderator of liturgical life among the faithful entrusted to my care (Code of Canon Law: c. 835 §1) I make the following provisions for all parishes and institutions of the Diocese of Paterson: 1. The date of Easter is the linchpin of the entire liturgical year and is ​ declared immovable by the Apostolic See through mandate of the Supreme Pontiff. The date of Easter remains April 12, 2020. 2. The Chrism Mass is postponed to a date following Easter. The ​ announcement of the date of the celebration will be given at a later time. The Sacred Chrism and Holy Oils consecrated and blessed last year remain for the administration of the sacraments. The administration of sacraments are completely valid and licit with the use of the Sacred Chrism and Holy Oils consecrated and blessed last year. 3. Holy Week, the Paschal Triduum, and Easter will be celebrated ​ without the physical participation of the faithful. 4. To the degree that they are able, parishes are to live streamthe ​ liturgical celebrations of the Holy Week and Easter to the faithful without the physical presence of the faithful.
    [Show full text]
  • Holy Week Guide 2017.Pub
    SPY WEDNESDAY EVENING (7 PM) MAUNDY THURSDAY EVENING (7 PM) DO YOU KNOW The Service of Tenebrae The Maundy Thursday Eucharist WHAT’S IN STORE? — Tim Moss — — David Small — If you have not experi- Peter said to Him, “You will never wash my feet.” ‐ John 13:8 Dear friends, enced the service of Tene- Throughout the season of Lent, we are invited to prepare our- brae, it is something that Over the last few years when I have you will ind very differ- selves for Easter, when we will celebrate that Jesus, by his Resur- attended the Maundy Thursday service, ent to what we are used to rection, has destroyed evil, sin, and death. my own thoughts had resounded through in our regular church cur- my head saying “I don’t want someone to To experience the fullness of the Easter Celebration, we invite riculum. The name itself is wash my feet, nor is it necessary for me you to take part in the Holy Week events we offer here at St. descriptive of darkness – Stephen’s. This guide will tell you more about them. an absence of light. to wash theirs’. We know almost everyone finds themselves very busy, especially From the outset of the Something was different this year. during the week. Still, we encourage you to try and make time for service, the sanctuary and Whether or not it is a result of my close some of these special services. (In particular, the Easter Vigil is nave are lit primarily by involvement with my EfM family, the the most important service of the Christian year!) Participating in candles.
    [Show full text]
  • Holy Week Services
    BECKET KEYS CHURCH OF Holy Week ENGLAND SCHOOL Services Services in Brentwood Deanery Easter 2013 Churches from the Deanery included in this leaflet St Thomas of Canterbury & St Peter’s Churches ST THOMAS OF ST PETER’S St Thomas of Canter- CANTERBURY SOUTH WEALD bury 24th PALM SUNDAY 24th PALM SUNDAY St Peter’s South Weald 8am Mass 8 am Holy Communion 10am Blessing of Palms at High 9.45 am Family Communion, St Stephen’s Street Chapel followed by a with procession Procession and Sol. Mass with 4.30 pm Evensong St Nicholas’ the Bishop of Richborough St George’s Holy Monday, Tuesday and Holy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday each evening at Wednesday: each evening at Immanuel 8pm Mass and Address 9pm Compline with address All Saints— 27th Wednesday of Holy Doddinghurst Week Sung Compline 9pm 28th MAUNDY THURSDAY St Edmund & St Mary— 28th MAUNDY THURSDAY 9.30am BCP Mass 8pm Holy Communion with Ingatestone 11am Becket Keys School footwashing and vigil Eucharist 8pm Solemn Mass of the Last OTHER CHURCHES Supper followed by the Watch ARE AVAILABLE! until midnight. Our Parish Church, 29th GOOD FRIDAY 29th GOOD FRIDAY St Thomas’ is in the Town Centre. 9.30am Stations of the Cross 9.30 am Family Service for children 10.30 am Walk of Witness, St Peter’s is in South Weald 10.30 am Walk of Witness, starting from St Thomas’ starting from St Thomas’ 2pm An Hour by the Cross – 2pm Liturgy of the Lord’s hymns, addresses and prayers Passion 30th HOLY SATURDAY 9.30am Morning Prayer & the Litany 8pm Paschal Vigil & First Mass of Easter 31st EASTER DAY 31st EASTER DAY 8am Mass 8.00 am Holy Communion 10am Solemn Mass 9.45 am Family Communion 6pm Evensong Holy Week Services Holy week is the last week In Eastern Orthodox tradition, We encourage all our Year 7 of Lent and the week be- Holy Week starts on Lazarus students to aim to attend at least Saturday, the day before Palm fore Easter.
    [Show full text]
  • The Morning Office During the Paschal Triduum
    The Morning Office During The Paschal Triduum ne of the challenges of the post Vatican II liturgical method of combining the Office of Readings with Morning reform is the implementation of the Liturgy of the Prayer. OHours on the parochial scene. It is lamentable that If the Office of Readings is said immediately before another fifteen years after the publication of the revised Office, Hour of the Office, then the appropriate hymn for that Hour Moming Prayer and Evening Prayer are so infrequently may be sung at the beginning of the Office of Readings. At found on the schedules of parish liturgical services. The the end of the Office of Readings the prayer and conclusion success of the effort at implementation is probably are omitted, and in the Hour following the introductory verse with the Glory to the Father is omitted. proportionate 0 the determination and enthusiasm of pastoral rni . ters. - Generallntruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, #99. The success of the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, e 1988 Circular Letter of the Congregation for Divine to great extent, depends upon the quality of the music orship on the preparation and celebration of the Easter ministry available. Ordinarily, for morning or evening Feasts repeats the challenge. This certainly may be prayer a cantor, and perhaps an instrumentalist (e.g. viewed as an indication of it's seriousness. organist), is necessary. During the Paschal Triduum, It is recommended that there be a communal celebration of however, accompaniment is eliminated, and so a good the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer on Good Friday cantor or leader of song is essential.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mass As the Liturgical Calendar and Computus
    Min-Ad: Israel Studies in Musicology Online, Vol. 13, 2015-16 Irène Guletsky - The Mass as the Liturgical Calendar and Computus The Mass as the Liturgical Calendar and Computus IRÈNE GULETSKY During the second half of the 1990s, I had the good fortune to work on my doctoral thesis at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the supervision of two amazing scholars, professors Judith Cohen and Dalia Cohen (of blessed memory).1 I remember with pleasure this time spent in intensely creative work, our meetings, fascinating discussions, and occasional heated debates on various issues to do with the philosophical and theoretical views of the Renaissance, the form of the Mass and methods of its analysis. Our opinions did not always coincide—a consequence of different schools and scientific traditions. Judith was a disciple of Kurt von Fischer, and she, like her mentor, regarded the Mass primarily from the standpoint of the embodiment of the original source and the features of the counterpoint (a completely justified view).2 This strictly academic approach favored by Judith, accounted for her rather cautious, even skeptical attitude to my ideas of analyzing the cycle form as a kind of structure and a crystal, which characterize this genre as a whole. Admittedly, Judith had sufficiently valid reasons for being skeptical. After all, it is a known fact that the Mass—the five-part Ordinary—was not performed as a single separate composition, but had been distributed through the liturgy, and thus, as many scholars would have it, could hardly be defined as a form.3 Judith would bring the flight of my ideas firmly back to earth, dampening my fervor by demanding proof for every assertion, making me perform meticulous work on the text and bibliography.
    [Show full text]
  • HOLY WEEK FESTIVAL Palm Sunday 5 April – Easter Sunday 12 April 2020
    ST JOHN’S SMITH SQUARE HOLY WEEK FESTIVAL Palm Sunday 5 April – Easter Sunday 12 April 2020 #HolyWeekFestival Curated by Tenebrae in partnership with St John’s Smith Square Tenebrae #HOLYWEEKFESTIVAL © Chris O’Donovan —— An Introduction from Nigel Short I’m delighted to welcome you to Tenebrae’s I look forward to meeting many of you over fourth annual Holy Week Festival. Since the the course of the festival, and I hope you will festival began in 2017 we have been lucky all find something to move and inspire you to work with some truly inspiring artists, over the course of Holy Week. including ensembles of worldwide renown as well as wonderful emerging talent, and this year is no exception. In particular, it has been a long-held dream of mine to invite the King’s Singers, with whom I spent a happy six years performing all over the world, and I am thrilled that they will be performing here at St John’s Smith Square on Palm Nigel Short Sunday evening. Other festival highlights Artistic Director include welcome returns from both The Tallis Tenebrae & Holy Week Festival Scholars and Polyphony, and the exciting female-voice ensemble Musica Secreta in their festival debut. The festival’s raison d’être is to provide ‘A moment of stillness in the heart of the city’. In the first instance this was a response to my own experience as a working musician during Nigel Short © Sim Cannetty-Clarke Holy Week, rushing from one side of London to the other and missing out completely on that vital spirit of reflection.
    [Show full text]
  • Lent and Easter Season
    LENT/EASTER SEASON February 22, 2015 WHAT’S THIS? At its root, Lent is a name for Spring, and is a 40-day period of preparation for Easter Sunday and one of the major liturgical seasons of the Catholic Church. A penitential season marked by prayer, fasting and abstinence, and almsgiving, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. The color of Lent is purple; The six Sundays in Lent are not part of the Lenten fast, and thus we say there are 40 days of Lent – a biblical number – while there are really 46; The Stations of the Cross are a devotion imitating a pilgrimage with Jesus to commemorate 14 key events around the crucifixion; Because of the solemnity of Lent, the Gloria and Alleluia are not said or sung. March 1, 2015 WHAT’S THIS? During Lent the Church is called to embrace a spirit of repentance and metanoia (“a change of heart”) or conversion. There are many opportunities for prayer – communally or individually – such as: Daily Mass (communal) Stations of the Cross (communal and individual) The Rosary (communal and individual) Liturgy of the Hours (individual) Reconciliation (communal and individual) Adoration of the Eucharist in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel every Friday (individual) Free web Lent program offered by Dynamic Catholic—sign up at BestLentEver.com. March 8, 2015 WHAT’S THIS? The next four weeks of “What’s This” will be highlighting specific components that lead up through the Easter Vigil. Palm Sunday – March 29: The liturgical color of Palm Sunday is red. Red signifies Christ’s Passion; The Palm Sunday liturgy begins with an additional Gospel highlighting the jubilant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem; The palms are ancient symbols of victory and hope, as well as new life; The Palm Sunday liturgy takes on a more somber tone with the second Gospel reading of Christ’s Passion; The blessed palms received this day should be discarded as other blessed articles.
    [Show full text]
  • Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) Teacher’S Notes
    Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) Teacher’s notes Age: Adults and young adults 3. Understanding the article Level: Intermediate to Upper-intermediate (B1–B2) Now that they have read the text twice, students Time: 90 minutes cover the text and discuss with a partner how best to answer the questions. They should imagine Activity: In this lesson, students will: that they have been asked to explain Shrove 1. Read a text about Shrove Tuesday and find out Tuesday / Pancake Day to someone who has why it is also known as Pancake Day; never heard of it before, therefore making their 2. Work with the language involved and talk about answers comprehensive, detailed, but also easy how they make and prefer to eat pancakes; to understand. 3. Hold a short survey and practise talking about Key (suggested answers): survey results and statistics. 1. In February or March, on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which is the start of the Christian time Language focus: vocabulary related to Pancake of Lent, which leads up to Easter. Shrove Tuesday is Day and language to describe statistics and always 47 days before Easter Sunday. The moveable survey results date of Easter Sunday determines its exact date. Materials: one copy of the worksheet per student 2. ‘Shrove’ comes from the old English word ‘shrive’ meaning to confess your sins to a priest. Procedure 3. During Lent, people are supposed to give up certain indulgences and start fasting. Eggs, milk and flour 1. Warmer were luxury food items that people would use up on Students do the quiz in pairs and then see how well Shrove Tuesday by making pancakes – providing one they do compared to other students.
    [Show full text]
  • Parish Holy Week Schedule – 2020 (Live Streaming Or Prerecorded)
    Parish Holy Week Schedule – 2020 (Live Streaming or Prerecorded) Parish (Louisville unless noted) Zip Masses/Services for Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter (CT=Central Time) Palm Sunday: 12:00 p.m. Tuesday: 7:00 p.m., Chrism Mass Wednesday: 7:00 p.m., Tenebrae Service Holy Thursday: 12:00 p.m., Prayer Service, 7:00 p.m., Mass Good Friday: 12:00 p.m., Stations of the Cross, 7:00 p.m., Passion of Our Lord Easter Vigil: 8:30 p.m. Easter Sunday: 12:00 p.m. Tune in from the prompt in the news section (left side) of the homepage of our website: www.cathedraloftheassumption.org or go to You Tube and search for Cathedral of the Assumption Cathedral of the Assumption 40202 WAVE 3 News has graciously agreed to air live our Holy Week liturgies highlighted in yellow above from the Cathedral of the Assumption. This is a wonderful service to the Catholic community and to all people in the WAVE viewing area (please see list of counties in our Archdiocese below) who will benefit from viewing these beautiful liturgies. Below is the lineup of these offerings on all platforms: Watch the following Cathedral of the Assumption Holy Week services on TV (Spectrum Channel 6, Wave 3.1), wave3.com, the free WAVE 3 News app on your cell phone, on Facebook and on ROKU, Amazon Fire and Apple TV. Note: Archbishop Kurtz will preside at all liturgies except the Wednesday Tenebrae Service and the Sunday morning Easter Mass. St. Agnes 40205 For Holy Week information, please visit our website: www.stagneslouisville.org Holy Thursday: 7:00 p.m.
    [Show full text]
  • A Journey Through Holy Week Family Passport
    A Journey through Holy Week Family Passport Palm Sunday ay rsd Thu ndy Mau Easter Sunday! Good Friday A Journey through Holy Week Family Passport Names: Instructions: Let’s travel with Jesus through Holy Week!. Travelers need to carry a passport when they travel to exciting places—and this booklet is your passport for Holy Week. On or before Palm Sunday, find a special place to keep your passport. During Holy Week, read the watch the video and try some of the activities, and pray the Lord's Prayer. Afterwards, award yourself with a sticker for that day! If you would like to share a picture of your passport as it fills up, send it to me! A Prayer to Practice Daily: Our Father, who art in heaven, Thank you to Building Faith, hallowed be thy Name, Southminster Presbyterian thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Church, and Catholic Icing and Give us this day our daily bread many others for all the ideas .And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who compiled in this packet! trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Palm Sunday Family Passport Watch the Palm Sunday Go outside, clip some greens that look Children's Chapel Video like palms. Post them on your front door or wave them in front of you house. You can say, "Hosanna or Blessed is He who Comes in the name of the Lord!" Build a Block City of Reread the story as a family and discuss with the Jerusalem questions included.
    [Show full text]
  • Pastor's April 2015 Message
    The Customs of Lent and Easter For many people today, it is still their custom to think about “giving up” something for Lent. This may be certain foods or some kind of indulgence, i.e. chocolate, that is abstained from during Lent. But more and more, Lent ought to be thought of a time of “taking up” something. If people want to discipline themselves and make sacrifices for the right reasons, that is good indeed. If it is our response to God’s goodness and flows naturally from the Gospel, then it is even better. So rather than “give up” something for Lent, maybe “take up” something that will connect you to your Savior and help you grow in faith would be even better. Lent’s challenge is to “take up” our cross daily and to follow Jesus. Maybe “take up” committing to memory the explanation to the second article of the Apostle’s Creed, to identify with the suffering and death and resurrection of our Savior for us. The word “Lent” comes from an old Anglo‐Saxon word, “Lencten.” It refers to the lengthening of days in the spring in the northern hemisphere. Similarly, the word “Easter” had no Christian significance at first, being derived from the name of the pagan goddess of spring, Eostre. However, the Church was always willing to “baptize” pagan names and customs and put them to work for Jesus Christ. Lent is meant to be a time of hope, knowing of the great gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ has indeed been won for us.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 11 Notes on Seasons And
    CHAPTER 11 NOTES ON SEASONS AND FEASTS Nota bene: This chapter takes note of variations between the Sacramentary now in use and the Roman Missal of 2003 and its English translation currently in preparation by the USCCB and the Holy See. These books are identified, respectively, by these titles throughout the text of these Norms. A. INTRODUCTION 11.1.1 In the liturgical year the various aspects of the one Paschal Mystery unfold. This is also the case with the cycle of feasts surrounding the mystery of the incarnation (Annunciation, Christmas, Epiphany). They commemorate the beginning of our salvation and communicate to us the first fruits of the Paschal Mystery.1220 11.1.2. The celebration of the seasons and feasts of the liturgical year is a primary means for gaining an understanding of the mystery of Christ, for the liturgical year “unfolds the entire mystery” and “completes the formation of the faithful.”1221 B. ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS General 11.2.1 The season of Advent, the preparation for the commemoration of Christ’s birth and first manifestations, has a twofold character: it is a time to prepare for Christmas, when Christ’s First Coming is remembered; it is a time when that remembrance directs the mind and heart to await Christ’s Second Coming in the last days. In this way Advent is a period of devout and joyful expectation.1222 1220 CCC 1171. See also ADW, Liturgical Norms and Policies, 2010, 13.12.1. 1221 Cf. CIC can. 913 §1; General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 1.
    [Show full text]