We interrupt our scheduled program.......
I will get back to adventures in downsizing, but really need to take some time to share about Holy Week.
This is my most favorite liturgical season. It always has been, even when I knew nothing about liturgical seasons, way before the word liturgical was even a part of my vocabulary. And not just the going to church part, but the season of Lent from Ash Wednesday throughout Holy Week and onto Easter. For me it is a time to contemplate, meditate, pray. It is a time of reflection and renewal.
I was not raised in a "churchy" family, my parents took us at Christmas and Easter. We kids went to religious instruction, and got all the childhood sacraments when due and attended church weekly during those years. But regular family church going, beyond what seemed to be "required" was simply not a part of my growing up experience. Which doesn't mean faith and a strong spiritual dimension were also lacking. We were raised with a strong belief in God and a deep spirituality rooted in all creation.
So, it always has sort of surprised me how strongly I am attracted to Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. There were many years when I simply didn't attend church, yet during this season I would be drawn, called; I didn't always respond, but sometimes I would go to whatever church was near.
I recall in my early 20's, before my folks moved to Florida, going home for Easter. I woke up that Sunday morning needing to go to church. My Dad said he would go with me. Neither of us had a clue as to where or when. We looked in the paper and found a something that worked for us, thought is was Catholic and headed out. It was "high church", not in English, something Slavic. We didn't understand the language, but did fully understand the ritual and being there with the sounds and smells sustained us, though we did giggle a bit on the way home.
So many times, when I'd been away from any church during Holy Week, in the midst of preparing for Easter I found myself racing to church. Often it was in the midst of some pretty serious cleaning, so I was in cleaning attire, very unkempt, I'd put on a hat or a scarf, and rush off. Not wanting to be noticed, I was really a sweaty, sloppy mess, I would sit in the back. I was compelled to be there. I had no choice. And, always, I was glad that I went.
I think those who made the decisions about when in the natural year we would celebrate what, were very wise to place Lent and Easter where they are. It is glorious to have my world, my surroundings transforming from dark, cold, dormant to light, warm, new life. The world reflects and echos back to me the very basis of my belief, all of life is a series of event - many accidents, mistakes, errors, losses, deaths always followed by a miracle of accomplishments, corrections, discoveries, rebirths, resurrections.
And, I am no scholar, but I do think that just about all cultures, faiths, religions recognize and celebrate this in some form, and I take great comfort and find great joy in this shared spirituality.
This is my most favorite liturgical season. It always has been, even when I knew nothing about liturgical seasons, way before the word liturgical was even a part of my vocabulary. And not just the going to church part, but the season of Lent from Ash Wednesday throughout Holy Week and onto Easter. For me it is a time to contemplate, meditate, pray. It is a time of reflection and renewal.
I was not raised in a "churchy" family, my parents took us at Christmas and Easter. We kids went to religious instruction, and got all the childhood sacraments when due and attended church weekly during those years. But regular family church going, beyond what seemed to be "required" was simply not a part of my growing up experience. Which doesn't mean faith and a strong spiritual dimension were also lacking. We were raised with a strong belief in God and a deep spirituality rooted in all creation.
So, it always has sort of surprised me how strongly I am attracted to Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. There were many years when I simply didn't attend church, yet during this season I would be drawn, called; I didn't always respond, but sometimes I would go to whatever church was near.
I recall in my early 20's, before my folks moved to Florida, going home for Easter. I woke up that Sunday morning needing to go to church. My Dad said he would go with me. Neither of us had a clue as to where or when. We looked in the paper and found a something that worked for us, thought is was Catholic and headed out. It was "high church", not in English, something Slavic. We didn't understand the language, but did fully understand the ritual and being there with the sounds and smells sustained us, though we did giggle a bit on the way home.
So many times, when I'd been away from any church during Holy Week, in the midst of preparing for Easter I found myself racing to church. Often it was in the midst of some pretty serious cleaning, so I was in cleaning attire, very unkempt, I'd put on a hat or a scarf, and rush off. Not wanting to be noticed, I was really a sweaty, sloppy mess, I would sit in the back. I was compelled to be there. I had no choice. And, always, I was glad that I went.
I think those who made the decisions about when in the natural year we would celebrate what, were very wise to place Lent and Easter where they are. It is glorious to have my world, my surroundings transforming from dark, cold, dormant to light, warm, new life. The world reflects and echos back to me the very basis of my belief, all of life is a series of event - many accidents, mistakes, errors, losses, deaths always followed by a miracle of accomplishments, corrections, discoveries, rebirths, resurrections.
And, I am no scholar, but I do think that just about all cultures, faiths, religions recognize and celebrate this in some form, and I take great comfort and find great joy in this shared spirituality.
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