The Maundy Thursday liturgy and the washing of the feet is powerful as is the rest of the weekend. I start with the moaning"why am I going to church everyday for 4 days" and then comes Easter. Having sung in an Episcopal choir from the age of 6 to 18 I still remember the glory of the sunrise Easter service and I am close to 80...and why they had to remove the "quick and the dead" still puzzles me..and how correct did we need to be to remove Once to Every Man and Nation from the hymn book...I still want to sing it the Sunday before election day! Happy Easter to you and Charlie and the boys.
I too love the sunrise Sunday service. We’ve been lucky to have been in Florida for Easter where they hold the service out back of the church, on the water. I’ve been to the Maundy Thursday service only once. So so somber. A bit too much for me but I’d like to try again.
Seems perfect to me that today’s weather forecast began with sunshine, developed into gathering clouds with clouds and winds expected around 3 EST… Hope you have Good Friday 😉✝️
Many years ago as a young student in Catholic school, we were urged to practice silence on Good Friday between noon and 3 pm to honor the time Christ was dying on the cross. I did try to keep that silence every Good Friday in my younger years.
These days, sixty years later, I am not so religious, but I always remember those precious three hours and how holy and important they were.
Maundy Thursday is, for me, the most dramatic day of Holy Week. In our small Methodist Church the Pastor slams our big Bible shut with a loud “bang”! All lights have been extinguished and we silently exit the church into dusk. Creepy! Everyone is jittery after leaving that service. Then on to “good” Friday on to Sunrise Easter Sunday. Peace unto to you and yours and the innocent biggies.
I am firmly agnostic (Raised religious). In my younger days, I was militant about it. Very vocal about being anti-religion at every turn. I am no longer militant as long as people aren't trying to make religion policy in public institutions. It's because I've since seen religion give people comfort or hope.
I've also become "spiritual" in a sense, religious people often think this is a contradiction, but I don't think so.
I say I'm agnostic because I don't know for sure but am open to possibilities that aren't religion, Could there be something else? A quantum world? We are a complex computer simulation? People with elite scientific degrees and are much smarter than me have hypothesized those theories and more. Perhaps there is a grand being/creator who judges us for our actions. Scientists say we know about 5% of the universe, So..
I don't think I actually believe in karma in the religious sense but it works in the sense for the mindset it gives you and how you influence the people around you. That can change ALOT.
Before my health issues (It's life) I volunteered a bit and many of the people who also volunteered were very religious. One of the places I volunteered was a "soup kitchen (I did the heavy lifting and dish washing, thankfully none of the cooking. lol!). I talked to a volunteer and I asked them why they volunteered, it was not uncommon to see obvious drug users etc. They said "do unto others.." and "Faith without works is dead." and it's not their place to be judge & jury. There is a lot of wisdom there that I think we can all agree on. Perhaps people should be judged more for what they do instead of what they say they believe. I could appreciate that religiously!
Happy Easter to those who celebrate, and a happy holiday to those who don't. Enjoy the time/ big dinner with your family & friends. 😊
I was not raised in the church, either, but came to it as an adult, partly influenced by my brilliant husband. Sadly—although, clearly, this has always been true—none of us lives the perfect embodiment of our faith. But there are many genuinely good people who do their best to live up to what they believe. As I have said elsewhere: We can’t hold God responsible for the bad behavior of the people who claim to speak for Him.
We arrived in France today, Good Friday (or Vendredi Saint as it’s know here). When we booked 6 months ago I didn’t even consider that it would be Easter weekend. I’m surprised to find that it’s pretty much business as usual. Even the schools are open. I find that odd, especially for a Catholic country. We plan to go to the cathedral on Sunday and cook the lamb I hope to find in the market tomorrow. A nice escape from reality…
Thank you. We’ve never had an extended stay in one place before. Or rented instead of a hotel because we’re here for a month. So far so good!
The home is charming (and very much as advertised…whew!) but the stairs are too steep and narrow for our large bags so we’re unpacking in the LR and carrying everything upstairs😂
Steep and narrow stairs are pretty normal, mine are almost impossible to carry anything up or down! I think you may find more things closed Sunday and Monday than today. I remember once flying from the US to Berlin for the Easter Weekend, and there we never even saw an open store - other than for groceries on Saturday morning! This was 1986, so things may be different now!
Au contraire! It rained today but we bought a bundle buggy (caddy on wheels?) and set off with hooded raincoats to shop like the French! It’s going to rain all day tomorrow too but everything’s closed for Easter and Easter Monday (in lieu of Good Friday, I learned) but we’ve got lots of provisions.
I really miss my pups but it it’s almost impossible to get them here and I’m not sure they’d enjoy themselves. They’re spending Easter weekend at a cottage with their beloved sitter and her family❤️
In response to a reader enquiry about my essay on Good Friday:
Maundy Thursday is the day commemorating the last supper, when Christ delivered his mandate to the disciples—often called the Eleventh Commandment—“Love one another”. Maundy is an English corruption of the Latin word for command: “Mandatum”. Also related to our English word, mandate.
Incidentally, “good” is an old fashioned term for “holy”. This is why the day of Christ’s crucifiction is known as Good Friday.
The Maundy Thursday liturgy and the washing of the feet is powerful as is the rest of the weekend. I start with the moaning"why am I going to church everyday for 4 days" and then comes Easter. Having sung in an Episcopal choir from the age of 6 to 18 I still remember the glory of the sunrise Easter service and I am close to 80...and why they had to remove the "quick and the dead" still puzzles me..and how correct did we need to be to remove Once to Every Man and Nation from the hymn book...I still want to sing it the Sunday before election day! Happy Easter to you and Charlie and the boys.
I too love the sunrise Sunday service. We’ve been lucky to have been in Florida for Easter where they hold the service out back of the church, on the water. I’ve been to the Maundy Thursday service only once. So so somber. A bit too much for me but I’d like to try again.
Happy Easter!
We are Easter Vigil people.
Darkness and bonfires.
Seems perfect to me that today’s weather forecast began with sunshine, developed into gathering clouds with clouds and winds expected around 3 EST… Hope you have Good Friday 😉✝️
Yes.
Before the sunshine and the hope of Ressurection you have to go through the darkness and the sorrow! Have a Happy Easter
Many years ago as a young student in Catholic school, we were urged to practice silence on Good Friday between noon and 3 pm to honor the time Christ was dying on the cross. I did try to keep that silence every Good Friday in my younger years.
These days, sixty years later, I am not so religious, but I always remember those precious three hours and how holy and important they were.
Wishing you a joyous Easter!🐣
Thank you for keeping the wonder and joy of nature in your writings!🙏🏻
Maundy Thursday is, for me, the most dramatic day of Holy Week. In our small Methodist Church the Pastor slams our big Bible shut with a loud “bang”! All lights have been extinguished and we silently exit the church into dusk. Creepy! Everyone is jittery after leaving that service. Then on to “good” Friday on to Sunrise Easter Sunday. Peace unto to you and yours and the innocent biggies.
Yes, the rituals are disturbing, as they are meant to be.
I am firmly agnostic (Raised religious). In my younger days, I was militant about it. Very vocal about being anti-religion at every turn. I am no longer militant as long as people aren't trying to make religion policy in public institutions. It's because I've since seen religion give people comfort or hope.
I've also become "spiritual" in a sense, religious people often think this is a contradiction, but I don't think so.
I say I'm agnostic because I don't know for sure but am open to possibilities that aren't religion, Could there be something else? A quantum world? We are a complex computer simulation? People with elite scientific degrees and are much smarter than me have hypothesized those theories and more. Perhaps there is a grand being/creator who judges us for our actions. Scientists say we know about 5% of the universe, So..
I don't think I actually believe in karma in the religious sense but it works in the sense for the mindset it gives you and how you influence the people around you. That can change ALOT.
Before my health issues (It's life) I volunteered a bit and many of the people who also volunteered were very religious. One of the places I volunteered was a "soup kitchen (I did the heavy lifting and dish washing, thankfully none of the cooking. lol!). I talked to a volunteer and I asked them why they volunteered, it was not uncommon to see obvious drug users etc. They said "do unto others.." and "Faith without works is dead." and it's not their place to be judge & jury. There is a lot of wisdom there that I think we can all agree on. Perhaps people should be judged more for what they do instead of what they say they believe. I could appreciate that religiously!
Happy Easter to those who celebrate, and a happy holiday to those who don't. Enjoy the time/ big dinner with your family & friends. 😊
I was not raised in the church, either, but came to it as an adult, partly influenced by my brilliant husband. Sadly—although, clearly, this has always been true—none of us lives the perfect embodiment of our faith. But there are many genuinely good people who do their best to live up to what they believe. As I have said elsewhere: We can’t hold God responsible for the bad behavior of the people who claim to speak for Him.
Truth
We arrived in France today, Good Friday (or Vendredi Saint as it’s know here). When we booked 6 months ago I didn’t even consider that it would be Easter weekend. I’m surprised to find that it’s pretty much business as usual. Even the schools are open. I find that odd, especially for a Catholic country. We plan to go to the cathedral on Sunday and cook the lamb I hope to find in the market tomorrow. A nice escape from reality…
Have a wonderful time. The weather should be better than it was for my trip.
Thank you. We’ve never had an extended stay in one place before. Or rented instead of a hotel because we’re here for a month. So far so good!
The home is charming (and very much as advertised…whew!) but the stairs are too steep and narrow for our large bags so we’re unpacking in the LR and carrying everything upstairs😂
Been there: done that!
Steep and narrow stairs are pretty normal, mine are almost impossible to carry anything up or down! I think you may find more things closed Sunday and Monday than today. I remember once flying from the US to Berlin for the Easter Weekend, and there we never even saw an open store - other than for groceries on Saturday morning! This was 1986, so things may be different now!
I should say I live in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen in the Netherlands, mostly Catholic here.
We’re in Bordeaux! Happy Eater.
And to you too, Happy Easter!
Au contraire! It rained today but we bought a bundle buggy (caddy on wheels?) and set off with hooded raincoats to shop like the French! It’s going to rain all day tomorrow too but everything’s closed for Easter and Easter Monday (in lieu of Good Friday, I learned) but we’ve got lots of provisions.
I really miss my pups but it it’s almost impossible to get them here and I’m not sure they’d enjoy themselves. They’re spending Easter weekend at a cottage with their beloved sitter and her family❤️
❤️
A reaffirmation of our faith .
In response to a reader enquiry about my essay on Good Friday:
Maundy Thursday is the day commemorating the last supper, when Christ delivered his mandate to the disciples—often called the Eleventh Commandment—“Love one another”. Maundy is an English corruption of the Latin word for command: “Mandatum”. Also related to our English word, mandate.
Incidentally, “good” is an old fashioned term for “holy”. This is why the day of Christ’s crucifiction is known as Good Friday.
I love that you put this out today. I was just sitting in the bed and reading it from your book. It’s one of my favorites.
Thank you so much. We wait with hope for the empty tomb. 🙏🏻
Thank you for that beautiful description of Holy Week. Today, we wait in hope.
You’re right. Happy Easter✝️
Amen, sister.