Eastertide: Day 11 For today's continued celebration of Easter, I'm reposting an entry from the website www.aleteia.com. Although this is a well-known Catholic website, followed by millions and featuring articles and news, I often encounter Catholics who have not heard of it. Since part of my efforts with this website is to curate Catholic content that is trustworthy, I feel it is important to point readers over to this site. (And yes, I also occasionally feature non-Catholic writers or articles in the spirit of ecumenism, since Christian unity was one of the very specific prayers that Christ made during the Farewell Discourse in the Gospel of John, the night before he died. Unity between Christians is so important, in fact, that the universal Church devotes an entire week to praying for it in January.) This article was written by Nicholas Senz in 2019, and points out how the early Church bridged the Old and New Testaments. Enjoy! And visit www.aleteia.com! "There are a number of texts of the early Church that Church Fathers mention in their writings, but which were lost to history until recently. Works like the Didache or the authentic letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch were often quoted or referred to with reverence, but were not recovered intact until the last few hundred years, when ancient copies were discovered on back shelves of libraries. Another of these manuscripts, found only relatively recently, gives us the oldest Easter homily we have.
In 1940, the scholar Campbell Bonner published a translation of the work On the Passover by St. Melito of Sardis. A Jewish convert born into the Greek half of the Roman Empire, St. Melito was a bishop in the western part of Asia Minor who died in the year 180. His works are referenced by St. Clement of Alexandria and St. Jerome, as well as other influential early Christian writers such as Eusebius, Origen, and Tertullian. By all accounts he was renowned for his holiness and regarded as a prophet (a term still used in the early Church for preachers with a particular charism, c.f., Ephesians 4:11). On the Passover is a rich example of the way the Church Fathers bridged the Old Testament and New Testament. St. Melito lived in a time where this was actually a controversial idea! Not a few Christians thought that the Old Testament was of no worth to followers of Jesus—His own words saying that He had come not to abolish but to fulfill the law notwithstanding—and some, like Marcion, even went so far as to claim that the God of the Old Testament was a wholly different entity from the God of the New Testament. The Church Fathers, on the other hand, following the example of the New Testament writers themselves, showed how the life and acts of Jesus were foreshadowed in the Old Testament. In the words of St. Augustine, “the new is concealed in the old, the old is revealed in the new.”
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Eastertide: Day 10
Possibly the most obvious sign of new life is that of seeds. Seeds, just in and of themselves, are, frankly, astonishing. If you hold a small seed of anything - vegetable, flower, tree - in your hand and look at it, it is really difficult to believe that hidden down there, out of sight, is the blueprint for something that will grow up into something entirely different. Not only does each seed have the blueprint or DNA to recreate itself, but it also knows exactly the order in which to do it. It also knows the time in which to do it. For example, a seed first sprouts roots, down in the unseen dirt. Next, it sends up a small sprout. Then, it focuses on growth. It doesn't get these steps confused and say, try to grow a flower before it has a strong stalk, or put down roots after it has grown a leaf. Everything is ordered for the best possible benefit of the health of the plant. But there's one more thing to consider about seeds and nature in general, an idea that I came across quite recently in a book called The Desire of Ages: The Conflict of the Ages Illustrated in the Life of Christ. The author is a woman named Ellen G. White, who lived and wrote during the mid to late 1800s and since I had not heard of her before, I did some research and discovered that she was one of the founders of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, with her husband, James White. Ellen herself was a controversial figure, who reported having over 2,000 visions and dreams from God. Some historians have claimed that she was one of the more "important and colorful figures in the history of American religion." (Randall Balmer, 2000) The Smithsonian Magazine even named Ellen G. White among the "100 Most Significant Americans of All Time." She wrote thousands of articles and more than 40 books during the course of her lifetime, many of which are still in print. Her grandson and biographer, Arthur White, writes that Ellen G. White is the "most translated female non-fiction author in the history of literature, as well as the most translated American non-fiction author of either gender." So, even though we would not agree on all aspects of faith, certainly Ellen has some wisdom to share. Ellen wrote these words in The Desire of Ages: All created things declare the glory of God's excellence. There is nothing, save the selfish heart of man, that lives unto itself. No bird that cleaves the air, no animal that moves upon the ground, but ministers to some other life. There is no leaf of the forest, or lowly blade of grass, but has its ministry. Every tree and shrub and leaf pours forth that element of life without which neither man nor animal could live; and man and animal, in turn, minister to the life of tree and shrub and leaf. The flowers breathe fragrance and unfold their beauty in blessing to the world. The sun sheds its light to gladden a thousand worlds. The ocean, itself the source of all our springs and fountains, receives the streams from every land, but takes to give. The mists ascending from its bosom fall in showers to water the earth, that it may bring forth and bud. Doubtless scientific discoveries would nuance Ellen's writings today, but nevertheless, what a fascinating concept. We often hear that creation reveals God, and we tend to think of this in terms of the grandeur, beauty and restorative ability of nature. Those are all true. But lets add the ministerial capacity of nature as well; its ability to take care of others through fulfilling its own purpose. Surely, that's one aspect that is very close to the heart of God. It reminds us to ask ourselves, especially in these days right after the Resurrection, the example of self-sacrifice par excellance - Is my life about serving others? Am I taking my place in the design of creation? Eastertide: Day 9 Yesterday's blog entry was a simple visual of Easter flowers with the words "Christ is Risen!" written across it. But are there ways that we can actually PROVE that Jesus rose from the dead? According to Fr. Robert Spitzer, there are at least 5 historical ways Jesus' resurrection can be verified. So, for today's continuing celebration of Easter, I'm reposting a blog entry for scientifically minded folk. This article comes from the Magis Center for Reason and Faith. ( https://blog.magiscenter.com/blog ). The Magis Center is a new venture, founded by Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., who is a well-known Catholic author and leader. He is especially known for works like 5 Pillars of the Spiritual Life, on my Bookshelf page, Healing the Culture, and the 3 volume series The Light Shines On In the Darkness, The Soul's Upward Yearning and God So Loved the World. He has recently published a new trilogy, Called Out of Darkness. His special focus is on the intersection of faith and reason, and he frequently explains how science is not at war with faith. "The doctrine of the resurrection is central to Christianity—so much so that St. Paul states: "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." —1 Cor 15:13-15 But are there any ways of verifying the claims made by the Christian church about Jesus’ resurrection in glory? As a matter of fact, there are. Through the use of historical criteria, exegetes such as N.T. Wright and Gary Habermas have found five historical ways of verifying the claims made by the Christian church about Jesus’ resurrection:
1. Commonalities in Gospel Accounts of Jesus’ Risen Appearances The Gospel accounts show substantial agreement about Jesus’ transformed embodiment in his risen appearances. Though described in different ways, several characteristics of these accounts are quite similar. For instance, Matthew, Luke, and John all indicate that in his risen appearances, Jesus was divinely and spiritually transformed. Furthermore, this transformation outshone his former corporeality—so much so that the apostles at first had doubts about whether Jesus was in this divine-spiritual appearance. Jesus overcame these doubts by revealing his identity (and continuity with his former embodiment) through the marks of his crucifixion (Luke and John 20) and through his communication with and missioning of them (Matthew and John 21). Hence, there are common elements in the three different resurrection narratives that help us verify the claim that Jesus really did resurrect after his death. Matthew, Luke, and John all affirm that, after his crucifixion and death, Jesus appears in a divine-like glory, power, and spirit in which he showed continuity with his former embodiment. Eastertide: Day 7 For today's entry, I'm reposting a blog from Dr. Bergsma, a noted Theology and Scripture scholar, who does a great job of connecting the Easter Season to Divine Mercy Sunday. He blogs at www.thesacredpage.com I also recommend some of his books on my Bookshelf page to those who want to start diving into Scripture. "Behind the readings for this Sunday lies a Gospel text which is never read, but whose influence is felt and whose concepts and images serves as a link between the texts that are read. That passage is John 19:34: John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness — his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth — that you also may believe. The blood and water flowing from the side of Christ is the background for the Divine Mercy image seen by St. Faustina.
This “river” that flows out from the side of Christ is understood in the Church’s spiritual tradition as a river of mercy, but there is also a rich biblical background to this passage of John. Ezekiel 47 and other passages from the OT prophets foresaw a river of life which one day would flow from the heart of the New Temple in the age to come. Our Lord identifies himself as the New Temple (John 2:20-21) and as the one from whom the river of life will flow (John 7:38). John 19:34 is a sign of the fulfillment of that promise. Ancient Jewish readers would have recognized the significance of the bloody flow from the side of Christ as Temple imagery. During festival seasons prior to the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in AD 70, huge amounts of animal blood were generated by the Temple sacrifices. The blood was ducted out of the Temple precincts by a plumbing system which emptied out of the side of the Temple mount, creating a stream of blood that flowed down and joined the Brook Kidron that flowed along the ravine between the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives. This bloody brook had to be crossed if one entered Jerusalem near the Pool of Siloam. So a “stream of blood and water” would evoke the image of the Temple and the Temple city to the ancient Jewish reader. This phenomenon helped identify the body of Jesus as the New Temple. Of course, the physical flow from Christ’s side is not the ultimate point. It is a sign of a deeper reality, the true “river of life” that flows from him, which is the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, throughout the Gospel of John, water is employed with reference to Baptism, and blood is only discussed in the Eucharistic discourse of John 6. So the Fathers were right to see in the bloody flow from the side of Christ the River of the Spirit, which comes to us through the sacraments, Baptismal Water and Eucharistic Blood. The sacraments are efficacious signs of God’s mercy. Now for the readings of this Sunday. The First Reading is Acts 4:32-35: Eastertide: Day 7
Let's just sit for a few moments today and reflect on this as a way of life. . . How would you act if you lived like an Easter person, exuding and embodying Alleluia? What would change? What would stay the same? Eastertide: Day 6
One of the most important and significant symbols of Easter is the Paschal candle. Each Catholic church uses a new, specially-made Paschal candle at the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday. The Pashal candle is first lit from the sacred fire at the very beginning of Mass and the priest solemly processess with it, lit, into the darkened church, chanting. In a typical year, the congregation walks inside with the priest, usually holding individual candles that are lit from the great Paschal candle. Because of COVID-19, this year we did not have our own candles at church, as we would have to get too close to each other to light them, but we will hope for that next year! The Paschal candle symbolizes THE light of the world, Jesus Christ. Because it is lit from the sacred fire, we believe in faith that it's light is different than the light given off by other candles. This is why the priest chants "Lumen Christi" (Light of Christ) and we respond "Deo gratias" (Thanks be to God) as he enters the church. This action is literally proclaiming the entrance of the light of the Christ into the world. God shared his light with us, which is why we light our own smaller candles from the one great Paschal candle. Before the priest enters with the Paschal candle, however, he prepares it outside by piercing it with 5 bits of incense, representing the 5 wounds of Christ and the spices used to bury him. As he says each line, the priest inserts the incense into the candle, in the form of a cross: 1. By his holy 2. and glorious wounds, 3. may Christ the Lord 4. guard us 5. and protect us. Amen. The priest then lights the candle from the new fire, saying: May the light of Christ, rising in glory, dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds. The Paschal candle will stay on the altar of the church for the duration of the Easter season. After that, it is moved near the Baptismal font where it will stay for the rest of the year. It will be lit again during Baptisms and funerals, signfying our dying and rising with the Lord, but not at daily or weekly Masses. As you can see from the photo above, each Paschal candle bears the signs of the Alpha and the Omega, as well as the year of use. There are all kinds of designs for Paschal candles, from very colorful to very simple. Our candle last year was quite Celtic looking. This year, we've changed to a simple red and gold candle. They are always beautiful though. In fact, I think I may start a photo album of the Paschal candles I see at different churches. I am always amazed at the ability of artists to create new designs that remain inspiring and uplifing each year. One of the crafts that we like to do with our families at church is to give them a chance to create a similar candle that they can take and use all year in their homes. Obviously, these candles are not the Paschal candle, but they are good reminders that we are an "Easter people and Alleluia is our song", as St. John Paul II told us. This is a simple, visible way to make the connection between the universal church and the domestic church. We begin with a plain white pillar candle. These are the safest and longest burning candles. Then, we print out many different Easter symbols and the families have a conversation picking out which symbols they want to use. The photos below show 2 of the symbols - the Easter crosses and an Easter lily. We've also used an empty tomb, Easter eggs, the sunrise, etc. We typically have about 10 different symbols to choose from. In the center of the candle, the families place the annual Easter sticker - the Alpha and the Omega, with the year. Using glue dots and whole cloves, the families place 5 pieces of incense around the Easter cross, praying while they do it. Then, they can add ribbons or other stickers to finish their candles. We ask them to put the candles in a place where they will use it during the year, like on the family dinner table or in their prayer space. This is one of the most popular activities we do and is a good reminder of walking with the Light through the year. So, what does the Paschal candle in your church look like? Do you know where it is? Eastertide: Day 5
When I was growing up in the South, it was a common practice for women and girls to wear an Easter corsage to church on Easter Sunday. This was also the one Sunday a year that it was normal to see hats, too. Easter Sunday was special, therefore, it was assumed and appropriate that we dressed differently. These beautiful corsages were usually made out of lilies with some ribbon attached. They were made for either the wrist or to be pinned on, and they appeared in the grocery stores during Holy Week. (That's how common they were.) They came boxed and ready to wear, and they were one of my very favorite aspects of Easter. My father brought them home for us each year. When I moved up to the Midwest, however, I didn't find this custom there most likely because of the big difference in temperature on Easter morning. It was usually still quite cold, and not really sunny, hat-wearing, flower-donning weather. So, when my daughter was old enough to appreciate flowers and such, I decided to make my own corsage but one more appropriate for toddlers. And I threw in a blue corsage for my son, as well, for good measure. As you can see from the photo above, they were fairly simple- just made out of different colored foam pieces, a little fake grass and gingham ribbon. I used some straight pins to attach them to my kids' clothes and they looked super cute! One good thing about using foam instead of real flowers is that these foam corsages last for years. My kids have long since outgrown these cute corsages, so I've put them away for the next generation. In the meantime, they remind me of my own days of childhood and my father, who passed away several years ago. The longevity of these corsages speaks to me. They remind me that Easter is a promise kept, and that if we follow Jesus, God will do for us what He did for Jesus. The promise kept on that original Easter still holds true today, thousands of years later, long after the Easter lilies have faded.
Eastertide: Day 3
Here is our beautiful butterfly, Luna, looking colorful in her scarf and butterfly headband, while her big buddy, Rocco, sports his blue bunny ears. These two dogs love Easter. Although they obviously don't understand the meaning of Easter, they are part of "creation that groans" (Romans 8:23) waiting for the entire universe to be reconciled back to God. Like all of creation, they will experience the passage of time, leading to old age and possibly, unfortunately, illness, until this world is swept away and the realm of God fully arrives. But these two lovely creatures aren't aware of any of that. On Easter, they are thrilled with the guests and friends who wave from afar. They delight in the extra company, the hidden Easter eggs they can sniff out, the warm sun signaling the end of winter and some extra tidbits of leftovers from our special Easter dinner. Even though they don't know what Easter is, they participate in it, in their own way. They do know that it is a special day, that things happen on this day that don't usually take place on other days. They know the humans they love are more relaxed and content. They know it's a day of celebration. And their joy only adds to our own, as we place our faith in the resurrection of Jesus and look forward to the coming of his kingdom. |
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