March 25, 2008 2:37 PM
Easter at church and at home
We went to Easter Vigil at St Francis deSales Saturday night - a wonderful three-hour service in which traditionally new converts are received into the Catholic Church. Tripp, who had been baptized in a Protestant denomination as a baby, then wandered until 1987 when he became a born-again believer, was confirmed and received into the Catholic Church.
I'd never been to an Easter Vigil before. It was quite beautiful and meaningful. We gathered round in the courtyard of the church, where our priest lit a fire, prayed, and we lit small candles to carry into the darkened church. After we extinguished our candles, there followed a series of seven Old Testament readings/responsive psalms and prayers. The readings recounted God's creation of the earth, the parting of the Red Sea, the story of Abraham and Isaac, and so on - all pointing to God's involvement in the life of man and our need for a Savior. In the darkened church, you could only see the face of the reader, then the cantor leading the responsive psalms, then the priest praying.
There was lots of incense, which reminded me of all the Biblical references to our prayers rising like incense. Following the readings, the lights came on and we sang a joyful easter hymn. Then one young woman was baptized and the new Catholics were announced, prayed for and confirmed.
Then the Mass - with lots of incense and singing.
It was all quite lovely and our children held up well. Justin went to sleep ten minutes into the celebration, but was wired afterwards for the modest repast in the church basement. Tripp received several presents. He was absolutely glowing.
As Evangelicals, we went to several churches which had begun the practice of practicing the Jewish Seder - in search of meaningful roots. I couldn't help but wonder why they reject Catholic tradition - which from the early writings of the Church fathers is closely connected to the practices of the early church - and yet search for meaning from the Hebrews. Not that I think there's anything wrong with remembering Passover - which was the precursor of the sacrifice of Christ - but why the double standard about tradition?
Just wondering.
The next day we had a wonderful dinner at home with our six still-at-homes, Josh and Hattie, Samantha and Kip and five grandchildren. Ben and Zach didn't come home for Easter this year, but spent it with friends at the beach - Zach on the Florida coast and Ben on the Gulf coast. I felt good when they called to say - unprompted - that they wished they had come home. But then Sophia said, "Yeah, Mom, they already did what they wanted and now they make you feel better. . . " I don't know what to think :) They sounded sincere.
Here are some pictures Samantha took (my camera is in the shop for a few days - something about a chip needing cleaning).
Posted in Catholicism, Family, My life | Permalink
Comments
The Catholic and Lutheran Easter Vigil Services sound quite similar (Not particularly surprising I don't think). Same basic idea- about an hour or so of scripture reading starting in Genesis, leading up to the joyful celebration (at about midnight) of Alleluias and ringing of the bells and more scripture. Always my favorite service of the year.
As a side note- I'm not sure that I've ever met someone who was distrustful of Catholic or Protestant traditions and yet embraced Jewish ones. I've met people who have chosen to delve more deeply into the Jewish ones (like doing Passover) rather than the others, but in my experience those I've talked to have been suspicious of tradition in general (Jewish, Catholic, or otherwise) rather than just picking one and disliking the others.
And as another side note- some good friends of ours are Eastern Orthodox. As some here probably know, their church calender doesn't always run the same as the Protestant and Catholic one. So this year their Easter (called by them Pascha) is at the end of April. It lasts over 3 hours- beginning with a full funeral service, ending with a full Resurrection service that begins at midnight. Followed by a large feast. We weren't able to attend last year, but are going to this year. I am really looking forward to it.
Thanks for sharing photos of your family. They are beautiful. It sounds that y'all had a wonderful Easter.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Posted by: tiffany | March 25, 2008 3:42 PM
Thanks for sharing this, Barbara. My husband is Catholic and years ago I directed the choir in his church. The choir sang at the Easter Vigil service. Very beautiful. You have shared that Tripp was received into the church - have you already been received?
Loved the pictures! As my oldest is graduating from college in May, each holiday has been precious to me this year as I don't know if he will be with us next year.
Posted by: Kathy | March 25, 2008 5:14 PM
Tiffany - I'm not surprised that the Lutheran and Catholic services are much the same. Martin Luther had specific grievances against the church - which were addressed eventually. He remained very loyal to tradition - Tripp told me that his tomb has a statue of Mary in it. It's been in the continuing splintering and protest that at the fringes of Christianity there is so much distrust of ANY tradition - to the point that in some evangelical churches Easter is just another Sunday.
Kathy - Since I was baptized Catholic and confirmed when attending Catholic high school, I did not have to go through the process. I just wnet through reconciliation/confession. I appreciate my 20 years as an evangelical which allowed me time to understand that which I somehow missed during those three years of high school. When I became an evangelical I assumed the Catholic church was at fault for not teaching me about Jesus. Now that I am at Mass and saturated in the Word I understand that He was always there - I just didn't have ears to hear.
Posted by: barbara | March 25, 2008 6:04 PM
Yes, in my (rather limited) experience with the Catholic church, there are many many things which are still the same between her and the Lutheran congregations I have attended. I was rather surprised to learn in confirmation (lutheran) that Martin Luther never intended for anyone to leave the Catholic church, but rather fix things he saw as wrong. Even more surprised to learn that the vast majority of his 95 thesis were later addressed and changed (I want to say 92 or 93 of them? Not sure though, been a few years since confirmation.) It is something I think that is good for Protestants to keep in mind. I fear that many assume that the Catholic church that Martin Luther took issue with never addressed any of those.
I was also surprised recently (in the past few years) to learn of a denomination that doesn't celebrated Easter at all. Or any holidays. They take a very much- it must be explicitly spelled out in the New Testament or it isn't a part of our gather sort of approach. My friend who visited on a Christmas to their congregation said it was a rather odd experience to be sitting in church on the Sunday before Christmas and not singing any Christmas carols.
It is sad so much of the church is scared of tradition. While I am not one who is for tradition simply because it is tradition, I think it is so important to realize that many many many traditions have a very specific (and often powerful, and Biblical) reason behind them. I mean, sure, many groups probably have traditions that don't have that background, but just because some hollow traditions have developed it seems silly to throw the baby out with the bathwater and assume all traditions aren't worth their while.
Posted by: tiffany | March 25, 2008 6:35 PM
I was hoping that you would blog about attending the vigil. Though a cradle Catholic, I attended my first Easter vigil 5 years ago when my husband was baptized. The beauty and transcendence blew us away. I imagine Tripp was glowing! Welcome to him and welcome back to you! It is so enriching for the whole parish to watch the candidates and catechumens travel the road to full communion. Did the choir chant the litany of the saints (my personal favorite) during the baptism? If you have Catholic radio in your area, I think you will find it a great aid in learning the faith. Praise God for His goodness and mercy!
Posted by: Anne | March 25, 2008 8:13 PM
Tiffany,
You might enjoy reading By What Authority?: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition by Mark P. Shea.. I have just finished this book. I was amazed to discover that Evangelicals also have traditions ( pro-life, monogamy in marriage, the Trinity, etc.) and that these traditions came from the Catholic church. Mark Shea's writing style is very entertaining, yet informative.
Kathy, a Presbyterian reading Catholic theology
Posted by: Kathy | March 25, 2008 9:00 PM
Thank you for posting. It sounds funny to say "welcome home" when I'm not yet where you are in this journey, but that's how I feel! Welcome home to you and to Tripp. I will go to Easter Vigil next year.
I grew up in one of those Protestant churches that eschewed all tradition. Every Sunday was The Lord's Day. We wore new dresses at Easter and got Easter baskets at home, but the service at church was no different than every other Sunday. Same with Christmas. We had a tree and gifts at home, but no creche, no mention of Jesus' birthday, and no mention of it at all at church.
I blogged today about my experience at a Jewish bar mitzvah and how that propelled me away from the church of my youth and on this journey that now leads me ever nearer the Catholic Church. I've been thinking the same thing that you posted about the rich traditions of the Catholic Church and how the Evangelical Church works so hard to "invent" meaningful worship experiences when the mass is deeper and far more meaningful than anything I've found.
Thanks again for posting, and for your wonderful family pictures.
Blessings,
Sandy
Posted by: Sandy C. | March 25, 2008 9:33 PM
Hi Barbara,
I am so jealous! I love the history I have with protestant churches, but I long for the beauty and majesty of the Catholic Church. When I was a teen I used to go to our church on Saturday just to sit in quiet and let the "awe" of being in his presence sink in. When we first moved to Ohio I went through a very difficult time. We hadn't selected a church and I felt so alone. I went to St. Paul's in town and sat in the back of the church. The cathedral was so beautiful, so quiet and so filled with his presence. Apparently I chose just the right time. I was crying and filled with pain. The choir sang and touched every space with music. I have never been so moved.
Many protestant churches have changed to contemporary music. While it may be good for the younger crowd, I think we have lost the sense of majesty and reverence for His House.
I'm so glad you had a wonderful Easter. Your church sounds wonderful.
Debbie
Posted by: Debbie | March 25, 2008 11:25 PM
I think I can answer your question.
The protestant church in looking at traditions is ever concerned about syncretism.
When Constantine converted to Christianity and the Roman Empire became the Holy Roman Empire there was a lot of "tradition" that didn't necessarily come from divine revelation or true relationship with Christ, but out of politics. And things like Easter and Christmas are a case in point. The reason Easter is celebrated the first Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox as opposed to when passover continues to fall on the traditional Jewish calender is that the day to celebrate Christs resurrection was super imposed over a day to celebrate the goddess Ashtereth, or the rite of spring.
The question remains, was the culture converted, or was Christianity subverted to the pagan culture surrounding it at that time. How many important things were lost? Were any? We call the day Easter, a form of the name of the Goddess, Ashtereth, Ishtar, Easter. We eat little fruit buns, the worship of the goddess included the making of small buns as a sacrifice. And then there is the bunny...symbol of fertility. Though that hasn't made it's way into Church practice.
The protestant church has the luxury of not having existed during the middle ages, or the dark ages. IT looks at the choices made by the Catholic church during those years and wonders if those traditions can be trusted. Did they truly come from God, or did they come from power hungry greedy men who ran the church as a government and political machine, including authorizing the killing of people who stood in their way.
In turning to the Passover seder the protestant is not looking for tradition to add to their evangelical experience. In turning to the Passover and other Jweish feast days the protestant is not looking for tradition but knowledge, a truer understanding and a deeper theology of the gospel of grace. Jesus celebrated the passover with his disciples. The things he said and did during that supper have great meaning, greater meaning if one understands the context in which he did those things. IN celebrating and learning about the passover, modern Protestants are attempting to more deeply and richly understand the atonement, the significance of the man and the life of Jesus. There is much richness to be gained by this practice.
Second, protestants are all about where is it in the Bible? The Feast days that Jews celebrate are set down in the old testament as ordinances and anyone can pull it out and read what God said to do and do it. I don't personally think that God intended for those ordinances to pass away simply because Jesus fulfilled them and the shadow. THey do for us what all ritual does, mark the time, instruct, and bring us back to awe and worship, but with great simplicity and purpose, and biblical basis.
Please understand that I'm not anti-catholic at all, I'm just attempting to explain the protestant mindset, which is largely my own as well, though not entirely.
I think the the early Roman church had to work hard to create traditions and that much of the motive was evangelical, and that much of it was colored by the Roman rule and conquer mindset. I think that in the process they threw aside perfectly good traditions that God already invented.
I don't deny that the modern Catholic church has richness and appeal, and gets many things right that perhaps the protestant churches miss, and that those traditions that have been created are lovely.
But given the choice, and I do have the choice, I'd become Messianic rather than Catholic.
Posted by: carrien | March 26, 2008 4:28 AM
Actually, the English word, Easter, comes from a German goddess. Please keep your pagan deities straight.
However, the first Christians did not speak English. They spoke Hebrew or Latin or Greek. The Greek name for the commemoration of the Resurrection is Pascha, from the Aramaic/Hebrew pesach, which means passover.
The Catholic Encyclopedia explains the timing of the dates this way:
To know this day was very simple for the Jews; it was the day after the 14th of the first month, the 15th of Nisan of their calendar. But in other countries of the vast Roman Empire there were other systems of chronology.
[snip]
Since Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, had been slain on the very day when the Jews, in celebration of their Passover, immolated the figurative lamb, the Jewish Christians in the Orient followed the Jewish method, and commemorated the death of Christ on the 15th of Nisan and His Resurrection on the 17th of Nisan, no matter on what day of the week they fell.
[snip]
In the rest of the empire another consideration predominated. Every Sunday of the year was a commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ, which had occurred on a Sunday. Because the Sunday after 14 Nisan was the historical day of the Resurrection, at Rome this Sunday became the Christian feast of Easter.
Now it seems that the spring equinox was celebrated on different days in Rome and Alexandria, which complicates the dates even more.
The eggs come in because they weren't allowed during Lent (neither was butter, hence the term "fat Tuesday" for using up all the good stuff the day before Ash Wednesday)
Carrien said: The Feast days that Jews celebrate are set down in the old testament as ordinances and anyone can pull it out and read what God said to do and do it.
Actually, we know that Christ celebrated the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22) but that is not in the OT. (Well, it refers to Maccabees which was one of the books removed from the Bible post-Reformation by the Protestants).
Carrien said:
The protestant church has the luxury of not having existed during the middle ages, or the dark ages.
And that is why I am not a Protestant... I prefer the church that existed at the time of the Apostles, and at the time of the Church Fathers. And I wouldn't consider spontaneous generation 1500 years after Christ a luxury, but rather an innovation.
Posted by: Milehimama | March 28, 2008 11:25 PM
Carrien: This paragraph strikes a Catholic as particularly ironic:
"In turning to the Passover seder the protestant is not looking for tradition to add to their evangelical experience. In turning to the Passover and other Jewish feast days the protestant is not looking for tradition but knowledge, a truer understanding and a deeper theology of the gospel of grace. Jesus celebrated the passover with his disciples. The things he said and did during that supper have great meaning, greater meaning if one understands the context in which he did those things. In celebrating and learning about the passover, modern Protestants are attempting to more deeply and richly understand the atonement, the significance of the man and the life of Jesus. There is much richness to be gained by this practice."
You have just described the richness of the Mass. Scott Hahn has done a beautiful job of articulating this in a very understandable way in his book, "The Lamb's Supper". The meaning of that last Passover meal can only be truly understood if one understands John 6 (that one must eat His flesh and drink His blood to have eternal life) and the Lord's command to "Do this in remembrance of Me". The key is humility. Like the irony of the cross, it is an irony that submission to the Church on this ("he who hears you, hears Me") often leads to understanding, and always leads to joy - it increases exponentially our understanding of Christ's love for us and the meaning of His statement that He would never leave us orphans. I hope you will take this to prayer and ask the Lord to give you the humility to follow where He leads.
Posted by: Anne | March 29, 2008 12:55 PM
Carrien, I recommend to you D. H. Williams's Retrieving the Tradition and Renewing Evangelicalism: A Primer for Suspicious Protestants, which pretty much demolishes the notion that Constantine and the Roman Empire corrupted Catholic doctrine. Williams is a Baptist.
As well, please consider the writings of the Church Fathers about the Eucharist and Sacred Tradition. Many of these men were writing while Christianity was still fiercely persecuted, and yet their teachings sound remarkably like modern-day Catholicism.
Mark Shea has a good piece about another Protestant movement that in its search for tradition is turning to Jewish rather than early Christian roots. Worth a read.
Posted by: The Sheepcat | April 3, 2008 11:22 AM
Hi, I just stopped in for my first visit. Welcome home to the Church!
Our family came into the Church at last year's vigil. It was so wonderful to attend the Vigil this year, and witness the power of God in the baptisms and confirmations.
God is good!
Posted by: Joni | April 8, 2008 2:04 PM
