It’s Maundy Thursday
today and if life were normal I would be going to church this evening for one
of my favourite services of the year. The week would have begun with the joyful
celebration of Palm Sunday, but also the reading of the Passion narrative in
preparation for the week to come. As it happens DH and I have spent the last
two Easters in the far north of Scotland, so this would have been the first
time for a while that I had celebrated Holy Week with my friends in Wales.
There would have
been small, quiet services on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening and
this evening the celebration of a very special communion service followed by a silent vigil. Tomorrow there will be the deeply reflective commemoration of the
Crucifixion followed by the hiatus that is Easter Eve and then the glory of Easter
Day.
All of these are
meant to be celebrated in company – Christians coming together to be part of
the most important week of the Christian year and before this week I could
never have imagined how much I would miss being part of it all. I feel rootless
and cast adrift, thrown back on my own resources and not liking the experience
and what it tells me of my own inadequacies.
As it is I am
taking enormous comfort and sustenance from the many blogs I follow which are
marking the passage of Holy Week with art, music and very thoughtful meditations
and I’d like to say a big thank-you to all of them.
Image via Google
Perpetua, I'm sorry that you aren't able to participate in your community's Easter services this week because of the weather. Maybe this Easter season was meant to be a quieter more reflective one...
ReplyDeleteBut it's only Thursday, *possibly* by Sunday things will be better? Whatever happens, I wish you and DH a wonderful Easter!
Thanks, Rian and the same to you. You could well be right about it being meant, but I'm finding it much harder than expected. There's something about being quiet and reflective in the company of others which helps me concentrate and of course the liturgy helps enormously.
DeleteI'd love to think that by Sunday things will be better, but I seriously doubt it. here the temperatures are still struggling to get much above freezing so any thaw is painfully slow.
It sounds like you are experiencing something that was a gift to me not so long ago - the knowledge that we are One Body even in cyber space. Happy Easter, however you must mark and celebrate each step of the Holy Week journey.
ReplyDeleteThank you and I know what you mean, though before I've always thought of it in terms of the friendships we make through blogging. This time is different and I'm very aware that others are helping me to experience something very important to me in a new way, not of my choosing.
DeleteIt is a pity you won't be able to be involved in body, but, you are very much so in spirit, and that after all, is what is most important.
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate what you mean about the shared experience and am grateful that I am going to be taking part in all four days (God and the weather permitting).
Will spare a little prayer for you during the foot washing, where we will be singing the Taize Ubi Caritas.
I can't stay for the vigil as there would be no way to get home after, but we do crowd into the little lily bedecked Lady Chapel while the alter stripping takes place.
In some ways I love this, and tomorrow's solemn Good Friday service even more than the joyful Saturday one with Bishop baptisms and confirmations, and the Easter Day one.
Let's all pray for a change in the wind direction asap.
Easter blessings.
You're quite right, Ray, but it's been sobering to realise just how much it matters to me to be involved in body as well as spirit. I've always loved the liturgy of Holy Week very deeply, even when it was the most strenuous week of the year in my parish ministry, and the spirit is floundering more than a little without it. I know Ubi Caritas very well and will sing it to myself this evening. :-)
DeleteI do hope you manage to get to all your services and I'm sure the music you help to create will be wonderful. A very blessed Easter to you too.
Hope you will continue to have power and food until the snow melts enough for you to travel. May the next few days bring you unexpected blessings in your cut-off state.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nancy. We've been fortunate not to lose power and always stock up well in winter as being snowed-in is always possible up here. The unexpected blessings are already happening as I read your blog among others and reflect on your insights. It's just that I had never appreciated so clearly before just how much I value and need to worship together with others.
DeleteOh, Perpetua, I'm so sorry You are so stuck! As bad as winters in New England can get, somehow we always managed to get dug out within hours. Being truly snowbound is not so common nowadays -- but thankfully you we able to get yourselves prepared. And at least you are surrounded by great beauty. We have been spared the fallen snow, but not the cold -- it is perishing -- at least for the UK -- houses just not built for it and most people seem to have forgotten how to dress warmly enough when the go out. I'm always quite shocked to see so many bare heads and hands!
ReplyDeleteA long time ago when I was bemoaning the fact I would not be able to attend holy week and Easter services, a wise and mystical priest told me that at the appropriate times, I should bring to mind the altar of the church and that I would indeed be present in spirit. It was a revelation to me that this was indeed possible... God bless you both and Happy Easter! XO
Oh we truly are, Broad and we're far from the only ones. There was an entire village in North Wales that was only dug out finally yesterday and many minor roads and lanes are still blocked. In the UK we're just not equipped to handle snow of such severity.
DeleteI know what you mean about people being underdressed for the cold I go out swathed in layers and the wind still finds its way in. I think the lack of covering is a form of bravado, but it makes me shiver to see it.
Your wise old priest is absolutely right. This is just what I'm trying to do when it gets to the time of the services I'm missing and it does help. A very happy and blessed Easter to you and The Man.
So sorry Perpetua, I know how much I value the Easter services and would miss them dreadfully if denied access to them. And yet... is it maybe the case that "rootless and adrift" is the perfect experience of Passiontide? Not knowing which way is up or what tomorrow will bring... praying that Easter joy will surprise and delight you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Catriona. I've been following your Holy Week posts with gratitude, as they've kept me vicariously anchored in a beloved pattern. I think you've said something important there about being rootless and adrift in Passiontide. I hadn't thought of it like that and you're so right. I will hold onto that as I wait for Easter.
DeleteI am so sorry that your stay in the snowbound north has left you feeling this way Perpetua, but glad that the blogging world has helped a little. I can't provide you with words of encouragement from my own faith....being one of those whose religious faith got lost along the way. However, I hope the words that I have seen many of your friends have sent to you, will help you deal with what must have turned into a very serious piece of reflective time. Take care, and I trust that Easter Sunday will be as lovely as every for you. Jx
ReplyDeleteAs it happens we're still in snowbound Mid-Wales, Janice, as we won't be going to Scotland until after my first cataract operation, but snow-bound is snow-bound. :-) Given the way the weather has turned out, it's a very good thing we did postpone our visit.
DeleteJust having you take the trouble to comment is a great encouragement, thanks, as I learn something quite important about myself and my own faith up here on our snow-covered hill. You're right, nothing can take away the joy of Easter wherever I am. :-)
Hari Om
ReplyDeleteDear Perpetua; this seems to say something about the place of ritual in spiritual practice. Sometimes we are forced to (re)discover what lies beyond that, to sit within and rest at His Feet only.
As a Vedantin who remains a committed Christian it would be easy for me to feel that same 'adriftness' to which you refer given there is no church within calling distance of the ashram. Instead, I revel in His internal presence, in His form as Sri Rama, in his voice as it reaches me from the mullahs in the local mosques, or the Black Kites calling as they toss the sky out of their way, the coucals forever 'koelling' and the snuggle of the ashram dogs; I rejoice in the solitude I am afforded here, in the ability to chant in both Sanskrit and Latin, in the knowledge I am never alone....... especially now I discovered blogging!
I do hope you find your place of solace this Easter. Ever At His Feet, Respectfully, YAM
Yamini, on reflection it says quite a lot about the place of ritual and not only in spiritual life. We all have patterns of behaviour which assume significance in our lives and which leave us adrift when they are removed.
DeleteI'm really surprised at how much I'm missing the familiar pattern of Holy Week services, having said in my last post that I was content to sit all this out. But they have become so much a part of me over the last 38 years that their absence leaves a real hole. I do admire those who can surmount these changes as you obviously have done, but this is a first for me and I have a long way to go.
I'm sorry you're having to miss these things that mean so much to you Perpetua. I hope the snow clears soon. Happy Easter to you xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ayak. I think we sometimes have to be deprived of things to appreciate fully how much they mean to us. A very happy Easter to you and Mr A. xx
DeleteSorry to hear you are still snowed in. I hope you have a Happy Easter in spite of this.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. I think we'll be here for some time to come. Unfortunately we have a longish stretch of private lane down to the house which the council don't plough and we're getting a bit too old to dig it out ourselves. :-)
DeleteI replied to your last post before reading this one ... so your snow has stuck around then?
ReplyDeletePerhaps you will one day look back fondly at your 'different' Easter x
We're up at 1000', so a couple of degrees cooler than in the valley, which means that our temperatures are still not much above freezing at midday. This fact about the Welsh hills was actually mentioned on the BBC weather forecast at lunchtime and means the thaw is barely noticeable.
DeleteI'm sure you're right. One day I may well look back and blog nostalgically about all this. :-)
So sorry you are snowed in, and missing the most important liturgies in the Christian calendar. I love Maundy Thursday night too, and having missed 2011/12, it made last night all the more special. Sang Ubi Caritas...beautiful! Thinking of you in your snow cave, may you enjoy an different, but very Happy Easter with HB.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Patricia. I'm so glad you managed to get to the Maundy Thursday liturgy and can imagine you singing the lovely Ubi Caritas. For you it is already Good Friday with its own special liturgy. You coped so well with missing them in the past that it makes me look forward to being part of them again next year.
Delete
ReplyDeleteI miss the comradeship of the French Reformed Church...but the BCP is a grand resource.
It is indeed, Helen, or in my case the 1984 Welsh Prayer Book which has been accompanying me through this week.
DeleteI've known what I think you must be feeling right now, Perpetua, and how you are missing worship in community.
ReplyDeleteOne of the services I miss the most of the Greek Orthodox tradition is the communion service at dawn on Holy Thursday. It is very quiet with chanting and incense and communion. I think of it as being alone among many, yet not alone, for there is faith. I am not explaining it very well, but it is special joy, I think, and anticipation.
We attended a musical drama at our church for Palm Sunday that I wish I could have shared with you. An 80 voice chorus and 35 piece orchestra told the story of the Passion. There were parts that brought me to tears. Well, now, I've gone on and on, talking about me and what I did and where I was and there you are, dear one, in ice and snow. My thoughts are coming your way today.
Not going on and on at all, Penny, but sharing some of your spiritual heritage which enriches us all. I love to read about your Greek Orthodox traditions. Your musical Passion drama reminds be both of a similar event at our church many years ago now and also of the summer I attended the Passion Play at Oberammergau - an unforgettable experience which made the events of Holy Week really live for me. Thank you for reminding me that even my failing memory is stocked with experiences worth recalling, especially when I have so much time to do so. :-)
DeleteChin up, Perpetua.... I'm sorry you're missing such an important moment because of the snow. People and faith are obviously equally important to you, and it's something that must make you valuable to the church too. Having said that, there's still so much to be happy for. Admire the snow sculptures in the garden :-)
ReplyDeleteThey are certainly still there to admire, MM, as are the increasing number and length of the icicles hanging from all the eaves. :-)
DeleteIt's been very enlightening to realise how much being with people matters to me at times like this. even though much of the time I can be very content with my own company and DH's. Some things are meant to be experienced in common and it's a lesson I won't forget.
I'm feeling very sorry for you. I really am. As you say, Easter observances are the most important in the Christian's life and for those of us raised with strong church traditions, "missing Easter" just doesn't happen! But it also isn't very often that Easter comes this early and then is tied to such drama-producing weather. For me, Easter music is so important, and I hope perhaps you can find something on the radio Sunday that brings you closer into a sense of community. You've given me reason to be very aware that I shouldn't take the ease of our weather for granted. oxo Debra
ReplyDeleteThanks, Debra, but I must stop feeling sorry for myself. :-) As you say, there is so much music I can and do listen to, even though it's a bit muffled at the moment. And I have been reading and thinking and praying, but missing the liturgy at the same time. I shall watch the Easter communion service on TV on Sunday morning and be grateful for the technology that enables me to share in that worship at a distance.
DeleteAs for the weather - the thaw is proving exceedingly slow....
I am sure you must know the expression - 'some things are sent to try us'. This may be one Perpetua. There must be a reason that you are not able to attend your services and have been given time to reflect.
ReplyDeleteI am working today, there is no recognition of this Holy day in France. I find it strange that for such a very Catholic country they chose not to recognise this most Holy of celebrations. In Ireland all would be calm and the street bare whereas here people go about their lives as normal. And yet many find time for peace and reflection during their busy days. You have the gift of time... I wonder what He wants you to do with it?
I wish you enough .........
Kerry.
One of my mother's favourite expressions, Kerry. I grew up with it ringing in my ears. :-) It is certainly a Holy Week unlike any other I've experienced and I've learned a lot about myself.
DeleteAs for France, I think the state is determinedly secular and though there are public holidays linked to church festivals, the link is now historical only. I too was surprised to learn that Good Friday isn't a public holiday, but don't know the reason for this. Even in Britain where it is a bank holiday, Good Friday has changed out of all recognition in the past 30 years or so. Back then shops would be closed and the streets almost deserted, but now it seems a day like any other except that most people have the day off.
Today will be very quiet here and, as you say, that is something many people would envy. I will try not to waste it.....
Like the many commenters before me, I deeply sympathise with you Perpetua in your present plight. Worshipping with others is important along with our personal relationship with God.
ReplyDeleteOur main weather problem continues to be the cold. As a young Irish student who is in Prague for this academic year & was with us for our Maundy Thursday Eucharist yesterday evening, said in an email to me this morning, 'it had to be the coldest Holy Thursday of my life!'
As you know, the heating in St. Clement's is limited and as our host congregation don't have a service on Maundy Thursday, we didn't have the benefit we normally have on winter Sundays, of them having the heating on for a couple of hours in advance of our service. At least they DO have a service this evening at 6pm, before ours at 7.30pm. In this irreligious country, Good Friday is not a public holiday so we don't offer a daytime service.
We had the forecast snow overnight but it was relatively light so it has not created any problems. However, more rain or snow is forecast for Easter Sunday afternoon, just when I'm meant to be driving to Brno for their Easter Sunday evening Eucharist :-(
Thanks, Ricky. I know you would feel very much the same in my situation. It's been part of our lives for so long.
DeleteI do sympathise with the cold you're experiencing which I imagine is considerably more severe than ours here, given Prague's position in the centre of a landmass. I'm glad the snow hasn't been more than a temporary inconvenience so far and hope for your sake that it doesn't prove to be a problem on Easter Day.
Few old churches can be properly heated in such cold weather and I've been wrapping up very warmly myself this winter. But st Clement's is particularly cold and I shivered involuntarily when I read your comment about yesterday's service. Brrr!
If you read the preceding comment you will see that the Czech Republic is not alone in Europe in treating Good Friday as a normal working day, but it doesn't make life easier when planning services. I will think of you all at 7.30.
I really feel for you, Perpetua. So many of our religious holidays are so rooted not only in faith and spirituality, but also in personal traditions and when, for any reason, we can't celebrate with the people and traditions we treasure, it's painful. But sometimes a break from tradition can lead to a very special holy day. I felt at a terrible loss when we moved to Arizona three years ago -- away from the family and friends with whom I so enjoyed sharing holidays. But we're learning to appreciate some new traditions -- including an annual Easter dinner cooked by neighbors -- she Jewish, he Catholic -- and reflections of the meaning of the spring holidays, both Easter and Passover, for both faiths. I hope you find warm reassurance in your faith and in finding new ways to experience Easter hope and joy where the weather is keeping you!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for a really helpful comment, Kathy. You understand so well the mixture of emotions caused by the loss of cherished practices, even if only temporarily. I love the way you have built up a new and fulfilling Easter tradition with your new neighbours.
DeleteToday I've been away from the comnputer for most of the day, trying to be quiet as much as I can and it has been a deeply reflective day. Now I'm going to make supper and spend some time in front of the TV with DH, who much appreciated the hot cross buns I had to make instead of buying this year. :-)
Sending you love and warm thoughts,Perpetua. It's the best I can offer,as a heathen soul, but it's heartfelt.
ReplyDeleteThanks, CB. No-one can send anything more gratefully received. We don't have to share each other's worldview to feel for each other.
DeleteDear Perpetua, this posting was lovely in its sharing of what Holy Week means for you. I've traveled so far away from the Christian tradition that Holy Week is no longer a part of my life. And yet reading your posting, I find myself longing for that which used to be so central to my life. There is then some melancholy for me in reading the posts that you praise toward the end of this posting. I take my shoes off before the holiness of your faith and others. Peace.
ReplyDeleteDee, I think we can have great nostalgia and affection for things which no longer speak to the person we have become. That doesn't detract from their past value to us and what they gave us then.
DeleteWhat has been a revelation to me this week is how much it means to me to go through Holy Week in the company of others. Having always done so, I hadn't realised how different and lonely it would feel to do so on my own. The blogging community has been such a resource and comfort in this and I'm very grateful for it.