"Easter After The Passion"
I had thought I would wait until most of the hype had settled and the wagging tongues ceased before going to see the movie The Passion of Christ. However, I was invited to go with a group of friends and so I took the opportunity.
Not long into the movie I was experiencing the same visceral criticism that many other people have voiced. It was brutal. It was messy. It was in your face and cruel to the point of disgust. This was NOT a popcorn and soda movie.
And I found myself calling upon my reason, my knowledge of scripture and tradition, to put distance between me and what I was watching and, perhaps more importantly, to discredit the entire enterprise. In many ways my response was the same as when I visited the holy sites of the Holy Land. "Oh come on! This is crazy! You expect me to believe this?"
There must be something about having the stories, images, and places of my faith captured and presented in "real life" that makes them seem so false and unbelievable. And yet, after seeing them in the garish light of Hollywood and the Pilgrimage industry, I've discovered that what is really false isn't the event or place, but my expectation that faith is an artifact or a script--there to be visited or reviewed and then stored away.
"It didn't happen that way." "It happened that way." In the end, these questions are meaningless as expressions of faith. They are questions that ask us only to study the artifacts of history and reenact the dramas of the past. Will watching a movie and debating the 'facts' prevent us from repeating the Passion of Christ? I don't think it has so far. Instead what I believe is more important for us to ask is how the Passion of Christ is happening today, this moment, in our lives, in our world. Where is Christ's body still bloody, beaten, and abandoned? Do we fail to see the violence if it isn't as graphic as the big screen? Can we see the wounds of Christ that are no less grotesque but easier to hide or to see through?
Finally, let us remember that the wounds of Christ's passion--the wounds of our lives and our World are healed through forgiveness, reconciliation, and unifying love. As we courageously acknowledge the living examples of Christ's Passion that still surround us, let us be bold in proclaiming in our words, but more importantly in our deeds, the healing message of Easter Day.
Christ is risen!
Mark Lattime +
Monday in Holy Week:
9 am Morning Prayer
7 pm Evensong in the Church
Tuesday in Holy Week:
9 am Morning Prayer
7 pm Stations of the Cross in the Church
Wednesday in Holy Week:
9 am Morning Prayer
12:15 Holy Eucharist in the Chapel
7 pm Service of Tenebrae in the Church
Maundy Thursday:
9 am Morning Prayer
7 pm Maundy Thursday Eucharist and Stripping of the Altar
9 pm Prayer Vigil in the Chapel Garden of Repose
Good Friday
9 am Morning Prayer
Noon Liturgy for Good Friday
Holy Saturday
9 am Morning Prayer
Great Vigil of Easter
(Sundown on Saturday Evening)
7:30 pm Kindling of the New Fire
8 pm The Great Vigil of Easter
Easter Day
8:30 am Festal Eucharist
10:30 am Festal Eucharist
God's Gifts - God has given us the gifts to do the things he wants us to do!
A long tradition in the church is to recognize the three days (Latin: triduum) before a major feast as days of special devotion and dedication. The triduum before a feast usually includes special liturgical and worship opportunities.
The Triduum of Easter is Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
In our Prayer Book, these days are recognized with special liturgies (see your prayer book pages 274-283).
The first service of the Triduum of Easter is Maundy Thursday. You will note that this service recalls the story of the Last Supper and Jesus' act of washing his disciple's feet. Maundy Thursday is also the service when the altar is stripped. You may also note that it is the last service before the Easter Vigil when the Eucharist is celebrated - Communion may be offered on Good Friday, but only with sacrament reserved from the Maundy Thursday service (Communion is not offered on Holy Saturday). The Sacrament from the Maundy Thursday service is traditionally reserved at an altar in a side chapel or on an altar that has been set-up for the purpose of a vigil or watch through the night into Good Friday. Sometimes this altar for the watch is adorned with flowers. In contrast to the stripped altar in the church, the altar for the watch is intended to represent Christ's last night in the garden of Gethsemane. For this reason this altar is sometimes called a Garden of Repose.
"Wait here, and keep awake"
What is an "Altar of Repose?"
It is a place where the sacrament is reserved and where the prayerful come to keep vigilÑto watch throughout the night between Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. At St. Michael's the Altar of Repose for the watch will be in the Chapel.
What is the sacrament and why is it reserved?
The sacrament, as the word is used here, is the consecrated bread and wineÑthe body and blood of Christ, from the Maundy Thursday Eucharist. It is reserved, or reverently kept, in a place set apart for this purpose. As the outward and visible signs of the sacrament of Christ's presence, maintaining vigil in the presence of the Bread and Wine of Communion helps the prayerful to experience waiting and watching with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane the evening before his arrest and crucifixion.
So how do I participate in the watch at the altar of repose?
Please sign-up for a time slot (or slots) on the schedule posted in the tower room of the church. You may also call the church office during the week to request a time. Show-up on time or a little early for your part of the watch. Please stay for your entire time slot and, if possible, until the next person arrives.
Please honor the silent nature of this watch. There will be an assortment of devotional materials available on the prayer desk for you to use. Please leave these for the next person.
If you have any questions please contact Mark.[Back to the top of page]
Notes on the Liturgy
The word Maundy comes from the Latin word 'mandatum', which describes the emphasis of Maundy Thursday's worship service - Christ's mandate or commandment to "love one another even as I have loved you" (Jn 13:34). Since the time of the earliest Roman lectionaries (7th century) the Epistle reading for this Mass has been Paul's account of the institution of the Eucharist and the Gospel of John's account of our Lord's washing the feet of the disciples. By the mid 7th century, in many places the custom of washing feet had become a tradition - Abbots washed the feet of monks, and kings washed the feet of peasants.
We will honor this custom at St. Michael's on Maundy Thursday. Washing another person's feet, or offering your own feet to be washed, may elicit feelings of discomfort - it just doesn't seem very 'Episcopalian' to do something so personal or intimate. Nevertheless, the theme of the liturgy for Maundy Thursday: the love of God in Christ, and the commandment to share that love; challenges us to struggle with our understanding of intimacy and relationships.
Participation in the washing of feet this evening is NOT mandatory, despite the title of the day. If you would like to experience this venerable spiritual practice, however, you will be invited to come forward. You will have the opportunity to have your feet, or a foot, washed and then, should you wish, you may wash the next person's feet so that you have opportunity to experience both aspects of the Rite.
Those who do not wish to participate in the washing of feet are asked to join in saying the anthems, and to meditate on the nature of serving as Christ served and loving one another as Christ loved us. You may wish to focus your prayers on what barriers exist to loving and serving as Christ commanded. [Back to the top of page]
Boys and girls in 4th grade or are 10 years old or older come and join the Junior Altar Guild.
In April, May and June we will be meeting to learn about the Church and the work of the Altar Guild. As the children become more familiar with the Altar Guild and how to set the altar, they will have a chance to be mentored by the Sr. Altar Guild members.
We look forward to our first training session Saturday, April 24th at 10 a.m. in Rogers Chapel.
If your child is interested in the Junior Altar Guild, please contact Dianne Price at dprice@frontiernet.net or Julie Marshall at ajgtmarshall@juno.com.
Did you know that silence or a "period of silence" is suggested in no less than three places within our Sunday liturgy? The first suggested silence is following each reading. Imagine a period of silence to contemplate or continue to listen for God's Word speaking to you through the readings. What would that experience mean for you? Our custom, and we share this with most other Episcopal Churches, is to move right along between readings going straight into singing the psalm or, following the Epistle reading, the Sequence Hymn.
The second place where silence is suggested is after the invitation to confession. Here, perhaps obviously, we are given opportunity to use the silence as time for courageous introspectionÑto look deeply within ourselves and to name our sins before God. Our custom at St. Michael's has been to forgo this period of silence and move directly into the confessional prayer. What would it mean for your personal worship experience to have a moment of silence prior to the confessional prayer?
The third place for silence is following the Fraction (when the consecrated bread is broken by the Priest). Here the silence gives us a moment to contemplate the wonderful and mysterious gift of atonement or reconciliation that we have been given in Christ and nourished in Communion. Here again, or tradition at St. Michael's is to begin the Fraction Anthem (Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us) immediately following the breaking of the bread. What would silence mean for you in this place?
Silence, however, is suggested in many other places in our service. One place is following the petitions of the Prayers of the People. Here the silence allows for contemplation, but also for people to break the silence with their own prayer concerns. In many places, silence is recognized at the beginning of the service to allow people the opportunity to spiritually prepare for the experience of worship.
Over the next few Sundays, our liturgy will incorporate a fuller use of silence. We hope the experience is helpful to your spiritual experience and participation in our corporate prayer life.
If you have questions or feedback about any of the information contained in this article, please do not hesitate to contact the Rector or our Wardens, Kathe Wiener and Alan Case.
Application forms were made available (at the back of the church and in the church office) beginning Sunday, March 14 for church-sponsored scholarships for education.
Specifically, the St. Michael's Award, the Csapo Award, the Dewar Award, and the Hopkins Award are monetary scholarships given each year to parish members. All awards are available to any parish member (regardless of age) pursuing post high school education on a full or part-time basis.
The St. Michael's Award relies on yearly monetary gifts from the congregation to fund this award for any given year. Donations to this award are usually made on St. Michael's Day, but donations are accepted throughout the year. The Csapo, Dewar, and Hopkins Awards are funded by investments set aside by Donna Dewar and the families of Donna Csapo and Atie Hopkins.
Last year, three scholarships totaling $1950 were awarded. Specific amounts for the year 2004 will be published in the future.
One completed application makes the applicant eligible to be considered for all scholarships to be awarded. Completed applications (including two letters of recommendation) are due in the church office by Sunday, May 2, 2004.
If you have any questions, please leave your name and phone number at the church office. A member of the Scholarship Committee will contact you as soon as possible.
The St. Michael's Prayer Chain is active. This is a group of Parishioners willing to pray for the needs of others.
The chain is a group open to anyone who wishes to pray. You may contact the church office or Marion Maxson to be put on the list.
Present members of the Prayer Chain are: Joan Andrews, Nancy Bartholf, Irene Beale, Ted & Karen Canning, Cathy Ellison, Don & Sue Halstead, Margaret Hungerford, Phil & Caren Irons, Dee Johnson, Benson Jones, Mary Kruppner, Darcy Lynch, Jim & Holly Mullin, Liz Porter, Terry & Dianne Price, Faye Richards, Howard & Nancy Stewart, Jean Twidale, Karin Wallin, and Kathe Wiener.
Irene Beale
Ann Cook
June Dickinson
Marie Haynes
Iona Hennessey
Margaret Hungerford
Irene Kemp
Ruth Linfoot
Patty Moss
Joseph Pollard
Cookie Sherman
Gladys Simms
Scott Whitehead
This is an abridged version of the original, hardcopy Sword and Shield. For a copy of that version, please contact the Parish Office (info on Main Page)