#lenten observance

[lightblueminecraftorchid]

u know it’s bad when ur doctor literally goes “hey you need to take a break from Lent/going to Mass this year until we work through some stuff”.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

The most powerful moment of the coronation of King Charles III was not the gold glittering off carriages or epaulettes — not the pomp and show and signifiers of power.

It was precisely their opposite: when Charles shed his gold robes and stood in a thin white shirt, his frail humanity implied.

Then a screen was erected around him and, shielded, he had a private consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury, who dabbed anointing oil with his hands on Charles’s bare breast.

"This was the most solemn and personal of moments,” Buckingham Palace said.

Charles was bare before God, in privacy, God being one of the last beings with no need to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

The Princess of Wales looked on as the screen shielded her father-in-law.

By contrast, she was at that point the most magnificent she had ever been, swathed in layer upon layer of regality, the dress, the robes, the hanging chains, headpiece and ribbons all serving to move the viewing gaze — subjects in every sense — from our awareness of Catherine Middleton with her everyday human DNA and towards the shared fiction of her transcendent queenliness.

Less than a year later, this moment is remembered with new and terrible power.

It is spring again, but it’s a time of hard Lenten moral reflection for us as a nation, in relationship to our royals, as well as an ever more voraciously unprivate modern celebrity culture.

Both the King and the princess have cancer, the latter’s disclosed by Catherine in an unprecedented video address on Friday, March 22.

Catherine’s speech was something of a plea bargain in which she traded not only her customary silence but her most personal of health ordeals in order to put an end to toxic rumours swirling online that had become in tone like an unruly mob rattling at the palace gates.

Or rattling at the figurative locks on her medical notes, with three workers at the London Clinic, where she and the King were treated, suspended and under investigation for allegedly trying to access her records (hers, it is important to note, the King’s were unmolested).

📷: Getty Images

What was so powerful about the anointing of the King was the sacredness of that space in which he could be fully human away from observation and judgment.

There should be another one-on-one consultation that is sacred, where anyone, from King to princess to pauper, can expect to be shriven in total privacy, and that is the sanctity of the medical room.

It used to be that priests were our only bound confidants, we could trust them to be privy to all our spiritual ills.

Now doctors are our secular priests: bound by law and ethics to enshrine confidentiality at the heart of the patient relationship.

As a result, our medical privacy in an age of oversharing and online surveillance feels both stranger and more necessary.

If we knew our every GP-inspected rash was to be posted on TikTok for the nation, many of us would quite literally die of embarrassment.

The King’s appointment behind the three-sided screen can now be viewed through the lens of royal illness.

The lavishly embroidered panels and expensive white shirt now replaced by the flimsy three-sided ward screen on wheels and thin hospital gown that can humble us all.

But it also enacts a principle at the very heart of becoming the monarch.

The medical-like screen is erected in the coronation to tell us there are some places the public cannot go; to tell us that there are sacredly personal moments in which a person, any person, however swathed in our projections of power, needs to be nakedly human.

Otherwise, they will go mad. We need to make sure the screens are erected around Catherine now.

Much is said, quite a lot of it by Prince Harry himself, of the dangers of the wives of the princes repeating the tragic history of their mother, Princess Diana, hunted by photographers.

He remains phobic to any hint of tabloid persecution or paparazzi chase. But this is a sideshow, even an anachronism in 2024.

He and others have not recognised how the “chase” has changed. Who needs paparazzi when there are a billion citizen hacks ready to take pictures with their phones, in case a convalescing woman nips to a Windsor farm shop with her husband?

Instead, the appetite now is not to see but to know.

The royals used to have a contract with the public: we pay for them, and in return, they give us their presence.

Nearly all of their official job is to do with surface: to show up, to put in appearances at a set number of functions, whether at the opening of parliament or the opening of a leisure centre.

But now parts of the online mob seem to be staging a coup. We want more than the surface, we want to puncture the skin barrier of the royal family and occupy from the inside.

The “fans” have become an invasive virus. The royal analogy is often that they are trapped in a gilded zoo. This new model, instead, casts the royals more as lab rats.

When Catherine disappeared from view in January after announcing a “planned abdominal operation,” the response from internet truthers was one of irate entitlement.

They are now the 1980s tabloids: ravening for intimacies and making stuff up when thwarted.

This wasn’t the boomer generation, who are both more respectful of the royals and more private about their own health.

It was the fortysomething mothers frustrated when they can’t track the phone location of everyone in their life; or the twentysomethings on Snap Map.

Both desperate for their personalised new Netflix season of “The Royals” to drop.

Catherine presents with such stoicism and dignity, it is easy to forget where this new invasiveness started: when she was pregnant with Prince George in December 2012 and hospitalised for extreme morning sickness.

While she was sleeping on the ward, a radio station in Australia rang the hospital switchboard pretending to be the Queen.

They broadcast the nurse’s comments about Catherine’s “retching.”

One could only find this prank funny if Catherine had already — a young, wretchedly ill, pregnant woman — been dehumanised.

George is now ten and his mother hospitalised again, and in that decade, the physical security of ill royals may have tightened but their claim to bodily autonomy seems to have weakened.

Some say Kensington Palace “brought it on themselves” by their wish for discretion; this claim is duplicitous.

The late Queen Elizabeth II became increasingly debilitated in her final years with not much detail ever given; just as her father, King George VI, died without disclosing his lung cancer.

I’m glad that the British do not subject their heads of state to the same publicised medical reports as the president of the United States; one shouldn’t have to present a stool swab to sit on the throne.

No, instead the apparent justification of all those clicking and posting conspiracy theories “worried for Catherine’s welfare” was this sinful truth.

As a beautiful, 42-year-old mother of three, her drama was more box office than the ailments of those older, a pound of her flesh was worth more.

Pity, Susan Sontag said in her 1978 book Illness as Metaphor, is close to contempt.

Back then cancer was still taboo. Those around the patient, Sontag says, “express pity but also convey contempt.”

Ask any cancer patient and they will say they don’t want pity: it is too isolating, it sets them apart, an unwanted privilege.

This is why the video plea of Catherine was one of affinity, rather than pity or privilege.

Last year, she sat in robes in Westminster Abbey at the coronation of her father-in-law, next to her future king son and future king husband.

In her video address last week, she sat on a classically English garden bench, pale, alone and in jeans, as bare of pomp as any royal can be.

No mention of kings or titles, just Diana’s ring on her hand.

Rather she gave an appeal, parent to parent, human to human, about her “huge shock” and her care for her “young family.”

And, finally, her kinship with anyone who lives in a vulnerable human body susceptible to a democratic illness like cancer, “you are not alone.”

Or, to paraphrase Richard Curtis:

“I’m just a girl, standing in front of a public, asking for some time to endure gruelling chemotherapy."

NOTE: Additional photos have been included in this article.

[posingsodomite]

The dinner that he gave me, incidentally, was so sumptuous — broiled quail and chanterelles, Saint-Nectaire cheese with figs — that I quite forgot to observe that abstention that is appropriate to the Lenten season. (In future I must remember to be more on guard about such things and not allow myself to be seduced by worldly pleasure. I must seek to desire no more than what I must have by necessity; I know all too well that temptations of this kind are precisely the keys by which a demon could gain entrance to my soul.)

(...)

The room Lord Vane has given me is marvellous — scarcely believable when one considers that I come to it directly from sleeping on a cot in a draughty boathouse. I have a window from which I can look out over clifftop onto the sea far below. I understand there are men who would give almost anything to have such a view. Perhaps I should feel fortunate that Lord Vane seems not to get many guests or I doubt he would squander such a desirable chamber on a mere humble priest like myself.

(@ Father Ardelian) HASN'T ANYONE EVER TOLD YOU TO ENJOY THE MOMENT AND APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE

[deceptigoons-attack]

Russian Peasants & Religion

Russian Peasants, late 19th century.

The religiosity of the Russian peasant has been one of the most enduring myths -- along with the depth of the Russian soul -- in the history of Russia. But in reality the Russian peasant has never been more than semi-detached with the Orthodox religion. Only a thin coat of Christianity had been painted over his ancient pagan folk-culture.

To be sure, the Russian peasant displayed a great deal of external devotion. He crossed himself continually, pronounced the Lord's name in every other sentence, regularly went to church, always observed the Lenten fast, never worked on religious holidays, and was even known from time to time to go on pilgrimage. to holy shrines.

Slavophile intellectuals, like Dostoevsky or Solzhenitsyn, might wish to see this as a sign of the peasant's deep attachment to the Orthodox faith. And it is certainly true that most of the peasants thought of themselves of Orthodox. If one could go into a Russian village at the turn of the century and ask its inhabitants who they were, one would probably receive the reply: 'We are Orthodox and from here.'

But the peasants' religion was far from the bookish Christianity of the clergy. They mixed pagan cults and superstitious magic and sorcery, with their adherence to Orthodox beliefs. This was the peasants' own vernacular religion shaped to fit the needs of their precarious farming lives.

A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891–1924, Orlando Figes

[breelandwalker]

Worm Moon - March 7 2023

The world is thawing and spring will soon be sprung. Dust off your garden tools and get ready for the Worm Moon!

Worm Moon

The Worm Moon is the name given to the full moon which occurs in the month of March in the Northern Hemisphere. The name is taken from the renewed visible presence of earthworms, which begin to bubble up in gardens and on sidewalks as the spring thaw approaches and increased temperatures and rainfall loosen the soil enough for them to emerge. And of course, this is accompanied by the presence of spring harbingers like robins and local songbirds, who are very happy to see this renewed bounty.

The March moon, if it occurs prior to the spring equinox, is also the Lenten Moon, named for the Christian holiday of Lent. Indigenous names for this moon include Goose Moon (Algonquin and Cree), Sugar Moon (Ojibwe), Sap Moon (Shawnee), and Crow Comes Back Moon (Northern Ojibwe).

What Does It Mean For Witches?

Full moons are both the beginning and end of the lunar cycle. With the Worm Moon, we can look forward to the beginning of spring and the yearly harvest cycle. So now is the perfect time for seasonal divination, plans for the coming months, and the setting of goals for the future, both short-term and long-term. You can also check in with goals you may have set back in January and record your progress. (Remember - even a little progress is still progress!)

If you're an observer of astrology, you might be interested to know that Saturn and several other planets are experiencing transitions this month, some of them for the first time in several years. For those who work in celestial spheres, this may herald a long-awaited breath of fresh air and (hopefully) positive changes to come.

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

The Worm Moon heralds the imminent start of the planting season. If you've got green fingers, now is the time to begin planning your garden for the season. Prepare your sprouting trays and browse your favorite seed catalog for inspiration.

As the Spring Equinox approaches (March 20th), this is a good time to start putting together any seasonal observances you'd like to make. It's also time for that all-important spring cleaning, so open up those windows on a warm day and air out all the staleness from winter. As you scrub and dust and declutter, you can also magically cleanse your space of stagnant, disruptive, or unwanted things, replacing them with your own energy and your good wishes and goals for the upcoming season.

Consider also how you can change or begin new routines and habits to improve your life, make better choices, streamline your schedule, or just give yourself a much-needed break. If there's something hanging around that no longer serves you, now is the time to consider bidding it adieu and moving forward to a new path.

This is also an excellent time for spells focused on fertility, optimism, and new growth. It's important to remember that fertility spells don't just have to focus on procreation. They can also be geared toward planting, creating, opportunity, inspiration, motivation, prosperity, abundance, and anything that requires nurturing and productivity.

The season of growth and renewal is upon us, so it's time to Ready, Set, GROW!

Happy Worm Moon, witches! 🌕🌱

Further Reading:

Worm Moon: Full Moon for March 2023, The Old Farmer's Almanac

Worm Moon: The Stunning Full Moon of March 2023, The Peculiar Brunette

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison

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[apenitentialprayer]

Fasting can so easily be done with the spirit of pride. And if we think that observing Jesus' command —"do not let your left hand know what your right is doing (Mt 6:3 [cf. 6:16-18])— means never telling anyone anything about our fasting we are mistaken. For the most dangerous audience for spiritual pride is ourselves. For this reason, sharing our Lenten program with someone who knows us well (like a spouse, a close friend or relative, a spiritual advisor), and letting them express their honest opinion about it, and thus being ready to reconsider it — this is a sign of a healthy Lenten fast, or a practice designed to take us out of ourselves, to relativize our wills, and so expand our hearts to embrace the fully cosmic plan of God revealed at Easter. We might grow in some virtue (or at least lose some weight) by giving up sweets for Lent. But, then again, we'll likely grow in many virtues we really need if we submit our program to the judgment of another, and humbly ready ourselves to hear something like, "Oh, that's nice, but perhaps what you might really want to work on this Lent is something like…"

- Fr. John Bayer, O. Cist (Fasting in the Rule of St. Benedict During Lent). Bolded emphases added.

[probablyasocialecologist]

The Phoenix was adopted as a Christian symbol in the first century AD. It appears on funeral stones in early Christian art, churches, religious paintings, and stonework. The egg from which it rose has become our Easter egg. As with many symbols, the Easter egg has continued to shift. When the Lenten fast was adopted in the third and fourth centuries, observant Christians abstained from dairy products, including milk, cheese, butter, and eggs. In England, on the Saturday before Lent, it was common practice for children to go from door to door to beg for eggs—a last treat before the fast began.

Even the act of coloring eggs is tied to the idea of rebirth and resurrection. While egg decorating kits offer a vibrant means of decorating eggs today, the link between life and eggs was traditionally made by using a red coloring. Among Christians, red symbolizes the blood of Jesus. Among Macedonians, it has been a tradition to bring a red egg to Church and eat it when the priest proclaims "Christ is risen" at the Easter vigil and the Lenten fast is officially broken.

[ave-immaculata]

Hi. I am messaging as many Catholic blogs as I possibly can for spiritual help--I don't know if this is offensive. I don't mean it to be--I honestly, I try my very best to be a good practicing Catholic--but life gets very confusing. Anyway, I've been absolutely failing at every aspect of this Lenten promise, and I am terrified God is going to hurt me or hate me or punish me or just let something like that happen--that is not to say God is vindictive--He isn't; I'm just being very evil by making a promise to God and then not sticking to it. I've been getting mostly positive signs, but I am afraid that I am interpreting them that way out the selfish desire to be good and loved by God and not because He is actually pleased with me. I know this is complex problem. I know if you find the side blog this is from that it is going to be filled with non-canonical thoughts and desires and takes on God. I don't do it to be disrespectful--I love the Church with all my heart. I never wanna leave Her. So, if you do find it, please don't be mad or think made this out insincerity. I'm just scared and life and maybe the afterlife is throwing things at me at a much more advanced speed and understanding than I am prepared for. I would talk to my local priest, but I have caused trouble in the Diocese before, and I really don't wanna drag those people back in or my current priest or my family and I don't wanna be humiliated again. So, all I am asking for is prayer. Just pray for me.

{{{{Lenten Plans from the Universe/The Messiah/The Golden Timeline (02/13/24)

Okay so basically, here is the plan--handed down through divine intuition or signs or whatever gave me the information--I trust the information source--so here's my spiritual cleanse for the 40 days:

3 days of (as close as possible) no sleep--72 straight hours--then 2 days of regular sleep schedule for the next 40 days

40 days of no more than 1200 calories every day

40 days no spend (outside of food and bills)

40 days (at least) of no medication (exception--Excedrin Migraine but only in extreme situations...)

Increased prayer/communing/sign reading

***I want to be clear that this is something that I am doing for my own spiritual cleanse and enlightenment and enrichment and etc; I'm not advertising this as a responsible or safe or anything--this isn't a recommendation--you're welcome to join me in an attempt but consult with your own support system including mental health team.***}}}

I'm sorry this is so long. I'm sorry for being confusing or weird. I hope you are having a blessed Lent and I hope that you are given many blessings for praying. God Bless and thank you.

I will absolutely pray for you. I also want to add, despite what I'm about to say, that I get the worry you're describing about God punishing you or letting something bad happen as a consequence. I experience that kind of thinking, and even though intellectually we know that's not how God operates, it doesn't necessarily make it any less stressful. Any practices or penances that are amplifying those concerns are not drawing you to God and are not good.

Your series of Lenten devotions, in my opinion, were always going to be failed. These are collectively (individually, even), stricter and more difficult than most religious people (monks, nuns, etc., not just people who practice religion) would take on. I would sincerely recommend considering lessening your observance for the rest of Lent and discerning these sources pushing you towards them with renewed skepticism (especially using Ignatian discernment, which I can describe more if you like). Especially concerning (outside the penances), is "sign-reading." I don't doubt your sincerity or love for God, but I don't know that, given your worries and anxiety, this is going to be fruitful or draw you into a deeper communion with God.

God will not try to trick you with confusing signs or threaten you for not being able to keep up with this. God isn't going to ask you to stop taking prescribed medications as a penance. Let your your love for Him and His Church be the foundation of the remainder of Lent; your desire to please Him is delightful to Him. Read the Scriptures and dwell with Him.

I obviously don't know the situation with your diocese, but please consider speaking to one of the Priests about this.

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Hi there, due to some circumstances beyond my control, plus my lack of patience and lack of control over dealing with a cold and very unsympathetic father, who is the polar opposite of my (deceased almost four years) LOVING and CARING mom, who would have commiserated with me, over the uncontrollable event that started it all, helping to calm me down...I ended up BREAKING LENT today, and feel like the biggest and most cursed LOSER on the planet RN, any advice or thoughts? I don't think I'll ever stop crying......

Dear anon, I'm so sorry you're going through all this. I promise you, you're not cursed, or a loser, and you totally didn't ruin Lent. It sounds like you are in a really rough situation right now, and you're doing what you can to get through it.

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your mom, and how unsympathetic your father is. You deserve support and love, and someone to help you calm down in times like this. It's unjust that you don't have that right now.

I want to tell you that whatever it is that happened, I support you and all that you're feeling; it wasn't your fault, and it's okay that you broke down under it, when you don't have a support system to help.

Meanwhile, if there's something you gave up for Lent and you've gotten this far in before one slip-up, that's impressive! A slip-up doesn't undo all that time before, or any time after — especially when it happened under such difficult circumstances.

Jesus said that "the sabbath was made for humans, not humans for the sabbath" (Mark 2:27). We have these various times and seasons, like sabbath or like Lent, to help us grow into who we were made to be. They are meant to bring us liberation, not shackle us to guilt or dread.

So it's not possible to "break" or ruin Lent; it's a flexible thing! In fact, over the centuries of Lenten observance, many people have intentionally taken breaks during it — calling each Sunday a "little Easter," one day a week outside of Lent when you take a break from the solemnities and whatever you've given up. (In fact, if you do the math for Lent, it's only 40 days if you don't count Sundays.)

You didn't break Lent; you took a little break from it. An understandable break, given what's going on in your life right now.

I promise you, God isn't mad or upset at you. God's with you in what you're going through; They know what you are feeling, and understand. They cry with you, and hold you tight as you cry.

I also sincerely believe your mom is with you in spirit, too. I'm so sorry she can't be there physically for you, and I don't want to downplay your loss, but also, what a beautiful thing that you can imagine what she'd say, what she'd do to help you calm down, if she were there with you. I hope that you're able to find some comfort in imagining both her and God embracing you in love and understanding.

Sending you love and support, anon. I hope that something really lovely comes your way soon, to remind you that while yes, there's a lot of pain in this world, there is also so much love, and you deserve that love.

[rabbitcruiser]

Saint Patrick’s Day

Saint Patrick’s Day is an annual feast celebrated on March 17th. Get ready to don yourself with the greenest garb, eat some clover-shaped cookies and march in Irish pride parades. St Patrick was the patron saint and bishop of Ireland. He was also the national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing the Christianity to Ireland. St Patrick’s Day is a religious feast day in the 17th-century which has evolved into a variety of festivals from across the globe. The celebration includes Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, and a whole lot of traditional green feast of the meal of Irish bacon and cabbage. St Patrick’s Day is also celebrated inside and outside of Ireland as a cultural and religious holiday. Saint Patrick’s Day is a global celebration of Irish culture and honors St Patrick, one of Ireland’s patron saints.

“Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me.” – Saint Patrick

History of Saint Patrick’s Day

The origin, history, and the first observance of Saint Patrick’s Day are as old as St Patrick. Therefore the exact person or organization who has come up celebrating the St Patrick is anonymous. However, the history and tradition of St Patrick’s Day celebration are rich and long. March 17th is chosen for the feast as it is the traditional death date of Saint Patrick in or around the year 493. St Patrick’s Day is otherwise called as or the Feast of Saint Patrick or Lá Fhéile Pádraig in Irish, meaning the Day of the Festival of Patrick. It is a cultural and religious celebration, and the Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for beyond 1,000 years. St Patrick’s Day was made as an official Christian feast day during the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church.

St Patrick’s Day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of the Christianity in Ireland. The annual commemoration, in general, celebrates the rich heritage and culture of the Irish. People in Ireland have been celebrating the Roman Catholic feast day of St Patrick on March 17 around the ninth or tenth century. The first parade was held to honor St Patrick’s Day took place in the United States and not in Ireland. The celebration Day falls during the Christian season of Lent, and the Irish families would traditionally attend the church in the morning and celebrate it in the afternoon. People will drink, dance and feast on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage as the Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were abandoned on the celebration.

Saint Patrick’s Day is still a public holiday in many countries including the Republic of Ireland and has also been celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. Until the late 20th century, the St Patrick’s Day was often a bigger celebration among the diaspora than it was in Ireland. Celebrations usually involve the public parades and festivals, Irish traditional music sessions, and the wearing of the green attire or shamrocks. The Irish brands of drinks are popular at the St Patrick’s Day events. The shamrock is considered to be the most common St Patrick’s Day symbol. The shamrock is traditionally the leaf of the clover plant that is referred to as a symbol of the Holy Trinity. People prefer to wear the color green and the St Patrick’s Day parades will hold the flag of the Republic of Ireland around the world.

The custom of ‘drowning the shamrock‘ or ‘wetting the shamrock‘ on the St Patrick’s Day was historically popular, especially in Ireland. A shamrock is then put into the bottom of a cup at the end of the celebrations and then the cup is filled with the alcohol like whiskey, beer, or cider. The alcohol is then drunk as a toast to St Patrick, Ireland, or those present. The shamrock will either be swallowed with the drink or taken out and tossed over the shoulder for the good luck. It was said that St Patrick had rid Ireland of snakes. However, there have been no snakes in Ireland. Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and is considered to be the foremost patron saint of Ireland. He was an “Apostle of Ireland” and bishop in Ireland. Patrick was thought to be born in Roman Britain and was kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave when he was 16.

Records say that St Patrick was actually born as Maewyn Succat, but later he had changed his name to Patricius or Patrick that derives from the Latin term for “father figure,” after he has become a priest. He had later escaped but returned to Ireland. Patrick was also credited with bringing the Christianity to the people of Ireland. Patrick had already come to be worshipped as the patron saint of Ireland by the seventh century. The precise dates of Patrick’s life are uncertain as there are many conflicting traditions prevailing regarding the year of his death. It is said to have died on March 17 in or around the year 493. It is said that he had been buried under the Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, Ireland. Thus the St Patrick’s Day celebration is held on the same date throughout the world.

How to Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day

Celebrating the Saint Patrick’s Day is quite easy. You can wear any green clothing on this celebration Day. Visit a church and attend a St Patrick’s Day parade. Serve your children with sweets and adults can enjoy drinking a ‘pint’ of beer at a local pub. You can organize parties at your home featuring the homemade Irish food and drinks that are dyed in green food colour are part of this celebration. Include the meal of Irish bacon and cabbage to treat your friends and family. If you are affordable, take a visit to Ireland to indulge yourself in the traditional celebrations. You can even go to any restaurants and pubs which offer Irish food or drink to celebrate this Day.

Source

[orthodoxadventure]

The next Sunday is called the "Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee." On the eve of this day, on Saturday at Vespers, the liturgical book of the Lenten season -- the Triodion -- makes its first appearance and texts from it are added to the usual hymns and prayers of the weekly Resurrection service. They develop the next major aspect of repentance: humility.

The Gospel lesson (Lk. 18:10-14). pictures a man who is always pleased with himself and who thinks that he complies with all the requirements of religion. He is self assured and proud of himself. In reality, however, he has falsified the meaning of religion. He has reduced it to external observations and he measures his piety by the amount of money he contributes to the temple. As for the Publican, he humbles himself and his humility justifies him before God. If there is a moral quality almost completely disregarded and even denied today, it is indeed humility. The culture in which we live constantly instills in us the sense of pride, of self-glorification, and of self-righteousness. It is built on the assumption that man can achieve anything by himself, an it even pictures God as the One who all the time "gives credit" for man's achievements and good deeds. Humility -- be it individual or corporate, ethnic or national - is viewed as a sign of weakness, as something unbecoming a real man. Even our churches -- are we not imbued with that same spirit of the Pharisee? Do we not want our every contribution, every "good deed," all that we do "for the Church" to be acknowledged, praised, publicized?

--Rev Dr. Alexander Schmemann: Great Lent - Journey to Pascha

[thepastisalreadywritten]

10 Exciting Facts About Easter Sunday

By: Shash Wighton

Updated: 3 December 2022

For those who grew up without much religion in their lives, Easter Sunday was more about chocolate Easter eggs and little more than that.

This day means much more to Christians, though, with some preferring to call it “Resurrection Sunday.”

This is because the New Testament describes Easter Sunday as the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, three days after he had been crucified by the Romans all the way back in 30 AD.

Easter has got to be one of the most confusing celebrations held throughout the year due to this fact, but we’re here to clear this up for you.

First, let’s go into why this happens in the first place.

As we now all know, Easter Sunday is connected to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This gets a little complicated, as this event was only recorded in the Jewish calendar that happened just after the Jewish festival of Passover.

The Jewish calendar doesn’t sync up with the Gregorian calendar, which most of the world relies upon, as it’s based on lunar cycles rather than the movements of the sun.

While a solar year contains 365.24 days, a lunar year only contains about 354.

The date of Passover also changes, as it takes place on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the 20th of March, which also ultimately affects the date Easter Sunday lands on.

Obviously, it is still possible to calculate what date Easter Sunday will fall on, but it involves a bit of maths and the consultation of charts, so we won’t bore you with that and instead suggest you simply Google it!

Not just in English, either, as the Dutch and German for Easter are Ooster and Ostern, respectively.

In Old English, the celebration was usually recorded as Ēastrun, Ēastre, Ēastru, or Ēostre.

The origin of Easter’s name doesn’t stop there, though.

In 725, Saint Bede, a Benedictine monk in the old English kingdom of Northumbria, wrote that the name is connected to the pagan goddess Ēostre.

Feasts were celebrated in honor of Ēostre in Ēosturmōnaþ (Month of Ēostre), which is the equivalent to April today.

At some point, the Pagan goddess’ name was appropriated by Christians for the name of Easter Sunday.

Like Easter Sunday, Good Friday also has a couple of other names, including Great Friday, Holy Friday, and even Great and Holy Friday.

Just like Easter Sunday, Good Friday changes date every year due to its connection to Jesus Christ.

Good Friday commemorates the day when Christ was crucified and killed by the Romans.

As Christ’s crucifixion happened a set amount of time before he was resurrected, the date is fixed according to Easter Sunday.

Fun Fact: Good Friday is not named such because the day was a happy day, but because “good” used to be a synonym of “pious” and “holy.”

Many Christians around the world observe the tradition of Lent.

During this period, diligent Christians must give up a Lenten sacrifice (some form of pleasure or luxury) for forty days.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and runs until Easter Sunday.

Traditionally, people in the English-speaking world would use up their eggs, dairy, and other richer foods the day before they began a fast for Lent on Ash Wednesday.

Because of this, Shrove Tuesday began to be known as Pancake Day in the UK.

The tradition crossed the channel into France, where it became known as Mardi Gras (which translates to “Fat Tuesday”).

Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, or however you want to call it is the day that slowly evolved into a day where celebrants feast on finer foods, especially on pancakes.

The eating of lamb on this day goes back further than Christ himself, as it is actually connected to the Jewish festival of Passover.

Passover celebrates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and at the end of it, a “Passover lamb” is slaughtered and eaten.

The tradition of eating lamb at the end of Passover was likely continued by those who eventually converted to Christianity, and the tradition of eating lamb on Easter Sunday began.

It’s been justified by Christians as the lamb is said to represent Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, but these days many non-religious British families also enjoy a lamb roast on Easter Sunday.

The Eastern Orthodox Church, which includes the Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches, celebrates many similar holidays to other Christians, including Easter Sunday.

For them, it lies on a different date, as events in the Orthodox Church are calculated according to the Julian Calendar, which much of the world used before changing to the current Gregorian calendar in the 16th Century.

So the date is different because of the use of two different calendar systems, but that’s not all.

When the Eastern Orthodox Church was formed, they decided to use a different formula for calculating what day Easter Sunday fell on.

Because of this, there’s actually no set number of days between Easter and Orthodox Easter, with the two occasionally falling on the same day!

These days, it’s not a good Easter Sunday without more chocolate eggs than you should probably eat. However, that hasn’t always been the case and still isn’t in some Christian countries.

Before Easter Sunday was celebrated with chocolate Easter Eggs, people used actual eggs dyed with natural plant dyes and decorated with intricate designs.

This tradition is said to go back to some of the earliest days of Christianity, with the eggs originally dyed red to represent the blood that Christ shed when he was crucified.

Followers of the Greek Orthodox Church still paint their Easter eggs red.

The painting of Easter Eggs is still carried out in most countries with ties to the various Orthodox Christian churches, with chocolate Easter eggs considered a more “Western” notion.

In 1772, Easter Sunday fell on April 5.

It also happened to be the day when Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen first set foot on the island, which came to be known in the English-speaking world as Easter Island.

It was already called Rapa Nui by the island’s local inhabitants, but Roggeveen decided to name it after Easter Sunday anyway.

Well, sort of.

He actually named it Paasch-Eyland, which, in 18th-century Dutch, translated to “Easter Island" in English.

As we now know, the date of Easter Sunday is calculated according to a formula that, among other things, takes both the lunar and solar calendars into account.

Because of this, Easter Sunday can be anywhere between March 22 and April 25.

One would easily be forgiven for thinking that any given dates that Easter Sunday land on do not actually repeat themselves in a cycle, as it seems to be different every year.

That’s not exactly true, though.

The specific cycle that it goes through (e.g., April 1 in 2018, April 21 in 2019, April 12 in 2020, and so on) has so many factors affecting it that it takes a mind-bending 5.7 million years to repeat itself.

[church-without-walls-ministries]

IT’S TIME

“It’s Time”, what does that mean? Time for what? Well, for followers of Christ, it’s time to get ready for resurrection Sunday, when Jesus Christ was Risen! Hallelujah!

So, it’s time to get ready and that starts this year on Tuesday 13th February 2024 which is called “Shrove Tuesday”, or “Fat Tuesday” or “Mardi Gras” (which is French for “Fat Tuesday”).

Many Christian communities that observe Lent also celebrate Shrove Tuesday, and traditionally, pancakes are eaten on this day so as to use up rich foods like eggs and dairy in anticipation of the 40 day fasting season of Lent. The beginning of “Lent” this year starts on Wednesday 14th February 2024 which is called Ash Wednesday, but this year it also falls on a date known by many as St Valentine’s Day, a day of romance and love in many regions around the world.

Why is it called Lent? Lent is an old English word meaning “Lengthen”, Lent is observed in spring, when the days begin to get longer. Lent is the time of preparation before the resurrection of Christ. The Lenten season is a time when many Christians observe a period of fasting, repenting, moderation, self-denial and spiritual discipline. The purpose is to set aside time for reflection on Jesus, his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial and resurrection.

Some Christians also take on a Lenten discipline, such as reading the bible and spending more time in prayer to get closer to God. You could use a Lent Devotional to lead you along your journey with the Lord starting on Ash Wednesday (see https://cwwm2011.uk/lent-advent-devotionals/ for your free 2024 Lent Devotional).

Don’t forget the date February 14th Ash Wednesday, It’s Time! So this Valentine’s Day Love Jesus, not just for the day but for eternity.

Peace be with you, Be Bold Be Strong

God Bless, Church Without Walls Ministries 🌈✝️

https://cwwm2011.uk

[degraziagalleryinthesun]

Ash Wednesday represents the first day of Lent. If you visit any Yaqui village in Northern Mexico or Southern Arizona during the forty days of Lent you will see this is their biggest celebration of the year. The devout Yaquis adapted the stories that Catholic priests told them and made them their own. They mark Easter with costumes, masks, paper flowers, and forty days and nights of Lenten observance and dancing. DeGrazia captures this celebration in his 1967 collection of forty paintings depicting the pageant of the Yaquis.

[prolifeproliberty]

40 Days for Life begins TOMORROW!

This campaign of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion begins tomorrow and ends on Palm Sunday (April 2nd).

It is not too late to sign up for an hour! Click here to find your local campaign.

40 Days for Life has seen over 22 THOUSAND babies saved since they started in 2007.

The end of Roe does NOT mean the end of 40 Days for Life. Not only is this an international campaign, but even in places where abortion is illegal, pro-lifers are still needed outside abortion referral centers to pray and offer help for women considering traveling out of state for an abortion or ordering abortion pills by mail illegally.

Besides, spending an hour a week praying for the most vulnerable sounds like a great thing to include in your Lenten observance…just saying…

I will be outside my local abortion referral facility praying and offering alternatives every Monday from 4-5 during this campaign, in addition to my normal Saturday morning hour.

If you sign up for an hour, send me a message with your name and when your hour is. I will pray for your hour during mine (and you can pray for mine during yours if you want!)

(If you’re in the Austin, TX area, click here for our local campaign)

[breelandwalker]

Worm Moon - March 25, 2024

The world is thawing and spring will soon be sprung. Dust off your garden tools and get ready for the Worm Moon!

Worm Moon

The Worm Moon is the name given to the full moon which occurs in the month of March in the Northern Hemisphere. Most sources claim this name is taken from the renewed visible presence of vermicast (worm droppings) and earthworms themselves, as the spring thaw allows them to emerge from the soil.

There is a possible alternative explanation, involving a colonial explorer's notes about the Naudowessie (Dakota) observation of emerging worm-like beetle larvae from the bark of trees. "Every month has with them a name expressive of its season; for instance, they call the month of March (in which their year generally begins at the first New Moon after the vernal Equinox) the Worm Month or Moon; because at this time the worms quit their retreats in the bark of the trees, wood, &c. where they have sheltered themselves during the winter." (It's entirely possible that this "worm" in this instance is a mistranslation of an indigenous word for "larva," since it refers to the larval state of certain beetles. Without knowing whether the language in question makes a distinction between larval worms and earthworms, it's impossible to tell, and I was unable to find further sources.)

Other North American Indigenous names for this moon include Goose Moon (Algonquin and Cree) and Crow Comes Back Moon (Northern Ojibwe), in reference to the reappearance of migratory birds, and Sugar Moon (Ojibwe) and Sap Moon (Shawnee), in reference to the season in which the maple sap begins to run and can be tapped for the production of maple syrup.

Fun Fact: The term "Worm Moon" only occurs in southerly indigenous nations. The March moon is commonly named for trees or birds in more northerly areas of North America because in those places, the native species of earthworms went extinct during the period when glaciers covered that portion of the continent. About 12,000 years ago when the glaciers receded, the forest grew back without earthworms. The species which now inhabit those areas are invasive or introduced specimens originating from Europe and Asia.

The March moon, if it occurs prior to the spring equinox, is also the Lenten Moon, named for the Christian holiday of Lent. If it occurs after the equinox, it is called the Paschal Full Moon, corresponding with the Christian holiday of Easter, or Paschal Sunday (This year's Worm Moon will occur the week after the equinox and Easter Sunday will be March 31st.)

What Does It Mean For Witches?

Full moons are both the beginning and end of the lunar cycle. With the Worm Moon, we can look forward to the beginning of spring and the yearly harvest cycle. So now is the perfect time for seasonal divination, plans for the coming months, and the setting of goals for the future, both short-term and long-term. You can also check in with goals you may have set back in January and record your progress. (Remember - even a little progress is still progress!)

Consider also how you can change or begin new routines and habits to improve your life, make better choices, streamline your schedule, or just give yourself a much-needed break. If there’s something hanging around that no longer serves you, now is the time to consider bidding it adieu and moving forward to a new path.

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

The Worm Moon heralds the imminent start of the planting season. If you’ve got green fingers, now is the time to begin planning your garden for the season. Prepare your sprouting trays and browse your favorite seed catalog for inspiration.

It’s also time for that all-important spring cleaning, so open up those windows on a warm day and air out all the staleness from winter. As you scrub and dust and declutter, you can also magically cleanse your space of stagnant, disruptive, or unwanted things, replacing them with your own energy and your good wishes and goals for the upcoming season.

This is also an excellent time for spells focused on fertility, optimism, and new growth. It’s important to remember that fertility spells don’t just have to focus on procreation. They can also be geared toward planting, creating, opportunity, inspiration, motivation, prosperity, abundance, and anything that requires nurturing and productivity.

The season of growth and renewal is upon us, so it’s time to Ready, Set, GROW!

Happy Worm Moon, witches! 🌕🌱

Further Reading:

Worm Moon: Full Moon for March 2024, The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Worm Moon: The Stunning Full Moon of March 2024, The Peculiar Brunette.

Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America, in the Years 1766, 1767 and 1768, Capt. Jonathan Carver, London, 1781. (Text available on Project Gutenberg)

The Next Full Moon is a "Supermoon" Crow Moon, NASA, March 5 2020.

Easter and the Paschal Full Moon: Determining the Date of Easter, The Old Farmer's Almanac.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 2004.

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