Thursday, April 19, 2007
Easter 2007
So it's Wednesday before Holy Thursday.. and I start to think, what am I going to do 'family wise' about Holy Weekend.
I'm taking Friday afternoon off -- around 2pm.
At 3pm at St. Thomas Aquanis Catholic Church they are having the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
Friday evening at St. Nicholas they are having Good Friday vespers with the Procession of the Winding Shroud and then they lay it out in the 'tomb'.
(I don't care what flavour of Christian you are, you should experience Easter I.E. Pascha from Good Friday to Resurrection Sunday at least once.. especially the Good Friday stuff)
and this year, St. Nich's is doing Pascha at Midnight (which is traditional, but they'd never done before).
So I talk to the wife. Say, hey Holy Week.
Let's go to St Thomas and then Good Friday at St. Nick's and then to the Midnight thing and then we'll go where ever you want to go Sunday morning.
Reasonable right? Should be a no brainer.
No, NO & no.
I tell her. (and you have to understand. I adore my wife. Absolutely ADORE her!!)
I'm not trying to convert you. It's okay if you're not Catholic.
It's okay if you're not Orthodox. I just want to do these things to celebrate Easter.
"Well, I understand. I have no interest in going. Feel free to go yourself."
arrrrrghh
I did not go.
So Friday phzzzt.
Saturday phzzt.
Sunday morning we wake up. Where are we going to go to church?
We decide on Episcopal.
We get to the opening prayer.
And the Priest starts talking about 'million dollar baby' after the gospel reading.
"Dad" says the Jade. "What does that have to do with the Gospel? Why is he telling that story?"
ah my child. said her father dotingly
Then he tells us to pull the ICON OUT OF THE BULLETING and begins to explain to us what it means and tells us about his visit to Greece and an Orthodox monastery.
Janice leans over to ask me something about the icon.
I short circuit. Everything I wanted to do didn't happen. (Mea Culpa). But now we're in an Episcopal church and she is asking me about the ICON of the RESURRECTION!!!!!!
arrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
no I did not cause a scene. I waited until the standing prayer, and I tapped Jade on the shoulder.
"Jade, tell Mom to meet me out front, we are leaving".
So we left.
I explain to her.
Church has 3 things.
1. Reputation
2. Format
3. Theology
The episcopal church, imnsho, has a piss poor liberal reputation.. an okay format (earlier I'd expressed to the Magdalena that everything she enjoys about the Episcopal Liturgy ultimately comes from the Orthodox....) and some okay theology, but nothing deep... and not always on track.
And I just told her, it gave me a knot on my brain. I couldn't sit there and do Church where she could ask me about Icons but won't join me even for a service at the place that makes Icons well, IKONS!
so we went to some charasmatic church and had a half way desent Easter service, for protestants.... (No offense guys)
I could have done all the things I wanted to do. After all I had permission (if you will).
But I didn't. Mea Culpa. I'm working with this crazy notion that we're supposed to do Church together.
Certainly this is not a new dilema. I'm just tired of it. Pavel even gave me excellent advise about it.
DO my own thing and treat her the same she'll deal.
Or get over myself and just be protestant that likes Orthodox stuff.
Sigh. My Pascha.
Christ is Risen!
Seraphim
I'm taking Friday afternoon off -- around 2pm.
At 3pm at St. Thomas Aquanis Catholic Church they are having the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
Friday evening at St. Nicholas they are having Good Friday vespers with the Procession of the Winding Shroud and then they lay it out in the 'tomb'.
(I don't care what flavour of Christian you are, you should experience Easter I.E. Pascha from Good Friday to Resurrection Sunday at least once.. especially the Good Friday stuff)
and this year, St. Nich's is doing Pascha at Midnight (which is traditional, but they'd never done before).
So I talk to the wife. Say, hey Holy Week.
Let's go to St Thomas and then Good Friday at St. Nick's and then to the Midnight thing and then we'll go where ever you want to go Sunday morning.
Reasonable right? Should be a no brainer.
No, NO & no.
I tell her. (and you have to understand. I adore my wife. Absolutely ADORE her!!)
I'm not trying to convert you. It's okay if you're not Catholic.
It's okay if you're not Orthodox. I just want to do these things to celebrate Easter.
"Well, I understand. I have no interest in going. Feel free to go yourself."
arrrrrghh
I did not go.
So Friday phzzzt.
Saturday phzzt.
Sunday morning we wake up. Where are we going to go to church?
We decide on Episcopal.
We get to the opening prayer.
And the Priest starts talking about 'million dollar baby' after the gospel reading.
"Dad" says the Jade. "What does that have to do with the Gospel? Why is he telling that story?"
ah my child. said her father dotingly
Then he tells us to pull the ICON OUT OF THE BULLETING and begins to explain to us what it means and tells us about his visit to Greece and an Orthodox monastery.
Janice leans over to ask me something about the icon.
I short circuit. Everything I wanted to do didn't happen. (Mea Culpa). But now we're in an Episcopal church and she is asking me about the ICON of the RESURRECTION!!!!!!
arrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
no I did not cause a scene. I waited until the standing prayer, and I tapped Jade on the shoulder.
"Jade, tell Mom to meet me out front, we are leaving".
So we left.
I explain to her.
Church has 3 things.
1. Reputation
2. Format
3. Theology
The episcopal church, imnsho, has a piss poor liberal reputation.. an okay format (earlier I'd expressed to the Magdalena that everything she enjoys about the Episcopal Liturgy ultimately comes from the Orthodox....) and some okay theology, but nothing deep... and not always on track.
And I just told her, it gave me a knot on my brain. I couldn't sit there and do Church where she could ask me about Icons but won't join me even for a service at the place that makes Icons well, IKONS!
so we went to some charasmatic church and had a half way desent Easter service, for protestants.... (No offense guys)
I could have done all the things I wanted to do. After all I had permission (if you will).
But I didn't. Mea Culpa. I'm working with this crazy notion that we're supposed to do Church together.
Certainly this is not a new dilema. I'm just tired of it. Pavel even gave me excellent advise about it.
DO my own thing and treat her the same she'll deal.
Or get over myself and just be protestant that likes Orthodox stuff.
Sigh. My Pascha.
Christ is Risen!
Seraphim
