Wombat wrote:
I've been told that in the U.S.A., Easter Sunday is the big day. If so, that would puzzle Australians of all major denominations for whom Good Friday is far and away the most important day in the Christian calender.
Really? That's interesting. In North American, Good Friday is seen as fulfilling scripture, sort of a lead up to the big show. Easter Sunday is the big one, as far as my family and friends are concerned, because Jesus rising is the celebration in the church, the defeating of death and proof that JC is the man.
BTW, sorry to anyone I might have p'd off earlier.
And actually, in our tradition, it's the Easter Vigil that's the "big" thing...the service that ushers in Easter after sundown on Saturday night (this being one of the feasts in which the church follows the Jewish tradition of the new day beginning at sun down). It's as big as midnight mass at Christmas...with Gregorian psalms, a huge anthem and as many baptisms as possible. Good Friday is definitely observed, often with Stations of the Cross, and there's also a major service on Maundy Thursday evening, with the washing of the feet and the stripping of the altar.
Redwolf
...agus déanfaidh mé do mholadh ar an gcruit a Dhia, a Dhia liom!
Stu H wrote:The results of my Roman Catholic education are:
A) Atheism
B) A healthy distrust of organised religion
I do however believe that we should remember Jesus whose death is traditionaly 'celebrated' at this time of year. I look at Chritianity as a humanistic philosophy and Christ as a man rather than the son of God. In doing so I hold him, his life and his death in the greatest of respect.
When I was at school, we were allways told that Easter was the most important of all the religious festivals.
So happy Easter to you all.
I find our stories (all of the human race, not just your and mine) fascinating. I was an atheist until 3 years ago and am now a Christian. We passed each other in the opposite direction. In any event, thanks for the good wishes and happy Easter to yourself as well.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which is least known--Montaigne
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light
--Plato
And still another story -- as a result of the Presbyterian church that I grew up in, I was proud to call myself "agnostic". But later I experienced a peace beyond any possible description when I was introduced to a risen, alive Christ. I could never doubt the meaning of Easter again. Happy Easter to you all! (As I munch on the goodies left over from stuffing my kids' Easter baskets -- yumm )
Here come's Peter Cottontail hopping down the bunny trail
hippity hoppity Easter's on it's way!
Bringing every girl and boy baskets full of Easter joy, things to make your Easter bright and gay!
There are jelly beans for Tommy, colored eggs for sister Sue and an orchid for your mommy and an Easter bonnet too!
Oh, here comes Peter Cottontail hopping down the bunny trail. Hippity hoppity happy Easter Day!!!!!!
Here's hoping everyone had a very happy and/or, as the case may be without any offence intended whichever may apply, blessed Easter! :roll:
Mary
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a
listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of
which have the potential to turn a life around. -Leo Buscaglia, author
(1924-1998)
My mom didn't get an orchid this year either. I remember it used to be a tradition. You could even buy them at Kmart.
Don't see any Easter bonnets either. Why somewhere at my mom's is a picture of me from the 1st grade in a bonnet made of tissue paper roses that we made at school. Not that I actually wore that to church. No siree. Every year I got a brand new Easter hat with a nasty elastic chin band. But I was proud to wear it even though I was turning blue from lack of oxygen!
Mary
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a
listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of
which have the potential to turn a life around. -Leo Buscaglia, author
(1924-1998)
blackhawk wrote:
I find our stories (all of the human race, not just your and mine) fascinating. I was an atheist until 3 years ago and am now a Christian. We passed each other in the opposite direction. In any event, thanks for the good wishes and happy Easter to yourself as well.
Is it not possible for someone who does not believe in God, to follow the moral sincerity of the teachings of Jesus.
The sermon on the mount, for example, outlines a way of life in much the same way as the works of Lao-tzu does in Taoism.
Taoism is however regarded as much as a philosophy as it is a religion - Taoist teachings encourage the individual to explore themselves, to act in a way that does not unbalance themselves or the society in which they chose to live. That way the individuals within a society will be caring and concerned for each other as well as for themselves or alternativley:
'To do unto others as they would have done unto themselves'
Sound familiar?
If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it's probably me - playing a whistle!
Stu H wrote:
Is it not possible for someone who does not believe in God, to follow the moral sincerity of the teachings of Jesus.
Yes, it is, and I know many good people who do exactly that.
The sermon on the mount, for example, outlines a way of life in much the same way as the works of Lao-tzu does in Taoism.
Taoism is however regarded as much as a philosophy as it is a religion - Taoist teachings encourage the individual to explore themselves, to act in a way that does not unbalance themselves or the society in which they chose to live. That way the individuals within a society will be caring and concerned for each other as well as for themselves or alternativley:
'To do unto others as they would have done unto themselves'
Sound familiar?
Indeed it does.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which is least known--Montaigne
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light
--Plato
Redwolf wrote:
And actually, in our tradition, it's the Easter Vigil that's the "big" thing...the service that ushers in Easter after sundown on Saturday night (this being one of the feasts in which the church follows the Jewish tradition of the new day beginning at sun down). It's as big as midnight mass at Christmas...with Gregorian psalms, a huge anthem and as many baptisms as possible. Good Friday is definitely observed, often with Stations of the Cross, and there's also a major service on Maundy Thursday evening, with the washing of the feet and the stripping of the altar.
Redwolf
As a matter of curiosity, after all these years I discovered that Maundy Thurday was observed by devout Roman Catholics while on the phone to one of my Catholic cousins last thursday. He remarked that they'd just been to mass. I made a joke about it being a bit early to free up Good Friday (as I imagined midnight mass might do) for other activities and he replied 'Oh no, we're going to mass tomorrow as well.' So I did a bit of digging to find out why thursday mattered, or rather remind myself of something I'd forgotten.
Wombat wrote:As a matter of curiosity, after all these years I discovered that Maundy Thurday was observed by devout Roman Catholics while on the phone to one of my Catholic cousins last thursday. He remarked that they'd just been to mass. I made a joke about it being a bit early to free up Good Friday (as I imagined midnight mass might do) for other activities and he replied 'Oh no, we're going to mass tomorrow as well.' So I did a bit of digging to find out why thursday mattered, or rather remind myself of something I'd forgotten.
Oh yeah - I remember attending evening Mass on Holy Thursday. It is celebrated in memory of the Last Supper.
If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it's probably me - playing a whistle!
I spent Easter with my neighbor and dear friend, a self-described "lace curtain Irish Catholic" who decided a number of years ago that she wanted to get a master's in theology from the nearby seminary--and did. (That's not to say she was always welcome, nor that it was easy.)
We've been hailing each other with the Greek greeting "Christos anesti" to which the response is "alethinos anesti."
We often try out exotic words on each other--she's very hard to stump!
***
Isn't Easter the only Christian festival to retain its pagan name?
