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Post by Séamus on Apr 17, 2019 11:53:41 GMT
"it is Good Friday in Jerusalem and the year is 383AD. A holy ceremony is enacted and observed: 'a table is covered with a linen cloth;is placed before the bishop. The deacons are forming a circle around the table. A small gold-plated silver box is brought in. It contains the wood of the Cross. It is opened and the wood of the Cross is placed on the table together with the Titulus. The bishop still sitting, seizes the ends of the holy wood. The deacons guard it, standing, for now the catechumens and the faithful come up to the table, one by one. And so the whole people goes past the table, everyone bows and touched the wood and the inscription first with the forehead, then with the eyes and, kissing the Cross, they move on. But no one touched it with their hands. On one occasion, however- I do not know when- one of them bit off a piece of the holy wood and took it away by theft. And to this day the deacons stand round and keep watch so that no one dares to do the same again'
This is our earliest account of the veneration of the Cross and of Pilate's inscription, the Titulus, in Jerusalem. It is an invaluable, tantalising account of a liturgical event aflame with mystical significance and we owe this account to Egeria the fourth-century pilgrim"
From Carsten Thiede and Matthew D'Ancona's 2000 Quest for the True Cross, like their earlier Jesus Papyrus,a respectful book , but which picked up on some of the mystique of the 'church conspiracy theory' novels popular at the time.
Egeria must be one of the earliest women writers in the church. St Perpetua is the only earlier one that comes to me, not withstanding a 19th century painting (Maria Ellenrieder, Swiss) which shows the Virgin actually WRITING her Magnificat!
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Post by cato on Apr 18, 2019 13:08:43 GMT
I attended my first ever Tenebrae ceremony last night. It is a ritual where 14 psalms related to the suffering of Christ are sung and a candle extinguished after each until the church is in eery darkness. The congregation then create a noisy racket by banging on the pews to recall the earthquake and upheaval that marked the death of Christ . I was very surprised at the gusto of little old ladies banging on their pews. Active participation in the liturgy indeed.
The ceremony took over 2 hours and involved Gregorian plain chant and polyphony . The choir also sang the famous Allegri's Miserere in the context for which it was originally written . A wonderful prayerful ceremony.
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Post by Séamus on Apr 19, 2019 0:16:11 GMT
I attended my first ever Tenebrae ceremony last night. It is a ritual where 14 psalms related to the suffering of Christ are sung and a candle extinguished after each until the church is in eery darkness. The congregation then create a noisy racket by banging on the pews to recall the earthquake and upheaval that marked the death of Christ . I was very surprised at the gusto of little old ladies banging on their pews. Active participation in the liturgy indeed. The ceremony took over 2 hours and involved Gregorian plain chant and polyphony . The choir also sang the famous Allegri's Miserere in the context for which it was originally written . A wonderful prayerful ceremony. I wasn't aware that Maundy Thursday tenebræ had the earthquake also. Our chaplain supplies rattles on Good Friday, such as used to be used at sports events. Ironically most traditionalists dislike sports taking place on the day and the chapel happens to be close to both the main sports stadium and racecourse, both of which operate on Good Friday now. Seeing the sign in the racecourse 'Good Friday Racing Free Entry' makes you wonder whether the glass is half empty or half full- free entry is unusual, which shows that last year's inaugural year was only a minor success. And at least they do call it Good Friday rather than Easter holiday or similar. Still on the glass- the Australian Football League are starting their match later to accommodate anyone attending a church. |
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Post by Séamus on Apr 20, 2019 8:51:02 GMT
I know somebody who has lately been distributing Our Lady of LaSalette crucifixes to people. The LaSalette apparitions are one of the most unusual, particularly Mary's dress and the fact that they saw her wearing a crucifix. I was looking at the one he gave me and turning over in my head why the BVM might wear a crucifix and why THAT crucifix. The main feature of any difference is the two instruments on either side of the horizontal beam, the hammer and pinchers, one for putting nails in, the other for their removal. Seer Melanie often mentioned things like the citizens of France flocking to the butchers during Lent as part of the overall LaSalette message. It may seem strange to our times when Catholics are obliged to do so little, even in Lent, but perhaps it can all be taken in the context of a cultural move away from Christian Society as a whole. After all, if all society observed a strict Lent,restrictions, no matter how many, probably wouldn't actually be that difficult. With the hammer and pinchers in mind maybe we could Christianize the common saying 'if not part of the solution, we're part of the problem'.
The pre-1955 missal, before Pius XII's adaptions, recommended that the priest chant and, on Palm Sunday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday, incense the book, for the very last section of each Passion reading. It wouldn't have been to highlight that particular part, mostly about Joseph of Arimathea taking charge of the Body, although mention of anointing ties in with the use of incense, but it's of interest that the part about Joseph, the nail-remover par excellence, was by chance highlighted in the old days in this way.
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Post by cato on Apr 20, 2019 12:06:31 GMT
Today's second reading from the Divine Office taken from an Ancient homily for Holy Saturday is stirring stuff; "What is happening? Today there is a great silence over all the earth, a great silence, and stillness because the king sleeps;The earth was in terror and was still,because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages..... He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam's son".
I love the story of Christ's descent into hell and the stillness of Holy Saturday. No sacraments are administered today save to those in danger of death .The great theologian Hans Urs Von Balthsar, has written several works on this powerful and profound event. His Mysterium Paschale is well worth reading. Man killed God. God was dead. Nietzsche was 50% correct like most heretics.
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Post by Maolsheachlann on Apr 20, 2019 20:01:36 GMT
He is truly risen. Happy Easter, everybody. Although we are usually on the losing side in this world, Christ has won the ultimate victory already.
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Post by Séamus on Apr 21, 2019 22:47:37 GMT
He is truly risen. Happy Easter, everybody. Although we are usually on the losing side in this world, Christ has won the ultimate victory already. Terrible happenings (of particular interest to see Catholics targeted) in Sri Lanka for Easter day. And Dublin, like Perth, would have a significant community of Sri Lankans- the church my father attended mostly while growing up has Tamil Sunday Mass last he heard and Blanchardstown musician Siva Kaneswaran is another face of this. |
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Post by cato on May 3, 2019 13:59:21 GMT
On BBC radio 4 over the Triduum Jeremy Irons read the entire book of psalms over 4 separate days starting on Good Friday. It is strange to hear the psalms recited one after the other but Irons relished the task , using the wonderful King James Text. I listened to it eyes closed in the Easter sun in my back garden. The BBC player is quite good so it is probably still available.
I met Irons in Dublin a few years ago . Despite owning a pink coloured castle in Cork he is remarkably down to earth. I also know he is very kind privately to several individuals down on their luck. He has also criticised the throw away abortion culture - a rare stance among arty types.
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Post by Maolsheachlann on May 4, 2019 12:12:36 GMT
On BBC radio 4 over the Triduum Jeremy Irons read the entire book of psalms over 4 separate days starting on Good Friday. It is strange to hear the psalms recited one after the other but Irons relished the task , using the wonderful King James Text. I listened to it eyes closed in the Easter sun in my back garden. The BBC player is quite good so it is probably still available. I met Irons in Dublin a few years ago . Despite owning a pink coloured castle in Cork he is remarkably down to earth. I also know he is very kind privately to several individuals down on their luck. He has also criticised the throw away abortion culture - a rare stance among arty types. Yes, I was greatly impressed by Jeremy Irons's stance on abortion and he seems like a great, cultured guy. |
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Post by cato on May 4, 2019 22:12:31 GMT
For those of us of a certain age Jeremy Irons will always be linked to his role in the lavish ITV adaption of Evelyn Waughs Brideshead Revisited. Re-watching it is one of my favourite nostalgia fests.
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Post by Séamus on May 8, 2019 12:12:15 GMT
For those of us of a certain age Jeremy Irons will always be linked to his role in the lavish ITV adaption of Evelyn Waughs Brideshead Revisited. Re-watching it is one of my favourite nostalgia fests. Probably shouldn't forget his role in THE MISSION film either, although the movie seems to mostly endure now through the soundtrack piece known as Gabriel's Oboe. NB#1.I mentioned the True Cross book earlier- it might be of interest that towards the end of the book an important papyrus is mentioned that comes from the Chester Beatty collection NB#2.I'm not sure why there's a book symbol on this thread and whether it's only on my screen and whether it's something I did or didn't do when writing the first bit. Sorry. |
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Post by cato on Apr 11, 2020 11:00:41 GMT
The words of the office of readings from an Ancient homily for Holy Saturday are particularly apt ; Today there is a great silence over the earth.....
Sound levels in Europe are a quarter of their usual levels. We have been given a literal period of silence during this Long Lent of 2020.
I have been watching the Roman Easter ceremonies from an almost empty St Peter's basilica. A church without the people. The church without the sacraments. The veil of the temple was rent in two.
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