i want to fill you in on our holy week and easter celebrations! i feel very privileged to live in camden during this week. resurrection is such a real phenomenon in our neighborhood - so much is dying and so much is rising.
on wednesday we had our seder meal which is, as far as i can tell, pretty traditional. we have the wine and the green vegetable and the bitter herbs and the matzoh and the lamb. (which means lamb curry later that week for us!) as a continuation of that meal we have our maundy thursday mass (my favorite) which commemerates the last supper of jesus and his disciples - we have our hands washed in perfumed water and participate in the adoration of the eucharist. on friday, the most somber of the week, we have our stations of the cross. (pictured below) at each station, while we remember jesus' last hours, we also remember someone who has been killed in our neighborhood. later that day we have our good friday mass - it's very quiet and contemplative as we read the passion story and kiss the feet of jesus.
the culmination of it all, of course, is the easter morning vigil at 4:30 am. it's hard to wake up so ridiculously early but there is no doubt that it's worth it. we hear the creation story read and as adam and eve are banished from the garden we are sent out into the cold, down into the "tomb" (basement) where we hear the exodus story and the resurrection story read. once we declare that christ has risen we process through the neighborhood as the sun rises, ringing bells, swinging incense and singing alleluia. the music is jubilent and we are swept up in the joy of the resurrection.
there is, of course, so much nuance and beauty in the details of these events but for the sake of the length of this post, you just get the gist.
after all that we have our annual easter morning breakfast with all of the foods we have given up for lent. ice cream, candy, cake (and other more healthy and typical breakfast foods!)
so, now, we are exhausted and hyped up on sugar... here are some photos:
these ladies are doing their own version of "christmas caroling" on easter - bringing friends forsythia. so nice.
5 comments:
We had our good friday stations walk and our Easter vigil last night. I was thinking about the Sacred Heart service the whole time. Its so nice to see these pics, especially the heal camden lot that I tried to make and never really followed through with. It looks really nice and so do all the photos :) Have a good resurrection Sunday :)
love you and wish we could all be together on this wonderful day!
beautiful Cass
I would love to hear the whole gist!
umm. cassie, i believe justin from new jerus is that picture labeled "the ladies"..... hehe
Happy Easter, Cassie! I know it's weeks late, but I'm just getting caught up on blog posts, and reading this transports me back to the joy of that sacred morning! I especially miss liturgy during Holy Week, but our little Mennonite church was lovely in it's own way. The pictures are great, I especially love the one of you and Chris carrying the cross. What an honor! Love to you both,
Caren
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