Church Chat

Any of you familiar the Catholic faith know that this is pretty much the holiest time of year. I'm not here to convert you or witness. Just...bloggin' my experiences....

So, the last 6 or so weeks, we've been in Lent. Lent is all about being in the desert for 40 days with Christ. It's about cleansing your soul, stripping down to nothing and no one except you and God. It's about finding your demons and overcoming them. It's about facing temptation and denouncing it. It's about sacrifice and weakness. It's about personal crucifixions and being resurrected in light each time something bad in you dies. It's about ultimately being more Christ-like.

Powerful.

And that's just the desert part.

Today is Holy Thursday. Mass was 2 hours. It's pretty much my favorite night because the act portrayed in the Mass is so simple yet screams of incredible humility. The act I'm referring to is the washing of the feet. In case you are unfamiliar, this is the night that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples to show them that we should all serve one another. Even Jesus -- the Almighty -- the One -- the Son of God -- the Most Important Being EVER -- washed the dirty nasty crusty feet of his disciples. So...at church, the priests wash the feet of the catechumens and candidates who are to be joined in the church on Easter. It's a lovely ceremony. I especially am fond of the action of an authority figure being in a servant role. Maintains balance, y'know?

Tomorrow is Good Friday. I will go to the Stations of the Cross at 3:00. This is another favorite prayer ritual. Basically, it's the Passion depicted in icons. You will find these same icons in every Catholic church. Of course, the artwork will vary, but the acts are all the same. Some examples are: Christ Carries His Cross, Jesus falls for the 3rd time; Jesus meets his mother, Jesus is laid in the tomb....and my particular favorite: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus (future blog about Veronica coming -- stay tuned!). Anyway, the prayer sequence basically is interactive and it is meditative on each icon. The icon should speak to you. Themes might be obedience, thanksgiving, etc. Very deep. I haven't been to Stations in a few years now. I am determined to make it tomorrow. :)

Enough of the church chat for now.... thanks for reading!

Looking forward to the Feast,
Me