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Aunt Nattie doesn't care. |
God bless you for posting this, Doug.
Ignorance expounded at length.
| Reading | From a homily by Saint Gregory Nazianzen |
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| We are soon going to share in the Passover | |
| We are soon going to share in the Passover, and although we still do so only in a symbolic way, the symbolism already has more clarity than it possessed in former times because, under the law, the Passover was, if I may dare to say so, only a symbol of a symbol. Before long, however, when the Word drinks the new wine with us in the kingdom of his Father, we shall be keeping the Passover in a yet more perfect way, and with deeper understanding. He will then reveal to us and make clear what he has so far only partially disclosed. For this wine, so familiar to us now, is eternally new. It is for us to learn what this drinking is, and for him to teach us. He has to communicate this knowledge to his disciples, because teaching is food, even for the teacher. So let us take our part in the Passover prescribed by the law, not in a literal way, but according to the teaching of the Gospel; not in an imperfect way, but perfectly; not only for a time, but eternally. Let us regard as our home the heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly one; the city glorified by angels, not the one laid waste by armies. We are not required to sacrifice young bulls or rams, beasts with horns and hoofs that are more dead than alive and devoid of feeling; but instead, let us join the choirs of angels in offering God upon his heavenly altar a sacrifice of praise. We must now pass through the first veil and approach the second, turning our eyes toward the Holy of Holies. I will say more: we must sacrifice ourselves to God, each day and in everything we do, accepting all that happens to us for the sake of the Word, imitating his passion by our sufferings, and honouring his blood by shedding our own. We must be ready to be crucified. If you are a Simon of Cyrene, take up your cross and follow Christ. If you are crucified beside him like one of the thieves, now, like the good thief, acknowledge your God. For your sake, and because of your sin, Christ himself was regarded as a sinner; for his sake, therefore, you must cease to sin. Worship him who was hung on the cross because of you, even if you are hanging there yourself. Derive some benefit from the very shame; purchase salvation with your death. Enter paradise with Jesus, and discover how far you have fallen. Contemplate the glories there, and leave the other scoffing thief to die outside in his blasphemy. If you are a Joseph of Arimathea, go to the one who ordered his crucifixion, and ask for Christ’s body. Make your own the expiation for the sins of the whole world. If you are a Nicodemus, like the man who worshipped God by night, bring spices and prepare Christ’s body for burial. If you are one of the Marys, or Salome, or Joanna, weep in the early morning. Be the first to see the stone rolled back, and even the angels perhaps, and Jesus himself. |
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Easter is the Pasch, anniversary of Jesus' resurrection.
It has always been kept by Christians.
All the other stuff came later.
It's only in English that you could even begin to make this claim because only in English is the name a seasonal name instead of the Pasch.
Easter bunnies aren't easter.
The Empty Tomb is.
Easter eggs aren't easter.
The Resurrection is.
Celebrating spring isn't Easter.
Acknowledging the anniversary of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection are.
And that's all I will say on this stupid concept.
Here's one interesting essay on the topic.
Chabad.org comments that "A hard boiled egg represents the Holiday Offering in the days of the Holy Temple." another page at the Chabad site notes, "It is the custom of some to begin the meal with eating the egg on the Seder Plate, dipped in saltwater. The egg symbolizes the cycle of life and is also a sign of mourning. At every festive occasion, we mourn the destruction of Jerusalem."
Now, the destruction of the Temple occurred after Jesus's crucifixion. So, if there was an egg in the last supper, it may have been nothing more than something good to eat at a fest. On the other hand, there was the destruction of the first Temple. If the origin of the egg in the Seder was during the Babylonian Captivity, then the egg might have had a place in Jesus's Seder as a reminder of that.
In short, the egg has a lot of symbolism -- symbolism that is not confined to pagan origins. It's not my religion, so maybe it's not my place to say, but perhaps Christians would be better off concentrating on what the egg has come to symbolize, rather than what it may have once meant.
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Aunt Nattie doesn't care. |
"He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ."
(Col. 2:15-17)
I for one will take the word of the Apostle Paul over your own authority any time. It's God's word on it too.
There are a lot of bunny rabbits around here lately, especially in the morning. I look for their eggs, but find only the usual droppings. Do they leave eggs only on Easter Day?
Do you really believe this nonesense you are posting?
So I open up my Roman Catholic Latin Prayerbook and look for "Easter" and all I find is "Paschae" - "Passover" - in case you don't understand Latin. I search around for Easter Bunnies and such, but all I find is blessing for a Lmab and Eggs and Bread to be eaten at dinner to break the Lenten fast from flesh meat and eggs - the same food the Jews ate at the Passover Seder except that we eat leavened bread, to remind ourselves that Christ has relieved us of the bitter suffering of the Church of the Old Testament by the joy of the resurrection renewing the whole world.
You sure this Easter nonesense you are haranguing against is anything to do with Roman Catholicism? Why are you blaming it on us, when it is the Protestants who practice it and promote it?
I don't recall the Pope dressing up as an Easter Bunny or wearing bunny ears, do you?
Ever so often another one of those stupid arguments comes along to remind me that the church has her own share of cranks and loons.
Oh, just one thing...where in the New Testament does Jesus tell others to adhere to Levitical statutes?
