Plans for Easter Weekend?

[Illumination70]

Dreadsocks-Your son is in my prayers.
((HUGS))

 

[Irvine511]

Hello....ummmm...I am from Norwich, CT.

I am also heading into Boston on Sat......

i'm from just outside of Hartford, the northwest suburbs.

we'll be outside of Boston, in Bedford, where my grandmother's nursing home is. not sure if we go up Friday or Saturday -- will be with my brother and parents.

i always get weirdly nostalgic driving along the Mass Pike.

and best of luck to your son!

 

[amerrydeath]

I'll be in Spain, we're going to a Jewish seder on Passover and seeing the amazing processions in Madrid on Easter

 

[Carek1230]

^Wow that sounds like a really awesome trip. Hope you take some pics and come back to share.

 

[A_Wanderer]

Ah Easter, when all of Christendom celebrates the day that Jesus forgot his "safe word"

I will finish Donald Kagan's book on the Peloponnesian War and play some Quake IV.

 

[nbcrusader]

Ah Easter, when all of Christendom celebrates the day that Jesus forgot his "safe word"

He knew it and intentionally did not use it.

 

[Liesje]

I didn't have a plan before but I do now: since my work is closed tomorrow, I'm staying home with my housemate b/c she's having all of her wisdom teeth surgically extracted tomorrow morning! I get to make her slushies and put in movies, etc.

 

[Bono's shades]

I have tomorrow off, so I'm doing laundry and cleaning house before I head out of town Saturday to spend the weekend with my parents and whatever siblings make it back home. Since I'm not working I may actually make it to Good Friday services at church.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

work

it's nice to have days off during the week instead of the weekend like most people except during holiday weekends. oh well, at least my boss was nice enough to "let" me come in an hour late so i can actually attend mass and eat.

 

[yolland]

So I have a couple questions about Easter Week liturgies-- Catholic ones specifically I guess, since I'm not sure if any Protestants do either of the following:

1) I once attended a midnight Holy Thursday mass at a very formal, traditional-style Catholic church, and the highlight of the ceremony was a thing where they turned out all the lights and pounded on the pews for a few moments before putting the lights back on. I was told later that this was meant to commemorate the earthquake that purportedly happened when Jesus died. The thing that doesn't make sense to me about that is, why would they be commemorating that then, when Jesus died on Friday afternoon? Why not do it during the Passion liturgy, which I'm sure wasn't part of the service I attended? (As I recall, the focus of its readings was the Last Supper.)

2) Also I once went to a Catholic Easter vigil mass, and there they did this very long and (musically) very medieval-sounding chant where they recited the entire canon of saints one by one and petitioned each saint to "pray for us." I was told that this is only done during Easter vigils or ordinations, and never at any other time. Why is that? Why not do it on All Saints' Day or something?


In Indian Orthodox churches, which have a curtain across the sanctuary (where the Eucharist is kept) at all times, they do a thing at Easter vigil where following the reading of Jesus' death, they turn out all the lights, then turn them back on to reveal the celebrant standing in the sanctuary--curtain drawn back--holding a cross which they had ceremonially "carried to Calgary" on Good Friday, then "buried" in a coffin behind the altar. (I suspect this is influenced by the Hindu practice of ceremonially removing the idol from the temple, "burying" it, then replacing it with a new one, which most temples do annually.) They then process around the church with the cross, while chanting a hymn based on Jesus' revealing himself to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Also I once went to a Catholic Easter vigil mass, and there they did this very long and (musically) very medieval-sounding chant where they recited the entire canon of saints one by one and petitioned each saint to "pray for us." I was told that this is only done during Easter vigils or ordinations, and never at any other time. Why is that? Why not do it on All Saints' Day or something?

I believe that's called the Litany of Saints, honestly I have no idea why it is only done at that time. I'd have to ask a Priest or my old school Catholic Mother

I went to Mass last night and they didn't do that pounding on the pews, I have never heard of that and I don't remember that ever being done at my church.

Wikipedia - The Litany of the Saints or Litaniae Sanctorum is a sacred prayer of the Roman Catholic Church and its Eastern Rite. It is a prayer of invocation to God, Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the martyrs and saints upon whom Christianity was founded. It is most prominently sung during the Easter Vigil and in the liturgy for Holy Orders.

In the Latin language version of the Litany, the names of one or more saints are chanted by a cantor or choir, and the congregants reply with either, Ora pro nobis (if one saint was requested) or Orate pro nobis (if more than one saint was requested). Both responses translate to "Pray for us." However, during the funeral of Pope John Paul II, the response was Ora[te] pro eo, or "Pray for him."

Following the invocation of the saints, the Litany concludes with a series of supplications to God to hear the prayers of the worshipers.

 

[nbcrusader]

Very interesting descriptions of the services - thank you for sharing. In our Presbyterian church, we have a Maunday Thursday service, which takes on the serious and sober tone when contrasted with the joyful celebration of the Easter service.

 

[anitram]

I went to Mass last night and they didn't do that pounding on the pews, I have never heard of that and I don't remember that ever being done at my church.

I've also never heard of it or seen it at any of the Catholic Churches I've ever been to.

Usually the Holy Thursday mass prominently features the washing of the feet (as Jesus washed the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper). I've seen it where only a few select people, like the front row would have their feet washed, or sometimes the entire congregation would have their hands washed instead (for obvious reasons, lol).

 

[yolland]

OK I guess the service was called Tenebrae.

Here's a liturgical ministry message board thread where they're discussing Tenebrae services like the one I was remembering. (Most of the more informative posts are near the bottom.) I don't remember the candles bit, but they are definitely describing the pounding noise. I guess maybe not many churches do it anymore, but like I said, the one I was at seemed very traditional and formal.

What is a "breviary"? Is it like a hymnal?

And anitram you're right, I do remember some people's feet being washed, now that you say that. Did any of you see the news story about the mayor of LA washing guests' feet at a homeless shelter dinner held earlier this weekend?