Celebrate God's gift of the sun on the longest day of the year. The summer solstice, and the official beginning of summer, is June 21st this year. Wake up early and watch the sunrise. Play outside all day long. Lather on the sunscreen and rest in the sunshine. Stay outside until the sun's last pink rays fade into night.
Download and pray St. Francis of Assisi's Canticle of Brother Sun:
"What do bunnies and eggs have to do with Easter and Jesus' Resurrection?" one of our first grade boys asked in religious education last week. Good question!
Historically, Eastre (traditional spelling) is a pagan festival that existed even before Jesus walked the earth. The Saxons of northern Europe celebrated the coming of spring in a festival devoted to Eostre, the goddess of dawn, spring and fertility. Eostre was viewed as the Mother goddess, who existed in balance with the Father in the heavens.
As the Christians moved into northern Europe in the second century, they attempted to convert the peoples to Christianity. As Christians have done throughout the centuries, these missionaries drew upon the existing pagan traditions and integrated them into Christian belief. The celebration of Christ's Resurrection was celebrated around the same time as the Eastre celebration, so there was a natural blending of the two traditions.
Eastre's symbols were the hare, eggs, and newly hatched chicks, all signs of new life and fertility. Since rabbits are more common than hares in most places around the world and rabbits are notably fertile, they came to replace the hare as an Easter symbol.
Eggs have been a symbol of rebirth since ancient times. Egyptians and Greeks would bury eggs in the tombs of the dead to symbolize resurrection into the next life. During the pagan festival of Eastre, the peoples would color and decorate eggs, a tradition that continues to this day.
So as your family participates in the traditions of egg hunts and stuffed bunnies this Easter, celebrate these symbols as signs of new life and rebirth rather than competition with the feast of Jesus' Resurrection.
This week, Catholics and other Christians around the world are embarking on special journeys commemorating Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection. We call these special journeys "pilgrimages," as those who participate are pilgrims walking in the steps of Jesus. Whether you take a physical journey or a spiritual journey of prayer, spend some time walking with Jesus during Holy Week.
VIA DOLOROSA - One of the most famous pilgrimages is the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows, in Old City Jerusalem. You can experience the Via Dolorosa on the Internet by visiting these websites:
http://www.holylandnetwork.com/jerusalem/via_dolorosa/via_dolorosa.htm - offers photos of the stations along the Via Dolorosa and prayers to pray in conjunction with the stations
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-via-dolorosa - I liked the photos and map on this website
EL SANTUARIO DE CHIMAYO - In the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, thousands of pilgrims visit El Santuario de Chimayo each year. This site, referred to as the Lourdes of America, is a simple adobe chapel, but is said to be a place of spiritual and physical healing. On Good Friday, pilgrims walk from nearby villages to remember Jesus' sacrifice. Many pilgrims begin a week-long journey on Palm Sunday, walking 100-miles from Albuquerque to Chimayo.
http://www.archdiocesesantafe.org/AboutASF/Chimayo.html - provides a basic introduction on El Santuario de Chimayo on the Archdiocese of Santa Fe website
http://holychimayo.us/ - the main website of El Santuario de Chimayo; click on "A Place of History" for the story behind the "holy dirt" of Chimayo
MOUNT ADAMS STEPS - In Cincinnati, Ohio, pilgrims "pray the steps" to Holy Cross-Immaculata Church. This 150-year old tradition began with a promise to the Blessed Virgin Mary by John Purcell, the first archbishop of Cincinnati. During a terrible storm at sea on a return voyage from Rome, Archbishop Purcell promised that, if he survived, he would build a church to honor Mary in Mt. Adams. People pray in their individual ways as they climb the steps to the church. Some say the Rosary, others read from prayer books, still others pray in their own words in conversation with God. Children are encouraged to say a Hail Mary on each step and an Our Father on the landings.
http://mtadamssteps.com/mtadamssteps/index2.htm - offers a brief description of Mount Adams Steps
http://hciparish.org/ - the official website for Holy Cross-Immaculata Parish
PARISH STATIONS OF THE CROSS - Catholic parishes around the world pray the Stations of the Cross, especially on Good Friday. This devotion includes reflections on the 14 Stations of Jesus' passion and death.
http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/child/stations/ - on-line Stations of the Cross, especially for children
http://www.usccb.org/nab/stations.htm - Stations of the Cross based on those celebrated by Pope John Paul II's on Good Friday in 1991
Each year, the Holy Childhood Association sponsors a National Prayer Week to encourage Catholic children and families to pray for missions throughout the world.
Prayer is a powerful mission ministry. In fact, Pope Benedict XVI said that he counts on the prayers and missionary commitment of children. "In my ministry, I also count on children's prayers and their active participation in the mission of the Church," the Holy Father said.
During the week of March 14-21, 2010, children and families are invited to share the following prayer for missions around the world:
Through our Baptism, we are called to share Your love and Your peace everywhere. We are Your ambassadors, sent to bring the "Good News" of Jesus to all, beginning in our own communities and reaching "to the ends of the earth."
Fill our hearts with the love and peace of Jesus, especially as we meet Him in the Sacraments. Help us to be examples of Your compassion and a source of Your hope to all, especially those who are poor, lonely, suffering and sick.
Give us strength to show others what it means to follow Jesus. Help us to answer the call to be His witnesses, His missionaries.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who is Lord forever. Amen.
For information about the ministry of the Holy Childhood Association, including on-line activities for children, check out www.hcakids.org.
For more information about the Pontifical Mission Society, go to www.onefamilyinmission.org.
Boxing Day. It's on our American calendars as a Canadian holiday. While people in Canada and England know what Boxing Day is all about, we here in the U.S. speculate about what it is.
"It's a national boxing tournament."
"It's the day people box up all of their Christmas decorations."
"It's the day people go through all of their storage boxes to see what they have."
"It's the day people box up old clothes and stuff to donate to a charity organization." BINGO!
Boxing Day originated in the mid-nineteenth century under Queen Victoria. It originated as a holiday for members of the merchant class to give boxes containing food and fruit, clothing, and/or money to trades people and servants. The gifts were an expression of gratitude similar to the bonuses many employers offer their employees today. These gifts, usually given in boxes, gave the holiday it's name, "Boxing Day." Also related to the origin of Boxing Day is the tradition of opening the alms boxes placed in churches over the Christmas season. The contents of these boxes were distributed among the poor by the clergy on the day after Christmas, the feast of St. Stephen. (http://www.calendar-updates.com/info/holidays/canada/boxing.aspx)
Related to Boxing Day, the carol "Good King Wenceslas" is about a king who goes out on the feast of St. Stephen to give alms to the poor. During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by the heat miraculously emanating from the king's footprints in the snow. This legend is based on the life of the historical Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia (907-935). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_King_Wenceslas)
Today, December 21st, is the Winter Solstice, having the shortest daylight hours of the year. The Winter Solstice is a turning point; from today forward, the hours of daylight will increase.
In ancient times, the Winter Solstice was a time of celebration. During this time, which they called Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, "the Romans celebrated their midwinter holiday, Saturnalia, which involved decorating the halls of houses with boughs of lauren and evergreen trees. Lamps were kept burning to ward off the spirits of darkness. Temples were decorated with evergreens symbolizing life's continuity, and processions of people with masked or blackened faces and colorful hats danced through the streets." (http://www.shambhala.org/arts/fest/unconquered.html)
Around 350 C.E., December 25th was adopted as the feast of Christmas. This allowed Christians to celebrate the birth of Christ at the same time as the celebrations of Saturnalia and Yule, so that they would "fit in" secular society better.
On this day of less daylight, lights some candles in your home to remember that Christ, the Light of the World, dispels the darkness of winter and sometimes difficult lives.
Whenever I ask children what happens on Easter, usually their first response has something to do with the Easter bunny and Easter eggs. So how did these symbols become associated with Easter, the day we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and God?
The title "Easter" for this holiday has its roots in the Pagan equinox festival. The ancient Saxons (on the isle now known as Britain) devoted the month of April to celebrating their goddess of fertility, Eastre or Eostre. Eastre's sacred animal is the hare, rabbit, which is a common symbol of fertility and birth. The Easter bunny bringing eggs and gifts to children is believed to have its origins in 16th century Germany. The Germans then brought this tradition to America.
Eggs have long been associated with springtime and life. The ancient Romans and Greeks used eggs in their rites to their fertility gods. Even the Jewish ritual of the Passover seder includes eggs. In the spring, new birds and animals are born, so nests of eggs are a natural part of springtime. Coloring eggs and giving them to people you love is a tradition that goes back to 16th century Germany.
Life comes from eggs. All animals - mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians - are born of eggs. (Parents, there are some really good books to help you help little ones understand how mammals, including humans are born from eggs!) So it is natural for eggs to be associated with life on Easter, the holiday that we celebrate new life in Christ's Resurrection.
This weekend, have some fun with your family. Color and decorate Easter eggs. Have an Easter egg hunt. For more Easter crafts and games, visit http://www.familyeducation.com/search/results/?keywords=easter
For more information about the history of Easter traditions, visit these websites: http://holidays.net/easter/ or http://www.easterbunnys.net/traditions.htm or http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05224d.htm
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