A Sunday Thought to Start the Week Off Right
In our part of the world, Easter typically partners with spring. As we change from purple to white at Mass, we begin to see and feel a change in Mother Nature. At least that's the theory. So far, April's been reluctant to release those warmer temperatures, although the past week seems to mark a change - finally.
It would take more than chilly temps and frequent clouds and showers to dampen our Easter spirit. That's especially true for those of us who get not one, but two Easters. Those of you who've married a Byzantine Rite Catholic know what I'm talking about. Since the Latin Rite and the Eastern Rites follow different liturgical calendars, the observation of Easter usually doesn't coincide. So this year, as with so many past years, our family observed Easter twice: once on April 1st, again on April 8th. While my wife, having been born Byzantine Rite Catholic, has graciously kept the observance of all my Latin Rite Catholic feasts, she has also done her best to continue her own tradition. This has centered mostly on Easter. The outward manifestation of that tradition begins with the special food prepared for Easter.
It starts by preparing our Easter baskets with the food to be blessed on Holy Saturday. You need access to the traditional meats, bread, cheese, and other foods specific to the culture and tradition. For Ukrainians, that consists of a bread called "Pascha," meats that include kobasa, kobanos, ziets, bacon, farmer's cheese, salt, butter and hard-boiled eggs. We're fortunate to have access to a butcher that specializes in the traditional meats. While we can also purchase the traditional breads there, my wife learned from her mother how to bake fresh Pascha, and still does that. On Byzantine Holy Saturday - this year April 7th - she arranged the foods in baskets and we took these to a Ukrainian Catholic church to be blessed. While the aroma of the special foods enticingly fills the air, you don't eat any of this until Easter Sunday. Here are our baskets arranged on the table in the church chapel, ready to be blessed by the Bishop on Holy Saturday morning. The food is festively arranged and exposed for the blessing.
The blessings take place all day. They last about 20 minutes. This year, the more recent pattern of younger people attending continued, but I also noticed more babies and little children. Interestingly, the Bishop made a point of reminding his flock to attend Mass on Easter, and every Sunday. I'm guessing that, as in our Latin Rite, Sunday Mass attendance isn't taken as seriously as it should be.
On Byzantine Rite Easter Sunday, we usually attend Mass at the Ukrainian Catholic church, and so we did this year. While we occasionally attend the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom throughout the year, the liturgy for Easter is especially beautiful. It's on the long side (between 1 1/2 - 2 hours) and that can be a bit challenging if you have young children with you. But it's certainly worth the effort. After Mass, we head home and break out all that blessed food for a hearty breakfast/brunch. The whole experience of buying it, having it blessed, breathing in the unique aromas of the meat and the Pascha baking in the oven - all this prepares you for this special Easter meal.
One last point: In Ukrainian, in stead of "Happy Easter," you say "Christ is Risen!" In the original language, it's "Khrystos voskrese!" (In Church Slavonic, a liturgical language common to the Eastern Rites, it would be "Christos voskrese!") To this you respond, "Voistynu voskrese!" ("Truly, He is risen!"). The liturgy incorporates this throughout all the 40 days of the Easter Season. Also, it replaces "Hello" as a greeting throughout the Easter Season. If you love Easter, this is the rite for you!
So that was our "second Easter." I didn't grow up in the Byzantine Rite, and have only grown to know and appreciate it's richness and beauty because I married a Catholic woman born and raised in it. How blessed I've been!
It would take more than chilly temps and frequent clouds and showers to dampen our Easter spirit. That's especially true for those of us who get not one, but two Easters. Those of you who've married a Byzantine Rite Catholic know what I'm talking about. Since the Latin Rite and the Eastern Rites follow different liturgical calendars, the observation of Easter usually doesn't coincide. So this year, as with so many past years, our family observed Easter twice: once on April 1st, again on April 8th. While my wife, having been born Byzantine Rite Catholic, has graciously kept the observance of all my Latin Rite Catholic feasts, she has also done her best to continue her own tradition. This has centered mostly on Easter. The outward manifestation of that tradition begins with the special food prepared for Easter.
It starts by preparing our Easter baskets with the food to be blessed on Holy Saturday. You need access to the traditional meats, bread, cheese, and other foods specific to the culture and tradition. For Ukrainians, that consists of a bread called "Pascha," meats that include kobasa, kobanos, ziets, bacon, farmer's cheese, salt, butter and hard-boiled eggs. We're fortunate to have access to a butcher that specializes in the traditional meats. While we can also purchase the traditional breads there, my wife learned from her mother how to bake fresh Pascha, and still does that. On Byzantine Holy Saturday - this year April 7th - she arranged the foods in baskets and we took these to a Ukrainian Catholic church to be blessed. While the aroma of the special foods enticingly fills the air, you don't eat any of this until Easter Sunday. Here are our baskets arranged on the table in the church chapel, ready to be blessed by the Bishop on Holy Saturday morning. The food is festively arranged and exposed for the blessing.
The blessings take place all day. They last about 20 minutes. This year, the more recent pattern of younger people attending continued, but I also noticed more babies and little children. Interestingly, the Bishop made a point of reminding his flock to attend Mass on Easter, and every Sunday. I'm guessing that, as in our Latin Rite, Sunday Mass attendance isn't taken as seriously as it should be.
On Byzantine Rite Easter Sunday, we usually attend Mass at the Ukrainian Catholic church, and so we did this year. While we occasionally attend the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom throughout the year, the liturgy for Easter is especially beautiful. It's on the long side (between 1 1/2 - 2 hours) and that can be a bit challenging if you have young children with you. But it's certainly worth the effort. After Mass, we head home and break out all that blessed food for a hearty breakfast/brunch. The whole experience of buying it, having it blessed, breathing in the unique aromas of the meat and the Pascha baking in the oven - all this prepares you for this special Easter meal.
One last point: In Ukrainian, in stead of "Happy Easter," you say "Christ is Risen!" In the original language, it's "Khrystos voskrese!" (In Church Slavonic, a liturgical language common to the Eastern Rites, it would be "Christos voskrese!") To this you respond, "Voistynu voskrese!" ("Truly, He is risen!"). The liturgy incorporates this throughout all the 40 days of the Easter Season. Also, it replaces "Hello" as a greeting throughout the Easter Season. If you love Easter, this is the rite for you!
So that was our "second Easter." I didn't grow up in the Byzantine Rite, and have only grown to know and appreciate it's richness and beauty because I married a Catholic woman born and raised in it. How blessed I've been!
Christos voskrese!
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