From Pasca to
Pentecosti : The Great Fifty Days
Now that the
forty days of Lent are behind us, we leave behind the
introspective songs of that season and start singing more
exuberant (though nonetheless reverent) songs. We return to
singing the Gloria in Excelsis after the Kyrie. The word
“Alleluia” (or “Hallelujah”, meaning praise to God)
re-enters our liturgical vocabulary. In common English
parlance, the day that marks the end of the Lenten season is
called Easter. To some Christians, however, that term is
offensive because it has its roots in Anglo-Saxon paganism.
The Venerable Bede was one of the first to object to this
term, pointing out that Easter (or “Eostre”) was the name of
the goddess of fertility whose celebration took place in
springtime during the ancient Anglo-Saxon month of
Eosturmonath (roughly the equivalent of April in the modern
calendar). With the exception of German and English, which
retain “Ostern” and “Easter” respectively, most languages
use variants of the Greek term
Pasca (pascha),
such as “Paques” in French or “Pascua” in Spanish.
Even in English, though, you will encounter references to
the Paschal Feast, the Paschal Candle, and the Paschal
Victim or Paschal Lamb (i.e. Christ). The word Pascha
literally means Passover in Greek. Its use reminds us that
Jesus’ Resurrection brings about the Great Passover for all
mankind. The historic event of Passover allowed the Hebrew
people to live to see another day on this earth. The
Resurrection of Jesus, however, allows Christians to live to
see eternity in heaven.
The Day of
Resurrection marks the occasion of God’s gift of victory
over death; but it is not simply one of the two most
important feast days in the church calendar. Seen in
perspective, it is really a major turning point in a lengthy
spiritual journey that started back on Ash Wednesday. It
comes forty days after the beginning of Lent; but the great
denouement of the season doesn’t come for yet another forty
days, on Ascension Day. This is the memorial of our Lord
leading the way for his followers to reach the gates of
heaven which he opened for us all. On Ascension Day we
finally have access to the highest heights that man can
experience: eternal life in Christ. Following Christ to
heaven, though, means following Him on earth. Fortunately,
we are not left in our own human frailty in attempting to
live up to his expectations. A Holy Comforter (i.e.
“strengthener”) exists to help us meet the challenge. We
commemorate the descent of that Comforter from heaven ten
days after Ascension Day, on the Day of Pentecost.
“Pentecost” is
simply Greek for “fiftieth.” The fiftieth day (pentecosth
hmera) is when the Paschal season comes to an end.
Instead of the Paschal Candle’s flame flickering in our
presence, we now have the Holy Spirit descended on us like
tongues of fire. It is Holy Spirit burning within us that
supplies us with the energy to go about the work of being
Christ’s presence on earth as the church. It is interesting
to note that our fifty day Paschal season bears some
resemblance to the fifty day Jewish Passover season. The Day
of Passover marks the beginning of the harvest festival
season in the Holy Land. It takes fifty days for each of the
grains to ripen in turn and be harvested. The Jewish
Passover culminates in a Jewish Pentecost when wheat, the
final grain to ripen, is harvested. Do you think it is a
mere coincidence that the hosts which become the body of
Christ for us in the Mass are made of wheat? Could there be
some meaning in the last bread of the earth becoming the
first bread of heaven?
During the
Great Fifty Days, there are several feast days which are
commonly recognized. The first of these occurs on the 2nd
Sunday of Easter. Sometimes you will hear the day called
“Low Sunday” because attendance always seems low following
the overflow crowds on Easter Day. The proper name, though,
is “Thomas Sunday” because we always hear the story of
“Doubting Thomas.” Songs which are usually sung on this day
include “O Sons and Daughters, let us sing” which is part of
a 17th century French carol. It tells the story
of Thomas’ coming to faith in the Risen Lord. Another song
for the day is the prayerful “We walk by faith and not by
sight” by Henry Alford who was Dean of Canterbury Cathedral
in the mid 19th century. The Very Rev. Mr. Alford
also gave us the great Thanksgiving hymn “Come ye thankful
people, come.”
The 4th
Sunday of Easter is commonly called “Good Shepherd” Sunday
because of the readings on that day. The Psalm appointed is
either the 23rd (the Lord is my Shepherd) or the
100th (…we are his people and the sheep of his
pasture). The Gospel is always a selection from the 10th
chapter of John, where Jesus describes his relationship to
his people as like a shepherd to his flock. Hymns for this
day include the prayerful communion hymn “Shepherd of souls,
refresh and bless” which is a Moravian Brethren hymn from
the 1820’s. The singing of “The King of Love my Shepherd is”
is all but obligatory. The text of this hymn is based on
George Herbert’s paraphrase of Psalm 23. The tune “St.
Columba” is an ancient Irish tune of unknown origin.
St. Mark’s Day
on the 25th of April is, of course, important to
this parish. The theme of the Evangelist’s day is always,
what else, evangelism! Any hymn which tells the good news or
encourages us to be involved in the mission of the church is
appropriate on this day. That old Episcopal warhorse, “O
Sion, haste” with its refrain of “publish glad tidings”
always seems to get folks in motion. It’s important to bear
in mind, though, that the motion necessary for carrying out
the mission of the church must amount to more than just some
spirited toe-tapping.
St. Mark’s Day
is also known as one of the Rogation Days. We inherited the
Rogation Days from the Roman Church. The name comes from the
Latin “Rogare” meaning “to ask” (as in asking for
blessings). The Major Rogation Day (coincident with St.
Mark’s Day) was established to replace an ancient European
pagan blessing of newly planted fields. The Minor Rogation
Days follow the Sixth Sunday of Easter on which the Gospel
reading used to be that passage from 16th chapter
of John which includes the phrase “ask and ye shall
receive.” They are designated as the Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday preceding Ascension Day, which is always on a
Thursday. Originally they were days of fasting and prayer in
preparation for the Feast of the Ascension. In England,
elaborate ceremonies and processions have evolved in
observance of the Rogation Days. In this country, the
emphasis has traditionally been on stewardship of God’s
creation. You can think of the Rogation Days as being like
an Earth Day or Arbor Day with religious overtones. Some
people like to plant their spring flowers during the
Rogation Days.
If you’ve
never observed the Rogation Days, you might want to try it
this year as a way of keeping the Easter spirit alive
throughout the Great Fifty Days. If you need a song in your
heart or on your lips, how about a classic written in 1848
by the wife of the Anglican Primate of Ireland. It is one of
her “Hymns for Little Children.” Nothing goes better with
flower planting than Cecil Frances Humphreys Alexander’s
“All things bright and beautiful.”
Organist and Choir Master
Frank Christman
