Note: For seventeen years I co edited The Seasons, a small-circulation devotional
publication, which
divided the year into quarters, providing a daily lectionary, essays, poems,
prayers, short fiction and graphic illustrations, mostly by a small circle of
regular contributors. In 2009, our
last year of publication, Richard Price prepared a piece entitled, “Rites and
Rituals For Lent, Easter, and Pentecost,” intended as an outline for readers
wanting a brief reminder of the major themes for worship in this important part
of the church year. I am pleased
to present the first half now, with the balance to come at the start of Holy
Week.
H.H.M.
Rites and
rituals are an integral part of the liturgical and spiritual life of the
church. They provide a framework
within the larger frame of the calendar of the church year. The time from the season of Lent to the
Day of Pentecost offers a great number of these rites and rituals, which permit
us expression of our faith in a variety of liturgical settings.
Lent (Liturgical
Color: Purple)
Lent is a
penitential season of spiritual pilgrimage to prepare us to travel with our
Lord to the cross. It is also a
time for personal reflection upon the state and condition of our faith through
spiritual disciplines of prayer, meditation, and worship. It is a season that is full of rites
and rituals that can enhance that pilgrimage and deepen our understanding of
the meaning of our Lord’s passion.
This means that Holy Eucharist is celebrated during each liturgy, with
the exception of Good Friday.
Ash
Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, observed on the Wednesday
before the First Sunday in Lent.
The penitential rituals include confession of sin and the assurance of
forgiveness, followed by the ancient rite of imposition of ashes. Unfortunately, this rite has been
neglected for several generations primarily due to a lack of understanding of
its meaning and purpose. A
renewal of this rite would deepen the meaning of the acts of confession and the
assurance of forgiveness, and the words of the imposition of ashes, “You are
dust, and to dust you shall return,” bring us to a point of humility before God
that reminds us that we are saved by grace through faith.
The Six Sundays
of Lent
The Sundays of Lent rightly focus on the pilgrimage to the cross, the
texts reminding us of God’s promise in Christ that we would be led out of the
life of sin and death to salvation and eternal life. The rite of thanksgiving for baptisms each Sunday can bring
that promise into sharper focus.
Weekdays During Lent
Weekdays of Lent provide opportunities for the practice of individual
and congregation spiritual disciplines, perhaps done ecumenically, within the
framework of a version of Evening Prayer.
Passion (Palm) Sunday (Scarlet or White)
It is appropriate to include
in the Passion Sunday liturgy the blessing of the palms and a procession. This ritual begins outside of the
worship space with a reading of the gospel narratives of Jesus’ entry into
Jerusalem (St. Matthew 21:1-11 or St. John 12:12-16). There is a proclamation of Jesus’ coming “Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the Lord, concluding with the singing of an appropriate hymn.
It is important to remember that this day begins the most solemn week
of the church year as we recall Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. It is not a day of sheer joy, but of
ironic triumph, for we know that our Lord will suffer torture, ridicule, and
the horrific death of crucifixion.
Richard Hammond Price, OCC
© February 2009
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