Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Jewish Festival of Purim begins at sunset
Worship: Noon, soup
meal follows; 7 pm, soup meal at 6
PM.
Reading: Psalm 25:5
"Lead me in your truth, and
teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day
long."
Over the centuries
it has been a practice in the church to veil
crosses and icons during the season of Lent. The oldest written evidence of
this symbolic custom is from 7th century France, then, in Italy about the year
1000. It is intended as a fast for the eyes, a part of the discipline we
consciously take on during the days of Lent's austerity. In a few cathedrals
and monasteries, Freiburg and Millstadt Abbey, to name two, a large Lenten veil
was hung between the congregation and the altar, sometimes painted with scenes
of the Passion. In the Sarum rite, a Lenten array of white linen covered the
altar during Lent. In the Orthodox Church, the royal doors to the altar remain
closed to signify how sin separates us from God. Veiling the crosses and icons
is a simplifying of our worship environment, just as we are simplifying our
daily lives with prayer and fasting. All these are not ends in themselves, but
aids to preparing the soil of our spirits and our lives for newness to spring
up with the Risen Christ.
All-loving God, we place in
your care our hearts, our wills, our lives. Amen
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