Friday, April 5, 2019

April Liturgical Calendar


Saturday, April 6: The Rise of the Church of Christ
Significance: On April 6, 1830, a small group of believers gathered in a log cabin in either Fayette or Manchester, New York, to formally organize the restored church of Christ. Six converts met the legal requirement for incorporation, and they were joined by family and friends. The meeting followed ten years of visions, angelic visits, and revelations. Those gathered included those who had participated in the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon. Some were close relatives and lifelong friends of Joseph Smith, and some were new acquaintances, pulled in by the sacred work. They had already felt the sting of persecution for their belief in the teachings of an upstart prophet. And they still gathered together, filled with faith and hope, each approving the formation of a church, and their transformation from loosely gathered disciples into a new religious community. While the work of Restoration preceded that day, a crucial change took place when the church was organized, as the believers expressed their determination to become united as the body of Christ, and the kingdom of God on earth. What consisted then of one small congregation of believers has now spread across the earth. But the unity and faith to which we are called remains the same. 
Suggested observances: This year, the anniversary of the organization of the church coincides with the Saturday sessions of the annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As I watch General Conference, I consider what it means for the Church to be the body of Christ, and what I can do to be knit more closely in unity and love with my fellowcitizens in the church.
Texts: Doctrine and Covenants Section 20 and 21, Mosiah 18, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4

Sunday, Apr 14: Vaisakhi
Significance: While Sikhism began in the late 1400's with the preaching of Guru Nanak, the events of Vaisakhi in 1699 were transformational. Vaisakhi was already a major Punjabi harvest festival, and had become a gathering time for the Sikh community. However, the gathering in 1699 would be different than all previous Vaisakhi celebrations. Facing increasing persecution from the Mughal Empire, and remembering the martyrdom of his father, Tegh Bahadur, Gobind Rai, the tenth guru, was determined to provide his followers with a new order that would allow them to stand firm against injustice. In preparation for Vaisakhi, Guru Gobind Rai instructed all Sikhs to come with uncut hair. When they gathered, he instituted the Khalsa, a religious, political, and military order, loyal to the Guru and open to men and women of all castes and backgrounds. After initiating the first five converts, the Guru went through the same initiation himself, committing himself to all the same obligations. Khalsa members were given a new name- Singh for men, and Kaur for women- to identify their transformation and unity, and were committed to observing both outward signs of their commitment (the 5 K's of Sikhism) and committed to a shared moral code. Later, upon his death, Gobind Singh refused to select a human successor, saying that the Khalsa order and the collected scriptures (Guru Granth Sahib) would serve as the sources of authority for Sikhs.
Suggested Observances: Sikh gurdwaras will often hold a mela (holiday fair) or procession for Vaisakhi. If you aren't able to join a communal celebration, telling the story of Vaisakhi and other stories of the Gurus can connect you to their faith. Also, given the Khalsa emphasis on degh (kettle) as well as tegh (sword), sharing a large Punjabi meal with others is a worthwhile celebration of Vaisakhi.
Texts: The 52 Hukams (Commands) of Guru Gobind Singh were reportedly given as instructions to the Khalsa several years after it was organized. While the provenance of the document is questionable, the general perspective and overall pattern of instruction reflects the Khalsa tradition well.


Sunday, April 14: Palm Sunday
Significance: For much of his ministry, Jesus deflected honors and praise, and insisted on secrecy regarding his divine mission. In his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, however, Jesus entered the sacred city as king, and heir of the throne of David. He received the praise and honor of the thronging crowd gathered for the pilgrimage feast. And then he entered the temple, and, by cleansing it, declared himself to be a ruler of the temple as well. While Jesus declared that his kingdom is not of this world, it is clear from his arrival in Jerusalem that he was willing to declare himself a king, with authority on earth as well as in heaven. Crucially, his triumphal entry was followed swiftly by his suffering and death on behalf of the people. The kingdom he established is one in which all are invited to join with him by taking up the cross and facing persecution and humiliation for the sake of heaven.
Suggested Observances: Palm Sunday services often include a solemn procession with palm fronds as a reenactment of the triumphal entry. For Palm Sunday, I like to meditate on my own loyalty to Christ as King, and on what makes his Kingdom different than all the political and social orders of this world.
Texts: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, John 12

Thursday, April 18 to Sunday, April 21: Paschal Triduum
Significance: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday form a preparatory period for Easter, and as a time to ponder on the Savior's suffering and death which preceded his resurrection. Maundy Thursday takes its name from the mandate given by Christ following the washing of feet, that as he loves us, we must also love each other. It commemorates Christ's last supper and final instructions to his disciples. Good Friday commemorates his trials, crucifixion and death, and the vigil of the women at the foot of the cross. Holy Saturday reminds us of the grief of the disciples at Jesus' death, his body in the tomb, and his harrowing of hell prior to his total conquest over death and the grave. The portion of the triduum preceding Easter is a time of mourning, and a recognition of the cost and pain the precedes glory and rejoicing. It is also a time of profound gratitude to Christ for his willingness to pour out his soul as a sacrifice for our salvation.
Suggested observances: Traditionally, the altars of a church are stripped to show mourning following services on Maundy Thursday, and are not restored until Easter. Maundy Thursday is often also celebrated with reenactments of the washing of the feet, with disciples taking literally the command "As I have loved you, love one another" by offering exactly the same demonstration of love that Christ offered. I have attended Good Friday services which conclude with a vigil in darkness in which all lights are extinguished. While these are days of mourning, we should not mourn alone, but gather together in memory of the Lord. 
Texts: Matthew 26-27, Mark 14-15, Luke 22-23, John 13-19

Sunday, April 21: Easter
Significance: Easter Sunday celebrates Jesus' resurrection and glorious triumph over death and hell. Easter also carries the promise of our own redemption and renewal. Though we may be dead, killed by sin, we too can experience newness of life through the resurrection of Christ and his redeeming power. Christ's resurrection also serves as God's rebuke to the corrupt authorities and patterns of unjust rule and tyrannical power which led to Christ's arrest and crucifixion, as Peter declared before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:10-12. Easter proves God's commitment to fulfill his covenant and to offer salvation to all nations, kindreds, tongues and people.
Suggested observances: I like a good easter egg hunt as much as anyone, and I love dying eggs. And of course, gathering with family and friends for an Easter dinner is wonderful. An Easter Vigil or another service that focuses on the joy of the Resurrection draws us close to the heart of the feast. Easter is truly a day of rejoicing for God's fulfillment of all his promises, and of the future blessings that lie in store for all his children.
Texts: Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20, 1 Corinthians 15, Colossians 3, Alma 36

Friday, April 19 to Saturday, April 27: Pesach
Significance: Pesach, or Passover, is the first of the feasts of the Jewish liturgical calendar to appear in the Torah. The instructions on how to celebrate the feast of unleavened bread precede the account of the deliverance from Egypt, as if the commandment to celebrate deliverance precedes deliverance itself. In Pesach, God reveals his character as a deliverer of the oppressed and a champion of slaves and captives. In Pesach, God demonstrates power over kingdoms, emperors, and the forces of nature. In Pesach, God both assures his covenant with Abraham and establishes a new covenant with the mixed multitude including Abraham's descendants and all who joined with them in seeking escape from Pharoah.
Suggested observances: Hold a seder, in the manner described by the sages of the Talmud and according to the traditions passed down by three thousand years of Israelites and Jews. Be careful-- Christian seders often miss the mark of the Passover, expressing a supersessionist fallacy that fails to understand the significance of God's redeeming power for his people in Egypt by seeing Passover solely as a prefiguration of Easter. While Jesus intentionally used the Paschal Feast to teach his disciples of the sacrifice he would make and the redemptive covenant it established, and while Easter reflects the glory of Pesach, they are separate feasts, and the lessons of Passover go far beyond its mirrored elements in the Lord's supper and Passion. 
Texts: Exodus, in particular Exodus 12-14, Tractate Pesahim from the Talmud, the Hagaddah (I'm linking to the Chabad online Hagaddah, which is a fairly traditional text. Many other hagaddot are available for every possible flavor of Judaism, and you can search for them yourself)



Monday, February 25, 2019

Liturgical Calendar for March


Wednesday, March 6: Ash Wednesday (Lent begins)
Significance: Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season, a period of fasting, penance and contemplation in preparation for Easter. It is associated with the forty days that Moses fasted on Mt. Sinai for the sins of the people following the destruction of the Golden Calf, and the 40 days of fasting in the wilderness Jesus undertook following his baptism, at the end of which he was tempted by Satan, but did not succumb to temptation. The ashes of Ash Wednesday are a sign of mourning and penance, and a reminder of one's own mortality and frailty, and take their place from the ancient mourning custom of marking oneself with ashes at times of deep grief and distress, or when acknowledging one's sinfulness before God in order to plead for pardon.
Suggested Observance: Christians of many denominations observe Ash Wednesday by attending a worship service where blessed ashes are sprinkled upon the congregants or a cross of ashes is marked upon the worshipper's forehead. Ash Wednesday is also a day of fasting, though the form of the fast has changed over time and by denomination. Early Christians seem to have observed a daylight fast similar to that practiced by Muslims at Ramadan, or potentially a sundown to sundown fast similar to the Jewish Day of Atonement, but now abstaining from meat is the most common fast. The whole season of Lent is also observed with fasting and prayer. I admit to being somewhat wary of the modern custom of treating Lent as a time for individually chosen self-improvement goals, which seems to participate in an ethic of individualism set in stark contrast to the Lenten season. But far be it from me to discourage any practice that genuinely brings you nearer to the Lord.
Texts: Psalm 51, Jonah 3, Genesis 3:19

Friday, March 8: International Women's Day
Significance: International Women's Day was first proposed as a holiday at the International Women's Socialist Conference of 1910. The holiday was initially focused on protests and campaigns for the right to vote and for other causes of concern to women's groups in the early 20th century. In 1917 women marching in St. Petersburg for the right to vote and withdrawal from WWI set off the February Revolution. However, International Women's Day mostly faded into obscurity following the success of suffrage campaigns and did not rise again to international recognition until the 1970's. It has been promoted by the UN since 1977.
Suggested Observance: Consider the political impact of women through the 20th century, and the various struggles that have been fought and are still being fought for gender equality, internationally and in the United States.
Texts: This poster and accompanying text come from one of the earliest celebrations of International Women's Day. American political feminism can be traced back well before 1910, with one of the early significant text being the "Declaration of Sentiments" from the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, which mimicked the language of the US Declaration of Independence in order to show that women were also ready to claim their inalienable rights.

Sunday, March 17: Relief Society Birthday
Significance: The Relief Society was established in 1842 by women in Nauvoo, Illinois who were eager to aid in the construction of the Nauvoo Temple, and who sought to do so in a way that was traditional for women in that time and place, by gathering together as a female charitable association and contribute their skills as seamstresses by sewing clothing for laboring workmen. Eliza R. Snow was tasked with writing a constitution and bylaws for the organization and presenting it to Joseph Smith, and when she did so he suggested that the Lord intended something better for the women than a normal and temporary charitable organization. The first meeting of the new association took place on March 17th, with the organization forming and selecting officers by parliamentary procedure. While Joseph Smith, John Taylor, and Willard Richards were present at the meeting, they not only did not vote but exited the room while voting took place. After Emma Smith was nominated and voted in as president, the minutes note that John Taylor, who had been presiding, turned that responsibility over to Emma, and that then Emma and her counselors received a blessing described as an ordination, in order to fulfill their responsibilities. Joseph and Emma both spoke to the gathered women, and Joseph noted in his journal:  "I attended by request, the Female Relief Society, whose object is the relief of the poor, the destitute, the widow and the orphan, and for the exercise of all benevolent purposes. ... [W]e feel convinced that with their concentrated efforts, the condition of the suffering poor, of the stranger and the fatherless will be ameliorated." 

The entire process of Relief Society organization suggests a balance between human initiative and divine revelation, with the women of Nauvoo making the initial decision to form a benevolent society, Joseph suggesting that they widen their purpose beyond providing material aid to temple workmen, and the women then choosing officers and establishing their organization by vote, rather than by revelation or command. At one point, Joseph declared that the Church had not been fully organized until the Relief Society was established, suggesting that it was the final piece required for the proper functioning of the faith. The establishment of the Relief Society also suggested some of the revolutionary potential of Mormonism's concepts of gender, with women having autonomy over their communal affairs and direct decision making power. But the dependence on male priesthood authority to provide guidance and approval also demonstrates the ways in which Mormon women's experience was circumscribed, a tension which was later demonstrated when official meetings of the Relief Society were discontinued from 1844 to 1868, and when the autonomy of the Relief Society as an independent organization was reduced through correlation a hundred years later. In spite of Joseph's strong statements about the role of the organization, it was not given significance or influence equal to male priesthood quorums, leaving the Relief Society vulnerable. Yet the Relief Society formed the basis for Utah women's suffrage activism and communal organizing during the 19th century, and Relief Society continues to be a crucial site of spiritual development and communal impact for Mormon women.
Suggested Observance: The Relief Society birthday is a great time for women to gather together in fellowship and consider ways to bring about good. I believe that much like in the initial Relief Society meeting, it is best for men to stay away from these meetings, where important decisions will be made by women working together. But for men as well as for women, March 17th is a wonderful time to consider the history of Mormon women and the contributions Mormon women have made, are making, and will make in the future.
Texts: Doctrine and Covenants 25 is a revelation to Emma Smith years before the establishment of the Relief Society. The minutes from the first meeting of the Society can be read here. Ardis Parshall is one of many who have done a great deal of work to bring to light the history and contributions of Mormon women, and some of her thoughts on the subject can be read here. Resources on the impact of women in Utah history can be found here. I myself have a significant amount of learning to do. As the song says "There is work enough to do, ere the sun goes down..."

Wednesday, March 20/21: Holi/Hola Mohalla
Significance: Holi is a Hindu spring festival, with a story that at its core is very similar to the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. It begins with a king who, having received special powers, declares himself to be a god and demands worship from his subjects. His son refuses, and as a punishment, his aunt Holika sets him upon a pyre, but it burns her instead of him.
To explain the color powder games of Holi, another story is told about blue-skinned Krishna, who has a crush on the beautiful goddess Radha but is worried that she will dislike him due to his odd hue. When he shares his worries with his mother, she suggests that he ask Radha to paint his face in whichever color she finds most pleasing. Radha gladly covers Krishna with a whole rainbow of colors and their romance is cemented.
So the same festival can be both a grim celebration of divine victory over evildoers and the power of unyielding devotion in the face of social pressure, and a playful celebration of romance and infatuation. Sikhs transformed the festival yet again when the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, established it as Hola Mohalla, which refers to a military charge. In a time of war, it served as a gathering of the Sikh khalsa community, with a parade and games of martial prowess. It is now a sort of Sikh Olympics.
Suggested Observance: If you are in a place with a large Indian population, there will likely be some formal Holi celebrations. The playful color throwing of Holi is fun, and a Holika bonfire is very impressive. In India, Holi is like Carnaval, a free-for-all day of riotous celebration, where no matter where you go, you are liable to be sprayed or covered with some kind of powder. Wear some grubby clothes you don't mind staining, relax, and give as good as you get.
Texts: The following is a prayer for Holi from the Guru Granth Sahib:
To the One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru: 
I serve the Guru, and humbly bow to Him.
Today I am in supreme bliss. My anxiety is dispelled, and I have met the Lord of the Universe.
Today, it is springtime in my household. I sing Your Glorious Praises, O Infinite Lord God.
Today, I am celebrating the festival of Phalgun.
Joining with God's companions, I have begun to play.
I celebrate the festival of Holi by serving the Saints (Lord).
I am imbued with the deep crimson colour of the Lord's Divine Love.
My mind and body have blossomed forth, in utter, incomparable beauty.
They do not dry out in either sunshine or shade; they flourish in all seasons.
It is always springtime, when I meet with the Divine Guru.
The wish-fulfilling Heavenly Tree has sprouted and grown.
It bears flowers and fruits, jewels of all sorts.
I am satisfied and fulfilled, singing the Glorious Praises of the Lord.
Servant Nanak meditates on the Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord

Thursday, March 21: Purim
Significance: Continuing March's theme of holidays celebrating the activism of women, Purim commemorates the intervention of Esther to save her people from a genocide orchestrated by Haman, an adviser to the King of Persia. Esther has married the king but kept her Jewish heritage secret. To protect her people she has to reveal herself, making herself vulnerable if her plea to the king is denied. Esther's bravery and her willingness to make a stand in a system that expected women to be submissive and subservient is at the heart of the Book of Esther. Also, it is a book where divine help seems somewhat more distant-- Esther is given no direct revelation or angelic aid in her mission to save her people. The power generated by their communal fast and her own determination is what propels her through danger to save her people from a great threat.
Suggested Observance: The main event of Purim is a congregational reading of the Book of Esther, where everyone brings noisemakers to drown out the name of the villainous Haman. Delicious triangular cookies are made, referred to as Hamantachen or Haman's hat (We eat the hat of the villain, in an inversion of the American saying). The story is often acted out with costumes, which is how Purim became, in the modern age, a sort of Jewish Halloween where dressing as your favorite hero or villain is encourage.
Texts: Megillat Esther

Monday, March 25: The Annunciation
Significance: Another brave woman of the Bible is honored just a few days after Purim, with the Feast of the Annunciation, celebrating the angel Gabriel's appearance to Mary, mother of Jesus, and her willing acceptance of her divine role in bringing about the Incarnation of God. Mary is the Mother of God, the handmaiden of the Lord, the midwife of Salvation. Without her courage and her willingness to face the disapproval of society in order to fulfill a sacred purpose, God could not have entered into mortality as Jesus. Mary is thus often recognized as a type and a sign of the Divine Mother, the Love of God shed forth in the hearts of mankind.
Suggested Observance: Consider the love that a mother has for her children, and the love that Mary needed in order to accept the call from the angel Gabriel. Consider how blessed we are by Mary's faith. I often turn to art depicting the Annunciation, including this beautiful painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner.
Texts: Luke 1:26-56, 1 Nephi 11.


Sunday, March 31: Cesar Chavez Day
Significance: Cesar Chavez is one of America's civic saints of nonviolent protest. He was a migrant worker who took action to organize laborers to protest cruel treatment and unjust pay. Alongside Dolores Huerta, he organized the United Farm Workers union, and organized a successful multi-year strike against grape-growers which was combined with a promoted consumer boycott to pressure growers to treat workers with justice and dignity. Chavez drew on the protest tradition of Gandhi and the Civil Rights struggle and on the Catholic tradition of penance, fasting, and prayer in order to encourage nonviolent confrontations of spiritual and communal power. He used fasting both to protest government opposition and to attempt to curb conflict within the movement he lead. Chavez was not without controversy, and at times his authoritarian leadership and uncompromising nature may have damaged the causes he championed and led to conflict within the union, but his spiritual intensity and ability to draw people to a cause brought powerful attention to the plight of migrant farm workers and also became a source of Chicano pride.
Suggested Observance: Unionization of farm labor was one of the crucial causes of Chavez' life. Does your industry have unions? Study the history of union labor in establishing fair pay and working conditions in the United States. Pray for those who stood on picket lines, who were fired for striking or attacked as radicals. Pray for those now who are working hard jobs for low pay in dangerous conditions. Pray that we will someday learn that the laborer is worthy of his hire.
Texts: Isaiah 58