I was planning on writing about these for a while, and sure enough when I studied them, I realized people would think I was rigging this series. Evidentally the Lutherans invented these too! (I didn't know before, honest!) In any case, wreaths are very old, and go back to Ancient Greece and Rome. However, in terms of using them for Christmas, the idea seemed to have begun in … [Read more...]
Advent and "The Lives of Others" (2006): A Cinematic View of Christ's Return.
Yesterday I mentioned East Germany in a post, and I think Christ's Second Advent is a little the falling of the Berlin wall. In the film "The Lives of Others" (2006) set during the fall of the Soviet-controlled government of East Germany, there is a beautiful moment when a group of secret police hear on the radio that the wall has come down. They are busy at work opening … [Read more...]
From the Didache to the DDR: Why Bishops Were Elected
"Therefore, appoint for yourselves bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord" - The Didache (ca. A.D. 100) "But, if it happen that any of the clergy who are now in the Church should die, then those who have been lately received are to succeed to the office of the deceased; always provided that they shall appear to be worthy, and that the people elect them..." - Canons of the … [Read more...]
Liturgical Calendar: Ordinary Time
I believe it was after the 'reforms' of the Second Vatican Council that the descriptor 'Ordinary Time' came into common parlance. The Liturgical Calendar is punctuated by so many feasts and two huge seasons, that it might appear like the ordinary is out of place. In the same way that Advent and Lent were supposed to lead us to Christ, perhaps ordinary time was as well. When … [Read more...]
What do Joel Osteen, Latin Christendom, and Sausages Have in Common? (This Post)
In keeping with the series on the Liturgical Calendar, I thought it best to give a brief exposition on Lent. If Advent is the beginning of the Calendar and one of the two 'big' celebrations, Lent is the second. Lent traditionally was the 40 days leading up to Easter. The significance of 40 in the Bible seems constant. The flood of Noah was 40 days and nights, the … [Read more...]