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It's official: the end of the Easter season. Pretty soon, in fact, the church will settle in for a long summer of what it calls ordinary time. But not yet.
(This article is published in "The Louisiana Weekly" in the May 13, 2013 edition.) Ground breaking for Magnolia Marketplace--a two-story mall on nea...
So, what exactly do Egyptians say for Easter greetings? Christians tell each other "`Ied Qiyama Magid," "Happy Feast of the Resurrection." But all Egyptians can wish each other: "Kulle sanna wa enta tayyeb." May you be well every year!
It will definitely be a lean Easter! But what is Easter for us Greek Orthodox?
In the Orthodox Church, the Saturday before Palm Sunday is set aside to remember the raising of Lazarus from the tomb. Orthodox Christians around the world have joined in prayer that the two bishops kidnapped will be released from their tomb as well. There has been enough weeping.
In spite of recent developments and whatever new developments may come to light, the purpose for Christians remains. We must not grow fearful or suspicious of our neighbors; Jesus gives us the soul force to love our neighbors.
Holy Week is not a celebration of long ago events. It is the reliving of Christ's Passion and Resurrection in the present.
The final week in Jesus' life included especially great depths and heights: He faced a dark night of the soul in Gethsemane, a torturous cross and, ultimately, a glorious resurrection. Identifying with Jesus in His journey keeps us focused and faithful in ours.
Walter Brueggemann on Lent, Good Friday, Easter and the "shutdown" of the way it used to be: an invitation to neighborliness and newness.
I am increasingly convinced that there are three kinds of churches and that these three church types exist across denominations and worship styles, from small churches to megachurches, in rural and urban settings alike.
"The app says kissing is a form of sexual activity and that's an exercise," I countered. "By the way, if we ramp it up to 'active, vigorous sex' for three hours, we will burn 514 calories."
We can turn the darkness around us in the brightness of noon, as the Prophet Isaiah said, if we live out the core principles of compassion and peace that are shared by the world's great religions.
On Friday I attended an exhibit opening for a young artist who has schizophrenia. If only President Obama could have attended, because events like these would go a long way toward decreasing the stigma surrounding those with mental illness.
Jesus' resurrection is not merely a spiritual thing -- the apparition of his ghost, or his ongoing spiritual influence. The Gospels all insist that the resurrection includes Jesus' body.
Not only does God stand with those who are suffering. God also stands with those who are suffering and cannot return the favor. Whether I could drag myself to church made not one iota of difference to this solidarity.
Jesus tried to teach us this more than once. What he told us to do in remembrance of him was to share a meal. To break bread, sit down and eat.
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