how i came to celebrate lent, passover and easter
i prefer to think of myself as ecumenical rather than confused. actually, i know exactly what i believe in most cases, and choose to draw the practices of my faith from a variety of denominations, subsections, and religions. having been exposed to many different religious opportunities - both in protestantism and outside of it, within christianity and outside of it, both in childhood and adulthood - my faith has not been shaped from inside one denomination, one belief system or one code of interpretation and for this i am grateful. but this is less about the ideology behind my beliefs than it is about the practices during this week of easter. (if you want to read more about the amalgamation that continues to shift and shape my faith, you should probably read “a generous orthodoxy” by - shocker! - brian mclaren.)
i celebrate easter because i was raised - mostly - protestant, and easter goes without saying. and for us it wasn’t about easter baskets, candy and green plastic grass (although i was incredibly into easter egg hunts, and would get a little peeved at my dad when he would let the younger kids have a head start). we did our easter baskets on saturday, and aside from my competitive obsession with egg hunts, easter sunday was focused on the biblical and religious meaning of the day.
i adopted the celebration of lent as an adult as i became more intrigued with the catholic church and its traditions. as strange as it may sound, i like the emphasis that catholicism puts on atonement, intercession and deprevation - it’s something i think the modern protestant church has gotten away from. lent isn’t just about depriving yourself of something in solemn preparation for easter, though. it’s about replacing that potential vice with something more holy. of course, holiness is a vain pursuit but - as i learned from the catholic church - not something unworthy of striving toward.
now for my passover story, as it’s something that’s been a part of my life for as long as i can remember. my mom loves the old testament: the tradition, the laws, even the “so-and-so beget so-and-so’s.” she reads it, meditates on it, sends me books on it, quotes me verses from it. i can’t remember when we started celebrating passover, specifically, if there even was a start to it. but in my circle of protestant friends i was probably the only one who grew up with sedar, bitter herbs, an empty place for elijah and a doorpost smeared with animal’s blood. that’s right - my parents were hardcore about this stuff. one of the earliest memories i have of passover is being hoisted up on my dad’s shoulders to smear blood across the top of our front door. and when i go home for passover this year, i’m sure we’ll do the same thing - though i no longer need to be lifted up by my dad to reach the doorway.
i’m grateful for these various experiences as they helped uniquely shape a faith i’ve come to call my own. they’ve also taught me the importance of looking outside one rigid set of practices, one “approved” way of doing things to accept and integrate other traditions that are rich in meaning.
April 09 2009 05:52 am | catholicism and family and religion
April 9th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Great points…if only we had more individuals who were as open minded as you are.