Date of Easter

One of the most common questions I get this time of year is, “Father when is Easter.” Well that is not an easy question to answer. This year Orthodox Easter falls on the 27th of April while Western Easter is much earlier on the 23rd of March. “So why do we have different dates” is the usual response. I have many families of mixed marriages and they do not understand, neither do I by the way, why we have different dates. While in seminary we discussed this in class and there was a very complicated answer and mathematical formula used to determine this date. So it was always very confusing to people, me included.

Today I was reading an article in the local paper about the start of Lent and what people were going to do. Low and behold at the end there was an explanation that was so simple even I understand it. So here it is let’s see if you can stay with me on this and I will try not to get lost myself.

Both churches determine the date of Easter using this calculation. Easter should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox. With me so far? Western churches use the Gregorian calendar while we Orthodox use the Julian calendar. Okay so far so good. Now we complicate things a little more. We also use a different way to calculate the vernal equinox. We Orthodox set the date for Easter based on the actual astronomical full moon and the actual equinox as observed along the meridian of Jerusalem. Okay not so bad, I get it. The Western Churches used the fixed date of 21 March for the vernal equinox and define the full moon on ecclesiastical calculations that were used by church leaders many years ago.

Okay so it seems that we are all confused. I have been an advocate of a fixed date for Easter. I think it would make things a little easier on all of us. For example, the local schools usually have a vacation close to holy week but this year it will not be so it would appear that the kids will be in school on Good Friday, for both Good Fridays unless the parents keep the kids home.

Anyway I am not going to be able to make this decision, and church leaders don’t usually call me and ask my opinion on anything so I guess I will only be able to make my views know here.

I hope this has helped clear things up a little.

St. Ronan

There are twelve Irish saints bearing the name of Ronan commemorated in the “Martyrology of Donegal”; of these the most celebrated are: St. Ronan of Ulster, brother of St. Carnech, and grandson of Loarn, d. 11 January, 535; St. Ronan, son of Berach, a disciple of the great St. Fechin of Fore. He became first Abbot of Drumshallon, and d. 18 November, 665. St. Ronan Fionn is honoured as patron of Lan Ronan (Kelminiog) in Iveagh. His feast is celebrated on 22 May, both in Ireland and Scotland. St. Ronan of Iona is explicitly referred to by St. Bede as one of the protagonists of the Roman custom of celebrating Easter as against the Irish tradition, and he had a warm controversy on the subject with his countryman St. Finan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, 660. This controversy was ended at the Synod of Whitby, in 664, when St. Ronan’s views were upheld. St. Ronan of Lismore was a distinguished successor of St. Carthage, and several Munster churches were built in his honour. His feast is celebrated on 9 February 763. Another saint of this name is best known by the ruined church of Kilronan, Co. Roscommon, where Turlogh O’Carolan and Bishop O’Rourke are buried.

The Day After

So all the counting is over and we still do not have clear front runners although it looks like John McCain is moving forward. I find this very interesting this year. Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and Deval Patrick all backed Sen. Obama and what happened in Massachusetts, Hillary Clinton took the state and by a wide margin. On the Republican side most of the big Republicans in this state backed John McCain and what happened Mitt Romney took the state by a big margin. So does this mean that the political heavy weights carry no more weight? Actually it looks like the electorate is actually voting for themselves. So a long season ahead I think.
On another note, our Western Brothers and Sisters enter Lent today. I wish you all well as the journey begins, and hey if you mess it up or want a do over, join us for our Lent when that starts and do it all again?
Spell Check still not working so stuff might be spelled wrong!

Tuesday

Today, if you have been living under a rock, is Super Tuesday and if you live in Massachusetts or the other 24 states that vote today go and vote. 1.3 million people in Massachusetts are expected to vote today and your host is one of them. I have a funeral this morning and then the mercy meal after but then it is off to vote. Still not sure who for yet but I have some time. Tonight I will watch the results come in. I like to do that and on election night I even have a little map that I like to color in. I guess I am kind of an election geek but it could be worse.

So a funeral today. This is very rare here. I usually do not have funerals in this parish but this year I have had two already. Since I do not have the opportunity to celebrate a funeral I spent a little time after the wake last night to look over the service. It is raining here and that always makes for a bad time at the cemetery. The man who died had been a firefighter so a truck will be here at the church and they stood guard last night at the funeral home, very nice.

I hope to get a podcast recorded today and try to stay on schedule as best I can with the once a week recording but it gets difficult from time to time to stay on schedule. I have also begun teaching again so I have class to prepare for both on Wednesday, Bible study, and Thursday General Psychology at Nichols College. Busy week.

Take a few moments today and go VOTE!

New Englnad Patriots

Okay the season is over and it was a let down but hey they went 18-0 on the season it just all came apart in the end. I will say that they seemed like a different team last night and it was very frustrating but now it is today and the world is still turning, and I think we will survive.

Super Tuesday

In my last post on politics I suggested that you look into each candidate and decide for yourself without the influence of the media. Okay in this post I am going to direct you to a website, run by the Boston Globe, that lists the stands of the candidates on the various issues. Although run by the media it is not really that bad. The democrats come up first but they are all there. Enjoy the Super Bowl tonight, GO PATS, and remember to vote on Tuesday.

Globe Candidate Review

Spell Check is not working so if there is something spelled wrong, I am sorry!

3 February ~ St. Lawrence

Second Archbishop of Canterbury, d. 2 Feb., 619. For the particulars of his life and pontificate we rely exclusively on details added by medieval writers being unsupported by historical evidence, though they may possibly embody ancient traditions. According to St. Bede, he was one of the original missionaries who left Rome with St. Augustine in 595 and finally landed in Thanet in 597. After St. Augustine had been consecrated he sent St. Lawrence back to Rome, to carry to the pope the news of the conversion of King Ethelbert and his people, to announce his consecration, and to ask for direction on certain questions. In this passage of the historian St. Lawrence is referred to as presbyter, in distinction to Peter who is called monachus. From this it has been conjectured that he was a secular priest and not a monk; but this conclusion has been questioned by Benedictine writers such as Elmham in the Middle Ages and Mabillon in later times. When St. Gregory had decided the questions asked, St. Lawrence returned to Britain bearing the replies, and he remained with St. Augustine sharing his work. That saint, shortly before his death which probably took place in 604, consecrated St. Lawrence as bishop, lest the infant Church should be left for a time without a pastor. Of the new archbishop’s episcopate Bede writes: “Lawrence, having attained the dignity of archbishop, strove most vigorously to add to the foundations of the Church which he had seen so nobly laid and to forward the work by frequent words of holy exhortation and by the constant example of his devoted labour.” The only extant genuine document relating to him is the fragment preserved by Bede of the letter he addressed to the Celtic bishops exhorting them to peace and unity with Rome. The death of King Ethelbert, in 616 was followed by a heathen reaction under his son Eadbald, and under the sons of Sebert who became kings of the East Saxons. Saints Mellitus and Justus, bishops of the newly-founded Sees of London and Rochester, took refuge with St. Lawrence at Canterbury and urged him to fly to Gaul with them. They departed, and he, discouraged by the undoing of St. Augustine’s work, was preparing to follow them, when St. Peter appeared to him in a vision, blaming him for thinking of leaving his flock and inflicting stripes upon him. In the morning he hastened to the king, exhibiting his wounded body and relating his vision. This led to the conversion of the king, to the recall of Saints Mellitus and Justus, and to their perseverance in their work of evangelizing Kent and the neighbouring provinces. These events occurred about 617 or 618, and shortly afterwards St. Lawrence died and was buried near St. Augustine in the north porch of St. Peter’s Abbey church, afterwards known as St. Augustine’s. His festival is observed in England on 3 February.

Politics

I have not really commented on politics during this election cycle. I do not feel that as a priest I should be making such comments. However, yesterday was a big day in politics with the departure of Rudy Guliani and John Edwards it looks like the race is down to two on each side. I know that there are still some others in there but the field will soon be a little smaller.

Super Tuesday is upon us and I think we will see more departures from the field and then I will start paying attention. It is very difficult when all these people are running to select a candidate that I like. I will make one comment. Don’t listen to the talking heads. Read for yourself what the candidates say, this is too important to leave it to the likes of Wolf Blitzer and Bill O’Riley. Far and Balenced are words that should never be used for the news because it is anything but fair and balenced. Read and study what the candidates say, watch the debates, read their websites. Don’t take someone elses word for it. Do your homework you have to do atleast that much before you pull the lever, poke the hole, draw the line, check the box, fill in the bubble or whatever else we do on election day. Take an hour, turn off American Idol, and pay attention!

Detroit Becomes Foothold for Orthodox Resurgence

DETROIT (AP) January 23, 2008 — Detroit is emerging as a national center for the rebirth of Orthodox Christian churches, which have deep ethnic roots in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Social scholars say the churches are growing in the United States through immigration and conversion. Next week, many of Detroit’s Orthodox leaders will host the first in a series of conferences planned nationwide for non-Orthodox clergy who want to explore conversion.

The Rev. John Fenton is betting his life on the growing popularity of Orthodox Christianity. He and his wife have packed up their six children from the rectory of a Detroit church where he was a Lutheran pastor until late October. They’ve moved into a small home in Allen Park, leaving behind Fenton’s clergy salary and, soon, his health insurance.

“My wife and I have spent a lot of time in prayer about this whole move, and it is difficult, but we do believe that God is leading us,” Fenton told the Detroit Free Press.

On Feb. 10 and Feb. 11 in Troy Fenton plans to join a small number of clergy nationwide choosing ordination as Orthodox priests. Fenton has lined up 16 former Lutherans as charter members of a new Orthodox parish he plans to open.

Why the fresh interest? Fenton said many Christians feel battered by theological controversies in their own churches. In contrast, he said, Orthodoxy represents an oasis of Christian tradition with its centuries-old style of worship and timeless celebration of the mysterious power of saints.

“So many people feel that the world is constantly changing all around them, and they want to find something that’s so deeply rooted that it won’t change on them,” Fenton said. “I think that’s the biggest thing that Orthodoxy brings to the American table.”

Since the mid-1990s, about 850,000 Americans have been drawn to more than a dozen different divisions of Orthodoxy that have congregations in the U.S.

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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