Easter Tridium routine

[FairytalesAreBullshit]

I guess for some Easter kicked off with Palm Sunday & Matthews version of the Crucifixion, he's renowned for writing in a Jewish formal style, suggesting he has links with Judaism in his past. Was quite enjoying John.

Some of us kick it off on Thursday, with washing of feet and stripping of the altar. Saints Statues & Crucifixes have been covered too.

Others may do a witness walk Friday from 12PM. Cumulating in a service in open air, or at Church around 3PM.

Then others have the Easter Vigil after sunset on Saturday, where Baptismal rites are renewed and new people, usually adults, are welcomed into the Church.

Or for many it could be the Easter Sunday Service where we celebrate the resurrection.

What else do you do on top of worshiping (if you actively worship) do you have a special meal like Christmas? Do you give Easter Cards? Do you send Eggs or other presents.

Got cross buns have been about quite a while. Any secrets to the shop with the yummiest bun? I saw chocolate ones the other day, plus some near on burnt ones with wonky crosses.

Whatever you do whether it's Daily Reflection or worship on certain days, hope you all have an amazing week.

I'll try and post some reflections.

[picklemepopcorn]

We paraded yesterday, usually have services every evening including a meal on Thursday.
Nothing Saturday. Sunrise service Sunday.

In the past we've baked Easter biscuits, decorated boiled or blown eggs etc. We hide chocolate around the house then hunt it down and share it out. We takes turns to pick, like choosing teams. Happy Easter!

[Silvertap]

Hello. I went to our village Palm Sunday service sans the toddler children yesterday and it was a very welcome hour to breathe and think.

I'm struggling a bit with my belief at
The moment so am going to try and find some quiet time - there's a watch in one of our benefice churches on Saturday night. We're holding a seda meal on Thursday too which I've
Never done before so should be interesting.

[skerrywind]

My house is already decorated, we have an easter tree, eggs are bought, we will have a special easter lunch family coming over.
I don't do any religious malarky, Easter is a wonderful light bright time of year, a celebration of new life,
All the torture and human sacrifice doesn't float my boat. Puts a bit of a dampener on things.

[Candlelightnewf]

For me, Easter started yesterday during our Palm Sunday mass.

I'm looking forward to being received into the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening. Easter is a bit more special for me this year.

[BroomstickOfLove]

Congratulations and good luck, candlelight! That should be so special. I'm being baptised and confirmed into the CofE in May.

[Candlelightnewf]

Aww! Thanks! Lovely to hear of your baptism/confirmation too.

[thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts]

Palm Sunday service was yesterday. I've written Maundy Thursday's sermon and half half of Friday's done. I'm doing the ecumenical open air service as well as a reflective hour at my own church later in the day. Easter Sunday I have three services, dawn main one and one at the hospital. The choir have told me the expect champagne after the dawn service which I'm not sure about but it could mean that the main service really, goes with a swing.

Normally I live MandS apple hot cross buns but they haven't been as good this year. I'm looking forward to the week off afterwards....

[millifiori]

Easter started yesterday with Palm Sunday. We play Easter music like Bach's Oratorio and st Matthew passion and we eat hot cross buns. We observe Lent (DC's choice btw!), so DC have had no sugar for weeks and are eyeing their eggs displayed on the dresser. We fill the house with daffs and apple blossom.

We'll go to church on Good Friday, eat fish, go again on Easter Sunday and eat Lamb. Pretty trad Christian/English Easter here. Normalluy we'd have a massive family get together for Easter day but for various reasons that's not happening this year.

[FairytalesAreBullshit]

Aww good luck that's super amazing, have you chosen a communion Saint yet?

For those interested, Catholic or Christian, there's apps where you get Daily Readings. Palm Sunday was a good reading from Matthew. I think Luke's or John's is a bit longer.

[isittheholidaysyet]

Congratulations and welcome candlelight

It's the full palm sunday/maundy Thursday/good Friday walk of witness/good Friday 3pm/holy Saturday vigil (without kids)/Easter Sunday (with kids) here.

Throw in village egg hunt on Saturday and by Sunday lunch I'll be ready to crash out with a beer at the church easter Sunday shared table and egg hunt.

I love it.

[BroomstickOfLove]

I've got Maundy Thursday Eucharist with a visiting choir and orchestra performing the St John Passion. Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. Egg hunt in town on Saturday, and the vigil at night, and then Sunday morning egg hunt, church, and enormous feast of lamb.

[Niminy]

Holy Week is a busy one! Started on Palm Sunday with a reflection for the 8am early service and then a procession round the church at 10am, and then Stations of the Cross in the evening. On Monday, Wednesday and Holy Saturday there is evening prayer with a reflection. Tonight (Tuesday) a bring and share meal for all the people who've been involved in Lent groups. On Maundy Thursday we will have a Eucharist with foot-washing (first time I've done the washing) with stripping of the altar and a watch afterwards. On Good Friday I'll be running a children's activity morning and making the Easter Garden, followed by Good Friday three-hour service (only I think it won't be that long). Then on Easter day there will be a service of the first light at one of our other churches - way out in the country - followed by breakfast and then a big all-age Eucharist.

And then I am really looking forward to a day off, perhaps at the seaside if the weather is fine, on Monday!

[FairytalesAreBullshit]

Really want to send you something Candlelight I don't know if you've got already. But I have 2 editions of YouCat Catechism, which is basically a Catechism for young people. If you don't have it I could send it to the church if you wanted. It's not available on Amazon anymore, some people are asking crazy money for a book that cost less than £10.

I don't think I'll be doing anything as feeling really unwell. So just likely to continue my routine of sleeping, which is a shame as would love to go on Saturday. Friday's service is usually really busy with DC, my DC have the attention span of gnats.

[Candlelightnewf]

Hello. Thanks all!

Fairytales, I haven't chosen a saint's name. Our Priest said we didn't have to.

We have been using the compendium of the catechism in our RCIA classes. I work in a Catholic school so I think we would probably have the YouCat version but will check with the head of RE. Thank you so much for your kind offer though. You are very sweet.

I hope you feel better soon. I feel your pain about distracted children. My boys are the same. I can't concentrate on what's being said when I have both of them with me!

[EddSimcox]

My first Easter as a proper Christian was last year, and I struggled to get to church much in Holy Week for various reasons, and tbh I struggled emotionally with the whole thing. I did do stations of the cross last year and felt a little bit like Simon of Cyrene - like I'd been dragged in to Jesus' story unwittingly...

This year I'm taking it all pretty seriously, though still not without friction sadly. I missed my home church Palm Sunday service which would have been brilliant, but I went to another random church where I was visiting. Stations of the cross on Monday (yesterday) was still emotionally challenging, but I guess that's the point. On Maundy Thursday I'll go to the evening service for the first time, and Saturday evening vigil too. I haven't done that before either, but I think there's a baptism vow renewal, so I'm really looking forward to that. I'm going to miss the walk of witness and Good Friday liturgy because I'm the only Christian in the family and they all want some family time over the weekend too, so we're going out for the day.

Sunday will be the first Easter I've gone to church since I was about 17, which I am excited about too. And then we'll do family lunch, Easter egg hunt etc too - ie. the 'secular' celebration the family are used to. It's going to be a bit weird.

[FairytalesAreBullshit]

Edd we all have times in our lives when we struggle, it's totally normal. During a bad spot I would cry during Mass because I'd be thinking what more can I do for you, so this hell is alleviated.

It's not about going all the time, you can do Stations of the Cross & Mass Readings anywhere, entirely up to you. The free app is called Laudate. I paid £15 for the Universalis one but Laudate offers so much more for free it's crazy.

[FairytalesAreBullshit]

CandleLight Are you make/female? I was told years ago I needed a communion Saint, it must have changed since then. I think Teresa of Avila is an amazing Saint, as is St John of the Cross, both doctors of the church. St Teresa is the founder of the Carmelites and did so much good.

I can't interact if that's the right word with the church itself, but I do try my best to do what I can through the Laudate app. It's amazing how Daily Mass Readings can lift you for the day and give you hope.

God bless you all

[Candlelightnewf]

Morning Fairytales. I'm female. Very little was mentioned about choosing a saint. A couple of people in my RCIA group did but I didn't.

I've got the Laudette app. It's great! I also get the Southwark Diocese reflections which are really nice.

[EddSimcox]

Thanks fairytales I'll check out that app. I listen to PrayAsYouGo quite often which I love too.

I'm not RC but if I was going to choose a communion saint I might choose Saint Teresa of Avila. Or Julian of Norwich.

[Niminy]

Talking of apps I am really liking ReimaginingExamen. The examen is a form of Ignatian prayer exercise that you do at the end of the day, and this app is great.

[FairytalesAreBullshit]

Is the Southwark app free? I follow the Pope of Twitter, whether it's him tweeting I don't know. In the last few days he's made some good points.

I love St Teresa of Avila, my Priest was shocked I chose her, I don't know why but she stood out.

St Michael the Archangel would be really good as he protects us from the Devil/Satan, Demons etc.

St Jude is a really good Saint, he's good to pray to intercede when you have a crisis going on.

If you downloaded the Laudate app, the readings for the Chrism Mass, especially the first and second reading were really good.

I think, this is just me, you have those that don't miss Mass without fail, but their faith is like a concentrate for that hour. I found doing Daily Mass readings, Stations of the Cross, plus the Rosary on the Laudate app really good.

I had set myself a challenge to read more of the bible that isn't prescribed by Daily Readings. I really like 1 Timothy & 2 Timothy. It's like a little guide on what is expected of you and that kind of thing.

Hope everyone has a great weekend, especially Candlelight. This will be something that sticks in your mind for ages. What kind of an outfit do you have?

I likely won't make any of the services, but Church TV shows Masses and other services live from churches in the UK & Ireland. It makes me feel more involved.

I got some cheap ebooks, one on Spiritual Discernment, so like a Spiritual Director but in book form. One was about the benefits of Ignation Study, I hope to do this from home in my own time. Finally I got what appears to be a simplified version of Teresa of Avila's book, a modern version of the Interior Castle.

I found if you like unwinding colouring, they have a few religious colouring books. I'd be happy to scan in pictures for you to colour and reflect on.

I don't know if you've heard of Lectio Divinia, there's lots of websites will help. Basically it helps you meditate on bible readings. I'll check if there's an app for that. I really enjoyed it the first few times I did it.

I've spent the last year, if not years, growing with my faith. Trying to do more, so Daily Readings a must, then Stations of the Cross once a week, the Rosary as often as I remember.

If you go on to the Church TV, there's Clonard in Northern Ireland. They do a variety of live and recorded events.

Another cheeky question, what attracts you to Catholic faith? I came from an atheist family, so very little support. I prefer traditional architecture, the organ and choir, plus finding the right Priest you click with. Not to keen when the choir sings bits we're meant to say, that's the only bad thing.

I understand that moving with times, drums, keyboards, guitars are handy. That seems rather liberal to me.

[BroomstickOfLove]

We used to go to midnight mass at Clonard for Christmas when I was a teenager.

I had to think long and hard about deciding between the CofE and the RC church. I think that in some ways, what would have suited me best would be being a very very rebellious Roman Catholic, but I think that you have to be pretty much born into something to challenge it a lot, so I ended up at the liberal Catholic end of the CofE.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Chrism mass on Wednesday in my parish church, which is also the cathedral, then nipped up to Liverpool (RC) for their chrism mass as their archbishop is a close friend. Morning prayer in Liverpool. Then back home for the Mandatum. Liturgy of good Friday this afternoon then Easter vigil tomorrow night. Mass Sunday morning and then evening prayer in Liverpool and then some R&R with an organ recital in Liverpool Anglican cathedral! That's quite enough!

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

You're certainly keeping yourself busy, toddler.

Had to work so couldn't go to the chrism mass. Went to the feet washing and stripping of the altar last night and will probably go to the Good Friday service this afternoon. Still trying to decide on whether to do Easter Vigil or Sunday morning mass or both.

[Toddlerteaplease]

I love it, it's my favourite week of the year. I'm an altar serve. And love being a small part of it. Always book annual leave for it.