It's Palm Sunday: the beginning of Holy Week. It is a busy week for us in many ways and we have arrived at this last week feeling wrung out by colds and flues, trips and appointments, anxieties and responsibilities, and much, much more. Essentially, we are stumbling across the Lenten finish line and falling into Easter. Fortunately, I have heard that at-wit's-end is the best way to arrive at the celebration of Jesus's triumph over death.I suppose that a significant part of the Lenten purpose is to show us that we are entirely dependent on the grace of God and the saving action of the Cross: there but for the grace of God go I. So, in my humble attempt to help our kids enter into this Holy Week, I have (with their generous help) constructed an Easter Garden. The idea came from an absolutely gorgeous blog; in the words of one good friend, "quite possibly the most beautiful blog I have ever seen." Ann at http://www.aholyexperience.com/ walked me through the Easter Garden in a recent post and I will do the same for you with the accompanying photos.
There is something wonderful about miniature worlds and the Easter Garden is just that. It is a micro-world teeming with life in which our children can tangibly follow the path of salvation from the Cross (the tree) to the empty tomb. My older sister mentioned how much she loves Holy Week over at http://www.whatireallymeanttosay.wordpress.com/ and I have to echo her sentiments.
I remember from the earliest of ages an almost palpable mystery and sanctity about this most holy of weeks. The liturgies have a fantastic ability to bring tears to my eyes as Good Friday proclaims the wood of the Cross while the Easter Vigil acknowledges that happy sin of Adam which gained for us so great a Saviour. Memories from my childhood are woven throughout this week and I am so thankful that my parents insisted that we attend everything even when Stephen Sadoway had a birthday party on Holy Thursday: "You can go after Mass, Elena." (How to mortify a girl in junior high.)
This is a holy week and it is a powerful week, and I am just going to try to be in it and follow the advice of my priest: Come before Jesus and let your love for Him pour out of your heart. He is far more generous than we, and when your love and His meet, miracles will happen.
The beginnings.
Waiting for the sun. 
Tilling the soil.
Everyone is involved.
No surprise.
Coming together.
Little hands at work making the tomb and placing the stones that form the path leading from tree to tomb. 
Revelling in his work.
View from above and indoors.
Evening prayer time watching with bated breath (literally so as not to blow out the candle). 
Six candles signifying Palm Sunday through til Easter Saturday. All goes dark on Good Friday and the stone is rolled across the entrance to the tomb.
The candles light the way through the garden and home.
8 comments:
I am so glad that we are friends...still!!! :)
You always brighten my day!!
That's so beautiful! I'm looking forward to when Norah's able to enjoy something like that.
Wow...that is beautiful! Thanks for sharing and by the way - I loved to see you quoting your mother because I am sure there are numerous times a day where you ask yourself when did I begin to sound like mom! And a great Mom to imitate too by the way! Happy Holy to you and your family!
That's funny, I don't remember that incident about the party at all. What I do remember is one Holy Thursday when I had to teach a sewing class and your father couldn't believe that I was going to do it, instead of going to church with you guys. Feeling sheepish now about that.....
In the spirit of Lent, depriving ourselves of worldly pleasures and so on, I am going to resist the temptation not to gloat about catching one of the Culshaws in a grammatical error:
... He is far more generous than us, ...
should read
... He is far more generous than we, ...
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of those whose spelling (not counting colour, centre, and so on), grammar, and all around English language abilities are nearly infallible, providence hath vouchsafed to provide an occasion for the proof of their fallibility, hath holpen me, through the finding of such, to look forward to my eventual spelling, grammar, and all around English language improvement, verily as my wife saith might be, and lo hath pointed my way thither.
Nathan
p.s. I like the idea about the garden.
Nathan, You do realise that I occupy the bottom rung of the Culshaw grammatical totem pole? I cringe to think what your writing would be like if you still warmed Brother Lou's pews on Sundays.
Brother Lou is the crazy preacher at another Methodist church in town (not actually a Methodist minister, mind you), and not the one I attended, and certainly nothing like the ministers I grew up with. Though I only warmed Brother Lou's pews once, it was quite a spectacle!
The language is actually like the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, used in our current church, and was put there mostly to amuse my wife. She says that it just sounds normal to her at this point (I am still amused by holpen and vouchsafe and so on).
Nathan
Nate, I hope you don't think I was taking a dig at the Methodist Church - certainly not. I did catch the Book of Common Prayer connection - I had the option of taking medieval English in university as part of my degree but held off. Maybe I shouldn't have. haha, my word verification if 'reasess' - i guess i should have taken that class!
p.s. by the way, one a walk this morning, jacob said, "i wonder what uncle nate is doing right now?" you've made your mark.
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