Sacred Heart of Jesus: Catholics pay devotion to divine love

June 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

FRIDAY, JUNE 7: From the renowned basilica in Paris to several religious orders bearing its name, Catholics today honor divine love on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A relatively recent development in Christian history, devotion to the Sacred Heart—as it is known today—began in the late 17th century; the official feast didn’t appear on the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar until 1856. Christians believe that the human Jesus embodied God’s infinite love, and therefore, it is with passion that devotionals are held, 19 days after Pentecost. (Global Catholic Network suggests a Meditation, Novena Prayer and Offering.)

The first indications of modern devotion to the Sacred Heart began in the Middle Ages, although it was French Nun Marguerite Marie Alacoque who pressed for a greater commemoration. In the late 17th century, Margaret Mary began witnessing several apparitions of Jesus that allegedly told her how the faithful should practice devotion to the Sacred Heart. With the help of a nearby priest, news of Margaret Mary’s apparitions began to spread. (Wikipedia has details.) In 1873, Ecuador became the first country to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart.

Today, Roman Catholics enthrone the Sacred Heart with an elaborate ceremony. (A Catholic perspective is at Fish Eaters and Catholic Culture.org.) According to Mary Margaret, devotion to the Sacred Heart promised a series of blessings, but specific instructions had to be obeyed: for example, the first Friday of each month had to be set aside for consecration. If performed with sincerity, devotees are promised peace in the home, a blessing in undertakings and a refuge in life and in death.

SACRED HEART MEETS
60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KOREAN WAR

Archbishop Andrew Yeom Soo-jung will lead 600 priests on a pilgrimage through Seoul today, in hopes that prayers recited at cathedrals and shrines along the way will bring peace to the Korean peninsula. (Catholic Culture has the story.) The purpose of the pilgrimage is threefold: to allow priests to reflect on their duties (the Sacred Heart promises devoted priests the ability to touch “the most hardened of hearts”); to spread awareness of Korean martyrs; and to pray for peace on this, the 60th anniversary year, of the Korean War.

Note: The Sacred Heart of Jesus is primarily a Catholic devotion, although it is observed in some high-church Anglican and Lutheran congregations.

FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI: Christians adore the Eucharist

June 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

SUNDAY, JUNE 2: A feast for the Holy Eucharist takes place in Christian churches around the world today, as adherents recognize the Feast of Corpus Christi (also known by the Roman Catholic Church as The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, or by the Church of England as The Day of Thanksgiving for the Institution of Holy Communion).

In several Catholic countries, Eucharistic processions fill the streets today, and those along the route decorate their homes with flowers, banners, candles and greenery. (Wikipedia has details.) Some devotees begin a public Novena to the Sacred Heart today, leading up to the Feast of the Sacred Heart on June 7.

Note: Although the liturgical solemnity of Corpus Christi takes place on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, the vast majority of countries—that is, where Corpus Christi is not a Holy Day of Obligation—celebrate the festival today, as its proper day.

EASTER MONDAY: Eggs roll, horses race, ships sail, polka bands play … and water flies for ‘Dyngus Day’

March 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment

MONDAY, APRIL 1: It’s Easter Monday—and that’s no April Fool!

Western Christians the world over rest from their joyous Easter festivities, joining in the centuries-old tradition of Easter Monday. What used to be a week-long, post-Easter celebration was cut down to one day of secular activities in the 19th century; activities like egg rolling, picnics and pussy willow swatting remain popular activities. (Wikipedia has details.) In Roman Catholic countries, it’s common for the faithful to douse one another with the excess holy water blessed at Easter Sunday Mass.

EASTER MONDAY GLOBALLY: AUSTRALIA

What does Easter Monday look like around the world? In Australia, masses head outdoors for the Oakbank Easter Racing Festival. The Oakbank organization proudly boasts: “Oakbank … rivals the Melbourne Cup in size and colour and it’s 70,000 strong crowd annually on Easter Monday makes it the biggest Picnic Race Meeting on Earth.” This is a horse racing event—in fact, it’s one of Australia’s signature thoroughbred racing events, stretching back to the 1800s. Thousands love to crowd around the course to watch the highly demanding Great Eastern Steeplechase at a distance of 4950 meters, a lengthy course by world standards. The most famous jump is the meter-high fallen log. All other jumps are topped with brush fences.

Outdoor sporting festivals are hugely popular in Australia around the Easter weekend. The Australian Three Peaks Race is another massive event, which runs for several days. In fact, the stragglers in the grueling event won’t finish until Tuesday. But, the official crescendo of the race weekend, each year, is on Monday. The Three Peaks Race is a unique mash up of sailing and endurance running. Here is the schedule page. Day-by-day race updates are posted on this page. The sailing course is mapped out on this page.

That’s just a sampling of one nation’s major Easter Monday events! Many other countries make this a special day. Germans hold Easter egg races in open fields; Canadians enjoy a public holiday; and, in Guyana, kites made on Holy Saturday are flown high in the sky.

In contrast, Americans are shortchanging themselves on this particular bash. Of course, that’s not true in every community, especially if you’re part of …

DYNGUS DAY

Shouts of “Everybody’s Polish on Dyngus Day!” ring out through Buffalo, New York, today, as tens of thousands gather for the city’s renowned Dyngus Day events. Buffalo’s Dyngus Day—the world’s largest organized event of its kind—reigns as the largest polka festival in North America, having attracted more than 25 polka bands from across the country last year. Dyngus Day has been traditionally celebrated in the Polish neighborhoods of Buffalo since the late 1800s.

And for our Polish readers, we can say: “Od ponad 120 lat, obchody Lanego Poniedzialku w Stanach Zjednoczonych rozwijaly sie z ludowej polskiej tradycji w niepowtarzalne Polsko-Amerykanskie obchody. Wiekszosc polskich tradycji ludowych obchodzonych w Stanach Zjednoczonych jest oparta na obyczaju pochodzacym z okresu Wielkiej Emigracji Polakow w latach 1880-1920.”

The official website for Buffalo’s festival has been down, occasionally, this season. You can try it at www.dyngusdaybuffalo.com or check out the Dyngus Day Facebook page.

WANT A TASTE OF POLISH CULTURE? Cook up pierogis and chrusciki and everything in between, with suggestions from AllRecipes and Food Network.

WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ROLL GETS A DOSE OF HEALTH

The Obamas host the 135th annual White House Easter Egg Roll today, gathering more than 35,000 children and their parents to the lawns of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. for festive games, “Eggtivities” and, of course, the traditional egg roll. Together with celebrity athletes, the Obamas will promote health and the First Lady’s “Let’s Move!” initiative during this year’s event, with cooking demonstrations, health advice and even a Yoga Garden, complete with professional instructors. (Read more in the Washington Examiner.)