The Son Also Rises

"It was on a holy Wednesday, and all in the morning,
That Judas betrayed our heav'nly King.
And was not this a woeful thing,
And sweet Jesus, we'll call him by name."

Today is my last day of work before the Triduum. I've bought half of what I need for my Easter basket. No, not those little weenie baskets you see in the drugstore. I'm talking about those big mamas that measure eighteen inches in diameter (or more!), like they do in Eastern Europe. Inside are all the things that were traditionally given up during Lent -- meat, dairy products (including eggs), distilled spirits -- plus items symbolic of the Passover -- salt, horseradish, and so on.

"It was on a maundy Thursday, and all in the morning,
They planted a crown of thorns on our heav'nly King.
And was not this a woeful thing,
And sweet Jesus, we'll call him by name."

On the night of the Last Supper, I will join the other men who serve for the Old Latin Mass at Saint Mary's, located at the edge of the "Chinatown" section of DC. I will be off the whole day, doing work around the house.

"It was on a good Friday, and all in the morning,
They crucified our savior, and our heav'nly King.
And was not this a woeful thing,
And sweet Jesus, we'll call him by name."

Back in my hometown of Cincinnati, the pilgrims will ascend the stairs from the riverfront to the top of Mount Adams, to the Immaculata Church -- "Saint Mary's of the Steps" -- reciting the Rosary with each step. This tradition dates back to the Civil War. It invariably rains on this day. Meanwhile, I will once again go to Saint Mary's in DC at noon, for the Veneration of the Cross. Afterwards I will remain alone, until three in the afternoon, when I will serve alone with the pastor, for Stations of the Cross.

On the evening of the Great Vigil, we'll attend my "other parish," the Byzantine Rite church where my son still attends. There we will sing the Resurrection Matins for two or three hours, culminating in the Liturgy of the Resurrection. We will sing throughout the night: "Christos voskrese iz mertvych, smertiju smert poprav, I suscym vo hrob'ich zivot daravav." ("Christ is risen from the dead! By death He conquered death, and to those in the graves He granted life.") We will process around the church, within the church, and eventually to the parish hall, where our Easter baskets (remember them?) wait to be blessed.

"It was on an Easter Sunday, and all in the morning,
Our Savior arose, and our heav'nly King.
The sun and the moon, they both did rise with him,
And sweet Jesus, we'll call him by name."

"Great day in the mornin'!" We'll attend St Mary's one more time, where I'll serve for the Missa Cantata of Easter Sunday. Afterwards we'll take my blessed basket to the church basement, and share my goods with the children, who have come to expect this every year. In the afternoon, we'll head up to Catonsville, to the convent of The All Saints Sisters of the Poor (Episcopal), to give them my other basket -- again, as I do every year.

Come Sunday evening, if we have any strength left, we'll go dancing.