[Oe List ...] LITURGICAL DRAMA

[David & Lin Zahrt]

LITURGICAL DRAMA

Do the Seasons follow the Liturgical Year? Or was the Liturgical Year  
invented to reflect the Seasons?

In the time of the darkest hour, the Winter Solstice, a ray of hope  
is born. It is so nicely symbolized with a Virgin Birth. In the  
darkest hour, as if by miracle, Hope was born. With the arrival of  
Hope came new Light. The days lengthened.

With the crucifixion Hope was slain. Still there was a Resurrection  
of Hope; the Equinox, when day and night were equal length, and  
daylight continued on its way to overtaking darkness.

How many times have you experienced yourself surrounded by the depth  
of darkness—a darkness that seems to have no end? How relieving it is  
to know that light will not be overcome. It is relentless in  
overcoming the dark.

How many times have you experienced the death of everything positive  
and sustaining in life? What a enormous joy to realize that Death  
prefigures Resurrection—that which is past gives way to a brand new,  
unknown, and anxiety-filled future.



PS. The Pasque Flower, a native prairie crocus, is named after Easter  
(pasque in French refers to Easter). It turns out that the Pasque  
Flower waits for Mother Earth to create the Equinox so it has  
permission to appear. It comes as sheer flower. There is no leaf  
until after the bloom has disintegrated. Once the leaves have  
collected enough sunshine to develop mature seed the plant receeds  
into the prairie.

However, its comical to confine this phenomena to Easter. There have  
been several times in the past 4-9 years that we have had very cool  
and rainy Augusts, followed by a cool, cloudy, September. Guess what  
the Pasque Flower did? Since it perceived a cool, moist climate  
leading up to the Equinox (in this case the Autumnal Equinox) it once  
again came into bloom. And it was only supposed to be an Easter  
flower! It turns out that the Pasque flower responded to the Seasons  
rather than the Liturgical Year.


David Zahrt
Country Homestead B&B
22133 Larpenteur Rd.
Turin, IA 51040
-- Doorway to the Loess Hills -
<http://country-homestead.com>
Where a change of pace is as good as a vacation, and a sense of place  
is soothing to the soul.
<chbnb at netins.net>
Skype <loesshills>




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