Hello again! Unfortunately I have been very busy and have had trouble attending to this blog. However, I'd like to let it be known that I am still committed to working on it and keeping it updated. I am currently trying to arrange a visit to the Sufi farm I discussed earlier but in the meantime I just wanted to update with a post on what it means to better integrate one's spirituality/religion with nature and why that is important.
It has been my experience that, although the green movement now seems to be in full swing - a legitimately exciting and hopeful prospect for our children and future generations - there does not seem to be a strong tie between this movement and institutional religion. Rather, much of it is associated with those who fall under a secular or "SBNR" (spiritual but not religious) category that seems to go hand in hand an unassailable desire for social change, stronger liberal values, increased environmental awareness, and a return to increased diversity in purchasing local and fairly acquired goods. Perhaps because of the green movement's connection with this demographic traditional religious institutions, often upholding conservative values, have been wary of embracing or even exploring the ideas thus contained by what may appear to them as that which is supported by a young liberal agenda or "hippies."
This, I think, is a big mistake on the part of most religious organizations and one which needs to be rectified as soon as possible. One reason being the spiritual significance of nature and what it does for us as humans; not to mention what it asks of us in return. Often times, as a Christian, I have noticed many firm objectives to work on behalf of the poor through various church-allied volunteer services or other means offered through church. I have also seen these types of programs offered by other religions. These programs are great and I am by no means deriding them. They fulfill what is often (or what should often be) a primary purpose of what many people attest to is a principle foundation of their religious beliefs, which is compassionate care of one's neighbor. However they are often focused on contributing only a very particular set of services. And so when I realize that this is all the church or another religious institution offers I become disappointed and can see why many find religious institutions so unfulfilling.
By limiting their outreach to canned food drives (which, should be mentioned are, usually unhealthy processed foods that can lead to health problems), brief mission trips, and volunteer options that engage only a small part of an overall congregation, religious institutions usually miss the mark when it comes to engaging their overall communities. Then, when people leave or when they do not contribute, they are usually labeled as "secular" or "worldly" and quickly forgotten.
But what if there were programs to engage a wide variety of people's skills and interests? Programs that could help build community and foster relationships with people who are members of that community? And programs which are progressive in the sense that they take the best parts of modernization and apply it to deeply held spiritual values? Now, let's look at one of those areas - that which in the last century we have desperately tried to disconnect ourselves from - the realm of nature, of homegrown food, and of adequate nutrition.
It has been boggling to me why religious institutions have not pushed for greater reform in the area of green and local food, along with increased environmental concern. For one thing, these areas are intimately connected with concerns of social justice. Every part of our physical being depends upon what we give unto, and thus receive in return from, nature. When we allow massive corporations, such as Monsanto, to take advantage of local populations by creating plants whose seed does not germinate or when we think it is okay for poor populations to live off of cheap fast food we are ignoring a vital problem of modern society and thus not living out the beliefs which we hold closest to us. Of course, often times I will hear a call for greater awareness of the environment from clergy or religious establishments but only rarely is this truly backed up by a strategic plan of action.
What we need are religious institutions who are willing to build community gardens or greenhouses with which they can provide nutritious food for the poor. We need religious models that can take an active role in preserving nature through education and through explaining the fact that we must serve the earth if we are to receive from it. And we must learn to support more local ventures so that we can be more deeply connected as a community and foster awareness of each other. This will, in turn, lead to more personal relations that will prevent fear of the unknown when seen in the other and thus prevent alienation and hostility.
Of course, while saying all this, I also realize the hardships many institutions would face in trying to accomplish these goals. There are financial concerns and logistical problems that many institutions may not be even ready to begin with, considering most are already charitable organizations in some shape or form. Yet, I think it would not be too much to ask for them to try or become more aware of other areas in which they can meet with the modern outside world in forming new ideas that connect with people's deeply held interests, the secular and religious alike.
And yet, even while saying all this, I realize my own shortcomings in this area. Often times I will opt for some fast food instead of bothering to take the time to prepare a full meal. Or I will ignore someone I am working in the field with instead of working to foster a better relationship with them because I am more interested in what is going on in my own mind. But at least what I can say for myself is that I am working toward being better and that a large part of that is realizing just how much we who are religious should be learning from the "hippies" in giving back to a Mother Earth that we believe has been given to us a divine gift and which we ought to know has only given its rewards to us ever since.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Thursday, July 11, 2013
St. Ann's Byzantine Catholic Church
As I mentioned in last week's post, this weekend I was able to visit St. Ann's Byzantine Catholic Church in Harrisburg, PA in order to observe a service of the eastern Catholic church. The first thing you recognize about the church is its difference in style from the typical Roman Catholic church. The top of the church is adorned with golden, rounded steeples with Byzantine crosses, which are construed with two totally horizontal bars at the top and one diagonal one at the bottom. The top bar, which is the shortest, represents the INRI label on Christ's cross while the bottom represents the footrest. I was also told by a friend I went with who is a member of the church that the raised right side of the bottom bar indicates the good thief on Jesus' right during the crucifixion who went to Heaven. The lowered part represents the other thief's departure into Hell due to his unbelief and criticism of Christ. Inside there are also many more icons, or religious imagery of particular persons venerated by the church. There were no stain glass windows, although I was told that it is common for Byzantine Catholic churches to have stain glass windows like the Roman Catholic churches.
At the front of the church the sanctuary is separated by a wooden icon screen or iconostasis that consists of three doors: the Royal Doors in the center, the Deacon's Door on the south side and the server's door on the north. It is decorated with Jesus, the Theotokos, or the word used to venerate Mary as the mother of Christ, and the saints. Although some may construe the icon screen as something designed to keep the congregation separate from the priest and from God, it can be defined more fittingly as a link between where heaven and earth meet. Additionally, when the priest leaves the area of the altar and passes through icon screen, he often turns in the same direction of the congregation (east) in order to address God positioned within the sanctuary area (Roccasalvo, 1992: pg. 21-22). There is also a tetrapod before the sanctuary area where an icon is placed so that it may be kissed, and which, during feast days, holds the icon of the Saint whose feast day he or she is being venerated by.
Although the Byzantine Catholics do not use musical instruments during their services, they have hymns that are sung throughout most of the Liturgy. These vocal melodies are used for many responses and prayers and even the Gospel is chanted by the priest, a difference from the Roman Catholic church where it is simply read in a normal voice. A few of the hymns are sung in Slavonic, which is to the Byzantine Catholic Church what the Latin language is to the Roman Catholic church, and the alphabet of which was developed by St. Cyril and St Methodius. Another difference is the more frequent use of incense and the more continual use of body praising, which consists of bowing and the sign of the cross. And whereas the sign of the cross in the Roman Catholic church goes from left to right across the chest, in the Byzantine Church it goes from right to left. Overall, it seems that these additional features strive to draw the physical into the spiritual through the stimulation of our senses in order to make one become more aware of the sacredness of what is going on around them.
Other differences include the Byzantine Catholic church's stronger history of hesychastic spirituality or hesychasm which comes from the Greek, hesychia, meaning quiet. This form of contemplative prayer was the way of the early Christian monks who lived an ascetic lifestyle in the desert. It consists of an aphophatic position in relation to God which derives from the Greek, apo, having a negative connotation, and phemi, to affirm. Thus it is an "attitude of mind which refuses to form concepts of God." In some ways this is very similar to Buddhist thought, and especially Zen Buddhism, which refuses to form conceptual images of enlightenment and instead seeks to experience it for one's self in order to affirm and understand it. On the other hand is cataphatic spirituality which affirms God through what it finds as perfection in the created world (Roccasalvo, 1992: pg. 16-17).
I enjoyed the Byzantine Catholic Liturgy and its more rhythmic pace very much. The whole Liturgy is very beautiful, from all the beautiful art adorning the walls and ceilings of the church to the smell of the incense and the sounds of the unanimously sung hymns. In two weeks I will be going back to a Slavic festival held there which I can't wait for. At that point I also hope to update with more pictures of the beautiful artwork of the church.
There was a funny story after leaving the church with the friends I had visited there to go to a local diner. One of their daughters found a snapping turtle under their car which I and my friend's husband wrangled out from beneath of. We threw it into my car and went to find a nice creek for it to dwell in.
Once we had stopped by our prospect creek my friend's husband took the snapping turtle out of the back of my car and proceeded toward the water source. At this moment a man in a red pickup came by honking his horn. He went slightly past me and on the back of his car I could see an image of a figure peeing on the letters PETA. As you may be able to guess by now, he wanted to consume the turtle we had just hoped to save. We ended up leaving the turtle on the other side of the guard rail near the creek and kindly told him that he could be the one to get it if he wanted to, which he promptly did after we drove off. More irony is accrued from this experience given the fact that I was talking about eating turtles as we were driving toward the creek.
To many this may perhaps seem an unfortunate occurrence. However, when we consider in what way this man was acquiring his food, naturally from the environment around him, and the fact that he would probably be slaughtering it himself, we should remember that for those of us who buy meat from commercial farms, we are even more to blame than we might this man. Although we may feel pity for the snapping turtle we may not harbor the same feelings for the chickens and cows that we eat almost every day, and even though they live in even worse conditions than this turtle must have in order to provide us with food. Furthermore, if this man was poor, this would have certainly been a valued find for him. Perhaps that day it was more important to provide a man with a meal than to save a turtle who had regardless lived a healthy life in a natural environment.
Next week I am hoping to journey to a farm which is also associated with a Sufi Retreat Center. I hope to learn more about the contemplative Sufi tradition and the practice of Dhikr, which I understand to be a meditative religious exercise.
Peace be with you,
Matt
At the front of the church the sanctuary is separated by a wooden icon screen or iconostasis that consists of three doors: the Royal Doors in the center, the Deacon's Door on the south side and the server's door on the north. It is decorated with Jesus, the Theotokos, or the word used to venerate Mary as the mother of Christ, and the saints. Although some may construe the icon screen as something designed to keep the congregation separate from the priest and from God, it can be defined more fittingly as a link between where heaven and earth meet. Additionally, when the priest leaves the area of the altar and passes through icon screen, he often turns in the same direction of the congregation (east) in order to address God positioned within the sanctuary area (Roccasalvo, 1992: pg. 21-22). There is also a tetrapod before the sanctuary area where an icon is placed so that it may be kissed, and which, during feast days, holds the icon of the Saint whose feast day he or she is being venerated by.
Although the Byzantine Catholics do not use musical instruments during their services, they have hymns that are sung throughout most of the Liturgy. These vocal melodies are used for many responses and prayers and even the Gospel is chanted by the priest, a difference from the Roman Catholic church where it is simply read in a normal voice. A few of the hymns are sung in Slavonic, which is to the Byzantine Catholic Church what the Latin language is to the Roman Catholic church, and the alphabet of which was developed by St. Cyril and St Methodius. Another difference is the more frequent use of incense and the more continual use of body praising, which consists of bowing and the sign of the cross. And whereas the sign of the cross in the Roman Catholic church goes from left to right across the chest, in the Byzantine Church it goes from right to left. Overall, it seems that these additional features strive to draw the physical into the spiritual through the stimulation of our senses in order to make one become more aware of the sacredness of what is going on around them.
(Image taken from St. Ann's homepage)
Other differences include the Byzantine Catholic church's stronger history of hesychastic spirituality or hesychasm which comes from the Greek, hesychia, meaning quiet. This form of contemplative prayer was the way of the early Christian monks who lived an ascetic lifestyle in the desert. It consists of an aphophatic position in relation to God which derives from the Greek, apo, having a negative connotation, and phemi, to affirm. Thus it is an "attitude of mind which refuses to form concepts of God." In some ways this is very similar to Buddhist thought, and especially Zen Buddhism, which refuses to form conceptual images of enlightenment and instead seeks to experience it for one's self in order to affirm and understand it. On the other hand is cataphatic spirituality which affirms God through what it finds as perfection in the created world (Roccasalvo, 1992: pg. 16-17).
I enjoyed the Byzantine Catholic Liturgy and its more rhythmic pace very much. The whole Liturgy is very beautiful, from all the beautiful art adorning the walls and ceilings of the church to the smell of the incense and the sounds of the unanimously sung hymns. In two weeks I will be going back to a Slavic festival held there which I can't wait for. At that point I also hope to update with more pictures of the beautiful artwork of the church.
There was a funny story after leaving the church with the friends I had visited there to go to a local diner. One of their daughters found a snapping turtle under their car which I and my friend's husband wrangled out from beneath of. We threw it into my car and went to find a nice creek for it to dwell in.
Once we had stopped by our prospect creek my friend's husband took the snapping turtle out of the back of my car and proceeded toward the water source. At this moment a man in a red pickup came by honking his horn. He went slightly past me and on the back of his car I could see an image of a figure peeing on the letters PETA. As you may be able to guess by now, he wanted to consume the turtle we had just hoped to save. We ended up leaving the turtle on the other side of the guard rail near the creek and kindly told him that he could be the one to get it if he wanted to, which he promptly did after we drove off. More irony is accrued from this experience given the fact that I was talking about eating turtles as we were driving toward the creek.
To many this may perhaps seem an unfortunate occurrence. However, when we consider in what way this man was acquiring his food, naturally from the environment around him, and the fact that he would probably be slaughtering it himself, we should remember that for those of us who buy meat from commercial farms, we are even more to blame than we might this man. Although we may feel pity for the snapping turtle we may not harbor the same feelings for the chickens and cows that we eat almost every day, and even though they live in even worse conditions than this turtle must have in order to provide us with food. Furthermore, if this man was poor, this would have certainly been a valued find for him. Perhaps that day it was more important to provide a man with a meal than to save a turtle who had regardless lived a healthy life in a natural environment.
Next week I am hoping to journey to a farm which is also associated with a Sufi Retreat Center. I hope to learn more about the contemplative Sufi tradition and the practice of Dhikr, which I understand to be a meditative religious exercise.
Peace be with you,
Matt
Monday, July 1, 2013
Update on Future Excursions
One of my top priorities for this blog is to make it as diverse as possible with all different religions getting an equal representation. Unfortunately this is difficult due to the small amount of religious places of worship and congregations other than Christian churches in the area that I am currently living in. Also, some of my attempts to visit certain places has failed due to unforeseen circumstances. However, I would like to update by saying that while next week I am visiting another Christian institution, a Byzantine Catholic church, I plan to visit an Islamic Dhikr the week after, and that I have other places in mind for after that and which I am in the process of setting up visits to. Because of the difficulty and time required in setting these visits up and traveling there, you can expect to see a Christian visit posted about every other week and a non-Christian visit posted on the complementary weeks. However, I will try my best to also post about other religions through other ways, as well, such as commenting on or reviewing books I have read that deal with another religious tradition.
The Roman Catholic Church - St. Paul the Apostle Parish
This week I decided to do a post on the parish that I grew up in and whose summer bazaar I talked about in a previous post. If you are not Catholic but are interested in learning more about Catholic beliefs than I hope this entry will be of help to you. To begin I should say that I have been raised Roman Catholic and still practice and profess my beliefs as a Roman Catholic today.
Something that many do not know about the Catholic tradition, including many Catholics, is that in addition to the western Roman Catholic church, there are also other eastern churches that are an equal part of the entire Catholic church. These are not to be confused with the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is a similar but separate denomination of Christianity. And just as the Roman Catholic branch accepts the apostolic succession of the pope in Rome, so do the eastern Catholic churches, as well. So when one hears "Roman Catholic" they should be aware that, although a large part of the Catholic church in its entirety, is only one part of a body of interconnected churches.
All Catholics are required to attend mass, the Catholic word for our church services, on each Sunday of every week. In addition, most Catholic churches will offer daily masses, usually in the early morning. The mass is divided into a Liturgy of the Word and a Liturgy of the Eucharist, each of which take about the same amount of time.
The Liturgy of the Word is comparable to most other Christian services and consists of the reading of scripture and the singing of hymns. This week one of the hymns was "Transfigure us O' Lord."
Something that many do not know about the Catholic tradition, including many Catholics, is that in addition to the western Roman Catholic church, there are also other eastern churches that are an equal part of the entire Catholic church. These are not to be confused with the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is a similar but separate denomination of Christianity. And just as the Roman Catholic branch accepts the apostolic succession of the pope in Rome, so do the eastern Catholic churches, as well. So when one hears "Roman Catholic" they should be aware that, although a large part of the Catholic church in its entirety, is only one part of a body of interconnected churches.
All Catholics are required to attend mass, the Catholic word for our church services, on each Sunday of every week. In addition, most Catholic churches will offer daily masses, usually in the early morning. The mass is divided into a Liturgy of the Word and a Liturgy of the Eucharist, each of which take about the same amount of time.
The Liturgy of the Word is comparable to most other Christian services and consists of the reading of scripture and the singing of hymns. This week one of the hymns was "Transfigure us O' Lord."
The Liturgy of the Word is also when one hears the Gospel, or "The Good News," which are the narratives of Jesus' life contained in the four books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. When the Gospel is presented and carried to the pulpit by the priest, the Alleluia is sung. As the priest announces which section of the Gospel is being read from, Catholics sign their foreheads, mouths, and hearts with the sign of the cross, signifying the desire for Christ to be reflected upon our minds, to be issued from our mouth, and to be within our hearts. Catholics will also often make a sign of the cross that proceeds from the head to the central region of the chest and then to each side of the body.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist is distinct from Protestant churches in that while many Protestant churches will on occasion take time for a communion meal in which they partake of bread and wine/grape juice in order to reflect upon Christ's death, recalling the Last Supper of Christ, Catholics believe that the bread and wine are actually transformed in a process called transubstantiation into the literal body and blood of Jesus, which are together referred to as the Eucharist. Because Jesus is part of the Holy Trinity which also contains the Father and the Holy Spirit, and because the Holy Trinity encompasses all of Heaven, the Eucharist also provides a form of heaven on earth. This creates in the mass a meeting place between heaven and earth and also connects it to all other masses that have ever been said or which will ever be said. In some ways it is similar to the idea of Shabbat in that the mass is paradoxically its own sacred "time" that exists out of time and is a place where the Divine descends down to earth to meet us. If, after Catholics have received communion, there is any of the Eucharist left, it is placed into the tabernacle where it is used for veneration or to be used at a later mass.
The tabernacle
Catholics also differ from Protestants in our veneration of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Typically, icons and other images are also used in Catholic churches for purposes of veneration of the Saints, people officially recognized by the Catholic church as those who have inherited eternal life and who have contributed their lives first and foremost to God.
An image of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, or "The Holy Family" above a baptismal font
Catholics also differ from Protestants in that we profess a belief in Holy Tradition in addition to Holy Scripture and not a belief in sola scriptura or in the bible alone. This ties into our belief in the apostolic succession of the popes, where we consider Simon Peter the first pope.
Next week I hope to go to a Byzantine Catholic service in order to compare the western and eastern traditions of the Catholic church. If you are not familiar with the Catholic church I hope this has been an informative introduction and that you will seek to learn more about its rich history and beliefs.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Celtic Fling and Highland Games at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire Grounds
Today I was able to journey over to the Renaissance Faire grounds in Manheim PA in order to enjoy the Celtic themed events that take place only once a year there. The Celtic Fling and Highland Games celebrates all things Celtic which includes Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Manx, Bretons, and Galecians/Asturians contributions and hosts a variety of bands, vendors, and, true to its namesake, athletes who compete in traditional highland games. These games include the clachneart, the 28 and 56 pound throw, the Scottish hammer, the sheaf toss, the 56-pound weight toss, and the caber toss, which involves heaving a tapered wooden pole that is 19 feet long and 130 pounds and which is the centerpiece event of modern highland games.
Besides having great modern and traditional Celtic themed music such as that performed by Irish entertainer Seamus Kennedy, there was also a great deal of traditional Celtic food and drink to be had. I was able to grab one of Scottland's most recognizable dishes, Haggis, which came with a side of Mash potatoes and gravy. Haggis is a mixture of sheep heart, lungs, and liver which is combined with added herbs and all encased within the sheep's stomach. Although looking somewhat like a sausage, it had a much more mild taste and smoother texture, and, in my opinion, had an overall better taste than sausage.
Later my father, who was accompanying me, and I watched the Scottish hammer event, in which a 22 pound hammer head is attached to a handle just a little longer than that of a basic sledge hammer. The hammer is then swung around in a circle above the competitors head and released in the opposite direction of which they are facing. All I can say is that anyone doubting the masculinity of a man wearing what would appear to be a woman's skirt would think twice after watching this event.
How could anyone think this is anything but delicious!?
One of the great things about the PA Renaissance Faire is that it is located on the Mount Hope Estate which also consists of a winery and brewery, allowing the beer and wine to be made onsite. I was able to try both a Buckwheat Honey Porter Braggot and a Highland Heather Ale. Braggot is a "marriage of ale and mead" that was a popular drink of medieval Europe. Besides honey, it utilizes the flavors of rum, raisins, and molasses. It had exactly what you would expect of a porter, having dark, roasted tones of flavor but with a combination of extra sugary sweetness, condolences of the honey. The Highland Heather Ale was my favorite of the two, and interestingly used heather flowers instead of hops, thus reducing its overall bitterness. Its light tones were complemented by an almost cider-like taste that provided a refreshing retreat from the summer heat.
The Porter Braggot (left) and Highland Heather Ale
There were also quite a few local vendors which included handmade soaps, local and natural cigars, and what might be described as hallucination inducing hot sauces. Concerning the latter, I had an epiphany that sampling a hot sauce made with Trinidad Scorpion peppers, the hottest peppers in the world, was probably not the most intelligent idea. While my mouth underwent something around the magnitude of a nuclear meltdown, I made sure to maintain a nonchalant attitude about the whole affair (thus reassuring myself of my manliness) and then departed with all due haste to the nearest beer and/or soda stand.Later my father, who was accompanying me, and I watched the Scottish hammer event, in which a 22 pound hammer head is attached to a handle just a little longer than that of a basic sledge hammer. The hammer is then swung around in a circle above the competitors head and released in the opposite direction of which they are facing. All I can say is that anyone doubting the masculinity of a man wearing what would appear to be a woman's skirt would think twice after watching this event.
If you would like to go to the Celtic Fling and Highland Games there is only one more day left so hurry there! Otherwise, it will be a whole year until it is back. Overall I would rate it a very fun event that was pleasantly surprising in terms of its genuineness in the form of great traditional food and music and local vendors. Next year I hope to go back, perhaps to spend not just one day but the whole weekend exploring this unique look at Celtic traditions.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
St. Paul the Apostle Church Summer Bazaar
Each year during mid-June one can visit St. Paul the Apostle Church in Annville, PA to check out their traditional summer bazaar. If you are not familiar with it, the word "bazaar" is of Middle-Eastern origin and describes a marketplace, or more commonly when used in the west, a charity fundraising event. The latter is the case for St. Paul's which relies on its annual bazaar for a significant amount of income. For example, last year the bazaar brought in over $70,000.00.
The bazaar has a long history that dates back to shortly after 1928, the time when St. Paul's first church building was officially acquired, where it initially existed as a flea market. It started in an alley behind the church and moved to a much larger lot shortly before the construction of a new church which started on July 27th, 1980. Since its initial conception, it has evolved into an event with a smorgasbord of different stands which incorporate games and activities such as cane toss, spin-art, darts, and many more. There is also a great deal of delicious and traditional festival food such as funnel cakes, sausage sandwiches, hamburgers, chicken BBQ, and even the inclusion of a beer garden. There is also live music - this year performed by the bands "Flamin Dick and the Hot Rods" and "The Uptown Band." Yet this summer carnival still keeps a connection with its initial design through a stand which operates in the manner of the flea market upon which the bazaar was built.
Because Sunday was Father's Day, I decided to interview my father who has worked to set up the bazaar for over ten years and who, for the last few, has played an instrumental part in keeping it running, along with a few other committed and long-standing volunteers. He told me that the hardest part of the bazaar set up is finding people who are willing to commit their time to help. Set up traditionally starts around 3 weeks before the actual event and construction happens about 4 to 5 times a week during weekday evenings; this year, however, Saturdays were included to accommodate church members who could not help during the week.
St. Paul the Apostle Church's bazaar, while being affiliated with a Catholic church, usually brings in a wide range of people who come to simply enjoy the food, the fun, and the company of others. If you are ever in Annville, PA around the middle of June I would recommend checking out St. Paul's bazaar for both its great taste of summer fun and its endearing and old-fashioned festival feel.
The bazaar has a long history that dates back to shortly after 1928, the time when St. Paul's first church building was officially acquired, where it initially existed as a flea market. It started in an alley behind the church and moved to a much larger lot shortly before the construction of a new church which started on July 27th, 1980. Since its initial conception, it has evolved into an event with a smorgasbord of different stands which incorporate games and activities such as cane toss, spin-art, darts, and many more. There is also a great deal of delicious and traditional festival food such as funnel cakes, sausage sandwiches, hamburgers, chicken BBQ, and even the inclusion of a beer garden. There is also live music - this year performed by the bands "Flamin Dick and the Hot Rods" and "The Uptown Band." Yet this summer carnival still keeps a connection with its initial design through a stand which operates in the manner of the flea market upon which the bazaar was built.
I made sure to take pictures early before the crowds arrive - generally the bazaar grounds become swamped with so many people that it becomes difficult to see from one end to the other.
Because Sunday was Father's Day, I decided to interview my father who has worked to set up the bazaar for over ten years and who, for the last few, has played an instrumental part in keeping it running, along with a few other committed and long-standing volunteers. He told me that the hardest part of the bazaar set up is finding people who are willing to commit their time to help. Set up traditionally starts around 3 weeks before the actual event and construction happens about 4 to 5 times a week during weekday evenings; this year, however, Saturdays were included to accommodate church members who could not help during the week.
St. Paul the Apostle Church's bazaar, while being affiliated with a Catholic church, usually brings in a wide range of people who come to simply enjoy the food, the fun, and the company of others. If you are ever in Annville, PA around the middle of June I would recommend checking out St. Paul's bazaar for both its great taste of summer fun and its endearing and old-fashioned festival feel.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Shabbat at Dickinson College and the Milton Asbell Center for Jewish Life
Shabbat is a time for weekly reflection, observance, and relaxation. I definitely needed the last of these three things after jumping through many hoops trying to find a Shabbat service to attend this past Friday evening. Although I mentioned in my last post that I would be taking a look at Liberal Judaism, the temple that I had planned to attend, The Congregation of the Sons of Israel in Chambersburg, PA, was in the midst of finding a new rabbi as their current rabbi was leaving and thus was not having any services this Friday.
Thus, I contacted the rabbi at B'nai Abraham, a Reformed temple in Hagerstown, MD, about the possibility of attending a Shabbat service and asking him some questions. Unfortunately, and by sheer coincidence, he also happened to be leaving the congregation, and thus I would not be able to attend that service either.
Finally I found a small Jewish meetinghouse called the Milton Asbell Center for Jewish Life, located on-campus at Dickinson College in Carlisle, and which held weekly Shabbat services during the summer. Thus I contacted a woman named Ethel, who told me they would be happy to have me come.
The service started at 7:15 p.m., and I arrived a little early. In the meantime, I admired the ornate buildings that adorned the college grounds. I had always wanted to visit Dickinson, mostly in order to observe their sustainable and agricultural enterprises, such as their 50-acre certified organic farm, the website for which can be found at the following address: http://www.dickinson.edu/about/sustainability/college-farm/
The visit, however, is worth it simply to see the beautiful college grounds, and I intend to go back to observe more of Dickinson and its environmentally savvy endeavors.
As the house was currently empty upon my arrival there, I waited on a bench on the front porch until a woman named Emily, a Jewish convert who was raised in the Christian Methodist tradition, came and invited me in. As we talked in the downstairs foyer more of the congregation arrived and we made our way up to a small sanctuary on the second floor which could probably fit no more than perhaps 20 people. The congregation size was very small, being no more than about 10 persons, most of them older, and as such departed an informal ambience to the whole affair. Noticing a box of spare head coverings, I asked if I should wear one, and was told that there was no need, and that in fact in Reformed Judaism, of which the Milton Asbell Center affiliated itself with, wearing a head covering during services is not required.
Judaism can be considered to have four main sects - Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed, and Reconstructionist. I was told that Reformed Judaism was a response to a sterile rigidity of interpretation of the law and to commitment to ritual that resulted in a departure from much Jewish tradition and custom. For example, the inclusion of English or other native languages in exchange of the traditional Hebrew during services, the institution of female rabbis, the optionality of head coverings and of keeping kosher, and the optionality of keeping the Sabbath. I was even told that some early Reformed temples imitated Christian churches, with organs and choirs, more than they resembled their orthodox counterparts. The Conservative sect was a response to the Reform movement due to what was perceived as an over abundance of liberal renderings of Judaism and thus tried to find middle ground between Orthodoxy and the Reform movement. Reformed Judaism, however, began a move back to tradition after the events of the Holocaust, in what would be an effort to conserve Jewish heritage after their persecution.
Concerning Shabbat, it is the name for the Jewish Sabbath day and is typically celebrated on Friday night and extends until Saturday night. It recalls the significance of the Lord's day of rest from his creation and the Lord's command to observe the Sabbath day in the beginning of Exodus: 35. The Shabbat service was lead by Emily and started with the lighting of two candles which represent the call to reflection and observance. There was no rabbi, a rabbi not being needed to conduct the service, at least to my knowledge of the Reformed tradition. After this and throughout much of the service was singing in Hebrew, and sometimes in English, which consisted of recitations from the Torah or the Hebrew Bible which praised and blessed God, affirming his position as the one and only God of the universe. At one point during the beginning of the service we also faced the entrance of the room in order to welcome the Shabbat "bride." This nuptial metaphor for the welcoming of Shabbat is associated with the Jewish song we sung called "Lekhah Dodi" which means "come my beloved" and which addresses the expectation of the coming of Shabbat in the form of a bride. This was written by the Jewish rabbi and kabbalist, a Jewish mystic, Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz.
Another unique part of the Shabbat service is an asking of the angels to come and abide within the sanctuary where the Shabbat service is being held. Thus one can entertain the awe-inspiring conception of angelic beings intermingled with the congregation who are also gathered to join in the worshipping of God. Later is a silent recitation of prayers, followed by a discussion based on the parshah, or the weekly Torah portion. Because the Torah is read throughout the year, it is divided into 54 separate readings, one for each week, which coincide with the Hebrew calendar, which is a lunar calendar. This was lead by a woman from the congregation named Deanna. Part of her discussion focused on the Israelites journey through the desert and the Moabites cursing of the Israelites. The Israelites relationship with Moab is an interesting one in that they are actually related through Lot, Abraham's nephew, who was subjected to drunkenness and subsequent intercourse by his daughters, thus begetting the lines of the Moabite and Ammonite peoples through incest. Later, Israel and the Moabites enter into fighting with each other, described as Deanna as "fighting within the family." Ruth, a woman who is also a Moabite, seems to be the exception to the evil depiction of the Moabites and is even an ancestor of King David and therefore of Jesus, as well. Thus it was discussed how the Israelites were in a way fighting amongst themselves when it came to their relationship with the Moabites.
In a similar way I found my own relationships to members of this community where before similarities had not been evident. A few people in the congregation were not actually Jewish, but considered themselves Christian, with one being Episcopalian and one being Catholic. Deanna was also an adjunct professor at Lebanon Valley College, with which I am very familiar since I have taken courses there. Another woman there was coming within a couple of weeks with a group of school-aged children to visit the farm on which I work.
These general commonalities are a good example of what I think one person could find amongst any other given enough time to know the other person. It is a good example of human interdependence and connectivity and reminds us that although we all have our own individuality we are also all related in some way.
Additionally, I believe that it is important for Christians, and also to a degree for Muslims, to recognize and acknowledge our shared history with the Jews. Jesus, or Yeshua, was brought up in a Jewish society and was familiar with the Hebrew tradition, texts, traditions, and myths, and therefore I think that for Christians to be able to understand the Old Testament within our tradition and to understand Jesus, we must be willing and eager to understand Judaism, as well. Without it, we can never fully understand that which we call "Christianity." For followers of other religions, it is also important to understand Judaism since it is one of the world's oldest and longest surviving religions.
The service also included the Aleinu song, at which point the ark is opened so that the Torah can be seen. The service also included the Kiddush cup and the sharing of the challah, or a bread that is shared amongst the community. From past Shabbat experiences, I remembered that typically the community all drinks wine from the same Kiddush cup. Although the cup was present at this service, we did not all drink from it, but we all shared the delicious challah bread after the service ended.
The members of the community were then gracious enough to invite me to dinner, which I accepted, and which with my grateful appreciation they also paid for.
Ethel told me that Judaism is like Christianity in that we both have our "holiday church-goers." Whereas in Christianity these are those who go to Easter and Christmas services, in Judaism it is those who go to Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Yet the fact of the matter is that Shabbat is actually considered to be the most holy time of the year. Judaism accounts for time in a way that sets aside certain times as holier than others.
In Jewish, the word for holy means separate. Thus, Shabbat is a time that is separate from the rest of time - a time that could be considered to be on a different plane of existence where one is closer to the spiritual realm and the spiritual realm is closer to our mundane one. Thus it is important to take advantage of this by means of reflection and relaxation. It is also a gift in that it relinquishes one from worries of mundane work and daily problems and encourages pursuits related to one's family, friends and most importantly to God.
We of other faiths can learn a lot from this type of observance, especially for those of us who do not take time to slow down and are always looking toward future pursuits. Shabbat helps me to reconsider my own Christian celebration of the Sabbath on Sunday and that I should slow down and take time to pray and seek God, especially in my family and in those around me. It also prepares one's self for the week to come by giving a spiritual fortress of peace that they can impregnate themselves within in regards to the coming of the stormy and impermanent qualities of everyday life.
I enjoyed my time at the Milton Asbell Center and would like to come back in September when the students at Dickinson are in session and conducting their own services there. Perhaps then I can take the time to look further into what, being of the younger generation and thus my peers, those who are young Jews think of their religion and spirituality.
I encourage you all to check out Dickinson College and the Milton Asbell Center for Jewish life if you are able and to also attend a Shabbat service where you can take time to reflect and relax.
Shalom,
Matt
Thus, I contacted the rabbi at B'nai Abraham, a Reformed temple in Hagerstown, MD, about the possibility of attending a Shabbat service and asking him some questions. Unfortunately, and by sheer coincidence, he also happened to be leaving the congregation, and thus I would not be able to attend that service either.
Finally I found a small Jewish meetinghouse called the Milton Asbell Center for Jewish Life, located on-campus at Dickinson College in Carlisle, and which held weekly Shabbat services during the summer. Thus I contacted a woman named Ethel, who told me they would be happy to have me come.
The service started at 7:15 p.m., and I arrived a little early. In the meantime, I admired the ornate buildings that adorned the college grounds. I had always wanted to visit Dickinson, mostly in order to observe their sustainable and agricultural enterprises, such as their 50-acre certified organic farm, the website for which can be found at the following address: http://www.dickinson.edu/about/sustainability/college-farm/
The visit, however, is worth it simply to see the beautiful college grounds, and I intend to go back to observe more of Dickinson and its environmentally savvy endeavors.
As the house was currently empty upon my arrival there, I waited on a bench on the front porch until a woman named Emily, a Jewish convert who was raised in the Christian Methodist tradition, came and invited me in. As we talked in the downstairs foyer more of the congregation arrived and we made our way up to a small sanctuary on the second floor which could probably fit no more than perhaps 20 people. The congregation size was very small, being no more than about 10 persons, most of them older, and as such departed an informal ambience to the whole affair. Noticing a box of spare head coverings, I asked if I should wear one, and was told that there was no need, and that in fact in Reformed Judaism, of which the Milton Asbell Center affiliated itself with, wearing a head covering during services is not required.
The Milton Asbell Center for Jewish Life at Dickinson College
Judaism can be considered to have four main sects - Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed, and Reconstructionist. I was told that Reformed Judaism was a response to a sterile rigidity of interpretation of the law and to commitment to ritual that resulted in a departure from much Jewish tradition and custom. For example, the inclusion of English or other native languages in exchange of the traditional Hebrew during services, the institution of female rabbis, the optionality of head coverings and of keeping kosher, and the optionality of keeping the Sabbath. I was even told that some early Reformed temples imitated Christian churches, with organs and choirs, more than they resembled their orthodox counterparts. The Conservative sect was a response to the Reform movement due to what was perceived as an over abundance of liberal renderings of Judaism and thus tried to find middle ground between Orthodoxy and the Reform movement. Reformed Judaism, however, began a move back to tradition after the events of the Holocaust, in what would be an effort to conserve Jewish heritage after their persecution.
Concerning Shabbat, it is the name for the Jewish Sabbath day and is typically celebrated on Friday night and extends until Saturday night. It recalls the significance of the Lord's day of rest from his creation and the Lord's command to observe the Sabbath day in the beginning of Exodus: 35. The Shabbat service was lead by Emily and started with the lighting of two candles which represent the call to reflection and observance. There was no rabbi, a rabbi not being needed to conduct the service, at least to my knowledge of the Reformed tradition. After this and throughout much of the service was singing in Hebrew, and sometimes in English, which consisted of recitations from the Torah or the Hebrew Bible which praised and blessed God, affirming his position as the one and only God of the universe. At one point during the beginning of the service we also faced the entrance of the room in order to welcome the Shabbat "bride." This nuptial metaphor for the welcoming of Shabbat is associated with the Jewish song we sung called "Lekhah Dodi" which means "come my beloved" and which addresses the expectation of the coming of Shabbat in the form of a bride. This was written by the Jewish rabbi and kabbalist, a Jewish mystic, Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz.
Another unique part of the Shabbat service is an asking of the angels to come and abide within the sanctuary where the Shabbat service is being held. Thus one can entertain the awe-inspiring conception of angelic beings intermingled with the congregation who are also gathered to join in the worshipping of God. Later is a silent recitation of prayers, followed by a discussion based on the parshah, or the weekly Torah portion. Because the Torah is read throughout the year, it is divided into 54 separate readings, one for each week, which coincide with the Hebrew calendar, which is a lunar calendar. This was lead by a woman from the congregation named Deanna. Part of her discussion focused on the Israelites journey through the desert and the Moabites cursing of the Israelites. The Israelites relationship with Moab is an interesting one in that they are actually related through Lot, Abraham's nephew, who was subjected to drunkenness and subsequent intercourse by his daughters, thus begetting the lines of the Moabite and Ammonite peoples through incest. Later, Israel and the Moabites enter into fighting with each other, described as Deanna as "fighting within the family." Ruth, a woman who is also a Moabite, seems to be the exception to the evil depiction of the Moabites and is even an ancestor of King David and therefore of Jesus, as well. Thus it was discussed how the Israelites were in a way fighting amongst themselves when it came to their relationship with the Moabites.
In a similar way I found my own relationships to members of this community where before similarities had not been evident. A few people in the congregation were not actually Jewish, but considered themselves Christian, with one being Episcopalian and one being Catholic. Deanna was also an adjunct professor at Lebanon Valley College, with which I am very familiar since I have taken courses there. Another woman there was coming within a couple of weeks with a group of school-aged children to visit the farm on which I work.
These general commonalities are a good example of what I think one person could find amongst any other given enough time to know the other person. It is a good example of human interdependence and connectivity and reminds us that although we all have our own individuality we are also all related in some way.
Additionally, I believe that it is important for Christians, and also to a degree for Muslims, to recognize and acknowledge our shared history with the Jews. Jesus, or Yeshua, was brought up in a Jewish society and was familiar with the Hebrew tradition, texts, traditions, and myths, and therefore I think that for Christians to be able to understand the Old Testament within our tradition and to understand Jesus, we must be willing and eager to understand Judaism, as well. Without it, we can never fully understand that which we call "Christianity." For followers of other religions, it is also important to understand Judaism since it is one of the world's oldest and longest surviving religions.
The service also included the Aleinu song, at which point the ark is opened so that the Torah can be seen. The service also included the Kiddush cup and the sharing of the challah, or a bread that is shared amongst the community. From past Shabbat experiences, I remembered that typically the community all drinks wine from the same Kiddush cup. Although the cup was present at this service, we did not all drink from it, but we all shared the delicious challah bread after the service ended.
The members of the community were then gracious enough to invite me to dinner, which I accepted, and which with my grateful appreciation they also paid for.
Ethel told me that Judaism is like Christianity in that we both have our "holiday church-goers." Whereas in Christianity these are those who go to Easter and Christmas services, in Judaism it is those who go to Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Yet the fact of the matter is that Shabbat is actually considered to be the most holy time of the year. Judaism accounts for time in a way that sets aside certain times as holier than others.
In Jewish, the word for holy means separate. Thus, Shabbat is a time that is separate from the rest of time - a time that could be considered to be on a different plane of existence where one is closer to the spiritual realm and the spiritual realm is closer to our mundane one. Thus it is important to take advantage of this by means of reflection and relaxation. It is also a gift in that it relinquishes one from worries of mundane work and daily problems and encourages pursuits related to one's family, friends and most importantly to God.
We of other faiths can learn a lot from this type of observance, especially for those of us who do not take time to slow down and are always looking toward future pursuits. Shabbat helps me to reconsider my own Christian celebration of the Sabbath on Sunday and that I should slow down and take time to pray and seek God, especially in my family and in those around me. It also prepares one's self for the week to come by giving a spiritual fortress of peace that they can impregnate themselves within in regards to the coming of the stormy and impermanent qualities of everyday life.
I enjoyed my time at the Milton Asbell Center and would like to come back in September when the students at Dickinson are in session and conducting their own services there. Perhaps then I can take the time to look further into what, being of the younger generation and thus my peers, those who are young Jews think of their religion and spirituality.
I encourage you all to check out Dickinson College and the Milton Asbell Center for Jewish life if you are able and to also attend a Shabbat service where you can take time to reflect and relax.
Shalom,
Matt
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