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jade_sabreI think I begin to understand why poets write love poems and lovers write letters and how they seem to contain such ridiculous effusions because in reality they are honest effusions and love is silly but true.
that is not why I am making this post.
I am making this post because this morning I went to morning prayer at church, and the priest read the homily from today's Office of Readings, and I wanted to post it here for people to see. If Holy Thursday is Christ in the Garden and Good Friday is Christ on the Cross, then Holy Saturday is Christ in the tomb, and that always struck me as a sad empty thing--the Lord is no longer on earth but nor is he in heaven; he descended to the dead.
And then he read this homily to us, and I realized that even in our earthly emptiness, for one day there is joy in hell:
From an ancient homily on Holy Saturday
The Lord descends into hell
Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.
He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.
For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.
See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.
I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.
Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.
that is not why I am making this post.
I am making this post because this morning I went to morning prayer at church, and the priest read the homily from today's Office of Readings, and I wanted to post it here for people to see. If Holy Thursday is Christ in the Garden and Good Friday is Christ on the Cross, then Holy Saturday is Christ in the tomb, and that always struck me as a sad empty thing--the Lord is no longer on earth but nor is he in heaven; he descended to the dead.
And then he read this homily to us, and I realized that even in our earthly emptiness, for one day there is joy in hell:
From an ancient homily on Holy Saturday
The Lord descends into hell
Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.
He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.
For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.
See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.
I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.
Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.
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(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-27 09:58 pm (UTC)also so nervous
but Jade said it's lighter so hopefully it won't make me agonize quite as much
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-27 10:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-27 11:56 pm (UTC)(I may be getting an ebook because that cover, I cannot. Not my taste at all.)
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-27 11:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-05-01 06:48 am (UTC)And it was a bit happier? Although Felix, once again *sob*
I mean, there are a whole bunch of Goodreads reviews calling hims angsty and I cannot understand them. I hear calling his story melodramatic, but angsty? Hardly his fault.
But steampunk, sort of! And I liked the trains! Although poor Kay. And the way all those people died was a bit nightmarish.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-05-01 06:51 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-05-01 06:57 am (UTC)I liked so many of the elements, but a few parts I just couldn't handle. Like Felix getting raped. Again.
And Mildmay :( He's not a complainer, at all, but he's still got it pretty tough.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-05-01 07:00 am (UTC)it's funny 'cause if you go to SM's livejournal she occasionally talks about how Felix is totes a Sue but that's because she invented him when she was twenty and everything became such a part of his character that she couldn't take things away without changing who he was (e.g. bicolored eyes).