I love all the traditions that have been attached to it over the years for me (spending about 2/3rds of the day in church, family dinners, Easter clothes).
I love that it's been on my birthday sometimes.
I love the special events I've had attached to it: I was baptized on an Easter Sunday, we were engaged on an Easter weekend, I remember sitting on wooden benches and a dirt floor the first Easter Sunday we used our partially constructed church when I was a kid.
And I REALLY love what it's all about! Christ rising, conquering death, bringing life and hope...the triumph and celebration of it all pretty much consumes me.
So this year was a bit weird for me. We weren't in church on Easter Sunday morning.
We had a 4-day weekend break from language school, and combined with a variety of factors, it provided a good opportunity to take a break for the weekend and travel someplace just to travel (something we haven't done in about 4 years). We headed to Paris. It sounds like a huge destination, but it's really accessible from here. (a couple hours by train, and inexpensive tickets aren't too hard to find)
My first thought for Easter Sunday had been how fascinating it would be to be in Notre Dame on Easter Sunday - but then I read someone else's experience of the CRAZY crowds. We did, however, stop by on Good Friday to catch part of "Organ Auditions". I was thinking it would be like a free concert as the organist prepared for Sunday or something, and anticipated this amazing sound inside this beautiful old space. Not exactly.
We came early, sat down and watched these families all dressed up for a service seated around us, and then noticed a huge procession of people coming as a bell was ringing. The veneration of the crown of thorns. I had noticed something on-line about it, but hadn't imagined a processional. Since the 1200's, this particular relic has resided in Paris and is brought out during Lent and Easter to be venerated by the public. People bowed as it came past. I don't think I've been quite so close to an experience anything like it before.
It stirred lots of thoughts in by brain - thoughts about how easily we worship "the created rather than the Creator", but in the same breath, the Holiness of God and how we physically demonstrate reverence and humility before Him - like Moses having to take his shoes off before the burning bush, or people dying when they touched the Ark of the Covenant. Hmm. That could turn into quite a discussion, but I'll leave it alone at the moment. I will just say this: there's some healthy awareness and reflection that can come from observing people worship in varying traditions.
The organ started to play after the procession. In all honesty, terrifying horrible sounds. Even with the less discordant notes, the organ sounded muffled, and disappointed our hopes of this full, resonant sound. The organist played a few notes; the priest read something in French; the organist played more; the priest read more. Not exactly a concert. I'm guessing it was about Good Friday and Christ's death. More accurately, I'm hoping it was as an explanation for the kinds of sounds coming from the organ. I felt like I suddenly understood things I've read where people describe their really morbid and scary associations with organs. We didn't stay very long.
Before we left altogether, we walked back around past the various places designated for prayer. This nun caught our eye. She seemed to tune all the crowds out, sit for awhile to pray, then exit just as quietly and directly. I just wanted to know her stories.
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