The Domestic Church

2010-03-19T07:59:00.001-07:00

THE BLESSING OF PASCHAL FOODS
“Basket blessing” is an important custom for many Slavic families, both Byzantine and Roman. It is a beautiful Christian tradition that ALL Christians should share. This is because it is not just an ethnic tradition—it is a BIBILCAL TRADITION. Its origins lie in the laws of sacrifice revealed by God to Moses on Sinai, and particularly the law regarding the Passover sacrifice (Exodus 12).
Sacrifice is the original and most important form of worship that God reveals and commands in the Old Testament. Every Old Testament sacrifice points the way to the one and only sacrifice which sufficed to make atonement for the sins of all humanity: Jesus’ self-sacrifice on the Cross. The Epistle to the Hebrews, which we have been hearing throughout the Sundays of the Fast, explains in detail how Jesus offered Himself on the Cross as both priest and victim in perfect fulfillment of the Old Testament laws for sin offerings ( see Hebrews 9). We participate in Christ’s unique sacrifice at every Divine Liturgy.
Along with offering animals, grain, bread, wine and incense to God through burning, many Old Testament sacrifices were also meals. The participants ate some of the sacrificed foods and shared them with the priests and with the poor. Sacrifices were the only occasions on which most people ate meat. The Divine Liturgy offers us ongoing participation in Jesus’ once-and-for-all sacrifice on the Cross and so we share in His sacrificed body and blood in Holy Communion. But on Pascha, the holiest day of the year, we are also invited to bring the sacrifice home and celebrate a particularly holy meal in our families.
Jesus offered His sacrifice on the Cross during the Jewish feast of Passover. The centerpiece of this feast was a sacrificial meal featuring paschal lamb and unleavened bread. Jesus identifies Himself with this sacrificed Lamb (John 1,29; John 19,36) and was typically at meals that He appeared to His disciples after His resurrection (Luke 24; John 21). The earliest Christians understood the celebration of Pascha as the fulfillment of the Jewish Passover (1 Corinthians 5,7) and some even continued to celebrate the Jewish Passover meal. We should not be surprised, then, that two important items in the Paschal Basket are meat and bread. Southern Slavs, Greeks, Romanians, Italians and Albanians favor lamb, in direct continuation of the Passover symbolism. Northern Slavs tend to prefer pork products. The symbolism is the same. The bread – which Byzantine Slavs still call “Paska” (from the proper name for “Easter”) – is no longer unleavened Jewish matzah, but rich, sweet, raised bread which symbolizes the Risen Christ. No basket would be without salt but few realize why: the Old Testament commands that every sacrifice be accompanied by salt (Leviticus 2,13).
The egg is a natural symbol of Resurrection. Butter, cheeses and other dairy products also appear. All of these are animal products, luxuries from which we have abstained during the Fast. By blessing them, we receive them back again as God’s gifts to us, just as He gave them to humanity in our original innocence. The Paschal food blessing allows us to break our Lenten fast with special food, holy food. The most important reason for making our Paschal meal holy is also biblical. The yearly celebration of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection invites us to renew our own baptismal union with Christ. St Paul teaches: “we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death. We were indeed buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life” (Romans 6,3-4). More simply, Paul says: “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5,17). On Pascha, we nourish our new life by eating new food, holy food.
Many Byzantine Catholics are not ethnic Slavs. Many of us treasure different recipes for our Paschal meals. But ALL OF US should celebrate Pascha with blessed food. Every family should bring for blessing whatever will be on their tables on Pascha. Ideally, your basket should include some sort of bread, some sort of meat and eggs. Children are encouraged to bring their own baskets, containing eggs, chocolates and whatever they gave up for the Fast. Adults can do the same. Wine was offered in the Old Testament and is totally appropriate for inclusion in the basket. Every basket should include a candle which recalls the candle we received at Baptism. Feel free to be creative. But please participate.

Prayer Corner (Krasnyj Roh)

2009-03-02T10:10:00.001-08:00

Is there a designated sacred space in your home? Where is it? What is included there and why? How do you use this space, individually and as a family, for prayer? Share your comments here.

Celebrating the Sacramental Mysteries

2009-03-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

How do you prepare for the reception of the sacramental mysteries in your family? Do you have any memories or customs or suggestions for Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist, Matrimony, Holy Anointing of the Sick or Holy Orders? Share your comments here.

St Philip's Fast--Filipovka ("Advent")

2009-03-01T20:33:00.000-08:00

How does your family mark the 40 day period of preparation for Christmas? How do you juggle the secular anticipation of the "holiday season" with the fasting season? Any ideas for prayer, activities, fasting recipes or other suggestions? Add them here.

Sunday--the Lord's Day

2009-03-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

What do you do.........and what DON'T you do on Sundays? How do you keep the Lord's Day holy without recreating a pharisaical sabbath? Share your comments here.

General Resources

2009-03-01T19:28:00.000-08:00

Here is a place to recommend books, audio, video, websites and other resources that can help us live out our faith in our family life in our homes.

Christmas

2009-03-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

How does your family celebrate the Nativity of our Lord? How can we keep the feast going for 3 days? 12 days? 40 days (until February 2--the Encounter with Simeon)? How do you resist the commercialism? How do you deal with the anticipated Christmas season while we're keeping the Philip's Fast (Filipovka)? Share your recipes, customs, carols and ideas here.

Commemorations of the Dead

2009-03-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

How do you keep All Souls' Saturdays (Psychosabbato, Zadushna Subbota)? Bread recipes? Koliva (kutya) recipes? Do you keep a hramota (list of deceased relatives) in a special place in your home? Any 40th day commemoration customs? Annual memorials? Share your memories, traditions and suggestions here.

Patron Saints Days, Name Days, Slava, Onomastiko

2009-03-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

How do you celebrate name days and patronal feasts in your home? Any memories? Any ideas for increasing our devotion to our patron saints through family rituals? Share your comments here.

Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday

2009-03-01T19:19:00.001-08:00

Do you have any traditions associated with Lazarus Saturday? What sorts of branches are blessed in your tradition on Palm Sunday (aka: Flowery Sunday, Sunday of Branches)? What do you do with your branches? Any traditional festive (but meatless!) meals? Any ideas about how to enliven these two important days in our homes?

Feasts of the Lord

2009-03-01T19:18:00.000-08:00

Fruit blessing on Transfiguration? What do you bring? What do you do with it? Do you have particular customs for any of the other feasts of the Lord? Share them here.

Feasts of the Theotokos

2009-03-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

Do you bring flowers/herbs to church to be blessed on Dormition (August 15)? What do you do with them? Do you have any particular customs for other feasts of the Mother of God throughout the year? Any ideas for enlivening these feasts in your home? Share your comments here.

Pascha--Easter

2009-03-01T19:14:00.000-08:00

What foods does your family have blessed at Pascha? What other paschal customs do you keep? Egg games? Visiting cemeteries? Anybody have alternatives to the traditional ethnic foods? Share your Paschal memories and recipes as comments here.

Theophany/Jordan Customs

2009-03-01T19:13:00.001-08:00

How does your family celebrate the Theophany (January 6). Shchedryj Vecher? Awam? What do you do with your Jordan water? Share your comments here.

Christmas Eve, Holy Supper, Velija

2009-03-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

How does your family celebrate the traditional Slavic Christmas eve supper? Share traditions and recipes as comments here.

Lenten Customs

2009-03-01T19:09:00.000-08:00

How do you make prayer, fasting, charity, and forgiveness happen in your home during the Great Fast? Do you have meatless and dairyless lenten recipes to share? Post yours as comments below.