The Paschal Kanon

This is music we sang just tonight as we celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Of course this is not us--this is a parish in Canton, Ohio. BUT, the priest, Fr. John Peck, is a dear friend of mine who once served the parish in southern Illinois where I became Orthodox. What a delightfully "small world"!



CHRIST IS RISEN!

Christ is Risen!

This is the Paschal greeting:

CHRIST IS RISEN!
INDEED HE IS RISEN!

Of course, when only use English in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain. Here are a few others:

Albanian: Khrishti unjal! Vertet unjal!
Aleut: Khristus anahgrecum! Alhecum anahgrecum!
Alutuq: Khris-tusaq ung-uixtuq! Pijii-nuq ung-uixtuq!
Amharic: Kristos tenestwal! Bergit tenestwal!
Anglo-Saxon: Crist aras! Crist sodhlice aras!
Arabic: El Messieh kahm! Hakken kahm!
Armenian: Kristos haryav ee merelotz! Orhnial eh harootyunuh kristosee!
Aroman: Hristolu unghia! Daleehira unghia!
Athabascan: Xristosi banuytashtch'ey! Gheli banuytashtch'ey!
Bulgarian: Hristos voskrese! Vo istina voskrese!
Byelorussian: Khrystos uvaskros! Sapraudy uvaskros!
Chinese: Helisituosi fuhuole! Queshi fuhuole!
Coptic: Christos anesti! Alithos anesti!
Czech: Kristus vstal a mrtvych! Opravdi vstoupil!
Danish: Kristus er opstanden! I sandhed Han er Opstanden!
(or Sandelig Han er Opstanden!)
Dutch: Christus is opgestaan! Ja, hij is waarlijk opgestaan!
Eritrean-Tigre: Christos tensiou! Bahake tensiou!
Esperanto: Kristo levigis! Vere levigis!
Estonian: Kristus on oolestoosunt! Toayestee on oolestoosunt!
Ethiopian: Christos t'ensah em' muhtan! Exai' ab-her eokala!
Finnish: Kristus nousi kuolleista! Totisesti nousi!
French: Le Christ est ressuscite! En verite il est ressuscite!
Gaelic: Kriost eirgim! Eirgim!
Georgian: Kriste ahzdkhah! Chezdmaridet!
German: Christus ist erstanden! Er ist wahrhaftig erstanden!
Greek: Christos anesti! Alithos anesti!
Hawaiian: Ua ala hou `o Kristo! Ua ala `I `o no `oia!
Hebrew: Ha Masheeha houh kam! A ken kam! (or Be emet quam!)
Icelandic: Kristur er upprisinn! Hann er vissulega upprisinn!
Indonesian: Kristus telah bangkit! Benar dia telah bangkit!
Italian: Cristo e' risorto! Veramente e' risorto!
Japanese: Harisutosu Fukkatsu! Jitsu ni Fukkatsu!
Javanese: Kristus sampun wungu! Saesto panjene ganipun sampun wungu!
Korean: Kristo gesso! Buhar ha sho nay!
Latin: Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit!
Latvian: Kristus ir augsham sales! Teyasham ir augsham sales vinsch!
Lugandan: Kristo ajukkide! Amajim ajukkide!
Malayalam (Indian): Christu uyirthezhunnettu! Theerchayayum uyirthezhunnettu!
Nigerian: Jesu Kristi ebiliwo! Ezia o' biliwo!
Norwegian: Kristus er oppstanden! Han er sannelig oppstanden!
Polish: Khristus zmartvikstau! Zaiste zmartvikstau!
Portugese: Cristo ressuscitou! Em verdade ressuscitou!
Romanian: Cristos a inviat! Adevarat a inviat!
Russian: Khristos voskrese! Voistinu voskrese!
Sanskrit: Kristo'pastitaha! Satvam upastitaha!
Serbian: Cristos vaskres! Vaistinu vaskres!
Slovak: Kristus vstal zmr'tvych! Skutoc ne vstal!
Spanish: Cristo ha resucitado! En verdad ha resucitado!
Swahili: Kristo amefufukka! Kweli Amefufukka!
Swedish: Christus ar uppstanden! Han ar verkligen uppstanden!
Syriac: M'shee ho dkom! Ha koo qam!
Tlingit: Xristos Kuxwoo-digoot! Xegaa-kux Kuxwoo-digoot!
Turkish: Hristos diril-di! Hakikaten diril-di!
Ugandan: Kristo ajukkide! Kweli ajukkide!
Ukranian: Khristos voskres! Voistinu voskres!
Welsh: Atgyfododd Crist! Atgyfododd yn wir!
Yupik: Xris-tusaq Ung-uixtuq! Iluumun Ung-uixtuq!
Zulu: Ukristu uvukile! Uvukile kuphela!

May God bless you, all my friends and acquaintances, known and unknown (I can say that, I'm in radio :), during this holiest of Christian festal times!

What does it all mean?

I am not a very good person.

I am variously angry, spiteful, lustful, nasty, crude, unkind, even evil. I am all too aware of my shortcomings both personal and professional. Were I to be judged solely by the results of my actions and the state of my heart...well, let's not go there.

This is a day to remember all that. This is a day to lament all that shows I am not and indeed cannot, solely of my own accord, be the kind of person I truly want to be: decent, kind, trusting, trustworthy, dedicated, prayerful, and above all, loving.

Today all that is dark and disturbing in my soul seems to be all-powerful.  To quote a psalm, "My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me."

Solzhentizyn said the line between good and evil runs through every man's heart, and today I can see that so clearly--and the balance seems to me to be running to the evil side.

And yet...

Hear this from the rest of Psalm 55:

But I call upon God,
and the Lord will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he will hear my voice.
Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.

On this day, I remember the darkness of that first Great and Holy Friday. Whether or not it actually was a Friday is immaterial. What happened is the important thing.

On this day, I remember an innocent victim going to the cross.

On this day, I remember my failings, the darkness of my heart, the wages of sin, the pains of hell...and as St. Silouan counsels, I do not despair.

You may not believe. That is your option, your choice. You may think me a fool for believing as I do in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, yet I have seen and experienced enough self-induced pain and enough beauty, forgiveness and healing from somewhere that your mockery does not affect me.

This is the day the weight of my own wretchedness began to be lifted from my shoulders. And I can look forward to the early morning very soon when I can sing with George Herbert:

Rise heart; thy Lord is risen. Sing his praise
Without delays,
Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise
With him may'st rise;
That, as his death calcined thee to dust,
His life may make thee gold, and much more, Just.

Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy part
With all thy art.
The cross taught all wood to resound his name
Who bore the same.
His stretched sinews taught all strings, what key
Is best to celebrate this most high day.

Consort both heart and lute, and twist a song
Pleasant and long:
Or since all music is but three parts vied,
And multiplied;
O let thy blessed Spirit bear a part,
And make up our defects with his sweet art.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Musings on Great & Holy Friday III

The noble Joseph,
when he had taken down Thy most pure body from the Tree,
wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices,
and placed it in a new tomb.
--Troparion of Holy Saturday

Musing on Great & Holy Friday II

Today the Master of Creation stands before Pilate
and the Creator of All is condemned to the cross.
As a lamb He is willingly led, and fastened with nails.
His side is pierced, and He, Who rained manna on the earth,
is given drink from a sponge.
The Savior of the World is struck on the cheek,
and the Creator of All is mocked by His own servants.
For those who crucify Him,
He entreats His Father, saying:
"Father, forgive them this sin
because the lawless ones know not what injustice they do."
O, what a supreme love for mankind.
--from Vespers for Great & Holy Friday

Musing on Great & Holy Friday I

I Got me flowers to straw Thy way,
I got me boughs off many a tree;
But Thou wast up by break of day,
And brought’st Thy sweets along with Thee.

The sunne arising in the East,
Though he give light, and th’ East perfume,
If they should offer to contest
With Thy arising, they presume.

Can there be any day but this,
Though many sunnes to shine endeavour?
We count three hundred, but we misse:
There is but one, and that one ever.

--George Herbert

Did the earth move for you too?

Nothing like being awakened at 4:30 in the a.m. with a usually-mellow cat acting mental and the impression that someone is pounding on your apartment door.

I can't say I actually felt the earthquake, but it did sound for all the world like someone (Tookie maybe :) was trying like heck to roust me out of bed.

When I walked into work, everyone was standing around chattering. It seems that while I was driving in from putting gas in the car, we'd had an aftershock. Why do I miss all the fun?

Congrats to Roberto Stellino, owner of Tiramisu in Quincy. He's become a citizen of the United States today. Also to the four other Quincyans who are taking that big step with him today.

Now THAT'S an earth-shaking experience we should all think about--especially if we're natural born--and give thanks that, even with all its warts, this is still one of the best places in the world to live.

This is very odd. Really.

Can someone tell me, when I was sick from last Wednesday through Monday (and really still am but at least now I'm functional), when I worked a 12 hour day Tuesday, and look to do it again Wednesday...

WHY THE HECK AM I SITTING UP STILL AWAKE AT 3:40 IN THE FREAKING A.M. NOT SLEEPING?!?!

And also not commenting on a bunch of things worthy of comment: city budget hearings (check Tookie and East End for their takes), music (Funions--or at least RH--are doing lots of performing, check over there), Pam Fretwell getting roasted (I made her cry on her last day at STARadio--in a good way of course), county comprehensive planning meetings (this is gonna be....interesting), and so much more.

By the way, I have found the Holy Grail of upper nasal congestion relief: Zicam spray just cleans me out so well I don't get a headache and I can BREATHE!!! Hallelujah!

Note I said I wasn't sleeping, I did not say I was particularly coherent.

City Council Monday night was surreal under the influence of my meds. Tom Fentem cracked me up when he got up and volunteered to postpone the Preservation Commission's presentation so the aldermen and audience could get home to watch the NCAA championship. John Holm has probably seen swifter motions, seconds, and votes, but I haven't.

New BATTLESTAR GALACTICA season underway. I can't believe they brought Starbuck back. Please. No more Starpollo worse-than-soap-opera "romance". I also don't think I like any of those characters anymore. They're all worse than flawed--they're clueless AND lacking in moral fiber.

Watched the movie SWEENEY TODD for the first time. Not bad, Johnny Depp has a good voice, but neither he nor Helena Bonham Carter know how to act while they sing. Plus they left out too much, and Burton could at least have given us the ballad during the end credits.

Waiting for the next season of DOCTOR WHO.

Waiting for Great Lent to wind to its conclusion in Holy Week (not far now) and then Pascha (April 27th).

It occurs to me that I probably need to fast more from the pointless entertainments I just critiqued. Of course it's late and I'm a bit loopy.

One last non sequitur: just finished the first volume of POWER AT SEA by Lisle Rose about naval industrialism and sea power in the 20th century. 1st volume was about 1900 to 1918. Had to break out the WW1 naval minis and play a couple of battles. Solo of course, so I won but I lost, all at the same time.

I thought exercising my brain and writiing would put me to sleep, but alas.

Guess I'll go for an early morning drive.

School announcements

We are told that there will be two sets of school announcements this week from Quincy District 172.

On Wednesday expect to hear the fate of Irving School (i.e. how the district plans to use it now that it won't be a school), as well as the new school boundaries.

We have not received any kind of notice of a press conference on this, so I suspect thay will just send out a press release to the media.

Then on Friday they will hold a special School Board meeting at 6:30 a.m. That will begin with a closed session--which is where they talk about terminations (and other privacy-issue related items). We've been told to expect to hear who and how many will be laid off during that meeting, once it goes open session again.

I don't want to comment more on the situation since I will likely have to attend and report on the meeting.

Just keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers--these are tough things to have to go through for students, families, teachers and other staff.

For the suffering faithful in Alaska

They are not my words, but they are my prayer. May God bless the land where Orthodoxy first came to North America.

O God of earth and altar, bow down and hear our cry,
Our earthly rulers falter, our people drift and die;
The walls of gold entomb us, the swords of scorn divide;
Take not Thy thunder from us, but take away our pride.

From all that terror teaches, from lies of tongue and pen,
From all the easy speeches that comfort cruel men;
From sale and profanation of honor and the sword;
From sleep and from damnation, deliver us, good Lord!

Tie in a living tether, the prince and priest and thrall;
Bind all our lives together, smite us and save us all;
In ire and exultation aflame with faith and free,
Lift up a living nation, a single prayer to Thee.

--G.K. Chesterton

Lord, have mercy!

Fasting (it's still Lent for the Orthodox)

I snagged this from one of the new Orthodox links at the right: the blog of Fr. Joseph Huneycutt, Orthodixie.

It's from the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew.

Together with prayer, fasting is a critical form of ascetic discipline in the spiritual life. Physical practices of abstinence assist in breaking forceful habits that accrue within and harden the heart over years and even over generations. However, like the phenomenon of monasticism ... the aim of fasting is not to denigrate or destroy the body, which is always respected as "a temple of God" (1 Cor. 3:16). Rather, it is to refine the whole person, to render the faculties more subtle and sensitive to the outside world as well as to "the inner kingdom."

Fasting is another way of rejecting the split between heaven and earth.

Fasting implies a sense of freedom. Fasting is a way of not wanting, or wanting less, and of recognizing the wants of others. By abstaining from certain foods, we are not punishing ourselves but instead able to preserve proper value for all foods. Moreover, fasting implies alertness. By paying close attention to what we do, to the intake of food and the quantity of our possessions, we better appreciate the reality of suffering and the value of sharing.

Fasting begins as a form of detachment; however, when we learn what to let go of, we recognize what we should hold on to.

Blow, blow, thou winter wind

I sang this one in the district choral festival in Kenosha, Wisconsin...in 1978!

Never saw it again either as a score or in a recording. But here it is on YouTube.

The "embed" command was disabled, but I've put the link to the page where you can listen.

Gorgeous piece, great Shakespere text, a real weeper.

Of all the recordings of this on YT (yeah, there are a bunch, and I had to suffer without the song for 30 years!!! :) this has the cleanest singing and the best tempo.

Blow, blow, thou winter wind

March Rain

Rodney Hart doesn't like March rain. Thinks it's "bleah".

Rain in February or November is incomparably worse than March rain.

In February it brings thoughts of "Oh crap, it's still winter and this month was already devised to challenge even a saint's faith!"

In November it brings thoughts of "Winter is almost here and it's gonna be cold and ugly and this month was already devised to challenge even a saint's faith!"

But in March...

"Spring is so close I can feel it and even if it gets cold or yucky, I see the trees getting ready to burst forth and the sun is moving north and after all, it's the month that gives hope even to the vilest sinner!"

So Rodney's wrong. :)

The Bishop by Anton Chekov

Here's a link to an interesting story by Chekov.

The Bishop

Thanks to St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Dallas for its voluminous website!

How the Pilgrim has wasted his morning

It's not been a total waste, of course. I took my walk, I mopped the kitchen and bathroom, and I marked the cuts in the opera score for Muddy River Opera Company rehearsal tonight.

But after that...

It's Microsoft Train Simulator, using a route that follows the old Chicago Great Western Railroad from Chicago out to Oelwein, Iowa.

I rather went over the speed limit.

Oh yeah, I spent some time this afternoon updating the blog, changing the template, and making a simple header graphic...time wasted or not? You decide. :)

Cold, rainy, and yet...

I've been trying to get out and walk more lately.

It's problematic because I have chronic gout and it almost always goes to my feet. I do take medication and drink lots of water, but from time to time I'll have a lingering attack that, while not as painful as a full-blown assault, still makes walking distances quite the chore.

And yet...

Went out this morning determined to go at least around the block, perhaps as far as Washington Park (which is just three blocks away after all), and back. Good for the circulation, good for me period. One of my Lenten disciplines this year.  (Remember, Pascha/Easter for the Orthodox isn't until April 27th.)

It was cool and it rained lightly. That's usually enough to turn me off but today it was different.

It had rained enough overnight to make the air smell really fresh--cold, but fresh. It was bracing, as they say.

At the park, rain dripped off the trees and while there was no sunlight per se, it still kind of sparkled and made everything look new and pretty. Even the new restroom construction didn't look so bad. :)

It was fairly quiet too, at 8 a.m. Most of the traffic was off on 4th Street and I stayed on the 5th Street side.

I headed back and stopped for a moment in front of St. Raphael Church (right next to the Busy Bistro) and looked at the ikons in the window. I have a key and thought about going in for a few minutes but decided in or out I was in the temple of the Lord and that was good enough for today.

Walked on...and my feet didn't hurt anymore and haven't since. Granted it's only a handful of hours, but not having aching dawgs is very much a blessing.

Combined with the fresh air, the lovely rain, the coolness, the beauty of ikons, and a day off, this has been and will continue to be a wonderful day.

Hope yours is too.

KNP

Happy Pi-Day!

Yet more lack-of-seriosity on the Pilgrim.

I s'pose I should buckle down and make some comment on Quincy at some point.

Shout-out to Tookie whom I saw at a big event on Thursday.

Back to work.

Tell me it ain't so!

Mary Ann caught with weed?!

Alas, I am devastated.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080311/ap_on_en_tv/people_dawn_wells

Okay, okay I admit it!

The artist in my soul (music, iconography, poetry) was the one who turned me on to Orthodoxy.

But listen to this and tell me you wouldn't like to hear this around the throne of God.

http://

And yes, there are LOTS of people I'd like to hear making music around the throne of God, but this just transports me there, NOW.

I don't think I'm getting into the proper Lenten spirit though. Hoever this does move me to lift up my hands in praise and to weep tears of joy.

s'nami Bog!

Gospodi pomiloye!

Absolutely stunning performance of a Russian Orthodox piece. Don't ask me what the text is because it's written in Cyrillic and I can't read it. A comment says it's by Chesnokov (late 19th, early 20th c.) and translates to "Advice Most Eternal" but I haven't been able to figure out which piece it is in "standard" church practice.

But dear God it is so gorgeous it HURTS.

http://