The Easter Outfit
In the early days of the Church, adults baptized at Easter emerged from the baptismal waters and changed into new clothes their baptismal robes. These were not ritual-type robes, but fine clothes expressing their new life.
It was customary to wear the baptismal clothes throughout the Easter Season to dress up as proud members of the Lords disciples.
It was this practice that gave rise to the custom of getting new clothes for Easter.
Mystagogia
Mystagogia means to go deeper into the mysteries. i.e. the truths of the faith. It is an ancient custom of spending the first week of Easter with the newly baptized, helping them experience the depths of the truths they had accepted in their baptism, confirmation and Eucharist.
And they remembered his words. Then they returned from the tomb and announced all these things to the eleven and to all the others.
Luke 24:8-9
These women were among the disciples of Jesus that Luke described back in the eighth chapter
Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities. Mary called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herods steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources. (8:2-3)
Luke then describes how Jesus began to tell his disciples that he would suffer, die, and rise from the dead. These women had heard all this, but they dont really understand. The angels had to remind them.
The Scriptures, the truths of our faith, our customs and traditions arent brand new to us. But we need angels to remind us of their meaning, to help us see them with fresh eyes, and take them into the changing circumstances of our lives.
Going over the same truths is not like going around in circles. It is more life a spiral staircase. We are in a different place every time we come around again, and we see familiar truths from a new perspective.
There are truths we learned as children that are worth turning over in our minds time and again. There is a god. God loves me. God cares for me. God will take me through death to the other side. God will take me through today.
|