May
Pastor’s Epistle—May,
A.D. 2014 A
The Merry Month of May
Few of the warm
weather months manage to convey the same sort of wistful romance that we find in,
say, October or December. May might well be the exception.
May is the spring
month par excellence. Everywhere we
look we encounter flowers and fresh, living, blooming things. March still
growls through winter’s teeth and April mires us in cold mud and rain, but with
May the new season arrives in force. The root meaning of May is “growth,” and
it seems to be the time when Mother Nature finally builds up enough head of
steam to shake off her well-worn garment of ice and snow.
Several May Day
traditions are probably familiar to some in the congregation. In olden days
folks would hang May baskets on neighbors’ door handles, replete with fresh
flowers and sweets. Each flower represented some sentiment, usually
complimentary, though some saucier May baskets could include a rebuke.
(Geraniums, for example, represented friendship, while lavender indicated
distrust. Harsh.) On Walpurgis Night, the evening before May Day, the superstitious
would pour a little milk on their doorsteps to reward the fairies—just the good
ones, mind you. And washing one’s face in the dew before sunrise was said to
bring youth and beauty.
Other May rituals
include the infamous maypole so beloved by the English and so maligned by the
Puritans of New England; and crowning a young girl as the Queen of May. I’ve
never danced a maypole myself, but they’re making a comeback in America,
especially at Renaissance fairs and the like. The old English were also quite
fond of reading Shakespeare and fairy stories during the month of May. Double
up with A Midsummer Night’s Dream or The Tempest.
The Church dedicates
May to the loveliest flower in God’s garden: Mary, the Mother of God. Tradition
holds that the entire month be a time of meditation upon and appreciation for
the woman chosen to bear and to mother our Lord Jesus Christ. Little wonder,
then, that Mother’s Day falls on the second Sunday in May. (Consider yourselves
duly reminded, gentlemen.) St. Peter’s will be hosting some celebrations of our
own, including our annual midweek banquet for graduating seniors and
confirmands, followed by Confirmation Sunday. We’ll also have special
guests from Gideons International and Thrivent, who will be offering temple
talks at the end of worship, leading into further opportunities for discussion
during our fellowship hour.
The
last Sunday in May happens to be Rogation Sunday, when the Church blesses seed, soil, garden implements and the
like. In previous years we’ve had special midweek vespers to celebrate the Major or Minor Rogations, climaxing in a procession about the parish grounds, beating the earth
with brooms while reciting the Liturgy of the Saints! If you haven’t participated
before, it’s a hoot. This year we’ll simply include
the blessing and procession after regular Sunday worship (weather permitting), so bring
any gardening or farming supplies that you’d like to have blessed, along with a
broom from home. The earth ain’t gonna beat itself.
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