Books, Ballads, & Bites Vol. 3
Virgil's Georgics, a rich dessert, and some thoughts on the Liturgical Calendar.
It is spring that decks the groves in leaves, spring that serves the woods; in spring, Earth swells moistly and begs for bursting seed.
…The remotest thickets resound then with birdsong, and the herds seek once again to mate in this appointed season. The fair land longs to give birth; fields plowed but not yet sown open themselves to the West Wind’s ardor. Sweet moisture abounds for all.
~Virgil’s Georgics, Book 2, 325-330
Living by seasons has always come naturally to me, as natural as the seasons themselves. This is due in large part to having grown up on a farm. The things that we eat, the work that we do, and the celebrations we observe all depend on the time of year, and I’ve always loved that. I can’t make myself buy strawberries from the store in April — they don’t even taste good enough to tempt me, anyway.
In a traditional agrarian society, living seasonally was not only commonplace but also critical. The richest milk comes in springtime from cows on fresh grass. Springtime means planting, summer and fall are for harvest, and winter brings rest. It’s a steady cadence can be counted on, save unexpected weather events and the usual disruptions of life. There’s so much comfort in that, I think. We have this promise: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22)
This spring I’ve been thinking more about the liturgical year. (This could be because I’m currently reading Kristin Lavransdatter, which is very steeped in medieval Christian tradition. It doesn’t get much more traditional than 12th-century Norwegian monastic life.) The liturgical year, if you’re not familiar, is essentially the calendar of Christian “holy days” or holidays that began in the 300s AD. It follows the solar calendar, but it began as a way to specifically outline the times for spiritual observances and holy days.
I used to think anything with the word “liturgy” was distinctly Catholic, but by that you can see I didn’t know much about the Catholic church. Liturgy simply means a formula for conducting worship. My husband and I are not Catholic, but there are things about Catholic traditions that I can certainly see the value in — for one, observing the liturgical year, which Protestants and Reformed Christians (like us) don’t often consider anymore.
I can understand this, since these holidays are so closely associated with the Catholic church and we want to keep the distinction there. At the same time, many Protestants do continue to observe Advent, and Lent, and even Pentecost, albeit somewhat lackadaisically. It seems like if we as Christians write off the liturgical calendar entirely, we might be missing out on a beautiful tradition, one that needn’t bind us but rather open up opportunities for everyday worship. The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof — so does it not make sense that we live through the year according to the things He has done and promised, as well as the natural seasons He has ordained?
The natural world, when you look around, is full of spiritual parallels, and the evidence of God and His goodness is everywhere. The spiritual is all tied up in the commonplace. This can be seen so clearly in the agrarian, seasonal lifestyle, so it seems appropriate that farmers and Christians alike would live through the year according to a calendar focused on worship and gratitude. I really love this thought, and I’d like to learn more about how to live by a liturgical calendar as well as the agrarian seasons.
But now…on to what I’ve been reading!
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