(Wendy Cabell, April 30, 2021, Great and Holy Friday in Orthodox Church. Feast day of The Passion Icon of the Mother of God, of (above) Saint Marie Guyart of the Incarnation, Saint Apostle James (brother of Saint John) and Blessed Hildegard the Empress, and Saint Onenn of Brittany. On Jewish calendar is 18 Iyar, the Haisidic holiday Lag BaOmer. Image from here.)
When Nature Sings
(that's how you'll know it's a holy day)
Holiday: 1500's, earlier haliday (c.1200), from
Old English haligdaeg "holy day, consecrated day,
religious anniversary; Sabbath" -from etymonline.com
We lesser ones*, we have our Saints.
Through the generations. Through splash and
chirp and nuzzle of fur, we remember. And we
sing it. That's how you'll know--
it's a holy day.
Some say it's the feasting, the gifts and the
plans. But we lesser ones know it's the Saints.
Who wake with God, put our hand in His.
From the dawn to this very moment. And
no one's left out. Our first ones, Adam breathed
their names. Our second ones Noah held. And
ever has been our sacred dove, hovering
over the waters. Bearing sister olive. Here
still, Sacramental Grace. And well,
there's our ox and donkey, and cows and bees,
and too many Saints to count. But here's what
counts: Always He's been with us. Always
our Saints have pointed. Always to our
Lamb of God, our God and yours. And so
that's why we lesser ones, we have our Saints.
Through the generations. Through splash and
chirp and nuzzle of fur, we remember. And we
sing it. That's how you'll know --
it's a holy day.
*Lesser ones is simply a traditional Native American term used to distinguish God's other creatures from man.
