[信訊舊文重溫]
聖週:禮儀及靈修的高峰
(一)導言、聖枝主日
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我母校澳門聖若瑟大學有慶曾邀得著名禮儀學家安鵬浩神父客座,教授禮儀神學一課。我曾在2009/10學年習修該課;並在(二零一零年)三月十日參與由天主教香港教區禮儀委員會主辦,由國際知名的禮儀學家安鵬浩神父所主講的禮儀講座。在即日徵得講者安神父同意後,曾在澳門堂聯《信訊雙週刊》編譯講座主要內客。今天重溫舊文,希望能與大家一同重溫聖週各禮儀行動中更深入的意思,從而度一個更豐碩的聖週。
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聖週
1. 在五十二週的禮儀年當中,聖週突顯出其神學、傳承和靈修的蘊藏。儘管在世界的某些地方,聖誕是可之與匹敵的慶典,然而聖週肯定享受著其首要的地位。就如《菲律賓教理指南》所講,許多天主教徒描繪基督的兩個主要的圖像分別是耶穌聖嬰和受苦的基督。某程度上,這兩幀圖像也是描寫著相信基督的人。
根據大眾的理解,聖週始於聖枝主日,終於復活主日。但禮儀對聖週的定義則與大眾有些許分別。從禮儀學上說,聖週始於聖枝主日而終於聖週四的紀念最後晚餐彌撒之前。於此直到復活的主日的晚禱期間,教會都在慶祝復活期三日慶典(Easter Triduum)。
2. 教會傳統把在救恩史中最重要的事件分配到這一星期之中。
1) 在猶太信仰中:根據拉比傳統,這一週就相當於創世週(the week of Creation)、出離埃及週(the week of Exodus)、進入福地週(the week of entry into the promised land),以及默西亞回歸週(the week when the Messiah would return)。
2) 在基督信仰中:根據古老的傳統,這一週就是當基督進入了耶路撒冷去受苦,死亡,和復活;這一週也是在末世時祂將會回來審判生者死者的一週。
3) 在禮儀中:這是對基督苦難、死亡和復活作出莊嚴記念的一週。教會制定這一週,好使我們能重度、以及重新經驗基督的救世工程的事件。禮儀呈獻出三個範疇:
a. 在復活前夕,透過聖洗聖事、堅振聖事和感恩聖事而完成的慕道者入門三聖事,使他們被重新受造(創世時的水)和被救贖(紅海的水);
《格拉西聖事禮典》 梵蒂岡抄本卷首插畫及開首句 |
b. 在聖週四的公開懺悔者的修和聖事;在以往,由於嚴重的罪過,公開懺悔者會從聖事中被隔離,不准領受任何聖事。就如《格拉西聖事禮典》(Gelasian sacramentary,第八世紀)所載:這裏有為聖洗聖事的水,亦有為懺悔的淚;水和淚把我們帶返創世、出谷和進入福地的時刻。
c. 在復活前夕,基督徒團體的重發領洗宣願;這是我們四旬期和聖週苦行的高峰:我們重新肯定我們要活一個被基督的十架和墳墓所啟示的生命的承諾,由此我們將與祂一同復活以度一個神聖的生命。
3. 根據教會的計算方法,基督死而復活的時間正是春分時份,即當月正圓的時份。而根據陽曆,這日子並不是年年相同的──如聖誕節常是十二月廿五日,但這日子是根據陰曆的,即根據月的圓缺。
1) 以下三個元素是訂定復活節日期的:春季(三至四月)、〔春〕分(三月廿一日),以及三月廿一日後的月圓。在這些天象中有著象徵意義:春季意指重生或新生命;〔春〕分(編譯按:即equinox,日夜時間長短相同的日子,我們有春秋二分)把我們帶到創世的時刻,當天主把光和暗分成兩等份的時候;月圓象徵生命的完滿和無盡的光。
2) 這些元素使我們完全明白到聖週是一次週年慶典:同一時間,二千年前,基督為我們放棄了祂的生命,並從死者中復活起來。它們再次提醒我們有關這次事件;事實上,這些元素使我們再奪得這事件。
3) 在321年的尼西亞大公會議之後,會議決定復活節必須在主日慶祝,而復活主日的日期則傳統上是以三月廿一日(春分)後的滿月(月圓)〔的主日〕來計算的。例如,在二零零八年春分滿月是三月廿二日(六);所以緊接著的主日(三月廿三日)是復活主日。在二零零九年春分滿月是四月九日(四)。緊接的主日(四月十二日)是復活主日。在二零一零年,春分滿月將會是四月二日(聖週星期五)。而復活主日將是在四月四日。
聖枝主日
教宗方濟各在2013年3月24日於聖伯多祿廣場 手執串起的聖枝(棕櫚枝)主持聖枝主日感恩祭 (credit: National Catholic Reporter) |
1. 有關聖枝主日禮儀的最早記載是來自厄格利亞(Egeria),她記述了約381年在耶路撒冷的慶典。若在下午五時,基督進耶京的福音選段會在聖墳教堂(Church of the Holy Sepulcher)被誦讀。接著是手持棕櫚枝(即今聖枝)或橄欖枝遊行到橄欖山。然後遊行隊伍返回聖墳教堂,並在其內舉行晚禱禮。在遊行中,主教騎在驢子,以仿效耶穌騎驢進耶京,而不像那些羅馬入侵者那樣騎馬進城。
2006年耶路撒冷聖墓大殿中舉行聖枝遊行進堂 (credit: BBC) |
2. 在羅馬,四旬期是從聖枝主日──聖週的開始──起計四十天開始。在第五世紀以前,聖枝主日原本被稱為苦難主日,因為在這一天被誦讀的是福音中的受難始末。誦讀受難始末乃禮儀的主要要素。而在第十一世紀,手持棕櫚枝或橄欖枝的遊行藉格拉西禮儀而被引進羅馬。
3. 現在,這主日有兩個主題:1) 誦讀受難始末(這始於羅馬),和2) 耶穌榮進耶京。這兩主題被梵蒂岡第二屆大公會議(梵二)後所給的新名稱所結合:「上主受難的聖枝主日」(Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion)。必須要記著,這主日的重點是宣告主的受難。
4. 我們必須時常記著,具有勝利意思的棕櫚枝會被焚燒而成為聖灰星期三所用的聖灰:勝利終成灰燼。基督的榮進耶京最終成了聖週星期五的富恥辱性的被釘於十架。這提醒我們,所有地上的光榮都終會褪色。然而,最後的光榮,正正就是從聖灰的謙卑中而來。或許,燃燒聖枝可成為一個禮儀,伴隨著適當的教理闡釋和把已風乾的聖枝帶來燃燒的信眾的參與。
(待續)
安鵬浩神父(Rev. Anscar J. Chupungco O.S.B.),本篤會士,菲律賓保祿六世禮儀學院主任,菲律賓天主教主教團禮儀委員會執行秘書。他曾任教於宗座羅馬聖安瑟莫禮儀學院超過20年,亦曾出任宗座聖禮部顧問。他已於2013年1月9日安息主懷。
English Original:
[Both text and audio can be downloaded from the website of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocesan Liturgy Commission]
LITURGY AND SPIRITUALITY OF HOLY WEEK
Anscar J. Chupungco, OSB
HOLY WEEK
1. Of the 52 weeks of the calendar year Holy Week stands out significantly as a rich storehouse for theology, traditions, and spiritual doctrine. Although in several parts of the world Christmas is a rival celebration, Holy Week definitely enjoys co-primacy with it. As the Catechetical Directory of the Philippines notes, the two chief images with which many Catholics depict Christ are the Child Jesus and the Suffering Christ. In a sense these two images represent the portrait of believers.
In popular understanding Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday. The liturgical definition of Holy Week is somewhat different from the popular. Liturgically, Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Holy Thursday before the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. From then on until the evening prayer of Easter Sunday the Church celebrates the Easter Triduum.
2. To this week tradition has assigned the most important events in salvation history.
1) In Judaism: according to rabbinic tradition this week corresponds to the week of creation, the week of Exodus from Egypt, the week of entry into the promised land, to the week when the Messiah would return.
2). In Christianity: according to an ancient tradition this was the week when Christ entered Jerusalem to suffer, die, and rise again; it is also the week when he will return at the end of time to judge the living and the dead.
3). In the liturgy: this is the week of the solemn memorial of Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. The Church has instituted the observance of this week in order that we may relive and re-experience the events of Christ’s saving works. The liturgy presents three ways:
a. Initiation of catechumens on Easter vigil through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist, whereby they are recreated ( cf. waters of creation) and redeemed (cf. water of the Red Sea);
b. Reconciliation of public penitents on Holy Thursday; public penitents had been excluded or excommunicated by the church for grave public scandals. As the Gelasian sacramentary remarks: there is water for baptism, and there are tears of penance; water and tears bring us back to the moment of creation, exodus, and entry into the Promised Land.
c. Renewal of baptismal vows on Easter vigil on the part of the Christian community; this is the culmination of our Lenten and Holy Week observance: we reaffirm our commitment to live a life inspired by Christ's cross and tomb, and thus rise with him to a life of holiness.
3. According to the Church's way of reckoning, Christ died and rose again from the dead at the time of the spring equinox, when the moon was full. The date was not fixed according to the solar calendar, like Christmas which always falls on December 25, but according to a lunar calendar, which depends on the phases of the moon.
a. Three elements constitute the date of Easter: spring (months of March and April), equinox (March 21), and full moon after March 21. There is symbolism in these cosmic elements: spring means rebirth or new life; equinox brings us back to the time of creation, when God divided light and darkness into two equal parts; full moon signifies fullness of life and endless light.
b. These elements make us fully aware that Holy Week is an anniversary: at this time, two thousand years ago, Christ gave up his life for us and rose from the dead. They remind us of this event; indeed they recapture it for us.
c. After the Council of Nicea in 321, which ordained that Easter must be celebrated on Sunday, the date of Easter Sunday has been traditionally reckoned after the full moon which rises after March 21. For example, in 2008 the spring full moon was on March 22 (Saturday); thus the following Sunday (March 23) was Easter Sunday. In 2009 the spring full moon was on April 9 (Thursday). The following Sunday (April 12) is Easter Sunday. In 2010 the spring full moon will occur on April 2 (Good Friday). Easter Sunday will be on April 4.
PALM SUNDAY
1. The earliest account of Palm Sunday liturgy comes from Egeria who describes the celebration in Jerusalem sometime around the year 381. At five o’clock in the afternoon the gospel of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem was read in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This was followed by a procession with palm or olive branches to the Mount of Olives. The procession returned to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where evening prayer was celebrated. For the procession the bishop rode on an ass in imitation of Jesus who did not enter Jerusalem on horseback as the Roman conquerors would have done.
2. In Rome, Lent is counted forty days before Palm Sunday, which is the beginning of Holy Week. From the fifth century Palm Sunday was originally called Passion Sunday, because on this day one of the passion narratives was read. The reading of the Passion was the chief component of the liturgy. In the eleventh century the procession with palm or olive branches was introduced in Rome via the Gallican liturgies.
3. This Sunday has now two themes: 1) the reading of the Passion (which is original to Rome), and 2) the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. These two themes are joined together by the new title given to this Sunday after the reform of Vatican II: “Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion”. It is important to note that the principal and central theme of this Sunday is the proclamation of the Lord’s Passion.
4. It is significant to note that the palm branches of victory are burned to become the ashes of Ash Wednesday: victory turns to dust. Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem ended in the ignominious crucifixion on Good Friday. We are reminded that all earthly glory fades. And yet, it is from the humiliation of ashes that final victory ensues. Perhaps the burning of palm branches could be made into a liturgical rite with appropriate catechesis and participation of the faithful who bring their dried palm branches to be burned.
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