EASTERTIDE

Eastertide or Paschaltide

Is a festal season

That begins on Easter Sunday

And lasts for fifty days

Ending on Pentecost Sunday

Celebrated throughout

The Christian world

As a single joyful feast

HOLY SATURDAY

 

Holy Saturday

Is not a Mass

But a time of

Prayer and fasting

And meditating on Christ’s

Passion and Death

His Descent into Hell

And his Resurrection

EASTER VIGIL

 

The Easter Vigil,

Is the longest and most solemn

It begins after sundown

With the Service of Light

When a new fire is kindled

Symbolising the Light of salvation

Which is used to light

The Paschal candle

Symbolising the Light of Christ

Reminding all that

Christ is Light and life

GLAD SATURDAY

 

Glad Saturday

Better known as

Holy Saturday

Is not a Mass

But a time of

Prayer and fasting

And meditating on Christ’s

Passion and Death

His Descent into Hell

And his Resurrection

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – THE ROBE (1953)

 

The Robe, Directed by Henry Koster, is set in the Roman province of Judea during the 1st century, where Roman tribune Marcellus Gallio (Richard Burton) is ordered to crucify Jesus of Nazareth, but is tormented by his guilty conscience in the aftermath.

After the Crucifixion he gets drunk and wins Jesus' homespun robe and suffers nightmares and delusions after the event.

After a period of time in Rome he hopes to find a way to live with what he has done, and although still not believing in Jesus as a Messiah, he returns to Palestine to try and learn what he can of the man he killed. 

It’s a poignant script powerfully acted by Burton, while the lovely Jean Simmons is incredible as the young woman he loves, Diana. Michael Rennie is a quiet but forceful Peter, but Jay Robinson steals the picture as the depraved Emperor Caligula, and as he normally did Victor Mature played himself as Demetrius and there were a host of competent performances in the minor roles.

The cinematography is quite magnificent filmed in Cinemascope, while the film is graced by Alfred Newman beautifully and eerily haunting musical score.

A very watchable movie that stands the test of time but is not given the exposure it so richly deserves, perhaps because programmers are of a more secular bent.

GOOD FRIDAY

 

Good Friday

Marks the day

The Temple Guards

Aided by the Judas kiss

Arrested Jesus

At Gethsemane

Also, his interrogation

By High Priest Caiaphas

And the Sanhedrin

Who condemned him to death

Before conveying him before

The Roman governor

Pontius Pilate

Who with reluctance

Ordered his crucifixion

At the place of the Skull

 

ONE OF THE TWELVE - JUDAS ISCARIOT

One of the twelve

Judas Iscariot

The betrayer

The taker of coins

The lost soul

Satan’s pawn

Hanged himself

Replaced as an apostle

By Matthias