“…the moon marks the changing seasons, governing the times…
From the moon comes the sign for festal days,
a light that wanes when it completes its course.” Sirach 42:6-7
With some exceptions, the feast of Easter is celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox. (Council of Nicaea 325 CE) I remember my delight when I first learned this. The moon determining the most important feast of the year!
It got me thinking about other cycles and phases. This morning we had snow, following a welcome warm spell that will return in a few days. But for how long? As much as we’d like to, this is not under our control. We pray for good weather; there are no guarantees.
Consider the cycle of our life. Our expectation (or hope) is that we live through childhood, teenage years, young adulthood, middle age, and the senior years. The psalmist says “The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong…” It doesn’t take long into the span before we experience variations—illness, surgery, injuries, family troubles. How many times have you heard “This wasn’t in the plan.”
Ancient cultures planned festal days around the cycles of nature. The church built on those cultural patterns in developing the cycle of the liturgical year. The year sets before us what is in the plan of redemption and salvation; this is not a smooth ride. Perhaps the season of Lent challenges us to accept the waning of the moon along with the full glory which signals the coming festal day of Easter.