March 9, 2003

Fr. Thomas prepares for a child blessing, the infant lying at his feet.

We worshiped this morning at the Orthodox Church, the last Sunday before Lent begins (Zababdeh follows the Eastern calendar together). Fr. Thomas preached about the need for fasting, speaking about the jihad - the struggle - of the fast. In Arab Orthodox liturgy, the word jihad is used regularly. When St. Paul talks about fighting the good fight, it is translated as jihad. It really jumped out today, though, for obvious reasons.

Tomorrow, the Orthodox fast (which forbids all animal products) begins. The Latins begin on Wednesday. We'll begin on Wednesday, too - fasting from TV. Ooof. It'll be a long Lent.

Elizabeth returns the infant to the mother after the blessing ceremony.

We stepped back into the church after Mass to say hello to Fr. Thomas. He was blessing a newborn child (the practice here is to do it forty days after the child is born - baptism is usually around the age of two). They grabbed Elizabeth to act as something akin to a godmother. The mother presents the child to the priest, as a sign of his consecration to God (like Hannah and Mary). When the priest finishes the liturgy, the mother cannot take the child from him. Someone else must carry the child, a sign not only that God is giving the child to the mother's care, but also that the church will act as the child's family. It's amazing what happens in this culture if you simply stumble into something.