The Church Year

by Alexander Schmemann

There is no human society without celebrations, holidays and feasts, "The feast is part of man's inescapable rhythm of work and rest," observes Fr Schmemann. But beyond the need to rest from work, the development of celebrations in human culture has much deeper root in man's absolutely irrepressible need, not just for rest, but for joy, for meaning that we find the true source of celebration and its tenacity in human society. Feasts, in every culture, have become the repository and expression of a society's goals, ambitions, and worldview. As Fr Schmemann writes, "tell me what you celebrate, and I will tell you who you are." Christianity is also best understood through its celebrations rather than through abstract dogmatic and theological formulas. Orthodox Christianity in particular has from its earliest days expressed its faith, its understanding of the world and its approach to life through a network of feasts that embrace the entire year. "Without exaggeration we can say that the believer lives from feast to feast, and that for him these feasts sanctify all time through the coming and going of each season." In this volume, Fr Schmemann examines first the phenomenon of celebration and then its expression in the Orthodox Christian church year, focusing especially on the Christmas and Easter cycles. His reflections on feasts devoted to Mary, the Mother of God, will be included in Volume III of Celebration of Faith . I The Virgin Mary. Father Alexander Schmemann (†1983) was a prolific writer, brilliant lecturer, and dedicated I Believe...

Genres: Theology

162 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 1994

About the author

Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann was a prominent Eastern Orthodox theologian and priest of the Orthodox Church in America.

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, particularly the last chapter on the Transfiguration, is spectacular. Each chapter is a vignette of the liturgical year - concise and profound.

[Saint Katherine BookstoreVA]

The Church Year has been allowed to go out of print. Part of the reason is that there are numerous dated references to Soviet Russia and the situation of the Church there. However, there is much much more in the slim book; keep an eye out for it in religious and used bookstores.

Part I is a short group of essays examining the spirit of celebration within Orthodoxy and focusing on Pascha, the root of all our joy. Why focus on Church life as celebration? Fr. Schmemann says:

"And this is exacting the meaning of the feast: … man liberating himself from a life chained solely to necessity and unbreakable law. … man does not simply rest, he celebrates. And this is why … through man in celebration, that one best appreciates the meaning of various faiths and worldviews. Put another way, “Tell me what you celebrate, and I will tell you who you are …" (p. 17)

Part II tells us who we are in light of our feasts, featuring 23 essays based on important feast days across the church year. Of the feast that falls on February 2, he says: I have seen the child, who brings the world so much divine love and who gives himself to me. Nothing is feared, nothing
is unknown, all is now peace, thanksgiving and love.