My experiences are far from universal, and I imagine other people experienced different things. But growing up in a Pentecostal church, Easter never felt like that big of an event. Like, yes, we're celebrating Christ's rise from the dead. I knew that. It was a fun, happy service with joyful songs from the worship team, and maybe a two-bit church play. (No disrespect to the volunteer actors). I of course knew that this moment we celebrated was like, the central, most momentous part of our faith. And yet, it also sort of felt like any other Sunday. It was almost a footnote at the end of the year. Especially next to Christmas where there was a whole season of anticipation and celebration.
When I was a teen, my youth group took us out to a good Friday service once or twice. And we even went to see The Passion when it came out in theaters. That last part at least helped really impress on me a lot of the agony Christ experienced, making Easter a little more serious. But the Good Friday services felt... empty? Boring? Redundant? The preacher might have given us an impassioned sermon, but it didn't really matter.
It wasn't until this year, as a brand new catholic, that it's really felt like a big deal. Going through Lent, spending six weeks in fasting and (being honest here) on-and-off contemplation of the Cross and what it means for us. Going to mass on holy Thursday and experiencing the horror and anticipation of what was to come. Coming back on Good Friday and experiencing the eeriness and disquiet of mass without singing, without celebration, having the contemplation of Christ's passion reinforced. And then... the Easter Vigil. The bated breath, the anticipation, knowing what's to come. Scripture reading after scripture reading weaving a narrative of God's conquest, God's triumph, Christ Jesus our Lord returning from the dead. His promises of salvation realized in his victory. The celebration and joy of the declaration that He is risen! That He lives! I've never experienced anything like this before. The Easter celebration feels real and personal in a way that makes everything I've experienced before completely pale by comparison, like the light of a candle under the morning sun. To think that the Catholics have been doing it like this for centuries.
Psst, you there! Are you a fan of Repo! the Genetic Opera? Or, perhaps, The Devil's Carnival? Are you looking for a place to be able to discuss these horrible wonderful films? A place to testify, or mark it up, or chase the morning, or steal/rob graves? Good news!
The Genetic Opera is an 18+ Discord server for fans of Repo! the Genetic Opera and both The Devil's Carnival films.
It is run by myself, @captainspaulding , and @otisbdriftwood - aka, @thegeneticopera (so you can expect a lot of behind the scenes talk)!
We have a verification system (all you need is your age and any sort of social media, which only the mods will see!), art channels, bots, movie-specific sections, and more.
Please remember this server is 18+ due to the nature of these films. Anyone underage will be kicked, so please just wait until you're old enough to buy a ticket! R!TGO and TDC both have very sensitive and dark subject matters, all of which are fine to be discussed here. There is no blacklist. If you are sensitive to these materials, or don't wish to discuss the darker aspects of the canon lore, this server is likely not a good fit for you.
All that said, we are happy to invite you to The Genetic Opera! Step up and testify via the link below!
[20240108] KEIKO Insta Live #71 with SIDE comments
Waaah, Keiko's first Instagram Live of the year and we are already getting spoiled. Towards the beginning of the video, she blessed us with a short acoustic rendition of Alleluia and then at the end, she sang a bit of "dolce". Loved it!!