A Haggadah for Holi, Holy Week, & Passover
April 8, 2017
Dear Wagner Community,
In an era in which cell phone push notifications and religious practice seemingly compete for attention, the words of Staten Island saint Audre Lorde may be helpful: “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
The poet’s words invoke courage in the face of fear.
More to the point, the invocation channels a source of strength beyond the immediacy of the moment. This blessing is helpful in a time of political instability. It’s also a helpful introduction to Holy Week and Passover.
The traditional guide to Passover is called a Haggadah. The Haggadah is a text that sets forth the order of a Seder meal on Passover that recalls the story of Israel and the journey from bondage to freedom. In recent years Haggadah’s have creatively used stories not found in the Hebrew Bible to illustrate Passover.
One version that I’ve been introduced to is called the Hogwarts Haggadah. It uses the story of Harry Potter as the lens for liberation. For a generation of people who learned to read with Dumbledore, Hermione, and Ron as friends this is especially exciting.
The overall effort takes a traditional sacred text and unapologetically brings Harry Potter images and plot lines that teach the Exodus story and build Jewish identity. (The author is also the writer of Morality for Muggles.) This Haggadah is also an important resource for Christians. It can serve as an accessible introduction to the Seder itself as well as window into a tradition of at home faith formation. The Hogwarts Haggadah challenges non-Jews to think about ways traditional texts…the Bible, lives of saints, works of theology, and spiritual exercises, can be reinterpreted.
As your Chaplain I have long advocated for such a view. On Ash Wednesday I invited the campus to participate in a similar exercise, The OA for Lent. The digital study guide invites viewers to see a popular Netflix series as a spiritual resource.
Not everyone agrees. Christian Feminist theologian Dorothee Sölle is wary of practices that sentimentalize faith and individualize sacred texts. She fears that such practices, especially in Christian dominant cultures, can sever Jesus’ connection to the Hebrew prophets, and make a mockery of his ministry and mission to the poor and the marginalized. Sölle contends “what remains is a metaphysical Easter Bunny in front of the beautiful blue light of the television screen…”
Conservative and liberal Christians, as well as those from other traditions may nod in agreement; albeit for different reasons. What Sölle warns I think is not to avoid culture altogether, but to rightly understand practices of faith — pushing back against those who try to distort religious adherence.
Careful contextualizing helps faith be at its best. It makes more things become holy rather than making holy things commoditized and consumable.
It is in this spirit that all people of good will: Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Protestant, Jewish, Protestant, Muslim, Non-Believer, and Spiritual Seekers of all kinds can use Audre Lorde as a guide.“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
Lorde’s reflection can be paired with the most traditional Seder or the most orthodox Holy Week. The wisdom also works well in innovative and deliberately not practiced places of faith. The poetic fragment invites a kind of generosity toward one another because it urges people to live beyond fear.
Moses lived beyond Fear
Jesus lived beyond fear.
Arjuna, Siddhartha, and the Prophet — peace be upon him — lived beyond fear too…
Palm Sunday: You are invited to come to the Knubel Chapel to reflect on Jesus triumphal entry to Jerusalem and receive Palm Branches Sunday April 9 from 10:30am-2pm. The Chapel is available for contemplative prayer. Scripture is present. Palms may be placed on the altar or taken home with you.
Seder Meal: Also Sunday April 9 all are invited to a Chocolate Seder at 7pm. There will be chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate! (Pizza will also be served.)
Netflix: For those who prefer the solitude of binge watching there is an ongoing invitation to watch the OA, listen to podcasts, and follow along with a digital study guide.
Sitting meditation: Tuesday evenings at 7pm Buddhist Meditation takes place in the
Knubel Chapel. All are welcome.
Daily Salat Prayer: An Interfaith Prayer Room is within the Chapel. Shoes are removed before entering. A daily schedule for Islamic Salat Prayer times hangs at the entrance.
These practices are more an ode to multiculturalism. They reflect the lived practices of the faithful, curious, and spiritual seeking of Wagner College. They are invitations into places of celebration, liberation, and resurrection — an untethering from fear.
May your practice be blessed and your connection to your neighbor be made strong. May the small world be made big, and the big world made small as we are drawn into and beyond ourselves.
Peace be with you,
Rev. Martin Malzahn
Wager College Chaplain
Director of the Center for Religion and Spirituality
