By Brother Craig Rippens
Clap your hands, all you nations;
Shout to God with cries of joy.
– Psalm 47:1
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is both a time of joy and introspection. The words literally mean “head of the year.” The two days of Rosh Hashanah usher in the Ten Days of Repentance, also known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim), which culminate in the major fast day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. These Jewish High Holy Days were revealed to Moses by the Lord: The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the people of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of complete rest, a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts. You shall not work at your occupations; and you shall present the Lord’s offering by fire. (Leviticus 23:23-25)
From this passage it should be no surprise that Rosh Hashanah is also known as “the Day of Shouting” and “the Feast of the Trumpets.” The blowing of the ceremonial ram’s horn, or shofar, is a symbolic wake-up call to praise and repentance.
I am not Jewish and have never celebrated Rosh Hashanah, but I am able to let its spiritual essence enter my heart. The holiday begins with a shout of joy. It is an expression of grateful praise of the Lord. This causes me to recollect this passage from Psalms:
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto
him, and bless his name. (100-4) When I first read this, I felt an awakening of light. Praise is the first step to Divine Communion.
It was a realization that to God’s presence is magnified in the moment that I offer praise. We can wake up to the shofar blast in our hearts at any time and offer joyful praise.
Rosh Hashanah is also a time to examine our actions in the previous year and acknowledge
where we have missed the mark. This reminds me of the Catholic sacraments of penance and reconciliation. In these sacraments of healing, the worshipper first reflects on their relationship with God and others. Then in a confidential meeting with a priest one confesses where they have missed the mark. This restores or reconciles our relationship with the Divine. This can also be joyful activity. When I went to the sacrament of reconciliation after a 50 year separation from the Church, I anticipated spending hours recounting my missteps. The priest interrupted me after a minute or two and said: “Don’t hold your sins in your heart. Just give them to Jesus.” My mind was immediately undone and I sensed light fill the tiny confessional as the priest, acting in the person of Christ, said the Prayer of Absolution. I realized that reconciling with the Lord is an uncomplicated and loving form of worship that can be engaged anytime. When we bring our brokenness into God’s light and offer up our weaknesses we are restored.
Many religious celebrations are confined on the calendar, but we are invited to sound the trumpet of praise in any and every moment. Reconciling with the Lord need not be an annual activity, but a constant process of surrender. I pray that the awakening spirit of Rosh Hashanah forever sound in your heart.
