Today's New Word
矛盾 máodùn contradiction, literally sword-shield
This was a word that our celebrant used this morning at Ash Wednesday Mass. Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year, began on Monday this week. The next two weeks in China are supposed to be indulgent and celebratory, though us Catholics in China are also just now getting into our season of penance and preparation for Easter. Like our priest asked in his homily, "How do we go from saying, 'Happy New Year (新年快樂)' one day and 'Remember you are dust and to dust you will return (你要记住，你原来是灰土，将来仍要归于灰土)' the next?"
In Western traditions, we have Carnival or Mardi Gras, pre-Lenten parties that end, definitely with Lent. Even the Orthodox Christians have Meatfare and Cheesefare weeks that allow them to delineate clearly between not-Lent and Lent.
Here in China, though, the two calendars drift around each other, sometimes at odds with one another and sometimes in curious coincidence. I was surprised to hear our priest bring it up this morning, mostly because I thought it was only on my mind often as an outsider. It is 矛盾 for even my fellow parishioners that have been living it their whole lives.
This was a word that our celebrant used this morning at Ash Wednesday Mass. Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year, began on Monday this week. The next two weeks in China are supposed to be indulgent and celebratory, though us Catholics in China are also just now getting into our season of penance and preparation for Easter. Like our priest asked in his homily, "How do we go from saying, 'Happy New Year (新年快樂)' one day and 'Remember you are dust and to dust you will return (你要记住，你原来是灰土，将来仍要归于灰土)' the next?"
In Western traditions, we have Carnival or Mardi Gras, pre-Lenten parties that end, definitely with Lent. Even the Orthodox Christians have Meatfare and Cheesefare weeks that allow them to delineate clearly between not-Lent and Lent.
Here in China, though, the two calendars drift around each other, sometimes at odds with one another and sometimes in curious coincidence. I was surprised to hear our priest bring it up this morning, mostly because I thought it was only on my mind often as an outsider. It is 矛盾 for even my fellow parishioners that have been living it their whole lives.
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