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.
By Brother Craig R.
