Quote du jour “For me,the kindled chalice is no sweet little ritual, but a perfect invitation to live out my life in daily response to our demanding and powerful heritage.” Mark Belletini
I had a wonderful moment with the curriculum committee earlier this week, when I referred to our religious symbol as a shipping logo. That is both the simple truth and only a part of the history of our chalice. Did you know where our chalice came from? And why chalice lighting ended up in Unitarian Universalist worship? In our virtual village, gather round and hear the words of that story. . . (with thanks to Rev Freeman's history)
Once upon a time in the land of Czechoslovakia, a man named John Hus earned his way through the University of Prague by singing in the streets. Working his way through school as a busker - a time honored tradition. . . Hus graduated, and was ordained a Catholic priest. In 1401 he was appointed Rector of his school, and became the University's minister. In those early years of the fifteenth century the questioning that eventually spawned the Protestant reformation was brewing in Prague.
Hus preached in the vernacular - not Latin - but rather the language of the people who listened to his homilies. In those homilies he spoke to the realities of their lives, rather than to distant theological constructs. He declared; "If God had intended himself to be revealed through theology, we would have all been born with doctors’ degrees." To add insult to injury he was a critic of priestly corruption. As you might guess that made him very unpopular with the church and University hierarchy. And since both of those institutions were inextricably bound up with the government, Hus ran afoul of the authorities. As Hus was delivering a Sunday service, the archbishop stood up and began to read a decree of ex-communication. The congregants took John and tossed him into the street, clerical robes and all.
Any books critical of Roman Catholicism were banned, followed by a papal edict threatening to execute ALL the clergy of Prague unless Hus stopped preaching. John had taught that the communion wine and bread did not magically turn into the blood and body of Christ, but that the Eucharist was a symbolic memorial meal. He passed the chalice - traditionally only used by the celebrant - among the church goers to demonstrate the equality of worshiper and priest. To this day in Czechoslovakia, the chalice represents the liberty and equality of the common person.
John went into exile, and his former church was torn down. Some of Hus’ braver parishioners gathered stones from the structure which, years later, were built into the walls of Protestant churches. In 1414 Hus was ordered to appear before the Church Council of Constance. Upon his arrival, he was shackled, imprisoned and tried - before the council, where the verdict was a forgone conclusion - guilty. John Hus was burned at the stake for his convictions and principals.
Hundreds of years passed, and then in the year 1941 the newly formed Unitarian Service Committee was working from Portugal to assist Eastern Europeans, among them Unitarians and Jews, seeking to escape Nazi persecution. They were also distributing aid as they could.
From his headquarters in Lisbon, Rev. Charles Joy, Executive Director of the Service Committee oversaw a network of couriers and agents in this mission. Establishing trust quickly across barriers of language, nationality, and faith could determine life and death. Disguises, signs, countersigns, and midnight runs were the staples of survival in this climate.
The USC had attracted the attention of Hans Deutsch, an Austrian artist, who had been living in Paris. Deutsch was producing critical cartoons of Hitler when the Nazis invaded France. He fled, and eventually maneuvered his way into Portugal. Deutsch wrote to Charles Joy; "I am not what you may actually call a believer. But if your kind of life is the profession of your faith- as it is, I feel sure- then religion, ceasing to be magic and mysticism, becomes confession to practical philosophy and- what is more-to active, really useful social work. And this religion-with or without a heading- is one to which even a ‘godless’ fellow like myself can say wholeheartedly, Yes!"
Joy commissioned Hans to create a symbol for their papers "to make them look official, to give dignity and importance to them, and at the same time to symbolize the spirit of our work… When a document may keep a man out of jail, give him standing with governments and police, it is important that it look important."
Deutsch designed a chalice with a flame. Joy wrote his board in Boston that the "the holy oil burning in the chalice is a symbol of helpfulness and sacrifice…The fact that it remotely suggests a cross was not in his mind, but to me this also has merit. We do not limit our work to Christians. Indeed, at the present moment, our work is nine-tenths for the Jews, yet we do stem from the Christian tradition, and the cross does symbolize Christianity and its central theme of sacrificial love."
The flaming chalice logo was made into a seal for papers,a badge for agents and as a packing symbol on relief supplies. Today the original design logo is still the emblem of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. The Unitarian church never had a visual symbol for itself. The Universalists did - a circle with an off set cross. And neither church had a single defining ritual, having gone the way of many Protestant churches in regard to the trappings of 'high church'. In a grass roots kind of way, it was in Religious Education Programs where the chalice lighting emerged as a liturgical element. Some creative type decided that a chalice lighting would make a very nice beginning to a gathering of young people, the idea took hold and has become integral to most worship gatherings in our faith. (In a similar fashion, Pagans have UU's to thank for the waters of the world ritual - but that's another post)
After the 1961 merger of the two denominations, the double chalice with an offset flame was designed and became the official representation of our association. The chalice symbol continues to morph and recently the Unitarian Universalist Association adopted a centered chalice with a sunburst around it. as the new 'official' chalice. I'm not sure why - it might simply be a rebranding effort. If you google 'chalice art', you'll see chalice hearts, cupped hand 'chalices', prink triangle chalices, goddess chalices, cross chalices and on and on and on. It's still an identifying symbol of our identity, still a logo, and today it is more, ever so much more.
Once upon a time in the land of Czechoslovakia, a man named John Hus earned his way through the University of Prague by singing in the streets. Working his way through school as a busker - a time honored tradition. . . Hus graduated, and was ordained a Catholic priest. In 1401 he was appointed Rector of his school, and became the University's minister. In those early years of the fifteenth century the questioning that eventually spawned the Protestant reformation was brewing in Prague.
Hus preached in the vernacular - not Latin - but rather the language of the people who listened to his homilies. In those homilies he spoke to the realities of their lives, rather than to distant theological constructs. He declared; "If God had intended himself to be revealed through theology, we would have all been born with doctors’ degrees." To add insult to injury he was a critic of priestly corruption. As you might guess that made him very unpopular with the church and University hierarchy. And since both of those institutions were inextricably bound up with the government, Hus ran afoul of the authorities. As Hus was delivering a Sunday service, the archbishop stood up and began to read a decree of ex-communication. The congregants took John and tossed him into the street, clerical robes and all.
Any books critical of Roman Catholicism were banned, followed by a papal edict threatening to execute ALL the clergy of Prague unless Hus stopped preaching. John had taught that the communion wine and bread did not magically turn into the blood and body of Christ, but that the Eucharist was a symbolic memorial meal. He passed the chalice - traditionally only used by the celebrant - among the church goers to demonstrate the equality of worshiper and priest. To this day in Czechoslovakia, the chalice represents the liberty and equality of the common person.
John went into exile, and his former church was torn down. Some of Hus’ braver parishioners gathered stones from the structure which, years later, were built into the walls of Protestant churches. In 1414 Hus was ordered to appear before the Church Council of Constance. Upon his arrival, he was shackled, imprisoned and tried - before the council, where the verdict was a forgone conclusion - guilty. John Hus was burned at the stake for his convictions and principals.
Hundreds of years passed, and then in the year 1941 the newly formed Unitarian Service Committee was working from Portugal to assist Eastern Europeans, among them Unitarians and Jews, seeking to escape Nazi persecution. They were also distributing aid as they could.
From his headquarters in Lisbon, Rev. Charles Joy, Executive Director of the Service Committee oversaw a network of couriers and agents in this mission. Establishing trust quickly across barriers of language, nationality, and faith could determine life and death. Disguises, signs, countersigns, and midnight runs were the staples of survival in this climate.
The USC had attracted the attention of Hans Deutsch, an Austrian artist, who had been living in Paris. Deutsch was producing critical cartoons of Hitler when the Nazis invaded France. He fled, and eventually maneuvered his way into Portugal. Deutsch wrote to Charles Joy; "I am not what you may actually call a believer. But if your kind of life is the profession of your faith- as it is, I feel sure- then religion, ceasing to be magic and mysticism, becomes confession to practical philosophy and- what is more-to active, really useful social work. And this religion-with or without a heading- is one to which even a ‘godless’ fellow like myself can say wholeheartedly, Yes!"
Joy commissioned Hans to create a symbol for their papers "to make them look official, to give dignity and importance to them, and at the same time to symbolize the spirit of our work… When a document may keep a man out of jail, give him standing with governments and police, it is important that it look important."
Deutsch designed a chalice with a flame. Joy wrote his board in Boston that the "the holy oil burning in the chalice is a symbol of helpfulness and sacrifice…The fact that it remotely suggests a cross was not in his mind, but to me this also has merit. We do not limit our work to Christians. Indeed, at the present moment, our work is nine-tenths for the Jews, yet we do stem from the Christian tradition, and the cross does symbolize Christianity and its central theme of sacrificial love."
The flaming chalice logo was made into a seal for papers,a badge for agents and as a packing symbol on relief supplies. Today the original design logo is still the emblem of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. The Unitarian church never had a visual symbol for itself. The Universalists did - a circle with an off set cross. And neither church had a single defining ritual, having gone the way of many Protestant churches in regard to the trappings of 'high church'. In a grass roots kind of way, it was in Religious Education Programs where the chalice lighting emerged as a liturgical element. Some creative type decided that a chalice lighting would make a very nice beginning to a gathering of young people, the idea took hold and has become integral to most worship gatherings in our faith. (In a similar fashion, Pagans have UU's to thank for the waters of the world ritual - but that's another post)
After the 1961 merger of the two denominations, the double chalice with an offset flame was designed and became the official representation of our association. The chalice symbol continues to morph and recently the Unitarian Universalist Association adopted a centered chalice with a sunburst around it. as the new 'official' chalice. I'm not sure why - it might simply be a rebranding effort. If you google 'chalice art', you'll see chalice hearts, cupped hand 'chalices', prink triangle chalices, goddess chalices, cross chalices and on and on and on. It's still an identifying symbol of our identity, still a logo, and today it is more, ever so much more.
