Words are GOLD, so are Patens

On another note, you know how you hear a word once that you've never heard before and then you hear it two or three more times within about a week?

Word of the Week: ** PATEN ** (no, not a patent)

Who's heard of it? Yeah, I hadn't either. Until this week. Then it was woah.

1st occurrence: I was listening to Alela Diane's song, "Rifle" (that I've been listening to on repeat and missing my brother because of it). She's got this line, "Brother I'm so sorry that you watched the Patens burn. I've been holding onto the gold when letting go would free my hands." I figured she was saying "painting" with an accent, like "paintin's" or similar. Then the gold would be the frame on a painting. Right? Well, I looked up the lyrics and it says "patens" with a capital P. Odd, huh?

2nd occurrence: Today, in church. I don't remember exactly when I saw the word but I chuckled at seeing this random word for a second time.

3rd occurrence: Okay, I'm cheating by calling it the third occurance because I really just came home and looked it up on wiki. According to wiki, "A paten, or diskos, is a small plate, usually made of silver or gold, used to hold Eucharistic bread which is to be consecrated." So it is the little plate that we put the bread on during communion. Sweet.

In the eastern church, however, it is far more fascinating. "For Christians of the East, the diskos symbolises the Virgin Mary, who received Christ into her womb, and gave him birth; and also the Tomb of Christ which received his body after the Crucifixion, and from which he resurrected."

Wiki also says that "During the Divine Liturgy it is not only the Lamb (Host) that is placed on the diskos, but also particles to commemorate the Theotokos, the Saints, the living and the departed. Thus, on the diskos is represented the entire Church: the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant, arrayed around Christ." In non-Jesus-talk, the entire church (Jesus, his mother, the saints, the living members of the church, and those already dead) is atop that paten.

So how much cooler did the song just get? A LOT COOLER.

==> Brother, I'm so sorry that you had to watch the entire church burn. But I'm holding onto it when it'd be so much easier to let it go.

Woah.