| High Days and Holy Days in March 1
St David's Day 1
March is St David's Day, and it's time for the Welsh to
wear daffodils or leeks. Shakespeare called this custom
'an honourable tradition begun upon an honourable
request' - but nobody knows the reason. Why should anyone
have ever 'requested' that the Welsh wear leeks or
daffodils to honour their patron saint? It's a mystery! We
do know that David - or Dafydd - of Pembrokeshire was a
monk and bishop of the 6th century. In the 12th century
he was made patron of Wales, and he has the honour of
being the only Welsh saint to be canonised and culted in
the Western Church. Tradition has it that he was austere
with himself, and generous with others - living on water
and vegetables (leeks, perhaps?!) and devoting himself to
works of mercy. He was much loved. In
art, St David is usually depicted in Episcopal vestments,
standing on a mound with a dove at his shoulder, in
memory of his share at an important Synod for the Welsh
Church, the Synod of Brevi. 4
Shrove Tuesday The
Tuesday that follows the first eyelash of new moon in
February is the last of the three days of what is called
'Shrovetide' (these include the difficult to pronounce
Quinquagesima Sunday as well as Shrove Monday.) On this
day the penitents received absolution and prepared
themselves for the rigours of Lent. They
began with a party! After all, anyone who was about to
keep Lent seriously would have forty days of austerity
ahead. So all 'forbidden' food in the larder was eaten
now - on Shrove Monday the eggs and meat were finished
off, and on Shrove Tuesday everyone made pancakes - for
with the stroke of midnight even butter and fat would be
exiled. 5
Ash Wednesday Lent
is not a time to make yourself as miserable as possible -
but from some of the stories you hear, you would be
forgiven for thinking that. People giving up their
favourite treats, from sugar to chocolate to alcohol....
going to hear long devotional addresses, spending time
alone soul-searching.... So what is it really all about? Over
the last 2000 years, three main elements have gone into
the making of Lent. They are: 1 Preparation for Easter Baptism. The early Church (especially in Jerusalem, 4th century) came to use the forty days building up to Easter as a time to prepare their new converts for Baptism. For these converts, Lent became a time of great joyful anticipation. 2 Time for penance and reconciliation with the Church. Since early times, Lent has also been used a time when those who had sinned and been debarred from Communion did penance. Forgiveness and restoration brought peace and security. A
fast in preparation for Holy Week and Easter. This, too,
has been popular since earliest times, and normally meant
giving up food until the evening of each day. The point
was not to punish oneself, but to abstain, in order to
both focus the mind in prayer to God, and to appreciate
the real value (if any) of what one was depriving
oneself. Lent
has come to be 40 days in length, corresponding with
Jesus' time in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke
4:1-13) Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, and ends on Easter
Eve, the forty days comprising the intervening weekdays,
as Sundays do not count! In the Middle Ages, unbleached
linen vestments were used; today violet is the liturgical
colour. What
about the ashes? The OT has several references to the use
of ashes as a sign of penitence. Thus the early penitents
had ashes sprinkled over them. But this was such an
effective 'visual aid' that soon everyone else wanted to
take part in this custom as well - it was a way of saying
publicly their response to the prophet Joel's call to
"rend your hearts and not your garments".
Today's Collect stresses the penitential character of the
day and the readiness of God to always forgive and renew.
The
custom of 'ashing' is where the priest traces an outline
of the cross on the forehead of people at the altar. Like
processing with candles on 2 February and palms on Palm
Sunday, it was abolished at the Reformation, though the
old name for the day remained. Receiving
ashes for Anglicans remains optional. Since late medieval
times a custom has been to burn the branches used on Palm
Sunday in the previous year in order to create the ashes
for today. 17
St Patrick's Day Everyone
has heard of St Patrick - the patron saint of Ireland. If
you've ever been in New York on St Patrick's Day, you'd
think he was the patron saint of New York as well... the
vast, flamboyant parade is full of American/Irish
razzmatazz. It's
all a far cry from the hard life of this 5th century
humble Christian who became in time both bishop and
apostle of Ireland. Patrick was born the son of a town
councillor in the west of England, between the mouth of
the Severn and the Clyde. But as a young man he was
captured by Irish pirates, kidnapped to Ireland, and
reduced to slavery. He was made to tend his master's
herds. Desolate
and despairing, Patrick turned to prayer. He found God
was there for him, even in such desperate circumstances.
He spent much time in prayer, and his faith grew and
deepened, in contrast to his earlier years, when he
"knew not the true God". Then,
after six gruelling, lonely years he was told in a dream
he would soon go to his own country. He either escaped or
was freed, made his way to a port 200 miles away and
eventually persuaded some sailors to take him with them
away from Ireland. After
various adventures in other lands, including
near-starvation, Patrick landed on English soil at last,
and returned to his family. But he was much changed. He
had enjoyed his life of plenty before; now he wanted to
devote the rest of his life to Christ. Patrick received
some form of training for the priesthood, but not the
higher education he really wanted. But
by 435, well educated or not, Patrick was badly needed.
Palladius' mission to the Irish had failed, and so the
Pope sent Patrick back to the land of his slavery. He set
up his see at Armagh, and worked principally in the
north. He urged the Irish to greater spirituality, set up
a school, and made several missionary journeys. Patrick's
writings are the first literature certainly identified
from the British Church. They reveal sincere simplicity
and a deep pastoral care. He wanted to abolish paganism,
idolatry, and was ready for imprisonment or death in the
following of Christ. Patrick
remains the most popular of the Irish saints. The
principal cathedral of New York is dedicated to him, as,
of course, is the Anglican cathedral of Dublin.. 25
Lady Day - the Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed
Virgin Mary. This
story (Luke 1.26-38) takes place in Nazareth, when Mary
is already betrothed to Joseph. The Archangel Gabriel
comes to Mary, greets her as highly favoured, tells her
not to be afraid, that she will bear a son Jesus, and
that her elderly cousin Elizabeth is already pregnant
(with John the Baptist). The
church calendar is never quite as neat as some would like
it. To celebrate the Annunciation on 25 March does indeed
place the conception of Jesus exactly nine months from
his birth on 25 December, but the latter part of March
almost inevitably falls during Lent. But the birth and
death of Jesus are intrinsically linked - he was born to
die, and thus fulfil God's purposes. The
Annunciation is a significant date in the Christian
calendar - it is one of the most frequent depicted in
Christian art. Gabriel's gracious strength and Mary's
humble dignity have inspired many artists. Certainly
Mary's response to the angel has for centuries been an
example of good faith in practise - humility, enquiry of
God, and trusting acceptance in his will for her life. 30
Mothering Sunday There
is an old Jewish saying:
Mother
Church, Mother Earth, Mother of the Gods - our human
mothers - all of them have been part of the celebration
of 'Mothering Sunday' - as the fourth Sunday in Lent is
affectionately known. In
Roman times, great festivals were held every Spring to
honour Cybele, Mother of all the Gods. Other pagan
festivals in honour of Mother Earth were also celebrated.
With the arrival of Christianity, the festival became
honouring Mother Church. During
the Middle Ages, young people apprenticed to craftsmen or
working as 'live-in' servants were allowed only one
holiday a year on which to visit their families - which
is how 'Mothering Sunday' got its name. This special day
became a day of family rejoicing, and the Lenten fast was
broken. In some places the day was called Simnel Day,
because of the sweet cakes called simnel cakes
traditionally eaten on that day. |