High Days and Holy Days 1
Ash Wednesday 1
Ash Wednesday Lent
begins with Ash Wednesday. But why 'Ash' Wednesday?
The reason has to do with getting things right between
you and God, and the tradition goes right back to the Old
Testament. In the
Old Testament, the Israelites often sinned. When
they finally saw their evil ways as God saw them, they
could do nothing but repent in sorrow. They
mourned for the damage they had done. As part of
this repentance, they covered their heads with ashes,
an outward sign of their heart-felt acknowledgement of
sin. (See Genesis 18:27; 2 Samuel 13:19; Job 2:8,
30:19; Isaiah 58:5; Jeremiah 6:26; Jonah 3:6) In the
very early Christian Church, the yearly 'class' of
penitents had ashes sprinkled over them at the beginning
of Lent. They were turning to God for the first
time, and mourning their sins. But soon many
other Christians wanted to take part in the custom, and
to do so at the very start of Lent. They heeded
Joel's call to 'rend your hearts and not your garments' (Joel
The
collect for today goes back to the Prayer Book, and
stresses the penitential character of the day. It
encourages us with the reminder of the readiness of God
to forgive us and to renew us. The Bible
readings for today are often Joel 2:1-2, 12 – 18,
Matthew 6: 1-6, 16 – 21 and Paul’s moving
catalogue of suffering, "as having nothing and yet
possessing everything." (2 Corinthians 5:20b - The
actual custom of 'ashing' was abolished at the
Reformation, though the old name for the day remained.
Today, throughout the Church of England, receiving the
mark of ashes on one’s forehead is optional. Certainly
the mark of ashes on the forehead reminds people of their
mortality: "Remember that you are dust
and to dust you will return..." (Genesis 3:19) The late
medieval custom was to burn the branches used on Palm
Sunday in the previous year in order to create the ashes
for today. The
Collect for Ash Wednesday is: Almighty
and everlasting God, 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 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 *2
It all
began when Oswiu, king of When Bishops
today may still argue about consecration, but they are
unlikely to have their bones disturbed. 7
St Patrick’s
Day St
Patrick is the patron saint of 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 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 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 Patrick’s
writings are the first literature certainly identified
from the Patrick
remains the most popular of the Irish saints. The
principal cathedral of *19
Why
should In any
case, as foster-father of Christ and husband of Mary,
Joseph played a major part in the story of the coming of
Jesus Christ. All that we know about him for sure
is in the gospels. Read especially Matthew 1 – 2. He
was of Davidic descent, but his trade as a carpenter
shows that he was not at all wealthy. Joseph’s
gentleness and decency towards Mary, and his willingness
to do God’s will when it was revealed to him,
portray him as a kind and godly person. Joseph is
the patron saint of fathers of families, and he makes an
excellent example. He comes across as a protecting,
loyal, thoughtful, self-controlled person, full of
integrity, and willing to work hard. Who wouldn’t
want a father like that? Joseph is
also the patron saint of all who desire a holy death.
Thus countless churches, hospitals and religious
congregations are dedicated to Joseph. 25
Lady Day - the
Annunciation This
story (Luke 1.26-38) takes place in 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. 26
Mothering Sunday There is
an old Jewish saying:
God could not be everywhere, 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 one
honouring 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. |