High Days and Holy Days 1 Remigius (d.533) If you’ve
ever prayed for the ill children of non-Christian
friends, then you are following in the steps of Remigius. Remigius
was bishop of In his enthusiasm King Clovis seems to have turned his royal household into something akin to the aftermath of a Billy Graham rally/Alpha course, for he commanded that all 3,000 members of the royal household and followers become Christians at once, and be baptised. Under the
protection of King Clovis, Remigius carried on preaching
the Gospel throughout the Frankish kingdom. He did some
extensive church-planting - founding bishoprics and
churches - and was greatly loved by the people up to his
death in 2 Your Guardian Angel The teaching of Jesus encourages us to believe that we each have our own guardian angel. He once said, ‘See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.’ (Matthew 18.10) The existence of angels was suggested in various Old Testament texts, Jesus mentioned them explicitly, and the early Christians accepted their existence and work (Acts 12.15). In Alcuin
described them as intercessors (in the 11th century
Leofric Missal); Herbert of Losinga, bishop of Honorius Augustodunenis (d 1151) clarified the existing belief of the time by asserting that each human soul, when infused into the body, is entrusted to the particular care of a single angel, who protects both body and soul and offers prayers to God. For many
centuries Christendom was satisfied with the feast of St
Michael (and all Angels), but the special feast of the
Guardian Angels was introduced in 4 St.
Francis of St
Francis (1181 - 1226) is surely one of the most
attractive and best-loved of all the saints. But he began
by being anything but a saint. Born the son of a wealthy
cloth-merchant of By the
time of his release, Francis had changed. Perhaps his own
suffering had awakened him to that of others. In any
case, he abandoned warfare and carousing, and began to
help the poor and the lepers of his area. Then one day a
voice which seemed to come from the crucifix in the
small, semi-derelict This religious experience was a vital turning point in Francis’ life: Jesus Christ became very real and immediate to him. His first action was to begin repairing the church, having sold some of his father’s cloth to pay for materials. His father was not amused, in fact he was furious - until Francis renounced his inheritance and even his clothes by his dramatic stripping off in the public square of the town. The Bishop of Assisi provided him with simple garments, and Francis began his new life. His inspiration was always religious, not social, and the object of his quest was always the Crucified Christ, not Lady Poverty for her own sake. Francis rebuilt San Samiano, and then travelled as a pilgrim. His compassion for the poor and lepers became famous. Soon disciples joined him, and they set up a communal life in simple wattle and daub huts. They went on occasional preaching tours,. (Not until later did they become a Order whose theologians won fame in the Universities) In 1219
Francis visited the Francis’ close rapport with the animal creation was well known.. The story of his preaching to the birds has always been a favourite scene from his life. He also tamed the wolf of Gubbio. This affinity emphasises his consideration for, and sense of identity with, all elements of the physical universe, as seen in his Canticle of the Sun. This makes him an apt patron of nature conservation. The 20th century witnessed a widespread revival of interest in Francis. Sadly, some films and books caricatured him as only a sentimental nature-lover or a hippie drop out from society. This ignores the real sternness of his character, and his all-pervasive love of God and identification with Christ’s’ sufferings, which alone make sense of his life. Two ancient, and many modern English churches are dedicated to him. 18 St Luke the Evangelist To St
Luke, a gentile, we owe the beautifully written Gospel of
Luke, and the Book of Acts. He was a Greek physician, a
disciple of Luke’s gospel focuses on the compassion of Christ. His gospel contains some of the most moving parables, such as the Good Samaritan and Prodigal Son. This, with his emphasis on poverty, prayer and purity of heart, make up much of his appeal to the Gentles, for whom he wrote. Women figure more prominently in Luke’s gospel than any other: look out for the extended story of the Virgin Birth, and stories of Mary, Elizabeth, and the woman who was a sinner. In Acts,
Luke is remarkably good as linking sacred and profane
history, as subsequent archaeology has shown. A principal
theme of his Acts is the how the early Christian moved
away from Luke is
the patron saint of doctors, surgeons and artists. 28 Simon and Jude (1st century) Jude the apostle and martyr warns us in his epistle that not all ‘evil’ comes in the form of obvious ghosties and ghoulies. He writes instead to warn the Christians of the greater danger of people who infect others with heresy and moral failure. He writes that they are nothing more than …. “blemishes on your love-feasts…feeding themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame, wandering stars, for whom the deepest darkness has been reserved forever. Such dangerous people can be frightening, but Jude also encourages his readers to remember “…him who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing…the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power and authority, before all time and now and forever…. According
to Western tradition, Jude and Simon went to preach the
gospel in 31 Halloween Modern Halloween celebrations have their roots with the Celtic peoples of pre-Christian times. On the last night of October, these ancient peoples celebrated the Festival of Samhain, or ‘Summer’s End’. The priests, Druids, performed ceremonies to thank and honour the sun. For there was a very dark side to all this: Samhain also signalled the onset of winter, a time when it was feared that unfriendly ghosts, nature-spirits, and witches roamed the earth, creating mischief. So the Druid priests lit great bonfires and performed magic rites to ward off or appease these dark supernatural powers. Then the Romans arrived, and brought their Harvest Festival which honoured the Goddess Pomona with gifts of apples and nuts. The two festivals slowly merged. When Christianity arrived still later, it began to replace the Roman and Druid religions. 1 November - All Saints’ Day - was dedicated to all Christian Martyrs and Saints who had died. It was called ‘All Hallows’ Day’. The evening before became an evening of prayer and preparation and was called ‘All Hallows’ Eve’, The Holy Evening, later shortened to ‘Halloween’. For many centuries, however, fear of the supernatural remained strong. During the Middle Ages, animal costumes and frightening masks were worn to ward off the evil spirits of darkness on Halloween. Magic words and charms were used to keep away bad luck, and everybody believed that witches ride about on broomsticks. Fortune telling was popular, and predicting the future by the use of nuts and apples was so popular that Halloween is still sometimes known as Nutcrack Night or Snap-Apple Night. Today, Christians have learned to turn to prayer instead of charms to overcome the powers of darkness. And the deeper, true meaning of All Hallows’ Eve, should not be forgotten. As Christians, we all draw closer to Christ when we remember and give thanks for our loved ones and for others who have gone before us through the gates of death. |