Good day,

 It’s time to register – if you haven’t already – for the annual Lay Readers/Church Leaders conference coming up at the end of this month. It is offered via Zoom and is free of charge. You can register simply by emailing your info to Dr. Carol Knox:   carolknox3@gmail.com (Please provide Carol with your name, email address, parish, deanery, and role in the Church). You can get more info here:   https://www.dioceseofalgoma.com/2023/07/11/2023-lay-readers-church-leaders-conference-information-now-available/

The next Guild of St. Joseph Men’s Breakfast, at the Trinity Centre in Sault Ste Marie, is Saturday, October 14. (It may feel like a long way off but it’ll be here before you know it if the passing of summer is any indication. We sure must be having a lot of fun – time is flying by). 

Our neighbours to the south are marking a life-altering event today: the terrorist attack that destroyed the twin towers in New York. Here is a prayer for peace that you may like to include in your daily prayers today:

 O God, it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace. Let the design of your great love shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows, and give peace to your Church, peace among nations, peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Liturgical Note For You (well, actually, two notes for you):

First, Holy Cross Day (info below) is one of feasts on our calendar that would take precedence of a Sunday if it actually landed on the Sunday. It does not, however, get moved to a Sunday (unless your church is named after this day with something like “Church of the Holy Cross”).  

Second, since we’re talking about the relic – a piece of Jesus’ cross – which would be revered through bowing (also through kissing it, trying to steal slivers from it, and gazing on it with awe and wonder…), today seems like a good day to refresh our memories on why we bow so much during our liturgies:

Why do we bow so much during our worship services and who or what are we bowing to?

A lot of church-going Christians do not know what this bowing is all about. They think they are bowing to the cross when, actually, we bow to the altar. Why do we do this? It is a sign of reverence and respect for God.  Although we understand that God’s presence is within us and among us, we specifically acknowledge the altar. This stems from a very ancient custom that began even before the Temple was built. The Hebrew people knew that God’s presence was with them because they had the Ark of the Covenant.  The lid of the Ark was elaborately designed and known as the Mercy Seat and it was from here that God spoke to Moses.  The Ark was kept in the Tabernacle behind a curtain in an area known as the Holy of Holies. The Ark was in a direct line from the entrance to the Tabernacle, behind the larger altar and smaller incense altar.  No one could enter the Tabernacle or approach an altar without also being in front of the Ark where God’s presence was presiding.  

When we do not bow to the altar: There is a time during each service of the Holy Eucharist when we do not bow to the altar. At the completion of the Great Thanksgiving (the Eucharistic Prayer), the bread and wine is the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ…his presence, in other words. And so, as the presbyter and Eucharistic Assistants are going along the communion rail, or into the congregation with the consecrated elements, they do not acknowledge the altar with a bow since they have with them the presence of the Lord.  The reverence and respect for Christ is also seen throughout the worship service as many people will acknowledge, with a bow, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This stems from Paul’s letter to the Philippians which says that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bend.

We also bow to each other at certain times throughout the service. The presider and others in the sanctuary will bow to each other as they perform certain actions such as handing the presider the water and wine during the Preparation of the Gifts. Sidespersons bringing the offering of the body of Christ to the altar will bow to the person taking these gifts from them. You, perhaps, may bow (incline your head) towards others as you share the peace of Christ during worship. All of these moments of bowing throughout the service are a sign of acknowledgement, peace, and respect. This brings me back to one more instance of bowing in which it seems we are bowing to the altar when we really are not. Maybe you’ve noticed that the bishop’s chair is, traditionally, at the rear Gospel side of the sanctuary. As other clergy, servers, Eucharistic Assistants, and others passed by, they would bow to the bishop in respect for the bishop’s office. Even in the absence of the bishop, people continued to bow towards the bishop’s chair. All of this bowing can look to observers like a bow to the altar.

There’s more to be said – as always – but let’s leave it there. Our brains have had enough for a Monday.

For Your Devotions:

Wednesday, September 13th is the memorial of Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage, martyred in 258. Cyprian has a fascinating and complicated story but I’ll give you a few tidbits. He was born around 200 to wealthy pagan parents and practiced as a lawyer before his conversion to Christianity.  He faced several persecutions from Rome during his time as bishop – during the first one, Cyprian went into hiding and lost his authority and much of his credibility. However, he did redeem himself in the years that followed and in subsequent persecutions. Cyprian did much to establish our current views on the Church and he laid out a convincing position on the importance/authority of bishops within the Church. One of his most famous quotes is, “He no longer has God for his Father, who does not have the Church for his mother.” This is found in his treatise On the Unity of the Catholic Church which was actually used later by bishops of Rome to pull rank on other bishops even though Cyprian had not supported that position. To read more:  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Cyprian-Christian-bishop

Thursday, September 14th is the feast of Holy Cross Day. (By the way, the 14th is the actual day of Cyprian’s martyrdom but we move it one day earlier because of the conflict with this Holy Day). Back in 335, the Emperor Constantine was building structures in Jerusalem on sites associated with Jesus’ crucifixion and tomb. Apparently, Constantine’s mother, Helena, discovered what was believed to be Jesus’ cross. To find out more about the history of this day – and why dishes heavy on basil are cooked today – you can go here: http://www.holidayscalendar.com/event/holy-cross-day/

Saturday, September 16th is the memorial of Ninian, Bishop in Galloway, about 430.  Ninian was born and died in Britain and was the first bishop of Galloway in Scotland.  He is credited as being the first Christian missionary in Scotland and had widespread success converting the Celts, and likely also some Picts.  This is a big deal because Ninian was going against the grain in actually caring to bring the Gospel to people outside of the Roman provinces. (Yes, prejudice was alive and well long before modern times).  Ninian established his “see” in what became known as “White House,” now Whithorn, (because it was built of whitewashed stone – a huge departure from the usual wooden churches built by the Britons).  In Latin, this place was called “Candida Casa” – still the official name of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Galloway.  The monastery established here by Ninian was a thriving centre of Anglo-Saxon monasticism by the 6th century. To read more, check out p.280 http://c2892002f453b41e8581-48246336d122ce2b0bccb7a98e224e96.r74.cf2.rackcdn.com/ForAlltheSaints.pdf

In the peace of Christ,

Susan

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