Good day! It’s chilly but beautifully sunny. 

I hope to see some of you this evening for the weekly Lenten Bible Study. We’ll be “debriefing” yesterday’s Gospel (Luke 13:31-35) but, also, if you have time, please read through Genesis 15:1-12 – there is a really important point for us to take note of in this passage. If you want the Zoom invitation please email susan.montague2@gmail.com. See you at 7pm.

Lenten Lunches continue: Wednesdays at Christ Church; lunch begins at noon sharp and goes to about 1pm.

The Zoom on “Preaching Year C” with Bishop Michael is this Saturday at 10:30am. I’ll be broadcasting the Zoom meeting onto the big tv in the Trinity Centre for anyone in the area who is interested in being there. 

A Liturgical Note For You:

A Note About Fasting: Well, since I’m fasting this Lent, I thought I’d share a few things about this spiritual practice. First, fasting is an ancient pathway into greater closeness with God. In a nutshell, we turn our attention from our physical needs to our spiritual needs. We spend more time in prayer (more time in God’s presence) to help us achieve this and to give us strength and comfort and joy (instead of the irritability of hunger and denial). Fasting increases our awareness that we are to rely on God to fill our needs so that when we do partake in food, it is in gratitude to God. So, to be honest, I’m struggling to experience all of these benefits since I find I’m so “go, go, go” all the time…I will need to make a greater effort to turn my attention to God. Anyway…

 Fasting does not mean that you completely go without food and water for 40 days and 40 nights – you’d soon be dead or in the hospital. Fasting can be done in many different ways and I can tell you about the method I have chosen. One light meal is eaten in the early evening and, for the remainder of the day, a couple of healthy snacks are eaten. This amounts to about 800 calories. I choose to “break my fast” Saturday evening and resume Sunday evening. From what I’ve been reading, this is the typical method chosen. Some people will need to consume a higher number of calories and people who have medical conditions such as diabetes should not engage in fasting at all unless they have permission – and guidelines – from their doctor or nurse practitioner. 

For Your Devotions (lots this week…):

Monday, March 17th is the memorial of Patrick, Missionary Bishop in Ireland, died 461. Patrick was born in Britain into a Romanized family. He was stolen from his family at the age of 16 to be sold into slavery in Ireland. Patrick eventually escaped but then later returned as a missionary. He is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland despite living in constant danger of martyrdom. Of course, there are many legends surrounding this saint – the most popular being that he used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to an unbeliever. Patrick, himself, wrote that he raised people from the dead. If you’d like to read more…  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Patrick Enjoy you green food and drink today! 

Tuesday, March 18th is the commemoration of Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Teacher of the Faith, died 386. When Cyril was alive, the Arian heresy (those who denied the divinity of Christ) was actually getting the upper hand on orthodoxy (partly due to political maneuvering…go figure). Cyril was accused of Arianism and was sent into exile three times. Sometimes, we can be saying the same thing in different ways and not realize we’re saying the same thing…trying to explain the mystery of the Trinity in limited human language is tricky business. Anyway, Cyril’s writings, Catecheses, are valuable as examples of early church ritual and theology. We have Cyril to thank for fostering the development of Jerusalem as a centre of Christian pilgrimage and likely also the procession with palms and other Holy Week liturgical practices. To read more:  http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Cyril_Jerusalem.htm

Wednesday, March 19th is the Holy Day of Saint Joseph of Nazareth. We know next to nothing about Joseph – the earthly father of Jesus – other than that he was a tradesperson (“carpenter”) and married Mary despite the fact that she was pregnant. We can imply some things about Joseph’s character through this acceptance of Mary (plus we’re told he was “just”) and by the fact that God worked through him to move towards the accomplishment of God’s plan for salvation. If you’d like to read a little more…  https://www.biography.com/people/st-joseph-9358199

Thursday, March 20th is the commemoration of Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, Missionary, died 687. We don’t know much about his youth but we know that Cuthbert greatly preferred the solitary monastic life to public life. Cuthbert reluctantly (in tears, apparently) accepted election as bishop in 684 then led his diocese (for just two years) in caring for the sick and in almsgiving. He is credited with many miracles which earned him the title “Wonder-worker of Britain”. Here is a site which details some legends: https://oca.org/saints/lives/2019/03/20/109071-st-cuthbert-wonderworker-of-britain and here is another…   https://orthodoxwiki.org/Cuthbert_of_Lindisfarne

Friday, March 21st the commemoration of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, died 1556.  Thomas was an advisor to both Henry VIII and Edward VI. He was, in large part, responsible for placing English bibles in all of the churches, wrote prayers and parts of the liturgy in English, and was a main architect of our Book of Common Prayer. Thomas believed that the word of God and our celebration of the mystery of Christ should be in the vernacular so that it was accessible to all. The staunch Roman Catholic, Queen Mary I, ended Thomas’ life by having him burned at the stake. To read more of Thomas’ life and contributions to Anglicanism…  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Cranmer-archbishop-of-Canterbury

Saturday, March 22nd is the commemoration of Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells, died 1711.  In 1688, King James II issued his Declaration of Indulgence which was aimed at promoting Roman Catholicism. Thomas was among several bishops who refused to publish it in their dioceses and, in fact, published statements against it. This got him imprisoned in the Tower of London but he was later acquitted. Despite this, Thomas remained loyal to James when William and Mary (James’ daughter) arrived in the country to assist Protestants and Anglicans. James fled the country but Thomas and other bishops who would not swear an oath to William and Mary (because their king was still alive) were stripped of their offices and “retired”.  To read more:  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Ken

In the hope of Christ,

Susan