Hello,
Coming Up:
$5 monthly take-out/eat-in, 5:30pm in the Trinity Centre on Feb.6. This month will be spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread, carrot sticks, and dessert.
Guild of St. Joseph Breakfast: Saturday, Feb.7 at 9am in the Trinity Centre.
Olympic Canadian Men’s Curling Watch Party! Saturday, Feb.14 at 2pm in the Trinity Centre. Come enjoy hot dogs, and nachos, other snacks, and – of course – great curling.
Pasta Supper and Blessing of Marriage Vows: At Christ Church, SSM. Supper at 5:30pm; Worship with Blessings of Marriages by Archbishop Anne at 7pm. (Poster below for more information).
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper: Tuesday, Feb.17, 5-6:30pm in the Trinity Centre. Just $8. (If you’re having a pancake supper, let me know and I’ll share that information).
Online book study begins on Feb.25 and will run Wednesdays, 7pm, through Lent, into the Easter season. The book is called To Love and Serve: Anglican Beliefs and Practices.
A Liturgical Note For You: The Light of Our Lives
February 2nd is The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. This is a Holy Day and, if it falls on a Sunday, then it takes precedence of the usual Sunday worship. It is, however, never moved to a Sunday. Its day is Feb.2 and “that’s that”, as the saying goes. Even if you really like lighting candles and processing into the church, you don’t move the observance. You can certainly have a service on Monday to acknowledge this holy day. (Also, the Eve technically begins the new day and so St. Luke’s Cathedral’s Evensong on Feb.1 will be a worship service for The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple). So, why am I mentioning candles? It’s because the older name for this day of observance is Candlemas. Why? Read on to find out…
Candlemas (February 2):
This day is The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple – the day when Mary went to the Temple for her purification rite, 40 days after giving birth to Jesus. Simeon takes Jesus into his arms and names him “the light to enlighten the Gentiles” and so, fittingly, this day eventually also became the day when the candles, to be used in the church throughout the coming year, were dedicated to God’s use. Since this is a Holy Day marking one of the major events in the life of Christ, the liturgical colour for today is white.
On Candlemas night, many people place lighted candles in their windows at home and, of course, there are a couple of superstitions to go along with Candlemas: Some people lit candles to scare away evil spirits on the dark winter nights. Our modern “Groundhog Day” has its roots in Candlemas as well. People believed that the weather on Candlemas predicted the weather for the rest of the winter. “If Candlemas Day be fair and bright Winter will have another fight. If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain, Winter won’t come again.”
Other superstitions include: if a candle drips on one side when carried in church on Candlemas, this denotes a death of a family member during the year. If someone brings snowdrops into the house on Candlemas day it symbolises a parting or death. (According to these superstitions, death seems inevitable, doesn’t it?)
Apparently, any Christmas decorations not taken down at the Epiphany should be left up until Candlemas Day and then taken down. This is when the folks at Buckingham Palace and at the Vatican take theirs down.
A Candlemas Prayer
Glorious God, Simeon names Jesus “a light to enlighten the Gentiles.” So may we be reminded by the light of the candle that Jesus is the light of salvation for the whole world, shining into the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. Guide us to bring his light into the world, inspire us by your Holy Spirit to recognize him who is the glory of Israel and the light for all nations, your Son Jesus Christ who reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God before all time, in our time, and always. Amen.
Bless this (these) candle(s) to our use, O Lord. May they be your light in the darkness, hope for the weary, and a sign of your reconciling love in the world. Amen.
The propers (sentence, readings, prayers) for this day are found on p.401 of the BAS if you are preparing a worship service.
For Your Devotions:
Sunday, Feb.1 – Saturday, Feb.7 is the World Interfaith Harmony Week. It was declared by the U.N General Assembly in 2010. It aims to foster dialogue and reconciliation between the various faiths and beliefs that have sprung up over the many centuries of human existence. God desires love amongst all of creation and with God…We have been given the task of being ministers of reconciliation, Paul says, with God making his appeal through us (2 Cor.5:18-20).
Monday, February 2nd is The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple – described above.
Tuesday, February 3rd is the commemoration of Anskar, Missionary Bishop in Sweden, died 865. The Swedish church calls Anskar its apostle – he built hospitals and did many other charitable works. In fact, Anskar convinced the leaders in the north country to give up their profitable slave trade business, telling them it was contrary to Christianity. (Too bad that particular message hadn’t been more widespread at that time!) When a “heathen king” burned Anskar’s church, monastery, library, and everything he owned, Anskar befriended him and, with Job as his example, he rebuilt without complaint. To read more: http://satucket.com/lectionary/Anskar.htm
Thursday, February 5th is the memorial of The Martyrs of Japan in 1597. First Jesuits and then Franciscans made their way to Japan and baptized about 300 000 people. Unfortunately, rivalries between the missionaries (really) and political intrigue (go figure) led to the persecution of these new Christians. Here is what happened: “The first victims were six Franciscan friars and twenty of their converts, who were executed at Nagasaki on 5 February 1597. (They were tied to crosses, the crosses were raised to an upright position, and they were then quickly stabbed to death by a soldier with a javelin.)” The power of the gospel led to something amazing…250 years later, when Japan was reopened to the West, it was discovered that Christianity had gone underground and had survived. To read more: http://satucket.com/lectionary/Japan_martyrs.htm
In the joy of Christ,
Susan
Deanery of Algoma 