In Person Easter Book Study: The Meal that Jesus Gave Us: Understanding Holy Communion by N.T. Wright. Next study is Tuesday, June 2nd at 4pm in the Trinity Centre. There will be one next Tuesday as well…Tuesday, June 9 at 4pm.
Friday, June 5: $5 Monthly Meal. 5pm for take-out and 5:30pm for eating in. We’ll be having meatloaf, rice, vegetables, and squares for dessert. Email susan.montague2@gmail.com to order.
Monday, June 8, at 1pm: Deanery ACW lunch at The Roasted Bean in Thessalon.
A Liturgical Note For You: Just exactly what colour is it anyway?
We left the colour white of the Easter Season behind on the Saturday before The Day of Pentecost. Although Pentecost is the final day of the Easter Season, the liturgical colour changed to red because the red of the Holy Spirit took precedence since it was a principal feast day (and it sure was beautiful!). We moved from that into the green of Ordinary Time but…hang on…the very next Sunday – Trinity Sunday – everything was white again. Why was that? We are, indeed, in the green of Ordinary Time (any time outside of Advent & Christmas, Lent & Easter is Ordinary Time) but there are feast days scattered throughout this time that are important enough to acknowledge with a change of colour from the green. The actual colour of the feast day depends on what the feast day is acknowledging.
Trinity Sunday is one of our seven principal feasts so its colour took precedence over the green of Ordinary Time. Why was it white?
White is the symbol of the heavenly realm and God’s divine light. This is the color of cleanliness, holiness and simplicity. On icons and frescoes, saints and righteous people are usually depicted clothed in white as righteous ones – people who were good, honest, and lived by “the Truth.” In the same manner, white was used in the swaddling bands of babies, the shrouds of the dead and the robes of angels. White is the colour used for baptismal robes (which albs and cassock albs represent) since, among other significances, we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ at our baptism. White is also the colour used at funerals, connecting this to our baptism and to the victory we gained in Christ through the baptismal mystery.
One last thing, in case you’ve forgotten: The “ordinary” of Ordinary Time doesn’t mean “normal” or “usual”. Ordinary comes from the Latin word meaning orderly or numbered. (The Latin word ordinalis, which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin word ordo, from which we get the English word “order”.) So, the Sundays in “Ordinary Time” are numbered after an important Sunday that has just passed – Sundays after the Epiphany and Sundays after Pentecost. It is the use of the word “after” that tells you they aren’t a part of the other seasons of the church (i.e. Christmas and Easter; and their times of preparation – Advent and Lent). Ordinary time is when we hear the teachings of Jesus as he lived his mission among us and, with this as our guide, it is our time to renew our focus on the mission of the Church under his Lordship.
For Your Devotions (A very busy week…):
Monday, June 1st is the Holy Day of The Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth. (This day was transferred from Sunday and so Justin the Martyr, who usually is acknowledged on June 1st, gets bumped entirely this year). This is the moment when, even before his birth, John the Baptist witnesses to Jesus Christ. This story is only found in the Gospel of Luke and Luke uses it to bring together the old and new…the covenant made by God with Abraham and Moses is about to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. This is what John the Baptist will be born to proclaim. See p.180 for more… https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/For-All-The-Saints.pdf
Tuesday, June 2nd is the commemoration of the Martyrs of Lyons: Blandina and her Companions, died 177. There were missionary centres in Lyons that had attracted Christians from Asia and Greece. The locals were suspicious of the Christians – they were “different.” At first, the Christians were excluded from using the public baths and the market place, they were verbally and physically attacked, and their homes were vandalized. Hmm…It kind of sounds much like the dominant culture’s treatment of minority groups in their midst in much more recent history. Blandina was a slave taken into custody. The authorities forced Christians to say they were cannibals who practiced incest. Many did repeat these lies to avoid being beaten and tortured with red hot irons. Blandina refused to say anything other than that she was a Christian and Christians do not practice anything vile. She was finally executed – mauled by animals -in the public arena. See p.184 of For All the Saints for more info: https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/For-All-The-Saints.pdf
Wednesday, June 3rd is the memorial of Janani Luwum, Archbishop of Uganda, died 1977 and The Martyrs of Uganda, 1886. One of the most influential clergy in Africa, Archbishop Janani is remembered each year in Uganda (on Feb.16) with a public holiday during which schools, offices, and businesses are closed. He was an outspoken opponent of President Idi Amin and delivered a note protesting unexplained disappearances and deaths. This led to his arrest along with two cabinet ministers. The three men were placed on display at a presidential rally and then, allegedly, died in a car crash on their way back to prison. However, his family reports that, when they retrieved his body, he had been shot in the mouth and chest. Archbishop Janani was declared a martyr by Canterbury Cathedral/Church of England. To read more about his life… https://publicholidays.ug/archbishop-janani-luwum-day/
The Martyrs of Uganda: Over the span of about 15 months, Mwanga (ruler of Buganda – now Uganda) ordered the brutal murders of 45 Anglicans and Roman Catholics. Anglican and Roman Catholic missionaries and converts were bludgeoned and beheaded. A group of young pages working in the royal household were burned alive when Mwanga discovered they had been taught Christian doctrines. Soldiers, officials, judges… no one was safe. Christian persecution seems hard to fathom from where we comfortably sit but it’s actually on the rise around the world. North Korea tops the list of dangerous countries for Christians and “ethnic nationalism” is becoming a major driving force of persecution. If you’d like to read more: https://www.britannica.com/event/Martyrs-of-Uganda
Thursday, June 4th is the commemoration of Pope John XXIII, Bishop of Rome, Reformer, died 1963. Why do Anglicans commemorate a Roman Catholic Bishop? In his openness to change, he convoked the Second Vatican Council which reformed the Roman Catholic Church and sent ripples of influence through all mainstream denominations. His life is fascinating… born poor, the oldest son of 13, sent off at age 11 to become a priest…He never used his position to benefit his family and bequeathed each living member of his family just $20 at his death – the sum total of his personal fortune. To read more about this: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-John-XXIII
Friday, June 5th is the memorial of missionary and martyr, Boniface of Mainz, died 754. He was born, named Wynfrid, around 675 AD, into a noble English family but chose to become a Benedictine monk and then priest. He turned down the position of abbot in order to instead risk his life as the “apostle of Germany”. He was murdered by pagans as he read the Scriptures to Christian novices on Pentecost Sunday in 754 AD. More info: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Boniface
Saturday, June 6th is the commemoration of William Grant Broughton, First Anglican Bishop in Australia, died 1853. William’s extensive literary research earned him a reputation because, at the time, not much Anglican scholarly writing was being produced. This was a big factor in why William was noticed and chosen to be bishop. He actually reluctantly accepted the position on the condition that it would be short…He ended up spending the rest of his life in Australia. William took seriously the fact that he was head of the national church and set up pastoral and educational opportunities for all the people – convicts, Aboriginal peoples, and settlers alike. It’s an interesting read if you’d like to learn more: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/broughton-william-grant-1832
In the joy of Christ,
Susan
Deanery of Algoma 