Holy Day Devotions

Thanks, Adam, for inspiring me to remember about S. Matthew's Eve:

1962, Canada: The First Evensong of the Feast of S. Matthew, Apostle & Martyr. Some things that attract my attention:

COLLECT:

O ALMIGHTY God, who by thy blessed Son didst call Matthew from the receipt of custom to be an Apostle and Evangelist: Grant us grace to forsake all covetous desires and inordinate love of riches, and to follow the same thy Son Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

15th Psalm: Who shall dwell in God's holy tabernacle? ... He who does not lend with usury.
19th Psalm: The judgments of the Lord are to be desired more than gold.

I. Lesson: 1 Kings 19:15-20 (the response of God to Elijah's sorrowful doubts; the revelation of a Remnant; the call of Elisha)
II. Lesson: 1 Timothy 6-19 (we take nothing with us when we die - fight the good fight - Christ dwells in light unapproachable)

I love how the 1962 BCP gave the major feasts "proper" psalms. These two, XV and XIX, fit Matthew perfectly, with their emphasis on God in Heaven, inapproachable glory & light, which contrast so sharply with the empty glittering of gold. The psalms and lessons form a grand whole: prefer faith, God, and His righteousness, before skeptical worldliness, hoarding of money, and Mammon (the world).

 

Today, Thursday Eucharist, we honored JOHN COLERIDGE PATTESON, BISHOP OF MELANESIA, AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS (20 SEP 1871)

"Almighty God, who called your faithful servants John Coleridge Patteson and his companions to be witnesses and martyrs in the islands of Melanesia, and by their labors and sufferings raised up a people for your own possession: Pour forth your Holy Spirit upon your Church in every land, that by the service and sacrifice of many, your holy Name may be glorified and your kingdom enlarged; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever."

 

S. Matthew's Day - 1962 Canadian BCP

Happy Feast day! Thanks be to God for the gift of a great apostle, evangelist, and brother to the holy Church!

Psalm 37, up to verse 22: a small thing had by the righteous man is greater than all the riches of the ungodly man...

Lesson I: Proverbs 3:1-17 (Love the Law by keeping it in your heart)
Lesson II: Matthew 19:16-30 (the rich young man - impossible to be saved by ourselves, but with God all things are possible)

The Morning Lessons are very beautiful, but I think the glory of this day is the Gospel for Holy Communion from Matthew 9.

Not only does our Lord & Saviour call us each according to His own good will and pleasure, but He defends those who are called. Only when He had called Matthew did the Pharisees say "ah, He even eats with those traitors the publicans"! Can you imagine the poor apostle being singled out? Can you see the sorrow, shame, and embarrassment creeping on his face when the greatest elders of the land pointed at him as one of Jesus' sins?

The wolves may howl and bite, but the mighty Christ, strong to save, shows forth His meek wisdom to rebuke their haughty attacks on His brethren. Christ stood in their way, and said "those who are whole", or think themselves to be whole, "are in need of no physician or doctor - only those who are sick". God truly desires the sacrifice of praise, a contrite heart, and love, not the outward sacrifices! Those who believe themselves to be righteous have no subjective need for Christ - objectively they do, but until they realise it in themselves, they will never be "sinners" in their own conscience, and can thus never come to the Divine Physician for treatment. Thanks be to God, alleluia.

 

Collect for Friday (Ember Day II, BCP p. 256)
O God, you led your holy apostles to ordain ministers in every place: Grant that your Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may choose suitable persons for the ministry of Word and Sacrament, and may uphold them in their work for the extension of your kingdom; through him who is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

and the Collect for St. Matthew's Day (BCP p. 244)
We thank you, heavenly Father, for the witness of your apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Gospel of your Son our Savior; and we pray that, after his example, we may with ready wills and hearts obey the calling of our Lord to follow him; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

Questions for anyone who uses candles in their home altar or prayer space: What type do you use? Any suggestions? I'd like to improve my "budget" home altar and I'm looking for ideas!

 

I read a while ago in the papers about health concerns using paraffin candles. Apparently beeswax are the healthiest to burn

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8211543.stm

 

Interesting...thanks! I did not know that!

 

Beautiful, thanks for posting it

 

Beautiful, thanks for posting these .

 

I use white, unscented, wax candles. In my area, we have a local independent Dollar Tree knock-off store. I get my white candles there and they only run me a $1 each and they burn for a long time. If you have a local Dollar Tree store in your area, you might try looking there first, they have some good candles and they only run $1:

http://www.dollartree.com/floral-de...olders-Votives/202c205c205/index.cat?index=40

 

Thanks for the suggestion! That's a great idea!

 

Collect for Saturday (Ember Day III, BCP p. 256)
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers, which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

I think the simple white ones are very beautiful


Thank Adam for the Collect for Saturday!

 

One of my most beautiful moments does involve candles: the night of Good Friday - candles are practical and very fitting for that solemn evening.

There are two red tapers which I place on a small table against the bedroom wall. I light them after dark, and read the Passion narrative of John up to 19:30. At "He gave up the ghost", I extinguish the left taper. I pick up my baptismal candle, light it with the flame of the right taper, and extinguish the latter, leaving only the baptismal candle alight. I then proceed to silently contemplate it, the light of the world, the incarnation, the crucifixion, and all the promises of our God.

The leftmost taper represents the human nature of Christ. Extinguishing it at that precise instant is highly emotional for me, even if it is in silence. The rightmost taper represents His divine nature, and its extinguished wick very intimately represents the sorrow of God over this sacrilege - but the lighting of my baptismal candle represents the mercy of God, the everlasting plan of salvation, the joy over the redemption wrought by this blasphemous act... and lastly, it symbolizes the carrying-on of Christ's soul into Hell, to rise again in His most glorious body but three days hence.

I'd keep the Baptismal candle burning all through the night after Good Friday, but I'd prefer to have it lit at the hour of my death, rather than worn down to nothing.

 

They can condemn whatever they like. This is a condemnation-free thread.

 

Adam, perhaps you could ignore the preface and see that the rest of the post has nothing to do with condemnation. I do hope you read everything, rather than just dismiss it all based on the first line.

I will remove the offending passage.

 

1962 Canadian Book of Common Prayer

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday

O LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Morning Prayer Lessons :

1. Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-32 (The Lord has no joy in death - so we must turn ourselves to Him, and live)
2. Luke 9:46-62 (Who is the greatest apostle? - Be like a child - He that is not against us is for us)

Evening Prayer Lessons

1. Nehemiah 2 (The last of the remnant of Israel in Babylon - the prophet longs for the holy city)
2. 1 Corinthians 13 (good works are worthless without love - love is greater than faith and hope)

Communion:

Epistle: Ephesians 3:13-21 (All Family comes from the Father of Christ - the love of Jesus is too great to know fully)
Gospel: S. Luke 7:11-16 (Christ has compassion on a mourning mother - the resurrection of a young man from Nain)

We can do nothing without the power and compassion of Christ, the Son of God, who is our Father because Christ has adopted us as brother. This is a very intimate set of readings, with many familial and close relationships in heaven, on earth, and between the two. Christ's love is so powerful and infinite that it can't even be known... and it expresses itself in the reversal of death, and in the rebuilding of that which seemed totally destroyed.

One of the most beautiful Bach cantatas fits this day in the year: BWV 95 (Christ is my life), a very moving work which acknowledges that we must die before we can be risen again. To desire the sleep and pasture of Christ is to desire the hope and love that is the eternal resurrection! The autumnal pastoral music should lead us to contemplate God's gentle love amidst the storms of His just wrath.

Have a joyous Sunday!

 

+thumbs up.

 

Of course, in my uppity, callous, and over-zealous emotionalism, I forget the very words which are prescribed for the Epistle on this holy Lord's Day, in Ephesians 3:17-19:

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith: that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God."

We can only know the whole height, depth, length, and width of the love of Christ in union with every saint in the whole Church. Even Roman Catholics are saints, if they have faith. In this Biblical passage, the heat of my fanatical anger is cooled, and the warm hearth of charity is kindled. I hope you saints who find me abrasive and insulting will be forgiving, for it is only in union with you that I may know the fulness of God, and it is only with me that they may know the fulness of God. Why? Because of the fact that God works in every life in a unique way, only the whole congregation of all Christian lives throughout history can accurately describe God's love fully. We are the memorial, portrait, and mosaic of Christ.

 

Collect for the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels (BCP p. 244)
Everlasting God, you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of angels and mortals: Mercifully grant that, as your holy angels always serve and worship you in heaven, so by your appointment they may help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen