Viewing all items in Resource Category: Holy Days

Is there someone in church whom you respect for their spirituality and common sense combined – someone you feel easy about approaching to ask questions?  That person’s patron saint should be Philip. Philip came from Bethsaida, and was a disciple of Jesus from early on.  He knew how to lead others to Jesus – he...

One thing for sure:  the apostles were not self-obsessed.  In fact, many a church historian has wished that they had left us just a few more personal details about themselves in the New Testament.   James the Less is an excellent example. This is the name we give to James the son of Alphaeus, but –...

This is the name behind the Athanasian Creed.  Athanasius (296-373) was born into a prosperous family in Alexandria in Egypt, studied in the Christian school there and entered the ministry. He was twenty-nine years old when he accompanied Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria, to the Church’s first ecumenical Council, at Nicaea in 325. Although Athanasius...

Rogation means an asking of God – for blessing on the seed and land for the year ahead. It is appropriate in any emergency, war, plague, drought or foul weather. The practice began with the Romans, who invoked the help of the gods Terminus and Ambarvalia.  In those days a crowd moved in procession around...

Many years ago, studying English literature at university, I was intrigued to be introduced to the work of Julian of Norwich. She was writing at the end of the 14th century, when our modern English language was slowly emerging from its origins in Anglo-Saxon and Middle English. Our lecturer was mainly concerned with her importance...

Have you ever worked for a disorganised organisation?   You know the scene:  your boss lives in a mild panic, your goals and deadlines keep being changed, your colleagues whisper darkly in corners, emails contradict each other, meetings lead to more confusion… and you go home each night with a headache. And so it is that...

40 days after Easter comes Ascension Day. These are the 40 days during which the Risen Christ appeared again and again to His disciples, following His death and resurrection.  (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; and John 20.) The Gospels give us little of Christ’s teachings and deeds during those 40 days.  Jesus was seen...

Have you ever happened to be in the right place at the right time, with certain qualifications, and suddenly realise that God is singling you out for a special task?  If so, Matthias is a good patron saint for you! In Acts 1 (15 – 26) the apostles had a task to do:  Judas had...

If you’re saying to yourself, ‘Who?’ you’ll be in good company.  May 15th is the feast day of St Matthias the Apostle, and in describing him thus we have said just about all there is to know about him. He gets just one mention in the Bible, in the first chapter of Acts, immediately prior...

If you want an example of someone who can show you their faith through their works,  Caroline Chisholm is a saint for you.  This doughty little 19th century English woman had such a compassionate heart that she helped tens of thousands of people, from India to Australia. Caroline was born in Northamptonshire in May, 1808. ...

Dunstan (909-988 AD) stands out as an example of what just one person can achieve when they follow the call of God on their life. Dunstan was born near Glastonbury, of a noble family with royal connections and church connections; his uncle was Archbishop of Canterbury.  But in 935, at the age of 26, he...

Pentecost took place on the well-established Jewish festival of Firstfruits, which was observed at the beginning of the wheat harvest.  It was exactly 50 days after the Passover, the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. A feast day to celebrate the country’s wheat harvest does not sound exactly world-changing, but that year, it became one of the...