Seasons of the
Church:
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Advent |
The night is far gone, the day is at hand.
Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of
light.
(Romans 13:12)
Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the
Lord.
(James 5:7)
Advent is the season just before
Christmas, which lasts about a month,
so that there are always four Advent Sundays before Christmas.
In 2005, Advent begins on November 27.
Liturgical Color: Blue,
though it used to be purple, like Lent,
and that is still used in some places.
Major feasts during Advent
Major feasts are shown in red because
that is their liturgical color;
the color for minor feasts is the general color of the season.
St Andrew the Apostle
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Nov 30
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The brother of Simon Peter, Andrew
is the patron saint of Scotland. Some of his relics were brought
there several centuries after his death, to a place now known as St.
Andrews, which is also the site of a famous golf course that bears his
name. St Andrew's Cross, a white diagonal 'saltire' on a blue
field,  , is often used as a flag of Scotland, and it has been
incorporated into the British Union Jack, along with the red crosses of
St. George and St. Patrick A fuller account of what is known of
St Andrew is here.
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St Nicholas of Myra
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Dec 6
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Not actually considered a major
feast, it is relevant here because St. Nicholas turned into Santa
Claus, so to speak. A brief account of him is given below;
a
longer account can be found here.
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St Ambrose, Bishop,
Doctor of the Church
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Dec 7
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One of the eight
original Doctors of
the
Church, Ambrose, a bishop of Northern Italy, who died in 397, was one
of the first to write hymns in rhyme and meter and may have written the
Te Deum Laudamus. He was largely
responsible
for the conversion of St Augustine (of Hippo, not the English one) and
was much involved in the controversy between Arians and Athanasians in
the early church, a complicated matter which is explained here.
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| St. Thomas the Apostle |
Dec 21
|
Sometimes called
"Doubting Thomas." Tradition says that he went to India
after the Resurrection, and a very old Christian community there claims
him as their founder. A fuller account of what is know of him is here. |
St. Nicholas of Myra
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Nicholas of Myra - Bishop,
Confessor, Wonderworker. St Nicholas is, without doubt, the
most famous of all saints under Mary - known throughout the world as a
patron of children, sailors, and the unjustly accused before ever
becoming secular icon of the commercial giftgiving frenzy we now call
Christmas. Nicholas of Myra was born in the town of Patara, in
Asia Minor (now Turkey), a contemporary of Emperor Constantine (d.
341). Traditions agree that he became bishop of Myra at a young
age despite being a layman. Some histories relate that he was a
participant at the council of Nicea, and was tortured during the
Diocletian persecution. The story of his resolutely anonymous
generosity to three poor girls is famous, and gave rise to the best of
modern-day secular "Christmas Spirit". Usually forgotten today,
when we talk about "old Saint Nick", are the stories in which Nicholas
bravely (or, after his death, miraculously) rescued those kidnapped
into slavery, or unjustly condemned and imprisoned. Also
forgotten is his effective intercession, on more than one occasion, on
behalf of the impoverished. What a shame to forget these
stories! Each of them reveals a different facet of the
incomprehensible generosity of God's rescue of humankind in
Christ. The real St. Nicholas lived daily into the Sprit that
empowers Christmas, and in so doing he learned more and more about how
unfathomably generous God really is. Sharing what he learned with
those he met and taught made him richer and more famous than we can
ever dream of being.
- by Peach McDouall, from the
December 2003 - January 2004 St Luke's Newsletter.
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| Most
of the section below
has been retrieved from the old website, where it was stored but not
accessible to most users. It has been reformatted, recolored, and
somewhat rearranged, but the content of these parts is essentially
unchanged. Special thanks are due to former member of St. Luke's
Audrey Nickel, who wrote most of it, and former Rector Jay Sidebotham,
who drew the pictures. Click on each link below to see the
pages. |
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