We are now just one week away from what the Church calls Holy Week which begins on Palm Sunday. On that day we will read the long narrative in St. Matthew's Gospel describing the Passion, Crucifixion, and Death of our Blessed Lord and Saviour on the Cross. I would urge you to read it before hand and even in church, as long as it is. It ought to be read slowly and carefully. In the 1928 Book of Common Prayer it is printed on pages 134-137.

Another suggestion is that you pay special attention to the Stations one through fourteen hanging on the walls of the church. In this way you will receive a special blessing as you read the Palm Sunday Gospel for you will have already received a mental picture from the Stations of what you are reading.

The Stations of the Cross were developed by the Church in the Middle Ages when many people expressed the desire to go to the Holy Land but because of their poverty they were unable to do so. By developing these 14 stations, the common people were able to spiritually make a pilgrimage to the Holy sites.

Of the fourteen stations, seven are found described in the 27th chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel which is read on Palm Sunday. For example:

Station One "Jesus is condemned to death" is found in Matthew 27:11-26
Station Two "Jesus takes up the cross" is found in Matthew 27:27-31
Station Five "The cross is laid on the shoulders of Simon of Cyrene" is found in Matthew 27:32
Station Ten "Jesus is stripped of his garments" is found in Matthew 27:35-36
Station Eleven "Jesus is nailed to the Cross" is found in Matthew 27:35-44
Station Twelve "Jesus dies on the Cross" is found in Matthew 27:45-50
Station Fourteen "Jesus is laid in the tomb" is found in Matthew 27:57-60

The other 7 stations are conjecture only but valuable spiritual growth can come form studying carefully each of them.

Scripture readings for you Lenten study this week are as follows:
Monday John 9:1-7
Tuesday John 9:18-41
Wednesday John 10:1-18
Thursday John 10:19-42
Friday John 11:1-27
Saturday John 11:28-44

Faithfully yours, Fr. Holland

This morning our religious instruction in the Faith and Practice of the Church will continue the subject of the Season of Lent which we are now observing. Remember, Sundays are not included in Lent though we mark them with the titles of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Sundays in Lent. In this little instruction I would like to take us back four weeks to Ash Wednesday.

You will recall how we met here in our humble parish church and knelt before the Altar on which the Blessed Sacrament was reserved adn we confessed our sins before Almighty God with ashes placed on our foreheads in token of our repentance.

Then with the assurance of Absolution, we promised to walk more worthily of the religious vocation into which we had been called. We then listened to a sermon how to observe the Lenten Season by recalling the 40 days of fasting Jesus endured before assuming his public ministry, a ministry that would ultimately lead up to his scourging, mockery by both Jew and Gentile alike, and finally His sacrifice on the Cross in atonement for the sins of the whole world.

In that sermon you were reminded that we are always to turn to the Holy Scriptures for our refreshment, encouragement, and empowerment to live the Christian life more fully. You were then advised that each week in Lent I would try to provide you with a series of Bible passages for you to read as part of our Lenten observance.

This week marks the half way point in our Lenten observance. Then comes Passion Sunday, followed by Palm Sunday, and Holy Week with its round of special services. God bless you all, and take good spiritual care of yourselves.

Scripture readings for you Lenten study this week are as follows:
Monday John 6:1-5
Tuesday John 6:15-27
Wednesday John 6:27-40
Thursday John 6:41-51
Friday John 6:52-59
Saturday John 6:60-70

Faithfully yours, Fr. Holland

This morning our religious instruction in the Faith and Practice of the Church will continue the subject of the Season of Lent which we are now observing. Remember, Sundays are not included in Lent though we mark them with the titles of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Sundays in Lent.

In my Senior Year in Seminary, the bishop teaching our class on spiritual discipline made the statement, "I hope you men won't, after you are ordained to the Priesthood, encourage your congregations to give up some for Lent", noting that Sundays in Lent are excluded. "Rather, encourage them to take on something more spiritual". He then went on to remind us that the Sundays in Lent were always regarded as Feasts of the Resurrection, and that one did not fast or abstain on those days, and it is in the attempt to do so that the danger of failure lies.

The bishop then described the spiritual danger in including Sunday in Lent as days of giving up something along with the other days. Most people will give up something silly for Lent such as candy, chocolate, ice cream or movies and try to include them on Sundays as well. One usually does fine from Ash Wednesday through the next four days. And, it's not too bad for the next seven, but then comes the second week in Lent. The mind begins to say, "I'll be so glad when Sunday get here so that I can have that beloved candy, chocolate, ice cream and or go to the movies" By the third Sunday in Lent, the attempt to give up something has been broken leading up to an overindulgence on that day, and it isn't the temptations of Satan that did it. The bishop then asked us what weapon Jesus had in his arsenal that defeated Satan's temptations every time? He then had us read the Scripture passages describing the temptations. It was obvious that it was the quotations from the Scriptures that defeated Satan and not the fasting. He closed the class by reminding us that it is always the Holy Scriptures that will be our most potent weapon in our spiritual arsenal. Thus, it has been my custom for 48 years in the Priesthood to offer you Bible passages for your study and mediation, rather than encouraging you to give up something for Lent. Keep in mind though that the weekdays in Lent are still days of fasting and/or abstinence.

Scripture for you Lenten study this week are as follows:
Monday John 7:14-36
Tuesday John 7:37-52
Wednesday John 8:12-20
Thursday John 8:21-32
Friday John 8:33-47
Saturday John 8:47-59

Faithfully yours, Fr. Holland

This morning our religious instruction in the Faith and Practice of the Church will continue the subject of the Season of Lent which we are now observing. Remember, Sundays are not included in Lent though we mark them with the titles of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Sundays in Lent. Thus our directions for fasting and abstinence are not included in Sundays during the Season of Lent.

This morning we will consider the use of colors in the priest's vestments and the hangings on the Altar, pulpit, and lectern during Lent. First at Christ Our Saviour, the Altar, pulpit, and lectern hangings are made of tapestry material containing many colors and are a permanent feature in this particular parish. Therefore the colors on the Altar, pulpit, and lectern do not change with the various seasons.

During Lent the color of the priest's vestment change to purple except for certain days as indicated in our parish calendars. Purple is both the sign of penitence and of royalty. You may wonder why, in the church calendar you have at home, there are so many days during Lent marked as white? It is because in those parishes that have daily Masses, the color on certain Saint's days may be white to mark the importance of those days. However, even on those days, the rule of fasting and abstinence remains.

Scripture readings for your Lenten study this week are as follows:
Monday John 4:27-42
Tuesday John 4:43-54
Wednesday John 5:1-18
Thursday John 5:19-29
Friday John 5:30-47
Saturday John 7:1-13

More next week and throughout the Lenten Season bulletins.

Faithfully yours. Fr. Clayton T. Holland

This morning our religious instruction in the Faith and Practice of the Church will continue the subject of the Season of Lent which we are now observing. Remember, Sundays are not included in Lent though we mark them with the titles of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Sundays in Lent. Thus our directions for fasting and abstinence are not included in Sundays during the Season of Lent.

Fasting and abstinence is one of the keynotes of the Lenten Season. First, we fast, that is, cut down on the amount of food we consume daily. In America it is clear that we eat far more than we need to maintain a healthy body. Many will go to great costs in following a diet when the easiest way to loose weight is simply to eat less and push away from the table. To do this, one has to sometimes endure the ridicule of family, friends, and acquaintances. Fasting reminds us that as Christians, we are to prepare ourselves spiritually for being willing and able to suffer and even to die for our faith and trust in Christ Jesus, the Saviour of our souls. In last Friday's local newspaper, under the headline - SHAHBAZ BHATTI, A MODERN MARTYR, we read of the martyrdom of Christians all over the world, especially in Pakistan, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, and certain independent African nations where Christian churches are being burned, and parishioners attacked, mutilated, and killed, only because of their belief in Christ Jesus. Thus, a recommendation during this Lenten Season is to intentionally fast, offering it up to God in remembrance of the persecution of our fellow Christian believers around the world.

Abstinence from meat products today is primarily limited to Wednesdays and Fridays. To help you grow in your knowledge of the Christian Faith, the following Scripture passages are recommended for your meditation this first week in Lent as follows:

Monday - John 2:1-12
Tuesday - John 2:13-22
Wednesday - John 2:23-3:15
Thursday - John 3:16-21
Friday - 3:22-36
Saturday - John 4:1-26

More next week and throughout the Lenten Season bulletins.

Faithfully yours. Fr. Clayton T. Holland