‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 January 10

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Tuesday, 10 January, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Tuesday (today): 5:30 PM, Mass, Of the Octave of the Epiphany.
  6:30 PM, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, Sung Evensong.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Mass, of the Octave.
• Thursday: 8:00 AM, Men's Morning Prayer and breakfast.
  6:30 PM, Mass, of the Octave, Soup and Study to follow.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, Octave Day of the Epiphany, using the Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Hilary, Bishop, Confessor, Doctor.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Epiphany II.

Passing-through Epiphany, there is a respite from the greater Feasts and Observations of Holy Mother, the Church. In our Parish life, the next important date is that of our Annual Parish Meeting, on the Twenty-ninth of this month. On that Sunday (Epiphany IV), there will be one service, at 10:00 AM. Afterwards, there will be both a pot-luck luncheon, and the annual meeting. We will cover the usual items (budget, vestry elections, etc.), hopefully in a brief span. Please mark this date on your Kalendars, or calendars, as the case may be.

Speaking of Kalendars, we still have some available, though we've sold nearly two-thirds of those we had printed. As time passes, and orders grow, this will become a notable income-stream for the Parish. Please get yours today, if you've not already done-so. They also make wonderful, teaching gifts.

I am in-touch with many Clergy, and some few Bishops, scattered-across Holy Church, in our own Jurisdiction and elsewhere. In a number of cases, there are Parishes, and, indeed, the entirety of the OAC, that are growing quite nicely, even dramatically. The Clergy in those places all credit the same factor ~ prayer.

Whilst we at Saint Matthew's do a brilliant job of maintaining the liturgy and ceremonial of the Church, the interior life, that of contemplation, meditation, and other ascetical practices may be falling-short. This is, unfortunately, not uncommon in Anglo Catholic circles ~ to emphasise one aspect of the Faith at the unintentional overlooking of others.

Now is the time, particularly with Lent commencing next month, to expand our awareness and practice of prayer. If the Church is not facilitating Faith, then it is failing. With this in-mind, we will be taking-on several new prayer-disciplines. This coming Sunday, there will be prayer-notes available to all. These notes will be an order of prayer, by topic, for each of us to pray, outside of the usual services. Furthermore, we will all do this at 9:00, every evening, in our homes, or wherever we may be. Thus, it becomes possible that the entire membership of Saint Matthew's will be praying, and praying-over the same things, at the same time, as one body of believers, as one body in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

It has been the custom of the regiment, in our Parish, to not-only say the Stations of the Cross twice each Friday in Lent, but at times even in Pre-Lent. This Lent will be different. We will say the 'Stations at 12:10 PM each day, but the usual 5:00 PM time-slot will be dedicated to prayer. This is going to be a great stretch for Anglicans, as this will be open ~ audible ~ prayer. As we each pray in-turn, all will hear the prayer, and be able to pray it also. If one prays aloud for healing for Lisa, the rest will pray silently for healing for Lisa. If the need for the prayer is personal, merely say the name, and we will all pray for the name, God already knowing the nature of the intention.

If you cannot get to the Noon singing of the 'Stations, please see me, and another time WILL be found. Perhaps we can combine the time on Friday evenings, and pray after the 'Stations. That combined service would still be well-under an hour. I commend you to your prayers, and I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Fr. T. L. Cowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish