‘Weekly Post. Anno Domini 2023 January 14

Beloved of the Lord:

Today is Saturday, 14 January, in the year of our Lord 2023. The scheduled services are as-follows:

• Saturday (today): 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Hilary, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Epiphany II.
• Monday: 10:00 AM, Mass, S. Marcellus I, Pope and Martyr.
• Tuesday: 5:30 PM, S. Anthony, Abbot.
  6:30 PM, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, Sung Evensong.
• Wednesday: 12:10 PM, Mass, S. Peter's Chair.
• Thursday: 6:30 PM, Mass, Feria of Epiphany II, Soup and Supper to follow.
• Friday: 9:00 AM, Mass, SS. Fabian & Sebastian, Martyrs, using the Gregorian Canon.
  Immediately following, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
• Saturday: 5:00 PM, Mass, S. Agnes, Virgin & Martyr.
• Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 AM, Mass, Epiphany III.

Generally, the second Tuesday of each month is when we sing the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. This-past Tuesday, however, several of our regular folk were out-of-town, so we said the Mass, sang the 'Office, and transferred the 'Benediction to this week. Please join us as we celebrate this seldom-seen office on Tuesday evening this-coming.

Our Annual Parish Meeting will take-place this month, on Sunday, the 29th. There will be one service on that day, at 10:00 AM. After the Service, we will have the Parish Meeting and a pot-luck luncheon. We do a fairly good job of keeping them brief, but could always do better. Let us pray for peace, harmony, and brevity to prevail.

Continuing our discussion of prayer, there will be an insert in the bulletins tomorrow, containing an out-line for our new daily prayer program. Each night, at 9:00, we will all stop whatever we're doing, take-out our wee prayer-sheet, and pray the intentions thereon printed. In this way, the entire Parish can pray together, with one voice, to God our Father. There will be slots for individual intentions as-well.

The time of prayer was chosen as one that, hopefully, offers the best opportunity for all of us to pray as one. Early- or late bed times, early- or late dining, should not be affected at the 9:00 hour. That is the hope, and for the wisdom and success of this, we also pray....

Our Morning- and Evening Offices were adapted by Thomas Cranmer from the eight monastic prayer offices that were in common usage in his day, and had been for some centuries. All who are ordained in Anglican Churches are required ~ not suggested, but a must ~ to say these two offices every day of their lives. What many don't realise is that this obligation is also presumed to apply to the laity, by the very inclusion of these prayers in the Prayer Book. Indeed, it is expected that you will say your Morning Office before coming to Mass on Sundays. This is demonstrated by the provision of lections that complement the teachings of the Scripture readings for the Mass on that day.

Another great secret of the Prayer Book is that there is not one setting for the Morning- and Evening Offices, nor are there two settings for each. THREE settings for each of the Daily Offices are to be found in the Book of Common Prayer. The full-form Order for Morning is to be found on p. 3; the second, shorter form is found on p. 587, while the last, most brief form, is on p. 592. For the Evening Office, the corresponding services are found on pp. 21, 589, and 593, respectively.

The latter settings are found in the Family Prayer section, at the back of the Prayer Book, where few souls ever go. Thus, even in the rush and whirl of family life, Holy Church provides ways to speak with God. Pray we may, pray we must, lest any day, we turn to dust. I remain

in His praise,

The Rev'd Fr. T. L. Crowder

Pastor, Saint Matthew's Parish