32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

In the gospel today we are invited to look forward to being Risen with Christ.



Lights' abode, celestial Salem,
vision whence true peace doth spring,
brighter than the heart can fancy,
mansion of the highest King;
O how glorious are the praises
which of thee the prophets sing!

There for ever and for ever
alleluia is outpoured;
for unending, for unbroken
is the feast-day of the Lord;
all is pure and all is holy
that within thy walls is stored.

There no cloud nor passing vapour
dims the brightness of the air;
endless noonday, glorious noonday,
from the Sun of suns is there;
there no night brings rest from labour,
for unknown are toil and care.

O how glorious and resplendent,
fragile body, shalt thou be,
when endued with heavenly beauty,
full of health, and strong, and free,
full of vigour, full of pleasure
that shall last eternally!

Now with gladness, now with courage,
bear the burden on thee laid,
that hereafter these thy labours
may with endless gifts be paid,
and in everlasting glory
thou with joy may'st be arrayed.

Laud and honour to the Father,
laud and honour to the Son,
laud and honour to the Spirit,
ever Three and ever One,
consubstantial, co-eternal,
while unending ages run.

Words: Thomas à Kempis, fifteenth century;
Trans. John Mason Neale, 1854



Happy Sunday!

Orkney Islands - 4

By midday we had reached Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkney Islands. In the centre of Kirkwall we see the magnificent Cathedral of St Magnus.

St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall dominates the skyline of Kirkwall, the main town of Orkney, a group of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. It is the most northerly cathedral in the British Isles, a fine example of Romanesque architecture built for the bishops of Orkney when the islands were ruled by the Norse Earls of Orkney. It is owned not by the church, but by the burgh of Kirkwall as a result of an act of King James III of Scotland following Orkney's annexation by the Scottish Crown in 1468. It has its own dungeon.

Its construction commenced in 1137 and it was added to over the next three hundred years. The first Bishop was William the Old, and the diocese was under the authority of the Archbishop of Nidaros in Norway. It was for Bishop William that the nearby Bishop's Palace was built.

Before the Reformation, the Cathedral was presided over by the Bishop of Orkney, whose seat was in Kirkwall. Today it is a parish church of the Church of Scotland.

Orkney Islands - 3

Here we see the luxury coach which was waiting at the harbour at Burwick for our tour of the Orkney Islands.



I was keen to get everyone singing on the bus - but thought better of it. I didn't want to be thrown off!

Orkney Islands - 2

Here is the Pentland Venture which carried us from John o'Groats to Burwick on South Ronaldsay.



The smooth crossing took around 45 minutes.



Rather a fitting song for All Souls-tide! I particularly like the Alleluias - a feature of the Modern Roman Rite.

Orkney Islands - 1

At the beginning of August, I enjoyed a day trip to Orkney in the company of a former work colleague.



The day started with a journey of 123 miles from Inverness to John o' Groats in the far north east of the Scottish mainland.

The wild, windswept Orkney Islands lie off the northernmost tip of the British mainland (at around the same latitude as Stockholm) and are noted for their stunning scenery and historic sites stretching back millennia. There are about 70 islands all up, though little over a dozen are populated. Much of the landscape consists of moors blanketed in heather or sweeping grasslands, with more varied terrain in places such as Hoy.

All Souls' Day

Today we celebrate the Feast of All Souls. Not the joyous blasts on the tuba we heard yesterday, but just enough organ to sustain our hymn singing.



Let saints on earth in concert sing
With those whose work is done;
For all the servants of our King
In Heav’n and earth are one.

One family, we dwell in Him,
One Church, above, beneath;
Though now divided by the stream,
The narrow stream of death.

One army of the living God,
To His command we bow;
Part of the host have crossed the flood,
And part are crossing now.

E’en now to their eternal home
There pass some spirits blest;
While others to the margin come,
Waiting their call to rest.

Jesu, be Thou our constant Guide;
Then, when the word is given,
Bid Jordan’s narrow stream divide,
And bring us safe to Heav’n.

Charles Wesley (1707-88)



Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord; and let light perpetual shine upon them.

All Saints' Day

Today we celebrate the glorious Festival of All Saints.



For all the saints, who from their labours rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For the Apostles’ glorious company,
Who bearing forth the Cross o’er land and sea,
Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,
Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,
Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye,
Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors cometh rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blest.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Bishop W W How (1823-97)



Happy Festival Day!