Psalm 51 - Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Here is a photo of lenten array in Christchurch, Brunswick, Australia.



Wash of my foul offence,
And cleanse me from my sin;
For I confess my crime, and see,
How great my guilt has been.

Psalm 51 - Ash Wednesday

Here we see the High Altar of Salisbury Cathedral in Lenten Array. The Roman Catholic Church uses purple (violet) as the colour for this Lenten season, but a number of Anglican Churches use lenten array. It certainly looks very striking in this magnificent setting.



Have mercy, Lord, on me,
As thou wert ever kind;
Let me, opprest with loads of guilt,
Thy wonted mercy find.

Have a Holy Lent!

Shrove Tuesday

Today we have to bid farewell to a dear friend! We shall not hear this word again until Easter Sunday.



Alleluia, song of sweetness,
Voice of joy, eternal lay;
Alleluia is the anthem
Of the choirs in heavenly day,
Which the angels sing, abiding
In the house of God alway.

Alleluia, thou resoundest,
Salem, mother, ever blest;
Alleluias with ending,
Fit yon place of gladsome rest;
Exiles we, by Babel's waters,
Sit in bondage and distrest.

Alleluia we deserve not
Here to chant for evermore:
Alleluia our transgressions
Make us for a while give o'er;
For the holy time is coming,
Bidding us our sins deplore.

Trinity of endless glory,
Hear thy people as they cry;
Grant us all to keep thy Easter
In our home beyond the sky;
There to thee our Alleluia
Singing everlastingly.

This lovely ceramic usually hangs outside the entrance to the Chapel of the Resurrection. However, I shall be removing it this evening. I shall be starting a new mini-series of blogs tomorrow on Psalm 51.

You are Peter!

I wonder why I am so fond of this poster?



'So now I say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.' (Matthew 16:18)

Crowns and thrones may perish,
Kingdoms rise and wane,
But the Church of Jesus
Constant will remain;
Gates of hell can never
'Gainst that Church prevail;
We have Christ's own promise,
And that cannot fail.
Onward, Christian soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the Cross of Jesus
Going on before.

The Sermon on the Mount

The Gospel at Mass today is the start of The Sermon on the Mount - as recorded in the fifth chapter of Matthew. The first verse of my new hymn draws on this scene.



Jesus, Son of God and Mary,
Climbed a hill in Galilee.
There he taught his twelve disciples
With a fresh authority.
'Happy those who have a pure heart,
God my Father they shall see.'

Jesus, Word of God incarnate,
Climbed a mountain with the three.
As they saw the Lord transfigured
God revealed a mystery:
'See my Son, my dearly loved one,
Listen to him faithfully.'

Jesus, Lamb of God who suffered,
Climbed the hill that awesome day,
There he bore our shame and sorrow,
Slain to take our sin away;
'O forgive them, my dear Father!'
Words that he alone could say.

Jesus, risen King of glory,
Climbed the mountain to ascend
To his throne, in highest heaven,
Whence the Spirit would descend.
Alleluia! 'I am with you!
Now, and till all time shall end!'

Copyright: Peter Simpson (b 1953) / Jubilate Hymns

Happy Sunday!

Feast of Candlemas

Today's Mass at Ham will be in the Extra-Ordinary Form (Tridentine Mass). Here we see the altar prepared for Mass. The crib will be removed before the First Mass of the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time - which will be celebrated in green vestments at 6.00 pm this evening.



When candles are lighted on Candlemas Day,
The dark is behind us and spring's on the way.
A glory dawns in every dark place,
The light of Christ, the fulness of grace.

The kings have departed, the shepherds have gone,
The child and his parents are left on their own.
A glory dawns in every dark place,
The light of Christ, the fulness of grace.

They go to the temple, obeying the law,
And offer two pigeons, the gift of the poor.
A glory dawns in every dark place,
The light of Christ, the fulness of grace.

But Anna and Simeon recognise there
The Christ-child, who came at the turn of the year.
A glory dawns in every dark place,
The light of Christ, the fulness of grace.

The candles invite us to praise and to pray,
When Christmas greets Easter on Candlemas Day.
A glory dawns in every dark place,
The light of Christ, the fulness of grace.

Happy Feast!

Feast of St Thomas Aquinas - 5

Here is a photo of a lovely flower arrangement for the feast day.



Jesus! whom for the present veiled I see,
What I so thrist for, oh vouchsafe to me:
That I may see thy countenance unfolding,
And may be blest thy glory in beholding.

I'm not sorry to see the backside of January!