Current Feasts, Saints and other Holy Days

The Annunciation of our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary - March 25

Respect and honour have been shown to Mary as the mother of Jesus from early in the church’s history. The Feast of the Annunciation (Lady Day) focuses on one particular episode related to the vocation of Mary.

The observance of the feast appears to have emerged out of the late fourth and early fifth century debates over the person of Christ. It became widely observed soon after in the east and by the eighth century in the west. The church affirmed Christ’s full humanity as well as his full divinity. Christ’s oneness with our humanity is reflected in the exaltation of the role of Mary. In the controversies of the late fourth century she was affirmed as the “Mother of God”. The Annunciation is related to Christmas, which itself only began to be celebrated and find a fixed date on 25 December from the fourth century. The Annunciation is celebrated nine months before, on 25 March.

The Annunciation commemorates the event in Luke’s Gospel in which the angel Gabriel comes to Mary with the message that she is to bear a son (Luke 1:26-38). In telling Mary this, Gabriel also points to some key images by which Jesus is to be understood. He will be “Son of the Most High”; he will be the descendant of David who will reign for ever; he will be “Son of God”.

In Luke’s careful telling of the story there are strong parallels between the annunciation to Mary and the earlier annunciation to Zechariah of the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:18-20). Both stories show strong echoes of the story of Abraham and Sarah and the birth of Isaac (Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7) and of the story of Hannah and the birth of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1-20). Mary is portrayed as the faithful and obedient servant of God who has found favour with God.

Source: https://www.anglican.org.nz/Resources/Worship-Resources-Karakia-ANZPB-HKMOA/For-All-the-Saints-A-Resource-for-the-Commemorations-of-the-Calendar/For-All-the-Saints

St Cuthbert - March 20

Bishop of Lindisfarne, Missionary

St Cuthbert is one of the most lovable figures in the history of the English church. Little is known of his childhood except that he was strong and athletic and enjoyed games. Born about 635, Cuthbert became a shepherd, though his ambition was to be a monk. He entered the monastery at Melrose and was taught by Boisil the prior. After Boisil’s death, Cuthbert became the prior. In 664 he went to Lindisfarne as prior. There was much opposition from the monks as he set out to improve discipline and restore morale, but his gentle sincerity and graciousness gained their trust.

While at Melrose and Lindisfarne, Cuthbert travelled extensively through Northumbria, strengthening the Christian communities, even venturing into the wilder hilly areas, healing the sick, baptising and teaching. There was strong resistance from many who felt they had been “robbed of the old religion”.

In 676 Cuthbert sought a more solitary life of prayer. He moved to the remote Inner Farne, a small barren rocky island, where not even a tree or bush could survive. There Cuthbert lived in a partly underground cell, but people would cross from the mainland to seek his counsel. As the years passed, Cuthbert withdrew more and more, enjoying only the company of the birds and animals.

In 684 Cuthbert was elected bishop of Hexham. He could not be persuaded to leave Lindisfarne, however; but when his friend Eata was made bishop of Hexham, Cuthbert reluctantly agreed to be bishop of Lindisfarne and was consecrated at York in March 685. In two years Cuthbert wore himself out, preaching, teaching, and visiting all his diocese on horseback or more often on foot. Always friendly and cheerful and full of loving concern for all those with troubles, he was an outstanding pastor. His episcopal role did not change his way of life. He wore the same simple clothing and lived with characteristic simplicity. By his actions Cuthbert gained the love of the people.

Cuthbert fell ill, and, realising he was dying, resigned his see at the end of 686 and returned to the Inner Farne. He died on 20 March 687 and was buried on Lindisfarne. The Danish invasions led to the removal of his remains from Lindisfarne. Only much later (999) were they finally placed in a tomb in Durham cathedral. The “Lindisfarne Gospels” were printed by hand and decorated in his honour.

Source: https://www.anglican.org.nz/Resources/Worship-Resources-Karakia-ANZPB-HKMOA/For-All-the-Saints-A-Resource-for-the-Commemorations-of-the-Calendar/For-All-the-Saints

St Joseph of Nazareth - March 19

Joseph appears in the New Testament only a few times, mainly in the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke. These are part of the proclamation of who Jesus is rather than historical narratives. No reliable biographical material about Joseph is available.

The interest of both Matthew and Luke in Joseph is to show that Jesus belongs to David’s line. They present Joseph as a loyal and faithful Jew, a good and just man. He trusts the message of the angel that Mary’s pregnancy is “of the Holy Spirit”, when he himself had suspected her of unfaithfulness. He attends to the appropriate rites of circumcision, naming and purification associated with the birth of Jesus, and makes the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover. He protects the child by taking him and his mother to Egypt during Herod’s reign, and shares with Mary the anxious search for Jesus on the journey back from Jerusalem when Jesus is twelve.

Apart from the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke, Joseph is scarcely mentioned in the New Testament. Matthew refers to Jesus once as “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55). Luke calls Jesus “son of Joseph” (Luke 4:22). In John, Philip tells Nathanael about “Jesus, son of Joseph” (John 1:45), and the crowd asks, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” (John 6:42). None of this adds anything to our knowledge of Joseph beyond that he was a carpenter.

Later Christian writings attempted to supply details of Joseph’s life, but they have no historical foundation. Since other members of Jesus’ family are mentioned in the ministry of Jesus whereas Joseph is not, it is presumed that Joseph died before Jesus’ ministry began. Veneration of Joseph developed in the eastern church from the fourth century, but was much later in the western church, being promoted there from the fifteenth century.

Source: https://www.anglican.org.nz/Resources/Worship-Resources-Karakia-ANZPB-HKMOA/For-All-the-Saints-A-Resource-for-the-Commemorations-of-the-Calendar/For-All-the-Saints