Minor Feast of St. Benedict and Thomas Cranmer, 21 March

March 21, 2022 ~ Philosophical Haligonian ~ Leave a comment

Today is the minor feast of Benedict, Abbot of Monte Cassino, Italy, (c. 540) and Thomas Cranmer, Translator and Reviser of the Liturgy, Archbishop of Canterbury, Martyr (1556)

Collect of the Day (modified from the Book of Common Worship): O Gracious God, who made thy servant Benedict a wise master in the school of thy service and a guide to many called into community to follow the rule of Christ: grant that we may put thy love before all else and seek with joy the way of thy commandments; and who through the work of thy servant Thomas Cranmer renewed the worship of thy Church and through his death revealed thy strength in human weakness: by thy grace strengthen us to worship you in spirit and in truth and so to come to the joys of your everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Mediator and Advocate, who sitteth in glory with the Father, and in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

☘️ Happy St. Patrick’s Day ☘️

March 17, 2022 ~ Philosophical Haligonian ~ Leave a comment

☘️ Happy Feast of St. Patrick, Missionary and Bishop, 461 A.D. ☘️

Collect of the Day (from the Church of Ireland Book of Common Prayer, 2004): O Almighty God, who in thy providence didst choose thy servant Patrick to be the apostle of the Irish people, that he might bring those who were wandering in darkness and error to the true light and knowledge of thee; Grant us so to walk in that light, that we may come at last to the light of everlasting life; through the merits of Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.

St. Patrick is often credited for explaining the Holy Trinity using a shamrock as an analogy, but even his analogy has issues.

For those not familiar with the Holy Trinity, it is the theological concept where there is one God, but exist as three distinct persons comprised of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This concept is fundamental in mainstream Christian denominations.

Explaining the Holy Trinity is not easy and has caused many heretical analogies. One famous heresy of the Holy Trinity is Arianism, the idea that the Son and Holy Ghost created from the Father and thus not co-equal and co-eternal. St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (yup, Ol’ St. Nick from Christmas 🎅🏻) alleged slapped Arius in the face to the shock of the other attending bishops at the Council of Nicea in 325AD when Arius was explaining his heresy.

I choose to not try to understand the Holy Trinity, but accept it as something not understandable by us mere mortals. Any explanation on our plane of existence is and will always be flawed.

Usually, I post this video on Trinity Sunday, but since it references St. Patrick, I think it is also appropriate for today.

St. Patrick’s Shamrock Analogy

Ash Wednesday 2022 ➕

March 3, 2022March 3, 2022 ~ Philosophical Haligonian ~ Leave a comment

Remember that dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Another Lent is upon us. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, and for the faithful, many will attend church and receive the imposition of ashes (have ashes drawn on their foreheads) as a sign of our own mortality and impermanence in this world. It also should remind us to be humble, that we are all are not masters of the universe, but a small cog in a complicated universe and often powerless against things beyond our control.

People observe Lent in different ways. Many people give up something for Lent, whether it be food, action, activity, or a material good. Something we can “sacrifice” as a sign of our faith. Some choose to use Lent as their “second New Year’s Resolution.” Traditionally, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the three pillars of Lent. Three things Christians should be doing regularly, but with particular emphasis during Lent.

Over the last two years, we have all given up a lot. The COVID-19 pandemic imposed many restrictions that forced us to give up things in life. I remember Lent 2020 was jokingly called “the Lentiest Lent.” One of the things we gave up was interaction with our community. Humans are social creatures and we need social interaction (whether we admit it or not). With COVID restrictions being left and things resuming and opening up again, we are resuming activities that were not possible for the last two years. Sadly, the world has changed, the way we interact with others in community has changed, and it will take time for us to build those community connections and rapport before we can call things “normal” again.

And just when things were about to get back to normal, Russia invaded Ukraine and the world is thrown into chaos again. Who could have imagined that parts of Europe would be at war again? Why are humans so good at destruction, conflict, and strife yet so bad at doing things for the common good?

During this Lent, I hope that you will reflect on what people around the world are giving up or have lost against their will and that we all pray for peace, that you are able to find peace within you (peace from all the stresses and uncertainties of the world), and peace beyond you (for peace from war and conflict as well as peace in the sense of harmony and tranquility) .