BVM Saturday

SMM follows a complicated liturgical calendar to determine which lessons, collects, and other variable materials are used at the daily services. It's the same calendar used throughout the Anglican Church of Canada and overlaps with many other Christian groups, as well. There is something special about knowing that thousands (even millions) of people throughout the world are hearing the same portions of scripture and praying the same prayers.

Sometimes we have a "local practice" that causes to deviate a bit from what other Anglican Churches might be doing. For example, we commorate St. Blaise (aka St. Blasius) on February 3rd (unless that's a Sunday or a more important feast, in which case we celebrate it a few days later). Blasius was a an Armenian physician and bishop known for healing throats by his prayers. In some places bonfires are lit to celebrate his day. So naturally we follow the old way of blessing throats on Feb 3rd by crossing a pair of (unlit) candlesticks over each person's throat and saying a special prayer.

Another "local practice" that we follow is the Catholic Custom of declaring Saturdays in "Ordinary Time" (i.e. not Adent, Lent or Eastertide) to be "Saturdays of our Lady." That means using prayers and propers that commemorate the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in salvation history and ask for her continued prayers in heaven. Since we also preach at the Saturday Mass, that means that I have had many opportunities to reflect and preach on Our Lady.

In doing so, I often come back to the way that Mary functions for us as both an example of God's love (that God loves us like Mary loves Jesus), but also how we are to love and nourish others in our earthly life. Mary is the very type and example of the perfect Christian.

This morning I ended narrowing down on an aspect of motherly love that we ought to emulate. It's that persistent, gentle love that manifests most clearly in the spirit of hospitality. It's that emotion I sometimes feel when I'm cooking dinner for Betsy. If she isn't home yet I can really focus on the task of cooking and be aware of how I feel. In hospitality-love there is an element of making room for the Beloved. Precisely as Mary did when said "Yes" to God's invitation to be the God-bearer.

-t