St. James the Apostle- 25 July- Matthew 4:21; Acts 12:2

  St. James the Apostle was the elder brother of the Apostle John and is sometimes called James the Greater. (The name James is a British form of the common biblical name Jacob or "Iakobos.") James was among the first followers of Jesus (Matthew 4:21); he was also part of the inner group of disciples near Christ at certain key moments (see Matthew 17:1 and Matthew 26:37). 

Later, James was one of the Eleven Apostles who encountered the risen Christ. He was also in the group present after the Ascension (Acts 1:13). During Christ's earthly ministry, James hoped for earthly honors (Matthew 20:20-23), but he learned to put aside such worldly ambitions and became the first of the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Gospel (Acts 12:2). Let us remember and honor the example of James and learn to follow him in humility and faithfulness.

St. Matthew the Apostle/Trinity XIV- Matthew 9:9-13

This year the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity falls on 21 September which is the Feast of St. Matthew. The Gospel is from St. Matthew 9: 9-13 and gives the account of Matthew's call to follow Christ: Matthew also seems to have been called Levi (Mark 2:14). According to ancient tradition, Matthew may have collected Aramaic sayings of Jesus which formed the basis for Matthew's Gospel. He may have also been a missionary in the Jewish Diaspora and a martyr. In first century Palestine, tax collectors were despised as traitors, extortioners, and generally immoral scoundrels. Yet,  Jesus associated with such people. He called tax-collectors as well as all others to repentance and service for the kingdom of God. 

So on this day, we remember and give thanks that our Lord called people such as Matthew. God's grace extended to Matthew and allowed him to be a witness to the Gospel. Likewise, our Lord calls other sinners including us. He offers us His divine grace, and He can empower us, just as He did Matthew, to witness in word and deed to the good news of Jesus Christ.

St. Peter the Apostle- 29 June (Trinity II)- Matthew 16; John 21

 Besides being the Second Sunday after Trinity, this Sunday, June 29, is also set aside to remember and honor the apostle Peter. This commemoration is one of the oldest saints' days on the Christian calendar. In 258 A.D., the Church at Rome set aside this day to honor Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Besides this feast, on medieval calendars, the two saints were honored separately on several different days. At the time of the English Reformation, the Book of Common Prayer reduced the number of saints days. June 29 was kept to honor St. Peter while January 25 commemorated St. Paul.

Throughout the New Testament, we see the importance of Simon Peter. Although he has obvious human weaknesses, he is a leader who often speaks for the whole band of apostles. Such is the case in today's Gospel from St. Matthew 16:13-19. The most important thing about St. Peter is not some personality trait or human accomplishment. He is not an authoritarian human ruler over Christ's Church. Instead, Peter is important because of his witness to the common faith which unites all faithful disciples. The authority that he is granted comes from his confession in St. Matthew 16:16, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Despite his human failings, misunderstandings, and denial of Jesus during Holy Week, John 21:15-21 shows us Peter's restoration by the risen Lord. His mission to care for Christ's sheep is renewed, and the Apostle dedicates the rest of his life and his death to serving the Lord.

As the collect for the day indicates, Peter was blessed with "many excellent gifts." Nevertheless, he was all too human and fallible. He was a strong character with good leadership potential, but he did not always stand up for his convictions. Ultimately, his most notable characteristic was his willingness to accept divine grace for repentance, renewal, and service. In this, Peter provided an encouraging example for all Christian ministers and believers. So commemorating St. Peter is not just about Peter himself or even about bishops and priests; it is about the faithfulness of the entire Church. The example of the Apostle is a call to all of us. Through divine grace, may we all be faithful followers of Christ, the Son of the living God!

Conversion of St. Paul- 25 January

 Since the sixth century, January 25 has been the date to commemorate the conversion of the great persecutor of Christians into the great missionary of the Gospel. Whatever the original reason for the choice of this date, it is certainly appropriate for us to remember St. Paul during the Epiphany season. Once again, there is an epiphany or manifestation of Christ, this time the revelation of the risen Lord to Paul on the road to Damascus. The glory of this manifestation is blinding in the short term but transforming in the long term. 

The Conversion of St. Paul has a personal significance for most believers because Paul became the great apostle to the Gentiles, and the vast majority of Christians are Gentiles. In addition, through St. Paul, we have half the New Testament Scriptures. So on this day, let us give thanks for St. Paul. In the words of the collect, let us follow "the holy doctrine which he taught," and let us consider how we too may participate in Christ's mission to all people.

Anglican "Black Letter Days"

Over the centuries, the church calendar has developed many special days, beginning with each Sunday or Lord's Day and major observances such as Good Friday, Easter, and Pentecost. With time, other major feasts such as Epiphany, Christmas, and other observances associated with Christ, the Virgin, and the Apostles were included. Later, many local commemorations of martyrs, saints, and events were added. Some of these became universal or at least widespread in the Eastern or Western traditions. By the time of the Renaissance and Reformation, calendars had become very complicated, and many scholars of varying perspectives were calling for calendar reform and simplification.

Among Anglicans, the efforts of Archbishop Cranmer were influenced by other sixteenth-century efforts. In the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, Lutheran examples may have led him to only include "red-letter days," major feasts (and fasts) associated with Christ and other New Testament figures or events. Yet, many other commemorations remained part of popular English Christian culture. So in the 1552 Book of Common Prayer, many long-standing observances were added to the calendar as "black-letter days," or minor commemorations. These days mostly dealt with the feasts of ancient post-biblical saints or figures from early English church history. Some were well-known historical figures such as Augustine of Hippo or Jerome; some such as St. Agnes, St. George, and St. Valentine were probably ancient martyrs whose stories were elaborated in legend; some such as St. Blaise or St. Crispin may or may not have been historical. The 1552 list of days was augmented in 1561 and 1662.

On this blog, I do not always comment on particular "black-letter days." There are so many days, and there is little trustworthy information about some of them. Nevertheless, even as the names of almost forgotten martyrs and saints, many deserve to be remembered. Moreover, some of these days concern influential persons or events in the history of the universal or catholic Church which deserve our attention. So even if I do not comment on them in my posts, I commend the minor commemorations, especially those related to the ancient Church, to your attention.