The seasons are moving on ...

St Peter's Cathedral, Lancaster Autumn

With the winds and rain that we’ve had recently, and the leaves on the trees turning their majestic shades of brown and red, there is no doubt that autumn is well underway. 

The seasons in nature help mark the passing of the calendar year, and the seasons in the life of prayer help to mark also the passing of the church’s year (which run from the first Sunday of  Advent to the Feast of Christ the King (at least in terms of Sundays it does). 

The Thirtieth Sunday of the year marks a turning point in my mind because it reminds me that the end of the current year of prayer in the church culminates in three Sundays time.

This year , because of the way certain big feasts have fallen near to a Sunday.  On Sunday 2nd November we celebrate the feast of All Saints, and the following Sunday 9th November is the feast of the Lateran Basillica, we won’t get the same “count down effect with the number of Sundays before we reach Christ the King. 

Similar to each “passing of the year” maybe now is a good time to take stock of what we have learned and experienced about God in our lives over this past year...maybe through a new addition to the family, the death of a loved one, arriving at a significant birthday...as we approach the feast of Christ the King...in what particular way is Christ the King of your life? 

As we go through the next few weeks watch out for what colour vestment the priest wears.  In ordinary time, the priest wears green.  Why do you think he wears gold / white on some Sundays?