Dearest friends,
Why do we deprive ourselves during Lent?
Over the last few years, it has become quite popular to take something up for Lent, rather than giving something up.
You can see the attraction. Giving something up makes us uncomfortable – why would you deprive yourself of small treats that make daily life that much easier?
The Orthodox church seems to understand this better than we do. Lent gets progressively difficult over the coming weeks.
Instead of giving up one small thing for the entirety of Lent, the Orthodox will start with giving up one thing, then the following week add another, then another, and then another, until in the final week of Lent. As they enter Holy Week, the fasting is very real and very hard.
Why? It’s done because it helps us understand the harsh treatment of Jesus Christ. It didn’t arrive in one go, but over time.
We walk with Jesus as he carries His cross – this is why we undertake the Stations of the Cross during Lent.
Our journey is about understanding and sharing His pain. Our lives are not easy, but Jesus understands our pain and hardship – he has lived them Himself – and it’s during Lent we come closest to understanding His pain and hardship.
The other thing the Orthodox do better than us is feast at the end of a fast!
The joy and celebration of Easter Sunday is without compare throughout the rest of Christendom!
Our Lent discipline starts far off and small – but over the coming 40 days and nights, it should draw closer. It should become more difficult, and after the restraint and discipline of this period, the feast will be all the sweeter.
In love,
Fr. Matthew
Notices
New Mass Setting
We shift gears this week as we move into Lent. Our music setting remains the same, but we stop singing the Gloria, and we start singing the Penitential Rite. You’ll recognise the tune as it integrates with the rest of the mass we’ve been singing since Christmas – but if you’d like to practice before Sunday, you can find the music and an MP3 file on our website: www.slsj.co.uk/newmass/
Dates for the diary
Looking further ahead a few dates for your diary.
- 10th April, Bingo at St. Luke’s – eyes down 7pm.
- 2nd May, Quiz with fish & chips, 7pm, St. Luke’s.
- 5th September, Glastonbury Pilgrimage
Lent Course
Our Lent Course this year will be “Bread of Life’ – a six-week look at the Eucharist and why it forms the model of a good Christian Life.
If you’ve signed up and missed an evening, you can get a recording emailed to you each week. You can still sign up at www.slsj.co.uk/bread
Dates for the Newton Abbot Team Evensongs:
- March 29th at St Bart’s;
- May 31st at St Luke’s
- July 26th at West Ogwell;
- September 27th at St Mary’s;
- November 29th at Abbotsbury.
Sunday 22nd February
1st Sunday of Lent
9am – Sung Parish Mass [SJ]
11:15am – Sung Parish Mass [SL]
Psalter Week 1, A(II), Lent 1
Upcoming Dates
February
19th – Lent Course, Bread of Life, 7pm [WH]
21st – Table Top Sale, 10am [WH]
22nd – Stations of the Cross, Adoration & Benediction with Evening Prayer, 4pm [SL]
26th – Lent Course, Bread of Life, 7pm [WH]
March
5th – Lent Course, Bread of Life, 7pm [WH]
Stations of the Cross, 6pm [SJ]
8th – Explorers, 3pm [SC]
Stations of the Cross, Adoration & Benediction with Evening Prayer, 4pm [SL]
12th – Lent Course, Bread of Life, 7pm [WH]
15th – Solemn Evensong with Adoration & Benediction, 6pm [SJ]
19th – Stations of the Cross, 6pm [SJ]
Lent Course, Bread of Life, 7pm [WH]
21st – Table Top Sale, 10am [WH]
Rosary Group, 10:30am [SL]
22nd – Stations of the Cross, Adoration & Benediction with Evening Prayer, 4pm [SL]
26th – Oswestry Chrism Mass, Exeter Cathedral, 11am – 3pm
Lent Course, Bread of Life, 7pm [WH]
28th – Easter LIVE!, 2pm [SL]
29th – Palm Sunday Processions 10am [SL & SJ]
Evensong, St. Bart’s
Joint Evensong with PPT
April
2nd – Maundy Thursday, 6pm Joint Mass [SL]
Watch at both churches until 10pm
Light arrives and Watch begins at St. John’s, 8:30pm
3rd – Liturgy of Good Friday, 3pm [SL & SJ]
4th – Vigil Mass of Easter, 7:30pm [SJ]
5th – Dawn Mass of Easter & Breakfast, 5:30am [SL]
Easter Sunday Mass, 10am [SL & SJ]
18th – Table Top Sale, 10am [WH]
25th – Oswestry Regional Festival, Truro Cathedral
St. Luke’s Women’s Group meets first Wednesday of every month.