Weekly Bible Notes  All Saints (Ordinary 31)

Year C, Colour = White

Introduction

The last day of October marks the beginning in the church of a period known as Hallowtide 'All Saintstide' when Christian remember those who have died. All-Hallows Eve, or Halloween, October 31 has Celtic origins being originally the feast of Sanhain/Samhain,(pronounced 'sow'inn) the last night of the Celtic year, when all kinds of spirits were thought to be active. The Celts believed that this was a time when the boundary between the spirit world and the earthly world is at its thinnest and when spirits are most likely to be seen on earth. It was a night of danger signifying the change from Autumn to Winter, it was a night when feasts were held for the dead and animals killed for the Winter. On this night fires were lit in the belief that light had power over darkness, hence pumpkin lanterns to frighten away witches and ghosts. When the Romans invaded Britain they included elements of their harvest celebrations in which they honoured the goddess of the fruits of trees, Pomona. Children still play games with apples at this time of year.
So when did Sanhain become Halloween? By the 9th century Christianity had spread into Celtic lands and the celebration became known as the Eve of All Hallows and eventually Halloween.

All Saints Day, (All Hallows) November 1
The word Hallow means 'Holy', (blessed, consecrated or set apart in a special way) and so 'All-Hallows' or 'All Saints' refers to the Saints—the Holy Ones. Those who died for their faith or who lived extraordinary lives. This day dates back to the 5th century Antioch in Syria when the church dedicated a day to the memory of all those who had been killed for their faith. Until then the church had remembered martyrs on special days of the year, but there became more martyrs than days in the year, and there were some whose names were not known. In Rome Boniface IV (608-615) had relics of martyrs moved from the catacombs to the Pantheon. In 835 the 1st of November was given the title 'All Saints.'
St. Martin of Tours is represented by a cloak which he cut in half to give to a shivering beggar
Catherine of Alexandria is shown with a spiked wheel
St. Sebastian usually holds an arrow—as a reminder of the terrible methods of their respective martyrdoms.
The saints are our ancestors on earth and precede us in heaven. Many Christians experience a strong sense that the saints are still with us, and that they watch over us and pray to God for us. The prayer from Methodist Worship at the bottom of this page expresses the idea of knowing their fellowship with us. Although dead, they are members of Christ's Church and we use this day to give thanks for the lives of all the saints as they are examples to us. Saints are created as signs of hope, that the gospel really can change lives. Somebody is not made a saint at canonisation, it is rather an acknowledgement that somebody was a saint and is therefore in heaven and not neglectful of the needs of the world, through the communion of saints.

All Souls Day, November 2
In the New Testament, 'saint' is often used to describe all those who are followers of Christ, the people called to holiness in him. Not just those who were extra-specially good. So does this apply to Christians now? Are all saints? The answer must be Yes! So on this day we pray not just for those who have been specially recognised as Saints, but for all of our loved ones. In 1048 Odilo, the Abbot of the Benedictine Monastery at Cluny near Paris instructed his monks to use this day as a day of remembrance and prayer for all the departed, this day was made official in the 14C.
In the Christian Church we remember the Church not just as those who are living but also those who have died, they are just as much the church as we are and the Christian Church has two names for this, those who are living are called the church militant, and those have died are called the church triumphant.

This time of year is an important time to cherish the memory of those who have died and who have gone before us. As we celebrate their memory we can know and be glad that they share with us in Christ's eternal kingdom. People find the whole idea of death difficult and to have a special day to remember those who have died is not an easy thing for some people. At this time in the year of the church we can really think and speak about those who have died and not in hushed tones. We can remember and feel our loss. We celebrate the lives of those whom we have known and love and we pray for their peace.

Holy God you have called witnesses from every nation and revealed your glory in their lives.
Grant us the same faith and love that, following their example,
we may be sustained by their fellowship and rejoice in their triumph; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Methodist Worship)

Opening Verse of Scripture Psalm 32 v 7

Collect Prayer for the Day — Before we read we pray

First Bible Reading Daniel 7: 1-3, 15-18

Second Reading Ephesians 1: 11-23

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Gospel Reading Luke 6:20-31 & 19:1-10

Post Communion Prayer

Lord of heaven, in this Eucharist you have brought us near to an innumerable company of angels and to the sprits of the saints made perfect: as in this food of our earthly pilgrimage we have shared their fellowship, so may we come to share their joy in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen

Commentary

All Saints’ and preparing for the season of Advent belong together, as the celebration of All Saints’ reminds us of the judgement of God. The Saints who stand before the throne of glory have also stood before the throne of judgement. Whilst we sometimes think of Saints in terms of spiritual giants who lived many years ago, the biblical understanding of a Saint is someone whom God has sanctified and made holy. For the Old Testament people of God, this meant belonging to God’s Chosen People, the Jews, to be a son of Abraham as Jesus puts it in the Gospel reading. For New Testament believers and beyond, it means belonging to the Body of Christ, a people made holy through Jesus’ sacrifice - and being a Saint has implications as to the way we live our lives. ‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light - 1 Peter 2 v 9. As Christians we are both caught up in "so great a cloud of witnesses," whilst also watching, waiting, for the coming again of Christ, when all things shall be gathered up into the Kingdom of God. All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, as hallow means to make holy, to consecrate or to honour, and it’s from the name All Hallows' that we derive Hallowe'en (the Eve of All Hallows). Throughout the year the church commemorates specific saints, but on 1st November we commemorate and celebrate all saints and thus God's mercy and love for us too. This celebration of saints started around the the 8th century when Pope Boniface IV designated 1st November as All Saints' Day to specifically honour those saints that didn't have a special day of their own. By the 9th century it had become a major feast in the church calendar in England and continues today. Although All Saints Day is actually 1st November, the church celebrates All Saints’ Sunday today. In England "All Saints" is the second most popular dedication of English churches with over 1250 churches dedicated to All Saints. All Souls' Day, also known as the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed, comes the day after All Saints’ Day. This day provides an opportunity to commemorate "those we have loved but see no longer” and recognises the pain of human grief and fragility in a way that an All Saints' Day celebration cannot. It is for this reason that we always have a special service of commemoration of the faithful departed at this time of year. Our service will take place at 3.00pm on 14 November at St Mark’s Church. Sam Cappleman

Things are not always what they seem! Commentary on Zacchaeus!
 

As the chief tax collector, Zacchaeus bid to Rome for the right to collect taxes. When Rome accepted his bid, Zacchaeus would then pay the taxes and tolls for his region in full. It was then up to him to recoup his money by collecting the taxes by the appropriate means and trying to make a profit if possible. This was often done through over-charging, cheating, charging interest, or other means. The tax collectors who collected these taxes, who would also take a cut for themselves, understandably therefore, gained a reputation for dishonesty and intimidation, especially as they had the might of the Roman Army behind them to help if necessary! However, whilst tax collecting might sound like a good number (nice work if you can get it), it appears that few tax collectors actually managed to recoup their bid and fewer still managed to make a profit. From what we can tell it would appear that Zacchaeus may be one of the few who did make a profit from this venture, although the phrase ‘and was wealthy’ might just mean that he had others (tax collectors) working for him as this was often a sign of wealth in the prevailing culture. But there’s no doubt that Jericho was a good place to be a tax collector. It was a prospering city with many rich people who were more than content to maintain the status quo with the Romans. It was an oasis of date palms and balsam groves and exported its products all over the known world. Mark Anthony presented Jericho as a gift to Cleopatra, with Arabia thrown in. It lay along the great caravan routes, and was a centre of commercial and human activity. It was, in short, a good place to collect taxes. The stakes would be high, but the rewards could be immense. Zacchaeus was therefore probably a rich, powerful and influential individual because of his position as the Chief Tax Collector and because of his position with the Roman forces, but because of his collusion with those forces, he was be despised by many people. By his very occupation many people would say that Zacchaeus had excluded himself from his people. He was a quisling who had thrown in his lot with the hated occupying power for the sake of pecuniary gain.

But the name Zacchaeus is an interesting name for Luke to use for a tax collector. The Hebrew word from which this name is formed means clean, pure, or innocent. So it would appear that Luke is writing a story about Mr Pure, Mr Innocent the Chief Tax Collector – how strange does that sound. But is it so strange? For example, one way of interpreting ‘here and now I give half my possessions to the poor’ is that this is something which Zacchaeus is already doing. If it was something that was precipitated by his encounter with Jesus then the language in the original text would probably have used a different (aorist) tense whereas the tense that is used (present) often describes something which is repeated customary practise. So perhaps giving to the poor was something Zacchaeus already did on a regular basis. And interestingly enough, Luke often uses the notion of giving alms to signify righteousness, a theme which he picks up in the closing verses of this passage. And we could say that Zacchaeus goes even further. Jewish law demanded that if someone cheated another they had to restore the original sum with 20% interest, Roman law that demanded fourfold restitution, and even then only from a convicted criminal. Zacchaeus therefore surpasses the Torah's requirements and meets the most stringent of terms in Roman law when he declares that if it’s found that he has cheated anyone, then he will compensate them.

So perhaps Luke is using this parable to emphasis Jesus’ teaching that we should treat people as individuals and not judge them on some preconceived notion of what we expect them to be. Even a Chief Tax collector, like a Pharisee, can be a ‘son of Abraham’. As Jesus and His disciples were moving towards Jericho Jesus has told the story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector who went up to the temple to pray and comments that it was the tax collector who went home justified because of his actions and attitude. He’s also told the story of the rich young ruler who finds it so hard to enter the Kingdom of God because of his actions and attitude – the ruler is very wealthy and Jesus asks him to sell everything he has and to give to the poor. In Zacchaeus we see a tax collector who went home justified and a rich man who was able to give generously to the poor and who has entered the Kingdom of God as Abraham’s son. The passage is a reminder that Jesus looks for those who hear His word and put it into action, whatever their background; however they are perceived by society. It’s not just about listening to Jesus, as many of those who followed him around the country did on a regular basis; it’s about letting his teaching have an impact to change lives. Just as Isaiah condemns ritualistic piety without genuine actions so does Luke. The colours of scarlet and crimson were permanent colours, only God could change them back into pure white, as if they had never occurred. But in order for that to happen, Judah had to ensure their actions were commensurate with their words. Perhaps in the unlikely person of Zacchaeus we see an example of someone who does just that. Sam Cappleman
 

Meditation

Let us pray:
Lord, we give thanks for all that the earth has given in recent months, and we give thanks, too, for all the work of human hands. As the land lies fallow, at rest, remind us of our need to keep a healthy balance in our lives each day. Amen.

Hymns

1. How sweet the name of Jesus sounds 251
2. How lovely on the mountains 249
3. I heard the voice of Jesus say 275
4. King of glory, King of peace 397
   
    

Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead

"Prayer is a plant, the seed of which is sown in the heart of every Christian.

If it is well cultivated and nourished it will produce fruit, but if it is neglected, it will wither and die."

 

Great God our healer, by your power, the Lord Jesus healed the sick and gave hope to the hopeless. As we gather in his name, look upon us with mercy, and bless us with your healing Spirit. Bring us comfort in the midst of pain, strength to transform our weakness, and light to illuminate our darkness. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our crucified and risen Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: mercifully accept our prayers and supplications and grant to your servants the help of your power, that sickness may be turned into health and sorrow turned into joy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Praise to you, God, for all your work among us. Yours is the vigour in creation, yours is the impulse in our new discoveries. Make us adventurous, yet reverent and hopeful in all we do. Amen.
God the Sender, send you; God the Sent, go with us; God the Strengthener of those who go, empower you, that you may go to do His will; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen

God of holiness, your glory is proclaimed in every age: as we rejoice in the faith of your saints, inspire us to follow their example with boldness and joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 

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Additional Resources

Post Communion Prayer

God of all grace, your Son Jesus Christ fed the hungry with the bread of life and the word of his kingdom: renew your people with your heavenly grace and in all our weakness sustain us by your true and living bread; who is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen.

Hymns (Putnoe Heights only) Mission Praise to be distributed

1. Be still 50 2. Lord the light of your love 445, 3. Make me a channel 456 4. The church of Christ in every age, (on notices) H&P 804 5. The kingdom of God 651 6. Lord thy church on earth is seeking (on notices) 774 H&P

Commentary

Paul realises his life is coming to an end and is writing to Timothy preparing him to take over the ministry Paul has carried out for the past thirty years. Earlier, in the previous verses, Paul has emphasised the importance of the Scriptures and of them being faithfully preached and received, warning that people would rather hear words which were pleasant to them.

In the passage before us, Paul compares himself to an athlete who has given everything he has to win the race he has entered and claim the victors’ crown. Paul sees his race of life is over, a life in which he has fought a good fight against severe odds, having endured all manner of physical and mental hardships, been beaten and tortured for proclaiming the Christian faith. Now he looks forward to claiming the crown of God’s reward. He has faced trial when all men deserted him, but he claims the promise of Jesus that He would never leave or forsake any of His followers.

Paul’s letters are ever timeless and his words to Timothy are in turn addressed to us. We live in desperate times when the enemies of the Church have openly avowed to destroy our faith. It is only by continued faithful preaching of the Word of God that we will be strengthened to withstand the attacks. Too often the Scriptures become the subject of academic debate or merely equated with the writings of other faiths. We should accept them as they are written, the word of the one true God. The Bible say there can be no private interpretation of Scripture.

Like Paul we have to fight the good fight. This is a world where sin abounds and the barriers of morality, decency and integrity are being pushed further and further back with few restraints remaining. Sometimes it can be difficult for people to recognise when they are crossing the line and there is the temptation to join in the world’s standards.

There is often for Church members the refusal to concede they are sinners. Like the Pharisee in the gospel, they are nice, kind, honest people, good neighbours. Only murderers, robbers, rapists and thieves are sinners. One Minister placed a notice outside his Church, ‘this church is here for sinners’. The following week two thirds of his congregation were absent. To them Jesus would say ‘you are far from the Kingdom of God.

We are all naturally self- righteous and think highly of ourselves, more than we ought to do. We are never in more spiritual danger than when we do not face this condition. It is when we are like the tax collector who said ‘Lord forgive me I’m a sinner’ that our Lord approves us. This was a personal prayer. We too have to make that prayer, ‘Lord I repent of my sins—I accept you as Lord and Saviour- I am ready to serve you faithfully’ In return our Lord says though our sins be great and many, our prayers weak and simple He is sitting at the right hand of God to receive those prayers and forgive us. Rev Eric Royden.

Meditation

Thomas Edison, the great inventor, died on yesterday’s date in 1931. He had invented the light bulb, the film projector, and a storage battery. He improved the telephone, the telegraph and the gramophone (record player). Edison had only 3 months of formal schooling. Later in life he said: “I never used to be able to get along. I used to feel that the teachers did not sympathise with me, and that my father thought I was stupid.” He learned from his mother, and had an inquisitive mind which led him to explore and invent. When someone remarked how easy it must be for him to invent, he said: “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration!”.

God our Father, may your Spirit be at work in my life so that I may transform into something positive whatever negative experiences I will face in life. If I have been done down or treated unfairly, lead me to be concerned about fairness and justice to others. If I have felt misunderstood, inspire me to listen to others and show genuine interest. If I have been left out of things, remind me to welcome and include others. If I have felt that I have experienced little support, show me how best to encourage others. If I have not felt really appreciated, lead me to be generous in valuing and thanking others. What I pray for today, Father, I also commit myself to work at.  Amen.

Prayers

Eternal God, you have been our resting-place through the ages. Generations come and pass away, but you abide forever. We praise you for your presence among us. You bring us comfort amid our trials - clarity where confusion persists - peace in the midst of conflict - and hope of eternal life. Hear us now as we pray for your Church and the needs of the world, for you are the God of our lives. We pray for the Church of Jesus Christ; that, begun, maintained and promoted by the Holy Spirit, it may be true, engaging, glad, and active, doing your will. Let your church be always faithful, O God, and ready to promote the cause of compassionate love and peace

We pray that as Christian disciples we may be a faithful witness in word and deed to the Good News of Christ's Love. We pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the word. We pray that everywhere upon this earth there may be justice and peace. We continue to pray for peace in the world, especially those involved in the fight against terrorism and those struggling to provide humanitarian aid. Lord, we pray for all people in their daily life and work - for our families, friends, and neighbours, and for those who are alone. We name before you individuals and families experiencing personal hardship or facing and uncertain future, those who are separated from loved ones, those who grieve this today, and those who are sick in hospital or ill at home. Hear us Lord as we now lift up those people and those situations you have placed upon our hearts.

May it please you, O Lord, to enlighten my heart with the fire of your love. I offer my hands to do your work, my lips to sing your praise and my life to proclaim your glory. Look upon my neighbours in their needs and guide me and bless me as I serve you in them; for Jesus' sake. Amen. Hildegard of Bingen, 1098-1179

May Jesus Christ, the King of glory, help us to make use of all the myrrh that God sends, and to offer him the true incense of our hearts; for his name's sake. Amen. Johannes Tauler, Germany, 1300-1361

Ordinary 31 Resources

Opening Verse of Scripture Psalm 119:1

Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.

Collect Prayer for the Day—Before we read we pray

Merciful Lord, you have taught us through your Son that love is the fulfilling of the law. Grant that we may love you with our whole heart and our neighbours as ourselves; through Jesus Christ our lord. Amen.

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. ‘See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright-- but the righteous will live by his faith^. (This is the word of the Lord—Thanks be to God)

Second Bible Reading Luke 19:1-10

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a `sinner.'" But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (This is the Word of the Lord—Thanks be to God)

Post Communion Prayer

We praise and thank you, O Christ, for this sacred feast: for here we receive you, here the memory of your passion is renewed, here our minds are filled with grace, and here a pledge of future glory is given, when we shall feast at that table where you reign with all your saints for ever.

Hymns - Mission Praise to be distributed

1. Stand up, stand up for Jesus (617 Mission Praise) 2. How lovely on the mountains (249 Mission Praise) 3. God is our strength and refuge (188 Mission Praise) 4. Fight the good fight (143 Mission Praise) 5. Christ is surely coming (75 Mission Praise)

The Gospels are full of stories about unsavoury characters who have met with Jesus in some way and instantly changed. Zaccheus was one such character. He was a collaborator, a Jew working for the invading force - the Romans - collecting taxes from rebellious and resentful Jews and adding his own cut too. Tax collectors mostly sat on the trade routes at the entrance to the city, in this case Jericho, the spot where the pickings were richest. Zaccheus was not just a tax collector, he was a ‘chief tax collector’ a man at the top of his profession. He had become very rich on the backs of other people and so he was a bad lot. He was rich from ill-gotten money, despised by the Jewish community for his tax collecting on behalf of the Romans and probably not even fully accepted by his Roman bosses.

Zacchaeus might have thought he was going looking for Jesus, but the end of the story makes it quite clear that Jesus was seeking Zacchaeus, the one who was lost. For his part, Zacchaeus wasn't just part of a large crowd, one of the idle curious. Crowds gather around superstars, both then and now. Paparazzi hound the rich and famous. But Luke says Zacchaeus had a different reason for being there that day he, "was seeking to see who Jesus was...." He is a model for seekers who don't get immediate satisfaction on their search, but who persist nevertheless. He is looking to see Jesus, and it turns out that Jesus was out looking for "what was lost" also.

Religious people would have presumed that Zacchaeus was not very high on God's list of important people, hardly a priority for God. Zacchaeus wasn't loveable for anything he did. God loved him because of who God is, not because of any merit on Zacchaeus' part. So, God sent Jesus out to seek and find him. Jesus has a ministry to outcasts, as it was for Zacchaeus, so it is for us. Whether we feel loveable and wonder if we have done enough for God, is not the issue in this story. What Zacchaeus found out was, though he did nothing to deserve it, Jesus had come looking for him and wanted to sit at table with him.

It may have been hard for Zacchaeus to let go of what he had gotten through his tax collecting. The job, as despicable as it was to his community, had gotten him his wealth. He couldn't have done it on his own, he couldn't have "saved" himself. It's hard to let go of an accustomed way of life, even when we are miserable with it. That is where Jesus comes in and makes the changes happen which humanly speaking seem impossible. Zaccheus was a changed man who immediately gave half of his wealth away. What a contrast with that other rich man who approached Jesus, the one who asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus told him to give up his wealth, he went away sorrowfully (Matt. 19:16-30). Why did an encounter with Jesus produce such different reactions from these two very rich men? Perhaps it was something to do with self-knowledge. Zaccheus knew he was a bad lot. He knew he was scorned and despised by his fellow countrymen. He knew no self-respecting Jew would ever step near his house, let alone eat with him. And he knew why. He knew he was a cheat and a thief and a traitor to his own people. And maybe deep down inside he was ashamed. Although he could never admit that until he met Jesus.

But the rich young man had no such self-knowledge. He had no reason to feel ashamed. He thought he was OK. He was rather proud of himself, because he'd done everything he ought to do. He'd kept the law all his life, and he knew he was a good person. He'd done his best. But he was totally unaware of his own greed and desire for money, until Jesus pointed it out to him. And he was so stunned by this revelation that he was unable, at that moment at any rate, to respond to Jesus. All he could do was walk away. Jesus had harsh words for only one group of people, those who thought they were so much better than they really were. He called them hypocrites. His arguments with the Pharisees were always over the same issue. The issue of their hypocrisy. They thought they were good, and to some extent they undoubtedly were good. But they failed to realise there was badness within themselves as well as goodness.

So today the story is one of hope for us all, simply recognise our need and as we seek Jesus we will find him and his forgiveness. Charles Royden

On the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the throne passed to the son of her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England. Uniting the two thrones would eventually lead to the joining of Scotland, England and Wales to form “Great Britain”. King James enforced some harsh anti-Catholic laws. A small group of Catholics conspired together in what is now known as the “Gunpowder Plot”. They placed 36 barrels of gunpowder in cellars underneath the House of Lords in the British Parliament. Guy Fawkes was to be the one who would light the fuse. It was intended that the explosion would kill the king and members of the Lords and Commons as they gathered for the State Opening of Parliament. One of the conspirators leaked details of the Plot, and Guy Fawkes was discovered in the cellars. He was arrested, tortured and executed, along with the other conspirators. Parliament decreed that, from then on, bonfires should be lit each year on the 5th of November to celebrate the deliverance from the “Gunpowder Plot”. Nowadays a “guy” is often still burnt as a reminder of Guy Fawkes. In our own times, on the night before the State Opening of Parliament, there is a symbolic searching of the cellars of Parliament by the ceremonial ‘Yeomen of the Guard’, bearing lanterns.

Let us pray: God our Father, open our eyes to whatever may not be just and right in our own surroundings and in our society. Enable us to be of good influence and work in a non-violent way to promote understanding and better relationships that will lead to justice and peace. Amen.

Glory to you, O Champion of all Loves, who for our sake endured the cross, encountered the enemy and tasted death. Glory be to you, O King of all Kings, who for our salvation wrestled with principalities and powers, subdued the forces of hell and won the greatest of all victories. To you be all praise, all glory and all love; now and for ever. Amen. Thomas Ken, 1637-1711

Lord, I bring the poverty of my soul to be transformed by your beauty; the wildness of my passions to be tamed by your love; the stubbornness of my will to be conformed by your commandments and the yearnings of my heart to be renewed by your grace; both now and for ever. Amen. Catherine of Genoa, 1447-1510

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