By Father Ted

"Kids these days have it too easy," the old priest said. "If they want to know when Easter is, all they have to do is ask Siri or the Tic-Toc. Back in my day, we had to use a telescope, an almanac, and an abacus to figure it out."

The old priest is not wrong. If you've ever looked at the section in the prayerbook titled, "Tables for Finding Holy Days" (BCP pp. 897-885), you would have some sympathy for the old priest. Figuring out Golden Numbers and Sunday Letters is enough to drive anyone mad.

Today, we can simply ask a computer to tell us when a particular holy day will happen. But before computers, and to make people's lives a little easier, the Church had a custom of announcing all the dates of the moveable feasts of the year at the Epiphany, which is conveniently at the beginning of January. It became known as the Epiphany Proclamation. Here is what it would sound like in 2024:

Dear friends in Christ, the glory of the Lord has shone upon us, and shall ever be manifest among us, until the day of his return!

Through the rhythms of times and seasons let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation!

Let us recall the year's culmination, the Easter Triduum of the Lord: his last supper, his crucifixion and death, his burial, and his rising, celebrated between the evening of the 28th day of March and the evening of the 30th day of March, Easter Day being on the 31st day of March.

Each Easter—as on each Sunday— the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed by which Christ has forever conquered sin and death. From Easter are reckoned all the days we keep holy.

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, will occur on the 14th day of February.

The Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on the 9th day of May.

Pentecost, the joyful conclusion of the season of Easter, will be celebrated on the 19th day of May.

And this year the First Sunday of Advent will be on the 1st day of December.

Likewise, the pilgrim Church proclaims the Passover of Christ in the feasts of the holy Mother of God, in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints, and in the commemoration of the faithful departed.

To Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come, Lord of time and history, be endless praise, for ever and ever. Amen!

I hope that you will make it a goal for 2024 to spend as many of those feast days as you can worshipping with your parish family here at Transfiguration. And if you typically work on Fridays, I hope you will consider using some of your paid time off to be with us on Good Friday, March 29.

We have a very full year ahead, and the first big service of 2024 happens tomorrow night at 5:30 when we will remember how the Lord of time and history was made manifest to the wise magi from the East. I hope to see you there!

Father Ted +