Patrick Comerford
The Season of Lent begins yesterday with Ash Wednesday (14 February 2024), and I sang with the Parish Choir at the Ash Wednesday liturgy in the Church of Saint Mary and Saint Giles in Stony Stratford last night.
Today, the Calendar of the Church of England in Common Worship remembers Saint Sigfrid (1045), Bishop, Apostle of Sweden, and Thomas Bray (1730), priest, and founder of both SPCK and SPG (now USPG). USPG is marking Founder’s Day today (15 February 2024) in Saint Alban the Martyr Church, London, at 11 am.
In previous years, my Lenten reflections have journeyed with the saints, looked at Lent in Art, discussed poems in Lent, reflected on the music of Vaughan Williams, selected sayings from Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), the Lichfield lexicographer, and similar themes.
This year, I am taking time each morning in Lent to reflect on the lives of early, pre-Reformation English saints commemorated by the Church of England in the Calendar of Common Worship. I began this series yesterday with a reflection on Saint Alban, England’s first martyr and saint.
Before today begins, I am taking some quiet time early this morning for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:
1, A reflection on an early, pre-Reformation English saint;
2, today’s Gospel reading;
3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary.
Early English pre-Reformation saints: 2, Saint Petroc, Abbot of Padstow (6th century)
Saint Petroc, the sixth century Abbot of Padstow, is often known as ‘the captain of Cornish saints.’ Saint Petroc seems to have been the son of a Welsh chieftain. When he arrived in Cornwall, he founded a monastery at Lanwethinoc, now called Padstow (‘Petroc’s Stow’). He later founded another monastery at Bodmin.
It seems that for most of his life Saint Petroc lived as a hermit, although he travelled regularly to visit monasteries.
He died at Treravel and was buried at Padstow. Many churches in Devon and Cornwall are dedicated to his memory. He is commemorated in Common Worship on 4 June.
Padstow is a fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, on the west bank of the River Camel estuary, 16 km north-west of Bodmin and 16 km north-east of Newquay. It has a population of about 3,000.
Luke 8: 22-25 (NRSVA):
22 [Jesus said], ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’
23 Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. 25 What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?
Today’s Prayers (Thursday 15 February 2024):
The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Ash Wednesday Reflection.’ This theme was introduced on Sunday by the Revd Jessie Anand, Chaplain, USPG.
The USPG Prayer Diary today (15 February 2024) invites us to pray in these words:
We pray for all who seek to educate and inform. May our places of learning be open to all, offering new pathways and new vision.
The Collect:
Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made
and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent:
create and make in us new and contrite hearts
that we, worthily lamenting our sins
and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may receive from you, the God of all mercy,
perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
Almighty God,
you have given your only Son to be for us
both a sacrifice for sin
and also an example of godly life:
give us grace
that we may always most thankfully receive
these his inestimable gifts,
and also daily endeavour
to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Additional Collect:
Holy God,
our lives are laid open before you:
rescue us from the chaos of sin
and through the death of your Son
bring us healing and make us whole
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Yesterday: Saint Alban (ca 250)
Tomorrow: Saint Augustine (605), first Archbishop of Canterbury
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
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