Lent Madness: Julian of Norwich Takes On Zita (or is it Rita?)

 Catching up with Lent Madness at the end of the week, we find that Cornelius the Centurion tamed one of our Shamrock Saints, Andoman, who goes back to the Emerald Isle.   Likewise, the last of the Grappling Gerties, Gertrude the Great, was pulled off stage by the ecclesial crozier of Ambrose of Milan.

Today it's one of the girls from that wacky sitcom, "Rita and Zita", vs that wise and sensible English mystic, Julian of Norwich, and I feel confident in calling this one for Julian.

Vote here.

Lent Madness: Cornelius the Centurion vs Andoman the Monk

 Greetings saint supporters.

Yesterday saw a victory for the Emerald Isle contingent in this year's Lent Madness contest, as Canaire skipped over the waves and left Cyprian of Carthage floundering.    Canaire earns her spot in The Elate Eight and will go on to face either Henry Whipple the Battling Bishop, or Clare (Not a Material Girl) of Assisi.

In today's matchup, the pious Roman soldier Cornelius of Acts 10 fame goes up against another of our Celtic Tigers, Andoman of Ireland.  I'm an old and pious soldier so I'm partial to Cornie, but I've been wrong before, and Andoman's voice of peace in the Dark Ages carries over to our time.

Who will win?   Vote here.

Lent Madness: Irish Water-walker vs Actual African Martyr

 Welcome back to Lent Madness 2024.  If you look at the two leaderboards, one in the parish hall, the other just outside the church on the bulletin board by the sacristy, you'll see that the numbers of winners are starting to thin out and the numbers of losers are growing.  That's the way Lent Madness works.  Fortunately, we're all winners in heaven!

Yesterday I was busy with grandchildren so no time for a post here, but Joseph of Arimathea defeated Kassia of Byzantium.   This was a surprising win, as I thought Kassia would be a favourite around International Women's Day, but Joseph shows the drawing power of the biblical saints in this year's contest.  Joseph will go on to face either Zita (or is it Rita?) or Julian of Norwich, depending on who wins that contest.

Today's matchup features Canaire of Ireland vs Cyprian of Carthage.  Canaire offers a charming story with a feisty feminist retort to a stodgy old abbot (who may have been her sibling), and a win for Canaire would avenge the defeat of her fellow Irish contender, Brigid.   It being so close to St Patrick's Day, does Canaire have a shot at the next round?

In the other corner, we have Cyprian of Carthage, whose life, faith, writings, and ultimate faithfulness to our Lord are all documented.

It must have seemed strange to the Roman authorities to have been confronted with such early Christians.  Official Roman religion was seen as the glue that held Roman society together, but not something that really mattered spiritually or was ultimately true.   The early Christians, however, actually believed that their God was true, real, and lord of the universe, and were willing to die for that faith.  Blessed Cyprian was one of that number.

Vote here.

Lent Madness: Two Who Spread the Word, and One Who Spread Himself

 As we saw with Thomas the Apostle's defeat by Albert Schweitzer yesterday, the Dangerous Disciples are no longer a Duo.   Today sees the other of Jesus' chosen friends, Andrew the Fisherman, going up against the medieval preacher, Polish saint, and water walker, Hyacinth.

Reading today's post at the Lent Madness website,  I noted that water walking is a theme in this year's LM:  Piran of Cornwall surfed on a millstone, Canaire walked on the ocean to go browbeat a stodgy abbot, and Hyacinth used his cloak as a ferry service.  Me, I fall out of my kayak.   Go figure.   

As a preacher, there's something humbling that while Hyacinth was famous for his sermons, not a word of them survives, and yet he is remembered for spreading the faith all through the Baltic region and parts of eastern Europe.

Like St Hyacinth, St Andrew also spread the faith across the known world, and likewise spread his bones.  The image above purports to show those of his bones currently resident in Scotland - about 7% of the bones of his body.  The rest are spread far and wide.  Talk about feeling scattered!

I'm going to call St Andrew as today's winner, because Scotland.    Vote here.

Lent Madness: The Polymath vs The Apostle

 Greetings Hagiophiles!

Today we see the Saintly Sixteen completed, as Clare of Assisi had a tidy victory of Rafqa of Lebanon.   Nobody's going to call her Poor Clare now, unless it's her accountant doing her taxes.  The thirty two holy hopefuls have been cut in half (well, not literally, though that was one method of martyrdom - see Hebrews 11.37), and now things get really serious.

Today it's our friends Albert Schweitzer (big moustache, did everything, certified polymath) versus  Thomas the Apostle (hand picked disciple, doubter but then believer, reluctant apostle).

Biblical characters so far in Lent Madness 2024 have done well in getting into the next round, but here Thomas runs into a bona fide historical figure whose deeds are documented, whereas Thomas' story, if you read today's post.  The third century text The Acts of Thomas, for example, has many charming stories (legends, really) including how, while he was in India, Thomas found and baptized the Magi who had gone to Bethlehem to honour the infant Jesus.

What do we make of these charming stories?  The councils of the church excluded certain books, like The Acts of Thomas, from the canon of scripture, doubting their orthodoxy in some cases, or their accuracy in others.    The Reformation was notoriously hard on the saints' lives and stories, like the ones about Jesus as a child, that had grown up during the Middle Ages.  The Reformers disapproved of legends that they felt distracted the faithful from the saving truth of scripture, which alone could save us (sola scriptura).

However, today as our bible study noted when we met yesteday, millions of people follow the show The Chosen, a multi-season life of Christ that makes liberal use of invented events and characters to flesh out the story and the world of Jesus and his followers.     Perhaps it is because we are a story telling people that we need stories and legends to make biblical characters real.   The same is true of history, as the Ridley Scott movie Napoleon shows.

Anyway, I digress.  Vote here.

Lent Madness: Sisters Are Doing It By Themselves

 Greetings saint supporters!

Catching up after a very rejuvenating retreat this weekend, and discovered that Julian of Norwich easily put out the fiery Brigid of Kildare.   While I'm always sorry to see an Irish saint go down to defeat, I must admit that Julian of Norwich's resume is much more substantial than that of someone who probably began her career as a Celtic fire goddess.   Julian is a hero of the Christian mystical devotional tradition and she will go on to face (and, I predict, defeat) Zita.  Or is it Rita?  Who can tell them apart, really?

Apologies to Annie Lennox for the title of today's post.  One of the things I'm grateful to Lent Madness for is it's introductions to so many women who have embodied and passed on our faith through study, charity, and devotion to our Lord.  Today's matchup features two such saintly sisters, and they were sisters, in the religious and vocational sense.

Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès, to give her full name, saw her share of the religious violence that still afflicts her part of the world, and yet lived a life of quiet and calm devotion, making her own clear choices as to in which convents she would live out her vocation.  Her Wikipedia entry contains a particular graphic account of the loss of her eye, which did noting to relieve a suffering which she gladly embraced.  Today, when medicine keeps our suffering at bay as much as possible, and where MAID is an option, the desire of many saints to draw closer to the passion of Christ in their suffering is remarkable, and maybe even admirable.  Would we choose such a route, I wonder?

Clare of Assisi also reminds us that the religious vocation could be a liberating path in a man's world (and in a man's church).  Her decision to follow the way of St. Francis also reminds us of how Francis' call to embrace a Christ-like poverty and service must have captivated the imaginations of many.     Her example still inspires today, for her Order, the Poor Clares, maintain convents in BC and in Quebec.

Hard to call this one.   Vote here.

Lent Madness: Two Gertrudes Intrude

In last Friday's Matchup, Cornelius the Centurion gained another victory for the biblical saints by narrowly defeating Piran of Cornwall, thus showing that pious centurions can beat out hard-drinking Cornishmen.

In todays matchup, two Saint Gertrudes compete for the last spot in the Saintly Sixteen.   I confess that I'm a fan of the name Gretrude, which, sadly, is one of those arcane names like Beulah and Iris that don't seem to be popular for girl's names these days.  Also, I have fond memories of Gertie Hamelin, a friend of my mom's, who used to tell wonderful stories of life in wartime Scotland.  But I digress.

Saint Gertrude the Great has a decent resume, as a scholar, theologian, and mystic.  She is often depicted holding the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and she is credited with beginning the Catholic devotional tradition of meditating on the heart of Christ.

Gretrude of Nivelles, on the other hand, does not appear to have a resume to impress, but she had great regard for the souls in Purgatory (a belief of medieval Christianity in the west) and, since those souls were often depicted as mice, she became the patron saint of cats, which I think pretty much guarantees that she'll win.

I'm voting for Gertie the Great, but you cat fans vote as you please.  Vote here.

Lent Madness: Surfer versus Soldier

Good day saint supporters.

In yesterday's match of the battling bishops, Bishop Henry (the Whip) Whipple, like Jesus in the temple, cracked the whip and drove poor Bishop Jackson out of the ring.   Personally I'm not sure what the difference was between these two guys, but our American Anglican friends, the majority of Lent Madness players, have strong opinions and most threw their votes to Whipple.

In today's matchup, the corn jokes have already been done on the Lent Madness website, so I'll spare you, my puns would just be empty husks of humour.  Today we get to choose between Dark Ages Celtic fancy and a brief but important biblical appearance.

Piran of Cornwall is Irish by birth, so he's in good company in these year's competitors which include Canaire, Brigid, and Andoman.   Besides being the patron saint of tinsmiths and hard drinkers, Piran could be the patron of surfers.

Cornelius the Centurion gets my vote because he's a pious soldier, though the soldiers I knew would have probably wanted Piran as their Padre (see hard drinking).    Cornelius makes a crucial appearance in Acts 10 where he and his household are baptized by Peter at the Spirit's urging, thus convincing the church in Jerusalem to open membership to gentiles.  As a gentile myself, I say, thank you, Cornelius

I'm voting for Cornelius myself, but I suspect Piran will win the day because of his various antics.

Vote here.

Lent Madness: Battling Bishops

 In yesterday's matchup, Zita handily disposed of her fellow Italian saint, Rita.    I confess that I didn't have much enthusiasm for that particular faceoff, but I'm still hoping for the sitcom.

Today the mitres are mixing it up and the croziers are clubbing as two Victorian bishops of the US Episcopal  church put up their pious dukes.  I think this is the first matchup of the year featuring two bona fide Anglicans in the ring.

In this corner, Bishop Henry (The Whip) Whipple.

Like his Canadian contemporaries such as Bishops Moutain and Strachan, he was not only a church builder, he was a diocese builder.   He spent most of his adult life (42 yrs) as the first bishop of Minnesota, and was a fearless advocate for the indigenous people that most American settlers and politicians saw as a nuisance at best, and as inhuman at worst.   For that, he deserves the church's gratitude and memory.  Fun fact, there is a massive government structure, the Henry Whipple Federal Building, in Minnesota.

When I was a divinity student at Wycliffe College, we used to hear about Isaac Stringer, the Archbishop of Rupert's Land, also known as "the Bishop who ate his boots" because once, trapped in a cave during a blizzard, he boiled and ate his deerskin boots.    Jackson Kemper was a bishop of that ilk.  Not sure what he ate during his long travels through the largely unsettled Northwest US, but he seems tireless.     

Fun fact, both contestants had a role in ordaining Enmegahbowh, the first American indigenous Episcopal priest and a contestant in Lent Madness 2023 who made it to the Saintly Sixteen.  Kemper ordained him a deacon, and Whipple ordained Enmegahbowh a priest.

For that, don't they both deserve a vote?

Vote here.

Lent Madness: Sounds Like A Sitcom Matchup

 Greetings Halo Hopers:  

I was a little surprised that William Byrd played some sour notes and was voted off the stage in favour of Ambrose of Milan.   That takes my record to 3 wins and 6 losses.    

Very pressed for time today so nothing to add in the way of witticisms, except that "Rita and Zita" sounds like the title of a TV sitcom.  Hard to choose between them, as Rita's life seems unbearably sad, but I suspect that Zita will win because a) her name is cooler and b) we all lose stuff, including me, the guy who asks my wife to call my cell phone so I know where it is.

Vote here.

Lent Madness: The Reluctant Bishop vs the Discrete Musician

 Welcome to our second full week of Lent Madness 2024.     In our last matchup on Friday, I was surprised that the North African theologian Cyprian of Carthage beat Pachomius, one of the founders of monasticism.  That takes my record of predictions to 3 wins and 4 losses.

I didn't post on yesterday's matchup between Andoman and Joseph Vaz, and didn't have thoughts on who would win.    Anyway, congratulations to Andoman, our second Irish saint in this year's Lent Madness.    

In today's matchup, Ambrose of Milan squares off against William Byrd.   

It's always a good rule to be suspicious of clergy who desperately want to wear a purple shirt.  Ambrose, by contrast, wasn't even baptized before he was chosen by the faithful of Milan to be their bishop.  He would go on to be a fearless opponent of tyrants and heretics, and like his opponent today, managed to write a hymn or two, some of which survive today and which you might hear in church during Advent.

If Ambrose was reluctant, William Byrd was discrete.  He managed to keep his head down (and on) during the tumult of the Tudor period, even though he was a Roman Catholic.   Queen Elizabeth I was a fan.    Like that of his contemporary, Thomas Tallis, Byrd's music has a haunting beauty and took advantage of the taste in complex polyphony (multiple voices and parts) of the time.   Here's a taste.

I'm a fan of Tudor church music, so I'm going with Byrd to win.    We'll see if other birds of a feather flock to him.

Vote here.

Lent Madness: Out of Africa

 Judging by what the host site, Blogger tells me, these Lent Madness updates are read by a depressingly small handful of people, but I shall forge on.

In yesterday's matchup, Lazarus was buried under the pile of votes heaped on Joseph of Arimathea,  so Jesus' secret disciple goes on to face the redoubtable Kassia, while Lazarus goes back to sleep.

I'm calling this the Out of Africa matchup, because that's all I've got that's clever, and Egypt is technically in Africa.  In one corner is Saint Pachomius, looking rather dismayed at the reading assignment given to him by the angel.

When I was an undergrad, a history professor liked to go on about how the monastic movement was a cop out.  Believers, he said, should be out in the world preaching and evangelizing (he was a Mormon), not holed up from the world praying.  Fortunately, faith is not a binary choice, and needs all sorts of ways of belief.  Bishop Andrew, in today's letter to the Diocese, talks about how he and his fellow diocesan leaders always make a Lenten pilgrimage to a monastery.   Monasteries and convents are sanctuaries for the weary, places of retreat and restoration, and send prayers aloft daily for the world.   We should be glad to have them, and grateful to St. Pachomius for being a founder of monasticism.

In the other Cyprian of Carthage was one of those North African theologians and church leaders most famously represented by Augustine of Hippo, whose early life and conversion Cyprian closely resembles.  He had a fine legal mind,  and was a fearless leader of the church, who like many of our Lent Madness Halo Heroes embraced a martyr's death.

Cyprian famously said that "He who does not have the church as a mother cannot have God as a father", which those who profess to find God on Sundays on the golf course may disagree with, but it's a good sentiment to think about on the eve of our parish vestry meeting.

I think I'm about 3 and 3 for my predictions, and this time I'm going with Pachomius on the grounds that he's an old soldier, like me, and I'm fond of monasteries.

Vote here.

Lent Madness: Graves and Graces

 

It wasn't even close.  Poor Polycarp was a catch and release contestant, while Andrew the Fisherman filled his nets with votes.  Andrew will go on to face Hyacinth.  We will see which one will blossom.

Today's matchup points us towards Easter because both saints represent empty tombs.

In one corner, looking a bit like The Mummy, is Lazarus of Bethany,

I've always felt a little sorry for Lazarus, because he had ample time to enjoy the pleasure of heaven, assuming that we go there and don't just sleep until we are called awake on Judgement Day (both are attractive prospects; the first sounds a lot like the wonderful ending of CS Lewis' The Last Battle, the second sounds like a good rest).

What makes Lazarus human as well as miraculous is that he and his sisters were friends of Jesus, who knew their house and welcomed their hospitality.  May our Lord always be welcomed under our own roofs.

In the other corner, we have Joseph of Arimathea.

All the gospels agree that Joseph was one of the friends of Jesus who care for his body after his death on the cross, selflessly giving up his own tomb for our Lord.  As someone who had his own tomb, Joseph must have been a man of substance,  He must have been notable in his community, because he was allowed an audience with Pilate the governor and requested that Pilate release Jesus' body.  Notable or otherwise, that must have taken courage on Joseph's part.   John's gospel also tells us that he was a Pharisee but secretly recognized the truth of who Jesus was.    That makes him very human.  Not all of us have the courage to give up our security for our beliefs, and so we try to do the best we can under the radar.

So an interesting choice.  Lazarus was the recipient of grace, while Joseph was an active benefactor of Jesus.    Your choice.

Vote here.

Lent Madness: The Carp and the Fisherman

As I predicted (correctly, for a change), in our Lutheran Lashup, Henry Muhelenberg was soundly defeated by Albert "Out of Africa" Schweitzer, proving that a handsome moustache can give a saint an edge.     Albert will go up against Thomas the Apostle and that will be an epic challenge.

 Was Polycarp burned wearing his bishop's vestments?  Mitre been.

For today's Saintly Scrapple, in one corner we have Polycarp of Smyrna, a bishop, theologian, and martyr of the early church.  He joins Thomas Cranmer in this year's Lent Madness roster as a bishop who was sentenced to be burned at the stake, though his executioners found that task harder than expected.

Polycarp was a defender of what we would today recognize as credal Christianity and orthodoxy, though in his lifetime at was a massive dragout debate.   He is famous for embracing his martyrdom serenely at an advanced age, saying  to his Roman persecutors, "Hear me declare with boldness, I am a Christian".  That's a good sermon for this coming Sunday's gospel reading, in which Jesus tells us not to ashamed of him or of his words (Mark 8.38).

Polycarp.s opponent is the fisherman, disciple, and apostle, Andrew the Fisherman, who is one of the characters of the popular series "The Chosen".

If learned and wise people like Polycarp kept the faith, it was simple and brave people like Andrew that established the church.  Both Polycarp and Andrew deserve honour and veneration, and both were willing to die for their master in hope of the resurrection that he promised his followers.    Hard choice. 

Andrew apparently went everywhere in his career as an apostle, so players of Lent Madness with Scottish, Romanian, Ukrainian and Russian descent will likely tip the balance in is favour.

My prediction is that Andrew will come out of today with his net full of votes.

Vote here.

Lent Madness: Grappling Germans

Our last matchup saw the Irish saint Canaire skipping across the waves while "Boom Boom" Barbara came close but ultimately flamed out.   I'm always a sucker for an Irish accent, so I backed Canaire and now my prediction record is 2-2.

Today's matchup features two Teutonic titans, two grappling Germans, zwei disputing Deutschers. 

Henry Muhlenberg looks to me a lot like the Anglican missionaries and clergy who came over to Canada and America in the 1700s to found the church here.   It's interesting to note that other Christian denominations were doing the same here, and the German diaspora would have had it's share of Lutherans coming to minister to them.    (Fun fact:  it wasn't just Lutherans, our friends in Collingwood at New Life Church can trace their roots back to Low German settlers in Pennsylvania who were Anabaptist, and who became known as Brethern in Christ.  Christianity then as now was quite diverse). 

I almost feel sorry for Henry, he has a sweet kind face, but he doesn't have the awesome moustache or reputation of Albert Schweitzer.

Pastor, theologian, musician, doctor, missionary, author - is there anything that Schweitzer didn't do better than almost anyone else?   Fun fact, Schweitzer makes a cameo appearance in Young Indiana Jones, a TV series aired in the early 1990s.  You can see a brief clip here.

I'm willing to bet that Schweitzer will handily win this battle of the Dueling Deutschers,  but he'll go on to face Thomas the Apostle, and that will be an epic battle.

Vote here.

Lent Madness: Duelling Mistresses of the Elements

 

I hope that if you're reading this, you're enjoying Lent Madness 2024 and have learned something about some of the strange and wonderful figures of our faith.  To track the progress of our Halo Heroes, there are two "leader boards" in the church where you can track their progress.

Progress was one thing that poor Casimir conspicuously lacked.  Even with three hands, he was unable to stop Kassia from sprinting to the finish line.  She'll be a strong contender.

Today's matchup features two ladies who feel like they might be at home in a Marvel superhero film because they have control of the elements.

Saint Canaire, an Irish saint, is famous for walking (some say on water for part of the way) from Bantry Bay in County Cork, 182 kns north to Inish Cathaigh, now named Scattery Island.  She was then an aged woman who had spent her life as a holy hermit, and had a vision that Inish Cathaig would be where she would die and await the resurrection.  Cathaig was occupied by a grumpy monk, St Senan, whose monastery had a "no girls allowed" policy, but Senan was impressed by Canaire's insistence that God loved women and men equally.

There is a wonderful account of her life here, and I feel like Canaire's last journey would be an excellent pilgrimage route and a great excuse to visit the beautiful south of Ireland, 

When I was a military chaplain, I was always fascinated by the tradition that certain branches of the military had their own patron saints.  Barbara is the patron saint of artillery, or gunners as they like to call themselves (army joke:  how do you know that someone is a gunner?  Answer:  what?  eh? speak up!).   

Barbara's association with explosives and fiery ends comes from the story of how her pagan father was punished for murdering her.   Once again we note the theme of embattled chastity in the lives of the early female saints.

So today's matchup features a fiery lady vs a water walking hermitess.    My money's on St Canaire just because my heart's in Ireland, but my prediction record thus far is 1 win, 2 losses, so there you go.

Vote here.

Lent Madness: Kassia vs The Pious Pole

 

Today's Lent Madness matchup feels a little one-sided to be honest.    In one corner, we have Casimir, the national saint of Poland and Lithuania, whose biography doesn't exactly make one want to run to the voting both and mark your ballot for him.    Other than being learned, pious, and possibly having three hands (which would make him the patron saint of multitaskers), Casimir's life could be summed up by the motto "Die Young, Stay Holy".   Mind you, there is a Polish-Canadian Roman Catholic parish named after him, so I wouldn't want to denigrate him, because, well, have you met Poles?

In the other corner, we have St Kassia, a strong-willed and learned nun who also appears as a character in the TV series, The Vikings, where her behaviour is, well, somewhat less than saintly..

Kassia's music is still sung in the liturgy of the Orthodox church, and she was a prolific composer, poet, and theoligian, not unafraid to stand up to the Emperor of  Byzantium.  The Emperor was an "iconoclast", an opponent of religious imagery called icons,  Kassia was willing to be beaten for her opposition to the Emperor, saying that "I hate silence when iut is time to speak", which is a good motto for anyone of integrity, really.  The next time you're in All Saints and see the icons by the votive candles in the east transept, say a prayer of thanks to Kassia.

My predictions thus far have been rubbish, but I'm willing to say that Kassia will beat Casimir in a landslide.

Vote here.

Lent Madness: Floral Faceoff

Today is the second contest of the Halo Heroes that we will be following this Lent.    Yesterday in the battle of the Thomases, our Anglican champion, Thomas Cranmer, got burned by Thomas the Apostle, whose chances no one should have doubted.

In our second matchup, in one corner we have St Hyacinth of Poland, who fans of Keeping Up Appearances might have thought had a girl's name, but in fact, judging from the artwork online, was a handsome and buff young fellow, which might explain why he is the patron saint of weightlifters (see the story at Lent Madness to find out why he is associated with lifting heavy objects).

In the other corner is St. Rose of Lima, whose images online remain resolutely beautiful, despite her biography which describes how she disfigured herself so that her beauty and the suitors it attracted would not distract her from the religious life.

It's not uncommon in the lives of the women saints to find that they felt the need to hide or veil their beauty in order to lead a spiritual life.    Some see this stories as proof of the misogyny inherent in Christianity (going back to the temptation of Eve) but Lent Madness reminds us that the desire to love and serve God transcends time and gender.     We should revere these saintly women for hearing and following God's calling, even at great price.

My modest prediction is that St Rose will win and bloom in the next round.

Vote here.

Lent Madness First Matchup: Duelling Toms

Lent Madness begins with the Battle of the Thomases.   I'm partial to both as Thomas is my middle name.   In one corner, we have one of the Twelve Disciples, Saint Thomas the Apostle.   He can certainly claim seniority in this matchup, though there are a LOT of biblical saints in this year's competition.

In the other corner we have  Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop of the English Church under Henry VIII, and one of its first martyrs, as Thomas lost his job, and then his life, when Henry's Catholic daughter Mary took the throne.   However, Cranmer left a lasting legacy in his Book of Common Prayer, which we still use today in various forms.    

One of the things I like about both these saints is their humanity.  Thomas the Disciple of course earned the name Doubting Thomas for wanting proof that Christ rose from the dead. Imprisoned under Queen Mary, Thomas Cranmer tried to save his life by signing a letter recanting his protestant faith, but when the sentence of death was passed and he was burned anyway, he is said to have held the signing hand out to the flames as a sign or remorse for his weakness.

Both are saints that we can see something of ourselves in.

I predict a narrow win for Thomas Cranmer because this is Lent Madness is an Anglican thing, but I've been wrong before!

Vote here.

Lent Madness Starts Today!

 Lent Madness Is Back!

 Last year you will recall that our parish engaged in a silly and fun exercise called Lent Madness, an annual competition which teaches us about some of the heroes of the Christian faith.   Lent Madness is back, and this year is full of interesting saints who could easily go all the way to win The Golden Halo.

Lent Madness is run by Foward Movement, an American Anglican publisher, and while they didn't produce the Saintly Scorecard booklet for this year's LM that they've done in past, this year's edition is available online as a free download at the Lent Madness website. 

This year's crop of blessed contenders has some potential champs.

Always a fan of a good Irish saint, I like Adomnan of Iona, the 7^th century biographer of St. Columba and who is credited with some of the first rules to try and make warfare more civilized by protecting non-combatants.  We could use him today.  The Emerald Isle is also represented by St. Brigid of Kildare, who may have started her career as a Celtic fire goddess, and by Conaire, the patron saint of stubborn women.

Biblical saints are well represented by Andew the fisherman and apostle,  Cornelius the centurion who welcomed Peter, Joseph of Arimathea who gave his tomb to Jesus and his grieving friends, Thomas the apostle, and Lazarus, who presumably forgave Jesus for recalling him from the joys of heaven to emerge from his tomb.

Anglican contenders for the Golden Halo include the “Tudor Duo”, the church musician William Byrd (actually he died a Roman Catholic but he wrote lovely music for Queen Elizabeth) and Thomas Cranmer, the father of our Book of Common Prayer.  The Two Thomases go head to head TODAY so be sure to vote!  

Other Anglicans include two US bishops of the 1800s, Jackson Kemper, who crisscrossed the US Midwest, sometimes by foot, and whose  mileage claims must have been exorbitant, and the delightfully named Henry Benjamin Whipple, an outspoken critic of the wars against the US indigenous peoples.

Some dark horses that could go far this year include a pious and learned nun, Rafqa of Lebanon, Joseph Vaz who went poor and barefoot among his people in Sri Lanka, and the indispensable Zita, patron saint of lost keys, who, of course, goes up against Rita.

So how do you play?  Simply start going to www.lentmadness.org where you will find a new matchup each day in Lent except on Sundays.     You can also follow Fr. Michael’s blog at www.madpadre.blogspot for his commentary and predictions.

As always, Lent Madness is simply an opportunity to learn, to pick your favourites, and maybe boast to your friends at your skill in picking a winner.