Stolen pears are never sweet. In our family, we remember this principle every August, when we make pear crisp for the feast of Saint Augustine (recipe attached below). While we eat, we tell our children the story of Augustine as a teenager and his infamous theft of pears. It seemed fun at the time, but…
The Liturgical Home: Feast of the Visitation
The Feast of the Visitation (full name: The Visitation of the Virgin Mary to Elizabeth and Zechariah), celebrated on May 31st, commemorates the joyous encounter between the Virgin Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, as described in the Gospel of Luke. This feast highlights Mary’s journey to the hill country of Judea to share the news…
The Liturgical Home: Pentecost
The Day of Pentecost is one of the highest feast days in the liturgical year. It is the day that we remember and celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. This pivotal moment in Christian history is the fulfillment of Christ’s promise to send a helper, a comforter, who…
The Liturgical Home: Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the holiest week of the liturgical year. During Holy Week, we walk with Jesus through his final days before his crucifixion. The tone of this week begins with joy as we remember his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Like the people in the Bible, we wave palm branches…
The Liturgical Home: Laetare Sunday
Amid the seasons of penitence and preparation in the church calendar, Advent and Lent, little gems exist known as Refreshment Sundays. On these days, the penitential tone eases, hence the name. The Refreshment Sundays are Gaudete Sunday, which falls in the middle of Advent, and Laetare Sunday, which falls in the middle of Lent. Refreshment…
The Liturgical Home: Fasting as a Family
Lent is a pilgrimage of the soul, an opportunity to walk closely with the Lord in a path of repentance and renewal. From the ashes of Ash Wednesday to the glory of Easter Sunday, Lent is a beautiful narrative of redemption that echoes the enduring love of God and his unwavering desire to draw us…
The Liturgical Home: Ash Wednesday
The following is adapted from Ashley Tumlin Wallace’s new book with Anglican Compass, The Liturgical Home: Lent, available in paperback and Kindle editions, exclusively through Amazon. As Christians, we believe that the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the most important thing to ever happen to us (or to the world, for…
The Liturgical Home: The Feast of St. Thomas
On December 21st, as Christmas Day fast approaches, we celebrate one more commemoration of a saint, the Feast of St. Thomas. We often know St. Thomas, one of Jesus’ twelve apostles, as “Doubting Thomas” for questioning Jesus’ resurrection after the other disciples told him about it. Tradition holds that he is the only apostle who…
The Liturgical Home: The Feast of Christ the King
On the last Sunday of the liturgical year, Christians worldwide celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. This relatively recent addition to the Church calendar, established in the 20th century, holds a profound purpose—to acknowledge the dominion of our king, Jesus Christ, over all of creation and every aspect of our lives. We understand the…
The Liturgical Home: All Saints’ Day
Halloween is almost here! I doubt this is news to you. The stores have been filled with hanging witches and zombies for weeks, and nowhere is Halloween on fuller display than in neighborhood yards. Driving through my mom’s neighborhood yesterday, I passed by ghosts hanging from trees and gravestones placed in the grass. There was…
