The Portal November 2018 | Page 6

THE P RTAL November 2018 Page 6 Remember, Remember Julia Beacroft remembers November Remember, remember the fifth of November, Gunpowder treason and plot. We see no reason Why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot! (Alan Moore) remembering our Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins, was resurrected and gave himself wholly and completely out of love for each and every one of us. And there is more. During the Catholic Mass, Jesus is made present over and over again at the table of the Eucharist – in ovember is now upon us, a month which fact every time that the celebration and the sacrifice of many of us find somewhat dreary, cold and a the Holy Mass takes place. reminder that winter is only just around the corner. The name November actually comes from the Roman And so we count ourselves lucky that not only can word ‘novem’ meaning nine, because November was we remember Jesus in our thoughts and prayers as the ninth month in the Roman calendar. The Anglo- we go about our daily lives, but we are enabled by the Saxons, in their turn, called November ‘Wind monath’ power of the Holy Spirit to encounter Him each time because it was the time when the cold winds began to we go to Mass. blow and Sir Walter Scott wrote of the month: And so during this month of November – a ‘November’s sky is chill and drear traditional time for remembering – we give grateful November’s leaf is red and sear (withered)’. thanks as we remember our Lord, because there is no So all in all, not always a month to which we look reason why He should ever be forgotten. forward! Yet the first week of November has always © 2018 Julia Beacroft - all rights reserved been a time of festivals and celebrations, marking the end of harvest and the beginning of winter. Bonfire Julia Beacroft is an author, editor, workshop leader and presenter Night, of course, is one of these. in Catholic faith formation. Her book ‘Sanctifying the Spirit’  is available to buy from AMAZON, www.waterstones.com Relentlessly or Book Depository. Please visit www.sanciobooks.com for more information. Follow Julia on Facebook and Twitter Even now, I can vividly recall an incident some years ago when my elder daughter was attending nursery. As usual, I had collected her at the end of the Geofrey Kirk is on holiday this month session and was waiting to hear all about her morning and Arnold Heron is poorly there. But apparently this was not to be! The children had been learning about Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night which was fast approaching and had been Ecumenical Marian Pilgrimage Trust taught the rhyme ‘Remember, Remember’ (above). Registered Charity no. 1108173 Unfortunately however, she had only remembered Ecumenical Pilgrimage at Walsingham half of the first line: Tuesday 19th - Friday 22nd March 2019 ‘Remember, remember the fifth of November’, which CATHOLIC, ANGLICAN, ORTHODOX AND FREE CHURCH she then proceeded to sing relentlessly over and over LITURGIES, TALKS AND DEVOTIONS again all the way home. And we were not in the car – we were walking! Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia (Orthodox) N Made Present The great festivals of the Church at Easter and Christmas are traditionally the times when we particularly reflect upon our faith, and of course by November, Christmas is already starting to permeate our thoughts. But it seems to me that the words ‘Remember, remember’ are particularly apt for all Christians. Our faith journeys always involve our HE Archbishop Edwin Adams (Papal Nuncio tbc) Bishop Jonathan Goodall of Ebbsfleet (Anglican) Prof Frances Young (Methodist) Preb Norman Wallwork (Methodist) Eleanor Jackson (Society of Friends) Fr Peter Farrington (Coptic Orthodox) Rev Dr Gareth Powell (Methodist) Fr Philip Corbett (Anglican) Fr Kevin Alban O.Carm (Catholic) Michael Russell (Catholic) Further details and booking form: [email protected] or online at: www.EcumenicalMarianPilgrimage.org.uk