Saturday 15th February 2025 - 7pm
Good Shepherd’s Chapel, Abbotsford
After a hot week, Saturday provided a welcome reprieve; a cool day with some occasional rain. With God’s grace, the gentle evening sun returned and we arrived dry for this evening’s liturgy.
Fr Mark played some beautiful music on the organ as the congregation arrived. Metropolitan Raffaele welcomed everyone and gave each person a hymn sheet.
The liturgy began with a regal entrance hymn “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name”. After this, Metropolitan Raffaele explained that when Jesus was a babe, Mary and Joseph presented him to the temple. He explained that two doves were presented, as was tradition at that time. Then the Kyrie was sung, accompanied by Fr Mark on the organ.
The liturgy continued and Fr Mark read from Corinthians. It spoke of things that belong together, and that the Holy Spirit belongs within us. Next, the Gospel was brought among the people in a procession.
Fr Matthew read from the Gospel of St Luke. It recalled the time that Simeon and Anna saw Jesus in the temple and recognised him as the saviour.
Metropolitan Raffaele gave his homily. He spoke of the hints Isiah gave that allowed Simeon and Anna to recognise Jesus as the Messiah. He explained that Anna’s father had owned an olive grove and she had been delivering the first fruits, ready for pressing which would supply the oil for the Menorah. Simeon was an elder of the temple; he had been given the task of translating the Old Testament into Greek. This allowed him to know the signs to look for that Isiah had prophesied. The Metropolitan reminded us that when Jesus had entered the temple, the Menorah dimmed in comparison to his radiance. Anna and Simeon had rejoiced, and so should we as God trusted humanity to look after him in his fragility as a babe and now illuminates and protects us in our own fragility.
After the homily we witnessed something special - the catechumenate of the baby Gabriel George. His family brought him to the altar and Metropolitan Raffaele blessed him and his family, before performing the dance of Isiah - taking the babe around the altar thrice, evoking the right for him to take up the priesthood.
The liturgy continued and the Holy Gifts were brought to the altar and blessed. The prayer asking the Lord for the transfiguration was sung, and then Metropolitan Raffaele told us of the time Mother Mary appeared on the roof of a church in Egypt. Next, the Theotokon was sung together to the tune of ‘Mira il tuo popolo’.
The congregation recited the Lord’s Prayer before the clergy sung the prayer acapella. Communion was shared by the clergy and then with the community. In gratitude for receipt of the Holy Mysteries, Metropolitan Raffaele sang the final hymn “Breathe On Me, Oh Breath of God” accompanied by Fr Mark on the organ.
After the Gifts were returned to the prosthesis table, the Metropolitan told us about two Saints who are celebrated this month: St Valentine and St Blaise.
After telling us the stories of their respective sainthoods, he performed a blessing with the crossed candles and the congregation were anointed with lovely smelling oil.
After the blessings and anointing, Fr Mark played some more triumphant music on the organ as everyone moved out the back to the nave for agape.
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