At the closing of the day......
The month of November begins with All Souls and All Saints. This coincides with a shortening of the day, the hours of darkness mark the rhythm of our routines. The leaves fall and it becomes colder. Everything seems to draw to a close, a visible and tangible reminder that the end of the liturgical year draws near. The passing from this life into the next found in the Feast days that start the month initiate us into this period of closure of the liturgical year. The play of light and darkness of this period is symbolised in several feast days - St Martin, St Lucy, - and ultimately Advent. The Liturgical Calendar of the Church connects with the biblical idea of religious duties to be performed at the Temple found in the Old Testament. While the word Liturgy itself denotes especially public rather than private worship the connection between the two is a natural and necessary one in much the same way that fasting or abstinence from food aids in preparing the spirit, those private devo...