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Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

The Book of Common Prayer says that by taking part in Holy Communion, Christians become “very members incorporate in the mystical body” of Jesus. The words “corporate” and “mystical” are key. They show that a healthy church has two sides, with the often-overlooked “mystic” side asking the question, “How do I experience God?” This blog tries to answer that.

It has four main themes. The first is that God will accept anyone. (John 6:37.) The second is that God wants us to live lives of abundance.(John 10:10.) The third is that Jesus wants us to read the Bible with an open mind. (As Luke 24:45 says: “Then He [Jesus] opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”) The fourth theme – another one often overlooked – is that Jesus wants us to do even greater miracles than He did. (John 14:12.) 

And this thought ties them together:

The best way to live abundantly and do greater miracles than Jesus is: Read, study and apply the Bible with an open mind. For more see the notes or – to expand your mind – see the Intro.

In the meantime:

April 30, 2026 – Friday, May 1, is the Feast Day for St. Philip and St. James. (The link is to the 2020 meditation on these two, with a note: “we are now in the eighth full week of the COVID-19 pandemic. And since wisdom begins with the definition of terms – said Socrates – I’ll clarify. To me, the pandemic hit full swing – the “stuff really hit the fan” – back on Thursday, March 12.”

But we digress. We have other fish to fry these days. So, back to Saints Philip and James. One problem is, we’re not sure who they are. “James” was a popular and widespread name in Jesus’ time. It was associated with Jacob, who became “Israel” by wresting with the angel in Genesis 32:24-32. The English name “James” is a variant of “Jacob,” or in Hebrew, “Ya’akov.” And the New Testament lists at least three “James” who could fit the bill, and possibly as many as eight.

Our best guess is that the James remembered on May 1 is James the Lesser, also called James the Son of Alphaeus. (Not to be confused with James the Greater, called “James the Elder.”) This lesser James “appears only four times in the New Testament, each time in a list of the twelve apostles.” But he gets his own feast day, as does St. Philip.

The best guess here is that this Philip is Philip the Apostle, but there was also a Philip the Deacon: “One of the seven men chosen by the Apostles to perform certain administrative tasks for the poor in the early Christian community at Jerusalem (Acts 6:5-7). Because of his zeal in preaching the gospel he became known as Philip the Evangelist (Acts 21:8).”

But again, our best guess is that the Philip remembered on May 1 is Philip the Apostle. Wikipedia said this Philip was a disciple from Bethsaida, and that Andrew and Peter were from the same town. Jesus tested him in John 6:6, and later he and Andrew told Jesus about some Greeks who wanted to see Him in John 12:20-22. And as noted, Wikipedia distinguished this Philip from “Philip the Deacon.” See Philip the Evangelist – Wikipedia: “He preached and performed miracles in Samaria, and met and baptised [sic] an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, traditionally marking the start of the Ethiopian Church (Acts 8:26–39).”  (Confused? In past posts I’ve been confused as well.)

As to why these two saints are celebrated together:

The two apostles Philip and James the Lesser are remembered with a single liturgical feast because their relics, transferred respectively from Hierapolis and Jerusalem, were placed together in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles [“Santi Apostoli“] in Rome.

Another note on this Philip. He was a link to the Greek community. He had a Greek name, could speak Greek, probably knew the Greek pilgrims in Jerusalem, as shown by is advising Andrew “that certain Greeks wish to meet Jesus.” (John 12:21.) Also, during the Last Supper, “when Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, he provides Jesus the opportunity to teach his disciples about the unity of the Father and the Son.” (And we could use some of that unity today.)

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The upper image is courtesy of Saints Philip and James – Franciscan Media. Caption: “Image: Detail of reredos | Polytych by Maestà | Wikimedia.” See also “Santi Apostoli, Rome.” The article noted this “6th-century Roman Catholic parish and titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, dedicated originally to St. James and St. Philip whose remains are kept here, and later to all Apostles. 

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

Feast days are designated days on the liturgical (church) calendar “set aside to commemorate events, saints, or doctrines that are important in the life of the Church. These can range from Solemnities, which are the highest-ranking feast days like Easter and Christmas, to optional memorials that celebrate lesser-known saints.” Feast Days … the Church’s Calendar. See also Wikipedia’s Calendar of saints. “The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word ‘feast’ in this context does not mean ‘a large meal, typically a celebratory one,’ but instead ‘an annual religious celebration, a day dedicated to a particular saint.’”

For this post I reviewed, from 2016, Philip and James – Saints and Apostles, On St. Philip and St. James – May, 2020, from 2022, Here’s to Saints Philip and James – “Whoever you are,” and On Saints Mark, Philip and James – 2023.

The lower image is courtesy of Philip the Apostle – Wikipedia. Caption: “‘St. Philip,’ by Peter Paul Rubens, from his ‘Twelve Apostles’ series (c. 1611), at the Museo del Prado, Madrid.”

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As noted in the opening blurb, this blog has four main themes. The first is that God will accept anyone. (See John 6:37, with the added, “Anyone who comes to Him.”) This is a consistent theme throughout the Bible. From the Old Testament, Psalm 9:10, “You never forsake those who seek you, O Lord.” (In the Book of Common Prayer version.) The second is that God wants us to live abundantly.  (John 10:10.) The third is that we should do greater miracles than Jesus. (John 14:12). A fourth theme: The only way to do all that is read the Bible with an open mind:

…closed-mindedness, or an unwillingness to consider new ideas, can result from the brain’s natural dislike for ambiguity. According to this view, the brain has a “search and destroy” relationship with ambiguity and evidence contradictory to people’s current beliefs tends to make them uncomfortable… Research confirms that belief-discrepant-closed-minded persons have less tolerance for cognitive inconsistency…

So in plain words, I take issue with what I call “Christian first graders.” Those who choose to stay in a kind of elementary-school first grade. See John the Baptist, ’24 – and “Christian First Graders,” for more. But the key point: “The Bible was designed to expand your mind,” not make it narrow. Also, there’s the idea that “Jesus was anything but negative. His goal was for you to grow and develop into all that you can be.” (For more on that see ABOUT THE BLOG, above.)

I’ve written on boot-camp Christians, the Literalists who never go “beyond the fundamentals.” But the Bible offers so much more than a narrow reading gives… (Unless you want to stay a buck private all your life…) Now, about “Boot-camp Christians” see Conservative Christian – “Career buck private?” The gist of that post: Starting the Bible is like Army Basic Training. You begin by“learning the fundamentals.” But after boot camp, you move on to Advanced Individual Training.”

And as noted in “Buck private,” one of this blog’s themes is that if you want to be all that you can be, you need to go on and explore the “mystical side of Bible reading.*” In other words, exploring the mystical side of the Bible helps you “be all that you can be.” See Slogans of the U.S. Army – Wikipedia, re: the recruiting slogan from 1980 to 2001. The related image at left is courtesy of: “toywonders.com/productcart/pc/catalog/aw30.jpg.”

Re: “mystical.” Originally the “liturgical, spiritual, and contemplative dimensions of early and medieval Christianity.” Mysticism – Wikipedia, and the post On originalism.  (“What the Bible was originally about!”) See also Christian mysticism – Wikipedia, “In early Christianity the term ‘mystikos’ referred to three dimensions, which soon became intertwined, namely the biblical, the liturgical and the spiritual or contemplative… The third dimension is the contemplative or experiential knowledge of God.” As to that “experiential” aspect, see also Wesleyan Quadrilateral – Wikipedia, on the theological reflection method using four sources of spiritual development: scripture, tradition, reason, and “Christian experience.”

For an explanation of the Daily Office – where “Dorscribe” came from – see What’s a DOR?

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Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

The Book of Common Prayer says that by taking part in Holy Communion, Christians become “very members incorporate in the mystical body” of Jesus. The words “corporate” and “mystical” are key. They show that a healthy church has two sides, with the often-overlooked “mystic” side asking the question, “How do I experience God?” This blog tries to answer that.

It has four main themes. The first is that God will accept anyone. (John 6:37.) The second is that God wants us to live lives of abundance.(John 10:10.) The third is that Jesus wants us to read the Bible with an open mind. (As Luke 24:45 says: “Then He [Jesus] opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”) The fourth theme – another one often overlooked – is that Jesus wants us to do even greater miracles than He did. (John 14:12.) 

And this thought ties them together:

The best way to live abundantly and do greater miracles than Jesus is: Read, study and apply the Bible with an open mind. For more see the notes or – to expand your mind – see the Intro.

In the meantime:

April 25, 2026 – Today is the Feast Day for Saint Mark, who wrote the first and shortest of the four Gospels. “In Christian tradition, Mark the Evangelist, the author of the second gospel is symbolized by a lion – a figure of courage and monarchy.” (Wikipedia.) But that “second Gospel” doesn’t mean his wasn’t the first account of the life of Jesus. As Isaac Asimov noted:

Matthew is [listed as the] first of the gospels in the New Testament because, according to early tradition, it was the first to be written. This, however, is now doubted by nearly everyone. The honor of primacy is generally granted to Mark, which is the second gospel in the Bible as it stands.

The writer of this first-in-time Gospel is generally identified as the same John Mark who “carried water to the house where the Last Supper took place” in Mark 14:13, or the “young man who ran away naked when Jesus was arrested” in Mark 14:51. See also Acts 12:25:  “Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.“ Now about the lion being his symbol.

The lion is traditionally “a figure of courage and monarchy.” See also Lion of Saint Mark, which said the symbolism began with Revelation 4:7, “The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.” The lion also symbolizes “the power of the Evangelist’s word, the wings symbolize the spiritual elevation, while the halo is the traditional Christian symbol of holiness.” And so to summarize:

In Christianity, the four living creatures are Cherubim. A prominent early interpretation has been to equate the four creatures as a tetramorph of the Four Evangelists where the lion represents Mark the Evangelist, the calf [or “ox”] is Luke the Evangelist, the man is Matthew the Apostle, and the eagle symbolizes John the Evangelist. This interpretation originated with Irenaeus and was adopted by Victorinus.   Its influence has been on art and sculpture and is still prevalent in Catholicism and Anglicanism.

Then there’s that question of “the honor of primacy.” If Mark wrote the first Gospel, why is his listed after Matthew? It’s a story of being “disrespected,” but eventually recognized for his singular contribution. (Thanks to Bible scholars who became open-minded enough to “dig deeper.”) In other words, Mark presents a “Cinderella story,” of success after a lowly beginning.

One reason for his being dissed early on could have been that his was the shortest Gospel. Another reason might be his Koine Greek, not at all elegant. (What Garry Wills called a marketplace or pidgin Greek, a “simplified means of linguistic communication … constructed impromptu, or by convention, between individuals or groups of people.”)

In other words, his written Greek was “short and clumsy.” For this reason and others St. Augustine for one called Mark “the drudge and condenser” of Matthew. And since his Greek was “clumsier and more awkward” – clumsier than the more-polished writing of Matthew, Luke and John – his was the “least cited Gospel” in the early Christian period.  

But “this Cinderella finally got the glass slipper,” even though Mark had to wait until the 19th century to get his. (Metaphorically or otherwise.) That’s when scholars finally noticed that the other three Gospels all cited material from Mark, but “he does not do the same for them.” Their conclusion? He started the process and set the pattern of and for the other three Gospels. Since that time Mark’s Gospel “has become the most studied and influential.”

Another note: It seems that Mark wrote his Gospel at a time of great suffering in the early church. As Asimov noted, Mark’s Gospel was designed “to circulate among Christians the story of the sufferings of Jesus and his steadfastness under affliction. Perhaps this was in order to encourage Christians at a time when they, generally, were undergoing persecution.”

In turn, and as I wrote in 2020, that earthly suffering may well have been mirrored in the unforeseen and largely inexplicable “end times” of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. And if nothing else, that Covid-19 (or the 2020 extension) reminded us of our “fragility as human beings.” Which brings us to The Plague by Camus, and a quote from Part 1, early in the book:

Everybody knows that pestilences have a way of recurring in the world; yet somehow we find it hard to believe in ones that crash down on our heads from a blue sky. There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise.

Which certainly seems true of whatever latest pestilence we may be going through. (“Let the reader understand,” from Mark 13:14.) Which brings up a Salt Lake Tribune review of “The Plague” (the Camus novel) with this point: “Being alive always was and will always remain an emergency; it is truly an inescapable ‘underlying condition.'” But there could be a silver lining: The “absurdity” of life – with all its despair at times – could lead to a “tragicomic redemption, a softening of the heart, a turning away from judgment and moralizing to joy and gratitude.”

Which brings us to the old saying noted in the Peanuts cartoon below, reminding us that in “bad times or hopelessness, it is more worthwhile to do some good, however small, in response than to complain about the situation.” See also Better to light a single candle. 

Put another way, April 25 celebrates the man the other three Gospel-writers followed and borrowed so freely from. The man whose work – for 18 long centuries – was largely disregarded and disrespected. The man who finally – after 1,800 years – got the recognition he deserved.

I think there’s an object lesson there…

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The upper image is courtesy of Peter Paul Rubens: The Four Evangelists: “Rubens portrayed the four evangelists while working together on their texts. An angel helps them… Each gospel author can be identified by an attribute. The attributes were derived from the opening verses of the gospels.  From left to right: Luke (bull), Matthew (man [angel]), Mark (lion), and John (eagle).” See also Four Evangelists – Wikipedia.

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

Feast days are designated days on the liturgical (church) calendar “set aside to commemorate events, saints, or doctrines that are important in the life of the Church. These can range from Solemnities, which are the highest-ranking feast days like Easter and Christmas, to optional memorials that celebrate lesser-known saints.” Feast Days … the Church’s Calendar. See also Wikipedia’s Calendar of saints. “The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word ‘feast’ in this context does not mean ‘a large meal, typically a celebratory one,’ but instead ‘an annual religious celebration, a day dedicated to a particular saint.’”

For this post I reviewed 2015’s On St. Mark’s “Cinderella story,” 2016’s More on “arguing with God” – and St. Mark as Cinderella, and later from On St. Mark, 2020 – and today’s “plague” – the Plague being the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. – and On St. Mark – 2024.

The Garry Wills reference to Koine Greek is from What Jesus Meant: Wills, the 2007 book offering an “illuminating analysis for believers and nonbelievers alike.” (Said Goodreads.) The quote is from pages xi-xiii of my Penguin Books edition. See also Pidgin – Wikipedia.

Re:  Isaac Asimov. The quotes cited above are from Asimov’s Guide to the Bible (Two Volumes in One),  Avenel Books (1981), at pages 770 and 902.

From the link Why does Mark say, “Let the reader understand” in Mark 13:14:

The comment to “let the reader understand” in Mark 13:14 could be taken different ways, depending on whose comment it is. It could be a parenthetical comment, inserted by Mark, to signal his readers that Jesus’ prophecy requires discernment and careful consideration. Alternatively, the comment to “let the reader understand” could be part of Jesus’ own words… Either way, the call to “understand” highlights the need for spiritual discernment and preparedness

The “stupid darkness” cartoon is courtesy of You Stupid Darkness! | Kurtis Scaletta’s Site, which links to comics.com/peanuts, “one of the most amazing but little-known Internet resources.”  See also lightasinglecandle … com, and The 5 Greatest (newspaper) Comic Strips Of All Time.

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As noted in the opening blurb, this blog has four main themes. The first is that God will accept anyone. (See John 6:37, with the added, “Anyone who comes to Him.”) This is a consistent theme throughout the Bible. From the Old Testament, Psalm 9:10, “You never forsake those who seek you, O Lord.” (In the Book of Common Prayer version.) The second is that God wants us to live abundantly.  (John 10:10.) The third is that we should do greater miracles than Jesus. (John 14:12). A fourth theme: The only way to do all that is read the Bible with an open mind:

…closed-mindedness, or an unwillingness to consider new ideas, can result from the brain’s natural dislike for ambiguity. According to this view, the brain has a “search and destroy” relationship with ambiguity and evidence contradictory to people’s current beliefs tends to make them uncomfortable… Research confirms that belief-discrepant-closed-minded persons have less tolerance for cognitive inconsistency…

So in plain words, I take issue with what I call “Christian first graders.” Those who choose to stay in a kind of elementary-school first grade. See John the Baptist, ’24 – and “Christian First Graders,” for more. But the key point: “The Bible was designed to expand your mind,” not make it narrow. Also, there’s the idea that “Jesus was anything but negative. His goal was for you to grow and develop into all that you can be.” (For more on that see ABOUT THE BLOG, above.)

I’ve written on boot-camp Christians, the Literalists who never go “beyond the fundamentals.” But the Bible offers so much more than a narrow reading gives… (Unless you want to stay a buck private all your life…) Now, about “Boot-camp Christians” see Conservative Christian – “Career buck private?” The gist of that post: Starting the Bible is like Army Basic Training. You begin by“learning the fundamentals.” But after boot camp, you move on to Advanced Individual Training.”

And as noted in “Buck private,” one of this blog’s themes is that if you want to be all that you can be, you need to go on and explore the “mystical side of Bible reading.*” In other words, exploring the mystical side of the Bible helps you “be all that you can be.” See Slogans of the U.S. Army – Wikipedia, re: the recruiting slogan from 1980 to 2001. The related image at left is courtesy of: “toywonders.com/productcart/pc/catalog/aw30.jpg.”

Re: “mystical.” Originally the “liturgical, spiritual, and contemplative dimensions of early and medieval Christianity.” Mysticism – Wikipedia, and the post On originalism.  (“What the Bible was originally about!”) See also Christian mysticism – Wikipedia, “In early Christianity the term ‘mystikos’ referred to three dimensions, which soon became intertwined, namely the biblical, the liturgical and the spiritual or contemplative… The third dimension is the contemplative or experiential knowledge of God.” As to that “experiential” aspect, see also Wesleyan Quadrilateral – Wikipedia, on the theological reflection method using four sources of spiritual development: scripture, tradition, reason, and “Christian experience.”

For an explanation of the Daily Office – where “Dorscribe” came from – see What’s a DOR?

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April 4, 2026 – It’s that time of year again, after 46 days of Lent. (40 days mirroring the ones Jesus spent in the Wilderness, plus six Sundays “off,” as detailed in the Notes.)

Meaning it’s time to celebrate another Happy Easter Sunday. That is, the “festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion.”

But note first that before Jesus rose from the tomb he had to go through the Harrowing of Hell; between His Crucifixion and resurrection. “In triumphant descent, Christ brought salvation to the souls held captive there since the beginning of the world.” Which leads to a note: A harrow can be an “agricultural implement with spikelike teeth or upright disks, drawn chiefly over plowed land to level it, break up clods, root up weeds, etc.” But to harrow can also refer to causing “worry and upset, the way a truly scary movie might harrow you, making it hard to sleep:”

Harrow is an uncommon verb that was originally used in a religious context. You’re much more likely to hear the adjective harrowing used for things that are extremely distressing. But if your cat torments you nightly with her incessant meowing, you might try yelling, “Why do you harrow me?”

Which means that in this case too Jesus acted as “pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2.) And stands ready to help us through any harrowing we might be experiencing today.

But back to the reason for the season, the Resurrection. As told in John 20:1, “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.” So this Mary was both the first person to see the empty tomb of Jesus, and one of the first – if not the first – to see the risen Jesus. 

She then went to tell Peter and the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” They both got there, looked inside and saw the burial clothes lying there. (And no body.) Then they “went back to where they were staying.” But Mary – faithful Mary, who ended up with such a terrible reputation – stayed there. (As noted in the Gospel for her feast day, John 20:11-18.) She saw two angels, who asked why she was crying. Then she turned to see another man she took to be a caretaker:

Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary!”  She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher).  Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father.  But go to my brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord;” and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Which is why this Mary – from Magdala – is rightly called the “Apostle to the Apostles.”

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There’s more on Easter later – including the Easter bunny – but last Tuesday, March 31, I came across Proverbs 9:8. (For reasons detailed in the Notes.) And for the first time I can remember, this passage gave me a jolt. (Despite the fact that I started the Daily Office in 1992, which means I am now on my 16th trip through the Bible.) But to get to the point, the Amplified Bible translation of Proverbs 9:8 reads like this, “Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he will hate you; Correct a wise man [who learns from his error], and he will love you.” Which took a load off my mind.

For the past few years I’ve been consumed by the demands of Ezekiel 3:16-27, better known as Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman. “Zeke” wrote about a Believer’s duty to warn others of the error of their ways. Briefly, if you don’t warn a fellow citizen of the error of his ways, and he keeps sinning, God will punish both of you. But if you warn him and he keeps on sinning you will at least have saved your own spiritual butt: “They will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.” Which seemed to mean I was duty-bound to somehow convince people who don’t want to be convinced that they may have been wrong in – say for example – voting in a certain person.

So, if Proverbs 9:8 outranks Ezekiel 3:16-27, that means I don’t have worry about wasting a lot of time and effort Talking to a Brick Wall. (An idiom “Commonly used in conflicts or disputes where dialogue seems pointless.”) And what a relief that would be. Which goes to show why it pays to read and study the Bible. (Or to check this Blog from time to time.)

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Meanwhile, “What’s all this about the Easter Bunny?”

For starters, the name Easter came from a pagan figure called Eastre (or Ēostre), “celebrated as the goddess of spring by the Saxons of Northern Europe. Her earthly symbol was the rabbit, known as a symbol of fertility.” And that’s how we got the Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts. That tradition – first noted around 1682 – was based on folklore that had already been around awhile, and as practiced by German Lutherans. In turn, the Easter Bunny – or more precisely, the Easter Hare – “played the role of a judge,” evaluating whether children were good or bad, especially in the days leading up to “the start of the season of Eastertide.”

In legend, the creature carries colored eggs in his basket, candy, and sometimes also toys to the homes of children, and as such shows similarities to Santa Claus or the Christkind, as they both bring gifts to children on the night before their respective holidays.

One author noted that the “hare was the sacred beast of Eastre (or Eostre).” In turn, “Ēostre is attested solely by Bede in his 8th-century work The Reckoning of Time.” There Bede stated that during Ēosturmōnaþ (“Easter-month,” or the month of April), pagan Anglo-Saxons had held feasts in Ēostre’s honor, but that this tradition was eventually “replaced by the Christian Paschal month, a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.” (Another case of subsumation?)

And finally, a heads up. Next Sunday – aside from having a multitude of other names – is also known as “Quasimodo Sunday,” for reasons to be explained next week. Stay tuned… 

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The upper image is courtesy of File: Rembrandt – The Risen Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalen. See also On Easter Season – AND BEYOND, and Easter – Wikipedia.

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

Feast days are designated days on the liturgical (church) calendar “set aside to commemorate events, saints, or doctrines that are important in the life of the Church. These can range from Solemnities, which are the highest-ranking feast days like Easter and Christmas, to optional memorials that celebrate lesser-known saints.” Feast Days … the Church’s Calendar. See also Wikipedia’s Calendar of saints. “The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word ‘feast’ in this context does not mean ‘a large meal, typically a celebratory one,’ but instead ‘an annual religious celebration, a day dedicated to a particular saint.’”

For this post I reviewed 2015’s On Mary Magdalene, “Apostle to the Apostles,” 2017’s Frohliche Ostern – “Happy Easter!,” 2019’s On Easter, Doubting Thomas Sunday – and a Metaphor, “Happy Quasimodo Sunday” – 2022, and 2025’s ” If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him” – Easter ’25.

Re: Mary Magdalene at the Tomb. The account in John 20:1-18 has Mary going there alone. The account in Mark 16 has Mary going with two other women: “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.”

On coming across Proverbs 9:8 “last Tuesday.” Proverbs 9:1-12 is the Old Testament reading for Sunday in the week of 8 Epiphany. But as noted in The Lectionary – Satucket, the readings for Epiphany end at the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. Meaning the readings for the Sixth through Eighth weeks after the Epiphany got skipped this year. But I don’t like to skip those readings, so I go back over them after I start doing the readings for Lent, beginning on February 22. (I don’t like to leave that gap.) And that’s how I came across Proverbs 9:8 last Tuesday, March 31

For more on “Ezekiel’s task,” see On Peter, Paul, and the Bible’s “Dynamic Tension” – 2025.

Re: Days off during Lent. See 40 Days and 40 Nights [film] – Wikipedia, the 2002 film about “a San Francisco web designer who has chosen to abstain from any sexual contact for the duration of Lent.” See Why Sundays Don’t Count During Lent | Guideposts. Apparently the Hollywood writers didn’t do their Biblical homework.

Re: “Another case of subsumation.” A wide-spread theory says that early Church Fathers subsumed Saturnalia by celebrating Christmas on December 25, but others dispute the claim. See for example Did Christmas Come From Saturnalia Historical Analysis.

The lower image is courtesy of Easter – Wikipedia

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