Company of Angels

I realise that I haven't updated our Sermon on the Mount series in a while. That's because it's on hiatus right now, what with Confirmations and March Break. I'll resume it after Easter. In the meantime, I have a few other talks to put up. Before that, I wanted to introduce Company of Angels, and start getting things going with that.

Before Christmas, I began a drama team for the Youth Ministry. We helped in a big way to put on a very successful Christmas Pageant! But the team was not supposed to disband after Christmas. Instead, those who have remained and I have dubbed it "Company of Angels", taken from the line in Mass just before the Consecration of the Eucharist, where the priest exhorts us to worship with the words, "Now we join with all the company of angels and archangels, singing:" and the congregation responds by singing the Sanctus: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Heaven and Earth. The whole earth is full of Your Glory. Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the Highest!"

As a theme verse, I have chosen a line from Galatians 3:1: "...You have had a clear picture of Jesus Christ crucified, right in front of your eyes...", since, on the one hand, the phrase in the NJB Bible, "have had a clear picture" is from the Greek word "prographo", which means "to depict or portray openly" and can include writing, visual arts, and drama. On the other hand, the actual statement, about portraying Jesus Christ crucified, is what we're all about--openly and dynamically presenting the Gospel "right in front of your eyes"!

Thus, not only do we want to perform for the Church, but anywhere and any chance we get. To kick it off, we'll be taking a big part in the 5th annual Good Friday Way of the Cross, literally fulfilling the theme verse by portraying Christ's passion out before the eyes of Oakville, on the streets, from St. Andrew's Church to St. Dominic's Church 8 Km away.

If you're interested in joining up with Company of Angels, I highly encourage it, and would be excited to have you. There's just a few things one needs to know:

CoA is a ministry. In presenting the Gospel, you are doing something hugely powerful and important for the Kingdom of God! Drama has been used many times, in many ways, for the conversion of people to faith in Jesus Christ! Awesome!

So it's important to be prepared. We need to be staying close to Jesus, know Him personally, so that when we portray Him to others, that's truly what they will see. As such, beyond just the fun of chilling together and acting, there will be some spiritual formation involved. At each weekly meeting (Sunday afternoons from 2-4 pm, in the Parish Centre), I will have prepared a small sheet with a Scripture passage on it. It is your duty, as a member of CoA, to read the passage and reflect on it, throughout that week. On the sheet, as well, there will be three questions related to the passage, to help guide you as you reflect and meditate on it. Finally, at the bottom of the sheet there will be one or two verses "for memory". These verses will either be from the passage above, or directly related to it. The idea is that you will memorise them. Psalm 119:11 says "I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You." When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He responded with the words of Scripture, and He didn't have to whip out His Torah scroll and search for a passage. He knew what it said. St. Paul calls the Word of God the "Sword of the Spirit." Further, if someone in need of counsel or encouragement comes to you, then you have, beyond your own natural ability, God's Word as a help in sharing His light and love with them!

Now, these sheets are for you, not me--in that I don't want you to hand them in (I'll be doing the reading and reflection, too). However, on top of handing out the sheets, I'll also be posting them on this blog. In the comments section, I'll be leaving my own thoughts on the passage. I encourage you to do the same, especially if you're on the team (anyone else is, of course, welcome as well). I'll put the first 5 weeks up pretty rapid-fire in order to catch us up, and then afterward, 1 sheet per week.

So that's Company of Angels. I'll be posting our upcoming events and performances here, beyond the Good Friday Way of the Cross, so stay tuned!

And by all means, join up!

God bless
Gregory