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Happy Ascension!
Depending on where you are in the world, this greeting may be reaching you a few days early. This is because the Ascension, like Corpus Christi, is celebrated on Thursday in some countries and dioceses and on Sunday in others.
It is inconvenient having half the world celebrating a feast on the wrong day – “the wrong day” meaning “on a different day from me”. But it is a good opportunity to remind you that Universalis has a great many local calendars in it, so almost wherever you are, you can set Universalis to use your own local calendar. That way you will get the right feasts on the right dates. You may well also get some local feasts specially relevant to you: ones that no-one else celebrates.
We now have a web page explaining how to set your local calendar. It covers all the Universalis apps and programs, and our web site as well.
Pentecost and the “theological season”
Pentecost follows soon after the Ascension.
Pentecost turned the disciples from a rabble of trainees listening to their Master, and sometimes understanding him, into a group of Apostles fired from within by the Spirit who gives all understanding.
Pentecost is often called “the birthday of the Church”. It also marks the start of a short but intense season of what you might call “theological” feasts. Apart from Pentecost itself they include Jesus Christ the Universal High Priest (in some places), the Holy Trinity, and the Body and Blood of Christ. These feasts teach us that our religion is not only a matter of feeling but of understanding, not only of the heart but of the mind.
Characteristically, the Church concludes this mini-season with the feast of the Sacred Heart, reminding us of the opposite fact: that our religion is not only of the mind but of the heart as well.
It all makes sense. Every one of us has a tendency to simplify and become one-sided, and these feasts between them give us balance.
The Universalis podcast
The short theological season following on from Pentecost is well worth taking seriously. If you haven’t already tried the Universalis podcast, do, because it may help. It appears once a week and is about 15 minutes long. The podcast contains reflections on the week ahead, which many people have told us are valuable and stimulating (thank you for saying this!). It also talks about the Liturgy, the way it came about, the way it is structured and how best to use it.
This page has links to all the podcast episodes as they appear. If you are using a podcast app such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify, you can subscribe to the podcast in your app. That same page has instructions.
“The Creed in Slow Motion”
Talking about thinking about theology, don’t forget the book The Creed in Slow Motion. It continues to have an impact among the people who have bought it, and read it, and re-read it. The Creed in Slow Motion is not a textbook. It does not tell you what to think. It tells you to think, and offers ideas and inspiration to help you do so. This review of the book is impressive, and humbling.
Thank you all for using Universalis. If you have trouble or questions, or suggestions, do write to us at universalis@universalis.com or use the Contact Us button in one of the apps.
Let us all keep one another in our prayers, as always.