First, the obvious: This post is not intended for my Anglican or Catholic or other high-church friends but for those who, like me, were raised in the low-church or nondenominational world of American evangelicalism, where the faith was once for all delivered to the saints by
At the risk of being an absolute pedant, I have to ask what is meant by "helpful but not holy". Surely days set apart for thinking about God are easy to denote as holy ones?
Yes, I can see that way of looking at it, and in one sense you’re right. I guess I simply understand that quote to mean that celebrating the church calendar is not necessary for one’s holiness. Celebrating March 19 as the Feast of Saint Joseph is a fine thing to do, but also that it falls in a different category than, say, the Lord’s Day. We’re commanded to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8), but we’re not commanded to honor Saint Joseph’s day, to keep it holy.
At the risk of being an absolute pedant, I have to ask what is meant by "helpful but not holy". Surely days set apart for thinking about God are easy to denote as holy ones?
Yes, I can see that way of looking at it, and in one sense you’re right. I guess I simply understand that quote to mean that celebrating the church calendar is not necessary for one’s holiness. Celebrating March 19 as the Feast of Saint Joseph is a fine thing to do, but also that it falls in a different category than, say, the Lord’s Day. We’re commanded to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8), but we’re not commanded to honor Saint Joseph’s day, to keep it holy.