The first Sunday in Lent being called Quadragesima, being the fortieth day before Easter; the three preceding Sundays were denominated, from the next round numbers, Quinquagesima, fiftieth; Sexagesima, sixtieth; and Quinquagesima, seventieth day before Easter.

The design of the Church in these Sundays is to call us from the feasting and joy of Christmas, to prepare for the fasting and humiliation proper for the approaching season of Lent; to bring us from thinking on the manner of CHRIST’S coming into the world, to reflecting on the cause of it, our own sins and miseries; that so, being convinced of the reasonableness of punishing and mortifying ourselves for our sins, we may the more strictly and religiously apply ourselves to the duties of humiliation, mortification, and repentance, during the season of Lent.

The Epistles for each of these three days are taken out of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Corinthians. The first two persuade us to acts of mortification and penance, by proposing to us St. Paul’s example. And because all acts of self-denial, unless founded upon charity, or in a principle of love to GOD and submission to his institutions, profit nothing; the Church, in the Epistle for Quinquagesima Sunday, sets before us this exalted virtue of Christian love and unity. The design of the Gospels is the same with that of the Epistles.

[Excerpt from John Henry Hobart, A Companion for the Book of Common Prayer, Containing an Explanation of the Service, 82-83. 1859.]

The festivals more properly belong to our blessed Saviour, though they also relate to the Virgin. The Annunciation relates to his incarnation, and the Purification to his presence in the temple.

The Epistle for the Purification contains a prediction of the first advent of the Messiah, when he should come to his temple; which prediction was fulfilled at the presentation of CHRIST in the temple of which the Gospel gives an account.

The Epistle for the Annunciation contains the prophecy in Isaiah concerning the miraculous birth of CHRIST; and the Gospel recites the fulfillment of this prediction.

[Excerpt from John Henry Hobart, A Companion for the Book of Common Prayer, Containing an Explanation of the Service, 84. 1859.]

St. Paul is not commemorated, as the other Apostles are, by his death or martyrdom, but by his conversion; because, as it was wonderful in itself, so it was highly beneficial to the Church of CHRIST. By his indefatigable labors he contributed very much to the propagation of the Gospel throughout the world; and while other Apostles has their particular provinces, he had the care of all the Churches.

The Epistle relates to the conversion of St. Paul; and the Gospel exhibits the eminent reward of those who, like this Apostle, shall steadily adhere to the Saviour, and labor in his service.

[Excerpt from John Henry Hobart, A Companion for the Book of Common Prayer, Containing an Explanation of the Service, 83. 1859.]

As the design of the Church, in all her proper services, from Christmas to Epiphany, appears to be to set forth the humanity of the Saviour, and to manifest him in the flesh; so, during the Sundays after the Epiphany her design appears to be to display his divinity, by recounting to us in the Gospels, some of his first miracles and manifestations of divine power. The design of the Epistles is to excite us to imitate CHRIST as far as we can, and to manifest ourselves to be his disciples, by a constant practice of all Christian virtues.

[Excerpt from John Henry Hobart, A Companion for the Book of Common Prayer, Containing an Explanation of the Service, 82. 1859.]

In his A Companion for the Book of Common Prayer, Containing an Explanation of the Service (1859), Bishop John Henry Hobart, the third bishop of New York, included an outline of the church year. He addressed each season and holy day of the church calendar as outlined in the Book of Common Prayer. His brief commentaries on the calendar are useful for understanding the seasonal feasts and fasts, and for understanding the background of the appointed readings from the lectionary.

This book has long been out of print, though it can be procured from sellers of used books. In order to provide brief notes of educational and devotional instruction, the Society will be publishing here on its website Bishop Hobart’s commentary on the church year. Each item will be published on the day beginning the season or on the respective holy day, covering the entire church year. We hope these snippets of information will be enlightening for Anglicans and non-Anglicans alike.

Bishop Hobart’s commentary includes a few footnotes. Where we have found them to be important for the understanding of his particular remarks, we have included them; when we have found them to address marginal matters not explicitly necessary for understanding his comments, we have omitted them.

As we are only now publishing the series, we begin with the Sundays after the Epiphany and will continue until we have finished next year on the feast of Epiphany.