The Affair of the Sausages shook up the city of Zürich today in 1522. Controversial priest Huldrych Zwingli (above) said it was OK to eat during the fast of Lent, and joined a group of his followers for supper, at which they enthusiastically tucked into some one-year-old smoked sausages. Zwingli’s point was that Christians should be free to fast or not to fast during Lent, and that the Bible was indifferent about it. And so it was that a plateful of sausages triggered the Swiss Reformation.
Dwight L Moody and Ira D Sankey held their first evangelistic meeting today in London in 1874, at the end of a 10 month tour of Britain. It was overwhelmingly successful, sparking a religious revival in Britain, and also had a spin-off hit with Sacred Songs and Solos, the Moody and Sankey hymn book, one of the bestselling books of the 19th century.
It is the feast of St Gregory of Nyssa, the younger brother of St Basil the Great, and the junior member of the three Cappadocian Fathers, whose brilliant theology helped establish the orthodox doctrine of the trinity in the 4th century.
The U2 album The Joshua Tree was released today in 1987, one of the world’s best-selling albums.
Today is the feast day of St Frances of Rome, who died in 1440. She is the patron saint of motorists. Why not celebrate by praising the Lord on the car horn?
‘Lord, we ask that through the care of St Frances of Rome, You may inspire all who drive to do so with utmost care. May special graces be given to new young drivers, that they may use extreme care while driving…’ St Frances of Rome Motorist Safety Prayer Card
Image: Otto Münch/Rebecca Kennison