Timotheos Prologizes

Bishop Pope's sermon at Fort Worth Synod

2012-01-24T00:12:00.003-06:00

Today, the second Bishop of Fort Worth, Clarence Cullam Pope, Jun., was remembered in his old diocese at a Requiem Mass at St. Vincent's Cathedral. I wish I had more writings and speeches of his. The little that I have seen is great stuff.

One of my favorite quotes from Pope is from when he opened the diocesan convention at All Saints’ Episcopal School in Fort Worth on Friday, 7 October 1994 and made a short farewell statement, which he concluded by noting: “Finally, and I cannot say this more strongly, we are not held together by property and coercive canons. If we fall back on those things, rather than our common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to be pitied and the Church ends up looking like a jail keeper rather than the dispenser of the saving grace of God.”

Going back a little further, here is Pope's sermon at the closing Mass of the Fort Worth Synod in 1989 on the text, ". . . that they all may be one, even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee . . ." (John 17:21):

Our Concern for Unity
The Gospel we have just heard read contains our Lord's great high priestly prayer, a prayer that must not be lost on us. The circumstances under which we have gathered these few days might overshadow and tend to lessen our vision of the great Church as we take necessary action to hold and extend our mission

And yet it is precisely because of our concern for unity with the Church that we have met in such an extraordinary way. Our concern extends not only to those who have remained faithful to what we believe to be essential, that is, to the given revelation of God in Holy Scripture and historic tradition, but also to those who disagree with us in fundamental ways.

Our Vocation
Ours is not a vocation to smugness and insularity, but to a holy witness that reaches out to the world, holding Christ high that all might be drawn to him. In particular, if we are faithful to our Lord's great prayer, we must not forget consideration for members of our own Anglican family who do not share our belief and convictions about faith and order. Charity, courtesy, and forebearance must be the rule and not the exception.

We must also remember those other Anglicans who, for the present, are not in communion with the See of Canterbury, but who hold the faith in common with us. We must pray and work diligently that reunion with them might be realized as soon as possible.

And yet our concern cannot stop there, because ours is a mission that reflects that of the Church universal in her quest for the redemption of all mankind. Ours is a loyalty we must claim to be of a higher order than to any institution, and that is to the Church Catholic--"universal, holding earnestly the Faith for all time, in all countries, and for all people" (Offices of Instruction, 1928 Prayer Book). Or, to put it another way--"the whole faith to all people" (Catechism, 1979 Prayer Book).

We can do none of this if we lose sight of who we are--if we become anemic and lose sight of all we claim for ourselves and for our mission. Stressful times are the devil's workshop and we must be on our guard to remember always, even as our forbears of old sat and wept when they remembered.

Remembering
But let me hasten to say that I am not so concerned about weeping as I am about remembering: "By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows, there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors mirth, saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.' How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?" (Psalm 137:1-4).

Memory is a wonderful faculty, and in the portion of the psalter I just read, there is evidence of a remembered remembrance. The past tense of the verbs in the first three verses indicate the psalmist was writing of the past event in which the remembrance of grander times was very painful to his fellow religionists.

These Jews were in captivity and far removed from Zion--Jerusalem--and all that meant to them. Their memory served to remind them of who they were in spite of their sadness, and would ultimately be the instrument of their salvation. It would not be very difficult for those of us gathered here to think of ourselves in those poetically sad words of Psalm 137. We have all sat down and wept when we remembered our own Zion before the capture--before a tireless and demanding secularism began its stifling effect upon the Church in this country.

One has to wonder what happened to those who no longer weep with us--or those who now seem happy in their captivity. What has happened to their memory? St. Augustine, in his work On the Trinity, wrote, "We know many things which in some sense live by memory, and so in some sense die by being forgotten."

Being and Doing Church
But we are not here to weep and wring our hands anymore--we are here to remember and because of that memory to get on with the job of being and doing Church in the sense of the givens of Holy Scripture and the received tradition.

I think St. Paul must have had us in mind when in his second letter to Timothy he wrote, "I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

"Always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." We do this best when we have a holy remembrance--a remembrance stirred by the Holy Spirit to make lively within us the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we receive Holy Communion in a few minutes, let us be mindful of the remembrance that brings us the sacramental presence of our Savior. This is the essence of our hope and the source of our strength to accomplish the monumental work ahead of us to which we believe God has called us.

Ordinary prognostications

2011-12-21T19:23:00.007-06:00

Before the New Year begins, I usually do some prognostications. In the realm of Anglican interest would be the appointment of an ordinary for the establishment of an Anglican Ordinariate in the United States on January 1. Since I supposed the announcement will be made just before the new year, I wanted to get this post out before then.

Anglicanorum Coetibus indicates that former Anglican bishops would be the most likely candidates for ordinary, but not necessarily so. There are six TAC bishops who are joining the ordinariate. Of those, perhaps Archbishop Louis Faulk could serve as a transitional figure to get things off the ground until a more permanent ordinary could be appointed. He might be a good choice given that his ministry was occupied in building up the continuing Anglican movement and leading it toward reconciliation with the Holy See (on the other hand, some might think that he would be a bad choice for precisely the same reason). What I'm not sure about is his age and health (he will turn 77). Faulk is retired now, and may not be up to the task.

Four bishops of the Episcopal Church became Roman Catholics in recent years. Two of those converts became reverts--Bishops Clarence Pope and Daniel Herzog. The other two have now been ordained as Catholic priests, Fathers Jeffrey Steenson and John Lipscomb. Of those two, Steenson is the more accomplished with an Oxford doctorate in theology. Interestingly, Pope and Steenson visited with Cardinal Ratzinger and Pope John Paul II in the early 1990s to propose the establishment of a structure for Anglicans in the Catholic Church that was very similar to what eventually was established with Anglicanorum Coetibus. The Bovina Bloviator seems confident it will be Steenson.

In choosing an ordinary, preference is given for Anglican bishops, but he does not necessarily have to be one. And there are many former Anglican/Episcopal priests now serving as priest in Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the country. Of these, Fr. George Rutler is (like Steenson) the most theologically accomplished and has many years of pastoral experience on both sides of the Tiber. He is also unique in being unmarried and if chosen to be the ordinary, would be ordained to the episcopate. It might in itself be worth having at least one of the Anglican ordinaries be a bishop.

There are also priests who have been serving in the seven Anglican Use parishes and who would be able to bring those years of experience to the table. The most experienced would be Fr. Christopher Philips of Our Lady of the Atonement parish and school in San Antonio. He was instrumental in forming the Anglican Use in the first place and has been a great resource to those interested in the ordinariate throughout the country.

Another possibility is Fr. Scott Hurd, who has been the liaison for Cardinal Wuerl for the implementation of the ordinariate in this country, and there are many other unsung heroes who have been faithfully ministering as priests.

One question is whether the new ordinary will need to be a priest already. I suspect so. In England, the ordinary was received and ordained and made the ordinary right away. In that case, he was one of several Anglican bishops who converted for the establishment of an ordinariate. The situation is not the same in the US, where there have been Anglican Use parishes for years, and there is not the same need for an "all at once" approach.

So who will the ordinary be? My prognostication (which is a total guess based on no inside information whatsoever) is that it will not be anyone named above. I guess we'll find out in a matter of days.

Update: As usual, my prognostications are worth less than the paper they're written on. As everyone else anticipated, the new Ordinary for the US is Father Jeffrey Steenson. I'm sure he will prove to be a wise choice. If it's any consolation, I also predict that President Obama will be re-elected this November.

Also, just for fun, here is a magazine article from 1911 about what life will be like 100 years from now. Some of the guesses were not too far off the mark.

Such a healthy perspective!

2011-12-15T21:08:00.004-06:00

It is refreshing to have such a healthy perspective on the whole issue of living with sexual brokenness as a faithful Catholic. According to Steve Gershom, it's just an ordinary life, and he's right. Have a look at his blog post "Gay, Catholic, and Doing Fine."

Here's an excerpt:
"Is it hard to be gay and Catholic? Yes, because like everybody, I sometimes want things that are not good for me. The Church doesn't let me have those things, not because she's mean, but because she's a good mother. . . . So, yes, it's hard to be gay and Catholic -- it's hard to be anything and Catholic -- because I don't always get to do what I want. Show me a religion where you always get to do what you want and I'll show you a pretty shabby, lazy religion. Something not worth living or dying for, or even getting up in the morning for. That might be the kind of world John Lennon wanted, but John Lennon was kind of an idiot."

Birth names and regal names

2011-12-02T17:59:00.003-06:00

This Advent, I'm reading through Raymond Brown's monumental The Birth of the Messiah. I his commentary on Matthew's genealogy of Jesus, he noted something of which I was unaware. The kings of Israel often (perhaps always) had both a birth name and then a new name bestowed at their coronation. In his list, Matthew chose a birth name (Jeconiah) in one instance and a regal name (Uzziah) in another.

That got me wondering if there is a Christian parallel. In the resurrection, Christians are to receive new names. St John records Jesus' promise, "To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it" (Revelation 2:17). Since we are to be joint-heirs with the Son in the kingdom of God, perhaps this is analogous to a regal name.

Jesus is also said to have a new name; perhaps this indicates a regal name. Again, St John records Jesus' promise, "The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name" (Revelation 3:12).

What is this new name? St Peter gives us an indication in his speech on Pentecost. He says, "Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified" (Acts 2:36). These new titles of "Lord" and "Christ" are bestowed by God the Father in virtue of Jesus' resurrection, which serves as a kind of coronation (by analogy), giving us the regal names "Lord and Christ"--names which are above every name.

A Christmas without Anglicans?

2011-12-01T23:26:00.003-06:00

One of the things I like most about the Christmas season are the carols. It only occurred to me recently that so many of them came to us from Anglicans. That reminded me that even our popular image of jolly old St. Nick was shaped by a professor of biblical studies at (of all places) an Episcopal seminary.

“‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” is a poem first published anonymously in 1823 and generally attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, a professor of classics at Columbia and then lay Professor of Hebrew and the Bible at the General Theological Seminary in New York, which was built on land he donated. The poem, which has been called “arguably the best-known verses ever written by an American,” is largely responsible for the conception of Santa Claus from the mid-nineteenth century to today, including his physical appearance, the night of his visit, his mode of transportation, the number and names of his reindeer, as well as the tradition that he brings toys to children.

And what about the carols? The text of the popular Christmas carol “O little town of Bethlehem” was written by Phillips Brooks, an Episcopal priest who was the long-time Rector of Trinity Church Trinity in Boston, and later the Bishop of Massachusetts. He was inspired by visiting the Palestinian city of Bethlehem in 1865. Three years later, he wrote the poem for his church and his organist, Lewis Redner, added the music. Redner’s tune, simply titled “St. Louis,” is the tune used most often for this carol in the United States.”

John Mason Neale was an Anglican priest, scholar, and hymn-writer. He translated many ancient hymns, such as the Christmas classic “Of the Father’s love begotten.” He was also responsible for much of the translation of the Advent hymn “O come, O come, Emmanuel,” based on the “Great O Antiphons” for the week preceding Christmas. Neale’s most enduring and widely known legacy is probably his own original Christmas contributions, most notably “Good Christian men, rejoice” and his Boxing Day carol, “Good King Wenceslas.”

The Anglican priest Charles Wesley, penned the classic “Hark! The herald angels sing.” The original words were reworked by his friend and fellow priest George Whitfield into the verses familiar to us today. The “Father of English Hymnody” Isaac Watts, a nonconformist minister in England, wrote the famous carol “Joy to the world!” The Anglican bishop Christopher Wordsworth penned the famous carol, “Sing, O sing, this blessed morn.”

Christina Rossetti was an English poet and a devout Anglo-Catholic. Two of her poems, “In the bleak midwinter” and “Love came down at Christmas,” became popular Christmas carols. Cecil Alexander, wife of a priest and then bishop in the Church of England, wrote the hymn “Once in royal David’s city.” Nahum Tate, who was the son of a priest and became England’s poet laureate, wrote the hymn “While shepherds watched their flock by night.” At the age of twenty-nine, English writer and Anglican layman William Chatterton Dix was struck with a sudden near-fatal illness and confined to bedrest for several months, which resulted in a deep depression. Yet out of his traumatic experience, he wrote the lovely carol “What Child is this?”

What would Christmas be like without Anglicans?

Your pastor and friend,
Father Timothy

Where is the new bishop of Fulham?

2011-11-22T15:26:00.003-06:00

It was a little over a year ago now that the former Bishop of Fulham, John Broadhurst, announced his resignation at the end of 2010. He did so along with four other bishops, including the bishops of Ebbsfleet and Richborough. Last May, Father Jonathan Baker was appointed to the See of Ebbsfleet and Father Norman Banks was appointed to the See of Richborough. Both were consecrated on the 16th of June and have been serving for half the year now. So where is the new Bishop of Fulham?

In his final address to the Forward in Faith Annual Assembly in October 2010, Bishop Broadhurst noted that the Bishop of London stated that "he intends to replace me." So where is that replacement? Why the hold up? Is that appointment still coming? Last November, Bishop Chartres of London noted, "After consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury, I intend with the assistance of representative figures in the Diocese, to appoint a successor to the Suffragan See of Fulham. I envisage that any new Bishop of Fulham will be more closely related to me as the Bishop of London in serving the Two Cities Area. Earlier today I met with the College of Bishops to discuss the way ahead. With immediate effect the Bishop of Edmonton has agreed to assume responsibility for the pastoral care of those clergy and parishes who before today related to the Bishop Fulham."

The Bishop of Fulham is an "area bishop" (in America, we call them suffragans) of the Diocese of London charged to minister specially to congregations opposed to the ordination of women. It may be that the position is being reworked somewhat, perhaps in tandem with Southwark. A person who seems knowledgeable posted this back in June on a Ship of Fools newsgroup:

"In the Diocese, we obviously want to establish a new way of working for the next Bishop of Fulham. The previous occupant of the see made it more of a personal chaplaincy; our aim going forward is to ensure that it is a genuinely suffragan role, with clarity both about the episcopal responsibilities that are expected and about the way in which pastoral care will be exercised for those unable to accept women priests and bishops. This includes looking at how the role extends south of the River. Work is being done on that at present, as is some thinking about the rationale for the London Area system (which we believe to be robust and to continue to serve the parishes well). No doubt an appointment will emerge in due course."

And Father Jones of St. Peters, London Docks, commented on his blog on August 31st: "Why, I am asked has there been no appointment of a Bishop of Fulham. Alas, I have no answer. I do not meet with the councils of the great. That said The Bishop of London has, both verbally and in writing, assured me and others that an appointment will be made and it will be that of a Catholic traditionalist. . . . I am not inclined to think The Bishop of London as being other than a man of honour and of his word . . ."

Pappa Ratzinger on "expiation"

2011-09-29T18:03:00.002-05:00

In our Bible study at St Matthew's, Comanche, we are using Pope Benedict's second book on Jesus as our study guide. We used the first book in our study last year. I am appreciative of all the new things that have been covered that I've either never heard of or never thought about much before.

Some examples: the synoptic gospels "extends the timeline" to the eschaton when Jesus talks about the "time of the Gentiles" being fulfilled (i.e., the Gospel must first be preached to the whole world, then the end will come). The evangelical urgency of the apostolic era (especially St Paul's journeys) was due more to a desire to hasten Christ's return rather than a motive to maximize the number of Christians in the world.

According to Josephus, the Christian community had fled to the wilderness beyond the Jordan before the Jewish War and the destruction of Jerusalem occurred. The Christians did not defend the Temple because they understood that the era of the Temple was over, or superseded. Jesus is the new Temple, as it were. Likewise, in St Paul's arguments with the Judaizers (see Galatians especially), the issue of the Temple never came up, even though " a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7). Even the Judaizers understood that the era of the Temple was over.

Lastly, his treatment of the term expiation is absolutely masterful. Here is the passage:

"The Greek word that is here translated as 'expiation' is hilasterion, of which the Hebrew equivalent is kapporet. This word designated the covering of the Ark of the Covenant. This is the place over which YHWH appears in a cloud, the place of the mysterious presence of God. This holy place is sprinkled with the blood of the bull killed as a sin-offering on the Day of Atonement--the Yom ha-Kippurim (cf. Lev 16) 'whose life is offered up to God in place of the life forfeited by sinful men' (Wilckens, Theologie des Neuen Testaments II/1, p. 235). The thinking here is that the blood of the victim, into which all human sins are absorbed, actually touches the Divinity and is thereby cleansed -- and in the process, human beings, represented by the blood, are also purified through this contact with God: an astonishing idea both in its grandeur and its incompleteness, and idea that could not remain the last word in the history of religions or the last word in the faith of Israel.

"When Paul applies the word hilasterion to Jesus [in Romans 3:23-25], designating him as the seal of the Ark of the Covenant and thus as the locus of the presence of the living God, the entire Old Testament theology of worship (and with it all the theologies of worship in the history of religions) is 'preserved and surpassed' (aufgehoben) and raised to a completely new level. Jesus himself is the presence of the living God. God and man, God and the world, touch one another in him. The meaning of the ritual of the Day of Atonement is accomplished in him. In his self-offering on the Cross, Jesus, as it were, brings all the sin of the world deep within the love of God and wipes it away. Accepting the Cross, entering into fellowship with Christ, means entering the realm of transformation and expiation" (pp. 39-40).

How often must I forgive?

2011-09-16T19:27:00.003-05:00

History is replete with turning points. For the Moslem Turks of the Ottoman empire, the most decisive turning point came in 1683. The heretofore conquering Islamic armies of the Sultan were met, held, and thrown back at the gates of Vienna, Austria. The leader Poland’s Christian army, John Sobieki, sent a letter of victory to Pope Innocent XI in which he wrote, similar to Julius Caesar, “I came, I saw, God conquered.”

Historians would note that the Ottoman empire never recovered from that defeat. From then on, the world stage was set. It was nearly assured that Western Christian powers would dominate the world stage, forever undermining Moslem domination through Europe. For Eastern historians, and especially more enthusiastic religious devotees, the moment was remembered as a humiliation for Islam, and a prelude to more humiliations later on. The date was September 11, 1683.

If anyone had doubts about the Battle of Vienna, those were erased at the Battle of Zenta. The Moslems had made a last ditch effort to destroy Christian civilization in the old Byzantine empire. Fourteen years later to the day, on September 11, 1697, Prince Eugene of Savoy killed 20,000 Turks, seized the Ottoman treasury, and took captive 10 of the Sultan’s wives. By treaty, the Ottomans were forced to cede Croatia, Hungary, Transylvania, and Slavonia to Austria.

Unrest in this part of the world later blossomed into “the Great War,” or World War I. A number of territories in Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East changed hands through the war. And following that conflict, it was on September 11, 1922 the British mandate came into force in Palestine over and against unrelenting opposition from Arabs, who declared it a day of mourning. In 1998, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared the 11th of September as an annual International Day of Peace, dedicated “to strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among nations and peoples.”

And in 2001, on a cool Tuesday morning, the 11th of September, the United States became part of a conflict she did not begin and, very likely, will not see finished. It is, perhaps, fitting that on this day of national remembrance we dedicate a memorial in New York city which is essentially two giant holes in the ground—decorated scars on our collective memory.

In today’s Gospel, Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how often must I forgive my brother who sins against me?” I suspect he was at least partly looking for permission to give up. Jesus wants us to understand today that it is part of his plan that the Church be a place of healing and forgiveness and mercy.

What is forgiveness? Most of us probably think of it incorrectly. So often another person does something wrong and says, “I’m sorry.” And then we respond by saying, “That’s alright. It was nothing. Don’t worry about it. No problem. It couldn’t be helped.” But that’s not forgiveness—it’s called being polite.

Forgiveness requires an acknowledgement that a true wrong has been committed. An apology is a self-accusation of guilt, and often a request for mercy. Forgiveness is when the injured party shows the guilty mercy. Mercy means giving someone better that what they deserve. In terms of forgiveness, it means forgoing our rightful claims of vengeance. Forgiveness means to surrender my right to hurt you for hurting me. But there are many things that disrupt this process.

Forgiveness is very often an extremely difficult thing to do. The more grievous the sin, the more difficult it is to forgive. There is something to be said for the analogy of forgiving debts—the more expensive the amount to be forgiven, the higher the personal sacrifice on the part of the injured party.

What gets in the way of forgiveness? It can be a general reluctance to forgive or to be merciful—a hardness of heart. It can be our sense of injustice—that they’d be getting away with it. It can be our pride, or simply a natural competitive spirit—it would feel like the other person won if you backed down.

Jesus shows us today how the unwillingness to be merciful ourselves keeps us from enjoying the mercy of our heavenly Father. You must forgive to be forgiven. You must be a healer to be healed yourself. In the book of Sirach in the Old Testament, we read, “Anger and wrath, these are abominations, and the sinful man will posses them. He that takes vengeance will suffer vengeance from the Lord,and he will firmly establish his sins. Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray.”

Also, St. Paul warned us today to be careful how we judge others. “Each of us shall give an account of himself to God.” And Jesus gave us the parable of a king who forgave the debt of a wicked servant. The servant was wicked because he did not forgive another person his debt as the first servant had himself been forgiven by the king. As it must be, he got caught, and he was no longer shown mercy. Jesus uses this to show how we should forgive others as God our King forgave us.

Jesus said, “The master delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all of his debt. So also my heavenly father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Jesus said virtually the same thing when commenting on the prayer he taught the disciples, which we now call the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus said, “If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive other their trespasses, your heavenly Father will not forgive you.”

Mercy is available to us in abundance, but it is the merciful who find mercy. If we do not forgive others, we should not expect forgiveness for ourselves. We should rather expect that God, like this earthly king, will throw us like this servant into a kind of “debtor’s prison.”

What is the debtor’s prison for paying the debt of sin? The prison is hell—a chamber of horrors, cut off forever from God’s goodness and mercy. As hard as one may try, no one can ever work off the debt of sin. There, in hell, a sinner remains trapped, imprisoned, doomed—held by the chains of his own sin, because he has refused the only key that can undue his shackles—the key of God’s mercy.

Peter said, “Lord, how often must I forgive my brother who sins against me?” Jesus tells him to keep on forgiving—there should be mercy without end. Why? because that’s how God is treating us—with mercy after mercy.

Patient, repeated forgiveness is a part of Jesus’ plan for his Church. As often as someone would turn to us to say, “I’m sorry, please forgive me,” we should be willing to show the same mercy that he wants to shower upon us—the mercy that we see time and time again at the cross.

Today is a day of remembrance. Let us recall our national wounds and our own wounds. Let us never forget what others have done to us. Let us remember so that we will never hold it against them. Let us never forget what they have done so that we shall never lose an opportunity to show mercy to others as God has shown mercy to us.

Why did St Paul appeal to Rome?

2011-08-24T00:23:00.005-05:00

Much of the Acts of the Apostles details the conversion and ministry of St Paul the Apostle. In chapter 21, he visits the great Temple in Jerusalem. Although Paul is careful to follow all of the Jewish customs, some in the crowd mistakenly believe that he brought Gentiles into restricted areas and thereby defiled the temple. A riot of sorts ensued and Paul was arrested before he was killed by the crowd.

At his hearing, Paul quickly finds that he is able to give his personal testimony and gain another venue for the proclamation of the gospel. Because he could not be executed by the Romans for Jewish ritual crimes (as with Jesus) the mob accused Paul of treason. As a Roman citizen, Paul exercised his right of appeal to the Emperor. The move got him out of a hot situation and probably saved his life.

After this, however, Paul was essentially shuffled around in custody for several years -- long after his accusers and the threat they posed had passed. The Romans wanted to release him (shades of Pontius Pilate, perhaps). Yet, Paul maintained his appeal rather than go free for no apparent purpose. At one point, Agrippa even remarked to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar" (Acts 26:32). In Acts, Paul himself says he feels guided by the hand of Providence, but does not know the ultimate reason why. In the face of a perilous journey, he later remarks to others on his ship,

I now bid you take heart; for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, `Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and lo, God has granted you all those who sail with you.' So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we shall have to run on some island" (Acts 27:22-26).

Perhaps he slowly came to see his appeal as a God-given opportunity -- an opportunity not just to proclaim the gospel in Rome, but to Caesar himself. Perhaps a hint of that opportunity is given in the selection of the Divine Office reading today:

Agrippa said to Paul, 'In a short time you think to make me a Christian!" And Paul said, "Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am -- except for these chains" (Acts 26:28-29).

What a possibility! To get such a reaction from the Emperor himself! If he stayed the course, Paul could be guaranteed an audience for the gospel. With that opportunity, he could either glorify God by the conversion of Caesar or by Paul's own martyrdom.

Historically, God would grant both outcomes. Paul would glorify God by a martyr's death in Rome, receiving the mercy of a beheading according to his rights as a citizen. The church in Rome would grow strong on the dual apostolic foundation of the two Roman martyrs Peter and Paul as well as all the other early martyrs of the Roman church. When their number was complete, the first Christian Emperor was led to conversion by an even similar to that which changed the life of Paul, a sign in the heavens -- a vision and a message from the Savior of men.

St Saviour, Hoxton--A blast from the past

2011-08-04T15:15:00.005-05:00

Reading through Martin Travers: An Appreciation, by Rodney Warrener and Michael Yelton, I came to a section on St Saviour's Church, Hoxton. It's the parish that "went all the way" and now is no more. Here is an excerpt:

St. Saviour was a thorn in the side of the usually tolerant Bishop of London, Winnington-Ingram. Ironically, it was the Bishop himself who had intervened to procure the living for Father Ernest Kilburn in 1907, after it was proposed by the Crown, who held the right of presentation alternately with the Bishop, to introduce a Low Church incumbent from Leeds.

Kilburn was inducted as vicar on 26th October 1907. Initially his views appear to have been quite moderate, and he followed the English Use. However, by 1910 incense was being used, and by 1911 the magazines refer to 'Mass' instead of 'Holy Communion.' By the end of the First World War he had turned the church into a working replica of a Roman parish. Mass after 1919-20 was always said in Latin, and all the usual Roman devotions were observed; the Sunday evening service was normally Vespers and Benediction. Dom Anselm Hughes, in his personal history of the Catholic Movement in the Twentieth Century, a sympathetic observer, wrote: 'occasionally an individual has made the mistake of moving too far ahead of the front line and so losing contact altogether. This is almost certainly true of E. E. Kilburn . . .' The problem facing the authorities was that Kilburn himself was a saintly figure, and the church was always full when others were not.
. . .
In 1927 Father D. A. Ross became vicar; he had to promise before his institution to revert to the vernacular for his services, although the church continued to be Papalist in tone. It housed the offices of the Confraternity for Unity from its establishment in this country in 1929. In 1932 Travers returned to tile the sanctuary.

In 1940 the church was severely damaged in an air raid and, being in an area which was rapidly being depopulated, it was not rebuilt. One of Travers' exotic but cheap schemes from this period was thus lost for ever, and it is fortunate that there is some photographic evidence of what was done there.

Below, the interior of St Saviour at the Dedication Festival in May of 1936, showing the Travers high altar, canopy, and cartouches.

How to get more out of Mass

2011-06-25T19:02:00.004-05:00

Homily for the Sunday after Corpus Christi

Today, we heard some words about discipleship from our blessed Lord that might seem shocking to us, but they should shape our perspective. Jesus says, “Don’t think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Jesus warns us that in some cases, his radical call of discipleship will bring hostility within the closest of bonds—the human family. He goes on to say, “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me, is not worthy of me.”

Jesus is speaking here of the stark reality of priorities—what is most important. When faced with tough choices, one turns to his or her priorities. Often that’s how we first find out what our real priorities are. It is said that conflict reveals character. That is, it’s only when we make tough decisions under real pressure that we discover what really is important to a person.

Jesus is warning his disciples: Before you go out there, before you face a hostile world, before things get messy in your life, you need to get your priorities in order. “In case you missed it,” Jesus tells them, “I am your number one priority.” Our main commitment as Christian disciples is to Jesus himself.

We have many things that are meaningful, important, and even crucial to us. But what is your highest priority? Food? Water? Shelter? Time? Your highest priority is not your job, your home, or your possessions; it is not your country nor your ethnic or family heritage; it is not your mother or father, nor your children, it is not even your husband or your wife or yourself. Your highest priority is Jesus Christ.

The Thursday after Trinity Sunday is the feast of Corpus Christi, the commemoration of the Eucharist as the Body and Blood of Christ. Roman Catholics in the USA commemorate it the next Sunday (today). So today, I’d like to reflect on this sacrament and how to get more out of the experience of going to Mass.

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council noted: “The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows.” In terms of worship, the Eucharist is our highest priority.

And that priority is fitting in light of today’s gospel, for we celebrate the Eucharist in obedience to our Lord’s command to continue the memorial of his sacrifice on the cross, and it is even more fitting because the Eucharist is Jesus himself—his body, blood, soul, and divinity given for our salvation.

Although Jesus offers all of us the same gifts in his sacraments, the key to making better use of those graces, of getting more out of Mass, is twofold: it involves preparation and it involves participation.

Think back to moments in your life with this question, What has gone really well for which you were totally unprepared? On occasion, that does happen. Sometimes we hear about people doing extraordinary and heroic things in desperate circumstances. But those are the exceptions to the rule, and even then, consider this . . . How often is a drowning victim revived by one who does not know CPR? How often is a plane crash avoided by one who does not know how to fly? How often is conflict avoided by those who cannot talk to each other?

Preparation is the surest way to get the most out of any experience, including Mass. So how do you prepare for Mass? The most important way to prepare for Mass is through the regular examination of our consciences and through the discipline of regular confession. When the general confession comes along in the course of the liturgy, do you have specific faults to offer up at that moment? or are we on to the next thing before you can even give it some thought?

The Exhortation of the Prayer Book reminds us of St Paul’s admonition to prepare ourselves carefully before partaking in the Body and Blood of Christ. It says, “Judge yourselves, therefore, lest you be judged by the Lord. Examine your lives and conduct by the rule of God’s commandments, that you may perceive wherein you have offended in what you have done or left undone, whether in thought, word, or deed. And acknowledge your sins before Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment of life . . . then come to the banquet of that most heavenly Food.”

We should not receive Holy Communion unless and until we are truly prepared. That means examining our lives, confessing our sins, and making amends. The general confession at Mass is not a substitute for a private sacramental confession to a priest, but it is rather a continual reminder of our need for it.

To get the most out of Mass, we need to prepare our hearts each time and regularly “take out the garbage” of our hearts to make room for God’s graces. Making a private sacramental confession of devotion to a priest seasonally (such as Advent and Lent) or monthly is a good habit to begin.

Next, it is a custom of the church to fast before receiving Holy Communion. A new rubric was added to the proposed English Prayer Book of 1928, saying “It is an ancient and laudable custom of the Church to receive this Holy Sacrament fasting.” Like so many things in our church, it is a matter of custom rather than law. It means that for Masses in the morning, you should avoid food from midnight. For Masses after noon, a three hour fast has long been deemed sufficient.

The idea is to break the fast with Jesus, to start the Sunday feast with the Lord, to hunger for him (first and foremost) in our Holy Communion. The elderly and young children as well as the sick are exempted from the fast. And if you are not able to participate fully, do what you can for the Lord. For example, I am a diabetic, so I’m not supposed to fast. So I have a light meal—something very simple like a banana or toast.

Another tip is to dress for Mass. This congregation is pretty casual, and people are not going to judge you here based on the clothes you wear. But this is about you and the Lord. A state of dress puts you in a state of mind. How would you dress if working in the garden? Going into outer space? Going to a job interview? Giving a speech? Going to meet the president? How would you dress if you were going to meet with God?

Along similar lines, do things differently on a Sunday morning. Avoid distractions, turn off the radio or TV, come early, look over the readings. Preparation is very important, but it is not all that matters.

Participation is another way to get the most out of any experience, including Mass. So how do you participate in Mass? We are here to worship God, so stay focused on that. Spend some time in silence with the Lord. Kneel down and pray before Mass, and spend at least a little time in prayer and thanksgiving after Mass.

Be careful to follow the liturgy—when to sit, stand, and kneel together. Make the sign of the cross in the traditional places. If a visitor is here, help them find their place in the book. Join in singing, even if you don’t like to. It’s your offering to God.

Especially at the offertory and during the Canon of the Mass (the prayer of consecration), intercede for others and intercede for yourself. Ask for graces from God. Didn’t Jesus tell us, “Ask and ye shall receive”? What better time to do so than during the Eucharstic prayer?

Pray for those around you and for those who couldn’t be here with you. Remember those who are sick or hurting. Pray for those you know who need the light of the Gospel or who need to come home to the Lord in a spirit of repentance. Pray for the work of the church and the spread of the gospel. Pray for God to use you in this work. Pray for God’s grace to keep you faithful, avoid temptation, and stay free from sin. Pray for our bishop and for all bishops, especially the pope in Rome. Pray for all the clergy and those in religious orders. Pray for the unity of the church. Pray for our governmental leaders and our courts. Pray for peace and safety at home and abroad. Pray for the faithful departed, especially your own loved ones. Pray for them to enter into the fullness of God’s presence and become saints. Pray for the intercession of the saints and the protection of the angels.

Join in their unceasing act of worship at God’s throne, singing “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts.” When the priest holds up the sacred Host for the congregation to adore, look upon the Body of Christ and say with St. Thomas, “My Lord, and my God!”

If your heart is not prepared for Holy Communion, invite Jesus spiritually into your heart, unite your soul and your will to his. If your heart is prepared, come with it filled with faith, hope, and charity and receive the Holy Communion, cherishing all the graces God offers you in this Holy Sacrament.

As St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, “Come to the Lord’s Supper, if you wish to come to the nuptials of the Lamb; there we shall be inebriated with the riches of the house of God, we shall see the King of glory and the God of hosts in all his beauty, we shall eat this Bread in the kingdom of the Father.”

For Corpus Christi

2011-06-25T18:00:00.003-05:00

The 1928 Proposed Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England (the Church approved it, but Parliament did not, so it never became the official Prayer Book) added the following rubric to the communion rite:

¶ It is an ancient and laudable custom of the Church to receive this Holy Sacrament fasting. Yet for the avoidance of all scruple it is hereby declared that such preparation may be used or not used, according to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

Why no rapture?

2011-05-20T22:01:00.002-05:00

As you probably know, the prediction of Harold Camping of Family Radio that the rapture will occur this Saturday has gotten a good deal of attention. In his prediction, the rapture will come in May and Judgment day will follow in October. I was once a big believer in the rapture idea. Some of you may be wondering what that is all about and how we know it is a false teaching.

The rapture teaching goes back to the mid 1800s, popularized by John Nelson Darby at various bible prophecy conferences and then by dispensationalism as represented in the Scofield Reference Bible. The idea of the rapture of the church is that sometime before the Second Advent of Jesus, the Lord comes secretly to remove the church from the earth--the last resistance to evil in the world. It's what you might describe as Christ's "Advent 1.5"--Jesus comes just close enough to pick up his followers before things get really bad. There are camps of those who believe this will happen before or during the great tribulation. Unfortunately, the teaching dogmatizes escapism and sometimes ends up producing a strange perspective on the world, as seen on wesites like raptureready.com.

Of course, scripture reference are used to support this teaching, but each passage has to be used very selectively in order to fit, sometimes even requiring new doctrines to make it fit (e.g., a new secret resurrection of raptured believers before the general resurrection). Two passages commonly used in support of the rapture (apart from other "last day", second coming, and general resurrection passages) are 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and Matthew 24:37-41.

The letter to the Thessalonians was perhaps the earliest written part of the New Testament. The believers at Thessalonica expected the Lord's return soon, but some in their church had died and they were concerned that those departed brethren might miss out on this great event. Paul writes to them and says don't worry; they won't miss a thing. At first glance, it sounds like a description of the rapture (indeed, this passage is where the word "rapture" comes from in the Latin translation). Verse 17: "We who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them [i.e., the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord."

But there are problems. As mentioned before, to make the rapture fit, we now need a secret resurrection of departed believers, separated in time, before the general resurrection takes place. In the rapture view, life continues as it was on earth, but with all the Christians missing (at least the true believers). Also, the event described in this passage is not so secret; it is heralded with trumpet blasts and shouts of praise. Verse 16: "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God."

This is of course, an exact description of the traditional view of the Second Coming of Jesus--in power and glory, public and heralded for all the world to see and hear, instantaneous, momentous, and unmistakable. There is no secret advent envisioned in this passage. Along with the Second Coming of Christ, the dead are raised to stand for judgment. The believers rise "first" to go out and meet the Lord, to welcome him as he arrives with the saints and angels. This is the cultural way of greeting an arriving dignitary in biblical times.

It was for this reason that the Matthean Palm Sunday passage used to be read on the first Sunday in Advent. The version in John's gospel shows that practice best: "The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!'" (John 12:12-13).

In Matthew 24:37-41, Jesus gives a description of the end times. Jesus tells the disciples that no one can know the time of the end, but you can heed the warning signs. This has the familiar quote in verse 40-41: "Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left." At first glance, it sounds like a description of the rapture. Indeed, this is the source for the title of the Left Behind series of novels (and movies and games, etc.).

However, context is everything. The context is that Jesus is describing the last day--the final judgment or "Day of the Lord." And he describes it by the analogy of a previous divine judgment--the great deluge of Noah's time. Verse 27-39: "As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." The flood swept away the sinners. The coming of the Son of Man will be like that--the cleansing of the earth by the sweeping away of [unrepentant] sinners at the divine judgment.

In context, the sinners are "swept away" and the righteous are "left behind." Which is to say again, context is everything. Do not let apocalyptic hysteria distort your perspective on the world. More importantly, do not let it distort your faith. Do not build a whole theological structure on a few scattered half-verses. That is as shaky as a house of cards. Read passages in the context of the times they were written; read whole chapters and books together; read selections in context with the whole teaching of Scripture, understood through the apostolic tradition preserved faithfully in the Church.

Make no mistake, you want to be left behind!

View the above cartoon and others by John Rule at the Hal Lindsey Oracle Cartoons website.

Now it all finally makes sense

2011-05-17T14:10:00.001-05:00

Like when he said in that famous convention speech, "If you have great relations with your staff, YOU are a Republican."

Watching over us from above

2011-05-17T00:49:00.002-05:00

Above,Tracy Caldwell-Dyson looks down upon the earth from the the Cupola of the International Space Station. The whole complex is quite an achievement. The final modules are being delivered right now by Space Shuttle Atlantis, which docked with the station today. The irony is that when our shuttle program ends in July, we'll have to hitch a ride with the Russians to get to the space station which we mostly transported and assembled with our shuttle fleet. Below, Dmitri Kondratyev and Paolo Nespoli take pictures in the Cupola, with visiting spacecraft visible in the background.

Propers for the English Missal

2011-04-29T16:44:00.002-05:00

My birthday gift to the world is a new blog which is a compilation of Propers from the (Knott) English Missal. After posting its prayers for every day in Lent, I decided to go whole hog and make a public resource for churches and any interested party. If this interests you, please add it to your bookmarks. If you are interested in helping out with transcribing, you can email me at frmatkin[at]verizon[dot]net. I need the pre-1955 version of the Holy Week rites to complete this project. I figure if I keep at least one entry a week, I should have the bulk of it done by next Easter.

Here's the Wiki entry for the English Missal:
The English Missal is a translation of the Roman Missal used by some liturgically advanced Anglo-Catholic parish churches. After its publication by W. Knott & Son Limited in 1912, the English Missal was rapidly endorsed by the growing Ritualist movement of Anglo-Catholic clergy, who viewed the liturgies of the Book of Common Prayer as insufficient expressions of fully Catholic worship. The translation of the Roman Missal from Latin into the stylized Elizabethan Early Modern English of the Book of Common Prayer allowed clergy to preserve the use of the vernacular language while adopting the Roman Catholic texts and liturgical rubrics.

The only differences in content from the Roman Missal are the English Missal's inclusion of the ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Holy Week and certain texts from the Book of Common Prayer, including optional prayers from the ordinary of the Prayer Book's Communion Service and the lessons for Sundays and major feast days from the Prayer Book's lectionary, which was itself taken from the earlier Sarum Use Mass of pre-Reformation England.

After the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874 threatened imprisonment for priests using ritualist liturgical practices, a custom arose of the celebrant saying the Roman Canon in Latin to himself silently (i.e., sotto voce, in a soft voice) in addition to saying the official texts of the Book of Common Prayer aloud. While enforcement of the Public Worship Regulation Act ended in 1906, the custom persisted, due in part to the fact that in the pre-Concilliar Roman Rite the Canon of the Mass was always said silently. For this reason, the Latin text of the Canon of the Mass was included in the English Missal in addition to the English translation.

The English Missal went through five editions. The first three were based on the Roman Missal of Pius V as revised until the time of Pope Pius X. The latter two editions include the revised Roman Catholic Holy Week of 1958. One American edition includes material that conforms to the American 1928 Book of Common Prayer.

In the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council and the subsequent authorization of the typical edition of the Roman Missal in English, the use of the English Missal has greatly declined. Especially in England, the modern Novus Ordo Mass of Pope Paul VI in English is widely used in Anglo-Catholic parishes. However, the use of the English Missal continues in a small number of liturgically traditional Anglican parish churches in England, the United States of America, and West Africa.

The Exultet from the English Missal

2011-04-22T14:48:00.001-05:00

NOW LET THE ANGELIC HOST OF HEAVEN REJOICE: let the divine mysteries rejoice: And for the victory of the mighty King, let the trumpet of salvation sound forth. Let the earth also be glad, illumined by the rays of this great brightness, and enlightened by the splendor of the eternal King, let her know that she hath put away the darkness of the whole world. Let our mother the Church also rejoice, adorned with the brightness of so great a light: and let this temple resound with the triumphant voices of the peoples: Wherefore, dearly beloved brethren, who are here present in the wondrous clearness of this holy light, join with me, I beseech you, in calling upon the mercy of almighty God. That he who hath been pleased, for no merit of mine, to admit me into the number of his Levites: may pour on me the brightness of his light, and make me meet to proclaim the praises of this Candle. Through Jesus Christ his Son our Lord: Who liveth and reigneth with him in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God. Throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
V. Lift up your hearts.
R. We lift them up unto the Lord.
V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R. It is meet and right so to do.

IT IS VERY MEET and right that we should, with the whole affection of our heart and mind, and with the service of our lips, give praise unto the invisible God, the Father almighty. And unto his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Who paid for us to the eternal Father the debt of Adam’s transgression: and with his dear blood wiped away the reproach of our former offences. For this is the paschal feast wherein the very Lamb is slain, by whose blood the doorposts of the faithful are made holy. This is the night, wherein of old thou didst lead forth our fathers, the children of Israel out of Egypt, and didst make them pass as on dry land through the Red Sea. Yea, this is the night, that with the brightness of the pillar hath purged away the darkness of iniquity. This is the night, which throughout the whole world today doth separate them that believe in Christ from the wickedness of the age, and from the darkness of transgressions, reneweth them unto grace, restoreth them to holiness. This is the night wherein, breaking the chains of death, Christ ascended from hell in triumph. For naught indeed had it profited us to be born, if it had not profited us to be redeemed. O how wonderful the condescension of thy loving kindness! O how inestimable the goodness of thy love: who to redeem a slave didst deliver up thy Son! O truly necessary sin of Adam, which by the death of Christ was done away! O happy fault, which was counted worthy to have such and so great a Redeemer! O night truly blessed, which alone was worthy to know the time and the hour when Christ rose again from hell! This is the night whereof it is written: And the night is as clear as the day: and, Then shall my night be turned into day. The sanctifying power therefore of this night putteth to flight the deeds of wickeness, washeth away sins: restoreth innocence to the fallen, and joy to them that mourn; casteth out enmities, prepareth concord, and boweth down principalities.

THEREFORE in this night of grace accept, O holy Father, the evening sacrifice of this incense; which, by the hands of thy ministers, holy Church doth lay before thee, in the solemn offering of this Candle, made from the work of bees. But we already know the excellency of this pillar, which for the honor of God, the sparkling fire doth kindle.
WHICH, though it be divided into parts, suffereth not loss by the borrowing of its light. For it is fed by melting wax, which the bee the mother hath wrought into the substance of this precious Candle.

O NIGHT TRULY BLESSED, which did spoil the Egyptians, and made rich the Hebrews! O night wherein heavenly things are joined unto earthly, things human unto things divine. We therefore pray thee, O Lord: that this Candle, consecrated to the honor of thy name, may continue without ceasing to vanquish the darkness of this night. That, being accepted for a savour of sweetness, it may be mingled with the lights of heaven. May the morning star find it burning; that morning star, I say, which knoweth not his going down. That star, which, rising again from hell, steadfastly giveth light to all mankind. We therefore pray thee, O Lord: that thou wouldest vouchsafe to rule, govern and preserve with thy continual protection us thy servants, the whole clergy and thy most faithful people: together with our most blessed Father [Pope N.] and our Bishop N., granting us peaceful times in this our paschal joy.

Look also on those who rule us in power, and by the ineffable gift of thy goodness and mercy, direct their thoughts to justice and peace, that from the busy toil of earth they may attain unto the heavenly country with all thy people. Through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord: Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God: throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

I love Bishop Sheen, but . . .

2011-04-18T11:53:00.001-05:00

sometimes he just looks like he's ready to come down and kick your @$$.

Take up your cross and follow me

2011-04-13T02:10:00.002-05:00

Pontifical visitation in Dublin and Comanche

2011-04-10T16:02:00.004-05:00

Behold, a great priest, who in his days was pleasing unto God. Therefore with an oath the Lord hath made him to increase among his people. He hath given unto him the blessing of all nations: and hath confirmed his covenant upon his own head. Therefore with an oath the Lord hath made him to increase among his people.

Today we had a visit from our diocesan bishop, Jack Iker. Services at Dublin and Comanche were well attended and Bishop Iker left both with a moving reflection on the gospel of the day as we move toward the close of Lent and the coming of Easter.

It was nice to have a young acolyte serving at Comanche.

Our people were very appreciative of this time together with our father in God. We even had some visitors from Trinity Church, Fort Worth at Comanche this morning (not pictured).

It's been a busy day

2011-03-09T15:34:00.002-06:00

Preparing for Lent

2011-03-07T17:37:00.003-06:00

Today, I prepared the ashes for Ash Wednesday. The ashes used in the ceremony come from the burning of palms from the previous Palm Sunday. They are sprinkled on the head as a sign of penance and mortification. For clerics, it is usually placed on the tonsure and for laity, it is put on the forehead in the shape of a cross.

The blessing and imposition of ashes concludes with this prayer in the old rite:

Grant us, O Lord, to begin with holy fasting this campaign of our Christian warfare: that as we do battle with spiritual wickedness, we may be defended by the aids of self-denial; through Christ our Lord. Amen

Ministry of Word and Sacrament

2011-03-03T12:01:00.001-06:00

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God (2 Corinthians 4:1-2).

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Mammon ... because you deserve it.

2011-02-26T19:38:00.001-06:00

Epiphany collects

2011-02-23T16:57:00.004-06:00

I love the collects used for the final Sundays after the Epiphany. Because the date of Easter and thus of Ash Wednesday and Lent vary from year to year, they often go unused and unheard. But they are among the most beautiful in the Prayer Book. Easter must fall between April 22 and April 25 for all of them to be used. This year, Easter is on April 24th.

The collect for the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany in the 1979 Prayer Book is original to the first Prayer Book of 1549, and thus (I supposed) a composition of Dr Cranmer. Before the reworking of the calendar, it was the collect for Quinquagesima, the Sunday before Lent. I love it because it extols love and does so in such an antiquated diction.

Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
O Lord, who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

As far as I can find, the collect for the Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany is original to the 1979 Prayer Book. It is a beautiful treatment of anxiety and faith.

Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany
Most loving Father, who willest us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of thee, and to cast all our care on thee who carest for us: Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which thou hast manifested to us in thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Sancte Valentini, ora pro nobis

2011-02-13T23:35:00.001-06:00

Papal photo caption contest

2011-02-13T19:57:00.001-06:00

The blessing of throats

2011-02-03T00:12:00.000-06:00

St Blase (or Blasius) was the bishop of Sebaste in Armenia during the fourth century. According to various accounts he was a physician before becoming a bishop. Veneration of this holy bishop spread throughout the entire church in the Middle Ages because he was reported to have miraculously cured a little boy who nearly died because of a fishbone in caught in his throat. From the eighth century he has been invoked on behalf of the sick, especially those afflicted with illnesses of the throat.

The blessing of the sick by ministers of the church is a very ancient custom, rooted in imitation of Christ himself and his apostles. An annual blessing of throats is a traditional sign of the struggle against illness in the life of the Christian. A blessing of throats with candles tied together in the shape of a cross on St Blase's feast day (Feb 3rd, but sometimes done after the Candlemas liturgy) is performed as a prayer for good health throughout the year.

With two candles held in the shape of a cross, the celebrant touches them to throat of each person, and says
Through the intercession of Saint Blase, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Purification of Our Lady

2011-02-02T22:08:00.000-06:00

Today we commemorate Candlemas, and I love the reading and five traditional prayers for blessing candles (below).

Luke 2:27-35
27And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30for my eyes have seen your salvation 31that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." 33And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

Prayers for Blessing Candles
O LORD, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, who hast made all things out of nothing, and hast appointed that the labors of bees should be formed into wax by thine ordinance, who likewise on this day didst fulfill the prayers of thy righteous servant Simeon: we humbly beseech thee that thou wouldst vouchsafe by the power of thy holy Name, and at the intercession of blessed Mary ever-Virgin, whose festival we this day devoutly celebrate, and of all thy saints, to bless + and sanctify + these candles for the use of men, and for their protection both in body and soul in all perils of land or sea; hear, O Lord, we humbly pray thee, from thy holy heaven and from the throne of thy glory, the voice of this thy people that seeketh to bear them forth to thy glory and to sing thy praises; and we humbly beseech thee that thou wouldest have mercy upon all that call upon thee, whom thou hast redeemed with the precious Blood of thy dear Son; who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who on this day didst suffer thy only-begotten Son to be presented in the temple and to be received in the arms of Saint Simeon: we humbly beseech thy mercy, that like as we thy servants, taking these candles do seek to light them and bear them to the glory of thy Name, so thou wouldst vouchsafe to bless + and sanctify + the same, that we being made worthy of offering them unto thee, our Lord and our God, and being enkindled with the holy flame of thy most gracious charity, may be found meet to be presented before thee in the temple of thy glory; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

O LORD Jesus Christ, who art the true light that enlightens every man that cometh into the world: we beseech thee to pour out thy blessing + upon these candles and sanctify + them with the light of thy grace; mercifully grant that even as with their outward flame they scatter the darkness of night, so our hearts being inflamed with the inward brightness of thy Holy Spirit may be delivered from all blindness of iniquity, and that the eyes of our souls being so enlightened may discern such things as are pleasing unto thee and profitable unto us for our salvation, that finally after the darkness and dangers of this world we may attain in the end to light everlasting; through thee, O blessed Jesus, Redeemer of the world, who in the unity of the blessed Trinity livest and reignest God, world without end. Amen.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who by the mouth of Moses thy servant didst command the children of Israel to bring pure olive oil for the lamps to burn always before thy face: we beseech thee to pour the blessing + of thy grace on these candles, that like as they shed forth on us their outward beams, so of thy bounteous goodness the light of thy Holy Spirit may never fail to enlighten us inwardly in our souls; through Jesus Christ our Lord who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

O LORD Jesus Christ, who on this day appearing among men in the substance of our flesh wast presented by thy parents in the temple, whom Simeon in his old age, being enlightened by the light of thy Spirit, knew and blessed, taking thee in his arms: mercifully grant that we, being enlightened and instructed by the grace of the same Spirit, may know thee truly in our minds and love thee faithfully with all our hearts; who livest and reignest with the Father in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

What's wrong with this picture?

2011-01-30T19:38:00.003-06:00

You will have to click on the photo and enlarge it to read the text.

Is it not time to end the schism?

2011-01-25T02:49:00.007-06:00

"Is Christ divided?" (1 Corinthians 1:13).

Today concludes the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which runs from the feast of the Confession of St Peter (or "Chair of Peter") to the Conversion of St Paul. The octave of prayer began in the early 1900s with Franciscans in the Episcopal Church, the Society of the Atonement, who were searching for reconciliation with the See of Peter. They were reconciled in 1909.

This week, I was reflecting on the sermon series I gave over the course of last summer based on the catechism of the Prayer Book. If I were to one day become a Western-rite Orthodox priest or an Anglican-use Roman Catholic priest and want to pull this series out of my old files and deliver it again, I don't believe I would need to change a word of it (at least as far as statements of doctrine go).

I only mention it to point out how close we have come to Christian unity and yet how far away it still seems to be. We have overcome so many obstacles, and yet come up with new ones at the same time. God help his foolish people!

Is Christ divided? No. The truth is rather more bleak--we are divided from Christ. The timing of the octave of prayer reminds that unity is to be found when we return to the confession of Jesus as Lord and pursue unity with the continual conversion that knocked St Paul off his horse. It is time for us in the West to labor diligently to end our 450 year schism and for our eastern brethren to end their 1,000 year schism. We cannot do it on our own, but God will not bring it about if we harden our hearts to his will. Let us continue to pray for God's grace to accomplish his will.

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock from which you were hewn" (Isaiah 51:1).

A Prayer for the Unity of the Church
O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The exorcisms of baptism

2011-01-09T21:17:00.004-06:00

Unfortunately, one of the liturgical treasures we have lost is the baptismal exorcisms. Actually, it has made a somewhat diminished return in the rites of the adult catechumenate as found in the Book of Occasional Services.

In the first Book of Common Prayer of 1549, as in the liturgy used before the Prayer Books, there was an exorcism of the candidate for baptism. The three exorcisms (plus the "eph-phatha") were reduced to one by Cranmer.

Now, when you hear exorcisms, don’t think of all the exorcism movies you’ve seen. That’s not exactly what we’re talking about here (though it could come to that). It’s more what you might call a decontamination ritual. Elements such as salt and water are also exorcised before they are set apart for sanctification.

Remember, in the ancient world almost all converts are coming from paganism with its sometimes demonic rituals and incantations; it was but another way purging and leaving all those influences behind when coming to Christ and entering his church.

Of course, one could ask if the modern man have any less need for God to expel all the corruption, wickedness, and demonic influences that come from a life immersed in the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

In the first Prayer Book, after an opening prayer the minister is directed to makes a cross with the oil of catechumens on the forehead and chest of the baptismal candidate, saying, “Receive the sign of the holy cross, both in thy forehead and in thy breast, in token that thou shalt not be afraid to confess thy faith in Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under his banner against sin, the world, and the devil, and to continue as his faithful soldier and servant unto life’s end.”

Then the priest says, “I command thee, unclean spirit, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, that thou come out and depart from this person whom our Lord Jesus Christ hath vouchsafed to call to his holy Baptism, to be a member of his Body and of his holy congregation. Therefore, thou cursed spirit, remember thy sentence, remember thy judgment, remember the day is at hand, wherein thou shalt burn in fire everlasting prepared for thee and thy angels. And presume not hereafter to exercise any tyranny toward this person, whom Christ hath bought with his precious blood, and by his holy Baptism calleth to be of his flock.”

This all became a simple line in most of the Prayer Books that followed: “…grant that all sinful affections may die in him…” Perhaps the anointing and exorcism of the first Prayer Book could be reintroduced just before the examination of the candidates for baptism. Or we could just go back to the baptismal rite of the first Prayer Book or the rite used before that, both of which are quite sound and don't really need to be improved upon.

A baptismal covenant?

2011-01-09T20:44:00.003-06:00

Photo: Joseph Williams, PCUSA General Assembly.

I'm not sure what I think of the so-called "baptismal covenant" in the Book of Common Prayer. The collect for the baptism of Jesus on the first Sunday after the Epiphany even picks up the theme:

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan didst proclaim him thy beloved Son and anoint him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with thee and the same Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

When the sacraments that change your state in life are given (Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, and Ordination). They are prefaced by promises or vows. These help strengthen and focus us to make good use of the grace God gives on these occasions. Thus, we have wedding vows, ordination vows and the solemn promises often made for you at baptism, and reaffirmed by you at confirmation.

In the most recent edition of the American Prayer Book, we find what is called the "Baptismal Covenant." Sometimes a big deal is made from both perspectives of the fact that it is unique in the liturgies of Anglicanism. Sometimes liberals use it to justify practices that may be unique to our cultural and ecclesial context. Most often this comes around to justifying changes to teaching and practice about marriage and holy orders. It is assumed by revisionists that support for fornication and cross-dressing at the altar is somehow more respectful of human dignity. On the right, the baptismal covenant has been blamed as the Trojan horse which let all kinds of enemies into the citadel. For example, see the late Peter Toon's essay "Does each person in Baptism make a covenant with God? Yes, says The Episcopal Church. No, says the Bible."

I'll say right out, I'm no Peter Toon; I think he overstates his case, but it does give me some unrest. Actually, the uniqueness of the baptismal covenant in the 1979 American Prayer Book is more in the name than its content.

The covenant is prefaced by the traditional threefold renunciation of the world, the flesh, and the devil followed by the promises to follow Christ. At the center of that baptismal covenant is the baptismal symbol—-the Apostle’s Creed. What is new is that the 1979 Prayer Book expands on that commitment of faith. We go on to commit to regular attendance at Christian worship, resistance of evil, and repentance for sin, a Christian life that proclaims the Gospel, and the love of neighbor by seeking and serving Christ in the neighbor, striving for peace and justice and respecting human dignity. None of those are new ideas, just new to the rite of baptism.

What we need to be clear about, though, is that the baptismal covenant is a NOT new, unique, individual covenant between God and the believer. It's not like God made a covenant with Adam, then a covenant with Noah, then a covenant with David, and then he made a covenant with little old me.

Rather, when we are baptized into Christ, we become heirs of THE New Covenant of grace between the Father and the Son. It's unfortunate that the collect for today uses the language it does about "the covenant [we] have made." So when we talk about the baptismal covenant, we need to emphasize that it is the New Covenant we are talking about. We enter that relationship through faith and obedience, and the relationship is actualized through the sacrament of rebirth.

All decked out for Christmas

2010-12-25T18:07:00.005-06:00

Trinity Episcopal Church in Dublin, TX on Christmas Eve 2010.

St Matthew's Episcopal Church in Comanche TX on Christmas Eve 2010.

O come, Emmanuel

2010-12-23T10:46:00.000-06:00

Latin translation of O Emmanuel
O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver, the hope of the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God.

Advent Carol
O come, O come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lowly exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice, rejoice. Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

The antiphon today is based upon theme of the incarnation of the Son of God. St John wrote in his gospel, "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). Likewise, Isaiah prophesied, "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14), which name means "God with us" (see Matthew 1:22).

"Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance (homo-ousios) with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer (Theotokos); one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the Fathers has handed down to us." (Definition of the Union of the Divine and Human Natures in the Person of Christ, Council of Chalcedon, 451 A.D., Act V, quoted in the Book of Common Prayer, p 864.)

Although these antiphons and dates have been common throughout the western Church, an alternative medieval English usage arose of moving all of the antiphons forward by one day (commencing on 16 December) and adding an additional eighth antiphon on 23 December, as follows:

Latin translation of O Virgo virginum
O Virgin of virgins, how shall this be? For neither before thee was any like thee, nor shall there be after. Daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel ye at me? The thing which ye behold is a divine mystery.

O come, Desire of nations

2010-12-22T21:39:00.000-06:00

Latin translation of O Rex Gentium
O King of the nations, and their desire, the cornerstone making both one: Come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay.

Advent Carol
O come, Desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind; bid thou our sad divisions cease, and be thyself our King of peace. Rejoice, rejoice. Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

The antiphon today is based upon the Lordship of Christ the King. The acclamation at his entry into Jerusalem is just as applicable to his birth: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord" (Luke 19:38). It was known that he would be born in Bethlehem, and the wise men sought him out, because he was the anointed heir to the throne of King David. He would be the Prince of peace. Of him, Isaiah prophesied, "He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" (Isaiah 2:4). St Paul noted, "He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet" (1 Corinthians 15:25).

Although he was arrested on the charge of being a blasphemer, Jesus was ultimately sentence under Roman law for treason--for claiming to be the "King of the Jews," as was ordered to be written on the titulus of his cross in Latin, Hebrew, and Greek.

When Pilate questioned him about this charge, Jesus replied, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my followers would have fought that I might not be delivered to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Pilate therefore said to him, 'Thou are then a king? " Jesus answered, "Thou sayest it; I am a king. This is why I was born, and why I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice" (John 18:36-37). When he suspected Jesus of being born in Bethlehem (Jesus would no longer speak when interrogated about this), Pilate sought to release him, but instead ordered his execution in fear of the mob.

Our prayer in the antiphon today is that all would listen to his truthful voice and submit to his most gracious rule.

O come, thou Dayspring from on high

2010-12-21T01:59:00.001-06:00

Latin translation of O Oriens Splendor
O Morning Star, splendor of light eternal and sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

Advent Carol
O come, thou Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by thy drawing nigh; disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadow put to flight. Rejoice, rejoice. Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

The antiphon today is based upon the image of Jesus as the "Light of the world," so prominent in John's gospel. His first and second Advents are likewise described as dawnings. The morning star is a symbol of God drawing closer to his people (see Revelation 22:16). Isaiah prophesied, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined" (Isaiah 9:2).

Because we worship Jesus, the Dayspring, churches have been traditionally built with the altar at the eastern end, so that the faithful would worship the Lord toward the rising sun. John of Damascus explained, "It is not without reason or by chance that we worship towards the East. But seeing that we are composed of a visible and an invisible nature, that is to say, of a nature partly of spirit and partly of sense, we render also a twofold worship to the Creator; just as we sing both with our spirit and our bodily lips, and are baptized with both water and Spirit, and are united with the Lord in a twofold manner, being sharers in the mysteries and in the grace of the Spirit. Since, therefore, God is spiritual light, and Christ is called in the Scriptures Sun of Righteousness and Dayspring, the East is the direction that must be assigned to his worship. . . . And when he was received again into heaven he was borne towards the East, and thus his apostles worship him, and thus he will come again in the way in which they beheld him going towards heaven; as the Lord himself said, 'As the lightning cometh out of the East and shineth even unto the West, so also shall the coming of the Son of Man be'."

O come, thou Key of David

2010-12-20T01:15:00.000-06:00

Latin translation of O Clavis David
O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel; you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open: Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

Advent Carol
O come, thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home; make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery. Rejoice, rejoice. Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

The antiphon today is based on the image of Jesus as the Savior, who reconciles God and man and who reopens the gates of paradise which were shut after the Fall (see Genesis 3:23-24). The work of the Savior was to release those who were held captive by sin (see Isaiah 42:7). Isaiah had also prophesied of the Messiah that God would "place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open" (Isaiah 22:22). And that, "His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore" (Isaiah 9:7).

O come, thou Root of Jesse's tree

2010-12-18T23:48:00.001-06:00

Latin translation of O Radix Jesse
O Root of Jesse, standing as an ensign among the peoples; before you kings will shut their mouths, to you the nations will make their prayer: Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.

Advent Carol
O come, O come, thou Branch of Jesse's tree, free them from Satan's tyranny, that trust thy mighty power to save, and give them victory o'er the grave. Rejoice, rejoice. Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

The antiphon today is based on the lineage of Jesus as the Messiah from the house of David (see Romans 15:12). Isaiah prophesied: "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit." And, "In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples." (Isaiah 11:1, 11). The ancestry of Jesus, "Son of David" and thus also a shoot from Jesse (David's father), is recorded at the begining of Matthew's gospel and in Luke 3. He was born in Bethlehem, the David's home town, as Micah prophesied, saying, "Out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." Micah 5:2. And Jesus is be beloved (the name David means "beloved"). Isaiah foretold of the Messiah, "So will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand" (Isaiah 52:15).

See this page from Fisheaters for information about the custom of making a Jesse tree during Advent.

O come, thou Lord of might

2010-12-17T23:42:00.000-06:00

Latin translation of O Adonai
O Lord and leader of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

Advent Carol
O come, O come, thou Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai's height in ancient times didst give the Law in cloud and majesty and awe. Rejoice, rejoice. Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

The antiphon today is based on the manifestation of God on Mount Sinai in the Book of the Exodus. God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, and the Torah (or "Law of Moses") became both the foundation of Jewish faith and life as well as the dawn of ethical monotheism in world history.

Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17). The Messiah was seen as one who would represent the rule of God's law and bring it to fulfillment (see Isaiah 11:4-5). As Lord, "he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet" (1 Corinthians 15:25). As Savior, Jesus fulfilled the obligations of the Law on behalf of sinners (see Romans 8:1-4).

O come, thou Wisdom from on high

2010-12-17T14:01:00.002-06:00

Sunday the "Great O" antiphons on the Magnificat begin. I shall post them day-by-day from both the Latin translation and the more familiar version in the Advent Carol (#59 in the Hymnal 1982).

Latin translation of O Sapientia
O Wisdom, which camest out of the mouth of the Most High, and reachest from one end to another, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence.

Advent Carol
O come, thou Wisdom from on high, who orderest all things mightily; to us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice, rejoice. Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

The antiphon today is based on the description of Wisdom in Sirach 24. In the New Testament, Christ is called "the power of God and the wisdom of God" who is wise as well as righteous on our behalf (1 Corinthians 1:24, 30). St. Paul also describes Jesus as involved in creation, as Wisdom was described as active in creation in the Old Tetsament (see Proverbs 8). "He is before all things," St Paul wrote, "and in him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:17).

King Solomon asked for wisdom above all, as the most precious gift of God. It was said in the Old Testament that the Messiah would be full of wisdom (Isaiah 11:2). In Jewish philosophical theology, the wisdom of God was equated with the divine Logos, or "Word" which St John said was "made flesh and dwelt among us" in the person of Jesus (John 1:14). It is also significant that Jesus is visited by wise men at his birth, is found as a boy with the teachers in the Temple, and as an adult marvels others by teaching on his own authority. Jesus possibly referred to himself as the Wisdom of God in Matthew 11:9; 12:42; and in Luke 7:35; 11:31.

There are several variations on the lists and texts in Western rite uses. Here's what's coming in the most common uses between now and the Eve of the Nativity:
December 18: O Adonai (Lord)
December 19: O Radix Jesse (Root of Jesse)
December 20: O clavis David (Key of David)
December 21: O Oriens Splendor (Dawn)
December 22: O rex gentium (King)
December 23: O Emmanuel (God with us)

The marvelous icon above--"The Birth of God," written by Nicholas Markell--is available for purchase at Bridge Building Images.

Clergy poll: offertory prayers

2010-11-30T13:55:00.003-06:00

The 1928 Prayer Book explicitly states in the offertory rubrics, "And the Priest shall then offer, and shall place upon the Holy Table, the Bread and the Wine." The 1979 Prayer Book just assumes this is done and directs the congregation to "stand while the offerings are presented and placed on the Altar."

Neither book provides a form for doing so. It is presumed in the Prayer Book tradition that this is something that falls under the domain of custom. And that is understandable since the Roman offertory prayers were a late addition and varied greatly from place to place at the time of the first Prayer Book.

The offertory is an occasion that naturally invites prayer. Some celebrants simply raise the gifts slightly as a gesture of oblation and place them on the altar without any words, letting the ceremonial serve as a prayer. Others naturally turn to the offertory prayer of the Roman rite--either the old rite, or more recently the new rite of Pope Paul VI. The latter has even been included in various new eucharistic rites around the Anglican Communion.

For those who make use of the former, and use an English translation rather than the Latin originals, which translation do you prefer? There have been two main altar books with these offertory prayers printed in them--the Anglican/English Missal published by Knott & Sons and the American edition of the Anglican Missal, sometimes just called the American Missal. The Missal of the Western Rite Orthodox parishes uses another translation (see below).

I have a hard time choosing myself; my preference goes back and forth. Which do you favor for use at the altar?

From the (Knott) English Missal:

At the offering of bread
Receive, O holy Father, almighty everlasting God, this spotless host, which I, thine unworthy servant, offer unto thee, my living and true God, for my numberless sins, offences and negligences; and for all who stand here around, as also for all faithful christians, both living and departed, that to me and to them it may avail for salvation unto life eternal. Amen.

At the blessing of water
O God, who didst wondrously create, and yet more wondrously renew the dignity of human nature: grant that by the mystery of this water and wine we may be made co-heirs of his divinity, who vouchsafed to be made partaker of our humanity, even Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord: Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God: world without end. Amen.

At the offering of wine
We offer unto thee, O Lord, the cup of salvation, humbly beseeching thy mercy: that in the sight of thy divine majesty it may ascend as a sweet-smelling savour for our salvation, and for that of the whole world. Amen.

Over the Holy Gifts
In a humble spirit, and with a contrite heart, may we be accepted of thee, O Lord: and so let our sacrifice be offered in thy sight this day, that it may be pleasing unto thee, O Lord God.
Come, O thou Fount of holiness, almighty, eternal God: He blesses the Oblations, proceeding: and bless this sacrifice, made ready for thy holy name.

From the (American) Anglican Missal:

At the offering of bread
Receive, O Holy Father, Almighty and Everlasting God, this spotless Host, which I thine unworthy servant now offer unto thee, my God, the living and true, for all my countless sins, wickedness and neglect; and for all those here present; as also for all the faithful in Christ, both the quick and the dead; that it may set forward their salvation and mine, unto life everlasting. Amen.

At the blessing of water
O God, who didst lay the foundation of man's being in wonder and honour, and in greater wonder and honour didst renew the same: grant by the mystery of this water and wine, that he who was partaker of our humanity may make us joint-heirs of his very Godhead, even Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

At the offering of wine
We offer unto thee, O Lord, the Cup of Salvation; beseeching thy mercy that it may ascend in the sight of thy Divine Majesty as a sweet-smelling savour for our salvation, and that of the whole world. Amen.

Over the Holy Gifts
In a contrite heart and an humble spirit let us be accepted of thee, O Lord, and so let our sacrifice be in thy sight this day that it may be well pleasing unto thee, O Lord our God.
Come, O thou Sanctifier, Almighty and Everlasting God, and bless this sacrifice made ready for thy Holy Name.

From the Western Rite Orthodox Missal:

At the offering of bread
Accept, O holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, this unspotted host which I, unworthy servant, offer unto thee, my living and true God, for my innumerable sins, offences and negligences, as also for those here present and for all faithful Christians, both living and dead, that it may avail me and them unto life everlasting. Amen.

At the blessing of water
O God, who in creating human nature hast wonderfully dignified it and still more wonderfully reformed it, grant that by the mystery of this water and wine, we may become partakers of his divine nature who deigned to partake of our human nature, thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God; throughout all ages of ages. Amen.

At the offering of wine
We offer unto thee, O Lord, the chalice of salvation, beseeching thy mercy, that it may ascend before thy divine majesty as a sweet odor for our salvation and for that of the whole world. Amen.

Over the Holy Gifts
Accept us, O Lord, in the spirit of humility and contrition of heart: and grant that the sacrifice we offer this day in thy sight may be pleasing to thee, O Lord God.
Come, O almighty and eternal God the Sanctifier, bless this sacrifice prepared for the glory of thy holy Name.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-22T16:48:00.003-06:00

Usually a picture says a thousand words. This one says five: "Turn your head and cough." It will be interesting to see what happens this holiday with so many people headed to Grandma's house. Will these new enhanced screening techniques continue? Or will there be some push-back from the public? One US senator called them "love pats" while one former judge said, "What you are looking at in these pictures is a crime. It's called sexual assault." I'm just glad I'm not set to get on a plane anytime soon.

Someone who recently went through a pat-down described it to me yesterday as being "extremely thorough." I think he used the phrase about four times, saying it slower each time. He said that he had a cough drop in one pocket. When the agent noticed it, he backed up, rested his hand on his sidearm and said, "Please empty your pocket, sir." When it turned out to be a Hall's, he said, "Move along."

On the lighter side of things, this cartoon from New Orleans gets it just about right.

New Advent wreath

2010-11-22T15:27:00.005-06:00

This week, I finished constructing a new Advent wreath for Trinity Church in Dublin, one of the mission congregations I serve. I am grateful to the women of the church who donated the funds. It came out to less than $300 for the supplies (candles, sockets, followers, wood, paint, garland, chains and hooks). If that sounds steep, just consider that the same thing from a church supply company would be $600 to $1,2000!

It was not too complicated. I basically cut a ring out of wood, painted it green, wrapped it in garland, and attached candle sockets and chains to it. A white candle will hang in the center at Christmas. This wreath is a little over 30" in diameter. It replaces a home Advent wreath (about 6" diameter) that was set on a little table in the church in previous years.

Lost in translation

2010-11-15T11:24:00.003-06:00

At the opening Mass for the Fort Worth diocesan convention, the gospel text was John 21:15-19. It is a powerful passage, but one whose meaning is hidden in translation.

Jesus repeatedly asks Peter, "Do you love me?" Peter responds that he does love Jesus. In turn, Jesus calls him anew as a pastor to the church. Many people see a threefold opportunity for Peter to repent of his threefold denial of Jesus. "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." That is said to explain why Peter was grieved when asked the third time if he loves Jesus; he remembered his threefold denial. While that may be true, the original language gives us more detail, because there are three Greek words for "love," and two different ones are used in this passage.

The two words for love used here are philo and agape. Philo means to love as a friend or like a brother (hence Philadelphia is the "city of brotherly love"). Agape means to love unconditionally. Agape took on a renewed importance with the spread of Christianity. Here is the text with the two different words noted:

John 21:15-19 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me unconditionally [agape] more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you as a friend [philo]." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me unconditionally [agape]?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you as a friend [philo]." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me as a friend [philo]?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me as a friend [philo]?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you as a friend [philo]." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go." (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me."

Peter was grieved the third time because Jesus acknowledged that Peter was not yet willing to say that he loves Jesus unconditionally the way Jesus loves him. The context fits in with the dialogue here. Peter has reverted to the life of a fisherman, neglecting the sheep of his vocation. Jesus calls Peter to come learn unconditional love by living out his vocation.

Finally, Jesus implies that one day Peter will learn to love unconditionally, as he partakes intimately in that sign of God's unconditional love--the cross. By the time Peter is old, he will be crucified, having tended God's flock and learned to love the way God loves. It is no wonder that according to tradition, Peter said that he was not worthy to die in the same way as the Savior, and so he was crucified upside down.

"That they may be one"

2010-10-01T14:29:00.007-05:00

Excerpts from ARCIC statement "The Gift of Authority"

41. In every age Christians have said "Amen" to Christ's promise that the Spirit will guide his Church into all truth. The New Testament frequently echoes this promise by referring to the boldness, assurance and certainty to which Christians can lay claim (cf. Lk 1.4; 1 Thess 2.2; Eph 3.2; Heb 11.1). In their concern to make the Gospel accessible to all who are open to receive it, those charged with the ministry of memory and teaching have accepted new and hitherto unfamiliar expressions of faith. Some of these formulations have initially generated doubt and disagreement about their fidelity to the apostolic Tradition. In the process of testing such formulations, the Church has moved cautiously, but with confidence in the promise of Christ that it will persevere and be maintained in the truth (cf. Mt 16.18; Jn 16.13). This is what is meant by the indefectibility of the Church (cf. Authority in the Church I, 18; Authority in the Church II, 23).

42. In its continuing life, the Church seeks and receives the guidance from the Holy Spirit that keeps its teaching faithful to apostolic Tradition. Within the whole body, the college of bishops is to exercise the ministry of memory to this end. They are to discern and give teaching which may be trusted because it expresses the truth of God surely. In some situations, there will be an urgent need to test new formulations of faith. In specific circumstances, those with this ministry of oversight (episcope), assisted by the Holy Spirit, may together come to a judgement which, being faithful to Scripture and consistent with apostolic Tradition, is preserved from error. By such a judgement, which is a renewed expression of God's one "Yes" in Jesus Christ, the Church is maintained in the truth so that it may continue to offer its "Amen" to the glory of God. This is what is meant when it is affirmed that the Church may teach infallibly (see Authority in the Church II, 24 - 28, 32). Such infallible teaching is at the service of the Church's indefectibility.

43. The exercise of teaching authority in the Church, especially in situations of challenge, requires the participation, in their distinctive ways, of the whole body of believers, not only those charged with the ministry of memory. In this participation the sensus fidelium is at work. Since it is the faithfulness of the whole people of God which is at stake, reception of teaching is integral to the process. Doctrinal definitions are received as authoritative in virtue of the divine truth they proclaim as well as because of the specific office of the person or persons who proclaim them within the sensus fidei of the whole people of God. When the people of God respond by faith and say "Amen" to authoritative teaching it is because they recognise that this teaching expresses the apostolic faith and operates within the authority and truth of Christ, the Head of the Church. The truth and authority of its Head is the source of infallible teaching in the Body of Christ. God's "Yes" revealed in Christ is the standard by which such authoritative teaching is judged. Such teaching is to be welcomed by the people of God as a gift of the Holy Spirit to maintain the Church in the truth of Christ, our "Amen" to God.

44. The duty of maintaining the Church in the truth is one of the essential functions of the episcopal college. It has the power to exercise this ministry because it is bound in succession to the apostles, who were the body authorised and sent by Christ to preach the Gospel to all the nations. The authenticity of the teaching of individual bishops is evident when this teaching is in solidarity with that of the whole episcopal college. The exercise of this teaching authority requires that what it teaches be faithful to Holy Scripture and consistent with apostolic Tradition. This is expressed by the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, "This teaching office is not above the Word of God, but serves it" (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, 10).

47. Within his wider ministry, the Bishop of Rome offers a specific ministry concerning the discernment of truth, as an expression of universal primacy. This particular service has been the source of difficulties and misunderstandings among the churches. Every solemn definition pronounced from the chair of Peter in the church of Peter and Paul may, however, express only the faith of the Church. Any such definition is pronounced within the college of those who exercise episcope and not outside that college. Such authoritative teaching is a particular exercise of the calling and responsibility of the body of bishops to teach and affirm the faith. When the faith is articulated in this way, the Bishop of Rome proclaims the faith of the local churches. It is thus the wholly reliable teaching of the whole Church that is operative in the judgement of the universal primate. In solemnly formulating such teaching, the universal primate must discern and declare, with the assured assistance and guidance of the Holy Spirit, in fidelity to Scripture and Tradition, the authentic faith of the whole Church, that is, the faith proclaimed from the beginning. It is this faith, the faith of all the baptised in communion, and this only, that each bishop utters with the body of bishops in council. It is this faith which the Bishop of Rome in certain circumstances has a duty to discern and make explicit. This form of authoritative teaching has no stronger guarantee from the Spirit than have the solemn definitions of ecumenical councils. The reception of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome entails the recognition of this specific ministry of the universal primate. We believe that this is a gift to be received by all the churches.

50. We have come to a shared understanding of authority by seeing it, in faith, as a manifestation of God's "Yes" to his creation, calling forth the "Amen" of his creatures. God is the source of authority, and the proper exercise of authority is always ordered towards the common good and the good of the person. In a broken world, and to a divided Church, God's "Yes" in Jesus Christ brings the reality of reconciliation, the call to discipleship, and a foretaste of humanity's final goal when through the Spirit all in Christ utter their "Amen" to the glory of God. The "Yes" of God, embodied in Christ, is received in the proclamation and Tradition of the Gospel, in the sacramental life of the Church and in the ways that episcope is exercised. When the churches, through their exercise of authority, display the healing and reconciling power of the Gospel, then the wider world is offered a vision of what God intends for all creation. The aim of the exercise of authority and of its reception is to enable the Church to say "Amen" to God's "Yes" in the Gospel.

58. Anglicans and Roman Catholics are already facing these issues but their resolution may well take some time. However, there is no turning back in our journey towards full ecclesial communion. In the light of our agreement the Commission believes our two communions should make more visible the koinonia we already have. Theological dialogue must continue at all levels in the churches, but is not of itself sufficient. For the sake of koinonia and a united Christian witness to the world, Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops should find ways of cooperating and developing relationships of mutual accountability in their exercise of oversight. At this new stage we have not only to do together whatever we can, but also to be together all that our existing koinonia allows.

60. The Commission's work has resulted in sufficient agreement on universal primacy as a gift to be shared, for us to propose that such a primacy could be offered and received even before our churches are in full communion. Both Roman Catholics and Anglicans look to this ministry being exercised in collegiality and synodality - a ministry of servus servorum Dei (Gregory the Great, cited in Ut Unum Sint, 88). We envisage a primacy that will even now help to uphold the legitimate diversity of traditions, strengthening and safeguarding them in fidelity to the Gospel. It will encourage the churches in their mission. This sort of primacy will already assist the Church on earth to be the authentic catholic koinonia in which unity does not curtail diversity, and diversity does not endanger but enhances unity. It will be an effective sign for all Christians as to how this gift of God builds up that unity for which Christ prayed.

61. Such a universal primate will exercise leadership in the world and also in both communions, addressing them in a prophetic way. He will promote the common good in ways that are not constrained by sectional interests, and offer a continuing and distinctive teaching ministry, particularly in addressing difficult theological and moral issues. A universal primacy of this style will welcome and protect theological enquiry and other forms of the search for truth, so that their results may enrich and strengthen both human wisdom and the Church's faith. Such a universal primacy might gather the churches in various ways for consultation and discussion.

Holy Michael the Archangel

2010-09-29T14:47:00.002-05:00

Saint Michael, prince of the heavenly hosts, conqueror of the infernal dragon, you received from God the strength and power to destroy through humility the pride of the powers of darkness. We implore you help us to true humility of heart, to unshakable fidelity, to fulfill the Will of God and to fortitude in sufferings and trials. Help us to stand before the judgment seat of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Clergy day in Diocese of Fort Worth

2010-09-21T13:28:00.002-05:00

I was going to write up a summary, but then I realized that Fr. Heidt already did, so I recommend his reports. Here is the one on Bishop Duncan's presentation, and here is the report on Bishop Anis' presentation.

Celebrating 50 years today

2010-09-21T13:11:00.003-05:00

9/11 monument--a hole in the ground

2010-09-15T14:08:00.004-05:00

I love Mark Steyn's quick wit, as well as his insight which sometimes make things clear. I have been thinking about a point he made the other day--that no one would care much about this issue of how close a mosque/Islamic center should be built to ground zero if ground zero were not still a hole in the ground nearly a decade later.

Above, "ground zero" in April 2010. Below, construction begins on the foundation of the World Trade Center in 1966.

The towers originally took seven years to build. And a lot of things have been built since 2001, including the tallest building in the world. There are a lot of things that have plagued the rebuilding effort: choosing a design, bureaucracy, government red tape, a lack of leadership, funding, etc. But let's not forget that the Empire State Building rose during the depression.

I've been thinking about that massive hole in the ground at the south end of Manhattan. It has a lot to say about who we are and the problems we face. I haven't worked it all out in my mind. Perhaps you have some thoughts. But I'm sure that until we rebuild, our national conscience will be troubled, though we may not always understand why.

A blessed Holy Cross Day

2010-09-14T10:38:00.004-05:00

The Crucifixion at Assisi by Giotto.

From the Preface of the Cross:
". . . on the wood of the Cross, thou gavest salvation unto mankind; that so, whence death arose, life might also rise again: and the foe, who had conquered by a tree, by this Tree might be overcome, through Jesus Christ our Lord . . ."

From Wikipedia:
The True Cross is said to have been discovered in 326 by the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine I, Helena of Constantinople, during a pilgrimage she made to Jerusalem. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was then built at the site of the discovery, by order of Helena and Constantine. The church was dedicated nine years later, with a portion of the cross placed inside it. In 614, that portion of the cross was carried away from the church by the Persians, and remained missing until it was recaptured by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius in 628. Initially taken to Constantinople, the cross was returned to the church the following year.

The date of the feast marks the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 335. This was a two-day festival: although the actual consecration of the church was on September 13, the cross itself was brought outside the church on September 14 so that the clergy and faithful could pray before the True Cross, and all could come forward to venerate it.

Collect of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross:
O God, who makest us glad this day by the yearly solemnity of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross: Grant, we beseech thee, that we who on earth have learned the mystery of our redemption, may be found worthy of its rewards in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Happy birthday, Mary!

2010-09-08T22:59:00.003-05:00

The Nativity of the Virgin Mary by Giotto.

Collect for the Nativity of Mary
We beseech thee, O Lord, pour into our hearts the abundance of thy heavenly grace: that, like as the child-bearing of the Blessed Virgin Mary was unto us thy servants the beginning of salvation, so the devout observance of her Nativity may avail for the increase of our peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Vicar's Voice--September 2010

2010-09-04T15:45:00.003-05:00

As I begin to work on this newsletter, I’m told that it is the hottest day of the year in this part of Texas (106°). It certainly seems like it has been the hottest summer ever. Yet my mind tells me it only seems that way because I’m in the hottest part of it. It shapes my perspective.

The sweltering heat leads me to forget that little blizzard we had back around Christmas. But it even makes it harder to remember that we never broke 100° here in July, and in fact, Houston has not seen a 100° day all summer. Imagine never breaking the thermometer’s century mark in a Texas summer! But my perspective is shaped by my own experience in the here-and-now.

A Pew Research poll made news recently because it found that only just over a third of Americans (34%) believe that the President of the United States is a Christian. I thought people would never forget all the attention his pastor got back in the election. But that was back then, and the first family doesn’t go to church anymore. When people see the president on Sunday mornings, it is at the golf course. Why is that relevant? It reminds us our experience in the here-and-now shapes our perspective.

We run the risk of losing our Christian perspective when we neglect Sunday worship, Christian fellowship, regular prayer, works of charity and mercy, sacrificial giving, and regular Scripture reading. It’s not unlike a well-toned physique—you use it, or you lose it. Acting like a Christian helps us be one. If someone took a poll, what percentage of people in town would think that you are a Christian?

Let this Fall be a time of renewal. If you have fallen away from good habits or picked up bad ones, let this be a time of getting back to the basics—to the things that shape a Christian perspective in us. The world will be a better place for it, and so will our own souls. And let us be among those who encourage one another along the path of holiness.

One of my favorite passages is Romans 12:2, which says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Putting things in perspective

2010-08-04T19:15:00.004-05:00

In response to Judge Vaughn Walker's overturning of California's Proposition 8 in his ruling on Perry v Schwarzenegger issued today, I'd like to remind everyone that the Church has always supported the right of gays and lesbians to marry. And as long as there are no impediments (e.g., blood relations, already married, etc.), we also support the rights of Christian gays and lesbians to have their marriages solemnized and blessed in the church.

Totally stumped

2010-08-03T16:04:00.002-05:00

What do you do when you are totally stumped by a question?

Like Richard Dawkins, you answer the question you wished you had been asked (no matter how unrelated it may be).

Not your typical Episcopal parish

2010-07-27T17:18:00.003-05:00

I remember remarking to someone that S. Clement's in Philadelphia used to have a statement on their website that the Catechism of the Council of Trent was their doctrinal standard. That's not your typical Episcopal parish, of course, but it sounds fine to me. If you were looking for the proof, here it is, courtesy of the Wayback Machine.

Under item V. of the church's Mission Statement it states:
The final arbiter of doctrine is reckoned to be the Catechism of the Council of Trent. S. Clement’s rejects the errors of the Episcopal Church of the last thirty years; the so-called “ordination of women,” feminist theology, the new permissive marriage canons, the “revised liturgies,” and so on.

Just Watt you need for summer

2010-07-22T22:08:00.004-05:00

I was quite taken with this custom-designed green solemn vestment set (click image to enlarge) from Watts & Co in London. I say that if you are going to shell out the cash for Watts, you might as well get green, which will have the most face time during the liturgical year. This is the description:

Cut in the Spanish style from green Bellini Damask, this vestment set is richly hand embroidered with a design based on sixteenth century Spanish originals.

All my missals are aimed at you!

2010-07-18T01:05:00.001-05:00

Can you tell which one is the athiest?

2010-07-09T14:12:00.003-05:00

Just by looking?

The ecclesiastical Count

2010-07-06T14:15:00.003-05:00

1. One true Church. Ah, ah, ah.
2. Two natures in the one person of Christ.
3. Three Persons in the triune Godhead.
4. Four Evangelists. Ah, ah, ah.
5. Five books of Moses.
6. Six days of creation.
7. Seven sacraments of the Church.
8. Eight Beatitudes in the sermon on the mount.
9. Nine fruits of the Holy Ghost. Ah, ah, ah.
10. Ten Commandments on tablets of stone.
11. Eleven faithful apostles.
12. Twelve articles in the baptismal creed. Ah, ah, ah.

In God We Trust

2010-07-04T12:44:00.003-05:00

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).

Have you ever noticed that our national anthem is a question? The first stanza of the Star-Spangled Banner (which is the only one we normally ever hear) ends with the question, “O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave/ O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” It is a question that deserves an answer.

Francis Scott Key sought to answer that question he posed over the course of three more stanzas in his poem “Defence of Fort McHenry,” which was later adopted as our national anthem in 1931. It was not certain that the flag would continue to fly as Key wrote it during the bombardment of that fort in the War of 1812.

Key argued that it must continue to fly because of the values it represents. It is for those that we fight. Chief among these is our faith—a national belief in God and a confidence that the dominion of the Almighty ensures our liberties.

For our founders, no one is truly free if God is not on his throne. For if God is not on his throne, a tyrant will take his place or the state itself will try to become a god. How often we have seen that occur in history! It is no wonder that for the first version of an American national seal, based on the image of Israel crossing the Red Sea, Benjamin Franklin suggested this motto: “Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.”

In his first inaugural address, President George Washington noted, “We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” Putting God first is one of our greatest national values. More than anything else, our faith helps ensure our freedom.

Our national anthem concludes with this stanza: “O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand/ Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!/ Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land/ Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation./ Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,/ And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’/ And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave/ O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!” The United States officially adopted the motto “In God We Trust” by law in 1956.

What does it mean for us to assert with confidence, “In God We Trust”? Does it mean that we think that at the last minute, God will come and bail us out of any war or failure or catastrophe? Do you think that in heaven their motto is “In America We Trust”? And yet, with all the blessings we’ve received, how could we not say that God has placed a great amount of trust in America?

Jesus once said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” And so I ask, Have we been worthy of it? Have we been worthy of all that God has entrusted to us? If not, what are we going to do about it?

It is interesting that our motto became In God We Trust, because from the beginning, we’ve had a great distrust of ourselves. Our form of government is built around a system of checks and balances, which is intentionally designed to keep power away from different people. Neither the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of government should be allowed to dominate because power corrupts. Human nature what it is, we all need a watchdog. The president watches the congress, who watch the courts, and the press watches all.

We began with the idea that power doesn’t belong to kings or nobility. But the founders weren’t all that trusting of the rabble either. Thus we ended up with things like the electoral college, and state legislatures originally chose our senators.

Although we value the separation of church and state, we should be mindful of the role that faith has played in forming our nation. On July 28, 1787, the 81-year-old delegate Benjamin Franklin addressed the president of the Constitutional Convention, General George Washington, saying “God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? Without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that Service.”

Since that time, the Senate and the House of Representatives have continuously appointed clergy to lead them in prayer each day they are in session. The first chaplain elected by the Senate in 1789 was Samuel Provoost, the Episcopal bishop of New York. In 1790, Bp William White, of Pennsylvania, was elected. 10 years later, he was followed by Bp Thomas John Claggett of Maryland. Eight out of the first nine Senate chaplains were Episcopalians, as was our first president and many since. We Episcopalians in the United States have had an influence that far exceeds our numbers. Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes it may not be. But if we are entrusted with such disproportionate influence, we need to be worthy of that trust by being godly influences in our families, in our communities, and in our nation.

Our founders wanted this nation to be a people whom God found trustworthy. They felt the hand of God in history and especially in our own history. One of their favorite terms for God was “Providence.” The Latin motto astride the Eye of Providence on the reverse of the seal of the United States is Annuit Coeptis, meaning “He has favored our undertakings.”

James Madison declared that he saw the finished Constitution as a product of “the finger of that Almighty Hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the Revolution.” In 1789, President Washington declared in the first Thanksgiving proclamation that “it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”

Of course, we weren’t the only ones to notice the role of God in our destiny. One of my favorite quotes is from Otto von Bismarck, who said, “There is a Providence that protects idiots, drunkards, children and the United States of America.”

But we have not always lived up to that trust that God has placed in our nation, and we need faith in God now more than ever to address the problems we face. I’m sure we are aware of the many problems we face—such as terrorism and war abroad. At home, we face an immoral and irresponsible fiscal policy leading to what is becoming a crushing debt. The total US national debt is now over $13 trillion (which breaks down to over $42,000 per citizen or $118,000 per taxpayer). In 2009, the annual deficit tripled in one year to a record $1.4 trillion. We have already passed that figure so far in 2010. We need people of faith who will stand up and demand responsibility and accountability. It’s no mistake that many municipalities canceled their fireworks displays this year in an effort to save money. Let that be a wake-up call.

Learn more about
us debt.

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The leading cause of death in the United States is still abortion (nothing else even comes close). While the number of abortions each year is the lowest since it was legalized, it is still well over one million per year in our nation alone. We need people of faith who will stand up for them, stand up for those on the fringes of life—the unborn and the elderly, the sick and the lonely, the homeless and the forgotten. We need people of faith who will stand up for marriage and the family which are under assault like never before.

These and so many other problems in our nation, demand the attention of people of faith. We need to realize that if Christians don’t do these things, no one else will.

President Kennedy famously called on citizens to serve, saying, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Jesus asked for volunteers for the kingdom of God in today’s Gospel. It was a daunting task, but St. Luke tells us that the Lord found seventy who were up to the challenge.

Jesus told them, “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.” Some towns and some people will welcome you with open arms, others will not; don’t let that discourage you. Just shake the dust off your feet and keep on going. Leave the rest up to the judgment of God. He reminded them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” They were only a few handfuls, but they had God on their side. They were to be a godly influence in those communities, to make the Lord’s presence felt before his arrival.

I think the harvest in America is very plentiful, and surely the laborers are too few. But Jesus still sent the Seventy out, and we too still need to go out among the wolves. The Episcopalians are too few for this country, but then all Catholics and all Christians in America are too few. We are to be the leaven in the loaf—that small, but powerful transforming influence.

God has entrusted us with this task. We have a godly heritage and a high calling. So let this be our motto: In God We Trust.

Let us pray. Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant we beseech thee, that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Notes from the Angels Workshop

2010-07-01T15:47:00.009-05:00

St. Gabriel the Achangel (the "Strength of God") appeared to the blessed Virgin Mary, saying "Hail, full of grace!" and announced to her the incarnation of the Son of God.

Gabriel instructed Daniel (Daniel 8:16), though he is not called an angel, but "the man Gabriel" (9:21). The same heavenly spirit announced the birth of St. John the Baptist and the Incarnation of the Redeemer, while tradition ascribes to him both the message to the shepherds (Luke 2:9), and the most glorious mission of all, that of strengthening the King of Angels in His Agony (Luke 22:43).

St. Augustine says: "'Angel' is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is 'spirit'; if you seek the name of their office, it is 'angel.'" With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they "always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven" they are the "mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word." As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness. It was God who created all things, both “visible and invisible.” As his heavenly host, the angelic spirits form a part of the great invisible portion of the cosmos referenced in the Nicene Creed.

The angels were created in vast numbers by God before he made humans. They are separate from humans. They were made without gender, do not procreate, and never die or cease to exist. While normally invisible, they can assume a physical form to carry out the mission God gives them. Sometimes humans are granted the vision to see them. The angelic spirits are arranged in a hierarchy of form and function. While the angels are pure spirits of consciousness and will as is God, they are not omnipotent, omniscient, nor omnipresent like God. Yet, the angels do have abilities far above even the saints in heaven.

The number of the angels is frequently stated as vast—“thousands upon thousands”, innumerable angels” (Daniel 7:10; Apocalypse 5:11; Psalm 67:18; Matthew 26:53). From the use of the word host (sabbaoth) as a synonym for the heavenly army it is hard to resist the impression that the term "Lord of Hosts" refers to God's Supreme command of the angelic multitude (cf. Deuteronomy 33:2; 32:43). There is a difficulty is speaking of angels in terms of numbers. We count people by their bodies. How do we count angels? They have no bodies to count. They are distinct by their intellect, character, and will. Aquinas argued that each angel was its own species.

As the prince of the seraphim, St. Michael the Archangel (meaning "Who is like unto God?") led the heavenly host in the battle against the rebelling spirits.

" 'But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come." While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, 'I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I am helpless. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.' Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. 'Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed,' he said. 'Peace! Be strong now; be strong.' When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, 'Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.' So he said, 'Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince' " (Daniel 10:13-21).

HOLY MICHAEL, ARCHANGEL, defend us in the day of battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust down to hell Satan and all wicked spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

O prince most glorious, Michael the Archangel, keep us in remembrance: here and everywhere, always, entreat the Son of God for us.

St. Raphael the Archangel (the "Remedy of God") healed Tobit and delivered Tobiah’s wife from demonic obsession (see the Book of Tobit). "The angel Raphael (Tobit 12:12) says: "I offered thy prayer to the Lord." Raphael is also commonly associated with the angelic trembling of the waters in the pool of Bethesda (John 5:2-4).

Throughout the Bible we find it repeatedly implied that each individual soul has its guardian angel. Thus Abraham, when sending his steward to seek a wife for Isaac, says: "He will send His angel before thee" (Genesis 24:7). The words of the ninetieth Psalm which the devil quoted to our Lord (Matthew 4:6) are well known, and Judith accounts for her heroic deed by saying: "As the Lord liveth, His angel hath been my keeper" (13:20). These passages and many like them (Genesis 16:6-32; Hosea 12:4; 1 Kings 19:5; Acts 12:7; Psalm 33:8), though they will not of themselves demonstrate the doctrine that every individual has his appointed guardian angel, receive their complement in our Saviour's words:

"See that you despise not one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in Heaven always see the face of My Father Who is in Heaven" (Matthew 18:10). These are words which illustrate the remark of St. Augustine: "What lies hidden in the Old Testament, is made manifest in the New." St. Jerome in his commentary on Mt 18:10 wrote: "The dignity of a soul is so great, that each has a guardian angel from its birth."

The general doctrine that the angels are our appointed guardians is considered to be a point of faith, but that each individual member of the human race has his own individual guardian angel is not of faith (de fide); the view has, however, strong and consistent support from the Doctors of the Church.

In her liturgy, the Church joins with the angels to adore the thrice-holy God. She invokes their assistance in the funeral liturgy's In Paradisum deducant te angeli:

Into paradise may the angels lead thee;
and at thy coming may the martyrs receive thee,
and bring thee into the holy city Jerusalem.

From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life." The Bible represents the angels not only as our guardians, but also as actually interceding for us. Indeed, the book of Tobit provides the perfect example.

St. Uriel the Archangel (the "Light of God") is the guardian of the sun and of knowledge.

Devotion to the angels is thoroughly biblical. Perhaps the earliest explicit declaration of it is to be found in St. Ambrose's words: "We should pray to the angels who are given to us as guardians." The church has always condemned the worship of angels (or anything else other than God alone). Devotion to the angels must be governed by Christian tradition. We should not invoke the manifestation of angels as spirit guides (New Age) as it invites demons disguised as angels. “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-14)

The Church Fathers taught that it is the angels who put into execution God's law regarding the physical world. The Jews believed that all the orderly harmony of the universe, as well as interruptions of that harmony, were due to God as their originator, but were carried out by his ministers. This view is strongly marked in the "Book of Jubilees" where the heavenly host of good and evil angels is every interfering in the material universe. Jewish philosopher and Torah scholar Maimonides is quoted by St. Thomas Aquinas as holding that the Bible frequently terms the powers of nature angels, since they manifest the omnipotence of God.

These hosts of heaven are ordered in what we commonly call the “nine choirs of angels.” These are divided into three triads (groups of three). The first angelic triad continually worships God in his immediate presence. These spirits consist of the exalted love of the fiery seraphim, the complete intuition of the cherubim, and the perfect power of the thrones. The primary function of their being is the perpetual adoration and praise of the divine substance. The second triad extends this divine praise and love to the creation. The spiritual dominions, princedoms, and powers execute the love, knowledge, and power of God relative to the general structure, order, and governance of the cosmos. The last triad serves the divine love towards human beings when the virtues, the ruling archangels, and the angels come to serve and care for people on earth. Angels then truly become “messengers” (angeloi in Greek) of divine favor. It was the Archangel Gabriel who gave the message of the Incarnation to the blessed Virgin Mary.

Overall, the heavenly hierarchy moves from the freedom and might of contemplative adoration (by the seraphim, cherubim, and thrones) through principled order and sovereignty (ruled by the dominions, princedoms, and powers) to active service toward others in a spirit of compassion and care (exercised by the virtues, archangels, and angels). The earthly life was designed to follow this cosmic harmony. We were created to enjoy complete and perfect goodness in returning thanks to the source of our happiness. Our worship must mirror heaven. The fullness of our being is to join in the heavenly chorus which forever sings: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). Inspired by his love, we must also care for the creation entrusted to us, and reach out to others in service.

After Adam's fall Paradise is guarded against our First Parents by cherubim who are clearly God's ministers, though nothing is said of their nature. “So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:23-24)

Only once again do the cherubim figure in the Bible, viz., in Ezekiel's marvelous vision, where they are described at great length (Ezekiel 1), and are actually called cherubs in Ezekiel 10.

"In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin--the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD was upon him. I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning. As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not turn about as the creatures went. Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around. When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome. Under the expanse their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking" (Ezekiel 1).

The Ophanim are one of a class of celestial beings described in the Book of Enoch with the Cherubim and Seraphim as never sleeping, but watching (or guarding) the throne of God. The word ophan means "wheel" in Hebrew so the Ophanim have been associated with the description in Ezekiel 1:15-21 and possibly again in the Daniel 7:9 (mentioned as gagal, traditionally "the wheels of gagallin", in "fiery flame" and "burning fire") of the four, eye-covered wheels (each composed of two nested wheels), that move next to the winged Cherubim, beneath the throne of God. The four wheels move with the Cherubim because the spirit of the Cherubim is in them. These are also referred to as the "many-eyed ones" in the Second Book of Enoch.

The Ophanim are also equated as the "Thrones", associated with the "Wheels", in the vision of Daniel 7:9. They are the carriers of the throne of God, hence the name. Traditionally, they are identified with the same Thrones (Gr. thronos) mentioned by St. Paul of Tarsus in Colossians 1:16.

The seraphim explicitly appear only in the vision of Isaiah 6 and are mentioned as the heavenly creatures nearest to the throne of God, who "is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29). Seraphim literally means "burning ones" in the Hebrew.

"In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.' And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, 'Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.' Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, 'Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.' Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then said I, 'Here am I; send me' " (Isaiah 6:1-8).

The Seraphim are also likely referred to in Revelation 4:4-8, where they are forever in God's presence and praising Him constantly: "Day and night with out ceasing they sing: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.'"

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in his Celestial Hierarchy, helped fix the fiery nature of seraphim in the medieval imagination. It is here that the Seraphim are described as being concerned with keeping Divinity in perfect order, and not limited to chanting the trisagion. Taking his cue from writings in the Rabbinic tradition, the author gave an etymology for the Seraphim as "those who kindle or make hot." He wrote, "The name seraphim clearly indicates their ceaseless and eternal revolution about Divine Principles, their heat and keenness, the exuberance of their intense, perpetual, tireless activity, and their elevative and energetic assimilation of those below, kindling them and firing them to their own heat, and wholly purifying them by a burning and all-consuming flame; and by the unhidden, unquenchable, changeless, radiant and enlightening power, dispelling and destroying the shadows of darkness."

St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologiae offers a description of the nature of the Seraphim:
"The name 'Seraphim' does not come from charity only, but from the excess of charity, expressed by the word ardor or fire. Hence Dionysius (Coel. Hier. vii) expounds the name 'Seraphim' according to the properties of fire, containing an excess of heat. Now in fire we may consider three things. First, the movement which is upwards and continuous. This signifies that they are borne inflexibly towards God. Secondly, the active force which is 'heat,' which is not found in fire simply, but exists with a certain sharpness, as being of most penetrating action, and reaching even to the smallest things, and as it were, with superabundant fervor; whereby is signified the action of these angels, exercised powerfully upon those who are subject to them, rousing them to a like fervor, and cleansing them wholly by their heat. Thirdly we consider in fire the quality of clarity, or brightness; which signifies that these angels have in themselves an inextinguishable light, and that they also perfectly enlighten others."

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2). The angels of the Bible generally appear in the role of God's messengers to mankind. They are his instruments by whom he communicates his will to men, and in Jacob's vision they are depicted as ascending and descending the ladder which stretches from earth to heaven.

It was an angel who found Agar in the wilderness; three angels visited with Abraham (pictured above) and foretold the birth of Isaas; angels drew Lot out of Sodom; an angel announces to Gideon that he is to save his people; an angel foretells the birth of Samson (Judges 13).

The spiritual nature of the angels is manifested very clearly in the account which Zachariah gives of the revelations bestowed upon him by the ministry of an angel. The prophet depicts the angel as speaking "in him". He seems to imply that he was conscious of an interior voice which was not that of God but of His messenger. The Massoretic text, the Septuagint, and the Vulgate all agree in thus describing the communications made by the angel to the prophet. Modern translations obscure this trait by persistently giving the rendering: "the angel that talked with me: instead of "within me" (cf. Zechariah 1:9-14; 2:3; 4:5; 5:10).

Many of the angels fell from this high estate with the rebellion led by Lucifer, highest of the angels. The rebellion spawned by the jealousy and pride of Satan was defeated by the Archangel Michael and all the hosts of heaven (Rev 12:7-12). Unlike us, the fallen angels (called “devils” or the “demons”) enjoy no possibility of redemption.

The Revelation of St. John the Divine tells us that they were expelled from heaven and cast down to earth where they assault the brethren and thwart the will of God. They know their time is short before the last judgment and that God will have the final victory.

The power of God is always stronger that the forces of darkness. Through prayer, grace, and the intercession of the angels we have God’s protection against the crafts and assaults of the devil. Many more angels remained faithful to God than rebelled against him.

". . . there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

'Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

'Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.' When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 12:7-12).

Among those who chose to serve and not rebel, all angels are Christ’s angels! Christ is the center of the angelic world. They are his angels: "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him." They belong to him because they were created through and for him: "for in him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities--all things were created through him and for him." They belong to him still more because he has made them messengers of his saving plan: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?"

The Archangel Gabriel foretold the birth of St. John the Baptist, and announced to the blessed Virgin Mary the Incarnation of God. When God brought the firstborn into the world, he said: "Let all God's angels worship him." Their song of praise at the birth of Christ has not ceased resounding in the Church's praise: "Glory to God in the highest!" Angels ministered to Jesus in the wilderness; angels strengthening Jesus in his agony; angels appeared at his resurrection; angels comforted the disciples at the ascension; angels ministered to the heirs of salvation (e.g. releasing Peter from prison); angels will come with Christ when he returns in glory.

St. Francis' first biographer, Thomas of Celano, reports the stigmata (pictured above) as follows in his 1230 First Life of St. Francis: "When the blessed servant of God saw these things he was filled with wonder, but he did not know what the vision meant. He rejoiced greatly in the benign and gracious expression with which he saw himself regarded by the seraph, whose beauty was indescribable; yet he was alarmed by the fact that the seraph was affixed to the cross and was suffering terribly. Thus Francis rose, one might say, sad and happy, joy and grief alternating in him. He wondered anxiously what this vision could mean, and his soul was uneasy as it searched for understanding. And as his understanding sought in vain for an explanation and his heart was filled with perplexity at the great novelty of this vision, the marks of nails began to appear in his hands and feet, just as he had seen them slightly earlier in the crucified man above him. His hands and feet seemed to be pierced by nails, with the heads of the nails appearing in the palms of his hands and on the upper sides of his feet, the points appearing on the other side. The marks were round on the palm of each hand but elongated on the other side, and small pieces of flesh jutting out from the rest took on the appearance of the nail-ends, bent and driven back. In the same way the marks of nails were impressed on his feet and projected beyond the rest of the flesh. Moreover, his right side had a large wound as if it had been pierced with a spear, and it often bled so that his tunic and trousers were soaked with his sacred blood."

Back from St. Michael's Conference

2010-06-29T16:13:00.009-05:00

Thank you to all who attended and all who did their part to make it a success. We had 65 Michaelites and I taught courses on Angels, Survey of the Apocrypha, and the History of the Prayer Book. Here are some pics and vids.

Above and below, yours truly opens up the talent show with a jazzy rendition of the national anthem.

Above, Austin DeLaVergne of Trinity Church in Dublin is beloved by the conference.

Above, the purgatorial council on the deadly sins game.

Above and below, yours truly celebrates a High Mass for a votive of Christ the King.

Our first St. Mike's wedding!!!! Actually, it was part of the seven sacraments segment of the pageant.

The light of truth shines down from above.

Above, prayers for healing on Wednesday at the votive of St. Raphael the Archangel.

Living in a fantasy land

2010-06-29T14:21:00.005-05:00

There are people out there who believe all kinds of strange things. There are those who believe that anyone but Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy, that we never really landed on the moon, that President Obama is not a natural-born citizen, and that dioceses cannot dissolve their union with the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, USA. Apparently those in that last group, at least, believe that people might appeal decisions they win in court.

Now while I would expect a news agency like the Associated Press to be unbiased (or at least try to be), I don't necessarily expect the press releases of the Diocese of Fort Worth and its counterpart to be unbiased reports. But I would expect them to not loose touch with reality.

So while I was amused by some of the spin in the press release from Bishop Ohl's group, I was totally blown away by the ending. This was the last sentence: "No decision has been made whether either the Episcopal faction or the Southern Cone faction will appeal the decision to the Texas Supreme Court." I could understand why the Episcopal faction would appeal, since their whole strategy has been hinging on this, but the Southern Cone faction appealing the decision they won? Are you kidding me?

Note what the Court of Appeals actually said in its conclusion:
"We conditionally grant the writ of mandamus and direct the trial court to modify its order of September 16, 2009 to follow the mandates of rule 12 and to strike the pleadings filed by Mr. Nelson and Ms. Wells on behalf of the Corporation and the Fort Worth Diocese and bar them from appearing in the underlying cause as attorneys of record for those named plaintiffs. If the trial court fails to do so, the writ will issue."

That means the pretender group (Bp Ohl, et al) will have their pleadings stricken by Judge Chupp (or by the higher court through the Writ if he does not take advantage of the opportunity). And attorneys Nelson and Wells are barred from representing the Diocese and Corporation because they were not hired by Bp Iker, et al.

If they still want to sue, they will have to file a new suit as a group of individuals, but they will not be able to bring the suit as THE Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and the Corporation of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth because none of those individuals are officers in these entities.

It would be best if, when they regroup and re-strategize, they just decide not to file the lawsuit.

UPDATE: The trial judge has now followed through with the ruling from the Appeals Court and tossed the TEC group out of court. But, of course, "No decision has been made whether either the Episcopal faction or the Southern Cone faction will appeal the decision to the Texas Supreme Court."

Christian History on the Holy Shroud

2010-06-11T18:53:00.002-05:00

Here was a recent posting on Christianity Today's "This week in Christian History." While I'm inclined to believe in the authenticity of the shroud (the mere fact of the photographic negative image is a bit overwhelming to me), but the history and debate is fascinating.

Clement VII, one of the rival popes of the fourteenth century, after first trying to hush up those who would expose the shroud of Turin, signed papers declaring it a fraud. Supposedly, the artist who painted it acknowledged it as a forgery. According to contemporary documents, certain men, for hire, had pretended the "relic" cured them, giving it a reputation, because the forgers desired to make money off it. At that time Bishop Pierre D'Arcis excommunicated those who showed it, but they were raking in so much money they found ways to get around his decision.

The Dukes of Savoy guarded the lucrative object. In 1502 the current Duke requested and obtained papal permission to build a chapel to exhibit the "holy" relic. The Sainte Chapelle of the Holy Shroud was officially completed on this day, June 11, 1502. With great fanfare the Shroud was exhibited and then locked away. Pope Julius II established a feast and mass for the shroud. Countless pilgrims visited the site.

The shroud was reputed to have marvelous powers of protecting people. It could not, however, protect itself, and on December 4, 1532, its chapel caught fire. Brave individuals rushed in to rescue the cloth which had supposedly covered Christ in his burial. Before they could reach it, silver had melted and scorched the cloth and even burnt holes through it.

When the Dukes of Savoy transferred their headquarters to Turin, the shroud went with them, and it is as the Shroud of Turin that it is best known. A black marble chapel was built for it there.

The shroud was first photographed by Secondo Pia. He was astonished when he beheld the negative from his camera. It had reversed the negative image of the shroud and made it look lifelike. He claims he nearly dropped the photograph. This led to claims that the work must be an authentic negative image somehow made by the radiance of Christ at his resurrection.

More than one scientific committee studied the relic. The scientific conclusion, which it must be emphasized is by no means unanimous, is that the shroud is indeed a forgery, painted in tempera. Bits of paint were found on the cloth. The blood looks red; real blood turns brown or black. The tempera technique has been reproduced by several modern artists who claim to have created shroud-like "negatives" using only the materials available to the forgers of the 14th century.

Most conclusive of all were three carbon dating tests done by separate laboratories which first carefully cleaned off the samples. The church announced that the results placed the shroud's earliest possible date at 1,000 AD and most probable date between 1260 and 1390, the very time period in which the shroud had emerged into human view. One of the arguments for the shroud's authenticity was that pollens were found on it which originate only in the Mid East. Experts replied that the microscopic power used was insufficient to resolve the grains which could have been of several types found outside the holy land. Bishop D'Arcis' warnings and Clement's declaration appear to have been vindicated by modern technology, but the issue remains hotly contested and new arguments and tests are constantly suggested by each side.

TEC does not share Anglican faith and order

2010-06-10T13:20:00.004-05:00

The clarity from The Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, at a press conference in Halifax on Monday during the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada was astounding. Here's an excerpt:

"Given that the development in Los Angeles [the consecration of a non-celibate lesbian] meant that gracious restraint was not being exercised, I think the Archbishop did have to act. What I think he’s done is say, 'Look, the consecration of Mary Glasspool is a full, well-thought out decision of the Episcopal Church. There are implications to that decision.' In that action, it is clear that The Episcopal Church does not share the faith and order of the vast majority of the Anglican Communion as expressed through the Instruments of Communion time and time again. They’ve made that decision and that’s fine. But if they don’t share the faith and order, then they shouldn’t represent the Communion on faith and order questions and that’s why ecumenical dialogues are the obvious ones where issues of faith and order are discussed and they ought to be discussed by bodies that share that faith and order. At the very minimum to be honouring to our ecumenical partners so that they know who they are in conversation with. Similarly on the Standing Committee on Faith and Order, if you don’t share the faith and order of the Anglican Communion then it’s an odd position to be in to be making decisions on faith and order. So we’ve asked the people to serve as consultants not as decision-making members. I think that’s an obvious working out of a decision not to exercise gracious restraint."

I wish a reporter would have followed up by asking that if they do not share the faith and order of the Anglican Communion, then why are they a part of it at all?

Does ACNA look upside-down to you?

2010-06-01T15:23:00.007-05:00

The recent change of AMiA to the status of a "ministry partner" for the Anglican Church of North America got me thinking. The one major problem with ACNA, of course, is that it was formed in impaired communion. That is, a quarter of the dioceses (6 of 28 was the last data I could find; it might be out of date) ordain women as priests which means that the orders of clergy are not recognized and interchangeable across the church. The was the same situation we left behind in the Episcopal Church (though the ratio was reversed). ACNA was formed out of ex-Episcopal Church groups making common cause. Which makes sense. But what finally was put together doesn't make as much sense. It looks a little upside-down to me.

Archbishop Mark Haverland of the Anglican Catholic Church put it better in a letter to Bishop Duncan at the Inaugural Assembly of ACNA, declining an invitation to attend. He wrote:

". . . Already now at the beginning of your enterprise, your dioceses and bishops are only in a state of impaired communion with each other. Some of your bishops do not recognize the validity of the priestly ministry of a significant body of clergy in other dioceses. Such divisions and problems at the beginning will not resolve themselves in time, but rather will grow. Ambiguity, or local option, or silence cannot undo the damage of essential disagreement concerning Holy Orders and authority in the Church.

In summary, then, we see in the ACNA the fundamental alterations in traditional Anglican faith, worship, order, and practice that led to the formation of our own Continuing Church in 1978. We would be glad to establish conversations with your ecclesial body in hopes that you may, having freed yourselves of the Episcopal Church, continue further on the same path by decisively breaking from a corrupt Anglican Communion and by returning to the central tradition of Christendom in all matters, including the male character of Holy Orders, the evil of abortion, and the indissolubility of sacramental marriage. We recommend to your prayerful attention the Affirmation of Saint Louis, which we firmly believe provides a sound basis for a renewed and fulfilled Anglicanism on our continent."

Now back to the "ministry partner" thing. It seems to me that the way this whole thing should go together is for ALL the ex-Episcopal Church groups who continue the orthodox practice regarding Holy Orders to form the Anglican Church in North America (ironically, the original name of the continuing Anglicans in the 1970s). This would include those who are in ACNA now as well as the Anglican Catholic Church, Anglican Province of Christ the King, Anglican Province of America, etc.

Then the ex-Episcopal Church groups which ordain women (like the Diocese of Pittsburgh, the Canadian Network, etc.) could be "ministry partners" of the ACNA. Also, I don't see why Communion Partner dioceses of the Episcopal Church could not become ACNA "ministry partners." We have already seen "dual citizenship" work in ACNA and there could (should) be no depositions of bishops and clergy because those dioceses would not actually be joining anything. It could perhaps be compared to the companion diocese relationships that exist now.

Sounds great, doesn't it? Looks more right-side up, doesn't it? Maybe that's why it will not likely come to pass. The continuum churches have a lousy track record of working together. And one of the major differences between the common cause partnership and the continuum has been the attitude toward the Anglican Communion, with the former striving to be a part of it and the latter having given up on it. Of course, it's looking more and more like there may not really be an Anglican Communion to be a part of much longer.

Also, I don't know if the Affirmation of St. Louis might be an obstacle by deeming post-1970 ECUSA orders invalid. However, I believe there is an intercommunion agreement between the FIF/NA diocese, the dioceses of the FIF/NA bishops and at least some elements of the continuum, like the Diocese of the Holy Cross. I'm not sure. Maybe the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas (FACA) is a start. There are a number of issues that need sorting out. But then, maybe if the people stood up and demanded, we could see the impossible become a reality. What say you?

Update: Apparently FACA already is a "ministry partner" as the AMiA has become. In his address to the ACNA assembly, meeting now at All Saints' Cathedral in Amesbury, MA, Archbishop Duncan stated: "We are 811 congregations at Amesbury, not yet including all the congregations of the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas (a Ministry Partner) that are now requesting inclusion in our church data base and online Church Finder."

The members of FACA are: The Anglican Church in America (ACA), The Anglican Mission in America (AMIA), The Anglican Province of America (APA), The Diocese of the Holy Cross (HDC), Episcopal Missionary Church (EMC), The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC). It is said to represent nearly 600 congregations in North America and the patron is Archbishop Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone of the Americas.

Perhaps the Anglican Catholic Church and the Anglican Province of Christ the King will become members of FACA. And as time goes by, we can sort out exactly who ought to be a full provincial member and who ought to be a "ministry partner" to allow for the highest degree of communion and cooperation for the work of the gospel that is possible.

A view from 630 feet

2010-06-01T00:53:00.005-05:00

Gateway to the West

2010-05-19T01:45:00.008-05:00

I made a visit to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, constructed from 1963 to 1965. It is 630 feet wide at the base and stands 630 feet tall, making it the tallest monument in the United States.

The street along the waterfront was entirely flooded.

The arch is laid out in a park and a mall leads up to the old courthouse in the city.

Sometimes looking up at the arch can make you dizzy.

Later, we went to the zoo. Maddie and I rode the train.

Rome of the West

2010-05-17T19:15:00.013-05:00

St. Louis, Missouri is home to many beautiful Catholic churches and has sometimes been called the "Rome of the West." Among the most beautiful is the new cathedral. Work began in 1907 and the first Mass was offered in the building in 1914. It was consecrated as a church and became the new cathedral for the archdiocese in 1926. Pope John Paul II designated it as a basilica in 1997.

A magnificent structure, the cathedral is Romanesque in style on the exterior and Byzantine on the interior.

In 1999, this sculpture was installed on the side lawn of the cathedral. It features a winged angel with African-American features, standing behind three children with Hispanic, Asian and European features, playing a song of peace on their instruments. The wings contain dozens of chimes that sound in the breeze. The sculpture emphasizes a theme of harmony, peace, and racial justice.

The cathedral is the largest collection of mosaics in the world--41.5 million pieces of mosaic glass covering 83,000 square feet. The work was begun in 1917 and completed in 1988.

Above, one of the confessionals in the North transept.

The coat of arms of one of the archbishops of St. Louis.

Above, a sculpture of King Louis IX of France, for whom the church and the city are named.

A requiem side chapel in the basilica decorated in black and gold mosaic tile. The bier lights stand perpetually before an altar with a statue of Christ with the Sacred Heart. The red hats of the cardinals of St. Louis hang from the ceiling. According to legend, when a particular cardinals hat deteriorates to the point that it falls from the ceiling, that cardinal has left purgatory and now enjoys the beatific vision. From the looks of it, they're all still burning.

Above, the cathedra of the archbishop of St. Louis.

The high altar of the cathedral is covered with a beautiful baldichino.

Above, the side chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved.

A bronze pieta.

Views of the sanctuary taken from the side ambulatories.

My daughter Madeline in the prayer garden on the North side of the church.

The exhibit Vatican Splendors: a Journey through Faith and Art is currently showing at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis.

My sister's graduation

2010-05-15T21:45:00.004-05:00

My sister, Mary Elizabeth Krogmeier, graduated on Saturday from Rockhurst University in Kansas City. She earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Congratulations, Dr. Mary! Check out the videos below.

St. Anselm, Doctor of the Church

2010-04-21T22:19:00.001-05:00

"I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this too I believe, that unless I first believe, I shall not understand" St. Anselm of Canterbury (d. 21 April 1109).

Diocesan Anglican-Orthodox dialogue

2010-04-09T22:52:00.002-05:00

The dialogue committee for the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and the Diocese of the South of the Orthodox Church in America met today in the library of St. Vincent's Cathedral school. From left to right: Fr Timothy Matkin, Fr Ron Drummond, Metropolitan Jonah (OCA), Fr Christopher Cantrell, Bishop Jack Iker, Fr Chuck Hough, Fr Joseph Fester (OCA), and Fr John Jordan. Several representatives from the Orthodox diocese were not able to be present because of distance/travel.

Christos Anesti!

2010-04-05T00:19:00.001-05:00

Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
And upon those in the tombs
Bestowing life!

Holy Week and Easter

2010-04-05T00:01:00.005-05:00

Happy Feast

2010-03-25T15:51:00.002-05:00

Today we give thanks that the blessed Virgin Mary said "Yes" to the invitation to become the Mother of God. (I also give thanks that I can watch TV and eat chocolate today.)

The doctor will see you now

2010-03-17T16:08:00.002-05:00

With the saturation of media coverage on health insurance legislation, one of my pet peeves is frequently catching my attention--the use of the word "doctor." The word, of course, means "teacher" so I find it somewhat annoying when it is so often used exclusively as a term for physician or surgeon or other medical specialist.

You might say that the first doctors were lawyers or philosophers, so they would most naturally deserve the term doctor in everyday use. The first academic degrees were all law degrees, either canon (church) law or Roman common law. The doctorate was originally applied to those who were revered for their learning or research and thus their ability to share their knowledge with others. The church has recognized some saints on the calendar whose special charism was to be a teacher of the faith or who made a significant contribution to the development of Christian theology. They are honored with the title of "Doctor of the Church." One of them, St. Anselm of Canterbury, was an Anglican. Perhaps some day John Henry Cardinal Newman will be recognized as such as well.

Doctors of the Western Church
St. Albert 11/15
St. Alphonsus Liguori 8/1
St. Ambrose 12/7
St. Anselm 4/21
St. Anthony of Padua 6/13
St. Athanasius 5/2
St. Augustine 8/28
St. Basil 1/2
St. Bede, the Venerable 5/25
St. Bernard of Clairvaux 8/20
St. Bonaventure 7/15
St. Catherine of Siena 4/29
St. Cyril of Alexandria 6/27
St. Cyril of Jerusalem 3/18
St. Ephraem of Syria 6/9
St. Francis de Sales 1/24
St. Gregory Nazianzus 1/2
St. Gregory the Great 9/3
St. Hilary of Poitiers 1/13
St. Isidore 4/4
St. Jerome 9/30
St. John Chrysostom 9/13
St. John Damascene 12/4
St. John of the Cross 12/14
St. Lawrence of Brindisi 7/21
St. Leo the Great 11/10
St. Peter Canisius 12/21
St. Peter Chrysologus 7/30
St. Peter Damian 2/21
St. Robert Bellarmine 9/17
St. Teresa of Avila 10/15
St. Therese of Lisieux 10/1
St. Thomas Aquinas 1/28

A word of wisdom from a Methodist

2010-03-04T00:35:00.003-06:00

In honor of the feast (yesterday) of Anglican priests John and Charles Wesley, here is a timely quote from the Rev'd David Gamble, president of the Methodist Conference in England. He recently addressed the General Synod of the Church of England on proposals for an Anglican-Methodist unity scheme, saying:

"Methodists approach the Covenant with the Church of England in the spirituality of that Covenant prayer. So when we say to God, 'let me have all things let me have nothing,' we say it by extension to our partners in the Church of England as well. We are prepared to go out of existence not because we are declining or failing in mission, but for the sake of mission. In other words we are prepared to be changed and even to cease having a separate existence as a Church if that will serve the needs of the Kingdom."

Ruth Glendhill has the rest of the story here.

“For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his Saints.” Psalm 37:28

2010-02-07T20:24:00.002-06:00

It's just like that out here at night

2010-01-24T01:06:00.004-06:00

I just couldn't help but take a picture of the starry winter night's sky from my backyard, now that the moon has set. This is one of the two best things about living in the country. (The other is no traffic.)

Confirmation Sunday

2010-01-17T23:05:00.004-06:00

This morning we had a baptism and two confirmations at Trinity Church in Dublin. Here I am with our bishop and new members Zack and Sarah Robinson.

We also had three confirmations at St Matthew's Church in Comanche. Here is our bishop with new members Dawson Hicks, Dominick Porco, and Melinda Megna. Thank you to Dawson for the picture. We were able to use his phone when the batteries on my camera ran out.

Snowing again

2009-12-29T13:25:00.003-06:00

The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

2009-12-25T21:24:00.002-06:00

Christmas in Comanche

2009-12-25T15:28:00.003-06:00

Come, thou long expected Jesus

2009-12-24T13:55:00.002-06:00

Not just dreaming of a white Christmas

2009-12-24T13:48:00.001-06:00

Kissers and Smashers

2009-12-11T14:53:00.002-06:00

Here's a nice little article on iconoclasm from Christian History. I just have one question: If you are not a smasher, why aren't you a kisser?

For many in the West today, Orthodox devotion to icons seems odd, especially the practice of kissing them. And when we learn that for a hundred-plus years in the early Middle Ages arguments raged over pictures of Jesus, causing one of the greatest political, cultural and religious upheavals in Christian History—well, we just don't understand it. What is it about icons that created such a stir, and what do they represent to the Orthodox?

Read the rest here.

Is it worth the cost?

2009-12-11T13:29:00.002-06:00

I captured this image at 1:30pm this afternoon. Check USDebtClock.org to see what it is now. Let us all consider whether we want to see this trend continue.