Remembering a faithful servant

The Rev'd Walter Harrison Beste, ssc (known affectionately to many as "Padre" or "Father B") was called home in the Lord's service this past Thursday morning and laid to rest on Monday in Weatherford. It was an honor to serve as a pall bearer at his funeral . He served as a model priest for sixty-two years (twenty of those in this parish). He made his life a prayer--a "spoonful of sweet smelling holy smoke" ascending to God's throne.

It was such a pleasure to have him come back to preach on the feast of Saint Alban the Martyr at the Solemn High Mass. I hoped it would be the first of many such opportunities after he had recently moved back to the metroplex, but it was not to be. I wanted to share the beautiful thank you letter that he sent me after that visit.


Dear Father Matkin,

I greatly appreciated the invitation to preach at St. Alban’s on the patronal festival and thank you for inviting me. Thank you also for the very generous honorarium which I have taken the liberty of returning to the church, but in the form of a cheque for the pipe organ fund. This has been sent to Charlene Dorsey, and she will bring it to the church office. Charlene and I have kept up a steady correspondence over the years. It was, indeed, a pleasure to be able to visit with many old friends of yesteryear, and to make the acquaintance of some new parishioners.

St. Alban’s remains the beautiful church that it has always been and will always be. The church interior is spotless. I could see my face in the polished floors. The choir was excellent in its performance of the offertory anthem and the service music. The solemn liturgy was well done in the Catholic tradition that I had begun when first I went to be the Rector of the parish back in 1954. I understand that you were the author of the beautiful vestments worn by the clergy. Someone told me of your talent for designing and making liturgical vesture. Thank you also for filling the censer with “sweet smelling holy smoke” (c.f., Rev 8:3-4). I recall that Bishop William Paul Barnds, the former Suffragan Bishop of Dallas, once said to me, “Father, be generous with spoonfuls of sweet smelling holy smoke.” He would always put four spoonfuls instead of the usual three into the censer.

I have no doubt that St. Alban’s has a great future before it, and for many years. It has had a glorious past. The recent sad occurrences need not be a “set back.” I learned long ago that there is no definition for success, but the definition for failure is “try and please everyone.” Think positively and God will continue to sustain you with the abundance of his grace. As I said in my sermon, everyone should read the 13th chapter of First Corinthians, which in itself is a superb sermon on love.

God bless you in all your orisons.

Faithfully in Christ,

Father B +

Why are you bitter?

There are sometimes that you just can't help but long for the "good ole days." Some things you just can't get over. Here is are list of some of mine:

1. New Coke
2. speedbumps (and speedhumps)
3. blue M&Ms
4. the way the New Orleans Saints totally choked in 1987
5. those Burger King big-headed king costume comercials
6. the cancelling of (the real) Battlestar Galactica after only one season
7. no adult sizes of Underoos
8. cell phones
9. taking Minute Maid orange soda off the market
10. NFL teams that I've never heard of, playing in cities that weren't even supposed to have teams

Perhaps you can come up with more.

Michaelmas

Today is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels--a favorite of many. 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 humans when the virtues, the ruling archangels, and the angels come to serve and care for people on earth. Angels then truly become “messengers” of divine favor. It was the Archangel Gabriel who gave the message of the Incarnation to the blessed Virgin Mary .Two other archangels are mentioned in Scripture. As the prince of the Seraphim, St. Michael led the heavenly host in the battle against the rebelling spirits. And St. Raphael the Archangel delivered Tobias’ wife from demonic obsession. Raphael is also commonly associated with the angelic trembling of the waters in the pool of Bethesda (Jn 5:2-4).

O holy Angels, watch over us at all times during this perilous life;
O holy Archangels, be our guides on the way to heaven;
O heavenly choir of Principalities, govern us in body and soul;
O mighty Powers, preserve us against the wiles of the demons;
O celestial Virtues, give us strength and courage in the battle of life;
O powerful Dominions, obtain for us dominion over the rebellion of our flesh;
O sacred Thrones, grant us peace with God and man;
O brilliant cherubim, illumine our minds with heavenly knowledge;
O burning Seraphim, enkindle our hearts with the fire of charity.

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.

School Altar and Cross

Everything has been put into place in Centurion Hall, and I've finally gotten some pictures to post. The Altar was consecrated by the bishop at the first school Eucharist on 13 September.

Ordination Anniversary

By the grace of God, I was ordained to the priesthood of the Catholic Church by Bishop Jack L. Iker at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Fort Worth, Texas on 23 September 2002. In these three years of priestly minstry, there have been many constants and many variables. I feel myself part of a heritage that is new every morning and yet as timeless as ever. I am still looking up. It is such a joy to simply be a humble worker in the Lord's vineyard. I'm sure it will take me many more years to unpack most of the meaning.

I still go back to St. Paul's words to St. Timothy:

"Let no man despise thy youth: but be thou an example of the faithful in word, in coversation, in charity, in faith, in chastity. Till I come, attend unto reading, to exhortation, and to doctrine. Neglect not the grace that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the imposition of the hands of the priesthood. Meditate upon these things, be wholly in these things: that thy profiting may be manifest to all." (1 Timothy 4:12-15, Rheims New Testament)

A trip to the zoo

On Friday, Melisa and I went on a daytrip to the Dallas World Aquarium. To our delight, there was more there to look at than just fish. It is a marvelously designed complex. An observer really feels like a part of the environment, and there are an incredible amount of vantage points. Recommended for anyone paying a visit to Dallas.

Here are some pictures we took.

A movie so big, it had to be filmed in color!

Recently, Melisa and I watched once of my favorite movies again--Howard Hughes' 1930 WWI spectacular Hell's Angels. I love the dialogue and period acting, the brotherhood of Roy and Monte Rutledge, the unrelquited love for Helen (Jean Harlow), and Melisa especially noted the the noble spirit of sacrifice for integrity in the RAF.

The movie was so big it had to be shot twice--once as a silent picture, then as a talkie for its final release. It cost an unparralelled $3.8 million to make, and 249 feet of film were shot for every foot used in the final cut. There are numerous beautiful tinted scenes in the film, but also an eight minute two-strip Technicolor sequence. Top Gun has nothing on the arial combat scenes of this movie. Three stunt pilots died during the filming of Hell's Angels and a forth died in a crash while delivering a plane to the set. Hughes himself crashed one plane for the sake of getting the perfect shot.

The night battle scene with the Zeppelin is my favorite in the movie. The Germans did use some dirigibles for bombing runs during the Great War. Hughes' fictionalized version could not have turned out better. Those scenes of "lightening the load" still give me chills.

In reality, there were twenty-three airship raids in over Britain in 1916 in which 125 tons of ordnance were dropped, killing 293 people and injuring 691. Anti-aircraft defenses were becoming tougher and new Zeppelins were introduced which were able to fly at twice the altitude, increasing the operating altitude from 1,800 m to 3,750 m. To avoid searchlights these craft flew above the cloud layer whenever possible, lowering an observer through the clouds to direct the bombing. The improved safety was counteracted by the extra strain on the airship crews and the British introduction in mid-1916 of forward-firing fighters. The first night-fighter victory came on September 2, 1916 when W. Leefe-Robinson shot down one of a sixteen-strong raiding force over London.

After the war, the dirigibles had a renaissance of sorts, becoming vessels of peace. In the early 1930s, the Graf Zeppelin was making regular non-stop transatlantic flights from Munich to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in a matter of days rather than the weeks it took by ocean liner. The zenith of the rigid airships was to come with the LZ-129 (Hindenburg) and her sister-ship, the LZ-130 (Graf Zeppelin II). Each could carry up to 78 passengers and 61 crew. The size of these rigid airships was enormous. The Hindenburg was 804 feet long (that's a mere 78 feet short of a floating Titanic!). The modern Goodyear blimp is lest than a tenth of that length.

Teaching

It's hard not to enjoy being a teacher when you receive little rewards like this from anonymous.

First week of school

With the first week at St. Alban's Episcopal School winding to a close, here are a few pictures.

New car

My old car (above), and new car (below).
After 11 years and 173,872 miles, I got out of the Mercury Tracer, and got into a PT Cruiser.

Pray for the people of New Orleans

Most who could flee from Hurricane Katrina have done so. Around 30,000 of those who couldn't make it out are seeking refuge in the Louisiana Superdome tonight.

To paraphrase William Whiting's Navy hymn:

Eternal Father, strong to save,
whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
its own appointed limits keep:
O hear us when we cry to thee
for those in peril from the sea. Amen.

The completed Altar panels

Above, I have placed updated pictures of the four panels on the front of the new school Altar. They depict traditional symbols of the four evanglists: Matthew (human), Mark (lion), Luke (ox), and John (eagle). The paintings are modeled after the style of the Book of Kells.

In the cross of Christ I glory

I have recently returned from a wonderful and refreshing retreat with brother priests of the Society of the Holy Cross at Camp Crucis. Every time I go on a retreat, the words of Psalm 133 come to mind.

Oh, how good and pleasant it is *
when brethren live together in unity!

It is like fine oil upon the head *
that runs down upon the beard,

Upon the beard of Aaron, *
and runs down the collar of his robe.

It is like the dew of Hermon *
that falls upon the hills of Zion.

For there the LORD has ordained the blessing: *
life for evermore.

I don't understand

Meet Tony Sinclair. He doesn't really exist. He's an actor in an ad campaign for Tanqueray. Their website introduces an "interview" with Mr. Sinclair this way: "Socialite extraordinaire, world traveler and the TANQUERAY Gin company's best find ever. Armed with a witty line and a cocktail shaker, Tony is the master of the mix for TANQUERAY Gin. While he's fast becoming the guest at parties around the globe, very little is known about the man himself."

Meet me. I'm not a socialite extraordinaire or a world traveller. I don't drink or particularly like alchoholic beverages. So the question is, how does this guy talk me into trying to buy what I don't want? If it weren't so hot outside, I'd probably drive straight down to the liquor store. Perhaps its the fop hair or the Joker-like grin, or just the idea of being a world traveller who schmoozes with celebrities all day long. But every time I see Tony at a party, I feel like saying, "Yes, I'm ready to tanqueray!"

Feast of St. Mary the Virgin

Today we commemorate Our Lady's life of faithfulness and her glorious assumption into heaven. Mary is sometimes referred to as the "first Christian" because we see all of the duties and rewards of Christian life realized in her. She was first in redemption and sanctification. She was the first Christian believer. She submitted herself to the will of God in the miracle of the incarnation--providing from her own body the material for sacrifice of the cross. She was first to bring Christ into the world to share with others. Tradition tells us that at the end of her earthly life, God fulfilled in her the promises he makes for all believers. Part of God's will for us as his children and heirs of the kingdom through adoption as his sons and daughters, is that each of us will one day have an empty tomb and reign with him in glory.

Consider how the following passages speak of the life and service of the Mother of God. It is a glimpse of what God has in store for us who follow the examples of the blessed Virgin Mary and all of the saints.

"Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 15:49-57).

"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thess 4:15-17).

"And the temple of God in heaven was opened; and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm. A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Rev 11:19—12:1).

"In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing" (2 Tim 4:8).

Let us pray.
O God, who hast taken unto thyself the blessed Virgin Mary, mother of thy incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been redeemed by his blood, may share with her the glory of thine eternal kingdom; through the same 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.

More school crucifix pictures

The crucifix for chapel services at St. Alban's Episcopal School in Arlington, TX has been finished. Here are some pictures from the final painting process. I'll have more pics later of the Altar and a final one of everything in place.