Good Friday at St Alban's

Maundy Thursday at St Alban's

Was Easter Borrowed from a Pagan Holiday?

Christian History magazine always has timely articles on this sort of thing.

Was Easter Borrowed from a Pagan Holiday?
The historical evidence contradicts this popular notion.
by Anthony McRoy

Anyone encountering anti-Christian polemics will quickly come up against the accusation that a major festival practiced by Christians across the globe—namely, Easter—was actually borrowed or rather usurped from a pagan celebration. I often encounter this idea among Muslims who claim that later Christians compromised with paganism to dilute the original faith of Jesus.

The argument largely rests on the supposed pagan associations of the English and German names for the celebration (Easter in English and Ostern in German). It is important to note, however, that in most other European languages, the name for the Christian celebration is derived from the Greek word Pascha, which comes from pesach, the Hebrew word for Passover. Easter is the Christian Passover festival.


Click here to read the rest of the article.

Old proverbs, new circumstances

"There is an old Turkish proverb: ‘You cannot put out fire with flames.’" That was a line from President Obama's speech in Turkey today. It caught my ear because I immediately thought to myself, "but wait . . . that's how they put out oil well fires." We have seen plenty of those in the wake of the first Gulf War. Such fires are extinguished by an exposion which consumes all the available oxygen, thus putting out the fire. Perhaps there is a new proverb in that.

It is easy enough to see the point of the proverb, which is the maxim that more violence does not necessarily stop violence (think of gang wars or the Balkans). Of course, sometimes it does (think of the Nazi concentration camps), but a proverb is a wisdom statement that is not always or even necessarily true. Rather, it "rings true"; there is practical value in the assertion made.

It caught my attention because it is an old proverb that had been outmoded by technology. I wonder how often that occurs. I was trying to come up with other examples, but cannot think of any at the moment. Can you?

New window at S. Mark's

S. Mark's Episcopal Church in Arlington Texas recently installed it's new rose window in the sanctuary.

Pictures from the day

Some interesting cloud formations loomed over Arlington, TX this afternoon.







Brickwork nears completion on the Marsee memorial garden at St Alban's.

Clouds shroud the tops of buildings in the Dallas skyline this afternoon.

The most curious traffic sign I've ever seen.

Seventh Anniversary

Today marks my seventh anniversary of being ordained a deacon back in 2002 at Our Lady of the Lake Episcopal Church in Laguna Park, TX.

Commenting on the harmony of the various orders in the Church, St Ignatius of Antioch once wrote: "Let the faithful take care to do all things in harmony with God, with the bishop presiding in the place of God and with the priests in the place of the Council of the Apostles, and with the deacons, who are most dear to me, entrusted with the business of Jesus Christ who was with the Father from the beginning and is at last made manifest."

Things that make me happy

Being a husband and a poppa.

Have a dolorous Lent

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. . ." (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Here's wishing you all the most excruciating, starving, sorrowful, miserable Lent. May your days be rainy. May your soup taste bad. May your drinking water be luke-warm. May your bones ache. May your prayers be painful. May your hair fall out. May yours be an all-around dolorous (and, okay, blessed) Lent, and a happy Easter.

Now available!

In 1521, the staunchly Catholic King Henry VIII of England wrote a theological treatise “Assertio Septem Sacramentorum” (aka. a "Defence of the Seven Sacraments") as a rebuttal of Martin Luther’s "Babylonian Captivity of the Church," in which the reformer had crossed the line from reformer to revolutionary, attacking the doctrine of the sacraments and describing the pope as the "antichrist." King Henry received the title "Defender of the Faith" from Pope Leo X for his work of refuting Protestant heresies.

This new edition of the "Assertio" (edited by yours truly) reprints the English (only) text of Henry's work along with Fr. Louis O'Donovan's classic analysis and commentary, plus three new appendices: A historical timeline of events, the text of Henry's Six Articles of Religion, as well as Fr. E.S. Buchanan's translation of Luther's scathing reply to Henry and his “Assertio Septem Sacramentorum.”

Though a crucial element of our Anglican heritage, this classic writing was largely forgotten, until now. You can purchase your copy online for $12.99 or save on shipping costs and make your purchase at the St Alban's Bookstore. Come join us for Mass on Mondays at 10am in the Chapel, with our book study following until noon in Room 10.

Click below to purchase.

Confession makes a comeback

I've always thought that confessional booths are much better than reconciliation rooms, especially for the beginner. By the way, we have a booth at St Alban's. Now it's time to get shriven. I made my confession last Sunday, are you ready to make yours?

By SAMUEL G. FREEDMAN
Published: February 20, 2009

STAMFORD, Conn. — The day after Msgr. Stephen DiGiovanni was installed in June 1998 as the pastor of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church here, he walked through the quiet sanctuary, appreciating the English Gothic grandeur and tallying all the repairs it required. One particular sight seized him. The confessional at the rear of the pews had been nailed shut. The confessional in the front, nearer the altar, was filled with air-conditioning equipment. And these conditions, Monsignor DiGiovanni realized, reflected theology as much as finance.

In the wake of the Second Vatican Council in the mid-1960s, the Catholic Church began offering confession in “reconciliation rooms,” rather than the traditional booths. Even before the setting changed, habits had. The norm for American Catholics was to make confession once a year, generally in the penitential period of Lent leading up to Easter. Monsignor DiGiovanni, though, soon noticed that there were lines for the St. John’s reconciliation room the only time it was open each week, for two hours on Saturday afternoon. So within his first month as pastor, he pried open the door to the rear confessional, wiped off the dust of decades and arranged for replacing the lights, drapes and tiles.

Then, in the fall of 1998, Monsignor DiGiovanni rolled back the clock of Catholic practice, having St. John’s priests hear confession in the booths before virtually every Mass. By now, as another Lent commences next week with Ash Wednesday, upwards of 450 people engage in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, as confession is formally known, during 15 time slots spread over all seven days of the week. Confessions are heard in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Going out West

This morning I was the supply priest at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit in Graham, Texas. Melisa, Maddy and I had a great time. We stopped by and looked at some cows on the way back. I also took a picture of this old and interesting looking closed-down hotel in Mineral Wells.

As Pcasso pointed out, it is the Baker Hotel. Just for fun, here is a link to "Ghosts of the Baker Hotel." Also, for some amazing photographs of the hotel interior and exterior, visit Noel Kerns' Baker set on Flickr.

Read the stimulus

Now that we've saddled the grandkids with the bill, be sure to take time to read what they're actually paying for. There is a searchable database at readthestimulus.org which will let you see for yourself. Thanks to the people who provided this service. Like the tagline says, "$850 Billion, 1588 pages, and counting... somebody needs to read it!"

Graphic: Washington Post

Repair to the rose window

The glass in the rose window at St Alban's has been removed as a part of our capital improvements. It has had a perpetual leakage problem whenever it rains. Apparently, when it was remade after being blasted apart by lightning back in the 90s, it was made an inch or two smaller than the holes for the window. The gap was made up with caulk, which would only last so many years. The window is being reframed to make up the difference and ensure a snug fit. It should be back in place around the end of February / beginning of March.

Good and faithful servant

The Rev'd Canon James P. DeWolfe, Jr.
1918--2009

The darkness that is light

This is Dr. William E. Hull, former provost at Samford University and sometime pastor of First Baptist Church, Shreveport. That "sometime" included my childhood (which is the era of the picture), where I fell in love with Jesus and learned the basics of the Christian faith. Coming there as the pastor the year I was born, Hull baptized me at age ten. We moved away the year after he left for Samford.

I was saddened to learn today that he has recently been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). In the face of this diagnosis, Hull gathered with his family and gave this marvelous meditation on life and death and how faith makes a difference in the struggles of life on October 19 at the Mountain Brook Baptist Church in Birmingham. The sermon brought Hull's public ministry of preaching and teaching to a close. His ministry will now primarily take the form of writing. His message is worth a look.

Click here to view Dr Hull's sermon.