To "Anonymice"

Anonymous comments will not be posted, however, the writer of this journal would enjoy a dialogue and open communication. I look forward to an opportunity to explore those things that rest heavy on your heart.

i ain't tell'n!

Recently there was a discussion within the parish about the fact that there was an over abundance of "secrets". This is almost a contradictory phenomena for if someone knows there are "secrets", how come they don't know the secrets?

And besides, how do you end the perception that "secrets" are in the air? For if someone says there are "secrets" there must BE "secrets". Such a thought can easily put the rector on the defensive. For such a discussion is suggestive that the rector is to blame for these secrets. If he would be more forthcoming, more open with everyone, then these "secrets" will become know to everyone.

I have a more important question. I wonder what they (those aware of the secrets) want to know? All they need to do is ask, to enter into dialogue, to explore life more deeply. Now, no doubt, there will always be "secrets" we can't forget that somethings are told to me and others in confidence, most people don't want their private lives shared openly and indiscriminately. You know the more I think about it the more I realize how good it is that "secrets" abound for it means that the faith community is protected from one another.

Ascension Joy!

Today is our parish's name day. Ascension holds before us the full meaning of our humanity in Christ and reminds us of our interconnectedness with God and one another. Ascension is the spirituality of community, the realization that community is not something we created, but something that creates us.

In our scientific age, the Ascension has become more of a symbol than a literal fact leaving us still yearning for fuller meaning and hope. In, through, and with Christ our flesh has been received with all its limitations into the presence of God. Christ, who is our high priest, continually prays to the Father that we shall "be one" as he and the Father are one.

May we recognize the true meaning of ourselves, formed and molded by others, as a people reborn in the risen Christ who has filled all in all. Alleluia.

Second Homily on the Ascension of our Lord

From a homily by the former Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, III

Here we are faced with a paradox: What the Apostles perceived as Jesus leaving them once again, this time not by way of the cross by way of ascension, was in fact a prelude to a deeper, fuller and more substantial knowing of the risen One mediated by the Spirit.

... a new kind of knowing in which Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life is known inwardly and with such force that they will, in time, be able with St. Paul to cry out, “The life I now live is not my own, but the life Christ lives in me.”

Here I am put in mind of an observation made by Carl Jung that “the Western attitude, with its emphasis on the object, tends to fix the ideal -- Christ -- in its outward aspect and thus to rob it of its mysterious relation to the inner man.” “Too few people,” he observes, “have experienced the divine image as the innermost possession of their own souls. Christ only meets them from without, never from within the soul.

Christ’s ascension opens the way for a new mode of being present, being with ... What the Spirit takes from Christ is not information but life, life expressed as love and realized in the intimacy of communion whereby Christ dwells in us and we in him.

First Homily on the Ascension of our Lord

From a Homily of Hans Urs von Balthasar on the Ascension of the Lord:

The Lord says to us, mysteriously, that his going away and disappearing will also be a coming and an appearing: "I am going away, and I will come to you" (Jn 14:18). And to help us understand that his going away and coming are one and the same, he puts it even more clearly: "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you" (Jn 14:18-20).

His disappearance from the world begins with his Passion and ends with his Ascension. For since he was laid in the tomb, no worldly person, no one who lacks the Spirit of Christ, has seen him anymore. His coming to us, however, starts on Easter morning, where he meets one disciple after another; it continues throughout the Forty Days and is brought to its fulfillment at Pentecost, when he pours out his Spirit over the Church and thus fills her with his own innermost being.

It is not that his presence changes into his absence; what changes is the mode of his presence.

(You Crown the Year with Your Goodness [Ignatius Press])

The Feast of the Ascension

Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that as we believe your only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into heaven, so we may also in heart and mind there ascend, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

On Calling the Brethren for Counsel

Whenever any important business has to be done
in the monastery,
let the Abbot call together the whole community
and state the matter to be acted upon.
Then, having heard the brethren's advice,
let him turn the matter over in his own mind
and do what he shall judge to be most expedient.
The reason we have said that all should be called for counsel
is that the Lord often reveals to the younger what is best.

Let the brethren give their advice
with all the deference required by humility,
and not presume stubbornly to defend their opinions;
but let the decision rather depend on the Abbot's judgment,
and all submit to whatever he shall decide for their welfare.

However, just as it is proper
for the disciples to obey their master,
so also it is his function
to dispose all things with prudence and justice.

Rogation Wednesday / Thirty-Nineth Day of Easter

O merciful Creator, your hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us always thankful for your loving providence; and grant that we, remembering the account we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

What Kind of Person the Abbot Ought to Be

Above all let him not neglect or undervalue
the welfare of the souls committed to hia,
in a greater concern for fleeting, earthly, perishable things;
but let him always bear in mind
that he has undertaken the government of souls
and that he will have to give an account of them.

And if he be tempted to allege a lack of earthly means,
let him remember what is written:
"First seek the kingdom of God and His justice,
and all these things shall be given you besides" (Ps. 33:10).
And again: "Nothing is wanting to those who fear Him."

Let him know, then,
that he who has undertaken the government of souls
must prepare himself to render an account of them.
Whatever number of brothers he knows he has under his care,
he may be sure beyond doubt that on Judgment Day
he will have to give the Lord an account of all these souls,
as well as of his own soul.

Thus the constant apprehension
about his coming examination as shepherd (Ezech. 34)
concerning the sheep entrusted to him,
and his anxiety over the account that must be given for others,
make him careful of his own record.
And while by his admonitions he is helping others to amend,
he himself is cleansed of her faults.

Rest in Peace: J.F.

My first reaction to Mr. Falwell's death was a quiet alleluia; but the more I reflect on his voice within our culture the more I realize that he, like many of us, was caught in the net of chronic anxiety and fear. He was terrified of change and he wanted others to share his fear. He looked the future in the face and saw nothing but his own nihilistic reflection. He was against so many things that it almost was comic, if it wasn't for the many people he hurt in his quake. I wish him peace and joy and now that he has "full vision" in the life to come, may he able to see those things that he dared not to see while he was among us.

Rogation Tuesday / Thirty-Eighth Day of Easter

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ in his earthly life shared our toil and hallowed our labor: Be present with your people where they work; make those who carry on the industries and commerce of this land responsive to your will; and give us all a pride in what we do, and a just return for our labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

What Kind of Person the Abbot Ought to Be

The Abbot should always remember what he is
and what he is called,
and should know that to whom more is committed,
from him more is required (Luke 12:48).
Let him understand also
what a difficult and arduous task he has undertaken:
ruling souls and adapting himself to a variety of characters.
One he must coax, another scold, another persuade,
according to each one's character and understanding.
Thus he must adjust and adapt himself to all
in such a way that he may not only suffer no loss
in the flock committed to his care,
but may even rejoice in the increase of a good flock.

Rogation Monday / Thirty-Seventh Day of Easter

Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth: We humbly pray that your gracious providence may give and preserve to our use the harvests of the land and of the seas, and may prosper all who labor to gather them, that we, who are constantly receiving good things from your hand, may always give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

What Kind of Person the Abbot Ought to Be

In his teaching
the Abbot should always follow the Apostle's formula:
"Reprove, entreat, rebuke" (2 Tim. 4:2);
threatening at one time and coaxing at another
as the occasion may require,
showing now the stern countenance of a master,
now the loving affection of a father.
That is to say,
it is the undisciplined and restless
whom he must reprove rather sharply;
it is the obedient, meek and patient
whom he must entreat to advance in virtue;
while as for the negligent and disdainful,
these we charge him to rebuke and correct.

And let him not shut his eyes to the faults of offenders;
but, since he has the authority,
let her cut out those faults by the roots
as soon as they begin to appear,
remembering the fate of Heli, the priest of Silo (1 Kings 2-4).
The well-disposed and those of good understanding
let him correct with verbal admonition the first and second time.
But bold, hard, proud and disobedient characters
he should curb at the very beginning of their ill-doing
by stripes and other bodily punishments,
knowing that it is written,
"the fool is not corrected with words" (Prov. 18:2; 29:19),
and again, "Beat your son with the rod,
and you will deliver his soul from death"(Prov. 23:13-14).

The Sixth Sunday of Easter

O God you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all thing, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

The Rule of Saint Benedict

What Kind of Person the Abbot Ought to Be

Let him make no distinction of persons in the monastery.
Let him not love one more than another,
unless it be one whom he finds better
in good works or in obedience.
Let him not advance one of noble birth
ahead of one who was formerly a slave,
unless there be some other reasonable ground for it.
But if the Abbot for just reason think fit to do so,
let him advance one of any rank whatever.
Otherwise let them keep their due places;
because, whether slaves or free, we are all one in Christ (Gal. 3:28)
and bear in equal burden of service
in the army of the same Lord.
For with God there is no respect of persons (Rom. 2:11).
Only for one reason are we preferred in His sight:
if we be found better than others in good works and humility.
Therefore let the Abbot show equal love to all
and impose the same discipline on all

A Place for Healing

If the church has any meaning at all in this new millennium it is because she remains a source of hope and healing in a world filled with chronic anxiety, fear and death. Here the people of God gather to renew their relationship with the Ground of their being, to seek the grace to rise above the greed and envy that are daily impediments to a holy life, to embrace a life of gratitude for all God has given us. I was so taken by this vision, over a decade ago, that I wanted the vestry to consider purchasing the old hospital so that we might use the brick when it came time for us to renovate the church and parish center, because it would symbolize the healing mission of our parish-church.

Today, I no longer think so much about the symbolism that those bricks would have stood for, but I think more about how we as a community might become a home for all those searching for a place of welcome in the midst of the storms of this life, and what we, as rector and people, must do to prepare ourselves spiritually and emotionally to be healers among the people with whom we live.

It seems to me that this healing vision was very much a part of the parish's self understanding years ago when it opened itself to the needs of the homeless, the poor, and the hungry and when, as a congregation, she embraced those living with AIDS/HIV. There was an awareness then, that somehow we have lost, of our need to be involved in the suffering of those around us. It is true that several members of the parish, on their own, outside the faith community, continue to be very involved in some of these ministries, but the conversation among the faithful has ceased.

How important is it for us to reawaken to the true needs of the world around us?

Mystagogia #5

May we appropriate the mystery of the Paschal Feast of our Lord's dying and rising that we may with resolve follow in the way that leads to eternal life; strengthen our faith, confirm our hope, quicken our hearts to see you in all things and above all things, guide us to salvation, to behold the glory of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Thirty-Fifth Day of Easter

Loving Father, through our rebirth in baptism you give us your life and promise immortality. By your unceasing care, guide our steps toward the life of glory through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Rule of Saint Benedict

What Kind of Person the Abbot Ought to Be

Therefore, when anyone receives the name of Abbot,
he ought to govern his disciples with a twofold teaching.
That is to say,
he should show them all that is good and holy
by his deeds even more than by his words,
expounding the Lord's commandments in words
to the intelligent among his disciples,
but demonstrating the divine precepts by his actions
for those of harder hearts and ruder minds.
And whatever he has taught his disciples
to be contrary to God's law,
let him indicate by his example that it is not to be done,
lest, while preaching to others, he himself be found reprobate (1 Cor. 9:27),
and lest God one day say to him in his sin,
"Why do you declare My statutes
and profess My covenant with your lips,
whereas you hate discipline
and have cast My words behind you" (Ps. 49:16-17)?
And again,
"You were looking at the speck in your brother's eye,
and did not see the beam in your own" (Matt. 7:3).