J. Grant Swank, Jr.

Sarah Palin’s deity is the God of the Bible. Her personal Savior is Jesus Christ. Her holy writ is the infallible, inerrant Bible. Her hope for eternity is heaven as described in the Word of God. Her hope for the present is God’s will activated in her dedication.

Barack Hussein Obama’s deity is the god of the Koran—Allah. His personal savior is Allah, though he professes to be a Protestant via his membership in the theologically liberal United Church of Christ (Congregational / UCC). That would make him out to be a witness to Jesus Christ; of course, that is bogus, including his testimony that at an altar at Chicago’s Trinity UCC he discovered Christ. If it was Christ, it is not the Christ of the New Testament.

Obama’s so-called holy writ is the abominable Koran. His hope for eternity is unknown; but if he becomes a suicide bomber for Allah, he will be guaranteed pronto a score of virgins for everlasting. His hope for the present seems to be his reliance upon Islam’s Koran furthered by his clandestine support of Islam World Rule via czars and a shadow government given to overthrowing our Republic.

In January 2009, Marxist Muslim’s Obama seemed to be riding high on mob hysteriacs seating him proudly in the Oval Office. Recall he told the world, “I won.” Countless devotees showed up at his inauguration. He was applauded throughout Congressional halls as the new messiah promising “hope” and “change.”

Not yet a year later, he has not produced productive “change” for America; therefore, there is no grassroots “hope” in the Pied Piper who led millions into his lying machine.

Today he is below par in polls. He has not accomplished anything worthwhile, per Saturday Night Live spoofs, for example.

Today he is on the verge of submerging America into the trenches due to his pro-Islamic policies installed by crooks and Muslim cronies surrounding him 24 / 7.

He stalls on Fort Hood investigations. He enforces the warmist religion by bowing down to Al Gore clones at global global warming sessions.

He cheers on 9/11 civil investigations, providing Allah disciples privileges not deserving self-confessed Muslim murderers.

Obama is being unsealed moment by moment so that even the young mob hysteriacs are starting to get the cruel message instigated by the chief betrayer set loose in America. In short order he has plotted to ruin our health care system, dump us into the devil’s debt and bankrupt our Christian heritage by uplifting Muslims and atheists on the same honorary level as biblical believers.

This cancer sore Obama is the most dangerous occurrence ever in all the Republic’s history for it promises us our doom.

Then comes along Sarah Palin. What does she hold out for the populace?

She speaks of common sense politics, a Christian heritage history continuance, reliance upon the God of Scripture, actual hope in prayer and the Holy Spirit’s guidance in one’s personal faith life.

She comes from a biblical base regarding worship gatherings. It is not theological liberalism as touted in the United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church, Anglican Church, United Church of Canada, Unitarianism, Evangelical (a misnomer) Lutheran Church of America and other anti-Christ labels.

She worships with Christians who seek to live out the Bible, confess to following Christ as personal Redeemer, pray daily, conduct family devotions, believe in miracles, repent of their sins and then yearn to go forth in holiness.

Palin is the antithesis to Obama. Palin represents a biblical way of life. Obama represents a satanic cult.

America is now faced with the choice of Palin or
Obama. Of course, in weeks and months to come, someone else may log in to sideline Palin. But at the moment, it is Palin versus Obama.

To say that America is at a crucial fork in the road is to speak in understatement.

Read PALIN’S PENTECOSTAL FAITH: LIBERALS WILL POUNCE at http://zenithmax.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/palin%E2%80%99s-pentecostal-faith-liberals-will-pounce/

On Saturday November 7th I had the privilege of visiting the Edible School Yard in Berkeley, where I met up with Wendy Johnson.  Wendy took an interest in our project and was kind enough to donate all the lettuce and herbs for our first planting.  On Sunday November 8th the Grace Cathedral youth confirmation class joined a group of dedicated ECS clients for the inaugural planting at the Sanctuary!  Soil was flying, as the team got busy in a veritable planting frenzy!

We filled one raised bed planter with lettuce starts and a prominently displayed marigold.  In a variety plastic containers (salvaged from SF Dump) we repotted thyme, oregano, spearmint, and three different kinds of sage.

proud of a day's work

The Sanctuary is an emergency shelter managed by Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco. Located at the corner of 8th and Howard St, the Sanctuary provides housing, support, and program activities for 200 adult clients (75 women and 125 men) for periods ranging from 3-90 days.

Viviana Martinez, Director of Shelters, has decided that a garden would provide an additional place of rest, nurture, and healing for Sanctuary clients. A native of Peru, Viviana mourns our loss of connection to natural places. It is Viviana’s hope that clients will draw strength from connecting with life-sustaining processes, and that by learning to take care of plants, we might all become more attentive to taking care of ourselves and eachother.

Clients will join teams of outside volunteers to build and maintain this parking lot garden. Together we will turn a 28′x28′ corner of the parking lot into a living, vibrant, beautiful raised bed garden.

This space will be used to grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers, creating a sanctuary within a sanctuary. Kitchen Manager, Kuulani Imira, will use produce from the garden in the shelter kitchen, and the garden will serve as space for other shelter programs.

On Wednesday November 4th, ten volunteers began to clean and transform the space, painting the surrounding walls with free paint which was salvaged from the SF Dump.

Want to Volunteer!?

If you or your community would like to volunteer time in the garden, or are in a position to donate financial or other material resources for this and similar gardens please contact griff[at]diocal[dot]org

In December of 2008, the people of Holy Innocents Episcopal Church in San Francisco, led by their Senior Warden Margaret Dyer-Chamberlain and her husband Page Chamberlain, planted a vegetable garden. Their mission was to “come together as a community to grow food that will help the most needy and vulnerable among us.”

winter raised beds

In a sliver of land between two buildings, parishioners and community members gathered to plant a winter crop of cauliflower, beets, carrots, broccoli, and various leafy greens. By spring there was a second planting, and the children of the parish were wholeheartedly involved, planting and raising their own seedlings at home.

While some of the seedlings were planted at the church, the bulk of them were given away to clients of the Julian Pantry, housed at St. John the Evangelist. Margaret smiles as she recalls, “The children became so attached to their plants that they could hardly bear to give them away.”

As summer approached, the congregation planted fruit trees in containers on the front steps of the church—a sign to all passersby of the bustling life within. Meanwhile, Margaret and Page began organizing groups from Holy Innocents, the neighborhood, and from Stanford University (where Page teaches and Margaret is an administrator) to glean unpicked fruit from local trees. Most weeks at Holy Innocents, an offering of produce is brought to the altar and blessed alongside the eucharistic elements. The produce is then delivered to the Julian Pantry or the Free Farm Stand at 22^nd and Treat in San Francisco.

The Holy Innocents community garden is both an example of environmental stewardship and distributive justice. By using previously unproductive space and harvesting neglected crops, this community is transforming waste into life-giving nutrition, and moving us all from scarcity into abundance. In doing so they remind us of the central mission of our churches.

Believe it or not, fall and winter are great times to plant a garden in the Bay Area! Cultivate DioCal is an initiative to promote and support gardening and food-sharing around the Bay Area. For more information, or to find out how you can be involved, contact Griff, DioCal’s Environmental Justice Missioner, at: griff[at]diocal[dot]org

It has been almost a month since the CDF press announcement of the apostolic constitution, Anglicanorum Coetibus, which was released a couple weeks later. As with all Vatican documents, the title comes from the first two words in the official Latin edition, in this case, “groups of Anglicans” – though I prefer the translation “flocks of Anglicans”, probably inspired by the starlings and their Tiber-crossing aerial acrobatics, or the wishful thinking of certain (Catholic and secular) media outlets.

Along with the constitution itself, a set of complimentary norms and an official explanatory note was issued. The later is written by the rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University here in Rome, Gianfranco Ghirlanda, SJ, a native Roman who is trained as a civil and canon lawyer – which is an important lens to keep in mind when reading his commentary.

In the last three weeks, I have heard this issue addressed, in person, by Archbishop Rowan Williams, Cardinal Walter Kasper and about a dozen other curial officials, Catholic ecumenists, and Anglicans. My comments and conclusions remain my own, so do not blame any of them for my errors, but each conversation has provided some insight to various aspects of this issue, for which I am grateful.

Communication and timing

Much has been said of the Holy See’s lack of a modern communications strategy this last year, starting especially with the lifting of the excommunications of the (still) schismatic bishops of the Society of St. Pius X. In this case, the timing issue has been remarked on a great deal.

But let us be realistic: This is the Vatican. In Rome. Do you have any idea how long it takes to get anything done here? How many good people in the Church have been frustrated by an organization that prides itself in “thinking in centuries”? Should we really believe that this was an ambitious gambit at Ecclesial Imperialism incited only by recent developments? A rushed effort to ‘fish in the Anglican pond’?

I honestly think the more likely answer is that this is, at least partially, the long, slow, overdue response to requests that came way back in 1997 from some groups that left communion with the Anglicans at that time, just as the 1980 Pastoral Provision was a response to a smaller-scale situation in the 70’s. These former Anglicans are likely the ‘target demographic’ rather than current members of the Anglican Communion. I would not be surprised if some draft of something like this had been floating around in a dusty file cabinet in the CDF for the last decade or more.

It is probably, genuinely intended as a pastoral response by some in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and possibly the Secretariat of State. However, these impulses have not benefited from the full reception of, or formation in, ecumenical dialogues and relationships.

The internal, inter-dicasteral communications and collaboration is also clearly a problem, and it has not improved much in the eight years since Dominus Iesus. The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity was not properly consulted in the development of the document, only verbally informed of it after it was in process. Cardinal Kasper did say on Thursday after the Colloquium that he had seen a draft of the Apostolic Constitution before the official promulgation, and was invited to make recommended changes, but he did not mention the accompanying documents, and this may have happened after the initial press conference with Cardinal Levada and Archbishop DiNoia.

Externally and ecumenically, the Archbishop of Canterbury and his staff, as well as even the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales was likewise not consulted or involved in the process, but only informed shortly before the press conference. Seemingly it was informing them that motivated the conference, for fear of leaks before the Constitution was finalized.

Anglican Responses

The official responses are out there to read on the internet. Bishop Chris Epting, National Ecumenical Officer of the Episcopal Church, has recently blogged about the issue; and the press has been following Archbishop Rowan Williams everywhere in Rome, so there is no shortage of coverage.

Personal responses among those I have spoken with have included some common themes, including brief temptation and excited interest: “Enough talk, let’s just do it! We can have unity now!”

This was usually followed by disappointment in some key aspects once the constitution, complimentary norms and explanatory note came out. After a little time, there has been a sense of betrayal of the ecumenical bonds of unity that already exist and anger at what seems to be promotion of an “ecumenism of return”, which the Catholic Church disavowed 50 years ago. One local Anglican’s comment of “not being angry about this… but then being surprised at how angry I was” is echoed in several remarks, also among dedicated Catholics sensitive to the challenges currently facing the Anglican Communion.

Personally, I was initially excited too, “What if they all came? What if we could just have unity now?”… for a few minutes. Then a mea culpa for my momentary indulgence in ecclesiastical imperialism, and my thoughts turned to friends yearning for full communion, and the personal discernment of one friend in particular between coming into communion personally or continuing the long slow work of full ecclesial union.

Chris, Nigel, Andrea, John, Stian, Ann, Chris, Liz, Terry, Peter, and Tom: You are regularly in my prayers, you know, but have been especially so in recent weeks. Nothing would make me happier than being able to break bread together, in the fullest sense, but I suppose we can wait a little longer! (In the short term, I should at least practice better communicatio in communication and start answering email…)

Personal Ordinariates: Neither Personal Prelature, Church sui iuris, nor pastoral provision

The Personal Ordinariate structure was not foreseen in the 1983 Code of Canon Law, so Pope John Paul II created it specifically for the military ordinariates in 1986. The point missed in most of the media is that this is specifically a structure for the People of God – unlike a Personal Prelature (eg, Opus Dei) or the pastoral provision, which are specifically about clergy. The personal ordinariate is a personal diocese, not just a provision to “get married priests” in through the back door and “fill the dwindling ranks”. Were that primarily the motive, I think we would have just had a personal prelature.

Neither is it a full, autonomous Church sui iuris (or Particular Ritual Church) like the 23 Churches that make up the one Catholic Church. (That is, the Roman Catholic Church, Maronite Catholic Church, Ukranian Greek Catholic Church, etc.) This is a model proposed at various times in the ecumenical conversation as a juridical/ecclesial structure for eventual full communion, with the Archbishop of Canterbury as the Patriarch (or Major Archbishop).

Fr. Ghirlanda’s commentary acknowledges that the creation of such a structure could create “ecumenical difficulties”, without elaboration. Not knowing which difficulties he was thinking of, two immediately come to mind: 1) the idea that such a structure should be reserved until such time as we do attain full communion between Rome and Canterbury, and to do so now would be really insulting to the Anglican Communion and its leadership, and 2) a concern for our relations with the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, who might object to the unilateral establishment of a new patriarchate by Rome that did not exist as such during the first millennium.

However, the reason given in the commentary is that “the Anglican liturgical, spiritual and pastoral tradition is a particular reality within the Latin Church.” This has been one of the moments of pause for some Anglicans and former Anglicans who might otherwise consider the move.

I think this can be read positively, as acknowledging a genuine tradition that goes beyond local custom and has a proper place in the Catholic Church today at a level similarly given to, say, the “extraordinary form” of the Roman Rite, rather than seeing it as a ‘non-Catholic creation of the English Reformation’. However, it seems safe to say that the English church has long recognized in itself an ecclesial tradition distinct from the Roman church, even for the many centuries of full communion, which goes beyond just liturgy and spirituality to a full ecclesial sense, including juridical, pastoral, and theological practices. This limited recognition is not as generous as would have been hoped.

Theology of Bishops, ordination

When is a bishop not a bishop? Would a rose by any other name still smell as sweet? If it walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, isn’t it a duck?

[First, a brief note: “Ordinary” is a canonical term used to designate a person whose authority is by virtue of law itself in relation to his office. We refer to the diocesan bishop as the ordinary, in distinction from any auxiliary or retired bishops in the diocese. So, in itself, the “ordinary” is not a new term or office.]

One of the first discordant notes from the press announcement three weeks ago was around the identity and role of bishops and the ordinary in the personal ordinariates. Anglicanorum Coetibus basically sets up the ordinariate and outlines the responsibilities of the ordinary and the consultative structures. It gets interesting in the complementary norms (particular law).

First, in article four of the norms, it is noted that the ordinary may be a bishop or a presbyter. While allowing a presbyter exercise ordinary power is not unusual in itself, it is odd for the role equivalent to a diocesan bishop. In fact, the canons specifically mentioned in this article are describing the roles and responsibility of a diocesan bishop.

The section on “Former Anglican Bishops” (Article 11) has four points:

• A former Anglican bishop may be appointed as the ordinary, but he would be only ordained as a presbyter.
• A former Anglican bishop who is not ordinary could be asked to assist the ordinary in administration of the ordinariate.
• Any former Anglican bishop would be a part of the bishop’s conference in their territory (such as the USCCB), with a status equivalent to retired bishop.
• Finally, any former Anglican bishop who is not ordained as a Catholic bishop may request permission to continue using episcopal insignia (mitre, crozier, pectoral cross, ring, and presumably the amaranth red zucchetto, fascia, and simar).

While the first point seems to say that a former Anglican bishop could not be ordained as a bishop, even if he is the ordinary, the last point seems to indicate that at least some former Anglican bishops could be so ordained, and the rest could continue to wear bishop’s regalia even if they are not ordained as bishops.

 Turning to Fr. Ghirlanda’s commentary for clarification, one finds the following:

“The ordination of ministers coming from Anglicanism will be absolute, on the basis of the Bull Apostolicae curae of Leo XIII of September 13, 1896. Given the entire Catholic Latin tradition and the tradition of the Oriental Catholic Churches, including the Orthodox tradition, the admission of married men to the episcopate is absolutely excluded”

This is where any interest in ‘coming over’ grinds to a halt for many Anglo-catholics, especially the clergy. Among Catholic ecclesiologists, ecumenists, church historians and sacramental theologians, this is probably where there was a collective raising of eyebrows. The three issues here are the use of Episcopal insignia by non-bishops, the nature of Anglican orders and of ordination in the personal ordinariate, and the whole of the final sentence regarding ordination of married men to the episcopate.

Episcopal Insignia

Originally, of course, bishops did not wear anything different than the rest of the people of God. After Christianity became the official religion of the empire, Emperors began appointing Christian bishops to civil magistrate posts. These secular offices included the insignia of a ring and what have become the crozier and mitre. As the empire dissolved and the Church took on the role of the state more completely, they became identifiable with the episcopal office, but continued to have a secular connection.

The whole (unfortunately named) lay investiture controversy of the 12th century had nothing to do with the role of the laity in electing their bishops (which was traditional), but with the role of the secular rulers appointing bishops themselves and/or retaining the right to invest them with the ‘secular’ signs of office: ring, mitre, and crozier.

Significant to that argument and church practice since is that these are insignia of the episcopal office, and are neither appropriate for non-bishops to use nor for non-ecclesiastical authorities to confer. The exception to this concerns some of those who are equivalent to a bishop in office, such as an abbot (and in some places in the past, an abbess). Given that exception, it would be consistent to allow the ordinary of the personal ordinariate to retain episcopal insignia even if he was only a presbyter.

The underlying concern is twofold, one ecumenical and the other ecclesiological. First, having just reiterated the judgment of Apostolicae Curae of Anglican orders as “absolutely null and utterly void” and declaring that any former Anglican bishop, presbyter or deacon would have to be absolutely ordained, the allowance for former Anglican bishops to adopt episcopal insignia without episcopal ordination basically says, “Because you are used to pretending to be bishops, we will allow you to continue pretending to be bishops, even though you will not actually be bishops.”

Secondly, the practice of having non-bishops dress or act as bishops seems to imply the Tridentine theology of the episcopate as a merely juridical office, rather than as an order in itself. If a presbyter has the fullness of orders, and being bishop is just a “job”, then a presbyter can dress as a bishop or fulfill a bishop’s office (eg, ordinary) without actually being a bishop. Catholic ecclesiologists and sacramental theologians are not too happy about that possibility.

Apostolicae Curae and Anglican Orders

Many catholic-leaning Anglicans are that way because of a Catholic understanding of the sacraments, including holy orders and the Eucharist. They may have been interested in the personal ordinariate if offered a “conditional” ordination, which would at least acknowledge the possibility of, or partiality of, sacramental validity of their current ordained ministry. But absolute ordination means a betrayal of their (very Catholic) sacramental sense of their current ministry, which is not appealing.

In the 113 years since Apostolicae Curae, Catholic historians, theologians, and ecumenists have developed a more nuanced understanding of Anglican orders. The bull is considered definitive church teaching on precisely the issue with which it deals – Anglican ordinations conducted according to the Edwardian Ordinal from 1552 until 1662.

Church historians have discovered at least some places where this ordinal was not used, and so would not be subject to the declaration of nullity. More recently, there have been more and more Anglican ordinations including bishops of the Old Catholic churches, which are generally recognized as valid in the classic Catholic understanding, and the Scandinavian Lutheran churches, which also maintain an historic episcopate with a claim of apostolicity. Even the Catholic understanding of ordination vis a vis Apostolic Succession and Tradition has enjoyed development, at least in ecclesiological circles, in moving from a “spiritual heredity” model to a more collegial understanding of succession and ordination as incorporation into the episcopal college.

Given all of these, it was disappointing for many that the ordinations of former Anglican clergy were not classified as conditional. This could be understood either as “just in case” their former ordinations were either absolutely invalid or merely defective, or, even better, as a sign of their incorporation into the episcopate, presbyterate, or diaconate in communion with the ordinary and the bishop of Rome, without judgment on the state of their current orders or past ministry.

Married Bishops

Finally, there is the sentence about married bishops. The best way to read this  is to recall that Fr. Ghirlanda is primarily a canonist, and is a native Roman.

In the current canonical situation, it is true that married men are absolutely excluded from the episcopate in the entirety of the Catholic Latin and Eastern traditions, as well as in the Eastern Orthodox tradition.

Historically, of course, married men have been bishops (and before that, apostles). This was common in the Latin tradition, and not unheard of in the east, until celibacy became a universal norm in the Latin Church during the 12th-16th centuries. Early on, the practice of selecting monastic (and therefore celibate) presbyters to be bishop became the norm in the East, while the West continued to select bishops from the diocesan (and therefore married or celibate) diaconate and presbyterate. Ecumenically, the Orthodox Church recognizes this historic difference in praxis, and does not generally object to married bishops in the Latin Church. Theologically, there is no impediment to a married man being a bishop in either the Catholic or Orthodox traditions, and in fact scripture commends it – though, admittedly, limiting bishops to only one wife.

Being a Roman, Fr. Ghirlanda has no doubt been to the Basilica of Santa Praessade, and has seen the 9th century mosaic of Episcopa Theodora. If he had meant that in the entire Latin Catholic tradition, historically and theologically, the admission of married men to the episcopate was absolutely excluded, then he would be confirming the interpretation that Theodora was not the wife of a bishop, but was in fact a bishop herself. This seems unlikely.

The Synodal Tradition of Anglicanism

As “the Anglican liturgical, spiritual and pastoral tradition is a particular reality within the Latin Church” according to the official commentary, their pastoral tradition of synodality (collegiality and collaboration) is also worthy of emulation in the entire Latin church, and perhaps some of the norms in this section will be applied throughout the church. Even if not, they are interesting in themselves.

A “governing council” combines the basically redundant structures of presbyteral council and college of consultors currently mandated in the Code of Canon Law. It is given deliberative voting powers on a number of issues, and interestingly, prepares the terna (list of three names) from which the Holy Father would appoint the ordinary. For most Latin dioceses, this terna is currently prepared by the Apostolic Nuncio, with consultation of the region’s bishops, some other clergy, and virtually no input by laity.

Further, the pastoral and finance councils are mandated not just for the ordinariate, as is the case for all dioceses, but also for all parishes in the ordinariate. For most Latin dioceses, the parish pastoral council is merely recommended. However, the language for pastoral councils in the norms is that they are “advisory” rather than the stronger “consultative” which is in the Code, though this is a common misreading of consultation, so perhaps it was not meant as a change.

What Happens Now?

Some former Anglicans may accept the offer, but I do not think it will be a large number. Even fewer current Anglicans will, I think. The most interested will thankfully continue to work on full ecumenical unity, distant as that always seems. I am interested to see how this develops, or if it develops.

One curial official described the personal ordinariates thus: The Holy See has set aside an empty room, but without furniture, electricity, or provisions. Now we are asking Anglicans to fill the room, without being able to bring anything with them other than themselves. It may remain empty for a long time.

In the mean time, the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) III preparatory commission is meeting in Rome this week, including my own bishop, Archbishop Alex Brunett as co-chair. This, after a hiatus since 2005, prompted by the developments in the Anglican Communion – a hiatus which some predicted would never end. If Anglicanorum Coetibus were really the Holy See’s ecumenical answer the Canterbury’s internal struggles, ARCIC III would be dead in the water. Yet, they seem energized and ready to go, so it will be interesting to see whether ecumenical dialogue or corporate conversion takes center stage over the next few months.

The Apostolic Constitution, Complementary Norms, and commentary can be read together here.

Archbishop Rowan Williams further responded to the Vatican’s creation of a new “Anglican rite” within the Roman Catholic Church for Anglicans who wish to become Roman Catholics.  As Williams notes, so far there has been little response beyond the Traditional Anglican Communion which left in the 1990’s over the ordination of women.  If you wish to see the New York Times article on what’s happening you can find it here.  If you want to see the Anglican Communions story about this, you can find it here.

This past weekend, several brothers and I had the pleasure of attending the first Convocation of Religious for the Diocese of Atlanta.  Present there were members of The Society of St. Anna the Prophet, The Order of St. Anthony the Great, Brothers of St. Gregory and Sisters of St. Gregory.  While it was a relatively small gathering, it was wonderful to see representatives of all the Episcopal religious communities present in the Diocese.  As religious communities are so few and far between, it was a comfort to see others living out the same calling as ourselves.  It was a true comfort to know that we are not alone in the Diocese in the work that we do. 

For the closing of the convocation, we chanted Evensong together, and I was given the honor of providing the homily.  The scriptures read for the service were Isaiah 65:17-25 and Matthew 18: 21-35.  As requested, I’m providing a recording of the homily here for any that may be interested.  Special thanks go to Br. Aelred, B.S.G. for his work in organizing this event!     

You can download the homily by following this link: http://brotherkenneth.wordpress.com/files/2009/11/convocation-homily.mp3

Christ the King Sunday celebrates the all-embracing authority of Christ as King and Lord of the cosmos. Officially called the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King, it is celebrated on the final Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Sunday before Advent.

Pope Pius XI universally instituted The Feast of Christ the King in 1925 in his encyclical Quas Primas. Pope Pius connected the denial of Christ as king to the rise of secularism. At the time of Quas Primas, secularism was on the rise, and many Christians, even Catholics, were doubting Christ’s authority, as well as the Church’s, and even doubting Christ’s existence. Pius XI, and the rest of the Christian world, witnessed the rise of dictatorships in Europe, and saw Catholics being taken in by these earthly leaders. Just as the Feast of Corpus Christi was instituted when devotion to the Eucharist was at a low point, the Feast of Christ the King was instituted during a time when respect for Christ and the Church was waning, when the feast was most needed. In fact, it is still needed today, as these problems have not vanished, but instead have worsened.

Pius hoped the institution of the feast would have various effects. They were:

1. That nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, and immunity from the state (Quas Primas, 32).
2. That leaders and nations would see that they are bound to give respect to Christ (Quas Primas, 31).
3. That the faithful would gain strength and courage from the celebration of the feast, as we are reminded that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies (Quas Primas, 33).

Today, the same distrust of authority exists, although the problem has gotten worse. Individualism has been embraced to such an extreme, that for many, the only authority is the individual self. The idea of Christ as ruler is rejected in such a strongly individualistic system. Also, many balk at the idea of kings and queens, believing them to be oppressive. Some even reject the titles of “lord” and “king” for Christ because they believe that such titles are borrowed from oppressive systems of government. However true these statements might be (some kings have been oppressive), these individuals miss the point: Christ’s kingship is one of humility and service. Jesus said:

You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to become great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:42-45, NAB).

and

Pilate said to Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?”… Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world,to testify to the truth (John 18:33b, 36-37).

Thus, Jesus knew the oppressive nature of secular kings, and in contrast to them, he connected his role as king to humble service, and commanded his followers to be servants as well. In other passages of Scripture, his kingdom is tied to his suffering and death. While Christ is coming to judge the nations, his teachings spell out a kingdom of justice and judgment balanced with radical love, mercy, peace, and forgiveness. When we celebrate Christ as King, we are not celebrating an oppressive ruler, but one willing to die for humanity and whose “loving-kindness endures forever.” Christ is the king that gives us true freedom, freedom in Him. Thus we must never forget that Christ radically redefined and transformed the concept of kingship.

Christ the King Sunday used to be celebrated on the last Sunday of October, but since the calendar reforms of 1969, the feast falls on the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, which is the Sunday before Advent. It is fitting that the feast celebrating Christ’s kingship is observed right before Advent, when we liturgically wait for the promised Messiah (King).

from www.churchyear.net

Prayer

Domine Iesu Christe, Rex gloriae

O Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory,
deliver the souls of all the faithful departed
from the pains of hell and from the bottomless pit;
deliver them out of the lion’s mouth,
lest hell should swallow them up,
lest they fall into the outer darkness;
but let Thy standard-bearer, Saint Michael,
bring them back into Thy holy light,
which Thou didst promise of old to Abraham and to his seed. Amen.
From The Roman Missal

I recently read a fabulous article by a young Episcopalian. Her tag: stop inviting people to church.

Yep. Don’t invite people to church.

I understand why she says such. “Conversion” is often confused with “you’d better believe what I believe, or else.” I know it is a misunderstanding of the word; and I’m personally convinced that the Episcopal Church may save all that is good and holy and just in the church. But as someone with an interfaith background, I’m simply not interested in proselytizing.

I suspect Jesus was less interested in getting people to think the same, than to invite them into peaceful relationships.

Since we are in a post-Christian age, the faith will encounter lots of suspicion. The stereotype of Christians are that we can’t stand difference, sex and bomb Muslims.

Clearly, Episcopalian, modernist Christians will be misunderstood.

So stop inviting. That just affirms the wrong things about the faith.

Besides, it’s not working for us.

Instead, she suggests, just get out there and listen. Meet people and enjoy them. Chances are they are just expecting you Christian person to be another crusader for an agenda they don’t believe. Defeat that expectation.

When they say “I hate organized religion,” you can agree – we’re theologically disorganized, after all, compared to our sister Roman church. When they say they are “spiritual but not religious” there is no reason to mock their lack of commitment. And when they express their fears about religion, you can hold their hand.

It’s enough that you know that St. Barts is a different place. You are making it into a different kind of institution. In the fullness of time, our church will respond better to the lives around it – as we become a listening, learning, organization.

Don’t be afraid to be who you are. When your religious identity comes up, articulate it. State what you believe: I don’t hate gays, I don’t think other faiths are damned, I believe in evolution, but I follow in the path of Jesus Christ and believe that he liberated us from the powers of the world. If you aren’t sure you can say at least Yes, for what it is worth, I believe, even though I don’t always know what the end of that sentence is.

Chances are they are expecting you to convert them. Instead, stop. Don’t let it cross your lips. As they ask you about your theology, your commitment, your practice, do not invite them to church. If they ask to visit, don’t tell them how much you want them to be there. Say instead how much you love the community and what it has done for you. Be the church by simply letting the holy love lead them.

But don’t invite them to church.

You are now, and forever, off the hook. It is enough to hold fast to the idea that the Divine Affection cradles you in His arms and loves you effortlessly. I promise you, it will come up, where you to church. Tell them I’m not allowed to invite people. I’m only allowed to care for them.

Yes, we are called to preach the gospel. But the strongest evidence that we have inculcated the Gospel is a confidence in our own hearts; one that trusts that He knows what He is doing, even in the lives of those who misunderstand the nature of God, Christ, and His Church.

Because the faith is not just holed up in the institution. It is manifest in every relationship we create. It is enough to get out there, love and challenge the world that has been created, and work to build the peaceable kingdom with those who would have it.

I stole this off of the blog of a FB friend of mine{ Sorry, Susan} But it is * brilliant* & I wanted to share it with y’all.  I am PROUD to be a part of such a welcoming Church. 

Ok no feast day today for the Anglican Church. If I have time I would like to share with you all about St. Dionysius. He is the Orthodox saint who is remembered today. More importantly today is the Saturday before Christ the King, The last Sunday of the church year, and today is the Feast of the Presentation of Mary.

This feast day has been controversial over the years. Time and again it was removed from the church calendar. It wasn’t until 16th century. What we know of the birth and presentation of Mary was written in apocryphal literature. For this reason it is not considered to be one hundred percent historically accurate.

We find the story in the Protoevangelium of James (or Gospel of James). In the story Anna and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was three years old. You see as the story goes Saint Anne was unable to conceive a child. In her shame and suffering she cried out to God for a child. Her promise was that if God would grant her request she would offer her child as a sacrifice and give her over to the temple for Gods service.

Unknowing to Mary’s parents. The offering of Mary would change the world forever. With her being born full of Grace the Lord set her aside for the day when it was her time to say Yes to God, and for salvation to enter her womb, and eventually into the heart of mankind.

So do we know if the Presentation of Mary is true? Who really knows. My question for you is does it really matter? Does it change who she was? Or what she had done? No I would argue that not only does a story like this bring correct understanding to the Blessed Mother of Jesus. It also shows the hand of God working and his plan for Salvation for all.

I ask that anyone who reads this today would ponder the life of Blessed Mary ever virgin. Think on her sacrifice when she answered yes to God. All the shame she received. Did she care? Or did she understand calling? Would you say yes to God if you knew the consequences were life changing?

Prayer

It is sometimes difficult for modern Westerners to appreciate a feast like this. The Eastern Church, however, was quite open to this feast and even somewhat insistent about celebrating it. Even though the feast has no basis in history, it stresses an important truth about Mary: From the beginning of her life, she was dedicated to God. She herself became a greater temple than any made by hands. God came to dwell in her in a marvelous manner and sanctified her for her unique role in God’s saving work. At the same time, the magnificence of Mary enriches her children. They, too, are temples of God and sanctified in order that they might enjoy and share in God’s saving work.

This comes from Episcopal Cafe.  It’s a follow up on my earlier posting on the same legislation:

A special session of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church has been called to discuss the church's position on the “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” currently before the Ugandan Parliament. The meeting will be conducted via conference call on the afternoon of December 7, according to numerous sources.

Special sessions of Executive Council can be called by the Presiding Bishop or, as in this instance, by a petition signed by at least nine members of the council.

Council members have been discussing the Ugandan issue informally among themselves for more than a month. Some members of the council were eager for the church to join 17 human rights organizations and the Anglican Church of Canada in condemning the bill, while others argued that such action would do more harm than good.

In a news release issued earlier today, calling on Anglican leaders to oppose the Ugandan legislation, the Chicago Consultation noted that the bill “proposes the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality' and life imprisonment for touching another individual with homosexual intent.

“Belonging to a gay organization, advocating gay rights and providing condoms or safe-sex advice to gays and lesbians could result in a seven-year prison sentence,” the release continued. “Failing to report violations of the law within 24 hours would be punishable by a three-year prison term. In contravention of international law, the new legislation would also apply to Ugandans living in other countries.”

The provincial secretary of the Anglican Church of Uganda initially supported the bill, but advocated that the death penalty provision and extradition provisions be removed. More recently, the Church has said it has no position on the bill.

Further details, including perhaps a listening-only call-in number may be forthcoming.

via The Lead.

There is not much to be said about St. Edmund. He was King of East Anglia. His kingdom was one of the three Anglo kingdoms established in Britain in the 400’s. The other 7 where Saxon ruled. Interestingly enough still today each of these areas of England still have different accents.

East Anglia was invaded in 870. The Danes invaded, and brought a wave of fiery destruction throughout the land. They burned the churches, and slaughtered whole villages leaving total destruction in their wake. When they reached East Anglia The Danish leaders confronted King Edmund. They offered him peace if he would rule under their authority, and burn the rest of the churches.

St. Edmund stood firm in his beliefs. He was tortured and finally put to death. St. Edmund feared nothing more then God. Like the Apostles He rejoiced that he was counted worthy to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said that we should rejoice when we suffer for His sake, because great is our reward in Heaven.

So Blessed is Saint Edmund who by his stand spilled his blood for the sake of the faith. Blessed are those who stood firm beside their great king. Blessed are us who have such a rich Celtic and Anglo Catholic Tradition.

I currently find myself at a crossroads of sorts, or maybe parallel paths are a better way of putting in. On the one hand I have my vaguely Christian upbringing via the Church of England (Anglican) followed by attending services at my local Episcopalian church here in Texas. On the other hand, I have my secret (well known by a few understanding friends) pursuit of pagan knowledge predominantly through Wicca.

Many people would say that the two cannot exist at the same time, in the same place. They are opposing forces. One preaches that there is one true god, the other about the balance of feminine and masculine and nature. Yet I find myself constantly drawn to both in an equal and balanced way.

Is it not the ideal of any faith to give its followers peace? For me I reach that through the intermingling of the old and the new. Light and dark. Summer and winter. I like the balance of energies within pagan religions, the strong feminine figures and the celebration of life and death as an ever turning circle. I also like the music and sense of fellowship when I go to the Episcopalian church. It is the music that draws me and is something I do not want to give up (particularly during the holiday season).

What puts me off about Christianity, particularly here in the “Bible Belt”, is that it permeates everything: schools, jobs, government. I applaud people for having faith, but I don’t want to be preached at. When I have kids, I don’t want them preached at (their decision on the matter will be their own). I believe strongly in the idea of separation of church and state, especially in a society as mixed as ours. Religion is a personal affair and should not be forced upon anyone.

During my applications for Law school I purposefully disregarded many good law schools simply because they spent about half their time telling me what good Christian lawyers they educate. I couldn’t care less. I don’t want to go to school to be a better Christian; I want to be a lawyer. If the school is more concerned with its religious status than its education system the information is going in the rubbish bin.

Equally, I get frustrated with some pagan people for being occasionally just plain weird (A–, I don’t include you in that school of thought!).

So I have decided that for me balance is the key. Hopefully no one will judge me too harshlyon this, after all, there are many paths to the same destination. But if you will judge me, you might want to take a pain killer: you’ll be banging your head against a brick wall. I will just smile serenely, content in my spirituality.

I think the story of St. Elizabeth is a great one. There are many female saints that woman in religious life have to look towards for guidance. St. Clare comes to my mind, and I am sure you can think of many others.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary was a notable woman, and a saintly model for woman of laity in the church. She has shown in her life even if you wear the habit of a Franciscan or other orders you can reflect that rule of discipline, and your life their works.

With the approval of her husband St. Elizabeth dedicated her life to the poor, sick, and the hungry. She used her dowry to bring aid of those most in need of mercy. In the year 1226 Famine, sickness, and poverty covered the face of the earth. St. Elizabeth’s husband was away in Italy. She sold off her jewels, and earthy possessions to build hospital and also a feeding center. Her work continued, and many people’s lives were touched.

In 1227 her husband died. St. Elizabeth’s inlaws disowned her. They disapproved of her work, and the careless ways she gave away her money.

St. Elizabeth left Wartburg and the life she built. Over time an arrangement was negotiated with her family. This provided her a modest amount of money. She became a lay associate in the Order of Saint Francis and devoted the remainder of her life to nursing and charity.

So when you see a hospital or center of charity with St. Elizabeth’s name on it. Know that they are in the honor a continuation of the work of St. Elizabeth. I challenge anyone who reads this to search yourself. Ask our Lord how you can be more like St. Elizabeth. How can you impact and change the world around you. Maybe you can collect clothing. Offer time in a food bank. Serve at a homeless shelter. Most important whatever it is that you do in your life. Offer your works up to the Lord as a sacrifice. Do not do the good you do for earthly recognition, and reward.

Prayer

Almighty God, by whose grace your servant Elizabeth of Hungary Recognized and honored Jesus in the poor of this world: Grant that we, following her example, may with love and gladness serve those in any need or trouble, in the name and for the sake of through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Poem/prayer

O blest Elizabeth, in glory
Enthroned amid the heavenly throng,
Be gracious to accept the praises
We offer you in cheerful song.
As you from home and hearth were driven
And forced in direst want to roam,
So now direct us lonely exiles
And help us reach our heavenly home.
You practiced poverty: enrich us
With heaven’s choicest gifts secure;
You daily mortified your body:
Help us to keep our bodies pure.
The luring world and wily Satan
You overcame by watchful prayers;
Teach us with steadfast heart to conquer
Our enemies’ deceitful snares.
To God the Father highest glory
And to his only Son, our Lord.
Together with the Holy Spirit,
As years and ages endless run.

St. Hilda is a fun saint to cover. Her story plays a great part in the the Anglican identity. She is a reminder to us that England has a rich Catholic faith before and after Roman rule.

St. Hilda was born in 614. She was the grandniece of King Edwin of Northumbria, a kingdom of the Angles. In the year 647 her household became Christian, and she decided she wanted to become a nun.

She was very successful in strengthening the Christian Faith among the native people of Britain. The Celtic people and others in the area heard the Gospel well before the 300’s, and the Celts strongly influenced the faith. In the 400’s and 500’s war and a onslaught of people from Germany invaded Britain. Mainly the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes.

The Celts where forced from the land and to Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. The new invaders were pagan, and missionaries were sent from the Celts and from Rome. Under the direction of Aidan St. Hilda built and established several monasteries. The most notable one was in Whitby. Like the monastery built buy St. Brigid of Kildare This was a dual house. A home for men and woman alike with a chapel in between the homes.

Her monastery in Whitby became a education center for what would become England. 5 Bishops came out of her work. The church was greatly influenced by this center. So much that conflict raised between the Celts, and the Romans. The difference was not in doctrine. It was over ideas on monastic life and on the date Easter should be celebrated.

It was important to the Roman Christians the Easter universally be celebrated on the same day. On the other hand for at least 4 centuries Celts celebrated Easter on a different day. In 664 the Synod of Whitby met at St. Hilda’s monastery to hash out a final decision on this matter. This Synod was the turning point in Roman Catholicism in England. The decision was to follow Roman Tradition, and support of the Roman Bishops in the area.

St. Hilda was in favor on continuing in the Celtic tradition, but supported the new order for the much desired peace over her land. She had a great influence when it came to Kings and the common. All regarded her advice, and direction. Her continued voice for the study of the Scripture and high education for clergy. I believe this emphases is still seen in the Anglican church today.

St Hilda died 17 November 680.

Prayer

O God of peace, by whose grace the abbess Hilda was endowed with Gifts of justice, prudence, and strength to rule as a wise mother over the nuns and monks of her household, and to become a trusted and reconciling friend to leaders of the Church: Give us the grace to respect and love our fellow Christians with whom we disagree, that our common life may be enriched and your gracious will be done, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Ok I am still sick….. I really don’t have the energy to write something out. So again I am using the works of James Kiefer. I hope you all have a blessed week.

As a sign of his remorse for his role in the murder of the Archbishop Thomas a Becket, King Henry II founded the first house in England of the strict monastic order called the Carthusians. Difficulties arose with the first two priors, and a French noble recommended Hugh de Avalon, who at that time had been a monk at the mother house of the order for 17 years.

On his arrival in England in 1176, Hugh found that the building of the monastery had not begun. Worse, no compensation had been paid to those who would have to lose their lands and property to make room for it. Hugh refused to take office until these persons had been paid “to the last penny.” He intervened again on behalf of the builders, whose pay was not forthcoming.

Henry loved him for his plain speaking. “I do not despair of you,” Hugh said to him at their first interview; “I know how much your many occupations interfere with the health of your soul.” Henry, impressed by his frankness, swore that while he lived he should not leave his kingdom, and took so much pleasure in his conversation, and paid so much heed to his counsels, that a rumor arose that Hugh was his son. Hugh’s biographer wrote that “of all men only Hugh could bend that rhinosceros to his will.” When Henry was in danger of shipwreck, he cried out, “If only my Carthusian Hugh were awake and at prayer, God would not forget me.”

This affection never diminished, though Hugh dared to oppose the king, particularly in the matter of keeping bishoprics vacant in order that their revenues might fall to the king’s treasury. One of the worst examples was Lincoln, which, except for a few months, had been without a bishop for eighteen years. Hugh was elected to the post in 1186, and his monastic superiors ordered him to accept. After so long a period of neglect, there was great need of reform. Hugh employed priests of great piety and learning, and made the fullest use of his authority in disciplining his clergy. He took a stern view of the ill-treatment of the poor by the royal foresters, and when a subject of the church of Lincoln suffered at their hands he excommunicated their chief.

He also refused to appoint a royal favorite to a meaningless but lucrative post. Henry was furious, and summoned him to his presence. He came, and Henry turned away his face and would not speak, but by way of ignoring his presence took out a torn glove and began to sew it. At last Hugh said, “How like you are to your relations at Falaise.” The king might have resented this allusion to the humble birth of William the Conqueror’s mother, the daughter of a glove-maker, but he only laughed, and the quarrel was made up.

Riots against the Jews broke out in England at the time of the Third Crusade. In defence of the persecuted, Hugh faced armed mobs in Lincoln, Stamford and Northampton and compelled their submission.

Hugh refused to raise money for the foreign wars of King Richard the Lion-Heart, calmed the king’s rage with a kiss, and persisted in his refusal: this was the first clear example on record of the refusal of a money-grant demanded directly by the crown, and an important legal precedent. Richard said, “If all bishops were like my lord of Lincoln, not a prince among us could raise his head against them.”

His relations with King John were less happy. John showed him an amulet, which he said was sacred and would preserve him. Hugh replied, “Do not put your trust in lifeless stone, but only in the living and heavenly stone, our Lord Jesus Christ.” The following Easter he preached at length on the duties of kings, and the king slipped out partway through.

Devout, tireless, and forgetful of self, Hugh also had wit, a temper that he described as “more biting than pepper,” and a great love and concern for children and the defenceless. He visited leper-houses and washed the ulcerous limbs of their inmates.

He was fond of animals, and they of him. Birds and squirrels came readily to his hand. He had a swan that would feed from his hand, follow him about, and keep guard over his bed, so that no one could approach it without being attacked.

In 1200 the king sent him on an embassy to France. His mission was a success, but he took ill and returned to England to die on 16 November 1200. John Ruskin called him “the most beautiful sacerdotal (priestly) figure known to me in history.”

written by James Kiefer

Prayer

O holy God, who endowed your servant and bishop Hugh of Lincoln With wise and cheerful boldness, and taught him to commend the discipline of holy life to kings and princes: Grant that we also, rejoicing in the Good News of your mercy, and fearing nothing but the loss of you, may be bold to speak the truth in love, in the name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Feeling under the weather tonight. So instead of writing out my thoughts I a posting something written by James Kiefer.

To you and yours be blessed,

Kirk

Margaret (born c. 1045) was the grand-daughter of Edmmund Ironside, King of the English, but was probably born in exile in Hungary, and brought to England in 1057. After the Norman Conquest in 1066, she sought refuge in Scotland, where about 1070 she married the King, Malcolm III. She and her husband rebuilt the monastery of Iona and founded the Benedictine Abbey at Dunfermline. Margaret undertook to impose on the Scottish the ecclesiastical customs she had been accustomed to in England, customs that were also prevalent in France and Italy. But Margaret was not concerned only with ceremonial considerations. She encouraged the founding of schools, hospitals, and orphanages. She argued in favor of the practice of receiving the Holy Communion frequently. She was less successful in preventing feuding among Highland Clans, and when her huspand was treacherously killed in 1093, she herself died a few days later (of grief, it is said).

written by James Kiefer

Prayer

O God, who called your servant Margaret to an earthly throne That she might advance your heavenly kingdom, and gave her zeal for your church and love for your prople: Mercifully grant that we who commemorate her this day may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious crown of your saints; though Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

This story deserved more than to be buried in a link list of suggested reading a few days from now.   It’s more significant than that.   And if you think you’re already on top of this one, just hang in there for a few paragraphs, or jump to the asterisk  * below for a rather strange twist updating as of November 15th.

Here’s a sample of how the story begins at The Christian Post:

The director of a Planned Parenthood abortion center in Texas has resigned and embraced the pro-life movement after witnessing an abortion through an ultrasound.

(Photo: Coalition for Life) Abby Johnson, former director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas

Abby Johnson had worked at the clinic in Bryan/College Station, Texas, for eight years before departing from the facility after her change of heart.

“I left on good terms and simply had a change of heart on this issue,” she told 40 Days for Life, which had been holding prayer and fasting initiatives outside her clinic since fall of 2004. “Over the past few months I had seen a change in motivation regarding the financial impact of abortions and really reached my breaking point after witnessing a particular kind of abortion on an ultrasound.”

According to reports, Johnson had never seen an abortion take place on an ultrasound but happened to be present during one procedure, in which she saw a 13-weeks-old fetus trying to move away from the doctor’s probe

“I just thought, ‘What am I doing?’” she told ABC News. “And then I thought, ‘Never again.’”

Here’s another summary at World Magazine:

In late September, the abortionist at Planned Parenthood in Bryan, Texas, needed assistance, so he asked the center’s director Abby Johnson to hold the ultrasound probe during a dilation and evacuation abortion. Johnson watched as the 13-week-old unborn child attempted to avoid the probe. “I saw a full profile of the baby from head to foot,” she told me.

Once the abortion procedure began, Johnson saw the child “crumple” under the pressure of the vacuum and then in an instant the child was gone. The reality of seeing the baby moving struck her as she stood in shock and dropped the ultrasound probe, she recalled: “My heart was racing. I kept thinking about my daughter.”

Blogger Stevan Sheets has an embedded 2-minute news report from local station KBTX.

I thought if any blogger would have commentary on this, it would be pro-life proponent La Shawn Barber, but her blog simply mentions the story in passing in a couple of posts, including a 3-minute embedded report from CBN News.

* End of story, right?   Not quite.  Johnson is finding some of the greatest resistance to her decision coming from her home church; as this story on the website Stand Firm reports:

Abby Johnson, the former Planned Parenthood clinic director whose about-face on abortion prompted her to resign her job, says she’s gotten flack for her decision from an unexpected quarter: her own church.

Her Oct. 6 decision to leave Planned Parenthood in Bryan, Texas – after viewing an ultrasound-guided abortion of a 13-week-old fetus two weeks earlier – made headlines, especially when she ended up volunteering at the Coalition for Life center a few doors away. Her former employer filed a restraining order to silence Mrs. Johnson, but a judge threw out the case on Tuesday.

Now she is facing a different kind of music at her parish, St. Francis Episcopal in nearby College Station, the home of Texas A&M University.

Whereas clergy and parishioners welcomed her as a Planned Parenthood employee, now they are buttonholing her after Sunday services.

“Now that I have taken this stand, some of the people there are not accepting of that,” she told The Washington Times. “People have told me they disagree with my choice. One of the things I’ve been told is that as Episcopalians, we embrace our differences and disagreements. While I agree with that, I am not sure I can go to a place where I don’t feel I am welcome.”

Wow!

Abby, if you’re reading this, I’m sure the whole world is looking a lot different than it did a few weeks ago.   Stand strong on what you know your heart — and God’s Spirit — is showing you and telling you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.    Psalm 139: 13-16

——Read the full stories by clicking the individual links.   The Stand Firm story is reprinted in full and the Washington Times article it refers to is worth reading in full.    An attempt by Planned Parenthood to obtain an injunction silencing Johnson failed as reported in this story in Metro Catholic.

Also, here’s a repeat from a few days ago of a link to seven pictures — be sure to see all seven — in the London Telegraph showing a human fetus (or foetus, as the Brits spell it) developing in the womb.

I am so excited about St. Albert the Great. Just a few days ago they were talking about him on EWTN. Apparently he wrote a book on memory aids to memorizing scripture. I will forever think about a baby taking a bath in a font… That is a story for another day.

St. Albert the Great in his time and today is regarded as a great philosopher. St. Albert was a scholar of Greek and Christian writings. Especially the writings of Aristotle. This laid the foundation for St. Thomas Aquinas’s who’s master was St. Albert the Great.

Born into a noble German family. St. Albert was the oldest of his siblings. After spending time at university. St. Albert felt the call to religious life. Despite the great opposition his family voiced. St. Albert joined the Dominican Order.

Gifted in leaning St. Albert had a great thirst for knowledge. He consumed, digested, and later wrote about varying subjects such as: science, logic, astronomy, ethics, mathematics, metaphysics, and politics. He dedicated a large portion of his life putting together a library of all knowledge.

St. Albert taught in Paris and Cologne. Later on he became Bishop of Regensburg. He was a defender for mendicant orders, crusades into Germany and Bohemia. Were he shared the light of Christ to those who would hear.

We could all take a page or two from St. Albert’s life. For some it is the desire of learning. For others maybe the ability to have great faith in spite of analytical thought. Most of all for a deep love for our savior Jesus the Christ.

Prayer

St. Albert the Great, Scientist and Doctor of the Church, natural science always led you to the higher science of God. Though you had an encyclopedia knowledge, it never made you proud, for your regarded it as a gift of God. Inspire scientists to use their gifts well in studying the wonders of creation, thus bettering the lot of the human race, and rendering greater glory to God. Amen.

MARIAN PRAYER OF SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT (A.D. 1206-1280)
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favour with God.”
For note, Mary,
for you have found grace,
not taken it as Lucifer tried to so.
You have found grace,
not lost it as Adam did.
You have found favour with God
because you desired and sought it.
You have found uncreated Grace,
that is, God himself became your Son,
and with the Grace
you have found and obtained every uncreated good.

Gregory Palamas was born in Constantinople (?) about 1296. He became a monk of the great community at Mount Athos, near Thessalonika. Here he was one of the formost supporters of a theory of contemplation called Hesychasm (or, after him, Palamism). The Hesychasts claimed that, by suitable spirtual disciplines, those engaged in contemplative prayer could come to see the “uncreated light” of God. Their opponents objected that this doctrine was inconsistent with the unity and the transcendence of God. At first, Hesychasm was condemned as heretical and Gregory was excommunicated.

However, in 1347, thanks chiefly to the unwavering support of the monks of Athos, Gregory was brought back from exile, cleared of heretical charges, and made bishop of Thessalonika. After much controversy, his position was declared orthodox by the church of Constantinople in 1351, but by then he was worn out and an invalid. In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in his ideas.

Here is how his views are described by an Eastern Orthodox writer, Timothy Ware (Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia), in his book, The Orthodox Church, pp. 77-78, published by Penguin Usa. Copyright 1963,1964 by Timothy Ware.

From this, Gregory [Palamas (1296-1359), Archbishop of Thessalonica] turned to the main problem: how to combine the two affirmations, that man knows God and that God is by nature unknowable. Gregory answered: we know the _energies_ of God, but not His _essence_. This distinction between God’s essence (ousia) and His energies goes back to the Cappadocian Fathers. “We know our God from His energies”, wrote Saint Basil, “but we do not claim that we can draw near to His essence.” … But however remote from us in His essence, yet in His energies God has revealed Himself to men. These energies are not something that exists apart from God, not a gift which God confers upon men: they are God Himself in His action and revelation to the world. God exists complete and entire in each of His divine energies. The world, as Gerard Manley Hopkins said, is charged with the grandeur of God; all creation is a gigantic Burning Bush, permeated but not consumed by the ineffable and wondrous fire off God’s energies.

It is through these energies that God enters into a direct and Immediate relationship with mankind. In relation to man, the divine energy is in fact nothing else than the _grace_of_God_; grace is not just a “gift” of God, not just an object which God bestows on men, but a direct manifestation of the living God Himself, a personal confrontation between creature and Creator. “Grace signifies all the abundance of the divine nature, in so far as it is communicated to men.” [V. Lossky, The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, p 162] When we say that the saints have been transformed… by the grace of God, what we mean is that they have a direct experience of God Himself. They Know God–that is to say, God in His energies, not in His essence.

written by James Kiefer

Prayer

O God, who by your Holy Spirit give to some the word of wisdom, To others the word of knowledge, and to others the word of faith: We praise you for the gifts of grace manifested in your servant Gregory, and we pray that your Church may never be destitute of such gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

So today there is no feast or Saint that we commemorate in the Anglican Church.  On my calendar I saw 2 for the Orthodox Church, but decided to write about a Saint the Catholic Church honors today.  Her name is St. Francis Xavier Cabrini.  Being from Chicago this name is very familiar.

St. Frances Cabrini was born in Lombardi, Italy in 1850.  At the age of 18 she decided she wanted to become a nun.  At that time many things stood in her way.  Her parent’s health was poor.  So instead of going after the desires of her heart she stayed home working the farm and raising her 12 siblings.

Sometime later in life a priest asked her to teach in a school for girls.  She worked at the school for 6 years.  One day St. Frances was contacted by her Bishop.  He requested that she would start The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart.  Ministering to the poor children is schools and hospitals were their work of service.

Mother Cabrini wanted to leave Italy, and venture to China in hopes to spread the faith of Christianity.  Pope Leo XIII had a much different idea for Mother Cabrini.  He urged her to travel to New York.    So in 1889 Mother Cabrini traveled to New York with 6 other nuns to work with the Italian immigrants.

With her strong faith, and passion for those who are suffering.  Mother Cabrini founded many schools, orphanages, and hospitals.  She did the same in other cities.  Chicago is one in particular.  Mother Cabrini had a great impact on the people if Chicago.  Her spirit still lives on in many parts of the cities Catholic community.

Mother Cabrini suffered and died of malaria in one of her hospitals in Chicago on December 22, 1917. She founded flourishing houses of work and charity in England, France, Spain, the United States, and South America. In 1946, she became the first American citizen to be canonized when she was elevated to sainthood by Pope Pius XII.

Prayer to Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini

Almighty and Eternal Father,
Giver of all Gifts,
show us Thy mercy,
and grant, we beseech Thee,
through the merits of Thy faithful Servant,
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini,
that all who invoke her intercession
may obtain what they desire
according to the good pleasure of Thy Holy Will.
(here name your request)
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini,
beloved spouse of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
intercede for us

That the favor we now ask may be granted

On 2nd February 1779 Charles Simeon was to take the yearly obligated communion at a mass for all students at Cambridge. His conscience told him that if he was to go he must first repent to God. By this experience his life was transformed. After graduation he was ordained and became chaplain of Holy Trinity, Cambridge. For 55 years he challenged the church for deeper spirituality. His enthusiasm and zeal brought him much ridicule and abuse, which he bore uncomplainingly. Though he himself remained in one place, his influence extended through the Anglican world. He died on 12 November 1836.

Prayer
O loving God, who order all things by your unerring wisdom and Unbounded love: Grant us in all things to see your hand; that, following the example and teaching of your servant Charles Simeon, we may walk with Christ in all simplicity, and serve you with a quiet and contented mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Last night’s podcast of _Amanpour_ had Christiane interviewing former British Prime Minister & correct special envoy to the Middle East Tony Blair.

According to Blair, the stability of the world depends  greatly on resolving the conflict in the Middle East.

Can The International Charter for Compassion  help bring an end to this conflict? This is a new organization that hopes to build  peace in the Holy Land by showing what two opposing  faiths share in common. The charter is a call to action to implement the Golden Rule to help we folks of faith create a force for compassion & understanding. 

{This charter shall be launched in two days. Stay tuned, as I find out more information on this topic I’ll post thoughts about it here on my blog. }

According to Karen Armstrong, a former Roman Catholic nun, the main principle that ALL faiths share is The Golden Rule. She has that the idea behind this charter is to teach nations & different faith groups to carry out  The Golden Rule each & every day.

 As a Christian with Jewish heritage, I admit that sometimes I struggle to understand the hatred & fear that drives  folks to kill in the name of God.  And since I am not too familiar with Islam, I tend to view their extremism with distrust. But, I am making an effort to learn more about them. Intellectually, I know that not all Moslems are  extremists but at the same time the ” fringe” gives most of them a bad rap. Education is key & after reading several  nonfiction works on the lives of everyday Moslems, I do understand that the majority of them seek an end to this  faith-based violence as do we moderate Christians.

Karen Armstrong is correct: most of us want a world  full of more compassion. I know that as a Christian, when MY faith is used to propagate hatred.

Apparently this Charter will have several prominent world religious leaders involved. I am curious as to  whether or not my Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts-Schori, will be involved. My guess is that she is one who will be a staunch supporter of this new initiative. Ms Armstrong told Christiane that she is pretty sure that the Roman pontiff will not sign on with this charter, but on the other hand many Roman Catholics will embrace this idea of tolerence & compassion.