Friends. I thought about all of you at St. John's and your limitless faith in doing God's work. I want to share this wonderful reflection on this topic in the May 26, 2020 issue of "Forward Day by Day" by Richelle Thompson. It's all about you regular folks who do great things.
Blessings and love, Fr. Jack. Ephesians 3: 14 - 21. Now to him who by the power within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. When I joined the Episcopal Church, my first bishop often ended his sermons with these words. During his episcopate, he set bold and audacious goals: for church, growth, racial reconciliation and spiritual formation. But he never believed these goals would be accomplished under his own steam. God was the engine, driving our bishop and us to new and unexpected places. Some other leaders in our tradition share this unwavering faith in a limitless God. But I'm most impressed when I encounter this steadfast faith in regular folks who set seemingly impossible goals of ending hunger, housing the homeless, reforming our prison systems, tackling addictions, and then set about working hand in hand with God to accomplish abundantly more than they can ask or imagine. May 25th, Memorial Day, we remember all who have served in our Military Forces, and have passed on. It was called Decoration Day when I was young. We would go the cemetery and place flowers on the graves of loved ones who had served, pray, and remember them, just like we do today.
Here are two beautiful prayers for members of the Armed Forces published in Forward Day by Day issues during WWII. Blessings and love, Fr. Jack. For those in the service of our country: Bless, O God, all who have left their homes to fight for the world's freedom, and those who risk their lives to serve. Give them wisdom, courage, and fidelity to the highest. Let no ordeal separate them from the love of Christ. Sanctify the strong, uphold the weak, stretch forth thy gracious hand to the dying, in mercy receive the dead. And hasten the coming of godly peace, through the power of the Holy Spirit, who cometh from thee, O Father, and thee, O Christ, world without end. Amen. (1945) For the departed: Almighty Father, who has set within thine own authority the times and seasons which are unknown to us; receive our prayers for thy servants whom death has overtaken in this war. Retain their souls in thy keeping. Pardon all that has been amiss; and draw them nearer and nearer to thyself; for the merits of Jesus Christ our savior. Amen. (1944) "God's love pouring into our hearts." When we entrust our lives to Jesus; when we ask Jesus to show us how we can become more like him, our lives change in wonderful ways. That's what the author (unknown) of this Forward Day by Day reflection in June of 2019 is talking about. I thought you would enjoy it.
Blessings, love, and hugs from a safe distance, Fr. Jack. John 16:15. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said he will take what is mine and declare it to you. When I think of the Creator of the universe holding me in in one hand, and pouring love into me with the other hand, everything else seems trivial. Sure, I have bad moments and go through difficult times, but I have God's love actually pouring into my heart. We each have God's love pouring into our hearts, and that provides all the hope we need. This love-fueled hope gives us character founded in love, and gives us strength to endure suffering. In his seminal work, "The Problem of Pain," C.S. Lewis wrote, "We were made not primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too), but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the Divine love may rest "well pleased." "Social distancing will not stop love." -From the outside sign of the Jubilee United Church. Friends. "To praise and thank God, no matter what happens."
The Kingdom of heaven more precious than any material possession we have. Jesus tells us that in Matthew 13:45-46: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it." Pearls were a Roman obsession in Jesus' time. Romans used the Greek word 'margarita' for 'pearl.' It is the word used in Matthew's text. Jesus makes it clear that the kingdom of God is worth far more than any pearl or possession we may have or desire. When we entrust our lives to Jesus everything changes for us. We become inheritors of a precious gift in our lives now, and when we pass on, a glorious pearl - the kingdom of God. Blessings, love, and hugs from a safe distance, Fr. Jack. Friends. "To praise and thank God, no matter what happens."
I placed this in my Prayer Journal in November of 1995. It was written by Murray Bodo, OFM, in St. Anthony Messenger Press. I thought you would enjoy it. Stay safe. Blessings, love, and hugs from a safe distance, Fr. Jack. "Give thanks to the Lord always and your life will be a song. Some songs are sad, of course, but the melody is still there your voice, as well as the movement, and the feeling of freedom that comes from music. To praise and thank God, no matter what happens, is a gift that few possess. To lift your voice and heart on high in failure, and defeat, places you among the saints of God. For only faith and love can explain a sing of praise and thanksgiving when times are bad." "O Lord, my God, I cried out to you, and you restored me to Health" (Psalm 30:2) We all have experienced dark moments of the soul. Things seem utterly hopeless. Our youngest son has a mental illness, rheumatoid arthritis, and other medical problems. The author of this reflection had similar seemingly hopeless problems that eventually turned into joy with God's help and love. That can happen for you too.
Blessings, love, and hugs from a safe distance, Fr. Jack. And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. (Luke 23:48) As I sit here writing, my son Isaac, is singing the soundtrack from Frozen at the top of his lungs. He brings truly immeasurable and uniquely delivered love and joy to me, my family and many others. Yet, when he was born with Down syndrome just after Easter 10 years ago, I confess it was one of the darkest times of my life- an agonizing and humbling admission for a mom to make. Now I can say with complete honesty that Isaac is one of the greatest joys of my life, a precious and continuous gift. His guileless and generous affection, unprejudiced enjoyment of the littlest things, keen emotional intuition, and innocent yet profound faith are priceless blessings. Plus, he's just plain fun. As I remember those early, dark moments of my pregnancy and those first months after Isaac's arrival, I think about the last few days of Jesus' life. How unspeakably dark that time must have been for His followers. The hope Jesus offered was seemingly extinguished on that hill. I found myself unexpectedly but joyously pregnant at forty-three with the heart-welling anticipation of new life; then that joy was suddenly confusingly, agonizingly gone. Did the apostles feel the same way? Were they lost in despair? But we're wrong to underestimate God's omnipotence and His love for us! The empty tomb and then Jesus' appearance in the upper room heralded joy, just as Isaac does for me today. If you are at what seems like a terminal low point, look to the cross. Recall how hopeless it all seemed. Then remember Easter. Thank you, Jesus, for Easter! - Isabella Yosuico Listening to each other is really important during our Corona Virus pandemic. For example, we can call each other and listen on the phone. It's really helpful when we are all cooped up in our homes to listen to each other. The times are stressful now and it's easy to get frustrated with each other. I thought this article on listening by The Rev. Dr. Jennie Clarkson Olbryc, a retired Episcopal priest from Charleston, SC, might be helpful to you, as it was to me.
Blessings and love, Fr. Jack. When St. Benedict set pen to paper in the sixth century and composed his simple rule for beginning monks, the very first word he wrote was "Obsculta," which means, "listen." Benedict invited them and us to "listen with the ear of the heart." That is, to listen from the center of our being and as an act of love. Paul Tillich,* writing fourteen centuries later touched on the same thing when he said, that "the first duty of love is to listen." Can we say, then, listening and loving the other are deeply connected. When someone has listened deeply and faithfully to us, our trust in them grows, as we come to know they are truly present to, and with us. In the bond of trust, the foundation of love is laid, for we cannot love what we do not trust, but attachment is no guarantee of genuine, life-giving love. Listening not only builds the foundation of love, it makes relationship possible, not only between people, but also between ourselves and God. * The Rev. Dr. Paul Tillich, German American Lutheran Protestant Theologian. (1886 - 1965). He served on the faculties of the The Union Theological Seminary ( Episcopal ), and The Harvard Divinity School after emigrating to the United States. He is most well-known for his 3 volume work titled, "Systematic Theology." This beautiful prayer was written by Fr. Hendrick, OFM. I thought you would enjoy it.
Blessings and love, Jack. Yes there is fear. Yes there is isolation. Yes there is panic buying. Yes there is sickness. Yes there is even death. But, They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise You can hear the birds again. They say that after just a few weeks of quiet The sky is no longer thick with fumes But blue and grey and clear. They say that in the streets of Assisi People are singing to each other across the empty squares, keeping their windows open so that those who are alone may hear the sounds of family around them. They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland Is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound. Today a young woman I know is busy spreading fliers with her number through the neighborhood So that the elders may have someone to call on. Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples are preparing to welcome and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting All over the world people are looking at their neighbors in a new way All over the world people are waking up to a new reality To how big we really are. To how little control we really have. To what really matters. To Love. So we pray and we remember that Yes there is fear. But there does not have to be hate. Yes there is isolation. But there does not have to be loneliness. Yes there is panic buying. But there does not have to be meanness. Yes there is sickness. But there does not have to be disease of the soul Yes there is even death. But there can always be a rebirth of love. Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now. Today, breathe. Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic The birds are singing again The sky is clearing, Spring is coming, And we are always encompassed by Love. Open the windows of your soul And though you may not be able to touch across the empty square, Sing. Fr. Richard Hendrick, OFM March 13th 2020 Many years ago, I was a hospital chaplain at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in San Francisco.
There was a street preacher often outside of the hospital. He would call me a sinner and tell me loudly to repent. He was a very harsh and judgmental man. To repent means literally, "to come to your senses, and turn in a new direction." The word "sin" as used in the 15th chapter of Luke, comes from a Greek term meaning, "to miss the mark and not share in the prize." The prize is union with God, and one another, which we do not need to earn. God's love is freely offered. So when you read your Bible or run into people like my preacher friend, keep these definitions in mind, and be kind and gentle to yourself and others - just like Jesus is to you and me, loving and kind. Blessings, love, and hugs, Fr. Jack. Source of this information: The Rev. J. Paris Coffee of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. The Episcopal Church remembers St. Patrick of Ireland on March 17.
Here's a character sketch of St. Patrick I thought you might find of interest. He was a very special Christian. Blessings, love and hugs, Fr. Jack. Patrick, Bishop and Missionary, Apostle to Ireland, Died March 17, 461. Scarcely any saint has been as celebrated as Patrick. He was born of Christian parents in Roman Britain. At sixteen he was captured by barbarian raiders and carried off to Ireland as a slave. After six years as a swineherd he escaped and eventually returned to Britain. To the astonishment of family and friends, he resolved to return to Ireland as a missionary, and began a long period of intensive training in France. After many hardships and disappointments he was able to return to the land of his bondage as a missionary bishop. Patrick was not the first Christian missionary to Ireland but he was by far the most successful. Patrick himself has left us a record of his experiences in his "Confessions" -how he confronted the fierce King of Tara and how he confounded the proud Druids. His sound and effective teaching is reflected in a hymn, "I bind unto myself today" (see the Hymnal 1982, number 370). Most of Patrick's work was done in the northern part of the island. His headquarters were at Armagh. He made a famous pilgrimage into the mountains of Mayo. He died at Saul in Ulster. It is said that he found a heathen Ireland but left a Christian one. "Bless your servant Patrick, O Lord, and all the people of Ireland." Source of this information: " Saints Galore," by David L. Veal. |