June 6, D-Day

I cannot really comprehend the amount of courage that it took to land on a beach under heavy enemy fire.  This is just a clip from a movie, but if it helps us to remember the fortitude and the sacrifice of the members of "The Greatest Generation" then let us watch it again and again and again.

God bless America and all her ships at sea and her soldiers overseas!

May Newsletter Article

No Other Name Under Heaven

Alleluia.  Christ has risen.

Sometimes writing these articles is hard, Dear Reader.  It is easy to get caught between the desire to write an amazingly poignant reflection on scripture and a deeply theological comment on the state of the Church, the world or on God, Himself.  Some may call it writer’s block, but I tend to think of it as gray-matter overload or the problem of over-thinking something and making it far more complicated that it really should be.  Therefore, the solution is usually to keep it simple.

With that in mind:  Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  Jesus Christ was the son of a woman named Mary and the Holy Spirit.  Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies; He was the Messiah.  Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins.  Jesus Christ walked out of the tomb, bodily resurrected as proof of the love and power of God.  Jesus Christ is the New Covenant through which we are made right with God, and thereafter live in the promise of everlasting life.

As Peter said, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

We are Easter people.  This is our Eastertide, the Season when the resurrected Jesus walked, talked and ate with His people; live according to that notion. 

Rejoice in the presence of Christ with us; join with us in worshiping God and in participating in His sacrifice and resurrection through the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist. 

Proclaim to friends and family the joy of knowing that Christ has broken the bonds of sin and death not only by word but in the happiness and peace that can come only from our relationship to God.

May the knowledge and love of Him who is our Savior and Redeemer reside always in our hearts.

The Lord has risen, indeed.  Alleluia.

Fr. Michael+

A Reflection

A Moment with C. S. Lewis

“Men are mirrors, or ‘carriers’ of Christ to other men.  Sometimes unconscious carriers.  This ‘good infection’ can be carried by those who have not got it themselves.  People who were not Christians themselves helped me to Christianity.  But usually it is those who know Him that bring him to others.  That is why the Church, the whole body of Christians showing Him to one another, is so important.  You might say that when two Christians are following Christ together there is not twice as much Christianity as when they are apart, but sixteen times as much.”

-from Mere Christianity

Not Because of Your Righteousness

Know therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness; for you are a stubborn people. Dt 9: 6

This, Dear Reader, is a straight-forward admonition from God, through Moses, to the Hebrew people.  Do not think that I am giving you this land, the land which I promised to your forefather Abraham, because you have somehow earned it.  YOU HAVEN'T!  Don't think that you are somehow entitled to this land because of all the great things you have done or the excellent way that you have kept my laws.  YOU HAVEN'T!

God is saying to His People that despite the way they have acted; despite the things that they have done, and left undone; despite their failures to uphold God's commandments and laws; He is delivering them into the land which He had promised to them.  He is giving them a home.  He is providing for them.  He is saving them from the wilderness.

God continues to do that for us everyday of our lives, through Jesus Christ.  We did nothing to deserve Jesus' ministry and teaching.  We did nothing to rate His love.  We, in fact, did everything possible to earn His everlasting condemnation.  Yet, God is a just and loving God, and in Jesus He proves it to us in the most magnificent way.

Jesus Christ died on the cross because that was the sacrifice necessary to wash His stubborn people clean of their sin and wickedness.  By His death, we no longer fear the icy grip of the grave.  We no longer must labor under the weight of sin or be separated from Our Father by anything or anyone.  In Christ, God again tells us that we, stubborn as we are, are worth saving.

Fr. Michael+

God Gave Us These Commandments for a Reason

What do we do when we are faced with a difficult decision; a crossroads; a tragedy; or an opportunity?  We often time pride ourselves on our ability to reason out a suitable solution, or occasionally leave the resolution up to chance, but when we really need guidance, where do we find it?  When in doubt, go to the same place that Jesus went when the people pressed him to answer a question: Holy Scripture. 

A scribe came to Jesus and, seeing that he was answering his detractors with skill and wisdom, the scribe asked Jesus to tell him, “which commandment is the first of all?”

Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all our soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’  The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  Mk 13: 29-31

Jesus quotes the Shema, the fundamental creedal statement of the Hebrew people (Dt 6: 4), to the scribe.  Then he goes further by quoting a portion of this verse from Leviticus: “You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”  (Lev 19:18)  We are called to abide by two overarching commandments one of which refers to our relationship with God and the other with our relationship with each other: the Ten Commandments.

Jesus reminds us that we are to “have no other gods” other than the One, True God; we are to make no graven images and worship them as if they were God; we are not to use God’s name as a curse or to treat it as a common or ordinary; and we are to worship God and give thanks to him who created us by focusing our attention on God rather than on the things of this world.

Jesus further tells us that we are to show respect and love by honoring our parents; we are not supposed to murder our neighbors; we are to avoid adultery which divides families and sunders relationships; we are not to steal from our neighbor; we are not to lie to or about our neighbor; we are not to covet that which belongs to our neighbor.

When we need direction or instruction about how to lead our lives or which path we should take or what decision is the right one to make, the answers, more often than not, can be found right where God left them for us to find.  It may take some effort, and our desires might not at first align with God’s Will, but Jesus never promised that the road would always be easily or pleasantly travelled.  He does, however, promise to be present with us as we make our journey.

Fr. Michael+

Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand! (Mt 4: 17 RSV)

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  And then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. (Mk 13: 24-27 RSV)

Jesus spoke of the time when every knee will bow before the Lamb and all the brokenness of creation will be set right.  This is the eschaton, the Second Coming.  Part of what Jesus preaches refers to that promise, the promise when God will rule the world with pure justice and pure mercy and pure grace; setting all things right and in their proper place.  We do not know the time of this conclusion of history; but we know that it is on the way.

When speaking of the "Kingdom of Heaven", however, Jesus tells us not only of a coming event that may or may not be distant in its arrival.  Jesus also speaks of a present reality; the presence of God in the midst of His people.  Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, is the Kingdom of Heaven.

The new proximity of the Kingdom of which Jesus speaks - the distinguishing feature of his message - is to be found in Jesus himself.  Through Jesus' presence and action, God has here and now entered actively into history in a wholly new way.  The reason why now is the fullness of time (Mk 1: 15), why now is in a unique sense the time of conversion and penance, as well as the time of joy, is that in Jesus it is God who draws near to us.  In Jesus, God is now the one who acts and who rules as Lord - rules in a divine way, without worldly power, rules through the love that reaches 'to the end' (Jn 13: 1), to the Cross.  John Cardinal Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth

We live in a history that has been touched irrevocably by the physical presence of God.  He chose to make himself one of us, fully man and fully God, so that we might not only look forward to the promise of life eternal with Him; but that we might share in a restored relationship with our Father right here and right now.  Jesus points to the future, but he is not only about prophesy and promises.  Through our faith in Christ, our actions guided by the Holy Ghost and our participation in the Body of Christ, the Church, we find that we are in the presence of the Kingdom even while we await its arrival at the end of time.

Fr. Michael+

Report on Operation Christmas Child

In November, the parishioners of Christ Memorial participated in a wonderful evangelism and outreach effort called Operation Christmas Child which is sponsored by Samaritan's Purse each year.  The idea of the project is to pack and deliver a shoe box full of fun and useful items to a needy child somewhere in world.  This is a gift, given in love and in the name of Jesus Christ, with no strings attached.  According to the literature, for every eight boxes delivered, a child comes to faith in Christ.  This year, the collection station at First Baptist, Mansfield collected 3,407 shoe boxes, an increase of almost 5% over last year.  In turn, the collection center in Bossier City took in over 21,000 boxes which were then trucked to the regional receiving center in Hurst, TX, which received 413,248 boxes from Texas and Louisiana (88,314).  Nationally, Operation Christmas Child was able to collect and deliver over 5.5 million boxes in 2010.  Praise God!

It is not too early to start thinking about OCC for next year.  One easy way to help is to keep a watchful eye when you go to the store.  If you see plastic shoe boxes on sale, pick up a few.  If you see toys or toiletries that we can put in the boxes, pick them up and stash them away.  Make it a habit to pick up a little something here and there; and then when box packing time rolls around again, we'll be ready to make it happen.

I would also ask your prayers for all those who do so much to bring the Light of Christ to the nations of the Earth.  Pray for those who have heard and received the Gift of Christ, that they may be strong and joyful in their faith.  Pray for those who have yet to hear the Word, that God will touch them with His infinite Goodness and Mercy.

Fr. Michael+

Mission of Hope 2011

Next Tuesday, a team of eleven people from Pennsylvania, Louisiana and New Mexico will be leaving for a 17 day mission trip to Hoima, Uganda.  They will spend the majority of their time ministering at the Mustard Seed Babies' Home and will provide medical services, Bible School and education, and anything else that they can do to help this Christian orphans home.  Two of my very close friends will be going on this trip, Tom and Matthew Dalton.  I have lost track of how many mission trips Tom has made since I have known him (he is the chairman of the Diocesan Missions Committee), and this will be the first time in the mission field for his son, Matthew.  I traveled with Tom to the Dominican Republic almost 5 years ago, and I am looking forward to going back with him this year in July.

I post this because I think it is important to remember the work that is being done by missionaries around the world.  In addition to these short term mission trips, there are folks who have dedicated their lives to teaching the Gospel and bringing the Love of Jesus Christ to all the people of the world, just as Christ instructed us to do.  I have been on two mission trips, one to the D.R. and one to Peru, and both experiences effected me deeply.

While this team is in Uganda, I would ask that everyone who reads this blog take a minute and say a prayer for their safety and for their success in bringing the Word of God to those in Uganda who need to hear it.  I also ask that you pray that their hearts and minds are open so that they can learn and grow from their experience with those who live the Christian life in Uganda.  One of the blessings of going on a mission trip like this is to experience life in a country where the Gospel is not just something that is read on Sunday; it is the Word that effects every aspect of their lives.  The people in Uganda may seem poor by our standards, but, believe me, they are richer beyond our wildest dreams when it comes to their faith in the Risen Christ.

Two Prayers for Missions

Everliving God, whose will it is that all should come to thee through thy Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him, that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Almighty God, who hast given unto thy Son Jesus Christ the Name which is above every name, and hast taught us that there is salvation in none other: Mercifully grant that as thy faithful people have comfort and peace in his name, they may ever labor to publish it unto all nations; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Fr. Michael+

MEA CULPA:  My recollection was faulty.  This is not Matthew's first trip to Uganda; he went with his dad on last year's trip to Hoima.

Happy New Year

As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with beholding thy form.  Psalm 17: 15

This short quote from the Psalms seems to encapsulate an important concept that we should all strive to understand and make a part of our lives.  There will always be things and people to distract us; there will always be things that we want but don't necessarily need; there will always be those who have much more stuff that we do in this world: but, in Jesus Christ, we share in the promise of spending our eternal lives in the presence of God The Father, and all the rest of that stuff just doesn't matter that much.

Father Michael+

The Return of the Redeemed to Zion

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; thy shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.  Isaiah 35: 10

The Old Testament scripture appointed for Christmas I is also from Isaiah:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness--on them light has shined. Isaiah 9: 2  

We, the children of the Adam, the people of The Fall, have walked in a darkness that prevented us from being with God the way He wants us to be.  Into that darkness, comes the hope of the world, and in this act of Grace the darkness is banished and His people rejoice.  We are the redeemed.  We are those who no longer walk in the dark but, through our Faith in Jesus Christ, we sing with joy and bask in His light.

Christmas is not about presents or parties or feeling good about ourselves or even about treating each other nicer because of some kind of "spirit" that makes this time of year special.  These things are secondary to the real reason we celebrate: the birth of our Savior!  It is all about HIM!

Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.'  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!'  Luke 2: 9-14

I'll see everyone in Church tonight for Carols and Midnight Mass.

Merry Christmas,
Fr. Michael+

December 22 - Only a few days more!

The first stanza of a wonderful Christmas poem "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity":

          This is the month, and this the happy morn, 

          Wherein the Son of Heaven’s eternal King, 

          Of wedded maid and Virgin Mother born, 

          Our great redemption from above did bring; 

          For so the holy sages once did sing,

          That he our deadly forfeit should release, 

          And with his Father work us a perpetual peace.

                                                            John Milton (1608-1674)


          God bless us, every one.
                                  Charles Dickens (A Christmas Carol, 1843)


Fr. Michael+

"...et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria virgine..."

Pax vobiscum:

Have you, Dear Reader, ever wondered about the significance of genuflection? Truthfully, most people do not give it much thought, and probably rightly so. Genuflecting, the practice of showing reverence to God by bowing on one knee before God, is not a required part of anyone’s personal piety, but many people consider it an important and tangible way to show deference and respect for our Creator. The same is accomplished with a profound bow (a deep bow made from the hips). The importance of this act of piety resides in its impact upon those who perform it as a means of furthering their relationship with Him who has created them.

You may have noticed, either at Christ Memorial or at another Church you have visited, that during our communal recitation of the Nicene Creed there are those who go down on one knee when we get to this part:

For us and for our salvation
          he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
          he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
          and was made man.

I have heard Christians called “an Easter people”, and that is true because our salvation lies in the death and resurrection of Christ, a sacrifice that He made so that the entirety of Creation might once again be in right relationship with God. But in order to be the Lamb of God whose blood washes us clean, He first had to be a babe, swaddled for warmth against the cool night air and held close to His mother’s breast so that He could feel the safety and comfort of her presence. In order to have Easter, we must first have Christmas. Just as every mother and father should look upon a new child as an extraordinary gift of life, we as a people should look upon this gift of Jesus Christ, born of a virgin so that He might live as one of us and die for our sins, as the greatest gift of all.

Therefore, it is appropriate to genuflect or make a slight bow of the head during the Nicene Creed as a small way of recognizing the significance of the gift of Jesus’ Incarnation to the world. More importantly, however, it reminds us how much God loves us. That He should choose to do this just so that we might gain entry into His Heavenly Kingdom is certainly worthy of acknowledgement not only during this special season of the year, but, indeed, all the year through.

Happy Advent and Merry Christmas, Dear Reader. God bless you and keep you; God make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; God lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Fr. Michael+

The Doors of Hell

This morning, I picked up a book that I bought several years ago called A Year with C. S. Lewis.  The compiler of this book has selected a bit of Lewis' spiritual insight for each day of the calendar year.  I found the selection for 1 December to be very intriguing.  It is taken from his work The Problem of Pain, and it challenges the notion that the loss of even one soul diminishes the omnipotence of God.  Quite the opposite, Lewis proclaims, because God's willingness to create a being that has the capacity to resist and reject its creator is, "the most astonishing and unimaginable of all the feats we attribute to the Deity."  God created us to be more that mindless slaves worshiping at His feet because we have no other choice in the matter.  Rather, He wants us to choose to worship Him because He is our Father and He is worthy of our praise.

The real money quote, however, is this:  "They [the damned] enjoy forever the horrible freedom they have demanded, and are therefore self-enslaved: just as the blessed, forever submitting to obedience, become through all eternity more and more free."  His contention is that the gates of Hell are locked only on the inside, and that those who have rejected God out of some misguided desire to be free are merely imprisoning themselves inside their pride and self-worth which merely masquerades as freedom.  They are no longer capable setting aside their love of themselves and therefore abandoning their place in Hell even if they wanted to do so.

C. S. Lewis was a remarkable thinker and an amazing Christian apologist.  If you, Dear Reader, are looking for a book upon which to meditate as part of your spiritual discipline, I highly recommend Lewis' The Great Divorce.  It is a fascinating exploration of Heaven and Hell that is on par with Dante's Divine Comedy but is, in my humble opinion, much more approachable and edifying.

Good reading and God bless.

Fr. Michael+

A Joyful Goodbye.

Dr. Walter Platt was laid to rest today in Grand Cane following a beautiful Requiem Mass at Christ Memorial.  While we never bid farewell to a loved one without grief, we heard in the sermon given by the Rt. Rev'd Charles Jenkins, former Bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana, about the joy and hope that we all share with Walter as he takes his place in the nearer presence of our Lord and Savior.  Bishop Jenkins is not only a native of Mansfield and a long time parishioner of Christ Memorial, but he is a close personal friend of Walter and his entire family; so his presence as preacher and celebrant today was particularly meaningful to everyone.  I wish to thank him again for his kindness and willingness to be here for Walter and for us as well. 

As for me, I did not know Walter nearly long enough, but I enjoyed the time that I did have with him talking about his family, Christ Memorial, his stamp collection and the arrowheads that he found while he was a boy.  With the sure and certain hope of the resurrection before our eyes, we joyfully say goodbye to Walter, and we will see you soon.

Fr. Michael+

Bite Thy Tongue

And the tongue is a fire.  The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell.  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by humankind, but no human being can tame the tongue - a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God.  From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brethren, this ought not to be so.  James 3: 6-10

Dear Reader, I think this passage struck me this morning because I, just like many others, need to be constantly reminded just how powerful and how hurtful our tongues can be.  I have just enough Irish in me that, on occasion, my temper will be loosed and such things can fly forth from my mouth that might make a sailor blush.  By the Grace of God, this does not happen often anymore, but whenever it does, it reinforces to me just how important the words of St. James really are.

The words we say (and write) have meaning and carry the force of that meaning as they impact and those who hear (and / or read) them.  Our words can be supportive and constructive; yet, they can also be harmful and damaging to those to whom they are directed as well as to ourselves.  We give vent to what we believe and have inside of us when we open our mouths and loose our tongues, and what we say can be a blessing or a curse.

Like me, many of us loose our tempers on occasion and say something in the heat of the emotion that we later wish we could take back.  In such instances, we should always acknowledge that while we can't take it back, we can express our regret and make amends to the person or persons against whom we sinned.  We are all sinners, and we all make mistakes; but as Christians, we should be ready to apologize, and to forgive, for those times when we fail to control our lashing tongues.

What is more dangerous, however, are those who use their tongues to teach and preach a message that is contrary to that which we have received from Christ through His Church.  These do not lose control of their tongues in anger or in spite, rather they open their mouths to cast doubt and question upon some of the most fundamental doctrines of our faith.  In the last few decades, it has become the norm to debate and discount the miracles, nature, bodily resurrection and even the historicity of Jesus Christ.  There are leaders in the Church today who are more interested in focusing on making the Church a reflection of the culture rather than making the culture a reflection of the Kingdom of God.

James' warning about the power of the human tongue speaks to power of the gift that God has given to His people.  He has given us the freewill to choose to follow Him or not.  We can choose to abide by His Word or we may walk apart and fend for ourselves in this darkened world.  We can choose to speak the Truth as He has revealed it to us through the prophets, apostles and martyrs, or we can speak half-truths and lies that weaken our faith and cause people to lose their way. 

And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come!  It would be better for him is a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin."  Luke 17: 1-2

Enough said.

Fr. Michael+

It's About Time

Sorry, Dear Reader, for the long delay in posting to the blog.  Last week was a whirlwind of wonderful activity.  We had the Bazaar last Thursday, and it was a spectacular event.  I cannot say enough about the folks who spent almost an entire year planning, cooking, and preparing for this event.  I am also not even going to try to thank people by name because I will leave somebody out, but let me just give a huge THANK YOU - YOU ARE AWESOME to all of the ladies in the ECW, the men who helped move tables and cook the pasta and to everyone who donated items to the White Elephant Sale.  And, we must also thank all those people from the community who came and enjoyed what I think might be the best chicken spaghetti on the planet.  And that's not to mention the jellies and Jerry's amazing Sweet and Hot Pickles.  The good news is that we still have some jelly left, so if you want some, come by the church office.  They are $3.50 per jar.

I do also want to update everyone about the condition of one of our most dear parishioners, Dr. Walter Platt.  Dr. Platt was in the hospital in Mansfield for most of last week, but yesterday he had a bit of an issue with his heart.  He is stable and is now in the ICU at WK North in Shreveport.  The prognosis is good, but he is not out of the woods just yet.  His family is with him, and I know that they would appreciate your prayers for his healing and for their strength.  I will relay more information as it becomes available.

Thanksgiving is November 25, and we will be celebrating a Eucharist in thanksgiving to God for all the blessings which He has bestowed upon us.  The Mass will be at 10AM.  The Christ Memorial Outreach Committee will also be helping out some needy families in the area have a joyous Thanksgiving this year.  We are in the process of identifying families to whom we can provide a full Thanksgiving meal.  In this way, we trust that Christ's message of Hope and Love will be shared with all His children.

I would like to thank all of those who have contributed to the Minister's Fund and the Food Pantry.  Your contributions have made it possible to restock and reorganize the pantry; and we aren't finished buying the food yet.  This ministry is an important one for the community as well as for our parish. 

Finally, I want to thank God for the blessings that He has poured out upon my family, this parish and me.  It never ceases to amaze me how much God loves us, despite our sin and, at times, generally questionable behavior.  The blood of the Lamb washes us clean, and bathed in His Grace do we walk joyfully ever onward in His presence.

Fr. Michael+

For Our Country

Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favour and glad to do thy will.  Bless our land with honourable industry, sound learning, and pure manners.  Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every evil way.  Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues.  Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth.  In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (A prayer For Our Country from the 1928 BCP)

This is one of the best prayers for our nation that I have come across.  It reminds us that we are to pray for God's blessing upon our country; while also reminding our leaders that they are obliged to abide by a higher law than any ever passed by Congress.  We, too, should be reminded that we are all obliged to obey Him, honor Him and trust in Him.  Good words by which we should strive to live.

Fr. Michael+ 

The Sin of Pride

The beginning of man's pride is to depart from the Lord; his heart has forsaken his Maker.  For the beginning of pride is sin, and the man who clings to it pours out abominations.  Sirach 10: 12-13

Once again, we have words of inspiration from the Book of Sirach that were read at Morning Prayer just a few hours ago.  What did Adam and Eve do that was so wrong?  They disobeyed God and tried to make themselves equal to Him.  That is pride.  They departed from the Lord, and in their pride welcomed sin and death into the world. 

When we believe that we know better than God; when we believe that we are smarter than God; when we believe that we no longer need God; that is when our pride gets the better of us and will certainly destroy us.  In our world today, we think that we can control life at its most fundamental levels.  Modern science has given us the ability to look into the very genetic code of a person and determine whether or not that person will be healthy, disabled or susceptible to disease.  We are becoming so used to playing God that we can decide which child should be allowed to live, or should be aborted because it might not be healthy enough or might not meet the standards of the family or of society.

There are nations around the world, and states right here in the United States, which advocate and facilitate euthanasia for anyone who doesn't feel like living another day.  In our pride, we have forgotten that life is a gift from God, and it is wrong to try to rescind that gift whether the recipient is in the womb, in a hospital bed, depressed or in a nursing home.

And, Dear Reader, I will also go so far as to say that this gift of life extends to those who have by their own actions and their own lack of regard for life sit in a jail cell awaiting their end at the hand of the state.  Life is a gift of God that is given to all people.  Those convicted of heinous crimes may have sacrificed their freedom and their privilege to live in society, and they should pay accordingly for their crimes; but their ultimate punishment shall be meted out by God who is infinitely more up to the task than us.

We are not equal with God.  We cannot do God's job.  If God wanted to take a vacation and needed someone to cover his desk for him for a few days, He would not call one of us.  We live our lives one day at a time, completely dependent on His Love, Grace and Mercy whether we realize it or not.  How much better will our lives be if we acknowledge this, appreciate this, and strive to make ourselves into a people whose hearts are fixed on God, our Maker.

Fr. Michael+

Wisdom

Article VI of the 39 Articles of Faith reads in part, “And the other books (as Hierome saith) the Church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners; but yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine…”. Among the Duetero-canonical books which make up the Apocrypha, we find the book which most Anglicans recognize as Ecclesiasticus, most Roman Catholics recognize as Sirach and which most Reform Churches won’t recognize at all.


Dear Reader, I begin this reflection in this way not to spark a discussion of the validity of the Apocrypha, but rather to introduce a short passage that was read during Morning Prayer this last Monday. It is a section of Scripture that we should all read, study and inwardly digest.

Do not refrain from speaking at the crucial time, and do not hide your wisdom. For wisdom is known through speech, and education through the words of the tongue. Never speak against the truth, but be mindful of your ignorance. Do not be ashamed to confess your sins, and do not try to stop the current of a river, nor show partiality to a ruler. Strive even to death for the truth and the Lord God will fight for you. Sirach 4: 23-28

God gave each and every one of us the gift of reason and intelligence, not so that we could merely decipher the secrets of His Creation (although he would not have shown us those secrets or given us the ability to think and the desire to explore if He had not wanted us to see and feel the magnificence of all that He created) but rather so that we could, through the majesty of His Creation, come to recognize that there is a God, and through the revelation of Himself to us by His presence among His people and through His Holy Word, come to know Him.

I believe that wisdom is reason built upon the unshakable foundation of Holy Writ. We are smart enough to figure out how to describe and even break open the atom; we are smart enough to send man into outer space; we are smart enough decode the very building blocks of human genetics; but are we wise enough to make proper use those discoveries; and, possibly more importantly, are we wise enough not to use them?

“Do not refrain from speaking at the crucial time, and do not hide your wisdom.” Sirach tells us that we will have those opportunities to use the gifts that God has given to us, and that we are to use them for His purposes. He also warns, “Never speak against the truth, but be mindful of your ignorance.” Someone once told me that the true measure of one’s intelligence is knowing when you know nothing and then being willing to admit it. We find the unvarnished, unmistakable and eternal Truth in the words of Holy Scripture. The Truth of God’s Love, His Grace, His Judgment and His Mercy are right there in black and white.

However, just as one must work to amass the knowledge that allows one to comprehend and appreciate Creation, one must also spend the time reading, studying and praying over Scripture in order to develop the wisdom that allows one to: “Strive even to death for the truth.”

To my original thesis: wisdom is reason built upon the unshakable foundation of Holy Writ, I supply but, one important addendum. For wisdom to take its full and proper place in the Truth, it must be guided by the tradition of the Church. For two thousand years and beyond, the Church through her bishops, priests, theologians and teachers have studied Scripture and have developed the traditions, the dogma and the doctrines of our Faith. We may not always agree with those interpretations and teachings, but we discard the wisdom of the Church at great cost to ourselves and to the generations who depend on us to teach them the Truth. The Truth being that , so that they can know the root of their salvation, Jesus Christ.

Dear Reader, we look to God’s Holy Word. We do so using the intelligence that God has given us. We rely on the traditional voice and teaching of the Church to direct us. What more can we do?

Fr. Michael+

"A Person's A Person No Matter How Small"

I don't know where Dr. Suess fell on the issue of abortion, but I believe that his stories, especially the one about the Whos who lived on that tiny dust speck, belied a deep respect for life.  As you, Dear Reader, might surmise from some of my posts to this blog, I, too, have a great respect for human life.  So that there can be no misunderstanding: I believe that all human life, from conception to our natural end, is sacred and is an unmitigated gift from God the Father, who is the Creator of all things.  I do not say this to be confrontational, although to some, it might certainly appear so.  I say this because I believe it to be the Truth.

Life is precious.  Life is sacred.  All life belongs to God.  We should give thanks every day for that gift which He has given to us, and ask Him for the strength to live according to His Will and His alone.

For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother's womb. Ps 139: 13

Starting next Wednesday, September 22, there begins a worldwide vigil which focuses on protecting the weakest and most fragile among us.  40 Days for Life professes to be the largest and longest pro-life mobilization in history.  Here is a link to the Shreveport/Bossier City website: 40 Days for Life - Shreveport/Bossier City

The Church has a long history of vigils and periods of focused and purposeful prayer.  If nothing else comes of these words but a few extra prayers that help move a young mother away from a trip to an abortion clinic and toward a better choice like adoption, then our efforts will have been more than worth it. 



Pray to end abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty.  Pray for life.

Fr. Michael+