September Newsletter Article

Labor Day rapidly approaches; and as we prepare for the last gasp of summer frivolity, shall we consider for a moment just what it means to labor. Fundamentally, to labor is to work. Work is not always enjoyable, although it certainly can be, but work is necessary lest we fall into slothfulness, apathy, hunger and homelessness. Living takes work, and so does believing. Therefore, I offer to you, Dear Reader, three thoughts on how our labors might properly be turned to the better for us, for our children and for our children’s children.


1. Labor to learn and to demonstrate the Good News of Jesus Christ. My experience so far at Christ Memorial has taught me that this form of labor has been underway for some time and has already born much fruit. The level of Biblical literacy in this congregation is far higher than in most Episcopal Parishes, I dare say. That is a credit to the parishioners and to the clergy who have preceded me in this historic place.

Our labors spent delving into the pages of Holy Scripture return to us a hundred-fold. There is no better way to come to know the Will of God than to read His holy writ. There is no better way to conform our wills to His than to read, mark and inwardly digest His inspired word. This is not always an easy endeavor, and that is why the word “labor” is apt for this discussion. One cannot just take pieces of Scripture and conform it to our expectations and desires. In order to fully understand, one must read it thoroughly and be prepared to work through the questions that may arise. One must read with confidence that any confusion that comes from reading Scripture stems not from a lacking within God’s message to us, but from our own lack of understanding. It takes time, and it takes work, often in the form of Bible study groups, lectio divina (holy reading) and prayer; but rest assured that the effort is definitely worth it.

As we learn and grow in our faith, it is also important to teach and show what we have learned to our children and to our children’s children. Remember that it is our responsibility to teach them about God so that they can come to know and love Him. This may be the most important thing that any of us do in our lifetime. Nothing is more important than introducing and fostering the Word of God to our family, friends and, let’s face it, the rest of a confused and darkened world.

2. Labor to learn and to appreciate our traditional Anglican Faith and heritage. We are Anglicans, and, as such, we share in over 2,000 years of Christian tradition and heritage which finds its root in Jesus Christ, Himself. Through His Apostles and through His Church, we have inherited a liturgical, priestly and apostolic Faith based upon Holy Scripture, tradition and reason.

As Anglicans, we share in a worldwide Communion of faith that is uniquely English in character. It is through our Catechism that we learn first what it means to be Christian and then what it means to be Anglican. The Nicene Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Thirty-nine Articles of Faith, the Seven Sacraments and the History of the Church are but a small part of what we must learn about the Church. In the Early Church, the catechetical process which prepared a person for Baptism and Confirmation took at least three years. Today, we do it in somewhat less time, but the import of learning the fundamentals of our Faith cannot be understated.

As with Holy Scripture, we must also labor to learn our Faith so that we can impart that knowledge and experience to those who shall come after us. By word and example, we show our youth and our new-comers who we are. We want them to see and hear our Christianity lived out according to our Anglican heritage. (Warning: Shameless plug approaching.) If you are interested in learning or re-learning about our Faith, please plan on attending the Confirmation Class which begins on September 19. You might labor hard, but you will not be disappointed.

3. Labor to learn and to participate in our Anglican worship of God. We must instill in ourselves and in our children a desire to participate in the worship of God, not because it is some obligation that we make on Sunday morning (it is, but it shouldn’t be seen as a burden), but rather because it is the right thing to do. We must foster a sense of belonging and purpose that will in turn create a desire to seek, to serve and to worship God more and more. Part of that is through discipline and the prioritizing of choices. It is a sad fact that in our modern world Sunday is no longer a day reserved for worship. Sporting events, school and work often impinge on the Sabbath, and the choices we make and the priorities we set form us and our children and our children’s children for the good or for the ill.

On Wednesday evening, we at Christ Memorial come together and combine all of these things together. We worship God by celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist which Christ gave to His disciples at the Last Supper, and that the Church has preserved as the principle expression of His Love for us and of our devotion to Him. Then, we share a meal and fellowship with one another in a manner very reminiscent of the Early Church. Finally, we study the Word of God and explore what His Word means to us and how it affects us as followers of Christ.

To paraphrase our Savior, let us labor hard for God and lay up in Heaven the treasures which rust and moth cannot touch. Let us not labor for our own needs, but for the needs of those who shall come after us and for those who have not yet come to know Christ.

Fr. Michael+

You've Got To Be Kidding Me......Really??

I beg your forgiveness right at the start, for this post can best be described as an off-the-cuff rant.  I was just reading an article that reported the apparent befuddlement (good word, huh) of a clergyman in the Anglican Church in Canada regarding why so many young people are seeking spiritual fulfillment outside of his Church.  Well....not to put too fine a point on it....IT'S BECAUSE THEY AREN'T FINDING IT IN THE ANGLICAN CHURCH IN CANADA!  For that matter, I dare say that a lot of people are not finding in it in ECUSA or the CofE either.

For the past 60+ years at least, Western Anglicanism has done everything it can to take the mystery and mysticism out of the Faith.  We have poo pooed Christ's miracles.  We have sought to deconstruct Holy Scripture in an effort to quantify and qualify every word and action in a fit of almost unimaginable hubris.  We have met in special seminars to an attempt to identify the "historical Jesus" and in the process rejected most of the Gospels.  We have bishops who have spent their lives spreading heresies and denouncing Christ's bodily resurrection, His very nature as the Son of God and the very existence of Heaven and Hell.

Mostly what we have done is abandon the Truth.  "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him.'" John 14: 6  Western Anglicanism has become so polite and so politically correct that this simple assertion of Truth is nearly impossible.  The leadership of ECUSA routinely articulates a pluriform, universalist model which only confuses and alienates.  If the plan is to make the Church so non-judgemental and so open that everyone will come and join, then I proclaim that plan to be false and a recipe for disaster.

People today, in fact in any age, want to hear the Church speak boldly and with authority about God.  People, I believe, don't want to hear their priest offering platitudes from the pulpit, they want to hear the Truth.  We find the Truth in Holy Scripture.  We find the Truth represented in 2,000 years of tradition and history.  We do not find the Truth in whimsical forays of post-modernism, or in attempts to make the Church more suitable to the culture.  We must do exactly the opposite.  The Church must re-make the culture.

Western Anglicanism must return to the chief cornerstone: Jesus Christ.  Western Anglicanism must embrace a core doctrine of faith that resides in Holy Scripture and in the traditions of the Church.  We must not be afraid to speak the Truth, because that is how we will reach the nations of the world, and how Christ will change society, again.

Fr. Michael+

Teach Your Children Well

Only take heed, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children—how on the day that you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children so. Dt 4: 9-10

With apologies to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young for the title of this reflection, this passage from Deuteronomy may be one of the most important lessons that we as parents and bearers of the Good News might hear. Moses speaks these words to the Hebrew People as a warning to a generation who has witnessed the presence and the power of God in their midst. God has heard the cries of His people, He has delivered them out of the hand of Pharaoh, He has led them on dry ground through the Red Sea, He has guided them through the desert as a pillar of fire and a column of smoke, He has dwelt upon the holy mountain and given to His people the Commandments by which they are to live, and He has been present with them in His Holy Tabernacle. Moses admonishes his people not to forget the mighty acts and the presence of God which they have witnessed with their own eyes.

More importantly, and in God’s words, Moses tells the people that they are to pass on what they have seen to their children and grandchildren so that future generations might know what God has done for them. The remembrance of God’s deliverance of His people from bondage in Egypt remains to this day an important part of Judaism, and of our Christian Faith as we read and remember the Exodus in Psalm and Scripture.

How is a generation once or twice removed from the awesome presence of God to appreciate and embrace Him? This was a problem for the Hebrews as they entered and conquered the land given to Abraham and his posterity by God. The people who arrived at the Jordan River under Joshua’s leadership were already a people one generation removed from the slavery of their fathers. By the time the Twelve Tribes of Israel had entered, spread out and laid claim to the land, Joshua and all the elders were dead, and another generation had passed. Once in the land, God’s Chosen People were plagued by the presence of the people that had possessed the land and whom they had been instructed by God to displace and from whom they were to remain apart. Yet, the people chose not to heed God’s instruction, they made covenants with the peoples of the land and they intermarried with them. Worst of all, God’s People began to worship at the altars of the ba’als and turned away from the one, true God.

In the fullness of time, God provided the Savior for all mankind in the person of Jesus Christ. God once again made his presence felt among His people, only this time He was somewhat more subtle about it. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, so that all of creation might once again be in right relationship to Him. Jesus rose from the grave as a clear sign of the eternal life that is ours because of His sacrifice. Many witnessed the miracles, heard the teachings and even experienced the Risen Lord, and they took Christ’s words to heart when He sent them forth into the world to teach the Good News to new generations of Jews and Gentiles.

The question for us is this: how well do we take to heart the words of Moses and Jesus Christ? Are we cherishing in our hearts the mighty works that God has done in our lives? Are we teaching our children and our children’s children about God? Are we resolved to protect the future generations from the ba’als of this world; from the attractive and dangerous things of this world that threaten to draw young and old alike away from God and toward certain ruin?

It is very easy to connect with the sensual realities of the world around us. It is very easy to find satisfaction in the good feelings and cheap rewards of a world designed to entertain and enthrall. It is very easy to sit back in our relative comfort and luxury and lose sight of the source for all that we have. It is not evil to live a pleasant life amongst the goodness of God’s Creation. It is evil, however, to worship the pleasantries and the comforts rather than the One who provides them for us.

What then must we teach our children? First, that God loves us, unconditionally; and it is because of that love that He has delivered us from the bondage of sin and death. We have done nothing to deserve His Grace and Mercy, yet He has intervened for us and saved us. Second, God does expect something from us. He gave us His law by which we are to live our lives. Christ established the Church so that His Word might go forth to all the world and so that all God’s people may worship Him. We participate in God’s Grace and Love more fully the closer we are to Him; and we grow closer to Him by worshiping at His feet, studying His Holy Word and communicating with Him through prayer and quiet devotion.

Third, we must have faith and trust in Him who made us. Life is not always easy, and the decisions that we must make are often not fun to make. If we have faith in God, and allow Him to be our guide, then life becomes easier, and our decisions are not just our own to make when we make them with His guidance and counsel. Finally, we must teach our children that the greatest fallacy of modern life is that we are in control. We have split the atom, we have traveled to the Moon, we have developed medical science to a point where we can map the human genome and possibly even alter our own genetic code. Yet is it right to do these things? Are we really that much in control? Are we making ourselves gods? There can be only one God, and that position is filled. He is in control not us, but the good news is that He does not keep secrets. Read His Word to them, tell them how He has acted in the world and in our lives, make Him real to them by showing them how He is real to us.

Remember His mighty works, heed His glorious Word, and teach our children well.

Fr. Michael+

Wednesday Night Continues to Grow

We had a fantastic night at Christ Memorial last night, beginning with a celebration of the Mass for the Feast of St. Clare in the Chapel.  It was practically standing room only!  After Mass, the crowd swelled to almost 40 people, and we had a delicious meal provided my many generous members of the parish.  We ate ham, chicken casserole, corn casserole, salad, macaroni and cheese, roasted potatoes, and many other tasty items.  For dessert we had chocolate cake, brownies and the best banana pudding in the entire world (my wife's specialty). 

We finished up with an introduction to the Book of Judges.  In an effort to set the stage for the book and to provide a cultural and historical background for the people and events in Judges, I spent the hour tracing the wanderings of the Hebrew people from the Patriarchs through their slavery and redemption in Egypt to Joshua's leadership in the initial conquest of Canaan.  We discussed some of the underpinning theology of Judges and the pattern of disobedience, repentence and salvation so prominent throughout the book (and the lives of all God's people I might add).

"And the people did what was evil in the sight of the LORD..."  That is a phrase that will come up time and time again in the Book of Judges, and we begin that discussion next Wednesday starting, as always, with Mass at 6PM.  Please pass the word and encourage your friends, family and neighbors to come and hear and experience God's Word.

Fr. Michael+

In whom do we put our Faith?

Have you ever, Dear Reader, stopped to consider the difference that a capital letter makes? As I began to compose this little reflection that was born out of the Scriptures for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, I typed Faith with a capital ‘F’. I stopped and looked at it, and wondered about what kind of faith was I writing?

To me, and maybe this is only me, there is a difference between the small ‘f’ and the big one. Lower case ‘f’ speaks to me of the faith enumerated by the writer of Hebrews when he says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” This faith speaks of the trust that Abraham placed in God when He called him out of his homeland and set him on a path toward becoming the patriarch of a great nation. This is the faith of Abel, Enoch and Noah who believed and, “…became an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith.” They and all the others who believe in God are sojourners and exiles on the earth; each longing for the homeland promised to all believers by God from before time began.

Please do not somehow diminish lower case ‘faith’ or see it as somehow inferior or secondary, indeed it is not. This is the faith of our Fathers. This is our faith placed in the Living God, our Creator, our Redeemer, our Inspiration. Faith is the thing that binds us to God, allows us to participate in His Grace, and consequently connects us to each other. Most of us learn, sometimes through hard lessons, what and who we may place our trust. We know that we can always trust in Him, but when it comes to the things of this world, faith and trust are often hard to find; unless we learn to make God a part of our earthly relationships. It is our faith in God that strengthens the bonds between neighbors. For further study, I refer you to Mark 12: 28-31.

Now, Dear Reader, you may ask, “Then what is the big deal about a stinking capital ‘F’?!”

Consider, if you will, this familiar quote: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16: 18). Setting aside any discussion of the Papacy for the moment, these are the words that Jesus Christ is speaking to His apostles about His Church. Before His ascension, Christ charges Peter three times to feed and care for His sheep. In the Acts of the Apostles, Christ dispatches His apostles from Jerusalem throughout Judea and Samaria and even to the center of the world, Rome. And, as if we could, let us not forget a certain Pharisee blinded, convicted and recruited on his way to Damascus.

Upper case Faith, in my mind, refers the institution left by Christ upon this earth to continue His mission of bringing salvation to all mankind. In order for the Gospel to be heard by the multitudes, it had to be spoken by those entrusted with the message delivered to them by God, Himself. It is the Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit, which has recorded, collected, preserved and promulgated the Good News to every corner of the world; and she still has a way to go. It is the Church that is the protector of the doctrine and the traditions from the earliest days of the Apostles’ messianic ministries. It is the Church which should be the fountainhead of theological interpretation and knowledge.

For me, I cannot divorce the Church from my faith. I often have heard people say things like, “I don’t have to be in a particular building at a particular time to worship God. I can do it that just fine on my own.” While it is true that we do, and should, work on developing our relationship with God at all times during our busy week; it is a fallacy to think that we don’t owe something more to Him. God commands us to keep holy the Sabbath. That is not just an opportunity for us to prop up our feet and relax from a busy work week. It is an instruction to us to come together and worship Him.

The Church is more than an historic building with a staff and an annual budget. The Church is more than the ritual, the incense or the hymns. The Church is even more than the people who gather together in fellowship and worship. The Church is the catholic (universal) expression of Christ in the world.

My faith is in the Risen Lord, for it is only in his death and resurrection that all of creation is washed clean from the stain of sin and death. My Faith is unapologetically Anglican, rooted in Christ, delivered to His people by the Apostles and preserved through the bishops in whom rests the responsibility to defend that which was entrusted to them.

Finally, I think that it is important to make clear that while the Church was created by Jesus Christ in the person of His Apostles, the Church is populated with and governed by the children of The Fall. Those who administer the Church are not perfect; mistakes have been and are being made. We have rent asunder the Church so that now we divide and subdivide ourselves into denominations and affiliations which in some ways bear little resemblance to each other. But that is why we must have faith: small ‘f’. Even at times when the Faith in which we participate and grow seems to be following paths unfamiliar and treacherous, we must rely on the faith of Abraham, Abel, Enoch and Noah. We must rely above all in our faith in and love for Jesus Christ, and in that we will find unity.

Father Michael+

A Couple of Reminders

Next Wednesday, August 11, we begin our study of the Book of Judges.  Last Wednesday was the final installment of a study of Celtic Christianity which I think went rather well.  We ended up examining a late 6th century exegetical homily on Matthew 16: 24.  In a nutshell, the exegete talked about our taking up of the Cross of Christ as being our willful decision to regognize Christ as the true Son of God.  He went further by elaborating on God's place as the Creator of all things, rational and irrational, sensate and unsensate.  As Creator, God exists outside of His creation, although He participates in that Creation by the mere fact that He created it.  God is not subject to His creation, creation is subject to Him.....with one notable exception:  Jesus Christ.  In Christ, God chose to redeem all of creation by becoming a part of it Himself.  By becoming flesh of the Blessed Virgin, God stepped into creation and, for the appropriate was subject to the physical laws and ravages of time and temperment which effect us all.  God loved us so much that He stepped into our time (chronos) so that we could subsequently share in His Time (kairos).

We begin Sunday School for Youth and Adults on Sunday, August 15.  We will all meet in the Parish House to take stock and assign rooms and have some fun.  We have a great group of teachers lined up for this year, and I am confident that Sunday School will be fun and formative for everyone.

Confirmation Class will begin on September 19 following the 10AM Mass, so mark your calendars.  Please let me know if you are interested in taking the class for credit or if you are interested in coming for a refresher of what you already know.

Anyone interested in becoming an acolyte should be watching and listening for I will have a date for our first acolyte training class very soon.  Anyone over 8 years old can become a member of the Guild of Acolytes, and anyone 5 - 8 years can begin to train and serve God and this parish as a Jr. member.  I will have the date set by next week.

Pax vobiscum,
Fr. Michael+

Wednesday Night at CMEC

We had a special service last night, because we celebrated our chapel's patronal feast in honor of St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Along with her husband, St. Joachim, we remember them because of their faithfulness and the love and confidence in God the Father witnessed in their daughter.  Mary's response to the Archangel Gabriel was one rooted in her close, personal relationship with God, and tradition suggests that Joachim and Anne were key in Mary's knowledge and love of God.

We are also approaching a milestone in our Wednesday Night Class.  Next week, August 4th will be our final foray into Celtic Spirituality.  I think our study of the Early Christian church in Hibernia and Britannia have been interesting and hopefully enlightening for our own spiritual lives and practices, but it is now time for something new.

"But, Father," cries out Dear Reader, "whatever shall we study now?"

Fear not, Dear Reader, for the answer is at hand.  I have been praying about what direction our Wednesday Night Book Study should go for several weeks, and I have come to the inescapable conclusion that we should return to that which is the foundation of all that we believe and practice: Holy Scripture.

Beginning August 11, Wednesday Night Bible Study will commence with a study of the Book of Judges.  Judges is the seventh book of the Old Testament and contains the account of God's Chosen People from the death of Joshua to the calling of Samuel and his subsequent annointing of Saul to be the first king of Israel.  In this book are contained the lives of Gideon, Deborah, Sampson and many others who were raised up by God to defend His people in times of great peril.  It also gives us a clear witness of the infinite faithfulness of God and the seemingly limitless unfaithfulness of His people.

We will begin with chapter 1, verse 1 of Judges and move through the book taking as much time as need to read, ponder and inwardly digest this inspired word of God.  All you need to do is bring a Bible and an appetite because we will still be having a wonderful potluck meal right after Mass.  I will be using the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, but I think it is great if we have multiple translations at our fingertips during the class.  My experience with this type of study has been that a lecture format works best because of the amount of material that we have to cover.  Therefore, I will teach using handouts and sometimes maps or presentations, but I will give plenty of time for questions and discussion at appropriate times. 

I love teaching and learning the Bible, and I hope that everyone in the parish will make the effort to come and check out Wednesday Night Bible Study.  Remember, it begins with choir practice at 5 PM, Mass at 6 PM with dinner following, and then Bible Study at 7:15 PM.  Y'all come, now!

Fr. Michael+

"Thy Will Be Done...."

It seems, Dear Reader, that most of my attention in the last few days has been focused on Christian Formation. This is decidedly not a bad thing. Truth be told, a good bit of my attention is always focused on Christian Formation; and, I boldly say, so should yours.

“Oh, that’s just great, Father,” Dear Reader exclaims, “but what exactly is this Christian Formation of which you speak?”

Simply put, Christian Formation is the life-long exercise to conform our will to that of Our Heavenly Father. Usually, we begin our Christian walk at a very early age learning about God, Jesus, and the Church from our parents and family. As we grow, we add to that our experiences in Church and in Sunday School, a process that continues for the better part of our young lives. That is, for many people, the epitome of Christian Formation.

It goes much further than that, however. Serving as an acolyte on Sunday mornings is an important part of one’s Formation as a follower of Christ. So is serving as a Chalice Bearer or singing in the Choir or serving as an usher or lector. All of these things give us an opportunity to serve God and each other and exercise our ministries in His Church. Likewise, serving on Vestry or on any of the many committees of the church allow us opportunities to learn and grow in His Will.

Just because we are older, Dear Reader, does not mean that we can ever stop learning, and that is why I feel it is so important to offer different ways to learn and live the Faith that has been delivered to us from Christ. On Wednesday nights, we study different aspects of our Faith, spirituality, and our traditional Anglican heritage. Starting soon we will be offering a comprehensive Confirmation Course that will be open to everyone in the parish, not just those seeking the Sacrament of Confirmation. This class will cover the basics of our Faith, including the Sacraments, the Creeds, the Ten Commandments, prayer, spirituality and the doctrine and history of the Anglican Faith.

Everything we do, the study, the service, the prayer, and the worship, should serve to bring our human wills into closer proximity to the Divine Will of He who has created all things and, in turn, made all things new. By knowing God and then by showing God to our neighbors and to the world, we bring ourselves into a closer and closer relationship with Him. That is what He wants.

Over the coming months there will be more and more opportunities for us to learn, worship and grow together into the people that God wants us to be. Remember, that we are constantly being formed. What we must decide, each and every day, is what will do the forming: the world or the Will of God.

Fr. Michael+

Confirmation Class Set to Begin

In the rubrics which describe the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Book of Common Prayer we find the following instructions:

In the course of their Christian development, those baptized at an early age are expected, when they are ready and have been duly prepared, to make a mature public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their Baptism and to receive the laying on of hands by the bishop. BCP pg. 412

In keeping with the rubrics, we will offer a Confirmation Class for any youth who is at least a freshman in High School, has a desire to make their public profession before the bishop and the parish, and is ready to be duly prepared. The classes will begin on Sunday, September 19 following the 10:00 AM Mass and will meet each Sunday, with the exception of certain Sundays and holidays, until the bishop’s visitation on February 13. There will be lunch provided each Sunday for those attending the class.

This class is more than just a training course for young people. I would like for it to be an opportunity for anyone in the parish to experience their faith and to learn about what it means to be a Christian first and an Anglican second. Bishop MacPherson will lay hands on those being Confirmed. He will also be laying hands and praying for anyone who wishes to be Received from another denomination or anyone wishing to be Reaffirmed in the faith.

This is a long course of study, I know, and to some it may seem excessive. In the first two or three centuries of the Church, it was common for those wishing to be Baptized and Confirmed as adults to study and pray under the tutelage of a bishop or priest for up to three years before receiving the Sacraments. I don’t think we need to invest quite that much time, but I believe that it is vital for everyone’s Christian Formation to be ready and duly prepared.

If you are interested in Confirmation, or would like to attend the classes then please contact Fr. Michael.

Fr. Michael+

Calling All Acolytes

We will soon begin acolyte training for any interested youth aged 8 years old or older. Serving as an acolyte offers the youth of the parish a great way to serve Christ in His Church and to be involved in the worship on Sundays and other special Festival occasions. We are also establishing this year a training program for junior acolytes ages 5-8 years old. This will give the younger members of the parish an opportunity to learn and serve in ways appropriate for to their age. Anyone interested in joining the Acolyte Guild should contact Fr. Michael or Br. Ken.

Fr. Michael+

"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned..."

When was the last time you went to Confession? For most Anglicans, the answer will be, “the last time I went to church.” In our tradition, if you have been to Mass, you have probably also been to confession.


I broach this subject because of the topic of our discussion at Book Study last night, “The Penitential of Cummean”. For many, I imagine, this was an unusual foray into unfamiliar and slightly unsettled territory. In a nutshell, penitentials of the 7th and 8th centuries were attempts to express a “cure” for the disease of sin. The penitentials provided a guide for the priest as he assigned penance as part of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the effect of the penitentials reached far beyond Ireland, Wales or England, influencing how the Church dispensed absolution and penance well into to Middle Ages.

“But, Fr. Michael,” I hear Dear Reader saying to the computer screen, “didn’t the Catholic Church go completely overboard with that whole Confession thing? I mean, what about the Indulgences?”

Good point, Dear Reader. Anglo-Catholic that I am, I recognize that the system of Indulgences which grew out of the honest attempt to reconcile oneself to God was erroneous and fraught with abuse. By the 16th century, Martin Luther called the Church to task and challenged the Church to examine her excesses so that she could be reformed; which ultimately she was at the Council of Trent.

Private Confession had been the way of the Church since 1215, but in 1549 the English Church embraced a new approach: corporate Confession. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, who was most singularly responsible for the production of the first Book of Common Prayer, included in the Eucharist a new form of the sacrament that allowed those about to receive Holy Communion the opportunity to offer their sins to God and to receive absolution from the Celebrant in turn. This public form of Confession retained the importance of recognizing one’s faults before God and emphasized the merciful character of Christ who forgives all our sins when we humbly turn to Him and away from the things that separate us from Him.

“So, Father,” Dear Reader is now asking, “all we have to do is read a prayerfrom the book and we’re done. That’s great!”

On the surface, Dear Reader, that might seem to be the case. Absolution is indeed absolution, but in order for us to be absolved of our sins, we must first offer them up to God, and in order for us to truly offer them up to God we must bring them to mind and reflect upon the effects of those sins on our relationship with Him. In order to do that, we should spend time prior to the Mass in honest self-examination and reflection. Just because we are not climbing into a little booth and verbally expressing our sins to the priest does not mean that we shouldn’t take the time to consider our faults and offer them with due humility and contriteness of heart to Him that washes us clean.

“Okay, Father, I get the point,” continues Dear Reader, “but I was leafing through the BCP last Sunday during your sermon (no offense), and I found this thing called Reconciliation. It looks like private Confession. What gives?”

No offense taken; it is private Confession. Remember, the Anglican Reformation retained many of the fundamental doctrines of the Church following her break with Rome. We have bishops and priests who are ordained in the Apostolic line that stretches back through Peter to Jesus Christ, and we have the Sacrament of Confession, both corporate and private. Sometimes, we feel the acute burden of our sins in such a way that requires a more personal form of the contrition and absolution. Sometimes we need advice or spiritual counseling in order to help us turn away from that which weighs us down and separates us from God. Certainly, God gives us the strength to persevere when we seek it, and this is one of the ways that He provides through His Church for us to face our faults, find His guidance and receive His Love and Mercy.

Does everyone have to come to the priest for private Confession? No. Are there times when we should go to the priest for Confession? Yes. When and to whom one does this is strictly between them, God and their priest, and what is said stays between them, God and their priest.

If you want to talk some more about it, Dear Reader, my door is always open.

Fr. Michael+

Light Perpetual....

I am saddened to announce the passing of Monika Christian this past Sunday following a long battle with cancer.  Jeanne is doing well and is appreciative of your prayers for Monika and for her.  There will be a Memorial Service in Houston and a graveside service here, but the details have not been settled.  I will put up another post as soon as we know anything more.

Please continue to pray for Monika and Jeanne.

May her soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace; and may light perpetual shine upon her.

Fr. Michael+

The Presence of God

“The holiest, most universal and most necessary practice in the spiritual life is the presence of God. To practice the presence of God is to take pleasure in and become accustomed to His Divine company, speaking humbly and conversing lovingly in our hearts with Him at all times, and at every moment, especially in times of temptation, pain, spiritual dryness, revulsion to spiritual things, and even unfaithfulness and sin.” The First Spiritual Maxim of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection.

There is an awkwardness that accompanies time spent with a person or persons that one does not know very well. Try sitting on an airplane…in coach…in the middle seat…with strangers on both sides, and you’ll know what I mean. The introductions and polite small talk are easy enough, but once you’ve exhausted the pleasantries, how do you spend your time for the ensuing flight.

It is far more enjoyable to spend time with someone with whom we have a relationship; someone we know; someone we trust.

I love to go to the movies; I always have. Seeing the movie projected on that huge screen, the rumble of sound system, the popcorn, the thrill of an adventure that was seemingly out of space and out of time are all exciting and attractive to me. Yet, when I was younger, there was one anxiety that somewhat diminished my movie going experience: a stranger sitting next to me in the theater! What if they talked during the movie? What if they tried to talk to me? What if they wanted to use the arm rest? AHHHHHHHHHHH.

I’m over that now, but it illustrates well the point about feeling comfortable in the presence of a stranger.

There is a basic truth that we all must recognize: God is with us. He was present with His people in any number of ways as described in the Old Testament. He became incarnate of the Virgin Mary and was made man so that He was physically present with us for a time. He is with us today in and through the presence of the Holy Ghost, the Counselor, the Spirit of God who indwells each and every one of us. God is never farther away than an airline passenger or a fellow movie-goer.

God is present in our lives even when there is no one else around. He is there in the quiet private times, the busy work times and everywhere in between. He is there in the mundane tasks of daily life and in the soaring worship on Sunday morning. The question that we must answer for ourselves is: How comfortable are we with His presence?

Any plane ride is more comfortable when the persons sitting next to you are friends, even if you don’t say a word to each other for the entire flight. Watching a movie with a friend is far more enjoyable, despite the periodic jockeying for ownership of the armrest.

God is present with us, of that there can be no doubt. The more we work on recognizing and building our relationship with Him, the more comfortable we will be in His presence, and the closer we will become to Him who made and keeps us.

Fr. Michael+

Rest in Peace

On Friday, Deacon Kay and I officiated at the funeral for Julie Evans.  The outpouring of love and support for her family by the community was remarkable.  On behalf of all the parishioners of Christ Memorial, I offer our condolences and our prayers to Patsy, Bill, Darla, Jeffery, Rachel and all the Lawhon and Evans family and friends who were so meaningfully touched by Julie during her life.

We will miss her.

We have Faith that we will join her walking in His nearer presence.

Pax vobiscum.

Fr. Michael+