As we draw to the end of 2010, the Daily Office Gospel reading for today is taken from the Gospel according to John, and it is the familiar story of the woman caught in adultery. It is a fitting reading as we close one year and begin another. It encourages us to search our consciences to examine how we may have failed to live up to God’s call to us. John writes:
Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’ (Jn. 8: 2-11).
Jesus’ action of writing on the ground, and we can only imagine the list he scribbled, caused those who were ready to stone the woman to examine their consciences. How had they failed to live up to God’s call to them to be holy? One by one, they realized that they were far from perfect. At year’s end, we can stop to search our souls and see how we have fallen short of God’s call to us.
Let us pray: Loving Father, we have often done those things which we ought not to have done and have failed to do those things that we ought to have done. Help us to search our souls, o be honest with ourselves, to seek forgiveness, to forgive ourselves, and to resolve to amend our ways. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
6 January 2010 at 6 p.m.: We will feed about 30 volunteers who are working with The Episcopal Diocese of Texas Relief and Development. These workers will also help us with the community garden by filling the planters with soil.
9 January 2010: The Baptism of the Lord. We will also celebrate the Epiphany with King Cake that Sunday provided by Rose Daniels. The Annual Parish meeting will also be held with an election for 2 Bishop’s Committee persons and a delegate to send to the 162nd Diocesan Council.
16 January 2010: the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and Bishop Doyle will visit St. Augustine. We will have two clean-up days prior to her arrival.
PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially all children throughout the world who are suffering, Cindi, Carol, Lee, John, Bob for a speedy recovery from surgery, and the family of the Rev. Stacy Stringer as they grieve the loss of her father.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’ (Jn. 8: 2-11).
Jesus’ action of writing on the ground, and we can only imagine the list he scribbled, caused those who were ready to stone the woman to examine their consciences. How had they failed to live up to God’s call to them to be holy? One by one, they realized that they were far from perfect. At year’s end, we can stop to search our souls and see how we have fallen short of God’s call to us.
Let us pray: Loving Father, we have often done those things which we ought not to have done and have failed to do those things that we ought to have done. Help us to search our souls, o be honest with ourselves, to seek forgiveness, to forgive ourselves, and to resolve to amend our ways. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
6 January 2010 at 6 p.m.: We will feed about 30 volunteers who are working with The Episcopal Diocese of Texas Relief and Development. These workers will also help us with the community garden by filling the planters with soil.
9 January 2010: The Baptism of the Lord. We will also celebrate the Epiphany with King Cake that Sunday provided by Rose Daniels. The Annual Parish meeting will also be held with an election for 2 Bishop’s Committee persons and a delegate to send to the 162nd Diocesan Council.
16 January 2010: the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and Bishop Doyle will visit St. Augustine. We will have two clean-up days prior to her arrival.
PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially all children throughout the world who are suffering, Cindi, Carol, Lee, John, Bob for a speedy recovery from surgery, and the family of the Rev. Stacy Stringer as they grieve the loss of her father.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
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