Today the Church remembers someone you might remember from your high school English class, John Donne. He was a lawyer, a poet, a priest, a preacher and the Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Donne was born in 1573 into a Roman Catholic family, but he became an Anglican in 1594. He was educated at Oxford and Cambridge and Lincoln’s Inn, where people prepare to become barristers (lawyers who argue in court in England).
Donne traveled across Europe and later fought with the Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Raleigh against the Spanish at Cádiz (1596) and the Azores (1597), he and witnessed the loss of the Spanish flagship, the San Felipe. Donne became the private secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton. During the next four years he fell in love with Egerton’s niece Anne More, and they were married just before Christmas in 1601 against the wishes of both Egerton and George More, Lieutenant of the Tower and Anne’s father. Donne’s career was ruined and the marriage earned him a short stay in Fleet Prison, along with the priest who married them as well as the man who acted as a witness to the marriage. Donne was released when the marriage was proven valid, and soon secured the release of the other two. When Donne wrote to his wife, Anne, to tell her about losing his post, he wrote after his name: “John Donne, Anne Donne, Un-done.” It was not until 1609 that Donne was reconciled with his father-in-law.
Anne and Donne had 12 children in 16 years of marriage (including two stillbirths—their eighth and then in 1617 their last child). Anne spent most of her married life either pregnant or nursing. The 10 surviving children were named Constance, John, George, Francis, Lucy, Bridget, Mary, Nicholas, Margaret and Elizabeth. Francis, Nicholas and Mary died before they were 10. Anne died on 15 August 1617, 5 days after giving birth to their twelfth child, a still-born baby. Donne mourned her deeply, including writing the 17th Holy Sonnet. He never remarried.
Donne was elected as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Brackley in 1602, but this was not a paid position and Donne struggled to provide for his family, relying heavily upon rich friends. His writing gave him a means to seek patronage and many of his poems were written for wealthy friends or patrons, especially Sir Robert Drury, who came to be Donne’s chief patron in 1610.
King James was pleased with Donne’s work, and urged him to become a priest. Donne finally agreed and in 1615 was ordained priest. Donne became a Royal Chaplain in late 1615, Reader of Divinity at Lincoln’s Inn in 1616, and received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Cambridge University in 1618.
In 1621 Donne was made Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London and he remained Dean until his death in 1631. During his period as Dean his daughter Lucy died; she was 18. In late November and early December 1623, Donne suffered a nearly fatal illness. During his convalescence he wrote a series of meditations and prayers on health, pain, and sickness that were published in 1624 as Devotions upon Emergent Occasions. In that book is the well known phrase "for whom the bell tolls" and "no man is an island".
One is his most well known sonnets was Sonnet X:
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death; nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy picture be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow;
And soonest our best men with thee do go--
Rest of their bones and souls' delivery!
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke,
Why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And Death shall be no more:
Death, thou shalt die!
Donne earned a reputation as an eloquent preacher and 160 of his sermons have survived. Donne died on this day in 1631.
Let us pray: Almighty God, the root and fountain of all being: Open our eyes to see, with your servant John Donne, that whatever has any being is a mirror in which we may behold you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
LENTEN PROJECT -- NETS FOR LIFE! NetsforLife® works to eliminate malaria in some of the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Churches are often the only functioning institutions in these communities located “at the end of the road.” Episcopal Relief & Development is a key part of this program. Their presence and power unite people to bring about lasting change for the whole community. By drawing on this trusted delivery system—churches and faith-based groups— vulnerable people are reached with life-saving nets and other services. NetsforLife® serves people in need regardless of faith affiliation.
We at St. Augustine’s can help. Each net only costs $12.50; it is a small price to pay to help save someone made in the image and likeness of God. Let’s work toward a goal of 50 nets during this Lenten season and help God in healing the world.
St. Augustine Spiritual Support Group (SASS) has its first meeting this evening. If you know someone who has been impacted by HIV/AIDS, please let them know that there is a place for them to seek support in a safe and loving environment. They meet every Thursday evening starting with a pot luck dinner at 6:00 p.m. Please lift this ministry up in prayer!
CALENDAR REMINDERS
The next program in the Lenten Series is at St. Augustine’s next Wednesday, 6 April starting at 6:00 p.m. with Stations of the Cross, followed by the Eucharist. We will then have a light meal and begin the teaching by the Benedictine Monks. Please come!
We will have a pot luck lunch for Easter so begin thinking about what to bring.
PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the men and women of our Armed Forces serving at home and abroad, the people of Japan and Libya.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
No comments:
Post a Comment