In today’s Daily Office reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, we receive some sound marriage advice and Paul tells us that marriage is a mutual relationship:
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: ‘It is well for a man not to touch a woman.’ But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. This I say by way of concession, not of command. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind.
To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am. But if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion. (1 Cor. 7: 1-9)
There are many who say that Paul had a very negative attitude toward women, but when we read Paul’s writings carefully, we see that is not the case. The basic underpinning of today’s passage is that of mutual respect. Paul tells us that the husband must respect the wife, and the wife must respect the husband. Marriage is a two way street.
Let us pray: O God, you have so consecrated the covenant of marriage that in it is represented the spiritual unity between Christ and his Church: Send therefore your blessing upon all married people that they may so love, honor, and cherish each other in faithfulness and patience, in wisdom and true godliness, that their homes may be a haven of blessing and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS
THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW starts Saturday evening at 6 p.m., the 24th of September. Please sign up to host. We also need cookies and punch for the opening on Saturday. Please let me know if you can help with this. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. Times: Sundays (25 September, 2 & 9 October: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays (1 October: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 October, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. during ArtWalk).
NEW WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY begins this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.
ST. VINCENT'S HOUSE: This Saturday, the 24th of September at 10 a.m. the pre-school at St. Vincent’s House will be re-dedicated and the Second Annual Afreda Houston Community Servant Award. Then join us on Sunday, 25 September at the 9 a.m. Eucharist at St. Augustine as we celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House. The preacher will be the Rev. Tom Bain.
ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.
BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 10:30 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall.
ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 October 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.
ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.
CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.
PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Tammie’s father who is recovering from surgery, for all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.
"The things we really need come to us only as gifts, and in order to receive them as gifts we have to be open. In order to be open we have to renounce ourselves, in a sense we have to die to our image of ourselves, our autonomy, our fixation upon our self-willed identity.” —Fr. Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O. (1915-1968)
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: ‘It is well for a man not to touch a woman.’ But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. This I say by way of concession, not of command. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind.
To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am. But if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion. (1 Cor. 7: 1-9)
There are many who say that Paul had a very negative attitude toward women, but when we read Paul’s writings carefully, we see that is not the case. The basic underpinning of today’s passage is that of mutual respect. Paul tells us that the husband must respect the wife, and the wife must respect the husband. Marriage is a two way street.
Let us pray: O God, you have so consecrated the covenant of marriage that in it is represented the spiritual unity between Christ and his Church: Send therefore your blessing upon all married people that they may so love, honor, and cherish each other in faithfulness and patience, in wisdom and true godliness, that their homes may be a haven of blessing and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS
THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW starts Saturday evening at 6 p.m., the 24th of September. Please sign up to host. We also need cookies and punch for the opening on Saturday. Please let me know if you can help with this. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. Times: Sundays (25 September, 2 & 9 October: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays (1 October: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 October, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. during ArtWalk).
NEW WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY begins this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.
ST. VINCENT'S HOUSE: This Saturday, the 24th of September at 10 a.m. the pre-school at St. Vincent’s House will be re-dedicated and the Second Annual Afreda Houston Community Servant Award. Then join us on Sunday, 25 September at the 9 a.m. Eucharist at St. Augustine as we celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House. The preacher will be the Rev. Tom Bain.
ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.
BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 10:30 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall.
ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 October 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.
ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.
CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.
PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Tammie’s father who is recovering from surgery, for all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.
"The things we really need come to us only as gifts, and in order to receive them as gifts we have to be open. In order to be open we have to renounce ourselves, in a sense we have to die to our image of ourselves, our autonomy, our fixation upon our self-willed identity.” —Fr. Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O. (1915-1968)
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
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