What Separates Us from God?

In this last week of Lent, we hear from the Gospel according to Mark. The Gospel reading for today is the theme from our Lenten Series with Grace. Mark writes:

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.” ’ He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’ (Mk. 10: 17-27).

The young man “was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” The time for decision came. What was more valuable to him: God or his possessions? The young man made his choice. Notice, Jesus does not go running after him saying, “But what I really meant was…” The young man’s possessions created a fence between him and God. What separates us from God? It might be a lot less than many possessions.

Let us pray: Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God, teach me true generosity. Teach me to serve you as you deserve. To give without counting the cost, to fight heedless of wounds, to labor without seeking rest, to sacrifice myself without thought of any reward save the knowledge that I have done your will. Amen.

ART CLASS WITH LEE RUNION

The Cemetery Lady, historian Linda McBee will be our guide on April 14th for the art rubbings class. Lee will provide simple brown bag lunches and bottled water. Mrs. McBee will focus on the Episcopal part of the old cemetery and her tour lasts about an hour and a half. The cost for her services would be $9 per person provided we can have a group of ten or more. The Church will cover the cost for those who want to attend but cannot pay the fee. If you wish to attend, Lee will also provide paper and charcoal for rubbings. You are free to bring any other special papers, other rubbing materials you wish. Lee will also talk with her about a possible rain date if the weather is bad that day. Please call Lee at 409-539-4632 so we can book this time. Saturday April 14th from 10 am - 12:30 pm we will meet at the old city cemetery on Broadway by the Church. Wear a hat and some sunscreen!

HOLY WEEK CALENDAR

Palm Sunday: Procession with Palms & Eucharist Rite II at 9 a.m.

Wednesday: final gathering for the Lenten Series at St. Augustine’s at 6 p.m.

Maundy Thursday: Traditional Maundy Thursday service with foot washing and striping of the altar: 7 p.m.

Good Friday: 3 p.m.

Easter Eucharist at 9 a.m. and an Easter egg hunt for the children after the service with our annual covered dish lunch.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

We're On the Same Team

In today’s appointed Gospel taken from Mark, we hear that there should be no envy regarding work that other Christians do to spread the Kingdom, even if they are not from our own denomination. Mark writes:

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. (Mk. 9: 30-41).

Sometimes we find that there is rivalry between Christian denominations, that is, Christians of one denomination being envious of what other Christians may be doing. Jesus does not care what particular denomination you might belong to; rather, Jesus tells us not to stop them because anyone who does Jesus’ will is with him! Sometimes we forget that.

Let us pray: Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Joint Lenten Series with Grace—this Wednesday we all meet at Grace starting with the Stations of the Cross at 6 p.m.

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

Palm Sunday: Procession with Palms & Eucharist Rite II at 9 a.m.

Wednesday: final gathering for the Lenten Series at St. Augustine’s at 6 p.m.

Maundy Thursday: Traditional Maundy Thursday service with foot washing and striping of the altar: 7 p.m.

Good Friday: 3 p.m.

Easter Eucharist at 9 a.m. and an Easter egg hunt for the children after the service with our annual covered dish lunch.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

One Body, Many Parts

The appointed Epistle reading for today is taken from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Paul tells us that how everyone has their role to fulfill in the Church:

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Now the body is not a single part, but many. If a foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. Or if an ear should say, “Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,” it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God placed the parts,each one of them, in the body as he intended. If they were all one part, where would the body be? But as it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I do not need you.” Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. (1 Cor. 12:12-26).

In the Church, some parts maybe big, others may be small, but each part is necessary if the body is to be whole. Working together with Christ as the head, the Body of Christ, the Church, can be a tangible presence of Jesus in the world reaching out to the hopeless, the forgotten, the marginalized and the unloved. The Body, each part working together, can transform the world making it more and more the Kingdom that God desires and will ultimately bring about.

Let us pray: O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that,as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity,and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

This Saturday, 24 March at 11a.m. in Sutton Hall—End of Life Issues.

Next Wednesday, the Joint Lenten Program continues at Grace.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List and especially Cindi Clack and Mary Pearson.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury & Martyr

Today the Episcopal Church remembers Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, theologian, a leader in the Reformation, author of the Book of Common Prayer, and martyr who was burned at the stake in Oxford by an order of Queen Mary on this day in 1556.

Thomas was born in 1489 in Aslockton in Nottinghamshire, England. His parents were of modest means. At the age of fourteen, two years after the death of his father, Thomas went to the newly created Jesus College, Cambridge. It took him a surprisingly long eight years to reach his Bachelor of Arts degree following a curriculum of logic, classical literature and philosophy. During this time he began to collect medieval scholastic books, which he preserved faithfully throughout his life. For his master’s degree he took a different course of study, concentrating on the humanists, Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples and Erasmus. This time he progressed with no special delay, finishing the course in three years. Shortly after receiving his Master of Arts degree in 1515, he was elected to a Fellowship of Jesus College.

Sometime after Thomas finished his master’s degree, he married a woman named Joan. Because he married, he was forced to forfeit his fellowship, resulting in the loss of his residence at Jesus College. In order to support himself and his wife, he took a job at another college. When Joan died during her first childbirth, Jesus College showed its regard for Cranmer by reinstating his fellowship. He began studying theology and by 1520 he had been ordained a priest, the university already having named him as one of their preachers. He received his doctorate of divinity in 1526.

King Henry VIII’s first marriage had its origins in 1502 when his elder brother, Arthur, died. Their father, Henry VII then betrothed Arthur's widow, Catherine of Aragon, to the future king. The betrothal immediately raised questions related to the biblical prohibition (see Leviticus 18 and 20) against marriage to a brother’s wife. The couple married in 1509 and after a series of miscarriages, a daughter, Mary, was born in 1516. By the 1520s, Henry still did not have a son to name as heir and he took this as a sure sign of God’s anger and made overtures to the Vatican about an annulment. The Vatican refused after Catherine’s relative, the King of Spain, sent his troops to Rome to “persuade” the Pope. Henry gave Cardinal Wolsey the task of prosecuting his case; Wolsey began by consulting university experts. From 1527, in addition to his duties as a Cambridge don, Thomas assisted with the annulment proceedings.

Cranmer was a staunch Reformer, and when he became Archbishop of Canterbury began the Reformation in England. After the death of Henry VIII, Thomas was the guardian of the new King, Edward, and the Reformation was in full swing in England, and the Book of Common Prayer was introduced, a work of liturgical genius. There was no uniformity in the liturgies of the day, and Thomas studied the many different liturgies in Europe and wrote the Book of Common Prayer, in the language of the people, who could participate in worship in a real way whereas they could not before. The liturgy, meaning “the work of the people,” once again allowed the people to worship God in a true communal fashion.

Thomas died in 1556 when Queen Mary I wanted Thomas to recant the Reformation. He refused and was burned at the stake.

Let us pray: Merciful God, through the work of Thomas Cranmer you renewed the worship of your Church by restoring the language of the people, and through his death you revealed your power in human weakness: Grant that by your grace we may always worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Tonight at St. Augustine’s at 6 pm the Lenten Series continues. We will have red beans and rice, chicken, potato salad, bread, but we need someone to bring a green salad.

Saturday, 24 March, at 11 am we will have our End of Life Issues seminar.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Thomas Ken and the Nonjurors

Today the Church remembers Thomas Ken who was born in 1637 and died on this day in 1711. He was a “nonjuring bishop.” Now, you’re asking, “what does that mean?”

The nonjuring schism was a split in the Church of England in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, over whether William of Orange and his wife Mary could legally be recognized as King and Queen of England.

The word 'nonjuring' means 'not swearing an oath', from the Latin word iuro or juro meaning 'to swear an oath'.

Many of the Anglican clergy felt legally bound by their previous oaths of allegiance to King James II and, though they could accept William as Regent, they could not accept him as king. It was not necessarily a split on matters of religious doctrine, but more of a political issue and a matter of conscience, though most of the nonjurors were high church Anglicans. Thus, latitudinarian Anglicans were handed control of the Church of England. The nonjurors thus supported Jacobitism, although they generally did not actively support the Jacobite rebellions in 1715 or 1745.

Ken also quite vocally protested King Charles’ relationship with his mistress, Nell Gwyn. Putting it mildly, it was not good for his career. Nevertheless he stood his ground.

Let us pray: Almighty God, who gave to your servant Thomas Ken grace and courage to bear witness to the truth before rulers and kings: Give us strength also that, following his example, we may constantly defend what is right, boldly reprove what is evil, and patiently suffer for the truth's sake, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

JOINT LENTEN SERIES: Wednesday at 6 p.m. at St. Augustine's this week.

END OF LIFE ISSUES DAY: Saturday, 24 March 2012 at 11 a.m.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

No Ordinary Joe

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE SATURDAY’S BBQ A GREAT SUCCESS! FROM THE PLANNING, TO THE PUBLICITY, TO SETTING UP, TO THE COOKING, TO THE TICKET COLLECTING, TO THE SERVING, TO THE FACE PAINTING, TO THE BOUNCY HOUSE, TO THE ZYDECO BAND, TO THE THE TABLES SELLING ITEMS,AND TO THE CLEAN-UP! IT WAS A COMMUNITY EFFORT WITH STUNNING RESULTS. SO MANY PEOPLE COMMENTED TO ME WHAT A WELCOMING CHURCH ST. AUGUSTINE’S IS—YOU ARE THE CHURCH! THANK YOU AGAIN TO EVERYONE, AND ESPECIALLY TO BIG MISTA & FRIENDS WHO PREPARED SOME FIRST CLASS, AWARD WINNING BBQ!

Today the Church remembers no ordinary Joe, St. Joseph. We don’t hear that much about Joseph in Scripture. The most we hear about Joseph is from the first few chapters of Matthew and Luke. John mentions him in passing, and Mark says nothing about him. Here is what we do know: Joseph listened to God and followed God’s will even though he didn’t understand what it all really meant. See Mt. 1:24; Lk. 2: 51. Joseph raised Jesus who grew in wisdom. Lk.2:52. We know that he was a τεκτων (“tekton”),a skilled worker. Mt. 13: 55. Growing up in that day, Jesus would have followed in Joseph’s footsteps professionally, so Jesus was a skilled worker as well. We know that Joseph was not present at the foot of the cross, so we presume that Joseph must have died sometime prior to that.

Like other fathers, what we do know about Joseph is not written down. Most fathers do not have much written about how they were as fathers raising children. What we know, we know from our experience of our fathers. They worked hard, sacrificed much and complained little. What made Joseph extraordinary is his willingness to follow God’s will, even though he was not always sure where it led.

Let us pray: O God, who from the family of your servant David raised up Joseph to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and the spouse of his virgin mother: Give us grace to imitate his uprightness of life and his obedience to your commands; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

JOINT LENTEN SERIES: Wednesday at 6 p.m. at St. Augustine’s this week.

END OF LIFE ISSUES DAY:Saturday, 24 March 2012 at 11 a.m.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of HippoEpiscopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Be Not Afraid

On this Friday in the third week of Lent, we hear from the sixth chapter of Mark’s Gospel. Today we hear one of the most often used phrases in Sacred Scripture:

When evening came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. (Mk. 6: 47-56).

“Do not be afraid.” It is one of the most often used phrases in Scripture. Lent is a time for reassessing our relationship with God, our neighbors and even ourselves. Often times we are afraid of what the results of our reassessment may mean. Today, Jesus tells us not to be afraid. In the storms that toss the boats of our lives, Jesus is in the boat with us. He calms the storms; Jesus calms our storms. So, take heart and do not be afraid. Jesus is with you.

Let us pray: Assist us mercifully, O Lord, in these our supplications and prayers, and dispose the way of thy servants towards the attainment of everlasting salvation; that, among all the changes and chances of this mortal life, they may ever be defended by thy gracious and ready help; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Tomorrow is the day—Big Mista & Friends are back at St. Augustine’s for the Second Annual BBQ Extravaganza.

END OF LIFE ISSUES DAY in Sutton Hall at St. Augustine’s, 24 March at 11:00 a.m. Please join us as we discuss some of the practical aspects of end of life issues.

JOINT LENTEN SERIES continues this Wednesday at St. Augustine’s starting with the Stations of the Cross at 6:00 p.m.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

God Brings Good Even Out of Evil

The appointed Old Testament reading for today is taken from the Book of Genesis and it is a part of the story of Joseph, who you will recall, was sold into slavery by his brothers. We read:

When the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, ‘Joseph’s brothers have come’, Pharaoh and his servants were pleased. Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Say to your brothers, “Do this: load your animals and go back to the land of Canaan. Take your father and your households and come to me, so that I may give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you may enjoy the fat of the land.” You are further charged to say, “Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Give no thought to your possessions, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.” ’

The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them wagons according to the instruction of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. To each one of them he gave a set of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five sets of garments. To his father he sent the following: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey. Then he sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving he said to them, ‘Do not quarrel along the way.’

So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. And they told him, ‘Joseph is still alive! He is even ruler over all the land of Egypt.’ He was stunned; he could not believe them. But when they told him all the words of Joseph that he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. Israel said, ‘Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I must go and see him before I die.’ (Gen. 45: 16-28).

The story of Joseph tells us that God brings good even out of evil. Feeling guilty, Joseph’s brothers decided not to kill him; rather, they sold him as a piece of merchandise. Nevertheless, God turned their evil plans and brought good out of them. As we read today, Joseph would one day help the very people who not only wished him harm, but worked to achieve it. Joseph’s story is one of hope.

Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

THIS IS THE BIG SECOND ANNUAL BBQ WEEKEND (SATURDAY, 17 MARCH) WITH BIG MISTA & FRIENDS!

THE LENTEN SERIES CONTINUES THIS WEDNESDAY AT GRACE at 6:00 p.m. starting with Stations of the Cross.

END OF LIFE ISSUES DAY, Saturday, 24 March at 11:00 a.m.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Patricia Robinson, Stacey Putman’s parents, all of those who will be traveling this week and for all of those seeking employment.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Bishop James T. Holly: First African American Episcopal Bishop

On this Tuesday in the Third week of Lent, the Episcopal Church remembers James Theodore Holly who was the first African American Bishop in the Episcopal Church and Bishop of Haiti.

James was born in 1829 in Washington, D.C., the descendant of freed slaves. His great-great grandfather was a Scotsman in Maryland, and was the master of several Holly slaves whom he freed in 1772, including his son and namesake James Theodore Holly. As a free man, he married the daughter of an Irish Catholic whose last name was Butler, and they had a son, Rueben, who was the father of Bishop Holly's grandfather.

James was baptized and raised as a Catholic, and he spent his early years in Washington, D.C. and in Brooklyn, N.Y.where he connected with Frederick Douglass and other Black abolitionists. James became active in anti-slavery conventions in the free states and he participated in abolitionist activities.

James left the Roman Catholic Church over a dispute about ordaining local black clergy, and he joined the Episcopal Church in 1852. He was a shoemaker, then a teacher and school principal before his own ordination at the age of 27. James served as the rector at St Luke’s Episcopal Church in New Haven, Connecticut and was one of the founders of the Protestant Episcopal Society for Promoting the Extension of the Church Among Colored People (a forerunner of UBE) in 1856. This group challenged the Church to take a position against slavery at General Convention.

In 1861, he left the United States with his family and a group of African Americans to settle in Haiti. In July of 1863, Holly organized Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.

With disease and poor living conditions, James lost his entire family, but he was successful in establishing schools and building the Church. He trained young priests and started congregations and medical programs in the countryside.

James was ordained bishop at Grace Church, New York City in 1874, not by the mainstream Episcopal Church, who refused to ordain a black missionary bishop, but by the American Church Missionary Society, an Evangelical Episcopal branch of the Church. He was named Bishop of the Anglican Orthodox Episcopal Church of Haiti, and James attended the Lambeth Conference in London as a bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion. Bishop Holly was also given charge of the Episcopal Church in the Dominican Republic from 1897-1911. He died in Haiti in on this day in 1911.

Let us pray: Most gracious God, by the calling of your servant James Theodore Holly, you gave us our first bishop of African-American heritage. In his quest for life and freedom, he led your people from bondage into a new land and established the Church in Haiti. Grant that, inspired by his testimony, we may overcome our prejudice and honor those whom you call from every family, language, people, and nation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

THIS IS THE BIG SECOND ANNUAL BBQ WEEKEND (SATURDAY, 17 MARCH) WITH BIG MISTA & FRIENDS!

THE LENTEN SERIES CONTINUES THIS WEDNESDAY AT GRACE at 6:00 p.m. starting with Stations of the Cross.

END OF LIFE ISSUES DAY, Saturday, 24 March at 11:00 a.m.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Patricia Robinson, Stacey Putman’s parents, all of those who will be traveling this week and for all of those seeking employment.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

St. Gregory the Great

On this Monday in the third week of Lent, we remember St. Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome.

Gregory was born around 540, and he was from a politically influential family. In 573 he became Prefect of Rome, but resigned to become a monk. In 579 he was made a representative of the Bishop of Rome to the Patriarch of Constantinople. Shortly after his return home, Gregory was elected Bishop of Rome in 590.

When the Lombards invaded Rome, Gregory organized the defense, and he eventual negotiated and sign a peace treaty with them. When there was a shortage of food in Rome, Gregory took control once again and he organized the importation and distribution of grain from Sicily.

Although Gregory desired to go to England himself, he sent Augustine to England to preach the Gospel to the pagan Anglo-Saxon tribes that invaded England and largely conquered or displaced the Celtic Christians previously living there. This Augustine became the first archbishop of Canterbury.

Gregory was also very influential in liturgy and a certain form of chant is named after him.

Gregory died on this day in 604.

Let us pray: Almighty and merciful God, who raised up Gregory of Rome to be a servant of the servants of God, and inspired him to send missionaries to preach the Gospel to the English people: Preserve in your Church the catholic and apostolic faith they taught, that your people, being fruitful in every good work, may receive the crown of glory that never fades away; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

THIS IS THE BIG SECOND ANNUAL BBQ WEEKEND (SATURDAY, 17 MARCH) WITH BIG MISTA & FRIENDS!

THE LENTEN SERIES CONTINUES THIS WEDNESDAY AT GRACE at 6:00 p.m. starting with Stations of the Cross.

END OF LIFE ISSUES DAY, Saturday, 24 March at 11:00 a.m.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Patricia Robinson, Stacey Putman’s parent, all of those who will be traveling this week especially Dave and Delores, and for all of those seeking employment.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

St. Gregory of Nyssa: A Bishop During Troubled Times

On this Friday in the second week of Lent, the Church remembers St. Gregory of Nyssa who was born around the year 334 A.D. and died on this day in 395 A.D. Gregory was born in Caesarea, Cappadocia, present day central Turkey. His younger brother was St. Basil the Great.

He was elected Bishop of Nyssa, in present day Lower Armenia, in 372. That time was a period of great tension over the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ. Gregory was even arrested after being falsely accused of embezzling church funds, but he was restored to his diocese in 378.

It was after the death of Basil, that Gregory really came into his own. He wrote with great effectiveness against Arianism and other questionable doctrines, gaining a reputation as a defender of orthodoxy. He was sent on missions to counter other heresies and held a position of prominence at the Council of Constantinople. His fine reputation stayed with him for the remainder of his life, but over the centuries it gradually declined as the authorship of his writings became less and less certain. But, thanks to the work of scholars in the 20th century, his stature is once again appreciated.

Let us pray: Almighty God, who have revealed to your Church your eternal Being of glorious majesty and perfect love as one God in Trinity of Persons: Give us grace that, like your bishop Gregory of Nyssa, we may continue steadfast in the confession of this faith, and constant in our worship of you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

REMEMBER TO SPRING FORWARD THIS SATURDAY! Yes, it’s that time again to set our clocks one hour ahead.

The Joint Lenten Series with Grace on Wednesdays nights starting with Stations of the Cross and Eucharist at6:00p.m. followed by a light meal and a program by Tony Campolo:

Week 3 (Grace): Time: How Much Do I Have to Give Away?
Week 4 (St. Augustine): Stuff: How Much Can I Have?
Week 5 (Grace): Support: What Will Help?
Week 6 (St. Augustine): Next: What Will I Do Come Monday Morning?

THE 2ND ANNUAL BIG BBQ AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S IS ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY, 17 MARCH--pass the word along!

END OF LIFE ISSUES DAY AT ST. AUGUSTINE ON SATURDAY, 24 MARCH STARTING AT 11:00 A.M. We will discuss some important end of life issues including directives to physicians, statutory powers of attorney, last wills and testaments. This is open to all adults.

SAFEGUARDING GOD'S CHILDREN AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S IN APRIL. For those who have not had the training, we will be offering it in April and it will be open to every Episcopal Church on the Island. Details will be forthcoming.

St. Augustine will host the Seniors on the Island on the third Thursday of every month starting on Thursday, 19April 2012. We are becoming part of the Seaside Seniors Mature Adult Ministry. This ministry assists with a weekly lunch open to all seniors. If you are interested in food, fun and fellowship, join the Seaside Seniors each week throughout Galveston Island. Line dancing begins at 11am and lunch is served at 11:45 a.m. at the following locations:

1st Thursdays at St. Patrick’s
2nd Thursdays at Moody Methodist
3rd Thursdays at St. Augustine
4th Thursdays at Grace Episcopal

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Patricia Florence, Stacy Putman’s parents, and all of the victims of the tornadoes in Indiana and Tennessee.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

The Corinthians: Paul Had His Job Cut Out for Him

In today’s selected Epistle we hear from Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians. While Paul was in Ephesus on his third journey (1 Cor. 16:8; Acts 19:1-20), he received disquieting news about Corinth. The community there was displaying open factionalism, as certain members were identifying themselves exclusively with individual Christian leaders and interpreting Christian teaching as a superior wisdom for the initiated few. The community lacked the decisiveness to take appropriate action against one of its members who was living publicly in an incestuous union, our reading for today. Other members engaged in legal conflicts in pagan courts of law; still others may have participated in religious prostitution or temple sacrifices. In short, Paul had his work cut out for him.

Paul writes:

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among pagans; for a man is living with his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Should you not rather have mourned, so that he who has done this would have been removed from among you?

For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present I have already pronounced judgment in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done such a thing. When you are assembled, and my spirit is present with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Cor. 5: 1-8).

Paul’s letter today gives us a great deal to think about on this Tuesday in the second week of Lent. Sometimes we too forget the faith that has been passed onto us. There are those time when we stray from the Christian pathway. Paul reminds us that we cannot do it on our own. Indeed, Christ our paschal lamb has been sacrificed for us; therefore, let us keep the Lamb’s feast with our lives, putting away our old selves, and dedicating our whole lives totally to Jesus.

Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The Joint Lenten Series with Grace on Wednesdays nights starting with Stations of the Cross and Eucharist at6:00 p.m. followed by a light meal and a program by Tony Campolo:

Week 2 (St. Augustine): Money: How Poor Does Jesus Want Us To Be?

Week 3 (Grace): Time: How Much Do I Have to Give Away?

Week 4 (St. Augustine): Stuff: How Much Can I Have?

Week 5 (Grace): Support: What Will Help?

Week 6 (St. Augustine): Next: What Will I Do Come Monday Morning?

Please join us.

THE 2ND ANNUAL BIG BBQ AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S IS ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY, 17 MARCH--pass the word along!

END OF LIFE ISSUES DAY AT ST. AUGUSTINE ON SATURDAY, 24 MARCH STARTING AT 11:00 A.M. We will discuss some important end of life issues including directives to physicians, statutory powers of attorney, last wills and testaments. This is open to all adults.

SAFEGUARDING GOD'S CHILDREN AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S IN APRIL. For those who have not had the training, we will be offering it in April and it will be open to every Episcopal Church on the Island. Details will be forthcoming.

St. Augustine will host the Seniors on the Island on the third Thursday of every month starting on Thursday, 19 April 2012. We are becoming part of the Seaside Seniors Mature Adult Ministry. This ministry assists with a weekly lunch open to all seniors. If you are interested in food, fun and fellowship, join the Seaside Seniors each week throughout Galveston Island. Line dancing begins at 11am and lunch is served at 11:45am at the following locations:

1st Thursdays at St. Patrick’s

2nd Thursdays at Moody Methodist

3rd Thursdays at St. Augustine

4th Thursdays at Grace Episcopal

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially all of those who are traveling, Stacy Putman’s mother and father, and all of the victims of the tornadoes in Indiana and Tennessee.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Jesus Calls You By Name

The appointed Gospel reading for today is taken from the Gospel according to Mark:

Jesus departed with his disciples to the lake, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.

He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons. So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Then he went home. (Mk. 3: 7-19).

In this second week of Lent, we hear how Jesus called the Twelve. Mark tells us the name of each of the apostles, and even the nick names that Jesus gave them. Jesus calls you by name as well. Jesus knows our very hearts, the good and the bad, and he calls us to be bearers of his Word, the Good News of salvation.

Let us pray: O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The Joint Lenten Series with Grace on Wednesdays nights starting with Stations of the Cross and Eucharist at 6:00 p.m. followed by a light meal and a program by Tony Campolo:

Week 2 (St. Augustine): Money: How Poor Does Jesus Want Us To Be?

Week 3 (Grace): Time: How Much Do I Have to Give Away?

Week 4 (St. Augustine): Stuff: How Much Can I Have?

Week 5 (Grace): Support: What Will Help?

Week 6 (St. Augustine): Next: What Will I Do Come Monday Morning?

Please join us.

THE 2ND ANNUAL BIG BBQ AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S IS ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY, 17 MARCH--pass the word along!

END OF LIFE ISSUES DAY AT ST. AUGUSTINE ON SATURDAY, 24 MARCH STARTING AT 11:00 A.M. We will discuss some important end of life issues including directives to physicians, statutory powers of attorney, last wills and testaments. This is open to all adults.

SAFEGUARDING GOD'S CHILDREN AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S IN APRIL. For those who have not had the training, we will be offering it in April and it will be open to every Episcopal Church on the Island. Details will be forthcoming.

St. Augustine will host the Seniors on the Island on the third Thursday of every month starting on Thursday, 19 April 2012. We are becoming part of the Seaside Seniors Mature Adult Ministry. This ministry assists with a weekly lunch open to all seniors. If you are interested in food, fun and fellowship, join the Seaside Seniors each week throughout Galveston Island. Line dancing begins at 11am and lunch is served at 11:45am at the following locations:

1st Thursdays at St. Patrick’s

2nd Thursdays at Moody Methodist

3rd Thursdays at St. Augustine

4th Thursdays at Grace Episcopal

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially all of those who are traveling, Stacy Putman’s mother and father, and all of the victims of the tornadoes in Indiana and Tennessee.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

St. Chad of Lichfield

Today the Church remembers St. Chad of Lichfield. Here is a short biography of St. Chad from St. Chad’s College at the University of Durham in England:

St Chad was the first bishop of Mercia and Lindsey at Lichfield. He was the brother of Cedd, whom he succeeded as Abbot of Lastingham, North Yorkshire, and a disciple of Aidan who sent him to Ireland as part of his education. Chad was chosen by Oswi, king of Northumbria, as bishop of the Northumbrian see, while Wilfrid, who had been chosen for Deira by the sub-king Alcfrith, was absent in Gaul seeking consecration shortly after the Synod of Whitby (663/4). Faced with a dearth of bishops in England, Chad was unwise enough to be consecrated by the simoniacal Wine of Dorchester, assisted by two dubious British bishops. Wilfrid on his return to England in 666, found that Alcfrith was dead or exiled and retired to Ripon, leaving Chad in occupation. But in 669 Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury, restored Wilfrid to York and deposed Chad (who retired to Lastingham), but soon reconsecrated him to be bishop of the Mercians. This unusual step was due both to the new opening for Christianity in Mercia and to the excellent character of Chad himself, whom both Eddius and Bede recognized as being unusually humble, devout, zealous and apostolic. Chad’s episcopate of three years laid the foundations of the see of Lichfield according to the decrees of Theodore’s council at Hertford, which established diocesan organization. Wulfhere, king of Mercia, gave him fifty hides of land for a monastery at Barow (Lincolnshire); he also established a monastery close to Lichfield Cathedral.

Chad died on March 2nd 672 and was buried in the Church of St Mary. At once, according to Bede, he was venerated as a saint and his relics were translated to the Cathedral Church of St Peter. Cures were claimed in both churches. Bede described his first shrine as ‘a wooden coffin in the shape of a little house with an aperture in the side through which the devout can...take out some of the dust, which they put into water and give to sick cattle or men to drink, upon which they are presently eased of their infirmity and restored to health’.

His relics were translated in 1148 and moved to the Lady Chapel in 1296. An even more splendid shrine was built by Robert Stretton, bishop of Lichfield (1360-85) of marble substructure with feretory adorned with gold and precious stones. Rowland Lee, bishop of Lichfield (1534-43), pleaded with Henry VIII to spare the shrine: this was done, but only for a time. At some unknown date the head and some other bones had been separated from the main shrine. Some of these, it was claimed, were preserved by recusants, and four large bones, believed to be Chad’s are in the Roman Catholic cathedral of Birmingham. A fine Mercian illuminated Gospel Book of the 8th century called the Gospels of St Chad was probably associated with his shrine, as the Lindisfarne Gospels were associated with the shrine of St Cuthbert; it is now in Lichfield Cathedral Library. The 11th century shrine list mentions the relics of Cedd and Hedda resting at Lichfield with Chad. Thirty-three ancient churches and several wells were dedicated to St Chad, mainly in the Midlands. There are also several modern dedications.

Let us pray: Almighty God, whose servant Chad, for the peace of the Church, relinquished cheerfully the honors that had been thrust upon him, only to be rewarded with equal responsibility: Keep us, we pray, from thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, and ready at all times to step aside for others, (in honor preferring one another,) that the cause of Christ may be advanced; in the name of him who washed his disciples’ feet, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The Joint Lenten Series with Grace on Wednesdays nights starting with Stations of the Cross and Eucharist at 6:00 p.m. followed by a light meal and a program by Tony Campolo:

Week 2 (St. Augustine): Money: How Poor Does Jesus Want Us To Be?
Week 3 (Grace): Time: How Much Do I Have to Give Away?
Week 4 (St. Augustine): Stuff: How Much Can I Have?
Week 5 (Grace): Support: What Will Help?
Week 6 (St. Augustine): Next: What Will I Do Come Monday Morning?

Please join us.

THE 2ND ANNUAL BIG BBQ AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S IS ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY, 17 MARCH--pass the word along! Unfortunately, we will not be able to have the raffle originally planned. It is the policy of the Diocese of Texas that raffles constitute gambling, and are not, therefore, permitted on Church property. Fortunately, tickets were sold to a very limited number of people, and we will be able to reimburse the individuals. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

END OF LIFE ISSUES DAY AT ST. AUGUSTINE ON SATURDAY, 24 MARCH STARTING AT 11:00 A.M. We will discuss some important end of life issues including directives to physicians, statutory powers of attorney, last wills and testaments. This is open to all adults.

SAFEGUARDING GOD'S CHILDREN AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S IN APRIL. For those who have not had the training, we will be offering it in April and it will be open to every Episcopal Church on the Island. Details will be forthcoming.

St. Augustine will host the Seniors on the Island on the third Thursday of every month starting on Thursday, 19 April 2012. We are becoming part of the Seaside Seniors Mature Adult Ministry. This ministry assists with a weekly lunch open to all seniors. If you are interested in food, fun and fellowship, join the Seaside Seniors each week throughout Galveston Island. Line dancing begins at 11am and lunch is served at 11:45am at the following locations:

1st Thursdays at St. Patrick’s
2nd Thursdays at Moody Methodist
3rd Thursdays at St. Augustine
4th Thursdays at Grace Episcopal

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially all of those who are traveling, Stacy Putman’s mother and father.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

St. David of Wales

On this first day of March, the Church remembers St. David of Wales. Very little is known about St. David, but we do know that he became a priest, engaged in missionary work and founded many monasteries, including his principal abbey in southwestern Wales. Many stories and legends sprang up about David and his Welsh monks. Their austerity was extreme. They worked in silence without the help of animals to till the soil. Their food was limited to bread, vegetables and water.

In about the year 550, David attended a synod where his eloquence impressed his fellow monks to such a degree that he was elected primate of the region. The episcopal see was moved to Mynyw, where he had his monastery (now called St. David’s). He ruled his diocese until he had reached a very old age. His last words to his monks and subjects were: "Be joyful, brothers and sisters. Keep your faith, and do the little things that you have seen and heard with me."

St. David is pictured standing on a mound with a dove on his shoulder. The legend is that once while he was preaching a dove descended to his shoulder and the earth rose to lift him high above the people so that he could be heard. Over 50 churches in South Wales were dedicated to him in pre-Reformation days.

Let us pray: Almighty God, who called your servant David to be a faithful and wise steward of your mysteries for the people of Wales: Mercifully grant that, following his purity of life and zeal for the gospel of Christ, we may with him receive the crown of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The Joint Lenten Series with Grace on Wednesdays nights starting with Stations of the Cross and Eucharist at 6:00 p.m. followed by a light meal and a program by Tony Campolo:

Week 2 (St. Augustine): Money: How Poor Does Jesus Want Us To Be?
Week 3 (Grace): Time: How Much Do I Have to Give Away?
Week 4 (St. Augustine): Stuff: How Much Can I Have?
Week 5 (Grace): Support: What Will Help?
Week 6 (St. Augustine): Next: What Will I Do Come Monday Morning?

Please join us.

THE 2ND ANNUAL BIG BBQ AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S IS ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY, 17 MARCH--pass the word along!

St. Augustine will host the Seniors on the Island on the third Thursday of every month starting on Thursday, 19 April 2012. We are becoming part of the Seaside Seniors Mature Adult Ministry. This ministry assists with a weekly lunch open to all seniors. If you are interested in food, fun and fellowship, join the Seaside Seniors each week throughout Galveston Island. Line dancing begins at 11am and lunch is served at 11:45am at the following locations:

1st Thursdays at St. Patrick’s
2nd Thursdays at Moody Methodist
3rd Thursdays at St. Augustine
4th Thursdays at Grace Episcopal

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially all of those who are traveling, Stacy Putman’s mother and father.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550