The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.

In a world where there is violence, there is a word of hope in today’s appointed lesson from the Old Testament taken from Isaiah:

 

But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.  You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (Is. 9:1-7).

 

When our days are darked with violence, 141 people killed at a school in Peshawar, Pakistan by the Taliban, when hostages are taken and 2 of them die in Sydney, Australia when a self-styled Muslim cleric became unhinged and took control of a shop, and then in our own country, there is unrest and tension, we hear a voice of hope.  It is a voice that speaks of a great light after our walk in the darkness. There is the promise of a little child who will bring peace and justice to a hurting world, one who you and I will call Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  His authority shall grow continually, and you and I are agents of that growth by the grace of that child, the Christ, who will shine in our darkness.

 

Let us pray:   Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

The Seaside Seniors will have their Christmas Party starting at 11 AM.  The choir from St. Vincent’s House will be there. 

 

This Sunday, the 21^st of December, we will have a pot luck luncheon.  Please bring something to share.

  

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Duane.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

You and I may become participants in the divine nature.

This Sunday, the 21^st of December, we will have a pot luck luncheon.  Please bring something to share.

The appointed Epistle reading on this Monday in the third week of Advent is taken from Peter’s second letter where he begins:

 

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:  May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants in the divine nature. For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For anyone who lacks these things is short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you. (2 Pet. 1:1-11).

 

Peter tells us that In Jesus Christ, you and I “may become participants in the divine nature.”  One of the early Church Fathers, St. Athanasius wrote: “God became man so that man might become God.” There is the Incarnation, in the person of Jesus Christ, God and humanity are perfectly joined together.  In that perfect union, our humanity is sanctified.  By the event we celebrate on 25 December, you and I are elevated because God became one with us.

 

Let us pray: Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

The Seaside Seniors will have their Christmas Party starting at 11 AM.  The choir from St. Vincent’s House will be there. 

  

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Duane.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Proclaim the Good News Boldly

The appointed Epistle for this Friday in the second week of Advent is taken from Paul’s letter to the Church in Thessalonica where he writes:

 

But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.

 

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified everywhere, just as it is among you, and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will go on doing the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. (2 Thess. 2:13-3:5).

 

I am forever amazed by Christians who seemed to be embarrassed about their Christianity.  They are loath to mention the name of Jesus Christ in public lest they offend someone. It is as if they are thinking: “It would be impolite for a follower of Christ to acknowledge him publically.”  For some reason, there seems to be an air of this during Christmas, the Feast of the Incarnation, when God become one with us; people think it would be offensive to non-believers to speak the name of Christ.  Yet in today’s reading, Paul prays for the Good News of Jesus to spread rapidly.   

When I was ordained a priest, here is what the Bishop told me my task would be:

 

As a priest, it will be your task to proclaim by word and deed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to fashion your life in accordance with its precepts. You are to love and serve the people among whom you work, caring alike for young and old, strong and weak, rich and poor. You are to preach, to declare God's forgiveness to penitent sinners, to pronounce God's blessing, to share in the administration of Holy Baptism and in the celebration of the mysteries of Christ's Body and Blood, and to perform the other ministrations entrusted to you. In all that you do, you are to nourish Christ's people from the riches of his grace, and strengthen them to glorify God in this life and in the life to come.

 

I embrace that call and I feel privileged to be called to preach the Good News of Christ to all I meet.  For us as Christians, you and I are all called to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, to proclaim it boldly without fear of the consequences, and to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord of all.

 

Let us pray: Gracious God give us the courage to proclaim the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ your Son and our Lord; send the Holy Spirit to inspire us in all that we do and to boldly proclaim your reign here on earth.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Bishop’s Committee Meeting this Sunday during the breakfast hour.

 

The Seaside Seniors Christmas Party will be Thursday, 18 December 2014 starting at 11:00 AM.

 

The Christmas Eve Eucharist will be at 4:00 PM, Rite II.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially those who are alone during this holiday season.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Fear Not; I Am With You Always

On this Thursday in the second week of Advent we hear from Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians where he gives us a warning:

 

As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed when his time comes. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders, and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false, so that all who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned. (2 Thess. 2:1-12).

 

Sometimes it can be difficult to discern what the right thing to do really is.  Many times we can be deceived into thinking that one course of action is right, when in reality, it is not.  As St. Thomas Aquinas pointed out so well, even in committing evil, we are seeking a perceived good.  Paul tells us that Satan (the Accuser) uses all power, signs, lying wonders, and every kind of wicked deception to lead us in the wrong direction, i.e., away from God.  We must hold fast to Jesus, to that which is good and true.  Remember that Jesus told us that he was with us always.  Hold onto that.

 

Let us pray:  Lord Jesus Christ, you told us not to fear that you would be with us always to the end of the age.  Send the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts, minds and souls that we may always follow your Father’s will.  Amen.

 

Let us pray: Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant, Martin William Hacker.  Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Bishop’s Committee Meeting this Sunday during the breakfast hour.

 

The Seaside Seniors Christmas Party will be Thursday, 18 December 2014 starting at 11:00 AM.

 

The Christmas Eve Eucharist will be at 4:00 PM, Rite II.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially those who are alone during this holiday season.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Thomas Merton

Today the Church remembers the life and ministry of Thomas Merton, a monk and contemplative, who was born in 1915 in France, of American parents. His early education was in France (Lycee de Montauban 1927-8) and England (Oakham School, 1929-32; Clare College, Cambridge, 1933-4). He came to America and attended Columbia University, graduated in English in 1938, worked there one year as a teaching assistant, and got his M.A. in 1939. In 1939 he joined the Roman Catholic Church, and taught at St. Bonaventure for the next two years.

 

In 1941, at the age of 27, he entered the Trappist monastery of Gethsemani near Louisville, Kentucky. The Trappists, called more formally Cistercians of the Strict Observance, are a very strict Roman Catholic monastic order, devoted to communal prayer, to private prayer and contemplation, to study, and to manual labor.

 

Twenty seven years after he entered the order, Merton was accidentally electrocuted in Bangkok on this day in 1968, at the age of 54. Fr. Richard Rohr writes: “Merton reacquainted Christianity with its contemplative roots. His writings inspired many, including myself, to return to le point vierge, ‘the virgin point’ of pure poverty and nothingness in God’s presence, which can only be found in the now.”

 

Let us pray: Gracious God, you called your monk Thomas Merton to proclaim your justice out of silence, and moved him in his contemplative writings to perceive and value Christ at work in the faiths of others: Keep us, like him, steadfast in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Please remember the family of Robert Hacker whose father died yesterday, and so we pray: Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant, Martin William Hacker.  Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Bishop’s Committee Meeting this Sunday during the breakfast hour.

 

The Seaside Seniors Christmas Party will be Thursday, 18 December 2014 starting at 11:00 AM.

 

The Christmas Eve Eucharist will be at 4:00 PM, Rite II.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially those who are alone during this holiday season.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Be at Peace

On this Tuesday of the second week of Advent, Paul finishes his letter to the Church in Thessalonica.  He writes:

 

But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

 

May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

 

Beloved, pray for us.

 

Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (1 Thess. 5:12-28).

 

What wonderful words from Paul.  Be at peace; render no person evil for evil, but do good to one another.  Rejoice, and make your entire life a prayer.  Hold on to the good in life and let the Holy Spirit lead you.  

 

During this season when the world thinks that the Feast of the Incarnation, Christmas, is all about a new car in your drive way (when has that ever happened?) and the latest gadget, St. Paul reminds us that God has sanctified our lives by becoming one with us, and now our lives must reflect that gift.

 

Let us pray: Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

Please remember the family of Robert Hacker whose father died yesterday, and so we pray: Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Bishop’s Committee Meeting this Sunday during the breakfast hour.

 

The Seaside Seniors Christmas Party will be Thursday, 18 December 2014 starting at 11:00 AM.

 

The Christmas Eve Eucharist will be at 4:00 PM, Rite II.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially those who are alone during this holiday season.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Don't Be Complacent

On this Monday in the second week of Advent, the season where we remember the past, consider the present, and look toward the future, we hear from St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians:

 

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. (1 Thess. 5:1-11).

 

I don’t know about you, but I can become very comfortable in my ruts.  I do the same things in the same way so much so that it can lead to complacency.  St. Paul reminds us that we should not become complacent because complacency leads to stagnation and stagnation can lead to death.  Don't let yourself be shocked when it happens! 

St. Paul reminds us that we should be ever vigilant, living in hope, faith and love.  Get out of your ruts; don’t do the same old thing in the same old way.  Sober up and get moving!

 

Let us pray: Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Bishop’s Committee Meeting this Sunday during the breakfast hour.

 

The Seaside Seniors Christmas Party will be Thursday, 18 December 2014 starting at 11:00 AM.

 

The Christmas Eve Eucharist will be at 4:00 PM, Rite II.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550