Monday, August 31, 2015

St. Aidan: Monk, Missionary & Bishop

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Today the Church remembers the life and ministry of a monk who became a missionary. St. Aidan. 
 
In the years prior to Aidan's mission, Christianity, which had been propagated throughout Britain by the Roman Empire, was being largely displaced by Anglo-Saxon paganism. In the monastery of Iona (founded by Columba), Christianity found one of its principal exponents in Oswald of Northumbria, a noble youth who had been raised there as a king in exile since 616. Baptized as a Christian, the young king vowed to bring Christianity back to his people, and when he gained the crown of Northumbria in 634, he made good on his promise.
 
King Oswald requested that missionaries be sent from the monastery at Iona.  They first sent Cormán, but he alienated many people by his harshness, and returned to Iona reporting that the Northumbrians were too stubborn to be converted. Aidan criticized Cormán's methods, and as his reward, Aidan was sent as his replacement in 635.
 
Aidan chose the island of Lindisfarne, which was close to the royal castle at Bamburgh, as the seat of his diocese. Aidan walked from village to village talking to people following the early apostolic model of conversion, by offering "them first the milk of gentle doctrine, to bring them by degrees, while nourishing them with the Divine Word, to the true understanding and practice of the more advanced precepts."  
 
Aidan was responsible for the construction of churches, monasteries and schools throughout Northumbria. At the same time, he earned a tremendous reputation for his pious charity and dedication to the less fortunate; he provided room, board and education to orphans, and he used contributions to pay for the freedom of slaves.
 
Let us pray:  Everliving God, you called your servant Aidan to proclaim the Gospel in northern England and gave him a loving heart and a gentle spirit: Grant us grace to live as he did, in simplicity, humility and love for the poor; through Jesus Christ, who came among us as one who serves, and who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
 
CALENDAR REMINDERS
 
Friday, from 11 to 4 at the Galveston Islamic Center, “In the Name of God” Blood Drive, 921 Broadway, Galveston Texas 77550. Co-sponsoring the event is the Galveston Islamic Center, Congregation B’nai Israel, and St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church. The donated blood will be for patients at Galveston’s UTMB and Shriners Children’s Hospitals.
 
Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially all those who are grieving.
 
Your servant in Christ,
 
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Friday, August 28, 2015

St. Augustine of Hippo, Bishop & Theologian

CORRECTION: The notice yesterday regarding the death was incorrect and I apologize for the mistake.
 
PLEASE REMEMBER WILFRED MILBURN, JR. AND HIS ENTIRE FAMILY AS THEY MOURN THE DEATH OF WILFRED MILBURN, SR. WHO DIED ON TUESDAY. 
 
LET US PRAY: Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant WilFRED. 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.
 
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Today is the actual feast day of our patron saint, St. Augustine (or Austin) of Hippo, a bishop and theologian (Latin: Aurelius Augustinus).   He was born on 13 November 354 in North Africa, about 45 miles south of the Mediterranean, in the town of Tagaste in Numidia (now Souk-Ahras,  Algeria), near ancient Carthage, modern Tunis.  His mother, Monica (sometimes spelled “Monnica”), was a Christian who married a Roman and non-believer, Patricius.   
 
He was a seeker who dabbled in a little bit of everything.  Augustine was also brilliant.  Nevertheless, in his earlier years was concerned with sex, fame, and his own cleverness.  He would have fit in perfectly in today’s world. Augustine converted to Christianity after a period of hard living, and after he met St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, another brilliant man.
 
Augustine is known for his theological works, which include, The City of God, On the Trinity, On Christian Doctrine, and On Free Choice Of The Will.
 
Here are some memorable quotes from Augustine:
 
Men go abroad to admire the heights of mountains, the mighty waves of the sea, the broad tides of rivers, the compass of the ocean, and the circuits of the stars, yet pass over the mystery of themselves without a thought. - Confessions
 
No man can be a good bishop if he loves his title but not his task. – City of God
 
What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.
 
Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you. - On Christian Teaching
 
Let us pray: Lord God, the light of the minds that know you, the life of the souls that love you, and the strength of the hearts that serve you: Help us, following the example of your servant Augustine of Hippo, so to know you that we may truly love you, and so to love you that we may fully serve you, whom to serve is perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
 
THIS SUNDAY WE WILL CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF ST. AUGUSTINE STARTING WITH THE 9 AM EUCHARIST AND A POT LUCK LUNCH FOLLOWING. PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING CANNED GOODS FOR ST. VINCENT'S HOUSE.
 
Your servant in Christ,
 
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Thursday, August 27, 2015

The Wisdom of Solomon

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The appointed reading from the Old Testament for the Church’s Daily Prayer is taken from 1 Kings where we hear about the wisdom of King Solomon:
 
Later, two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. One woman said, ‘Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were together; there was no one else with us in the house, only the two of us were in the house. Then this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your servant slept. She laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, I saw that he was dead; but when I looked at him closely in the morning, clearly it was not the son I had borne.’ But the other woman said, ‘No, the living son is mine, and the dead son is yours.’ The first said, ‘No, the dead son is yours, and the living son is mine.’ So they argued before the king.
 
Then the king said, ‘One says, “This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead”; while the other says, “Not so! Your son is dead, and my son is the living one.” ’ So the king said, ‘Bring me a sword’, and they brought a sword before the king. The king said, ‘Divide the living boy in two; then give half to one, and half to the other.’ But the woman whose son was alive said to the king—because compassion for her son burned within her—‘Please, my lord, give her the living boy; certainly do not kill him!’ The other said, ‘It shall be neither mine nor yours; divide it.’ Then the king responded: ‘Give the first woman the living boy; do not kill him. She is his mother.’ All Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered; and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him, to execute justice. (1 Kgs. 3:16-28).
 
Solomon prayed the Lord to give him wisdom so that he would be able to rule the people with justice.  In these days, we should pray for wisdom for those who have the authority of government not only in this land, but all over God’s creation. 
 
So let us pray: Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech you that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion us into one united people. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in you to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
PLEASE REMEMBER BILL MILTURN WHOSE FATHER DIED YESTERDAY.  LET US PRAY: Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant William. 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
 
St. Augustine’s Feast Day on Sunday, 30 August.  The Rev. Dr. Tom Bain will be our preacher.  Pot luck lunch to follow.  PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING CANNED GOODS (ESPECIALLY CANNED TUNA, SALMON AND CHICKEN) FOR THE EVENT.
 
"In the Name of God" Blood Drive: These 3 distinct Galveston religious communities are promoting hope and inclusion by co-hosting the first annual "In The Name of God" Blood Drive at the Galveston Islamic Center, 921 Broadway, Galveston Texas 77550, on Friday, 4 September 2015, from 11 AM to 4 PM. Co-sponsoring the event is the Galveston Islamic Center, Congregation B’nai Israel, and St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church. The donated blood will be for patients at Galveston’s UTMB and Shriners Children’s Hospitals.
 
Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.
 
Your servant in Christ,
 
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

I Put My Trust in Your Mercy

One of the appointed Psalms for the Daily Prayer of the Church is Psalm 13 for Evening Prayer.  On another day of violence in our country when people are killed on live television, the Psalmist prays:
 
How long, O Lord? will you forget me for ever? *
                  How long will you hide your face from me?
How long shall I have perplexity in my mind, and grief in my heart, day after day? *
                  How long shall my enemy triumph over me?
Look upon me and answer me, O Lord my God; *
                  give light to my eyes, lest I sleep in death;
Lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him," *
                  and my foes rejoice that I have fallen.
But I put my trust in your mercy; *
                  my heart is joyful because of your saving help.
I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt with me richly; *
                  I will praise the Name of the Lord Most High.
 
The alleged shooter, Vester Lee Flanagan, a.k.a. Bryce Williams, was by all accounts, an angry man.  In a long letter to the station, he said that he was angered by the shootings in Charleston at the Emmanuel AME Church.  Anger is a dangerous thing.  The people of Emmanuel AME Church reacted to that senseless tragedy in the most Christian of ways.  In the face of their own grief and shock, they were quick to pray, to support each other and to forgive.  The action today is in a marked contrast to that response.  But in the end, we, like our brothers and sisters in faith at Emmanuel AME, put our trust in God because he is merciful with us and our hearts, although in grief, can rejoice because of God’s saving help.  Jesus, by his death and resurrection, has conquered death.  That was exactly what our brothers and sisters at Emmanuel AME witnessed to us, love and forgiveness in the face of evil.  And that, evil cannot abide!
 
Let us pray:  I am Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord. Whoever has faith in me shall have life, even though he die. And everyone who has life, and has committed himself to me in faith, shall not die for ever. As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives and that at the last he will stand upon the earth. After my awaking, he will raise me up; and in my body I shall see God. I myself shall see, and my eyes behold him who is my friend and not a stranger. For none of us has life in himself, and none becomes his own master when he dies. For if we have life, we are alive in the Lord, and if we die, we die in the Lord. So, then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's possession. Amen.
 
CALENDAR REMINDERS
 
St. Augustine’s Feast Day on Sunday, 30 August.  The Rev. Dr. Tom Bain will be our preacher, and we will have a baptism as well.  Pot luck lunch to follow.  PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING CANNED GOODS (ESPECIALLY CANNED TUNA, SALMON AND CHICKEN) FOR THE EVENT.
 
"In the Name of God" Blood Drive: These 3 distinct Galveston religious communities are promoting hope and inclusion by co-hosting the first annual "In The Name of God" Blood Drive at the Galveston Islamic Center, 921 Broadway, Galveston Texas 77550, on Friday, 4 September 2015, from 11 AM to 4 PM. Co-sponsoring the event is the Galveston Islamic Center, Congregation B’nai Israel, and St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church. The donated blood will be for patients at Galveston’s UTMB and Shriners Children’s Hospitals.
 
Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.
 
Your servant in Christ,
 
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
 

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

William Porcher DuBose, Priest & Theologian

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Today the Episcopal Church remembers the life and ministry of a priest and academic, William Porcher DuBose, who lived from 11 April 1836 to 18 August 1918. 
 
DuBose was born near Winnsboro, South Carolina. He attended Mt. Zion College and then the Citadel where he graduated as ranking cadet in 1855. While at the Citadel, Dubose had a conversion experience that he describes as follows:
 
I lept to my feet trembling, and then that happened that I can only describe by saying that a light shone about me and a Presence filled the room. At the same time, ineffable joy and peace took possession of me which it is impossible to either express or explain.
 
In 1856, DuBose entered the University of Virginia, and graduated with a Master of Arts in 1859. Later that same year, he entered the South Carolina diocesan seminary in Camden, South Carolina; howeve, the Civil War broke out. After the war, DuBose served St. Stephen's Episcopal Church near his home of Winnsboro. While there, he also taught Greek at nearby Mt. Zion College.
 
During the 1870 convention of the Diocese of South Carolina, DuBose received serious consideration for election to the office of bishop. He considered his failure to be elevated to this office a "fortunate escape." In July 1871, he became a professor at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, became dean of The School of Theology in 1894, retired in 1908, and died in 1918.
 
DuBose was arguably the major Episcopal theologian in the United States. During his lifetime he published The Soteriology of the New Testament (1892), The Ecumenical Councils (1896), The Gospel in the Gospels (1906), The Reason of Life (1911), and Turning Points in My Life (1912).
 
Let us pray:  Almighty God, who gave to your servant William Porcher DuBose special gifts of grace to understand the Scriptures and to teach the truth as it is in Christ Jesus: Grant that by this teaching we may know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.   Amen.
 
CALENDAR REMINDERS
 
Seaside Seniors on Thursday, 20 August at 11 AM.
 
Blessing of the Backpacks on Sunday, 23 August at the 9 AM Eucharist.
 
St. Augustine’s Feast Day on Sunday, 30 August.  The Rev. Dr. Tom Bain will be our preacher, and we will have a baptism as well.  Pot luck lunch to follow.  PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING CANNED GOODS (ESPECIALLY CANNED TUNA, SALMON AND CHICKEN) FOR THE EVENT.
 
"In the Name of God" Blood Drive: These 3 distinct Galveston religious communities are promoting hope and inclusion by co-hosting the first annual "In The Name of God" Blood Drive at the Galveston Islamic Center, 921 Broadway, Galveston Texas 77550, on Friday, 4 September 2015, from 11 AM to 4 PM. Co-sponsoring the event is the Galveston Islamic Center, Congregation B’nai Israel, and St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church. The donated blood will be for patients at Galveston’s UTMB and Shriners Children’s Hospitals.
 
Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially for Karen who is grieving the loss of her beloved sister, Janette.
 
Your servant in Christ,
 
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Monday, August 17, 2015

The Rev. Dr. Samuel Johnson, the Rev. Timothy Cutler and the Rev. Dr. Thomas Bradbury Chandler

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Today the Episcopal Church remembers the life and ministry of 3 Americans who started out as Congregationalist ministers, but became Anglican priests: the Rev. Dr. Samuel Johnson, the Rev. Timothy Cutler and the Rev. Thomas Chandler.
 
1.     The Rev. Dr. Samuel Johnson (14 October 1696 – 6 January 1772)
 
He was a clergyman, educator, and philosopher in colonial British North America, and a major proponent of both Anglicanism and the philosophy of George Berkeley in the colonies. Johnson served as the first president of King's College (the predecessor of Columbia University).
 
Born in Guilford, Connecticut, Johnson graduated from Yale College in 1716. Johnson first became Congregationalist minister of a church in West Haven; however, Johnson left to seek ordination in the Church of England. Upon his return to Connecticut, he opened the first Anglican church in the colony at Stratford in 1724 where he remained until 1754, when the vestrymen of the Anglican Trinity Church in New York City considered him the logical choice to serve as after the first president of King's College.
 
Although he was reluctant to leave his family in Connecticut, Johnson took the position. He worked to keep the college Anglican and in the early years of the school, Johnson was the sole professor teaching classics and philosophy. When his wife died of smallpox, Johnson returned to his ministry at Stratford in 1763, where he died.
 
2.     The Rev. Timothy Cutler (31 May 1684 – 17 August 1765)
 
He was an Anglican clergyman and rector of Yale College. Cutler was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, graduated from Harvard College, and on 11 January 1709, having come from Massachusetts to Connecticut with the recommendation of being “one of the best preachers both colonies afforded,” he was ordained pastor of the Congregational Church in Stratford. Cutler served until March 1718 when, conditions at Yale College calling imperatively for a resident rector, he undertook that office at the request of the trustees. The new rectorship opened auspiciously and an era of prosperity seemed at hand when, on 13 September 722, the rector, with Tutor Daniel Browne and several Congregational clergymen, met with the trustees, and asked advice with regard to entering the Church of England. On 17 October, the trustees voted to "excuse the Rev. Mr. Cutler from all further services as Rector of Yale College."
 
After a visit to London, where he was ordained, with Samuel Johnson, by the Bishop of Norwich in March 1723. Cutler became rector of the newly formed Christ Church, Boston (commonly known as Old North Church), where he remained until his death. With the exception of four sermons, two preached before the Connecticut General Assembly, May 9, 1717, and Oct. 18, 1719, he left no published works.
 
3.     The Rev. Dr. Thomas Bradbury Chandler (26 April 1726 - 17 June 1790)
 
He was an Anglican clergyman serving 43 years as rector of St. John’s, Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was a pupil of Samuel Johnson and was involved in the promotion of the Church of England in America prior to the American Revolution. Chandler’s major work is An Appeal to the Public, in behalf of the Church of England in America. A strong Loyalist, he fled to England in 1775, but returned to the new formed United States of America in 1785.
 
Let us pray:  God of your pilgrim people, you called Samuel Johnson, Timothy Cutler and Thomas Chandler to leave their spiritual home and embrace the Anglican way: We give you thanks for their devoted service in building up your Church and shepherding your flock in colonial times; and we pray that, like them, we may follow where your Spirit leads and be ever eager to feed the hearts and minds of those entrusted to our care, in the Name of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
 
CALENDAR REMINDERS
 
Seaside Seniors on Thursday, 20 August at 11 AM.
 
Blessing of the Backpacks on Sunday, 23 August at the 9 AM Eucharist.
 
St. Augustine’s Feast Day on Sunday, 30 August.  The Rev. Dr. Tom Bain will be our preacher, and we will have a baptism as well.  Pot luck lunch to follow.  PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING CANNED GOODS (ESPECIALLY CANNED TUNA, SALMON AND CHICKEN) FOR THE EVENT.
 
"In the Name of God" Blood Drive: These 3 distinct Galveston religious communities are promoting hope and inclusion by co-hosting the first annual "In The Name of God" Blood Drive at the Galveston Islamic Center, 921 Broadway, Galveston Texas 77550, on Friday, 4 September 2015, from 11 AM to 4 PM. Co-sponsoring the event is the Galveston Islamic Center, Congregation B’nai Israel, and St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church. The donated blood will be for patients at Galveston’s UTMB and Shriners Children’s Hospitals.
 
Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.
 
Your servant in Christ,
 
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550