Edmund of East Anglia

Today the Church remembers the life of a king, Edmund of East Anglia.  James Kiefer writes:

 

When the heathen Anglo-Saxons invaded Christian Britain in the 400's, they eventually established seven kingdoms: Essex, Wessex, Sussex (East Saxons, West Saxons, and South Saxons), Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia (three kingdoms of the Angles), and the Jute kingdom of Kent. (The borders between these ancient kingdoms are still borders between regions speaking English with different accents today.) Under the influence of missionaries from the Celts and from continental Europe, these peoples became Christian, only to be faced themselves by a wave of heathen invaders.

 

Edmund was born about 840, became King of East Anglia in about 855, and in 870 faced a horde of marauding Danes, who moved through the countryside, burning churches and slaughtering villages wholesale. On reaching East Anglia, their leaders confronted Edmund and offered him peace on condition that he would rule as their vassal and forbid the practice of the Christian faith. Edmund refused this last condition, fought, and was captured. He was ill-treated and killed. His burial place is the town of Bury St. Edmunds.

 

Let us pray: O God of ineffable mercy, who gave grace and fortitude to blessed Edmund the king to triumph over the enemy of his people by nobly dying for your Name: Bestow on us your servants the shield of faith, with which we can withstand the assaults of our ancient enemy; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Sunday, 22 November, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King and Thanksgiving with a traditional feast!  Please remember to bring something to the gathering.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, and the people of Paris and all those in the world who suffer at the hands of terrorists or find themselves in the midst of war.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Elizabeth of Hungary: An Example of Selflessness & Generosity to the Vulnerable

Today the Church remembers the life and ministry of Elizabeth of Hungary (7 July 1207 to 17 November 1231), a princess who was concerned with the poor and the sick.  She was married at the age of 14 and widowed at the age of 20.  After her husband's death she sent her children away and regained her dowry, using the money to build a hospital where she herself served the sick.  During an epidemic, Elizabeth sold all of her jewels to build a hospital.    That is why so many hospitals are named after her.  Elizabeth is an example of selflessness and generosity to those who are vulnerable, the poor and the sick.

 

Let us pray: Almighty God, by your grace your servant Elizabeth of Hungary recognized and honored Jesus in the poor of this world: Grant that we, following her example, may with love and gladness serve those in any need or trouble, in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

This Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King and our own Thanksgiving Day celebration at St. Augustine’s. 

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, and especially the people of Paris.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Richard Hooker: the Middle Way

Today the Episcopal Church remembers the life and ministry of Richard Hooker (1554-1600), priest and theologian, and perhaps one of the greatest Anglican theologians in the Reformation period.  Hooker called our Anglican tradition the via media, Latin for the “middle way,” between Roman Catholics and Protestants, and therefore, a bridge between both, integrating Scripture, tradition and reason.  He argued that the English Puritans claimed too much in proposing that Scripture provided the only source of knowledge (neglecting tradition), including knowledge about all matters of Church order and discipline, and on the other hand, that the Roman Catholic Church claimed too much in believing that the Church had an infallible understanding of faith as given by the Pope. 

 

Let us pray: O God of truth and peace, who raised up your servant Richard Hooker in a day of bitter controversy to defend with sound reasoning and great middle way, not as a compromise for the sake of peace, but as a comprehension for the sake of truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Adult Christian Education, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, meets on Sunday at 11 AM to discuss the book and its relation to contemporary issues.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550