The City of God

George Herbert: Poet & Priest

2012-02-27T10:33:00.001-08:00

Today the Episcopal Church remembers a poet and priest, George Herbert. He was born on 3 April 1593 into an aristocratic family. George received a good education that led to his holding prominent positions at Cambridge University and Parliament. When he was a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, George excelled in languages and music. Although he went to college with the intention of becoming a priest, his scholarship attracted the attention of King James. George served in parliament for two years, and after the death of King James, George gave up his secular ambitions and in 1630 was ordained a priest in the Anglican Church. He spent the rest of his life faithfully as a rector of the little parish of St. Peter in Fugglestone, and St. Andrew in Bemerton. He was noted for unfailing care for his parishioners, bringing the sacraments to them when they were ill, and providing food and clothing when they were in need.

George is known for his poetry, so you may remember him from your days in high school. Throughout his life, he wrote religious poems. Charles Cotton described him as a “soul composed of harmonies”. George wrote in a letter to Nicholas Ferrar that his poems were “a picture of spiritual conflicts between God and my soul before I could subject my will to Jesus, my Master”. Some of Herbert’s poems have endured as hymns, including “King of Glory, King of Peace”, “Let All the World in Every Corner Sing” and “Teach me, my God and King”. His first biographer, Izaak Walton, described Herbert on his death-bed as composing such hymns and anthems as he and the angels now sing in heaven.

He died at the age of 39 in his parish.

Let us pray: Our God and King, who called your servant George Herbert from the pursuit of worldly honors to be a pastor of souls, a poet, and a priest in your temple: Give us grace, we pray, joyfully to perform the tasks you give us to do, knowing that nothing is menial or common that is done for your sake; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Thank you to everyone for lifting the Makowski family up in prayer during this time of my Dad’s death. Your loving presence was certainly felt by all of us over these last 2 weeks.

Thank you to everyone who made the Sacred Places Tour such a success. We have a few hundred people visit St. Augustine in spite of the rainy weather! We even had a few extra visitors on Sunday! Many commented on how welcome they felt simply crossing the threshold of the Church, and after they met everyone, they commented on what a loving place St. Augustine’s is.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The Joint Lenten Series with Grace begins on Wednesday, 29 February with Stations of the Cross and Eucharist at 6:00 p.m. followed by a light meal and a program by Tony Campolo:

Week I (Grace): Abundant Life, What Is It?
Week II (St. Augustine): Money: How Poor Does Jesus Want Us To Be?
Week III (Grace): Time: How Much Do I Have to Give Away?
Week IV (St. Augustine): Stuff: How Much Can I Have?
Week V (Grace): Support: What Will Help?
Week VI (St. Augustine): Next: What Will I Do Come Monday Morning?

Please join us.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Corlenius the Centurion

2012-02-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

Today the Church remembers a person who appears in the Acts of the Apostles, Cornelius the Centurion. James Kiefer writes:

Cornelius is called a God-fearer--that is to say, he was a monotheist, a Gentile who worshipped the One God. The Jews traditionally recognized that such Gentiles had a place in the Family of God, and they are mentioned along with the priests (House of Aaron), the Levites (House of Levi), and the Jews or Israelites (House of Israel) in Ps 115:9-13, Ps 118:2-4, and Ps 135:19-20. In New Testament times, an estimated ten per cent of the population of the Roman Empire consisted of God-fearers, Gentiles who recognized that the pagan belief in many gods and goddesses, who according to the myths about them were given to adultery, treachery, intrigue, and the like, was not a religion for a thoughtful and moral worshipper, and who had accordingly embraced an ethical monotheism -- belief in One God, who had created the world, and who was the upholder of the Moral Law. Although only a few of them took the step of formal conversion to Judaism, undergoing circumcision and accepting the obligations of keeping the food laws and ritual laws of Moses and his rabbinical interpreters, most of them attended synagogue services regularly.

Cornelius, then, was a Roman centurion, and a God-fearing man. One day, as he was praying, an angel appeared to him and told him to send a messenger to Joppa and ask Peter to come and preach to him. Peter, meanwhile, was given a vision that disposed him to go with the messenger. When Peter had preached to Cornelius and his family and friends, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as on the first Christians at Pentecost (Acts 2), and they began to speak in other tongues. Thus, there was ample evidence to convince Jewish Christians who hesitated to believe that it was the will of God that Gentiles should be brought into the Church.

Cornelius was the first Gentile converted to Christianity, along with his household, and Luke, recording this event, clearly regards it as an event of the utmost importance in the history of the early Church, the beginning of the Church's decision to admit Gentiles to full and equal fellowship with Jewish Christians.

Cornelius lived in Caesarea, the political capital of Judea under Herod and the Romans. (Given that Jerusalem was a holy city to the Jews, it would have been needlessly provocative for the Romans to establish their headquarters there.) Although he is not mentioned again, he and his household presumably formed the nucleus of the Christian community that we find mentioned later (Acts 8:40; 21:18) in this important city.

Let us pray: O God, who by your Spirit called Cornelius the Centurion to be the first Christian among the Gentiles: Grant to your Church such a ready will to go where you send and to do what you command, that under your guidance it may welcome all who turn to you in love and faith, and proclaim the Gospel to all nations; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

WE WELCOME JILLIAN BAIN WHO WAS CONFIRMED AND RAUL SANCHEZ WHO WAS RECEIVED. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE THE SUNDAY’S SERVICE A SPECIAL DAY!

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Mardi Gras on Tuesday, 21 February in Sutton Hall hosted by the Taylors. Please bring soft drinks and wine.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on 22 February. We will have the Ash Wednesday liturgy with the Imposition of Ashes at 6:00 p.m.

The Joint Lenten Series with Grace begins on Wednesday, 29 February with Stations of the Cross and Eucharist at 6:00 p.m. followed by a light meal and a program by Tony Campolo:

Week I (Grace): Abundant Life, What Is It?
Week II (St. Augustine): Money: How Poor Does Jesus Want Us To Be?
Week III (Grace): Time: How Much Do I Have to Give Away?
Week IV (St. Augustine): Stuff: How Much Can I Have?
Week V (Grace): Support: What Will Help?
Week VI (St. Augustine): Next: What Will I Do Come Monday Morning?

Please join us.

YOUR ST. AUGUSTINE IN THE NEWS:

Sacred Places tour:
http://galvestondailynews.com/story/289334

Lee Runion & Mardi Gras masks:
http://galvestondailynews.com/photo/289298

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

Your servant in Christ,

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

The Martyrs of Japan

2012-02-06T15:04:00.000-08:00

Today the Church remembers those on Japan who gave up their lives for the Christian faith which was introduced to that country in the 16th century by the Jesuits and the Franciscan orders. By the end of the 16th century, there were some 300,000 Christians in Japan.

The Japanese were not found of outside influences, so the persecution of the Christian converts began. James Kiefer writes: “The first victims were six Franciscan friars and twenty of their converts, who were executed at Nagasaki on 5 February 1597. (They were tied to crosses, the crosses were raised to an upright position, and they were then quickly stabbed to death by a soldier with a javelin.) After a short interval of relative tolerance, many other Christians were arrested, imprisoned for life, or tortured and killed; and the Church was totally driven underground by 1630. However, when Japan was re-opened to Western contacts 250 years later, it was found that a community of Japanese Christians had survived underground, without clergy, without Scriptures, with only very sketchy instructions in the doctrines of the faith, but with a firm commitment to Jesus as Lord.”

Let us pray: O God our Father, source of strength to all your saints, who brought the holy martyrs of Japan through the suffering of the cross to the joys of life eternal: Grant that we, being encouraged by their example, may hold fast the faith we profess, even to death itself; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

We pay in thanksgiving for Jillian Bain who was confirmed yesteray and Raul Sanchez who was received into the Episcopal Church by Bishop Harrison. Thank you to everyone who made the day special!

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Mardi Gras on Tuesday, 21 February in Sutton Hall hosted by the Taylors. Please bring soft drinks and wine.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on 22 February. We will have the Ash Wednesday liturgy with the Imposition of Ashes at 6:00 p.m.

The Joint Lenten Series with Grace begins on Wednesday, 29 February with Stations of the Cross and Eucharist at 6:00 p.m. followed by a light meal and a program by Tony Campolo:

Week I: Abundant Life, What Is It?
Week II: Money: How Poor Does Jesus Want Us To Be?
Week III: Time: How Much Do I Have to Give Away?
Week IV: Stuff: How Much Can I Have?
Week V: Support: What Will Help?
Week VI: Next: What I I Do Come Monday Morning?

Please join us.

YOUR ST. AUGUSTINE IN THE NEWS:

Sacred Places tour:

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/289334

Lee Runion & Mardi Gras masks:

http://galvestondailynews.com/photo/289298

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Discipline

2012-02-03T08:51:00.000-08:00

The Epistle reading for today is a continuation of the Letter to the Hebrews. We read:

Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children—‘My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts.’

Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, bu the disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. Now,discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Heb. 12: 3-11).

The key word in today’s reading is “discipline.” When you think of discipline,what comes to mind, perhaps a childhood memory? Maybe you recall your disciplining your children. You might even recall a time when you saw someone else disciplining their children, or failing to discipline their children. The word “discipline” as a verb means “to train, to develop by instruction or by exercise.” Paul is talking about being in the habit of doing things the right way, the moral way, God’s way. That also means that discipline is a matter of love and must be done in a loving manner. The more we practice doing what is right and good, the easier it becomes to the point where it becomes a very part of who we are. When God disciplines us, God is training us to be more Christ-like, to be bearers of His love to the world.

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

Bishop Harrison will be with us this Sunday for Confirmations! Come join in the celebration and remember that rather than doing our traditional breakfast, we will do a pot luck instead. Wear red!

Here is what is on the pot luck menu so far:

Shrimp pasta salad: Idell Guidry
Donuts: Lee Runion
Mac & Cheese: Liz Mack
Sausage gravy: Peggy Tuthill
Biscuits: Charles Lemons
Fruit: Karen Lehr

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially all of those who are traveling.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple

2012-02-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

Today the Church celebrates the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple which we read about in the second chapter of the Gospel according to Luke. Under the Mosaic Law, a woman was ritually “unclean” for 40 days after childbirth, when she was to present herself to the priests and offer sacrifice—her “purification.” Contact with anyone who had brushed against mystery—birth or death—excluded a person from Jewish worship. Today’s feast emphasizes Jesus’ first appearance in the Temple more than Mary’s purification. The observance spread throughout the Western Church in the 5th and 6th centuries. Because the Church in the West celebrated Jesus’ birth on 25 December, the Presentation was moved to 2 February, 40 days after Christmas.

Luke writes:

When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant* in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’

And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him. (Lk. 2: 22-40).

Let us pray: Almighty and everliving God, we humbly pray that, as your only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so we may be presented to you with pure and clean hearts by Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Bishop Harrison will be with us this Sunday for Confirmations! Come join in the celebration and remember that rather than doing our traditional breakfast, we will do a pot luck instead. Wear red!

Here is what is on the pot luck menu so far:

Shrimp pasta salad: Idell Guidry
Donuts: Lee Runion
Mac & Cheese: Liz Mack
Sausage gravy: Peggy Tuthill
Biscuits: Charles Lemons
Fruit: Karen Lehr

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially all of those who are traveling.

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Brigit of Ireland

2012-02-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

ST. BRIGIT'S CROSS

Today the Church remembers St. Brigit (or “Brigid”, “Bridget” or “Bride”) of Ireland. She was probably born at Faughart near Dundalk, Louth, Ireland around the year 451.

Her parents were baptized by St. Patrick, with whom she developed a close friendship. According to legend, her father was Dubhthach, an Irish chieftain of Lienster, and her mother, Brocca, was a slave at his court. Even as a young girl she evinced an interest for a religious life and took the veil in her youth from St. Macaille at Croghan and probably was professed by St. Mel of Armagh, who is believed to have conferred abbatial authority on her. She settled with seven others at the foot of Croghan Hill in about 468.

In about 470, she founded a double monastery at Cill-Dara (Kildare) and was Abbess of the convent, the first in Ireland. The foundation developed into a center of learning and spirituality, and around it grew up the cathedral city of Kildare. She founded a school of art at Kildare and its illuminated manuscripts became famous, notably the Book of Kildare, which was praised as one of the finest of all illuminated Irish manuscripts before its disappearance three centuries ago. Brigid was one of the most remarkable women of her times, and despite the numerous legendary, extravagant, and even fantastic miracles attributed to her, there is no doubt that her extraordinary spirituality, boundless charity, and compassion for those in distress were real.

She died at Kildare on February 1. The Mary of the Gael, she is buried at Downpatrick with St. Columba and St. Patrick, with whom she is the patron of Ireland.

Let us pray: Ever living God, we rejoice today in the fellowship of your blessed servant Brigid, and we give you thanks for her life of devoted service. Inspire us with life and light, and give us perseverance to serve you all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, world without end. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Bishop Harrison will be with us this Sunday for Confirmations! Come join in the celebration and remember that rather than doing our traditional breakfast, we will do a pot luck instead. Wear red!

Here is what is on the pot luck menu so far:

Shrimp pasta salad: Idell Guidry
Donuts: Lee Runion
Mac & Cheese: Liz Mack
Sausage gravy: Peggy Tuthill
Biscuits: Charles Lemons

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

Your servant in Christ,

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

12 Steps

2012-01-31T14:22:00.000-08:00

Today the Church remembers a clergyman who was a co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, the Rev. Dr. Sam Shoemaker, DD, STD (1893-1963). He was an Episcopal priest who was instrumental in the Oxford Group and founding principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. Fr. Shoemaker was the rector of the Calvary Church in New York City, which was the United States headquarters of the Oxford Group. Bill Wilson attended Oxford Group meetings at the Calvary Church and Fr. Shoemaker was instrumental in assisting Bill Wilson with the writing of the book Alcoholics Anonymous (nickname: The Big Book). Bill acknowledged this linkage when he wrote in the book, A.A. Comes of Age (page 39):

In 1917, Sam Shoemaker had been sent to China to start a branch of the YMCA and to teach at the Princeton-in-China Program. There, in 1918, feeling discouraged, he first met Frank Buchman who told him of the four absolutes, honesty, purity and unselfishness and love. Later, Shoemaker would speak of the meeting as a major influence for the start of his ministry, that being the time when he decided to let go of self and let God guide his life.

Bill Wilson, in 1955, would later give credit to Sam Shoemaker whom he referred to as a co-founder of AA:

It was from Sam Shoemaker, that we absorbed most of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, steps that express the heart of AA's way of life. Dr. Silkworth gave us the needed knowledge of our illness, but Sam Shoemaker had given us the concrete knowledge of what we could do about it, he passed on the spiritual keys by which we were liberated. The early AA got its ideas of self-examination, acknowledgement of character defects, restitution for harm done, and working with others straight from the Oxford Group and directly from Sam Shoemaker, their former leader in America, and from nowhere else.

The Rev. Shoemaker wrote over 30 books, at least half of which were circulating before A.A.’s 12 Steps were first published in 1939.

Let us pray: Holy God, we thank you for the vision of Samuel Shoemaker, priest and co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous; and we pray that we may follow his example to help others find salvation through knowledge and love of Jesus Christ our Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Bishop Harrison will be with us this Sunday for Confirmations! Come join in the celebration and remember that rather than doing our traditional breakfast, we will do a pot luck instead. Wear red!

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Faith in Times of Doubt

2012-01-30T13:06:00.000-08:00

Today’s Epistle for the daily prayer of the Church is taken from Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews. He talks about “faith”:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s. Through this he received approval as righteous, God himself giving approval to his gifts; he died, but through his faith he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and ‘he was not found, because God had taken him.’ For it was attested before he was taken away that ‘he had pleased God.’ And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, ‘as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.’ (Heb. 11:1-12).

The central theme in today’s reading is “faith.” We use the word “faith” a lot. We refer to what we believe as “the faith.” Sometimes people have a “crisis of faith.” But what is faith? The Greek word used in this passage repeatedly is πίστις (pronounced “pistis”) which has the following meanings: faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness. The definition in the Letter to the Hebrews is a good one, a practical one: “faith is he assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” In this definition, there is an aspect of faithfulness, one of the original meanings of the word πίστις. To be faithful even in those times when we are no longer sure of what is true or what we believe, when doubts creep in, even when we feel that we are in darkness, that is faith. That is what all of the characters mentioned in the passage did; they were faithful even when they were not sure of it themselves.

In 1946 and 1947, Mother Teresa of Calcutta experienced a profound union with Christ. But soon after she began her work among the destitute and dying on the streets of Calcutta, she experienced a spiritual darkness that would remain with her until her death. In a way, it is difficult to know what is more to be marveled at: that Mother Teresa commanded a worldwide army of charity was a visionary contemplative at heart, or that she should have persisted in radiating invincible faith and love while suffering inwardly from the loss of spiritual consolation. In letters written during the 1950s and 1960s to her archbishop and her spiritual director, Mother Teresa disclosed feelings of doubt, loneliness, and abandonment. God seemed absent, heaven empty, and bitterest of all, her own suffering seemed to count for nothing, “. . . just that terrible pain of loss, of God not wanting me, of God not being God, of God not really existing.” Nevertheless, she was faithful, always faithful to what she perceived her call to be, to love the poor as Christ did.

Are there times that you feel like that? If you do, you are in excellent company.

Let us pray: O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Bishop Harrison will be with us this Sunday for Confirmations! Come join in the celebration and remember that rather than doing our traditional breakfast, we will do a pot luck instead. Wear red!

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

Your servant in Christ,

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

"The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body and soul into everlasting life."

2012-01-27T15:21:00.000-08:00

The appointed Epistle for today is a portion of Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews; we read:

And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, ‘he sat down at the right hand of God’, and since then has been waiting ‘until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.’ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds’, he also adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb. 10: 11-25).

The Temple in Jerusalem was a place where the Jewish people believe heaven and earth met; it was the “dwelling place of God.” So they came to worship and to offer sacrifice. In the person of Jesus, heaven and earth meet. Jesus is the new Temple replacing the old Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus offered the sacrifice of himself, of his very life, thereby making us holy. And heaven and earth meet again every time you and I celebrate the Eucharist; Christ comes to dwell with us in a sacramental manner. So as the Church gathers this Sunday all around the world to celebrate the Eucharist, let us be cognizant that heaven and earth meet at the Eucharistic Feast.

Let us pray: Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

INSTRUCTED EUCHARIST, THIS SUNDAY. “What is an instructed Eucharist?” During the service, I will explain why we do what we do. It is a way for us to be able to better appreciate the rich liturgical tradition of the Church.

CONFIRMATION CLASS on Sundays starting at 10:50 a.m. If you want to be Confirmed when Bishop Harrison visits us on Sunday, 5 February, you will need to participate in the Confirmation class. Please come!

ART WALK AT ST. VINCENT’S HOUSE on 28 January 2012 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year in February. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it. We will discuss it during the announcements this Sunday.

PLEASE REMEMBER everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Timothy, Titus & Silas: Paul's Compansions in Ministry

2012-01-26T17:56:00.000-08:00

On the day after the conversion of St. Paul, the Church remembers Paul’s partners in ministry, Timothy, Titus and Silas.

Timothy is mentioned in Acts 16-20, and appears in 9 epistles either as joining in Paul's greetings or as a messenger.

Additionally, Timothy has two New Testament letters addressed to him, and Titus one. From these three letters (the Pastoral Epistles), we know that Paul had commissioned Timothy to oversee the Christian community in Ephesus and vicinity, and Titus to oversee that in Crete. Therefore, Timothy is the first bishop of Ephesus and Timothy is the first bishop of Crete.

Titus is mentioned as a companion of Paul in some of his epistles (2 Cor. 2:13; 7:6,13,14; 8:6,16,23; 12:18; Gal. 2:1-3; 2 Tim. 4:10).

Regarding Silas, James Kiefer tells us that he is remembered as Paul’s companion who was arrested with Paul at Philippi (Acts 16:19-40). They were beaten severely and confined in the inner prison, with their feet in stocks. There they sang hymns in the night, and an earthquake shook the prison, and released them. As a result, the jailer and his household became believers.

The first mention of Silas is earlier. Paul and Barnabas went on a missionary journey (Acts 13:1-5), taking with them John Mark, who (for unspecified reasons) parted from them and went home in the middle of the journey (A 13:13). Paul and Barnabas completed their mission and returned to Antioch. They had made many Gentile converts on their mission, and the question arose whether a Gentile could become a Christian without also becoming a Jew, being circumcised if male, and undertaking to observe the Law of Moses (A 15:1). The congregation at Antioch referred the question to the Apostles at Jerusalem, and Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem to present their case. A council of apostles and elders at Jerusalem judged that, with a few specified exceptions, the Law of Moses was not to be imposed on Gentile Christians, and they sent two men from Jerusalem back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas to convey their reply. The men were Judas Barsabbas (not otherwise mentioned) and Silas (Acts 15:22).

Eventually Paul and Barnabas undertook to visit again the congregations they had founded on their previous journey, and Barnabas wished to take John Mark with them, but Paul thought this unwise, and so they determined to travel separately, Barnabas taking Mark, and Paul taking Silas (Acts 15:36-40). And so Paul and Silas (joined in progress by Timothy and by Luke) went through part of what is now Turkey and then crossed over into Europe and preached at Philippi (where they made converts and were arrested as described above), and went on to Thessalonica and Berea, being the center of riots in each place (Acts 17:1-13), after which Paul went on to Athens and then to Corinth, and was soon joined there by Silas and Timothy (Acts 18:5).

Let us pray: Just and merciful God, in every generation you raise up prophets, teachers and witnesses to summon the world to honor and praise your holy Name: We thank you for sending Timothy, Titus and Silas, whose gifts built up your Church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Grant that we too may be living stones built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

INSTRUCTED EUCHARIST, THIS SUNDAY. “What is an instructed Eucharist?” During the service, I will explain why we do what we do. It is a way for us to be able to better appreciate the rich liturgical tradition of the Church.

CONFIRMATION CLASS on Sundays starting at 10:50 a.m. If you want to be Confirmed when Bishop Harrison visits us on Sunday, 5 February, you will need to participate in the Confirmation class. Please come!

ART WALK AT ST. VINCENT’S HOUSE on 28 January 2012 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year in February. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it. We will discuss it during the announcements this Sunday.

PLEASE REMEMBER everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Churhdc

Galveston, Texas 77550

Jesus Takes Us Where He Finds Us, But He Doesn't Expect Us to Stay There: Just Ask St. Paul

2012-01-25T14:34:00.001-08:00

Today the Church celebrates the conversion of St. Paul. In the Acts of the Apostles we read:

Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’ The men who were travelling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ He answered, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’ So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ All who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?’ Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah. (Acts 9: 1-22).

Jesus takes us where he finds us, but he doesn’t expect us to stay there. Jesus expects us to grow. Paul is a prime example of that. Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. Paul was breathing threats against the Christians, but Jesus didn’t expect him to stay there. No, Jesus expected him to change his life, to turn it around, to convert. Paul did! You an dI can too.

Jesus expects the same from you and from me. Jesus meets us where we are in our lives, but he doesn’t expect us to stay there. Now is the time; turn your life around.

Let us pray: O God, who by the preaching of your apostle Paul have caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world: Grant, we pray, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show ourselves thankful to you by following his holy teaching; 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

INSTRUCTED EUCHARIST, THIS SUNDAY. “What is an instructed Eucharist?” During the service, I will explain why we do what we do. It is a way for us to be able to better appreciate the rich liturgical tradition of the Church.

CONFIRMATION CLASS on Sundays starting at 10:50 a.m. If you want to be Confirmed when Bishop Harrison visits us on Sunday, 5 February, you will need to participate in the Confirmation class. Please come!

ART WALK AT ST. VINCENT’S HOUSE on 28 January 2012 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year in February. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it. We will discuss it during the announcements this Sunday.

PLEASE REMEMBER everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

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

The First Woman Ordained in the Anglican Communion

2012-01-24T13:40:00.000-08:00

Today the Church remembers the first woman who was ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church, Florence Li Tim-Oi. She was ordained a priest by Bishop Ronald Hall of Hong Kong in 1944, primarily because of difficulties occasioned by the Japanese occupation of China. A storm of protest after the war forced her to refrain from exercising her role as a priest; however, toward the end of her life, she emigrated to Canada where she was able to resume her priestly duties. She died in 1992.

It is fitting, therefore, that tonight Bishop Doyle will install the Rev. Gena Davis as the vicar of Grace Episcopal in Houston. She follows in the footsteps of Florence Li Tim-Oi. Tonight, Gena will be surrounded by friends and family, including, no doubt, a number of her fellow clergy, the Rev. Tom Bain and myself included. Please pray for Gena and all of those who serve in ordained ministry.

Let us pray: Gracious God, we thank you for calling Florence Li Tim-Oi, much-beloved daughter, to be the first woman to exercise the office of a priest in our Communion; By the grace of your Spirit inspire us to follow her example, serving your people with patience and happiness all our days, and witnessing in every circumstance to our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the same Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

INSTRUCTED EUCHARIST, THIS SUNDAY. “What is an instructed Eucharist?” During the service, I will explain why we do what we do. It is a way for us to be able to better appreciate the rich liturgical tradition of the Church.

CONFIRMATION CLASS on Sundays starting at 10:50 a.m. If you want to be Confirmed when Bishop Harrison visits us on Sunday, 5 February, you will need to participate in the Confirmation class. Please come!

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year in February. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it. We will discuss it during the announcements this Sunday.

PLEASE REMEMBER everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Preaching the Word: Phillips Brooks

2012-01-23T15:25:00.000-08:00

On this 23rd day of January, the Episcopal Church remembers Phillips Brooks, Bishop of Massachusetts from 1891 to 1893. He was born in Boston in 1835 and was educated at Harvard University where he graduated in 1855 and then he went to the Virginia Theological Seminary where he graduated in 1859. Brooks was ordained deacon by Bishop William Meade of Virginia. In 1860 he was ordained priest, and in 1862 became rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia, where he remained seven years, gaining an increasing name as preacher and patriot. During the Civil War, he championed the abolition of slavery.

Brooks was an imposing figure standing six feet four inches tall. Perhaps that helped him as a preacher. He was shy, spoke rapidly, had a stiff sermon delivery and terrible eye contact -- usually staring at the sounding board above his head. Nevertheless, people thronged to see him. His effectiveness resulted from several factors. One was his careful preparation and study of the text. He spoke with a sincerity and intensity that overcame his shyness. Still another element was his pastor's heart.

This is taken from one of Phillips Brooks’ sermons:

Righteousness is at the bottom of all things. Righteousness is thorough. It is the very spirit of unsparing truth. Any reform or salvation of which the power is righteousness must go down to the very root of the trouble; must extentuate and cover over nothing; must expose and convict completely, in order that it may completely heal. And this is the power of the salvation of Christ. It makes no compromise between the good and the evil, between Judah and Edom. Edom must be destroyed, not parleyed with; sin must be beaten down and not conciliated; good must thrive by the defeat and not merely by the tolerance of evil.

Bishop Brooks died in Boston in 1893 at the age of 57. More than 20,000 mourners gathered to lament the loss of one of the greatest orators of the American pulpit.

Let us pray: O everlasting God, who revealed truth to your servant Phillips Brooks, and so formed and molded his mind and heart that he was able to mediate that truth with grace and power: Grant, we pray, that all those whom you call to preach the Gospel may steep themselves in your word, and conform their lives to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

CONFIRMATION CLASS on Sundays starting at 10:50 a.m. If you want to be Confirmed when Bishop Harrison visits us on Sunday, 5 February, you will need to participate in the Confirmation class. Please come!

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year in February. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it.

PLEASE REMEMBER everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Fabian, Bishop & Martyr

2012-01-20T11:08:00.000-08:00

Today the Church remembers a long forgotten Bishop of Rome, Fabian. Upon the death of Bishop Antherus in 236, a council was convened in Rome to elect his successor. In the crowd was Fabian (Fabianus), a layman from another part of Italy. According to the historian Eusebius, a dove flew into the building and landed on Fabian's head. The people immediately interpreted this to be a sign from God that he should be the next bishop, and they unanimously acclaimed Fabian as bishop!

Fabian turned out to be an excellent leader. He organized the parish structure of the Church that is in use to this day.

In 239 the Emperor Decius instituted a persecution of Christians. This was the first persecution to be waged throughout the entire Empire instead of just locally. Fabian was captured and brutally executed. The courage with which he went to his death was an inspiration to thousands who followed him in martyrdom. You can still see Fabian’s broken tombstone in Rome, and there are 3 barely legible words on it: “Fabian ... bishop ... martyr.”

Let us pray: Almighty God, you called Fabian to be a faithful pastor and servant of your people, and to lay down his life in witness to your Son: Grant that we, strengthened by his example and aided by his prayers, may in times of trial and persecution remain steadfast in faith and endurance, for the sake of him who laid down his life for us all, Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

CONFIRMATION CLASS on Sundays starting at 10:50 a.m. If you want to be Confirmed when Bishop Harrison visits us on Sunday, 5 February, you will need to participate in the Confirmation class. Please come!

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year in February. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it.

PLEASE REMEMBER everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

“It is the Bible that must judge the culture. Where a conflict results, the cultural element must give way.”—Dr. Byang Koto, a Nigerian evangelical theologian (1936-1975)

Your servant in Christ,

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

The Promise Keeper

2012-01-19T10:39:00.000-08:00

The appointed Epistle for today comes from Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews. We read:

When God made a promise to Abraham, because he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and multiply you.’ And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Human beings, of course, swear by someone greater than themselves, and an oath given as confirmation puts an end to all dispute. In the same way, when God desired to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek. (Heb. 7: 13-20)

You can bet that the source of all truth and goodness, God, will keep His promises! God made a covenant with Abraham; God promised to bless him and to multiply his descendents. God did that through Jesus, His Son. By Jesus’ response to God, by Jesus saying “yes” to the Father and by Jesus giving his all as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, Jesus brought us back into relationship with God the Father so that not only Israel, but all people are Abraham’s descendents. God kept his promise to Abraham, swearing by himself, and more fully, by giving of Himself in His Son, Jesus, who is the Christ.

Let us pray: Glorious Father, through your Son, Jesus Christ, you gathered from every race, nation and language a people for yourself, making us one family bound together in unity by the Holy Spirit. Give us grace to live lives worthy to be your sons and daughters, we ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

CONFIRMATION CLASS on Sundays starting at 10:50 a.m. If you want to be Confirmed when Bishop Harrison visits us on Sunday, 5 February, you will need to participate in the Confirmation class. Please come!

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year in February. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it.

PLEASE REMEMBER everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Upon this Rock

2012-01-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

Today the Church remembers the confession of St. Peter when he acknowledged that Jesus was in fact the Son of God as recounted in the Gospel according to Matthew:

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ (Mt. 16: 13-19).

This is what Bishop Tom Wright, one of the foremost Biblical scholars in the world today, says about this passage:

‘Who do you say I am?’ ‘You are the Messiah, son of the living God!’ ‘Right: this is the rock we build on; this is where God’s people will find their city; so it’s time to go on pilgrimage, up the dusty road to the beautiful city that sits upon its rock. … (I should say, just for the record, that the idea that Peter himself, rather than his faith in Jesus as Messiah and Lord, was the rock on which the church would be built, and that this was to be passed on to his successors as Bishops of Rome, was an exegetical innovation in the counter-Reformation period of the late sixteenth century, when you get those remarkable settings of the Latin text of Matthew 16, ‘Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam’, ‘You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church’.) … The point is this: when you confess Jesus, crucified and risen, as God’s Messiah, and Lord of the world, you are taking your stand upon the rock to which Jesus himself, and Peter himself in his first letter, refer, the rock where the true city of God is being built, even though the gates of hell roar their anger against it and do their best to distract us from the hot and tiring pilgrim journey by which we must come to it at last.

In short, the "rock" upon which the Church is built is not a person, but the faith in Jesus as the Christ and as the Son of the Living God, Peter's and ours as well.

Let us pray: Almighty Father, who inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the Living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Please remember in your prayers all of the people of Cathedral of Faith Market Street Baptist Church; their 73 year old pastor emeritus died today while conducting a funeral.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

CONFIRMATION CLASS on Sundays starting at 10:50 a.m. If you want to be Confirmed when Bishop Harrison visits us on Sunday, 5 February, you will need to participate in the Confirmation class. Please come!

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year in February. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it.

PLEASE REMEMBER everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

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

"For God So Loved the World..."

2012-01-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

The appointed Gospel for today is a well known passage, and one that is in the news today because of Tim Tebow:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God. (Jn. 3: 16-21).

Media controversy has surrounded Tim Tebow for his public display of faith. For example, recently “Saturday Night Live” parodied Tim Tebow’s relationship with Jesus. Bill Maher, an avowed atheist, tweeted an obscenity after the Bronco’s loss to the Buffalo Bills on Christmas Eve. The tweet concluded with the following: “Somewhere in hell Satan is tebowing, saying to Hitler ‘Hey, Buffalo’s killing them.’” There is a great deal more on football blogs and even network morning television.

I cannot say that I am surprised. If you read the rest of the Gospel for today, John tells us that there are those who love the darkness, do evil and hate the light. I believe that these negative responses to those who publically admit their Christian faith are born out of darkness and anger. Jesus still invites them to his table because as John reminds us: “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Let us pray: Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

CONFIRMATION CLASS on Sundays starting at 10:50 a.m. If you want to be Confirmed when Bishop Harrison visits us on Sunday, 5 February, you will need to participate in the Confirmation class. Please come!

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year in February. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it.

PLEASE REMEMBER everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

“Where there is Love and Wisdom, there is neither Fear nor Ignorance. Where there is Patience and Humility, there is neither Anger nor Annoyance. Where there is Poverty and Joy, there is neither Cupidity nor Avarice. Where there is Peace and Contemplation, there is neither Care nor Restlessness. Where there is the Fear of God to guard the dwelling, there no enemy can enter. Where there is Mercy and Prudence, there is neither Excess nor Harshness.”—St. Francis of Assisi

Your servant in Christ,

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

The Principles that Undergird Our Society

2012-01-16T13:07:00.000-08:00

Today, we as Americans remember the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The nation as a whole stops to remember the values that undergird our society, namely that all people are created equal and possess certain inalienable rights. Few nations are based on such principles. Today we stop to consider what that means.

Today’s appointed Epistle reading (for the saints of the day) is taken from the fourth chapter of the First Epistle of John who writes:

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4: 7-12).

God’s essence is life giving love. God’s created all that is out of infinite life giving love. God’s love is infinite; it knows no bounds. Since God’s love is infinite, God loves everyone equally. It makes no difference if one is rich or poor, short or tall, thin or a little plump, handsome or not so good looking, black or white, male or female, brilliant or not so smart, God loves each of us infinitely, and therefore, equally. On the day we as a nation remember the role that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. played in our nation’s history, we should keep in mind what St. John says in his letter—God loves us all equally. If God loves us all equally, how can I shun one that God loves?

Let us pray: Almighty God, by the hand of Moses your servant you led your people out of slavery, and made them free at last: Grant that your Church, following the example of your prophet Martin Luther King, may resist oppression in the name of your love, and may secure for all your children the blessed liberty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

CONFIRMATION CLASS ON SUNDAYS starting at 10:50 a.m. If you want to be Confirmed when Bishop Harrison visits us on Sunday, 5 February, you will need to participate in the Confirmation class. Please come!

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year in February. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” – The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Your servant in Christ,

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

The Season of the Epiphany

2012-01-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

This is the season of Epiphany which means “manifestation.” The season focuses on the manifestation of who Jesus is and what his mission is about. It began last Friday, the 6th, with the Feast of the Epiphany when Christendom recalled the visit of the Three Kings, or Magi, to Jesus, and it became manifest that Jesus was not simply called for the Jewish people, for Gentiles also. On Sunday we celebrated that Baptism of Our Lord when the Father manifest that Jesus was His son, in whom He was well pleased.

The Epiphany theme is carried on in our reading for today from the Daily Office which comes from the Letter to the Hebrews where we were read:

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

For to which of the angels did God ever say: ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you’? Or again, ‘I will be his Father, and he will be my Son’? And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’ Of the angels he says, ‘He makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire.’ But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever, and the righteous sceptre is the sceptre of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.’ And, ‘In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like clothing; like a cloak you will roll them up, and like clothing* they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will never end.’ But to which of the angels has he ever said, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’? Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (Heb. 1: 1-14).

Jesus is the Son of God. He has been anointed as king, lord of all creation. Jesus came to initiate the Kingdom of God. During this season of Epiphany, look for Christ made manifest in your life; let all you are and all you do reflect Jesus’ glory as King of your life.

Let us pray: O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the Peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

DISCOVERY SERIES FOR CONFIRMATION: On 15 and 22 January 2012 we will study the Discovery Series in preparation for Confirmation on Sunday, 5 February with Bishop Harrison.

ART CLASSES on 13 and 14 January with Lee Runion. Back by popular demand, we’ll be making Stepping Stones! Friday will be “Art Class and Wine Glass.” The Saturday session begins at 10 a.m.

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year in February. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

“If we Christians would join the Wise Men, we must close our eyes to all that glitters before the world and look rather on the despised and foolish things, help the poor, comfort the despised, and aid the neighbor in his need.” —Martin Luther

Your servant in Christ,

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

The Victory Is Ours!

2012-01-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

In today’s Epistle selection, we hear from the sixth chapter of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. Paul uses an image that the readers of his letter were well familiar with, the gear of the Roman soldier. Paul writes:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak. (Ephesians 6: 10-20).

Sometimes the struggles we endure in life, especially against forces that we cannot see, feel like a battle. Paul’s imagery is vivid; one can picture in one’s mind’s eye arming for battle against all that which is evil and tries to invade our lives. But you are armed with the power of the living God to defeat evil. In fact, our captain, Jesus, has already won the war through his death and resurrection. Christ has faced the enemy and prevailed. Now, we are faced with the clean up skirmishes. Rest assured, the victory is ours in Christ.

Let us pray: O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

ANNUAL MEETING: Sunday, 8 January 2012 in Sutton Hall after the Eucharist. We’ll review 2011 and see what’s in store for 2012. We will also elect new members for the Bishop’s Committee and a representative and an alternate to the 163rd Diocesan Council.

DISCOVERY SERIES FOR CONFIRMATION: On 15 and 22 January 2012 we will study the Discovery Series in preparation for Confirmation on Sunday, 5 February with Bishop Harrison.

ART CLASSES on 13 and 14 January with Lee Runion. Back by popular demand, we’ll be making Stepping Stones! Friday will be “Art Class and Wine Glass.” The Saturday session begins at 10 a.m.

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

“Expect great things from God! Attempt great things for God!” —William Carey (1761-1834)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Live In Love as Christ Loved Us

2012-01-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

We have more good counsel from Paul as we begin this New Year of 2012 from his Letter to the Ephesians. He writes:

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be associated with them. For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, ‘Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’

Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5: 1-20).

The bottom line of the entire passage is the opening line: “be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” If we lived in love as Jesus loved us, then the rest will follow, or put another way, if we live as Paul admonishes us to, then we will live in love as Christ loved us.

Let us pray: Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of this redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

ANNUAL MEETING: Sunday, 8 January 2012 in Sutton Hall after the Eucharist. We’ll review 2011 and see what’s in store for 2012. We will also elect new members for the Bishop’s Committee and a representative and an alternate to the 163rd Diocesan Council.

DISCOVERY SERIES FOR CONFIRMATION: On 15 and 22 January 2012 we will study the Discovery Series in preparation for Confirmation on Sunday, 5 February with Bishop Harrison.

ART CLASSES on 13 and 14 January with Lee Runion. Back by popular demand, we’ll be making Stepping Stones! Friday will be “Art Class and Wine Glass.” The Saturday session begins at 10 a.m.

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

“Prayer and sacrifice can touch souls better than words.” —Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Conversion Means Change

2012-01-03T10:26:00.000-08:00

In this first week of the New Year, St. Paul continues in the fourth chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians where he reminds them and us what conversion is all about:

For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4: 21-32).

Conversion is about change. It is about turning one’s life around, going in a different direction. Paul tells the Ephesians: “Don’t lie, but speak the truth. If you’re a thief, give up stealing and do an honest day’s work. Don’t tear down people when you speak; instead build them up, be a blessing when you speak. Don’t keep your anger; forgive others just as Christ has forgiven you.” To be sure, changing one’s ways is not easy, especially if we have gotten into the habit of evil ways. But change we must if we are to be followers of Christ.

Let us pray: Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly thine, utterly dedicated unto thee; and then use us, we pray thee, as thou wilt, and always to thy glory and the welfare of thy people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

ANNUAL MEETING: Sunday, 8 January 2012 in Sutton Hall after the Eucharist. We’ll review 2011 and see what’s in store for 2012. We will also elect new members for the Bishop’s Committee and a representative and an alternate to the 163rd Diocesan Council.

DISCOVERY SERIES FOR CONFIRMATION: On 15 and 22 January 2012 we will study the Discovery Series in preparation for Confirmation on Sunday, 5 February with Bishop Harrison.

ART CLASSES on 13 and 14 January with Lee Runion. Back by popular demand, we’ll be making Stepping Stones! Friday will be “Art Class and Wine Glass.” The Saturday session begins at 10 a.m.

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

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

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

Here we are at the start of 2012, a time for New Year’s resolutions. On television, we see ads for all sorts of weight reduction programs followed by ads for exercise centers. If you want to make a New Year’s resolution, look to see what St. Paul has to offer from today’s appointed Epistle lesson for the daily prayer of the Church:

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, ‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.’ …

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. (Ephesians 4: 1-8, 11-16).

This New Year try speaking the truth in love growing in every way into Christ forming one body building itself up in love. That’s a New Year’s resolution worth living into. Try it and see what happens.

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

ANNUAL MEETING: Sunday, 8 January 2012 in Sutton Hall after the Eucharist. We’ll review 2011 and see what’s in store for 2012. We will also elect new members for the Bishop’s Committee and a representative and an alternate to the 163rd Diocesan Council.

DISCOVERY SERIES FOR CONFIRMATION: On 15 and 22 January 2012 we will study the Discovery Series in preparation for Confirmation on Sunday, 5 February with Bishop Harrison.

ART CLASSES on 13 and 14 January with Lee Runion. Back by popular demand, we’ll be making Stepping Stones! Friday will be “Art Class and Wine Glass.” The Saturday session begins at 10 a.m.

SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.

“In former times, God, who is without form or body, could never be depicted. But now when God is seen in the flesh conversing with men, I make an image of the God whom I see. I do not worship matter; I worship the Creator of matter who became matter for my sake.”—St. John of Damascus (676-749)

Your servant in Christ,

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

An Archbishop Who Defied a King: Thomas á Becket

2011-12-29T08:58:00.000-08:00

In this Christmas week, the Church remembers a bishop who defied a king, Thomas á Becket (1118 - 1170), Archbishop of Canterbury. Some of you may recall the 1964 movie on the subject starring Peter O’Toole as King Henry II and Richard Burton as Archbishop Thomas á Becket.

Thomas studied both civil and canon law in England and Paris. He built a reputation for diligence and efficiency, and gained the attention of King Henry II of England, who made him chancellor of England in 1155. The king was not disappointed in his selection.

King Henry did not have the best of relationships with the Archbishop of Canterbury, so when he died, King Henry appointed his friend, Thomas, as Archbishop thinking that Thomas would bend to his will. Thomas was ordained a priest on 2 June 1162 at Canterbury, and on 3 June 1162 he was consecrated as Archbishop by Henry of Blois, the Bishop of Winchester and the other suffragan bishops of Canterbury.

Thomas took his priesthood very seriously and his position as Archbishop of Canterbury. He resigned his position as chancellor and made a serious commitment to Christ lead the life of an ascetic and doing penance. He sought independence for the Church and its clergy which brought him into conflict with King Henry. After a series of new laws passed regarding the trials for clergy, Thomas being accused and convicted of disloyalty to the crown and flight to France and eventual return, things came to a head in England when King Henry reportedly said, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?’ With that four of Henry’s knights went to Canterbury and murdered Thomas in the Cathedral on this day in 1170. Quickly, the people revered Thomas as a saint.

On 12 July 1174, King Henry humbled himself with public penance at Thomas’ tomb as well as at the church of St. Dunstan, which became one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in England.

Let us pray: O God, our strength and our salvation, who called your servant Thomas Becket to be a shepherd of your people and a defender of your Church: Keep your household from all evil and raise up among us faithful pastors and leaders who are wise in the ways of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ the shepherd of our souls, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

This week, please remember in your prayers the family of Roylene Lemons. She died the evening of Christmas Day. The funeral will be in Monroe, Louisiana on Friday, 30 December at 11:00 a.m. at Little Flower Catholic Church. At St. Augustine, we will offer the Eucharist for her and for Charles Lemons and his family on Sunday, the 1st of January at 9:00 a.m.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Fear & Power: A Deadly Combination, The Holy Innocents

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today we remember the Holy Innocents that we read about in the second chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew:

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.” (Mt. 2: 16-18).

Herod was appointed by the Romans in 40 B.C. to rule over Palestine. For 37 years, Herod the Great was ruthless. The historian Josephus described Herod as “a man of great barbarity towards everyone.” During his reign, Herod was continually in fear of losing is throne. Fear and power, they are a deadly combination. Herod, who considered himself to be King of the Jews, was afraid that he would lose his power to a little child, so he had all of the children under 2 years of age killed to protect his position.

The Prince of Peace does not operate out of fear and does not lord it over others with his power. In this Christmas season, let us remember all of those who hold power and pray that they do not exercise it out of fear.

Let us pray: We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

This week, please remember in your prayers the family of Roylene Lemons. She died the evening of Christmas Day. The funeral will be in Monroe, Louisiana on Friday, 30 December at 11:00 a.m. at Little Flower Catholic Church. At St. Augustine, we will offer the Eucharist for her and for Charles Lemons and his family on Sunday, the 1st of January at 9:00 a.m.

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. John, Apostle & Evangelist

2011-12-27T11:38:00.000-08:00

Today, the 27th of December, the Church celebrates the life and ministry of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist.

It is God who calls; people answer. The vocation of John and his brother James is stated very simply in the Gospels: Jesus called the brothers; they followed. The absoluteness of their response is relayed in Matthew’s Gospel (4:21-22), James and John “were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.”

Because of the depth of the Gospel, John is usually thought of as the eagle of theology, soaring high. However, the other Gospels reveal John’s flaws which gave rise to Jesus naming John and his brother, James, “the sons of thunder.” Matthew tells us that their mother asked that James and John be given places of honor in Jesus’ kingdom—one on his right hand, one on his left. When Jesus asked them if they could drink the cup he would drink and be baptized with his baptism of pain, they blithely answered, “We can!” Jesus said that they would indeed share his cup, but that sitting at his right hand was not his to give. It was for those to whom it had been reserved by the Father. The other apostles were, as one might expect, somewhat indignant at their ambition. Jesus took the occasion to teach them the true nature of authority: “Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:27-28).

Another time, “the sons of thunder” asked Jesus if they should not call down fire from heaven upon the less than friendly Samaritans who did not welcome Jesus. Of course, Jesus rebuked them.

Please remember in your prayer all of those who are named John, and I would ask prayers especially for my Uncle John and my Cousin John o this their saint's day.

Let us pray: Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light; that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Please remember in your prayers the family of Roylene Lemons. She died the evening of Christmas Day. The funeral will be in Monroe, Louisiana on Friday, 30 December at 11:00 a.m. at Little Flower Catholic Church. At St. Augustine, we will offer the Eucharist for her and for Charles Lemons and his family on Sunday, the 1st of January. Let us pray: Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Roylene. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Stephen: First Deacon & First Martyr

2011-12-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

On this day after Christmas, the Church celebrates the life and ministry of the first deacon who was also the first martyr, St. Stephen. What we know of him comes from the Acts of the Apostles. Luke writes:

Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.’ What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated some men to say, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.’ They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. They set up false witnesses who said, ‘This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.’ And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Acts 6:1-15).

The story goes on in the next chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. Stephen tells the elders the truth of what Israel has done and who Jesus is, and like his Lord and Savior, Stephen is put to death. Luke tells us: While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died. (Acts 8: 59-60).

Let us pray: We give you thanks, O Lord of glory, for the example of the first martyr Stephen, who looked up to heaven and prayed for his persecutors to your Son Jesus Christ, who stands at your right hand: where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting.

Please remember in your prayers the family of Roylene Lemons. She died the evening of Christmas Day. The funeral will be in Monroe, Louisiana on Friday at 11:00 a.m. at Little Flower Catholic Church. At St. Augustine, we will offer the Eucharist for her and for Charles Lemons and his family. Let us pray: Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant Roylene. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive her into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

Your servant in Christ,

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

“What then will this child become?”

2011-12-22T08:49:00.000-08:00

On this Thursday in the fourth week of Advent, we read about a joyous event, the birth of a child. Luke writes:

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘None of your relatives has this name.’ Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What then will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. (Lk. 1: 57-66).

When a child is born, he or she is so full of promise, so full of potential. We stare in amazement and wonder what will the future bring to this child? What is in store for this young life? That is what those who gathered around the baby, John, were thinking, “What then will this child become?” I am sure that those gathering around the new born had no idea that John would announce the coming of the Messiah, the long awaited one.

Let us pray: Almighty God, by whose providence your servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and, following his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth's sake; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Christmas Services: Christmas Eve, 5 p.m., Rite II; Christmas Day, 9 a.m., Rite II.

Food Pantry for St. Vincent’s House: People are in need all year round. Please remember to bring something to those with those who have nothing. You can always place your gift at the food pantry collection center in the vestibule of the Church.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Cindy Katz, Robert Strawder, Katie Putman, Roylene Lemons, the unemployed, the addicted, the poor, the weary, the depressed, the lonely, and those who have no one to pray for them.

“I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” St. John the Baptizer (Lk. 3:16)

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Thomas & India: Ancient Christian Roots

2011-12-21T09:26:00.000-08:00

On this Wednesday in the fourth week of Advent, we remember St. Thomas the Apostle, known by many as “doubting Thomas."

Tradition has it that St. Thomas traveled to India, and in India, it is believed that he landed in 52 A.D. in Cranganore near Cochin, which was at that time an important seaport on the Malabar Coast, having trade connections with the Middle East.

The Mar Thoma Church (“Mar Thoma” is Aramaic for “St. Thomas”) is one of the oldest Christian groups in the world dating back to the late first century. The Mar Thoma Church defines itself as “Apostolic in origin, Catholic in nature, Biblical in faith, Evangelical in principle, Ecumenical in outlook, Oriental in worship, Democratic in function, Episcopal in character and is a Reformed Church.”

In recent times, the Mar Thoma Church entered into dialogue with the Anglican Church in India. A concordat was agreed upon in 1961 establishing Communion relationship between the two Churches. It was also agreed that in the consecration of Bishops by either Church the Bishops of the other Church shall participate. Thus ministry of the two Churches was mutually accepted in full. Later the Lambeth Conference declared acceptance of the ministry and full communion relationship. Thus the Mar Thoma Church is in full communion relationship with the Anglican Communion all over the world.

In recent years in the United States, when parishes of the Mar Thoma Church were organized here, agreements were made between the Metropolitan of the Mar Thoma Church and the Episcopal Church by which they will provide pastoral care for the members of the Mar Thoma Church in those countries, whenever necessary.

Let us pray: Almighty and everliving God, who strengthened your apostle Thomas with sure and certain faith in your Son's resurrection: Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting in your sight; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Remember you can always check the Daily Reflections at http://staugustineofhippogalveston.blogspot.com/ if you would like check or to share calendar reminders.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Christmas Services: Christmas Eve, 5 p.m., Rite II; Christmas Day, 9 a.m., Rite II.

Food Pantry for St. Vincent’s House: People are in need all year round. Please remember to bring something to those with those who have nothing. You can always place your gift at the food pantry collection center in the vestibule of the Church.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Cindy Katz, Robert Strawder, Katie Putman, Roylene Lemons, the unemployed, the addicted, the poor, the weary, the depressed, the lonely, and those who have no one to pray for them.

“Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words.” —St. Francis of Assisi, (1182-1226)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Advice for a Less Civil World

2011-12-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

The Epistle selection for this the Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Advent is taken from Paul’s letter to a Titus. Paul writes:

But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine. Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, prudent, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.

Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.

Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us. (Titus 2:1-8).

Have you noticed that in our day and age, and especially during the Christmas season, that people are less civil and they have forgotten how to be polite? All you have to do is to get out on the roads. People are always cutting others off, and they do so without even signaling. When you get to your destination and try to park, people are jockeying for parking spots nearly running others down to get the best spot. Turn on the TV and I have no doubt you will encounter young people using foul language and dressed like, well you can fill that in.

In the midst of this world, Paul gives us some sound advice: be temperate, be prudent, be loving, do not slander, do not over indulge in drink, love your spouses and children, have integrity, be chase, watch your mouth, and exercise self-control. The world would be a much better place is we adhered to Paul’s advice.

Let us pray: Almighty God, whose loving hand has given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor you with our substance, and, remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Remember you can always check the Daily Reflections at http://staugustineofhippogalveston.blogspot.com/ if you would like check or to share calendar reminders.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Christmas Services: Christmas Eve, 5 p.m., Rite II; Christmas Day, 9 a.m., Rite II.

Food Pantry for St. Vincent’s House: People are in need all year round. Please remember to bring something to those with those who have nothing. You can always place your gift at the food pantry collection center in the vestibule of the Church.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Cindy Katz, Robert Strawder, Katie Putman, Roylene Lemons, the unemployed, the addicted, the poor, the weary, the depressed, the lonely, and those who have no one to pray for them.

“Let us, therefore, foresake the vanity of the crowd and their false teachings, and turn back to the word delivered to us from the beginning.”—St. Polycarp of Smyrna (69-155)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Nothing Is Impossible With God

2011-12-19T07:18:00.000-08:00

In this Monday of the fourth week of Advent, the appointed Gospel is taken from Luke, which presents to us the familiar story of Jesus’ birth. Today we start out with Jesus’ cousin, John:

In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.

Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at the time of the incense-offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.’ The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.’

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary. When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. When his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, ‘This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.’ (Lk. 1: 5-25).

In the Gospel according to Luke, God turns things on their head and let’s us know that nothing is impossible with God. In a culture where men were in charge, women play a prominent role. In a society where men spoke, a man is rendered mute. Today’s reading makes that clear. Zechariah is a priest who doesn’t believe God’s messenger, Gabriel. It is not that he doubts, Zechariah refuses to believe asking for proof in the presence of an angel. Unlike Mary who is perplexed and afraid when Gabriel visits her asking “How can this be?,” Zechariah says “How will I know that this is so?” When God makes the impossible a reality, perhaps we should wait until we speak, and let the magnificence of God’s majesty and power simply be as we bask in His infinite love.

Let us pray: Merciful God, you send your messengers to us in many forms, give us grace to hear Your word and to revel in the power of Your infinite love as shown to us in Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Christmas Services: Christmas Eve, 5 p.m., Rite II; Christmas Day, 9 a.m., Rite II.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Cindy Katz, Robert Strawder, Katie Putman, Roylene Lemons, the unemployed, the addicted, the poor, the weary, the depressed, the lonely, and those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

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

God has saved His “people from the east country and from the west country” in Jesus

2011-12-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

The Old Testament reading for today comes from the Book of Zechariah. It picks up on a reoccurring theme in the Old Testament, God’s concern for those who have no voice, for those who vulnerable and weak:

The word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear. They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. Just as, when I called, they would not hear, so, when they called, I would not hear, says the Lord of hosts, and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and a pleasant land was made desolate.

The word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness. (Zechariah 7:8-8:8)

The prophets continually tell the people of Israel that keeping faith with God means caring for those who have no voice, the weak, the widow and the orphan. Yet Israel does not listen to God’s messengers, to His prophets. Advent is a reminder of us of how the weak and oppressed awaited the coming of the Messiah. The Messiah did come; he came as one of us to be one with us. We remember the promises made to Israel in the Old Testament and we rejoice because God has saved His “people from the east country and from the west country” in Jesus, the Christ. God has remained faithful and righteous. Rejoice!

Let us pray: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The Advent Series (Hope, Peace, Joy and Love) continues this Sunday after the service. This is the last in the series, and this Sunday we will reflect on Love.

Christmas Schedule: Christmas Eve, Saturday, 24 December, Rite II, 5 p.m. Christmas Day, 25 December, Rite II, 9 a.m.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Cindy Katz, Robert Strawder, Katie Putman, Roylene Lemons, the unemployed, the addicted, the poor, the weary, the depressed, the lonely, and those who have no one to pray for them, and we pray in thanksgiving especially for all of those marked with the sign of faith, especially Nora and Stanislawa and for John who expresses Christ’s love by his generosity.

“O God of our fathers, and Lord of mercy, who has made all things with your word, and ordained man through your wisdom, that he should have dominion over the creatures which you have made, give me wisdom that sits by your throne so that I might understand what is your will and be saved. For I am your servant. Amen.” — St. Cyril, 9th century apostle to the Slavic people

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. John of the Cross, Mystic

2011-12-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

In this Wednesday in the third week of Advent, the Church remembers St. John of the Cross who was born in Spain in 1542 as Juan de Yepes Alvarez. Although John was a Roman Catholic priest of the Carmelite order who lived during the time the Reformation, he is still honored by the Anglican Communion because of his life of prayer and his works on mystical theology. He is considered one of the foremost poets in the Spanish language. Two of them, the Spiritual Canticle and Dark Night of the Soul are considered by many to be among the best poems ever written in Spanish.

John of the Cross also wrote four treatises on mystical theology, two of them concerning the two poems above, and supposedly explaining the meaning of the poems verse by verse and even word by word. Ascent of Mount Carmel is a systematic study of the ascetical endeavor of a soul looking for perfect union with God. Living Flame of Love describes a greater intimacy, as the soul responds to God's love.

St. John of the Cross died on this day in 1591.

Let us pray: Judge eternal, throned in splendor, you gave Juan de la Cruz strength of purpose and mystical faith that sustained him even through the dark night of the soul: Shed your light on all who love you, in unity with Jesus Christ our Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The Advent Series (Hope, Peace, Joy and Love) continues every Sunday after the service.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Cindy Katz, Robert Strawder, Katie Putman, Roylene Lemons, the unemployed, the addicted, the poor, the weary, the depressed, the lonely, and those who have no one to pray for them.

“In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.”—John of the Cross

Your servant in Christ,

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

Keep Watch!

2011-12-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

The Gospel reading for this Tuesday in the third week of Advent captures the theme of the season, watchful expectation for the second coming of Jesus. Matthew writes:

“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” (Mt. 24: 26-44).

Watch, be ready—that’s the message in today’s Gospel reading. Part of watching and waiting is simply doing what Jesus asks us to do. Jesus, knowing the Old Testament extremely well, tells us what we should do. We have been praying this every Sunday during Advent as we use Rite I, Jesus' summary of the Law which can be found in the Book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. Jesus tells us to love the Lord, our God with all all hearts, all our souls and all our minds, and the second commandment is like unto it, we should love our neighbors as ourselves. Do that, and you’ll be ready when Jesus comes again in power an great glory.

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 Advent Series (Hope, Peace, Joy and Love) continues every Sunday after the service.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Katie, Roylene, Robert, the unemployed, the poor, the weary, the depressed, the lonely, and those who have no one to pray for them.

“You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life. We will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.” —Dame Cicely Saunders

Your servant in Christ,

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

Consider the Poor

2011-12-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

In this Monday of the third week of Advent, one of the appointed Psalms for the Daily Office is the 41st Psalm where the Psalmist prays:

Happy are those who consider the poor;
the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble.
The Lord protects them and keeps them alive;
they are called happy in the land.
You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.
The Lord sustains them on their sickbed;
in their illness you heal all their infirmities.
As for me, I said, ‘O Lord, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you.’
My enemies wonder in malice
when I will die, and my name perish.
And when they come to see me, they utter empty words,
while their hearts gather mischief;
when they go out, they tell it abroad.
All who hate me whisper together about me;
they imagine the worst for me.
They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me,
that I will not rise again from where I lie.
Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted,
who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.
But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them.
By this I know that you are pleased with me;
because my enemy has not triumphed over me.
But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence for ever.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.Amen and Amen.

In this time of waiting, waiting for the Lord to come, we hear how God is concerned for the poor and the sick, for those who are unable to care for themselves. Amidst the noise and distractions of the world during this season, commercials of music boxes playing a tune and then cars with red bows being given as Christmas gifts, the maniacal lady shopping, stop and focus on what God is concerned with, consider the poor, those who are infirmed and fragile.

Let us pray: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The Advent Series (Hope, Peace, Joy and Love) continues every Sunday after the service.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Katie, Roylene, Robert, the unemployed, the poor, the weary, the depressed, the lonely, and those who have no one to pray for them.

“All our life is like a day of celebration for us; we are convinced, in fact, that God is always everywhere. We work while singing, we sail while reciting hymns, we accomplish all other occupations of life while praying.” —Clement of Alexandria

Your servant in Christ,

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

The Lord, Your Redeemer

2011-12-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

The Old Testament reading for today’s Eucharist comes from the 48th chapter of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah who writes:

Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you for your own good,
who leads you in the way you should go.
O that you had paid attention to my commandments!
Then your prosperity would have been like a river,
and your success like the waves of the sea;
your offspring would have been like the sand,
and your descendants like its grains;
their name would never be cut off
or destroyed from before me. (Isa. 48: 17-19).

Today’s selection comes from what Scripture scholars call “deutero” or “second” Isaiah, that being chapters 40 to 55, because these chapters are believed to have been written by an anonymous prophet toward the end of the Babylonian exile (around 586 to 538 years before Christ) who was a follower of the prophet Isaiah. From this section come the Servant Songs, which are reflected in the New Testament understanding of the passion and glorification of Christ.

Isaiah is truly to prophet for Advent; it calls us to repentance and to follow the way of the Lord. It reminds us that God does not abandon His people, although His people often abandon God. God is the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. God is also with us, Emmanuel.

Let us pray: O Lord our Redeemer, come with great might among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The Advent Series (Hope, Peace, Joy and Love) continues every Sunday after the service.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Katie, Roylene, Robert, the unemployed, the poor, the weary, the depressed, the lonely, and those who have no one to pray for them.

“The dogma of the Incarnation is the most dramatic thing about Christianity, and indeed, the most dramatic thing that ever entered the mind of man; but if you tell people so, they stare at you in bewilderment.” —Dorothy Sayers

Your servant in Christ,

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

Let anyone who has ears listen!

2011-12-08T12:31:00.000-08:00

In this Thursday in the second week of Advent, we hear from the Gospel according to Matthew where Jesus tells the crowd:

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’”

“Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen!” (Matt. 11: 7-15).

“Let anyone who has ears listen.” Advent is a time for listening, listening to the voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. During this Advent season, we take time to “clean out our ears” so that we may hear that voice. We clean out the obstacles to hearing the voice, obstacles like the commercialism that has tried its best to kidnap the season and the “what is in it for me” attitude. Let anyone who has ears listen!

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

Advent Series: “Hope, Peace, Joy & Love” every Sunday at 11:00 A.M. in the parlor.

Christmas Services: Christmas Eve Rite II at 5:00 P.M. Christmas Day Rite II at 9:00 A.M.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Katie, Robert, Fr. John Bedingfield, all of those looking for work, the poor, the ill, the lonely and those who have no one to pray for them.

“Work as if everything depended upon your work, and pray as if everything depended upon your prayer.” —William Booth (Founder of the Salvation Army)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Baptized, Ordained Deacon, Priest & Bishop in One Week: St. Ambrose

2011-12-07T15:26:00.000-08:00

Today the Church remembers St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, and friend of our own St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo.

Ambrose had a successful career as a lawyer; he was governor of Milan and then thrust into being Bishop of Milan. In 374, the Bishop of Milan died. The recently deceased bishop had supported the heresy that said Jesus was not divine. Who would take the dead bishop’s place – someone who didn’t believe Jesus was also divine or someone who believed Jesus was true God and true man? Both sides met in the cathedral and a riot broke out.

Since public order was Ambrose's responsibility as governor, he hurried to the cathedral and made a passionate speech not in favor of either side, but in favor of peace. He begged the people to make their choice without fighting; they urged them to use restraint and moderation.
Suddenly, while he was speaking, a voice called out, "Ambrose for bishop!" Soon everyone was shouting, "Ambrose for bishop!"

The other bishops of the province were only too happy to have the controversial decision taken out of their hands, but Ambrose was not about to give up a successful career for the dangerous position of bishop - a life- threatening occupation in those days. So Ambrose ran away.

When Ambrose appealed to the Emperor to overturn the decision on the basis that he had not even been baptized yet, the Emperor answered that he was happy that he chose governors fit for the Episcopal office. At the age of 33, Ambrose was baptized, ordained deacon, ordained priest and ordained bishop in one week!

Ambrose died on this day in 397.

Let us pray: O God, who gave your servant Ambrose grace eloquently to proclaim your righteousness in the great congregation, and fearlessly to bear reproach for the honor of your Name: Mercifully grant to all bishops and pastors such excellence in preaching and faithfulness in ministering your Word, that your people may be partakers with them of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

We remember on this day all of those who perished at the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and for everyone who has given their life in service to their country.

The Advent Series (Hope, Peace, Joy and Love) continues every Sunday after the service.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Katie, Roylene, Robert, the unemployed, the poor, the weary, the depressed, the lonely, and those who have no one to pray for them.

The Church's foundation is unshakable and firm against the assaults of the raging sea. Waves lash at the Church but do not shatter it. Although the elements of this world constantly batter and crash against her, she offers the safest harbor of salvation for all in distress. —Ambrose (339-397)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Channing Moore Williams, Bishop of Japan

2011-12-02T08:36:00.000-08:00

During this first week of Advent, the Church remembers and honors a missionary to China, Channing Moore Williams. He was born in 1829 in Richmond, Virginia. Williams was educated at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, and went to seminary at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. Upon the completion of his studies in Alexandria, he was ordained a deacon in 1855.

The Episcopal Church sent Williams to China, where he was ordained priest in 1857. In 1859 Williams was sent to Nagasaki, Japan.

In 1866, Williams was consecrated the bishop of China and Japan. The governments of both countries restricted access to Westerners who were very mistrusted. Christian missionaries, in particular, were watched with suspicion, as they were suspected by the government of being spies for their own respective governments. Christianity was legally banned in Japan since the 16th century. Christian clergymen were allowed into Japan, but only in the capacity as chaplains to the few Western diplomats that were allowed access to the Japanese government.

In 1868, the Meiji Restoration opened Japanese society to the West. Interaction between Christian missionaries and native Japanese became much easier. As a result, Bishop Williams decided to take advantage of the new political situation to concentrate his efforts on that country. China was not abandoned, however. Williams’ friend, Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewski, was elected bishop of China in 1874. Thereafter, Bishop Williams’ Episcopal jurisdiction was centered in Japan, and he moved his office to Tokyo, which had become the capital of the new Meiji government.

Williams’ success in Japan is well documented. He oversaw the translation of the Book of Common Prayer into Japanese and founded St. Paul’s University in Tokyo. He also assisted Bishop Schereschewski in the translation of the Book of Common Prayer into Chinese. In 1887 at a synod held in Tokyo, Williams brought together missionaries from England and the United States, along with native communicants, to form the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, or the Holy Catholic Church of Japan. Today, the Japanese Church, with its native clergy and bishops, is an important constituent province of the Anglican Communion.

In 1889, Bishop Williams’ health began to fail. He asked for a successor, but this was not granted until the appointment of John McKim as the second bishop of Japan in 1893. Williams retired to Kyoto, where he continued to offer assistance to his Bishop McKim as needed. He returned to the United States in 1908, having been away from the land of his birth for 52 years. He died in Richmond on 2 December 1910.

Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your servant Channing, whom you called to preach the Gospel to the peoples of Asia. Raise up, we pray, in this and every land heralds and evangelists of your kingdom, that your Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

WORLD AIDS DAY: 1 DECEMBER

During this week we remember all of those who suffer from HIV/AIDS. Christian leaders are calling for continued support for the nearly 34 million people living with HIV around the world and encouraging renewed education and advocacy efforts to bring an end to the global pandemic.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Dr. Rowan Williams, speaking from the Congo in Africa said the following in a video statement:

The conflict in Congo has made it hideously clear that sexual violence is one of the great tools of war in our age; one of the great means by which people humiliate and subdue others. The women in Congo, especially in this part of Congo, have suffered dreadfully because of this. And the connection between sexual violence of this kind and the spread of HIV/AIDS is one of the most shameful facts of our day.

Trauma is something which cannot be overcome overnight but when people feel they’ve been abandoned by families, by communities, because of the shame and stigma of HIV/AIDS, the church in this part of Congo has been there for them.

For these people, who have been abused systematically, been raped, violated, abducted often at the youngest of ages – for these people, the church has been the family that mattered. The church has been the community that has given them back the dignity that they need. The church has given them the hope that they need.

As we seek to confront the terrible scandal of sexual violence as one of the causes of HIV/AIDS, let’s hope and pray that communities like the churches here will continue to fight as hard as they can against the stigmatising and marginalising that so reduce human dignity.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity of listening to the experience of women here – grateful, though it has been hard to hear. I hope the world will be able to hear what is being said here and to see what is being done here.

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson issued a joint letter for World AIDS Day 2011, saying that the two churches have embarked upon a new age of full communion:

World AIDS Day is an opportunity for each of us to reflect on God's call to lift up the dignity and value of each person. … We are called to confront this pandemic - whose scale has no precedent in human history - through prayer, by speaking out to eliminate stigma and discrimination against those living with HIV and AIDS, by caring for those afflicted by the virus in our own communities, by advocating for strong government support of life-saving programs, and by supporting the global effort to alleviate the global systems of poverty within which HIV and AIDS is so endemic. … We are part of a global family of 150 million Anglicans and Lutherans, most living in developing countries, for whom the virus is an ever-present daily reality. … This is an opportunity for us to remember the 30 million lives that have been lost to the deadly pandemic over the past three decades, to rededicate our energies in support of those 34 million living with HIV and AIDS today and to work toward building a future without AIDS.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Hope, Peace, Joy & Love: The Advent Adult Education Series, Sundays at 11:00 a.m. in the parlor behind the sacristy. Join us as we explore the Advent themes on our Advent banner.

Organ Extravaganza at Trinity Episcopal Church in Galveston, Saturday, 3 December: 6:30-7:15 p.m.—Self-guided tours of the historic sanctuary. 7:30-8:00 p.m.—Performance by The Sons of Orpheus. 8:00 p.m.—Pipe Organ Extravaganza, Ronald Wyatt, concert organist. Following the performance—Reception with refreshments in historic Eaton Hall. Stained glass jewelry from the Tiffany window will also be on sale. Tickets are $10.

Galveston Heritage Chorale, Barbara Tucker and A Chosen Few will hold a concert Sunday, 4 December at 6 p.m. at Moody Methodist Church. There is no admission charge, but donations are welcome.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially for the family of Carrie Walpole, a young woman of 35 who died suddenly of a brain aneurysm; we pray for her husband, Daryl, and their sons, Billy and Tommy, as they mourn the loss of wife and mother; we pray for Robert Strawder who is in critical condition from burns, for Charles Lemons' wife, Roylene, who suffered a fall and is in the hospital, those seeking work, for the ill, for the poor, the hungry and those of who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

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

You Know Not When

2011-11-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

Our daily appointed readings this Advent continue with Peter’s second letter wherein he writes:

This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you; in them I am trying to arouse your sincere intention by reminding you that you should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles. First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts and saying, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!’ They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless.

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. (2 Peter 3: 1-10)

Peter echoes a theme from the Gospel taken from Mark that we heard on the first Sunday of Advent: the day of the Lord will come, but no one knows when it will come. To be sure, throughout history, people have tried to determine when Christ will come again. We’ve witnessed that recently when Harold Camping claimed that Christ would return on 21 May 2011. When it did not happen as he predicted, he claimed that he got his calculations wrong. He re-did them and came up with 21 October 2011 as the day. Yet the Gospels are clear, and Peter reminds us today, no one knows the day or the hour. Rather than try to figure out when Christ will come again, we should live our lives in the anticipation that Christ will come again. As one priest friend of mine once said, “when Jesus comes, I want him to find me busy doing his work.” Advent reminds us that Christ will come again. Advent also reminds us that we have to live for Christ in the present, and part of that requires that we reform our lives, forsake that which separates us from the love of God, others and self, that being sin, and believe in the Good News, that Christ has already come to redeem us.

Let us pray: Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Hope, Peace, Joy and Love: The Advent Adult Education Series, Sundays at 11:00 a.m. in the parlor behind the sacristy. Join us as we explore the Advent themes on our Advent banner.

Organ Extravaganza at Trinity Episcopal Church in Galveston, Saturday, 3 December: 6:30-7:15 p.m.—Self-guided tours of the historic sanctuary. 7:30-8:00 p.m.—Performance by The Sons of Orpheus. 8:00 p.m.—Pipe Organ Extravaganza, Ronald Wyatt, concert organist. Following the performance—Reception with refreshments in historic Eaton Hall. Stained glass jewelry from the Tiffany window will also be on sale. Tickets are $10.

Galveston Heritage Chorale, Barbara Tucker and A Chosen Few will hold a concert Sunday, 4 December at 6 p.m. at Moody Methodist Church. There is no admission charge, but donations are welcome.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially for the family of Carrie Walpole, a young woman of 35 who died suddenly of a brain aneurysm; we pray for her husband, Daryl, and their sons, Billy and Tommy, as they mourn the loss of wife and mother; we pray for those seeking work, for the ill, for the poor, the hungry and those of who have no one to pray for them.

“Your accumulated offences do not surpass the multitude of God's mercies: your wounds do not surpass the great Physician's skill.” —Cyril of Jerusalem (c.315-386)

Your servant in Christ,

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

The Faith Handed Down from the Apostles

2011-11-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

In today’s Epistle selection, we continue with Peter’s second letter where he writes:

Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1: 12-21).

Peter knows that he will die soon. It is because he knows that his death is imminent that Peter wants to reinforce what he taught to those early Christians. Peter reminds them that he was an eye witness to Jesus’ ministry, to his life, death and resurrection. By way of example, Peter recounts what he himself experienced with James and John at the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain top that we read about in the Gospel. Peter reiterates the importance of what he witnessed and what he has passed on to them and to us. The Apostles’ experience of Christ is contained in Scripture. That experience is also handed down to us through time by tradition and teaching stemming all the way back to the time of the Apostles and to the Apostles themselves. This is done through the Church, the community of believers. One cannot be a Christian in isolation; rather, faith must be live out in community, and this community finds its roots in the teaching and preaching of the Apostles. We are a Church of the Apostolic succession.

Let us pray: Almighty Father, who inspired Saint Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Hope, Peace, Joy and Love: The Advent Adult Education Series, Sundays at 11:00 a.m. in the parlor behind the sacristy. Join us as we explore the Advent themes on our Advent banner.

Organ Extravaganza at Trinity Episcopal Church in Galveston, Saturday, 3 December: 6:30-7:15 p.m.—Self-guided tours of the historic sanctuary. 7:30-8:00 p.m.—Performance by The Sons of Orpheus. 8:00 p.m.—Pipe Organ Extravaganza, Ronald Wyatt, concert organist. Following the performance—Reception with refreshments in historic Eaton Hall. Stained glass jewelry from the Tiffany window will also be on sale. Tickets are $10.

Galveston Heritage Chorale, Barbara Tucker and A Chosen Few will hold a concert Sunday, 4 December at 6 p.m. at Moody Methodist Church. There is no admission charge, but donations are welcome.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially for all of those who are traveling this week, for Nikki and Luke who had their marriage blessed last Sunday, for those seeking work, for the ill, for the poor, the hungry and those of who have no one to pray for them.

“Now may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal high priest himself, the Son of God Jesus Christ, build you up in faith and truth and in all gentleness and in all freedom from anger and forbearance and steadfastness and patient endurance and purity.” —Polycarp of Smyrna (69-156)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Keeping on the Right Path

2011-11-28T16:35:00.000-08:00

The appointed Epistle in the daily prayer of the Church is taken from Peter’s second letter, and he gives us sound advice about keeping on the right path to a deeper relationship with God:

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 Peter 1: 1-11).

In his second letter, Peter gives excellent counsel to church communities. He gives us the steps to keep on the right track toward a deeper relationship with Christ: faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, mutual affection and love. Peter is quite frank by telling us that if we lack these things, we are “short-sighted” and even “blind”. But rest assured in the knowledge that God gives us His grace to keep on the right track—just follow the steps laid out for you and live in Advent hope for the coming of Christ.

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

Hope, Peace, Joy and Love: The Advent Adult Education Series, Sundays at 11:00 a.m. in the parlor behind the sacristy. Join us as we explore the Advent themes on our Advent banner.

Galveston Heritage Chorale, Barbara Tucker and A Chosen Few will hold a concert Sunday, 4 December at 6 p.m. at Moody Methodist Church. There is no admission charge, but donations are welcome.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially for all of those who are traveling this week, for Nikki and Luke who had their marriage blessed last Sunday, for those seeking work, for the ill, for the poor, the hungry and those of who have no one to pray for them, and in thanksgiving for all of God's blessings.

“Prayer and sacrifice can touch souls better than words.” —Sister Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Suffering for the Sake of Conscience

2011-11-25T06:22:00.000-08:00

On this day after Thanksgiving, Peter gives us sound counsel about doing what is right:

Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. (1Peter 3: 13-22)

Peter equates your suffering for doing good with Jesus’ suffering on the cross for the sins of the world, including your sins. We participate in Christ’s suffering when we when we suffer for the sake of conscience and doing God’s will. That is good company to be in.

Let us pray: O God our Father, whose Son forgave his enemies while he was suffering shame and death: Strengthen those who suffer for the sake of conscience; when they are accused, save them from speaking in hate; when they are rejected, save them from bitterness; when they are imprisoned, save them from despair; and to us your servants, give grace to respect their witness and to discern the truth, that our society may be cleansed and strengthened. This we ask for the sake of Jesus Christ, our merciful and righteous Judge. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Advent begins next Sunday. The liturgical color changes to purple and we will use Rite I.

This Sunday we will bless the marriage of Nikki and Luke Blount.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially for all of those who are traveling this week, for Nikki and Luke who will have their marriage blessed this Sunday, for those seeking work, for the ill, for those who are recovering from surgery, especially Duane, for the poor, the hungry and those of who have no one to pray for them, and in thanksgiving for all of God's blessings.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Happy Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-24T07:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

Each of us has so much to be thankful for. On this day especially, remember to give thanks to God from whom all blessings flow.

Let us pray: Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we beseech thee, faithful stewards of thy great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Clement of Rome

2011-11-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

Today the Church remembers one of the early Bishops of Rome, Clement. He is the third bishop of Rome, and his predecessors were Linus and Cletus (or Anacletus, or Anencletus), about whom almost nothing is known. They are simply names on a list.

James Kiefer tells us that Clement is a little more than a name on a list because he wrote a letter to the Corinthians, which was highly valued by the early church, and has been preserved to the present day. The letter itself does not carry his name, but is merely addressed from the congregation at Rome to the congregation at Corinth. However, a letter from Corinth to Rome a few decades later refers to “the letter we received from your bishop Clement, which we still read regularly.” Other early writers are unanimous in attributing the letter to Clement. One story about Clement is that he was put to death by being tied to an anchor and thrown into the sea. Accordingly, he is often depicted with an anchor, and many churches in port towns intended to minister chiefly to mariners are named for him.

Here are the opening lines of Clement’s letter to the Corinthians, and from the 16th chapter of the letter Clement’s discussion of Christ’s humility:

The Church of God which sojourns at Rome, to the Church of God sojourning at Corinth, to those who are called and sanctified by the will of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you, and peace, from Almighty God through Jesus Christ, be multiplied. …

For Christ is of those who are humble-minded, and not of those who exalt themselves over His flock. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sceptre of the majesty of God, did not come in the pomp of pride or arrogance, although He might have done so, but in a lowly condition, as the Holy Spirit had declared regarding Him. … He is a man exposed to stripes and suffering, and acquainted with the endurance of grief: for His countenance was turned away; He was despised, and not esteemed. He bears our iniquities, and is in sorrow for our sakes; yet we supposed that [on His own account] He was exposed to labor, and stripes, and affliction. But He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; [every] man has wandered in his own way; and the Lord has delivered Him up for our sins, while He in the midst of His sufferings opens not His mouth. He was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before her shearer is dumb, so He opens not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth. For the transgressions of my people was He brought down to death.

Let us pray: Almighty God, who chose your servant Clement of Rome to recall the Church in Corinth to obedience and stability: Grant that your Church may be grounded and settled in your truth by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and may evermore be kept blameless in your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Advent begins next Sunday. The liturgical color changes to purple and we will use Rite I.

This Sunday we will bless the marriage of Nikki and Luke Blount.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially for all of those who are traveling this week, for Nikki and Luke who will have their marriage blessed this Sunday, for those seeking work, for the ill, for those who are recovering from surgery, especially Duane, for the poor, the hungry and those of who have no one to pray for them, and in thanksgiving for all of God's blessings.

“Who can describe the bond of God's love? Who is able to explain the majesty of its beauty? The height to which love leads is indescribable. … In love the master received us, Jesus Christ our Lord, in accordance with God’s will gave his blood for us, and his flesh for our flesh, and his life for our lives.” —St. Clement of Rome (c. 96)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Give Thanks Even in Troubled Times

2011-11-21T06:24:00.000-08:00

In this last week of the liturgical year, we hear from the First Letter of Peter. He begins his letter:

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated, when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look! (1 Pet. 1: 1-12).

Peter speaks of difficult times and holding fast to the faith. In today’s world, there are many who are undergoing difficult times. Many are out of work; others are making less than they did before. Moreover, the holiday season is upon us and the culture around us places a secular, a materialistic value on the Thanksgiving and Christmas Seasons. Peter reminds us what Thanksgiving is truly about: “Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

So this week, remember and give thanks for the gift of salvation, for “by his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Now that is something to be thankful about.

Let us pray: Gracious Father we give you most hearty thanks for the innumerable benefits received through the life, death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, send Your Holy Spirit to sanctify our thanks and all that we do. Amen.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE OUR THANKSGIVING LUNCH SUCH A WONDERFUL FEAST! The food and the fellowship were wonderful! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Advent begins next Sunday. The liturgical color changes to purple and we will use Rite I.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially for all of those who are traveling this week, for Kelly and Andy who were married on Saturday, for those seeking work, for the ill, for those who are recovering from surgery, especially Duane, for the poor, the hungry and those of who have no one to pray for them.

Thou who hast given so much to me, give me one more thing... a grateful heart!” -- George Hebert (1593-1633)

Your servant in Christ,

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

The One Lost Sheep

2011-11-18T06:04:00.000-08:00

In today’s appointed Gospel reading from Matthew, we read about how God seeks out the one lost sheep:

‘Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. (Mt. 18: 10-14).

You may ask, “What shepherd in his right mind would leave the 99 behind to find the one last sheep? Isn’t the shepherd exposing the other sheep to the wolves?” God does not view things the way we do. The 99 that the Shepherd leaves behind did not stray. They remain because they trust the Shepherd; they are in the enclosure of the Shepherd’s divine love. However, the one that has strayed is outside the enclosure; he is the one who is exposed to the wolves. We, the sheep of God’s fold, stray from time to time, and I for one am glad that He comes looking for me.

Let us pray: O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people; Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Friday night adult art class - this Friday the 18th, from 6 pm to 8 pm with wine and snacks. It is a group project: a banner for Advent. This class is free.

Saturday morning art class, we will be making Christmas ornaments on Saturday the 19th from 10 am to noon. This class is free and open to ages 10 and up. Come help make ornaments for the church tree, a few for your home and some to give as gifts.

Ladies Bible Study – The group meets Sundays at 4:00 pm. Please feel free to attend whether or not you have met with this group in the past – you will be welcomed!

Would you like to host breakfast one Sunday? There are Sundays available on the schedule for November and December if you are interested in hosting breakfast fellowship. Just sign up on the calendar posted in the kitchen and include your phone number. Questions? Talk to Jo Bremer, 409 621-6153.

Thanksgiving Day Pot Luck Lunch-Sunday, 20 November after the service. Please bring a dish to share. We will also have a brief Bishop’s Committee meeting.

Trinity Episcopal Church in Galveston is very happy to let you know that they are once again holding our Organ Extravaganza on Saturday, 3 December beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially the family of Benita Willey who was buried today, Catherine and Walter who were married on Friday, Luke and Nikki who were married on Saturday, and Kelly and Andy who will be married this Saturday, all of those seeking work, the ill, those who are alone, and those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Are You a Stumbling Block?

2011-11-17T18:56:00.000-08:00

The appointed Gospel reading for today is taken from Matthew’s Gospel and it is an admonition to those who profess to follow Jesus:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling-block comes! (Mt. 18: 1-7)

Children are trusting. To be a follower of Jesus means that we must place our trust in him. This is difficult for adults who may be calloused and cynical; nevertheless, Jesus asks you and me to put our trust in him even when it may be difficult to do so. It requires humility. Then Jesus issues a warning to those of us who profess to be his followers. When we fail to put our trust in Jesus, and place our trust in ourselves and our institutions, we can become a stumbling block to others. When we put ourselves ahead of Jesus, we can cause scandal to others. Sometimes those of us in the Church who profess to be Jesus’ followers fail to provide an example of trust. How have we failed; how have we been a stumbling block to non-believers?

Let us pray: Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Friday night adult art class - this Friday the 18th, from 6 pm to 8 pm with wine and snacks. It is a group project: a banner for Advent. This class is free.

Saturday morning art class, we will be making Christmas ornaments on Saturday the 19th from 10 am to noon. This class is free and open to ages 10 and up. Come help make ornaments for the church tree, a few for your home and some to give as gifts.

Ladies Bible Study – The group meets Sundays at 4:00 pm. Please feel free to attend whether or not you have met with this group in the past – you will be welcomed!

Would you like to host breakfast one Sunday? There are Sundays available on the schedule for November and December if you are interested in hosting breakfast fellowship. Just sign up on the calendar posted in the kitchen and include your phone number. Questions? Talk to Jo Bremer, 409 621-6153.

Thanksgiving Day Pot Luck Lunch-Sunday, 20 November after the service. Please bring a dish to share. We will also have a brief Bishop’s Committee meeting.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially the family of Benita Willey who was buried today, Catherine and Walter who were married on Friday, Luke and Nikki who were married on Saturday, and Kelly and Andy who will be married this Saturday, all of those seeking work, the ill, those who are alone, and those who have no one to pray for them.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Queen Margaret of Scotland (1045-1093)

2011-11-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

Today the Church honors Margaret of Scotland. Margaret was an English princess who had sailed to Scotland to escape the king who had conquered their land. King Malcolm of Scotland welcomed them and fell in love with the beautiful princess, and they were married.

As queen, Margaret changed her husband and the country for the better. Malcolm was good, but he and his court were, to say the least, very rough. When he saw how wise his wife was, he listened to her good counsel. She softened his temper and led him to a virtuous life. The couple provided a wonderful example to everyone by the way they prayed together and cared for the poor.

Margaret had six sons and two daughters; the youngest boy became St. David.

Let us pray: O God, who called your servant Margaret to an earthly throne that she might advance your heavenly kingdom, and gave her zeal for your church and love for your people: Mercifully grant that we who commemorate her this day may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious crown of your saints; though Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Friday night adult art class - this Friday the 18th, from 6 pm to 8 pm with wine and snacks. It is a group project: a banner for Advent. This class is free.

Saturday morning art class, we will be making Christmas ornaments on Saturday the 19th from 10 am to noon. This class is free and open to ages 10 and up. Come help make ornaments for the church tree, a few for your home and some to give as gifts.

Ladies Bible Study – The group meets Sundays at 4:00 pm. Please feel free to attend whether or not you have met with this group in the past – you will be welcomed!

Would you like to host breakfast one Sunday? There are Sundays available on the schedule for November and December if you are interested in hosting breakfast fellowship. Just sign up on the calendar posted in the kitchen and include your phone number. Questions? Talk to Jo Bremer, 409 621-6153.

Thanksgiving Day Pot Luck Lunch-Sunday, 20 November after the service. Please bring a dish to share. We will also have a brief Bishop’s Committee meeting.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Samuel Seabury: First Bishop in the United States of America

2011-11-14T07:20:00.000-08:00

Today the Episcopal Church remembers Samuel Seabury (1729-1796) who was the first bishop consecrated on this day in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1784 for the young United States of America.

He was born in Groton, Connecticut in 1729. His father, also Samuel Seabury (1706–1764), originally a Congregationalist minister in Groton, was ordained deacon and priest in the Church of England in 1731, and was a rector in New London, Connecticut, from 1732 to 1743, and in Hempstead, Long Island, from 1743 until his death.

Samuel Seabury (the son) graduated from Yale in 1748, and studied theology with his father. He studied medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland from 1752 to 1753 and was ordained deacon by the bishop of Lincoln and priest by the bishop of Carlisle in 1753. Seabury was rector of Christ Church, New Brunswick, New Jersey from 1754 to 1757, rector in Jamaica, New York from 1757 to 1766, and of St Peter's, Westchester, New York from 1766 to 1775.

After the Revolutionary War, Seabury was consecrated to the Episcopate by the Bishop and the Bishop Coadjutor of Aberdeen and the Bishop of Ross and Caithness, becoming part of the unbroken chain of bishops that links the Church today with the Church of the Apostles.

Seabury promised the Bishops of Scotland that he would do his best to persuade the American Church to use the Scottish Book of Common Prayer which was taken largely unchanged from the 1549 Book of Common Prayer.

Let us pray: Eternal God, you blessed your servant Samuel Seabury with the gift of perseverance to renew the Anglican inheritance in North America: Grant that, joined together in unity with our bishops and nourished by your holy Sacraments, we may proclaim the Gospel of redemption with apostolic zeal; through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Friday night adult art class - this Friday the 18th, from 6 pm to 8 pm with wine and snacks. It is a group project: a banner for Advent. This class is free.

Saturday morning art class, we will be making Christmas ornaments on Saturday the 19th from 10 am to noon. This class is free and open to ages 10 and up. Come help make ornaments for the church tree, a few for your home and some to give as gifts.

Ladies Bible Study – The group meets Sundays at 4:00 pm. Please feel free to attend whether or not you have met with this group in the past – you will be welcomed!

Would you like to host breakfast one Sunday? There are Sundays available on the schedule for November and December if you are interested in hosting breakfast fellowship. Just sign up on the calendar posted in the kitchen and include your phone number. Questions? Talk to Jo Bremer, 409 621-6153.

Thanksgiving Day Pot Luck Lunch-Sunday, 20 November after the service. We will also have a brief Bishop’s Committee meeting.

“By everything true, everything holy, you are your brother's keeper.”—Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury (1801-1885)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Who Do You Say that I Am?

2011-11-11T07:11:00.000-08:00

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, in today’s Gospel reading, we hear the question that Jesus asks all of us, “Who do you say that I am?”

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. (Mt. 16: 13-20).

Who do you say that Jesus is? What is your relationship with Jesus? Are you distantly acquainted with Jesus or are you very close? In today’s reading, Peter comes up with the right answer, but he did not come up with it on his own. Rather, it was through God’s grace that Peter came to know that Jesus was the Messiah. You and I come to Jesus through the grace of God. We have to be open to God’s grace. Being open to the grace of God deepens our relationship with Jesus. Who do you say that he is?

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.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially all of our Veterans on this Veterans Day, for those seeking work, for those who are ill, for the lonely, for those fighting addictions, and for those who have no one to pray for them.

“A heavenly light more brilliant than all others sheds its radiance everywhere, and he who was begotten before the morning star and all the stars of heaven, Christ, mighty and immortal, shines upon all creatures more brightly than the sun.” —Hippolytus of Rome (c.170-c.236)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Leo the Great: Leadership in a Time of Crisis

2011-11-10T05:24:00.000-08:00

Today the Church remembers Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome in the 5th century. He was bishop there at a time of upheaval in Rome and he provided leadership at a time of great distress, a time when barbarian armies were ravaging the once mighty Roman Empire. The old Roman Empire was in total political and military collapse and there was a vacuum of political leadership. Leo filled the void and became the advocate for the temporal as well as spiritual needs of his flock. Leo even negotiated with Attila the Hun convincing Attila to abandon his plans to sack Rome and to withdraw his forces beyond the Danube river. Leo once again was the spokesperson for the Romans in 455 when the Vandal barbarians swept into Central Italy, securing concessions from them.

He was also instrumental in his teaching regarding the nature of Jesus Christ (Christology) and his being true God and true man.

Let us pray: O Lord our God, grant that your Church, following the teaching of your servant Leo of Rome, may hold fast the great mystery of our redemption, and adore the one Christ, true God and true Man, neither divided from our human nature nor separate from your divine Being; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and or ever. Amen.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially those looking for employment, for the ill, for those who are alone, and for those who have no one to pray for them.

“For all, regenerated in Christ, are made kings by the sign of the cross; they are consecrated priests by the oil of the Holy Spirit, so that beyond the special service of our ministry as priests, all spiritual and mature Christians know that they are a royal race and are sharers in the office of the priesthood. For what is more king-like that to find yourself ruler over your body after having surrendered your soul to God? And what is more priestly than to promise the Lord a pure conscience and to offer him in love unblemished victims on the altar of one's heart?”—Leo the Great (391-461)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Setting Aside Our Prejudices

2011-11-08T02:43:00.000-08:00

The Gospel section for today is taken from Matthew’s Gospel and we read about the persistence of a woman who approaches Jesus:

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly. (Matthew 15:21-28)

The Canaanites and the Jewish people did not get along. For the Canaanite woman to approach Jesus, she must have put aside her prejudices against the Jewish people. Imagine how she must have felt when Jesus responded the way he did when he said: “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” Wow! Yet, the Canaanite woman did not revert to her prejudices; rather, she said: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” What was Jesus doing? Was Jesus being mean? Was he testing her? His response was one of love: “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly. Sometimes you and I have to set aside our prejudices when we approach Jesus. Sometimes our prejudices keep us away from Jesus. The example of the Canaanite woman is a strong one for those of us who find it difficult to come to Jesus because of something we refuse to let go of.

Let us pray: Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly thine, utterly dedicated unto thee; and then use us, we pray thee, as thou wilt, and always to thy glory and the welfare of thy people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

“Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak.” —Jonathan Edwards

Your servant in Christ,

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

The vine the Lord has planted is spreading.

2011-11-07T04:20:00.000-08:00

One of the appointed Psalms for today is Psalm 80, and the Psalmist prays:

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it. …
You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches;
it sent out its branches to the sea,
and its shoots to the River.
Turn again, O God of hosts;
look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
the stock that your right hand planted.
They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down;
may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.
But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,
the one whom you made strong for yourself.
Then we will never turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call on your name.

All around continental Europe and England, the Church is certainly not what it was in years past. Many churches are near empty. People are turning away from their Christian faith in high numbers. In fact, the BBC had a documentary on that very topic yesterday.

So yesterday I wanted to go to a regular neighborhood parish. I worshipped at Christ Church in Spitalfields, London. It was built from 1714 to 1729 when the Church of England had a “build 50 churches program” for London because there was a concern that those living on the fringes of London would be un-churched. The parish is in a mixed neighborhood including Bengali immigrants and steps away from the financial district. The parish describes itself as follows: “Christ Church Spitalfields is a diverse, growing Anglican Church, full of passionate disciples, discovering the difference that a relationship with God through Jesus Christ can make in our lives, as we reach out to the local community around our beautiful church.” It’s true! There were young and old, and people from different cultural backgrounds. It is a parish dedicated to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and implementing the Gospel in their lives. People were welcoming. The worship service was contemporary; the music was a mix of old and new. Children were about the place. The preaching was authentic and moving. The parish is reaching out to the community around it. It is the living Church!

In many ways, it is like our own St. Augustine in Galveston, a community of faith where people from different backgrounds and walks of life have a common life of faith being transformed by the love of God through Jesus’ death and resurrection, living in the Holy Spirit and working to build the Kingdom of God where we live. In recent weeks we have invited those on the Island to our 3rd Annual Art Show, the Community Garden project continues to build, we have prepared snack packages for the clients of St. Vincent's House, and Carol Freeman is taking high school students to a leadership conference at Texas A&M. We continue to celebrate God's work in our lives through our Eucharistic Services with our contemporary music and traditional jazz services.

So despite the empty pews in some churches, and the drastic news from the BBC, the vine the Lord has planted remains and it is spreading its branches. Preaching the Gospel of Christ and living out our relationship with Christ in the world around us is life giving. We shout: "Give ear o Shepherd of Israel and lead your people. Water the vine which you have planted."

Let us pray: Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for this parish family. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE SATURDAY A GREAT SUCCESS! With your wonderful work, we are able to help the victims of the wildfires in Texas, the Community Garden and our major maintenance fund for the church structure.

You can always check out the Daily Reflections at http://staugustineofhippogalveston.blogspot.com/

“Who can describe the bond of God's love? Who is able to explain the majesty of its beauty? The height to which love leads is indescribable. … In love the master received us, Jesus Christ our Lord, in accordance with God's will gave his blood for us, and his flesh for our flesh, and his life for our lives.”—St. Clement of Rome (c. 96)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Living at the Whim of Others: An Empty Life

2011-11-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

In today’s Gospel for the Daily Office (the readings for morning and evening prayer), we hear about peer pressure:

At that time Herod the ruler heard reports about Jesus; and he said to his servants, ‘This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.’ For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because John had been telling him, ‘It is not lawful for you to have her.’ Though Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded him as a prophet. But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and she pleased Herod so much that he promised on oath to grant her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, ‘Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.’ The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given; he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. The head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who brought it to her mother. His disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went and told Jesus. (Mt. 14: 1-12).

John the Baptizer speaks truth to power. He caused a problem for Herod and his new wife, but Herod was afraid to dispose of John because he was “afraid of the crowds.” But when it came to what his friends thought, Herod gave in and executed John. When we read this, no doubt many of us think to ourselves: “Herod was a weak man? He was supposed to be a powerful ruler, but in the end, he was afraid of what people thought of him.” What about us? How easily are we pushed by what others, especially our friends, may think of us? Sometimes we do or say things simply because we are afraid that if we don’t join in, we may suffer rejection. But living at the whim of others is an empty life. On the other hand, standing up for what is right, even if others reject us, is what God calls us to do. Sometimes the outcome may hurt, just ask John the Baptizer, but it is the right thing to do and you live a life of integrity.

Let us pray: O God our Father, whose Son forgave his enemies while he was suffering shame and death: Strengthen those who suffer for the sake of conscience; when they are accused, save them from speaking in hate; when they are rejected, save them from bitterness; when they are imprisoned, save them from despair; and to us your servants, give grace to respect their witness and to discern the truth, that our society may be cleansed and strengthened. This we ask for the sake of Jesus Christ, our merciful and righteous Judge. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THE FEAST OF ALL SAINTS, Sunday, 6 November, where all of those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith and who witnessed to us the Risen Christ will be remembered.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

THE FISH FRY & YARD SALE: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (proceeds for Church renovation/maintenance), and we are raffling a 32 inch flat screen TV (for the victims of the wildfires in Texas). We are starting to collect items for the yard sale benefiting the Community Garden so bring in your items. Dinner tickets are $7.50 each and the raffle tickets are $2 each of $5 for 3. The Yard Sale is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Donations for the yard sale can be brought to the church on Sundays, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or you can contact Karen at 409-762-0316 to arrange other times.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially Hugh who is recovering from surgery, all of those who are traveling, all of those seeking work, everyone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, for all who are alone, for those who have no one to pray for them, all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“All the ways of this world are as fickle and unstable as a sudden storm at sea.” —The Venerable Bede (673-735)

Your servant in Christ,

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

All Hallows Eve

2011-10-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

Today is the Eve of All Saints, or All Hallows Eve. The Feast of All Hallows (All Saints), used to be celebrated on 13 May until the mid-700s when it was changed to 1 November when All Saints Chapel was dedicated in Rome.

The observance of All Hallows Eve, the vigil of All Saint, depended on where you lived in Christendom. In Brittany, the night was solemn and without any merriment. They prayed by their loved ones’ graves during the day, attended church for “black vespers” in the evening and in some parishes proceeded to the cemetery to pray by the bones of those not yet buried or for whom no room could be found in the cemetery singing hymns. They prayed Psalm 130:

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.

Then, they retired for the night.

In Ireland and Scotland and England, All Hallows' Eve became a combination of prayer and merriment. During the time of Queen Elizabeth I, all observances connected with the day after All Saints Day, All Souls’ Day, were forbidden. In spite of her laws, however, customs survived; even Shakespeare in his Two Gentlemen of Verona has Speed tell Valentine that he knows he is in love because he has learned to speak “puling like a beggar at Hallowmas.”

Begging at the door grew from an ancient English custom of knocking at doors to beg for a “soul cake” in return for which the beggars promised to pray for the dead of the household. Soul cakes, a form of shortbread, with currants for eyes.

Although All Saints always falls on 1 November, the Church in the United States celebrates it on the Sunday immediately following 1 November; therefore, we will celebrate All Saints Day on Sunday, 6 November.

Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, who grants us to honor in one feast the merits of all Your saints, we beseech You that You would bestow upon us, through our many intercessors, that abundance of Your mercy for which we long, through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THE FEAST IF ALL SAINTS, Sunday, 6 November, where all of those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith and who witnessed to us the Risen Christ will be remembered.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

THE FISH FRY & YARD SALE: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (proceeds for Church renovation/maintenance), and we are raffling a 32 inch flat screen TV (for the victims of the wildfires in Texas). We are starting to collect items for the yard sale benefiting the Community Garden so bring in your items. Dinner tickets are $7.50 each and the raffle tickets are $2 each of $5 for 3. The Yard Sale is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Donations for the yard sale can be brought to the church on Sundays, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or you can contact Karen at 409-762-0316 to arrange other times.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially Hugh who is recovering from surgery, all of those who are traveling, all of those seeking work, everyone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, for all who are alone, for those who have no one to pray for them, all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“As no darkness can be seen by anyone surrounded by light, so no trivialities can capture the attention of anyone who has his eyes on Christ.” —St. Gregory of Nyssa (c.330-c.395)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Sts. Simon & Jude

2011-10-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Today the Church remembers and honors two apostles, Saints Simon and Jude. James Kiefer writes:

On the various New Testament lists of the Twelve Apostles (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13), the tenth and eleventh places are occupied by Simon the Zealot (also called Simon the “Cananean,” the Aramaic word meaning “Zealot”) and by Judas of James, also called Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. …

Some ancient Christian writers say that Simon and Jude went together as missionaries to Persia, and were martyred there. If this is true, it explains, to some extent, our lack of historical information on them and also why they are usually put together.

Simon is not mentioned by name in the New Testament except on these lists. Some modern writers have used his surname as the basis for conjectures associating him, and through him Jesus and all His original followers, with the Zealot movement described by Josephus, a Jewish independence movement devoted to assassination and violent insurrection. However, there were many movements that were called Zealot, not all alike, and Josephus tells us (Jewish War 4,3,9) that the movement he is describing did not arise until shortly before the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.

Judas (often called Jude in English, but the Greek has Judas) is variously named, but this is not surprising. Before the Crucifixion, there would be a need to distinguish him among the apostles from Judas Iscariot, and after the Crucifixion there would be an additional reason for being emphatic about the distinction. “Thaddaeus” is possibly a variant of “Theudas,” which in turn is perhaps used as a Greek equivalent of “Judas”. … After the Last Supper it was Jude who asked Our Lord why he chose to reveal Himself only to the disciples. He received the reply: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:22f).

The New Testament Epistle of Jude was written by “Judas the brother of James,” which could refer to either Jude. In any case, we commemorate on this day (1) Simon the Zealot, one of the original Twelve; (2) Judas of James (also called Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus), also one of the original Twelve; and (3) Jude (or Judas) the brother of James and author of the Epistle, without settling the question of whether (2) and (3) are the same person.

The Epistle of Jude is a brief document addressed to the Church, and warns against corrupt influences that have crept in. It has some obscure and baffling references to old Jewish traditions, but it includes a memorable exhortation to “contend for the faith once delivered to the saints,” and an even more memorable closing: “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding great joy, to the only wise God, or Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

Let us pray: O God, we thank you for the glorious company of the apostles, and especially on this day for Simon and Jude; and we pray that, as they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so we may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

JOINT MISSION EFFORT BETWEEN ST. AUGUSTINE & HOLY SPIRIT IN HOUSTON: The Youth from Holy Spirit in Houston will be at St. Augustine’s on Saturday, 29 October at 10:00 a.m. to help us pack snack bags for the visitors at St. Vincent’s House. We will celebrate Eucharist as well. Please join in if you can.

THE FISH FRY & YARD SALE: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (proceeds for Church renovation/maintenance), and we are raffling a 32 inch flat screen TV (for the victims of the wildfires in Texas). We are starting to collect items for the yard sale benefiting the Community Garden so bring in your items. Dinner tickets are $7.50 each and the raffle tickets are $2 each of $5 for 3. The Yard Sale is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Donations for the yard sale can be brought to the church on Sundays, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. or you can contact Karen at 409-762-0316 to arrange other times.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially Hugh who is recovering from surgery, everyone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“Surely it is worthwhile to lay ourselves out with all our might in promoting the cause and kingdom of Christ.” —William Carey (17 August 1761 – 9 June 1834)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Fertile Soil

2011-10-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

I am back from our 2011 Diocese of Texas Clergy Conference at Camp Allen which was wonderful, and I bring back greetings from Bishop Doyle and Bishop Harrison! We visited about the wonderful happenings at St. Augustine of Hippo in Galveston, and they could not be more delighted. I also had the opportunity to visit with representatives from the Diocese of Southern Malawi who were present at Clergy Conference, but more on that later.

In today’s Daily Office Gospel selection, we hear from the Gospel according to Matthew where we hear the parable of the sower:

‘Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’ (Mt. 13: 18-23).

At St. Augustine, the seed is being sown in fertile soil! What a community of faith we have at St. Augustine’s in Galveston. It was with great joy that I was able to convey the wonderful things happening at St. Augustine’s to Bishop Doyle and all of the clergy at conference. One of the most wonderful things is the new Women’s Bible Study with Jillian Bain. What a joy, people being immersed into the Word of God. I also told everyone about our third annual art show and how that event allowed St. Augustine to be a place where different views met. The Bishop and clergy were also very excited to hear about SASS, as well as the upcoming Fish Fry, Yard Sale and TV raffle. St. Augustine is a place where the seed has been planted in fertile soil.

Let us pray: Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for this parish family. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

LINK UP WITH THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF TEXAS: It’s easy to do. To sign up for the Diolog E-News here's the link: www.tinyurl.com/diologenews.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

JOINT MISSION EFFORT BETWEEN ST. AUGUSTINE & HOLY SPIRIT IN HOUSTON: The Youth from Holy Spirit in Houston will be at St. Augustine’s on Saturday, 29 October at 10:00 a.m. to help us pack snack bags for the visitors at St. Vincent’s House. We will celebrate Eucharist as well. Please join in if you can.

THE FISH FRY & YARD SALE: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (proceeds for Church renovation/maintenance), and we are raffling a 32 inch flat screen TV (for the victims of the wildfires in Texas). We are starting to collect items for the yard sale benefiting the Community Garden so bring in your items. Dinner tickets are $7.50 each and the raffle tickets are $2 each of $5 for 3.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially Hugh who is recovering from surgery, everyone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“Remember there's nothing so difficult and no stronghold so impregnable that it can't be broken down (and you built up) by Love.”— St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)

Your servant in Christ,

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

"Bring me a letter Mr. Postman."

2011-10-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

Today we read the end of Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians. Not how personal he is, especially noting that he is writing the letter in his own hand:

If Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord just as I am; therefore let no one despise him. Send him on his way in peace, so that he may come to me; for I am expecting him with the brothers.

Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but he was not at all willing to come now. He will come when he has the opportunity.

Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

Now, brothers and sisters, you know that members of the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints; I urge you to put yourselves at the service of such people, and of everyone who works and toils with them. I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence; for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. So give recognition to such people.

The churches of Asia send greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, greet you warmly in the Lord. All the brothers and sisters send greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Let anyone be accursed who has no love for the Lord. Our Lord, come! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus. (1 Cor. 16: 10-24).

I don’t know about you, but not only like to receive real handwritten letters, but I also like to write them. They are not dashed off quickly like emails which use all sorts of short hand notations. Letters are not like texting which has even more abbreviated language—YKWIM? LOL!

Imagine the Corinthians receiving Paul’s letter. They’re excited to get word from Paul. They open it, and read it to everyone assembled. They read it again when they gather to worship. Every time they gather, they recall his words to them: “Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” They ponder Paul’s words in their hearts waiting to hear from him again. In the meantime, they re-read Paul's letter.

As we read Paul’s words, let us receive them just as the Corinthians did when they first opened the letter written in his own hand.

Let us pray: Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

LINK UP WITH THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF TEXAS: It’s easy to do. To sign up for the Diolog E-News here's the link: www.tinyurl.com/diologenews.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

JOINT MISSION EFFORT BETWEEN ST. AUGUSTINE & HOLY SPIRIT IN HOUSTON: The Youth from Holy Spirit in Houston will be at St. Augustine’s on Saturday, 29 October at 10:00 a.m. to help us pack snack bags for the visitors at St. Vincent’s House. We will celebrate Eucharist as well. Please join in if you can.

THE FISH FRY & YARD SALE: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (proceeds for Church renovation/maintenance), and we are raffling a 32 inch flat screen TV (for the victims of the wildfires in Texas). We are starting to collect items for the yard sale benefiting the Community Garden. Dinner tickets are $7.50 each and the raffle tickets are $2 each of $5 for 3.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially for everyone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“Wherever we find the Word of God surely preached and heard, and the sacraments administered according to the institution of Christ, there, it is not to be doubted, is a church of God.” —John Calvin

Your servant in Christ,

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

In Times of Need

2011-10-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

Today we hear how church communities help each other in a time of need. Paul writes to the church in Corinth:

Now concerning the collection for the saints: you should follow the directions I gave to the churches of Galatia. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come. And when I arrive, I will send any whom you approve with letters to take your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.

I will visit you after passing through Macedonia—for I intend to pass through Macedonia— and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way, wherever I go. I do not want to see you now just in passing, for I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. (1 Cor. 16: 1-9).

Paul begins with directing the Corinthians about a charitable collection on a particular occasion, the distresses and poverty of Christians in Judea, which at this time were extraordinary, partly through the general calamities of that nation and partly through the particular sufferings to which they were exposed. Paul also did the same with the Galatians. Paul also does the same with us. Our brothers and sisters in Bastrop are in need after the terrible wildfires. We are carrying out Paul’s instructions with our raffle of the TV in conjunction with the Fish Fry where we will send the proceeds of the raffle to help our fellow Christians.

Let us pray: O merciful Father, who hast taught us in thy holy Word that thou dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men: Look with pity upon the sorrows of thy servants who are victims of the wildfires for whom our prayers are offered. Remember them, O Lord, in mercy, nourish their souls with patience, comfort them with a sense of thy goodness, lift up thy countenance upon them, and give them peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

LINK UP WITH THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF TEXAS: It’s easy to do. To sign up for the Diolog E-News here's the link: www.tinyurl.com/diologenews.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

JOINT MISSION EFFORT BETWEEN ST. AUGUSTINE & HOLY SPIRIT IN HOUSTON: The Youth from Holy Spirit in Houston will be at St. Augustine’s on Saturday, 29 October at 10:00 a.m. to help us pack snack bags for the visitors at St. Vincent’s House. We will celebrate Eucharist as well. Please join in if you can.

THE FISH FRY & YARD SALE: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (proceeds for Church renovation/maintenance), and we are raffling a 32 inch flat screen TV (for the victims of the wildfires in Texas). We are starting to collect items for the yard sale benefiting the Community Garden. Dinner tickets are $7.50 each and the raffle tickets are $2 each of $5 for 3.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially for everyone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Luke the Evangelist

2011-10-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

Today we remember St. Luke the Evangelist. Here are the opening lines from the Gospel according to Luke:

Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed. (Lk. 1:1-4).

Remember that he also wrote the Acts of the Apostles. Here are the opening lines of the Act of the Apostles:

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the course of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’

So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ (Acts 1: 1-8).

Luke’s writing style is that of a historian of his day. In both accounts, he addresses “Theophilus” meaning, “the lover of God.” His account reaches out not only to the Jewish people, but also to the Gentiles, but to all those who love God. The birth narratives are written from the women’s perspective. We read of Mary’s visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. We hear the Magnificant (“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…”). From Luke we learn about the angel appearing to Mary. Both the Gospel account and Acts are very rich encounters with God, His Christ, and the birth of the Church.

Let us pray: Almighty God, who inspired your servant Luke the physician to declare in the Gospel the love and healing power of your Son: Graciously continue in your Church the same love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of your Name; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

LINK UP WITH THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF TEXAS: It’s easy to do. To sign up for the Diolog E-News here's the link: www.tinyurl.com/diologenews.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

JOINT MISSION EFFORT BETWEEN ST. AUGUSTINE & HOLY SPIRIT IN HOUSTON: The Youth from Holy Spirit in Houston will be at St. Augustine’s on Saturday, 29 October at 10:00 a.m. to help us pack snack bags for the visitors at St. Vincent’s House. We will celebrate Eucharist as well. Please join in if you can.

THE FISH FRY & YARD SALE: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (proceeds for Church renovation/maintenance), and we are raffling a 32 inch flat screen TV (for the victims of the wildfires in Texas). We are starting to collect items for the yard sale benefiting the Community Garden. Dinner tickets are $7.50 each and the raffle tickets are $2 each of $5 for 3.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially for everyone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“Let us remember the poor, and not forget kindness to strangers; above all, let us love God with all our soul, and might, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves.” —St. Athanasius (296-373)

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Ignatius of Antioch

2011-10-17T07:31:00.000-07:00

Today the Church remembers one of the early bishops of the Church, Ignatius of Antioch who died on this day in 107. James Kiefer writes:

After the Apostles, Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch in Syria. His predecessor, of whom little is known, was named Euodius. Whether he knew any of the Apostles directly is uncertain. Little is known of his life except for the very end of it. Early in the second century (perhaps around 107 AD, during the reign of the Emperor Trajan), he was arrested by the Imperial authorities, condemned to death, and transported to Rome to die in the arena. By thus dealing with a leader, the rulers hoped to terrify the rank and file. Instead, Ignatius took the opportunity to encourage them, speaking to groups of Christians at every town along the way. When the prison escort reached the west coast of Asia Minor, it halted before taking ship, and delegations from several Asian churches were able to visit Ignatius, to speak with him at length, to assist him with items for his journey, and to bid him an affectionate farewell and commend him to the grace of God. In response he wrote seven letters that have been preserved: five to congregations that had greeted him, en masse or by delegates (Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Philadelphians, and Smyrnaeans), one to the congregation that would greet him at his destination (Romans), and one to Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna and disciple of the Apostle John.

His letters are available in several modern translations. Perhaps the most accessible is the Penguin Paperback, Early Christian Writings, translated by Maxwell Staniforth. The themes with which he is chiefly concerned are (1) the importance of maintaining Christian unity in love and sound doctrine (with warnings against factionalism and against the heresy of Docetism -- the belief that Christ was not fully human and did not have a material body or really suffer and die), (2) the role of the clergy as a focus of Christian unity, (3) Christian martyrdom as a glorious privilege, eagerly to be grasped.

Let us pray: Almighty God, we praise you for your bishop and martyr Ignatius of Antioch, who offered himself as grain to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts that he might present to you the pure bread of sacrifice. Accept the willing tribute of our lives, and give us a share in the pure and spotless offering of your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

THE FISH FRY & YARD SALE: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (proceeds for Church renovation/maintenance), and we are raffling a 32 inch flat screen TV (for the victims of the wildfires in Texas). We are starting to collect items for the yard sale benefiting the Community Garden. Dinner tickets are $7.50 each and the raffle tickets are $2 each of $5 for 3.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially for everyone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“The cross of Christ is the true ground and chief cause of Christian hope.” —Leo the Great (400-461)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Hand It Down!

2011-10-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

In the Epistle reading from the Daily Office, Paul gives a concise summary of the faith that he handed on to the Corinthians, a “creed”:

Now I should remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas [Peter], then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe. (1 Cor. 15: 1-11).

“Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.” That pretty much says it all in a nutshell. Paul wants the Corinthians, and us, to hold on to that faith, to make it their own, our own. Paul knew that he was saved by God’s grace. As he says, he persecuted those who believe in Jesus, but after Paul encountered the forgiveness of the Risen Christ, he was transformed and lived into his call to be an Apostle.

The faith that we share was handed down to you and to me by others, others whose lives were transformed by Jesus. Now it is our turn to pass along the Good News of Jesus, to tell others, as Paul did, that “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.”

Let us pray: Everliving God, whose will it is that all should come to you through your Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him, that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

WE HAVE MADE OUR CONTRIBUTION TO NETSFORLIFE! Thank you to everyone who worked to reach this goal. You have helped to make a difference in the lives of people remembering that Jesus called us to love one another as He has loved us.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

THE FISH FRY: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (proceeds for Church renovation/maintenance), and we are raffling a 32 inch flat screen TV (for the victims of the wildfires in Texas).

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially for everyone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“Let us, therefore, forsake the vanity of the crowd and their false teachings, and turn back to the word delivered to us from the beginning.” — St. Polycarp of Smyrna (69 – 155)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Let Us Do Our Best in Worship

2011-10-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

Today Paul picks up where he left off yesterday. He continues his discussion on the liturgy. Paul writes:

What should be done then, my friends? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn; and let one interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let them be silent in church and speak to themselves and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to someone else sitting nearby, let the first person be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged. And the spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets, for God is a God not of disorder but of peace.

As in all the churches of the saints, anyone who claims to be a prophet, or to have spiritual powers, must acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord. Anyone who does not recognize this is not to be recognized. So, my friends, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues; but all things should be done decently and in order. (1 Cor. 26-33, 37-40).

Once again, Paul says that the liturgy is to build up the community of faith and to praise God. Although we are far from perfect, I believe that we are faithful to Paul’s words at St. Augustine. Our liturgy strives to praise God. I believe we also work to build up the community of faith through preaching. Let us do the best that we can at every worship service!

Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift: Send down upon our bishops, clergy, and upon the congregations committed to their charge, the healthful Spirit of thy grace: and, that they may truly please thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honor of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

THE FISH FRY: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (proceeds for Church renovation/maintenance), and we are raffling a 32 inch flat screen TV (for the victims of the wildfires in Texas).

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially for everyone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“The future is as bright as the promises of God.” —Adoniram Judson, (1788-1850)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Liturgical Prayer

2011-10-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

Today we hear from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. There is a lot to unpack here, so fasten your seat belt! Paul writes:

Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unproductive. What should I do then? I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the mind also; I will sing praise with the spirit, but I will sing praise with the mind also. Otherwise, if you say a blessing with the spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say the ‘Amen’ to your thanksgiving, since the outsider does not know what you are saying? For you may give thanks well enough, but the other person is not built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind, in order to instruct others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking; rather, be infants in evil, but in thinking be adults. In the law it is written,

‘By people of strange tongues
and by the lips of foreigners
I will speak to this people;
yet even then they will not listen to me,’
says the Lord. Tongues, then, are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if all prophesy, an unbeliever or outsider who enters is reproved by all and called to account by all. After the secrets of the unbeliever’s heart are disclosed, that person will bow down before God and worship him, declaring, ‘God is really among you.’ (1 Cor. 14: 13-25).

The purpose of liturgical prayer (like the Eucharist), is (1) to worship God, (2) to build up the community of faith, and (3) to instruct the faithful. So today Paul is telling us that praying in tongues is certainly a gift from God and can be a valuable aspect of one’s prayer life; it was a part of his prayer life. However, Paul discourages it in the liturgical setting because he questions whether it builds up the community. If there is no one to interpret, how do the other present, especially those who do not have the gift, understand what is being prayed?

Take this as an example, if the priest was to pray the Eucharist prayer of consecration in tongues, Paul would say that was not appropriate for the liturgy because there would be those, especially outsiders who would not understand the prayer and its significance. On the other hand, Paul would say that praying in tongues during an individual prayer for healing would be appropriate because that prayer is particular to the individual.

So, let us pray for our community at St. Augustine’s: Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for this family of faith. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GLADYS ON HER 93RD BIRTHDAY: Watch over thy child Gladys, O Lord, as her days increase; bless and guide her wherever she may be. Strengthen her when she stands; comfort her when discouraged or sorrowful; raise her up if she falls; and in her heart may thy peace which passeth understanding abide all the days of her life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

THE FISH FRY: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (proceeds for Church renovation/maintenance), and we are raffling a 32 inch flat screen TV (for the victims of the wildfires in Texas).

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“We are taught in an especial manner to pray that God would give his Holy Spirit unto us, that through his aid and assistance we may live unto God in that holy obedience which he requires at our hands.” —John Owen, Pneumatologia (reprinted as The Holy Spirit), 1664

Your servant in Christ,

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

Sometimes It's Not So Easy

2011-10-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

In today’s Gospel selection from the Daily Office, we hear from the Gospel according to Matthew:

“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” (Mt. 10: 16-23)

Jesus knew that there would be times when the culture as a whole would be hostile to Christianity. It was certainly that way in the Early Church which experienced persecutions. It was a time when people were put to death because of their faith in Christ. To be sure, there are parts of the world where Christians are put to death because of their faith in Christ. Just this past Sunday, 17 Coptic Christians were killed in Cairo, Egypt. They were protesting the torching of a Christian Church and the burning and looting of Christian-owned homes and businesses by a Muslim mob in Aswan, Upper Egypt, on 30 September 2011. Thousands of Christians and Muslim sympathizers held demonstrations in Cairo to demand equal treatment, protection of the property of Christians and restraint on military rule.

However, Christian persecution can be subtle at times, maybe even not so subtle, especially in the West. Many in our modern culture reject the values of Christianity thinking them outdated, or even the adherents to be ignorant and naïve. We are called to stand up as Christians and to profess our faith. That’s not so easy to do sometimes. Jesus knew that living out the Gospel’s call to love God, neighbor and self would run into opposition. Doing the right thing, the loving thing, is not free. Sometimes the price is very high. Just ask Jesus.

Let us pray: O God our Father, whose Son forgave his enemies while he was suffering shame and death: Strengthen those who suffer for the sake of conscience; when they are accused, save them from speaking in hate; when they are rejected, save them from bitterness; when they are imprisoned, save them from despair; and to us your servants, give grace to respect their witness and to discern the truth, that our society may be cleansed and strengthened. This we ask for the sake of Jesus Christ, our merciful and righteous Judge. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen.

THE FISH FRY: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (proceeds for Church renovation/maintenance), and we are raffling a 32 inch flat screen TV (for the victims of the wildfires in Texas).

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“By everything true, everything holy, you are your brother's keeper.” —Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury (1801-1885)

Your servant in Christ,

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

What Is Love?

2011-10-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

Today’s Epistle reading for the Daily Office is well known and is often used at weddings. It is a beautiful description of what love really is:

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13: 1-13).

Love never ends and it can endure all things because God is love. Love is God’s gift to us; it is a gift of Himself in the person of Jesus Christ who gave his all for you and for me, and the expression of the eternal aspect of that love is made real in his Resurrection. The relationships that count are eternal.

Let us pray: Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be our salvation who by his death and resurrection showed us Your love o Father: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen.

THE FISH FRY: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (proceeds for Church renovation/maintenance), and we are raffling a 32 inch flat screen TV (for the victims of the wildfires in Texas).

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“May the Holy Spirit be my personal guide always so that I will live only for Him. May I overflow in love so as to draw others to Christ and may His strength be perfected in my weakness.” —A prayer Cameron Townsend (1896-1982) learned from his father

Your servant in Christ,

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

We Are Co-Laborers with God

2011-10-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

We hear from the Gospel according to Matthew in today’s Daily Office selection:

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’ When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you.’ And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, ‘See that no one knows of this.’ But they went away and spread the news about him throughout that district.

After they had gone away, a demoniac who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, ‘Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.’ But the Pharisees said, ‘By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons.’ (Mt. 9: 27-34)

As it happens so often when there is a miraculous cure, Jesus tells the person that it is by their faith that they are cured. What this points to is that you and I are “co-operators” with God’s grace; we are “co-laborers” with God. God does not impose himself on the believer. Rather God invites us into fellowship with him; God invites us into his savings acts. The ultimate act of co-operation or co-laboring is the Incarnation where God and man become one in the person of Jesus Christ to accomplish the salvation of the world. God invites us to work with him.

Let us pray: Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born of Mary: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Tomorrow starting at 9:30 a.m. at St. Augustine with the Rev. Helen Appelberg.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall.

THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW: This is the last weekend!

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). St. Augustine is going green (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“I believe in Christianity as I believe in the rising sun; not because I see it, but by it I can see all else.”—C.S. Lewis (1898-1963)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Scripture for All: William Tyndale

2011-10-06T05:40:00.000-07:00

Today the Church remembers a man who was a reformer of the Church and who put Scripture at the center of his life and the life of many others, William Tyndale.

Tyndale was born in 1495 in Slymbridge near Wales. He studied at Magdalen College, Oxford, and at Cambridge. In 1521 he was ordained a priest.

A focus of his life and work as a scholar and priest was to translate the Bible into English. In 1525, Tyndale went to Germany and there he visited Martin Luther. Tyndale travelled from city to city, in exile, poverty, persecution, and constant danger. Tyndale wrote eloquently in favor of the view that salvation is a gift of God, freely bestowed, and not a response to any good act on the part of the receiver. His views are expressed in numerous pamphlets, and in the introductions to and commentaries on various books of the Bible that accompanied his translations.

In 1525, Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament was printed in Germany and smuggled into England. Of 18,000 copies, only two survive. In 1534, he produced a revised version, and began work on the Old Testament. In the next two years he completed and published the first five books of the Old Testament and the Book of Jonah. He then translated the books from Joshua through Second Chronicles; however, that ended because he tried for heresy, and put to death for having translated God’s Word into English.

Let us pray: Almighty God, you planted in the heart of your servant William Tyndale a consuming passion to bring the Scriptures to people in his native tongue, and endowed him with the gift of powerful and graceful expression and with strength to persevere against all obstacles: Reveal to us your saving Word, as we read and study the Scriptures, and hear them calling us to repentance and life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW: It last for 1 more week: Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. during Art Walk.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. at St. Augustine with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). St. Augustine is going green (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“The Church is the one institution that exists for those outside it.” –William Tyndale

Your servant in Christ,

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

The Sacred

2011-10-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

In today’s Daily Office reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, we read about one of the first Eucharistic prayers:

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If you are hungry, eat at home, so that when you come together, it will not be for your condemnation. About the other things I will give instructions when I come. (1 Cor. 11: 23-34).

The words of the first paragraph are familiar to each of us; they are the same words that we hear at our Sunday Eucharistic celebration.

What about the second and third paragraphs? These words may not be as familiar to us. What is Paul saying here? He is telling the Corinthians and us that when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we must realize the sacredness of our actions. This is not an ordinary meal; rather, Christ is present among us and we become one body in Christ.

Let us pray: Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy
mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW: It last for 1 more week: Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. during Art Walk.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. at St. Augustine with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). St. Augustine is going green (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

"Through Christ we see as in a mirror the spotless and excellent face of God." —Clement of Rome

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Francis of Assisi

2011-10-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

Today the Church remembers a favorite saint, Francis of Assisi. He was born in 1181 and died on this day in 1226. Francis was born into a fairly well to do family, and he spent his early years living a life of wine, women and song. He served in the military and had endured a serious illness. This prompted him to rethink his earlier years of a carefree life style.

Prayer, lengthy and difficult, led Francis to a self-emptying like that of Christ, climaxed by embracing a leper he met on the road. It symbolized his complete obedience to what he had heard in prayer: “Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh it is your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. And when you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter, but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy.”

Francis ultimately rejected all material goods after taking not only to heart, but literally, Jesus’ words to the rich man to sell all that he had and to follow Jesus.

Francis got his meals, not by begging for money, but by scrounging crusts and discarded vegetable from the trash, and by working as a day laborer, insisting on being paid in bread, milk, eggs, or vegetables rather than in money.

He was fond of saying that one should preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words.

Francis rebuilt an old church, San Damiano. He cared for the sick, especially lepers, who were outcasts during his day. He is also known for his love of animals and the environment.

Soon people gathered around him realizing that Francis lived as fully as one possibly could the Gospel of Christ. In 1210 he formed a religious order known as the Order of Friars Minor (quite literally, the “order of young or lesser brothers”). Today they are known as the Franciscans.

Let us pray: Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, grant your people grace gladly to renounce the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfect joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW: Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. It last for 1 more week: Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. during Art Walk.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. at St. Augustine with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall. Please pass the word along to those you know.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). St. Augustine is going green (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

FELLOWSHIP ON SUNDAYS: If you haven’t signed up yet, please do.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“Where there is Love and Wisdom, there is neither Fear nor Ignorance.
Where there is Patience and Humility, there is neither Anger nor Annoyance.
Where there is Poverty and Joy, there is neither Cupidity nor Avarice.
Where there is Peace and Contemplation, there is neither Care nor Restlessness.
Where there is the Fear of God to guard the dwelling, there no enemy can enter.
Where there is Mercy and Prudence, there is neither Excess nor Harshness.”

—Francis of Assisi

Your servant in Christ,

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

A Man of Courage in Our Time: Bishop George Bell

2011-10-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

Today we remember and honor a person of courage, George Kennedy Allen Bell who was born on 4 February 1883 and died on this day in 1958. Bell was an Anglican theologian, Dean of Canterbury, Bishop of Chichester, a member of the House of Lords and a pioneer of the Ecumenical Movement.

After the first World War, Bell became an initiator and promoter of the ecumenical movement. In 1919, at the first postwar meeting of the World Council of Churches in the Netherlands, Bell successfully encouraged the establishment of a commission for religious and national minorities. At the world churches conference in Stockholm in 1925, he helped in the realization of the “ecumenical advice for practical Christianity (Life and Work)”.

In 1929, Bell was appointed Bishop of Chichester. As Bishop, Bell linked his diocese and workers affected by the Great Depression.

After 1933, Bell became the most important international ally of the Confessing Church in Germany. In April of 1933, he publicly expressed the international church’s worries over the beginnings of the Nazis’ anti-semitic campaign in Germany. On 1 June 1934, Bell signed the Barmen Declaration which proclaimed that Christian belief and National Socialism were incompatibile and stated that pro-Nazi German Christians were false teachers.

During World War II, Bell condemned the Allied practice of area bombing. Bell was also one of the first British bishops to protest against the inhumane treatment of approximately 14 million Silesian, Pomeranian, East Prussian and Sudeten Germans expelled from their homes in East Germany.

In the 1950s, Bell opposed the atomic arms race and supported many Christian initiatives of the time opposed to the Cold War.

He was a man of our times and an example of Christian courage.

Let us pray: God of peace, you sustained your bishop George Bell with the courage to proclaim your truth and justice in the face of disapproval in his own nation: As he taught that we, along with our enemies, are all children of God, may we stand with Christ in his hour of grieving, that at length we may enter your country where there is no sorrow nor sighing, but fullness of joy in you; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW: Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. It last for 1 more week: Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. during Art Walk.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. at St. Augustine with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall. Please pass the word along to those you know.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). St. Augustine is going green (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

FELLOWSHIP ON SUNDAYS: If you haven’t signed up yet, please do.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“The cross of Christ is the true ground and chief cause of Christian hope.”—Leo the Great (400-461)

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Michael & All the Angels

2011-09-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

HELP! NO ONE HAS SIGNED UP TO HOST OUR FELLOWSHIP THIS SUNDAY. IF EVERYONE BRINGS A LITTLE SOMETHING, THERE WILL BE ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE.

Today the Church celebrates St. Michael and all the Angels. This day is also known as “Michaelmas”, and in England this semester of the academic year at Oxford and Cambridge is known as Michaelmas term.

The word “angel” is from the Greek work “ανγελος” (angelos) meaning “messenger”; so, an angel is God’s messenger. Michael in Hebrew means “who is like God?”

Scripture refers to God’s messengers. For example, Michael is mentioned in the Old Testament Book of Daniel: “At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (Dan. 12:1-2).

We also hear about Michael in the New Testament Book of Revelation: “And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” (Rev. 12: 7-9).

We see in the New Testament how God sends His messengers at critical times, for example, when the Angel Gabriel visited Zachariah and later Mary. To be sure, there are times in our lives when God send His messengers to show us the way or to give us comfort. So on this day, we celebrate God’s messengers who carry God’s love to us.

Let us pray: Everlasting God, who have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of angels and mortals: Mercifully grant that, as your holy angels always serve and worship you in heaven, so by your appointment they may help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW: Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. It last for 2 more weeks: Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. during Art Walk.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. at St. Augustine with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall. Please pass the word along to those you know.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). St. Augustine is going green (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

FELLOWSHIP ON SUNDAYS: If you haven’t signed up yet, please do.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
'Tis music in the sinner's ears,
'Tis life and health and peace.

—Charles Wesley, “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”

Your servant in Christ,

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

Being Means Doing

2011-09-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

In today’s Daily Office we hear from the seventh chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.”

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Mt. 7:13-21).

Matthew is more concerned with how one acts than in exactly what one believes. Simply calling upon the name of the Lord is not enough; rather, the follower of Jesus must, like Jesus himself, do the will of the Father. Doing the Father’s will is not easy. Today, Jesus tells us it is like entering a narrow gate; it can be a tight squeeze, and sometimes it will entail rejection by even those closest to us. Nevertheless, the follower of Jesus, the Christian, is called to do just that, the Father’s will. Those around us will be able to tell that we are His followers by fruit of our lives.

Let us pray: Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW: Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. It last for 2 more weeks: Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. during Art Walk.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall. Please pass the word along to those you know.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). St. Augustine is going green (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

FELLOWSHIP ON SUNDAYS: If you haven’t signed up yet, please do.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“It is not that I want merely to be called a Christian, but actually to be one. Yes, if I prove to be one, then I can have the name.”—Ignatius of Antioch (35-120)

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Vincent de Paul, Friend of the Poor

2011-09-27T05:06:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate the patron saint of an institution that embodies what St. Vincent de Paul was all about, St. Vincent’s House in Galveston.

Vincent was born in 1581 in Gascony, France. His parents were peasant farmers, and they worked hard to raise Vincent and his 4 brothers and 2 sisters. Vincent was an intelligent young man, so his father sought out an education for him.

Vincent studied humanities in Dax, France, with the Cordeliers and he graduated in theology at Toulouse. He was ordained when he was 20 years old.

Having had a taste of a life much different from his peasant upbringing, Vincent wanted to have a “successful career” as a priest, but he reconnected with his own peasant past. James Kiefer tells us that when Vincent was 30:

He accepted a post as chaplain and tutor in the household of Philip de Gondi, Count of Joigny. This brought him into contact with the peasants on the Gondi estate, and he became concerned for their needs, physical and spiritual. A peasant who believed himself to be dying confessed to him that his previous confessions for many years had been dishonest. Vincent began to preach in the local church on confession, repentance, forgiveness, and the love of God. His sermons drew such crowds of penitents that he had to call in a group of other priests to assist him. He took on the pastorship of a neighboring church attended by a more fashionable and aristocratic crowd, and there he likewise drew many of his listeners to repentance and amendment of life. Returning to Paris, he worked among the prisoners destined for the galleys who were being held at the Conciergerie.

In 1625 he established the Congregation of the Mission (now known as the Vincentians, or the Lazarists), a community of priests who undertook to renounce all ecclesiastical advancement and devote themselves to work in the small towns and villages of France. In an age not noted for "interdenominational courtesy," he instructed his missioners that Protestants were to be treated as brothers, with respect and love, without patronage or condescension or contentiousness. Wealthy men and women came to him, expressing a wish to amend their lives, and he organized them into a Confraternity of Charity, and set them to work caring for the poor and sick in hospitals and in home visits. In 1633 the Archbishop or Paris gave him the Priory of St Lazare as a headquarters. There he offered retreats six times a year for those who were preparing for the ministry. These lasted two weeks each, and each involved about eighty students. He then began to offer similar retreats for laypersons of all classes and widely varying backgrounds. He said (identifying Lazarus of the Parable with Lazarus of Bethany):

This house was formerly used as a retreat for lepers, and not One of them was cured. Now it is used to receive sinners, who are sick men coveed with spiritual leprosy, but are cured by the grace of God. Nay, rather, they are dead men brought back to life. What a joy it is to think that the house of St Lazare is a house of resurrection! Lazarus, after he had been four days in the tomb, came out alive, and our Lord who raised him up still gives the same grace to many who, after staying here some days as in the grave of Lazarus, come out with a new life.

Out of his Confraternity of Charity there arose an order of nuns called the Daughters (or Sisters) of Charity, devoted to nursing those who were sick and poor. He said of them, "Their convent is the sick-room, their chapel the parish church, their cloister the streets of the city." Many babies were abandoned in Paris every year, and when Vincent saw some of them, he established an orphanage for them, and thereafter often wandered through the slums, looking in corners for abandoned babies, which he carried back to the orphanage.

He complained to the King that ecclesiastical posts were distributed simply as political favors, and that the spiritual qualifications of the appointees were simply ignored. The King responded by creating a Council of Conscience to remedy the matter, with Vincent at the head. On one occasion, a noblewoman of the court, furious with Vincent because he refused to nominate her son for a position as bishop, threw a stool at him. He left the room with a stream of blood pouring from his forehead, and said to a companion who was waiting for him, "Is it not wonderful how strong a mother's love for her son can be?" He died 27 September 1660.

Let us pray: Loving God, we thank you for your servant Vincent de Paul, who gave himself to training clergy to work among the poor and provided many institutions to aid the sick, orphans and prisoners. May we, like him, encounter Christ in the needy, the outcast and the friendless, that we may come at length into your kingdom where you reign, one God, holy and undivided Trinity, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THE THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW: Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. It last for 2 more weeks: Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. during Art Walk.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: SATURDAY, 8 OCTOBER starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall. Please pass the word along to those you know.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“It is our duty to prefer the service of the poor to everything else and to offer such service as quickly as possible. If a needy person requires medicine or other help during prayer time, do whatever has to be done with peace of mind. Offer the deed to God as your prayer.... Charity is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to charity.” –Vincent de Paul

Your servant in Christ,

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

A Bishop and a Bible

2011-09-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

Today the Church remembers a scholarly Anglican and one of the translators of the King James Bible, Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester, England, who was born in 1555 and died in 1626. Everyone, in all likelihood, has a copy of this translation of sacred Scripture in the Family Bible with all of the family’s history. The translation also has some of the most memorable phrases in the English language, next to the Book of Common Prayer.

James Kiefer writes:

Lancelot Andrewes was on the committee of scholars that produced the King James translation of the Bible, and probably contributed more to that work than any other single person. It is accordingly no surprise to find him not only a devout writer but a learned and eloquent one, a master of English prose, and learned in Latin, Greek, Hebrew and eighteen other languages. His sermons were popular in his own day, but are perhaps too academic for most modern readers. He prepared for his own use a manuscript notebook of Private Prayers, which was published after his death. The material was apparently intended, not to be read aloud, but to serve as a guide and stimulus to devout meditation. What follows is a brief extract from the section for Thursday Morning. The reader will note that he commemorates three events associated with Thursday: (1) the creation of air and water animals (mostly birds and fish) on the Fifth Day of Creation as described in Genesis 1; (2) the institution of the Sacrament of the Lord's supper by Our Lord Jesus Christ on the evening before He was crucified (Matthew 26); and (3) the Ascension of Our Lord into heaven forty days after His resurrection (Acts 1):

COMMEMORATION
Blessed art Thou, O Lord
who didst bring forth of water
moving creatures that have life,
and whales,
and winged fowls:
and didst bless them,
so as to increase and multiply.

The things concerning the Ascension:
Set up Thyself, O God, above the heavens
and Thy glory above all the earth.
By thine Ascension
draw us withal unto Thee, O Lord,
so as to set our affections on things above,
and not on things on the earth.

By the awful mystery of Thy Holy Body and Precious
Blood in the evening of this day:
Lord, have mercy.

FAITH
Coming unto God,
I believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him:
I know that my Redeemer liveth;
that He is the Christ the Son of the Living God;
that He is indeed the Saviour of the world;
that He came into the world to save sinners,
of whom I am chief.
Through the grace of Jesus Christ
we believe that we shall be saved
even as our fathers withal.
I believe verily to see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.

THANKSGIVING
O my Lord, my Lord, I thank Thee
for that I am,
that I am alive,
that I am rational:
for nurture,
preservation,
governance:
for education,
citizenship,
religion:
for Thy gifts of grace,
nature,
estate:
for redemption,
regeneration,
instruction:
for calling,
recalling,
further calling manifold:
for forbearance,
longsuffering,
long longsuffering towards me,
many times,
many years,
until now:
for all good offices I have received,
good speed I have gotten:
for any good thing done:
for the use of things present,
thy promise
and my hope
touching the fruition of the good things to come:
for my parents honest and good,
teachers gentle,
benefactors always to be had in remembrance,
colleagues likeminded,
hearers attentive,
friends sincere,
retainers faithful:
for all who have stood me in good stead
by their writings,
their sermons,
conversations,
prayers,
examples,
rebukes,
wrongs:
for these things and all other,
which I wot of, which I wot not of,
open and secret,
things I remember, things I have forgotten withal,
things done to me after my will or yet against my will,
I confess to Thee and bless Thee and give thanks unto Thee,
and I will confess and bless and give thanks to Thee
all the days of my life.
What thanks can I render to God again
for all the benefits that He hath done unto me?

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
Thou are worthy, O Lord and our God, the Holy One,
to receive the glory and the honour and the power:
for Thou hast created all things,
and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.

Let us pray: Almighty God, you gave your servant Lancelot Andrewes the gift of your Holy Spirit and made him a man of prayer and a faithful pastor of your people: Perfect in us what is lacking in your gifts, of faith, to increase it, of hope, to establish it, of love, to kindle it, that we may live in the life of your grace and glory; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the same Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THE THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW: Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. Times: Sundays (25 September, 2 & 9 October: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays (1 October: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 October, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. during ArtWalk).

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 OCTOBER 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST especially all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Marriage Requires Mutual Respect

2011-09-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

In today’s Daily Office reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, we receive some sound marriage advice and Paul tells us that marriage is a mutual relationship:

Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: ‘It is well for a man not to touch a woman.’ But because of cases of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except perhaps by agreement for a set time, to devote yourselves to prayer, and then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. This I say by way of concession, not of command. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind.

To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am. But if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion. (1 Cor. 7: 1-9)

There are many who say that Paul had a very negative attitude toward women, but when we read Paul’s writings carefully, we see that is not the case. The basic underpinning of today’s passage is that of mutual respect. Paul tells us that the husband must respect the wife, and the wife must respect the husband. Marriage is a two way street.

Let us pray: O God, you have so consecrated the covenant of marriage that in it is represented the spiritual unity between Christ and his Church: Send therefore your blessing upon all married people that they may so love, honor, and cherish each other in faithfulness and patience, in wisdom and true godliness, that their homes may be a haven of blessing and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW starts Saturday evening at 6 p.m., the 24th of September. Please sign up to host. We also need cookies and punch for the opening on Saturday. Please let me know if you can help with this. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. Times: Sundays (25 September, 2 & 9 October: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays (1 October: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 October, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. during ArtWalk).

NEW WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY begins this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ST. VINCENT'S HOUSE: This Saturday, the 24th of September at 10 a.m. the pre-school at St. Vincent’s House will be re-dedicated and the Second Annual Afreda Houston Community Servant Award. Then join us on Sunday, 25 September at the 9 a.m. Eucharist at St. Augustine as we celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House. The preacher will be the Rev. Tom Bain.

ECW & DOK QUIET DAY RETREAT: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 10:30 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall.

ECW ANNUAL RETREAT 14-15 October 2011 at Camp Allen. Please sign up.

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Tammie’s father who is recovering from surgery, for all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

"The things we really need come to us only as gifts, and in order to receive them as gifts we have to be open. In order to be open we have to renounce ourselves, in a sense we have to die to our image of ourselves, our autonomy, our fixation upon our self-willed identity.” —Fr. Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O. (1915-1968)

Your servant in Christ,

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

Philander Chase, Missionary & Bishop

2011-09-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today the Episcopal Church remembers and honors a bishop from the 1800s, Philander Chase.

James Kiefer writes:

Philander Chase was born in New Hampshire in 1775. He graduated from Dartmouth, and then entered the ministry in the Episcopal Church. He felt the calling to preaching on the frontier and so moved west. He became bishop of Ohio, and also founded Kenyon College, raising the necessary funds in England. He ran into conflicts, both in his diocese and in the college, and so resigned his positions and moved to Michigan. However, the newly-formed diocese of Illinois called him in 1835 to be its bishop, and he served in this position until his death.

Chase was very concerned about the training of clergy for the missionary lands in the West. Despite his hard work, and unending travel (he logged over 1200 miles on horseback between June, 1820, and June, 1821), Chase found it exceedingly difficult to find trained clergy. Chase formulated a plan: he would found a theological seminary in the West to train clergy for the West. Other bishops strongly objected to Chase’s plan believing that the General Theological Seminary in New York (founded in 1817) was sufficient to train western clergy. In response, Chase wrote:

The few clergy we have may keep us alive, under Providence, a little longer; but when they die or move away, we have no means to supply their places...We may think of the privileges at the east, of the means of education there; but this is all; they are out of our reach. Besides, if our young men were there, if we could find the money in our woods, or drag it from our streams, to send and maintain them at the eastern seminaries, who could insure us that they would not be enticed, by the superior offers held out to them, to settle there, and leave us in our wants?

In short, unless we can have some little means of educating our pious men here, and here being secure of their affections, station them in our woods and among our scattered people, to gather in and nourish our wandering lambs, we have no reason to hope in the continuance of the Church in the west.

Chase could not raise the necessary funds for his theological seminary in America, so he ignored the opposition from the East and traveled to England to solicit donations. Accompanied only by a single letter of introduction (that of Henry Clay to the Lord Gambier), Chase set sail in October, 1823. That single letter, along with his determination, proved successful. By July, 1824, Chase had raised nearly $30,000 dollars for his seminary. In December, the Ohio legislature incorporated Chase’s theological seminary, which he would name Kenyon College, after one of its chief benefactors.

Let us pray: Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith: We give you heartfelt thanks for the pioneering spirit of your servant Philander Chase, and for his zeal in opening new frontiers for the ministry of your Church. Grant us grace to minister in Christ”s name in every place, led by bold witnesses to the Gospel of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

The Third Annual Art Show, starts Saturday evening at 6 p.m., the 24th of September. Please sign up to host. We also need cookies and punch for the opening on Saturday. Please let me know if you can help with this. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists. Times: Sundays (25 September, 2 & 9 October: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays (1 October: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 October, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. during ArtWalk).

New Women’s Bible Study begins this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ST. VINCENT'S HOUSE: This Saturday, the 24th of September at 10 a.m. the pre-school at St. Vincent’s House will be re-dedicated and the Second Annual Afreda Houston Community Servant Award. Then join us on Sunday, 25 September at the 9 a.m. Eucharist at St. Augustine as we celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House. The preacher will be the Rev. Tom Bain.

ECW & DOK Quiet Day Retreat: Saturday, 8 October starting at 9:30 a.m. with the Rev. Helen Appelberg. Please call 409.762.9676 or email judyricketts100@gmail.com to let them know you will attend.

BLESSING OF THE AMINALS: Saturday, 8 October at 10:30 a.m. on the lawn in front of Sutton Hall.

St. Augustine is going green (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Tammie’s father who is recovering from surgery, for all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“There’s no greater lifestyle and no greater happiness than that of having a continual conversation with God.” —Brother Lawrence (1614-1691)

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Matthew

2011-09-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

Today is the feast day of St. Matthew the Evangelist. He was a tax collector whom Jesus called to follow him. Now tax collectors were not especially honest people in Jesus’ day; they were despised and considered traitors by the Jewish people because they worked for the Romans. Tax collectors added insult to injury because they made their living by skimming off the top of their tax collections—a little value added tax.

Yet, Jesus called this person, despised by his fellow countrymen, to be a disciple and then an Apostle of the Resurrection. Here is the account of his call:

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.

And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’ (Mt. 9: 3-13).

And so Jesus called not a righteous man, but a man who was despised by others, to follow him. Jesus’ love for Matthew transformed him into a saint, one who sought holiness and to spread the Good News of Christ and what Christ did for all of humanity by his life, death and resurrection.

Let us pray: We thank you, heavenly Father, for the witness of your apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Gospel of your Son our Savior; and we pray that, after his example, we may with ready wills and hearts obey the calling of our Lord to follow him; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

THE THIRD ANNUAL ART SHOW, starts Saturday evening, the 24th of September. Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists.

NEW WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY begins this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ST. VINCENT'S HOUSE: This Saturday, the 24th of September at 10 a.m. the pre-school at St. Vincent’s House will be re-dedicated and the Second Annual Afreda Houston Community Servant Award. Then join us on Sunday, 25 September at the 9 a.m. Eucharist at St. Augustine as we celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House. The preacher will be the Rev. Tom Bain.

A LITTLE ST. VINCENT’S HISTORY: It was started in 1954 as an outreach of our community of faith, St. Augustine of Hippo, while the Rev. Fred Sutton was vicar, who wanted to reach out to the poorest of the children on the Island. The first director was Charles Lemons. It is “an oasis of hope expecting miracles.”

ST. AUGUSTINE IS GOING GREEN (WITH OUR COFFEE CUPS). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Tammie’s father who is recovering from surgery, for all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“Remember Christ’s disciples. They rowed their heavy ships to shore, then abandoned everything to follow Christ.” —Ælfric of Eynsham (c. 955-c. 1010)

Your servant in Christ,

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

"Lord, thank you for the gift of rain."

2011-09-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

One of the appointed Psalms for today is the 77th Psalm, and verses 17 and 18:

The clouds poured out water;
the skies thundered;
your arrows flashed on every side.
The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.

What a welcome relief the rains yesterday and early this morning were! In the midst of this draught, the earth and its foliage were refreshed and renewed. Sometimes we take the small things in life for granted, the small things like rain. However, when it is absent for a long season, we remember how precious it is and what a gift from God it is. Today, let’s give thanks for the gift of rain!

Let us pray: O heavenly Father, who has filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works, and today especially for the gift of rain; that, rejoicing in thy whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS

The Third Annual Art Show, starts Saturday evening, the 24th of September. Please sign up to host. The annual art show allows us to share our facilities with others and to showcase the creativity of artists.

New Women’s Bible Study begins this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall. Please join Jillian Bain for this prayerful study of Scripture.

ST. VINCENT'S HOUSE: It began in 1954 as a small outreach ministry of St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church to the youth and residents “north of Broadway.” St. Vincent’s House has become an urban mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and a recognized Jubilee Ministry. This Saturday, the 24th of September at 10 a.m. the pre-school at St. Vincent’s House will be re-dedicated and the Second Annual Afreda Houston Community Servant Award. Then join us on Sunday, 25 September at the 9 a.m. Eucharist at St. Augustine as we celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House. The preacher will be the Rev. Tom Bain.

St. Augustine is going green (with our coffee cups). In order to cut down on the use of Styrofoam cups, please bring a coffee cup for the Fellowship hour, and maybe even 2 or 3 to share with our visitors. We will store them in Sutton Hall and wash them in our dishwasher.

REPORT FROM THE BISHOP’S COMMITTEE MEETING: We had a fruitful meeting yesterday. The Building Committee (Pat Tate, chair; Bob Newding and Mike Lidstone) provided us with a very thorough report regarding some areas that need attention, and given limited financial resources, prioritized them for action. One of the first action items is the roof over the sacristy which needs to be replaced. The second concerns the A/C system in the church and the need for large air returns. The Committee also authorized Bill Taylor to enter into a contract with TES for a lower price per kilowatt hour for our electrical use. We have also sent to the Diocese our Missionary Asking ($2534) and the Diocesan Budget Assessment ($1981). Out of our total assessment of $6908, our only remaining financial obligation to the Diocese this year is our portion of the insurance costs for the Diocese ($2393).

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR VICTIMS OF THE WILDFIRES: We will begin a clothing drive for the victims of the wildfires, especially the people of Bastrop and Calvary Episcopal. Please bring only CLEAN CLOTHES, SORT THEM BY SIZE, MALE/FEMALE, AND BOX THEM. Thank you in advance.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Tammie’s father who is recovering from surgery, for all parishes with search committees as they seek new rectors, for all of those suffering from the wildfires, and in thanksgiving for all that God has done for us.

“The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.” —Martin Luther (1483-1546)

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Ninian

2011-09-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

Today the Church commemorates St. Ninian who is known as the first saint of Scotland. In his Ecclesiastical History of the English Peoples, Venerable Bede told us that Ninian lived around the 4th century and that he was the son of a converted chieftain of the Cumbrian Britons. Ninian studied in Rome and was ordained a priest and then consecrated a bishop and he returned to evangelize his native Britain.

Ninian had his church built by masons from St. Martin's Monastery in Tours, France, which became known as The Great Monastery and was the center of his missionary activities. From it, Ninian and his monks evangelized neighboring Britons and the Picts of Valentia. Ninian was known for his miracles, among them curing a chieftain of blindness, which cure led to many conversions.

Let us pray: O God, who by the preaching of your blessed servant and bishop Ninian caused the light of the Gospel to shine in the land of Britain: Grant, we pray, that, having his life and labors in remembrance, we may show our thankfulness by following the example of his zeal and patience; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Bishop's Committee Meeting after the service (this is the third Sunday of the month).

We will celebrate the ministry of St. Vincent’s House on Sunday, 25 September 2011 with Eucharist Rite II at St. Augustine of Hippo.

The Third Annual St. Augustine Art Show begins this month and the theme is "Love."

PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE ON OUR PRAYER LIST: We pray for all of those whose lives have been impacted by the wild fires blazing through Texas, especially the people of Bastrop and the congregation of Calvary Episcopal Church. We pray for all of the unemployed.

“The world is a work of art, set before all for contemplation, so that through it the wisdom of Him who created it should be known.” —St. Basil, from Exegetical Works, On the Hexameron (330-379)

Your servant in Christ,

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