John Donne: Lawyer, Poet, Priest, Preacher

Today the Church remembers someone you might remember from your high school English class, John Donne. He was a lawyer, a poet, a priest, a preacher and the Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Donne was born in 1573 into a Roman Catholic family, but he became an Anglican in 1594. He was educated at Oxford and Cambridge and Lincoln’s Inn, where people prepare to become barristers (lawyers who argue in court in England).

Donne traveled across Europe and later fought with the Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Raleigh against the Spanish at Cádiz (1596) and the Azores (1597), he and witnessed the loss of the Spanish flagship, the San Felipe. Donne became the private secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton. During the next four years he fell in love with Egerton’s niece Anne More, and they were married just before Christmas in 1601 against the wishes of both Egerton and George More, Lieutenant of the Tower and Anne’s father. Donne’s career was ruined and the marriage earned him a short stay in Fleet Prison, along with the priest who married them as well as the man who acted as a witness to the marriage. Donne was released when the marriage was proven valid, and soon secured the release of the other two. When Donne wrote to his wife, Anne, to tell her about losing his post, he wrote after his name: “John Donne, Anne Donne, Un-done.” It was not until 1609 that Donne was reconciled with his father-in-law.

Anne and Donne had 12 children in 16 years of marriage (including two stillbirths—their eighth and then in 1617 their last child). Anne spent most of her married life either pregnant or nursing. The 10 surviving children were named Constance, John, George, Francis, Lucy, Bridget, Mary, Nicholas, Margaret and Elizabeth. Francis, Nicholas and Mary died before they were 10. Anne died on 15 August 1617, 5 days after giving birth to their twelfth child, a still-born baby. Donne mourned her deeply, including writing the 17th Holy Sonnet. He never remarried.

Donne was elected as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Brackley in 1602, but this was not a paid position and Donne struggled to provide for his family, relying heavily upon rich friends. His writing gave him a means to seek patronage and many of his poems were written for wealthy friends or patrons, especially Sir Robert Drury, who came to be Donne’s chief patron in 1610.

King James was pleased with Donne’s work, and urged him to become a priest. Donne finally agreed and in 1615 was ordained priest. Donne became a Royal Chaplain in late 1615, Reader of Divinity at Lincoln’s Inn in 1616, and received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Cambridge University in 1618.

In 1621 Donne was made Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London and he remained Dean until his death in 1631. During his period as Dean his daughter Lucy died; she was 18. In late November and early December 1623, Donne suffered a nearly fatal illness. During his convalescence he wrote a series of meditations and prayers on health, pain, and sickness that were published in 1624 as Devotions upon Emergent Occasions. In that book is the well known phrase "for whom the bell tolls" and "no man is an island".

One is his most well known sonnets was Sonnet X:

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;

For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow

Die not, poor Death; nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy picture be,

Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow;

And soonest our best men with thee do go--

Rest of their bones and souls' delivery!

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;

And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well

And better than thy stroke,

Why swell'st thou then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally,

And Death shall be no more:

Death, thou shalt die!

Donne earned a reputation as an eloquent preacher and 160 of his sermons have survived. Donne died on this day in 1631.

Let us pray: Almighty God, the root and fountain of all being: Open our eyes to see, with your servant John Donne, that whatever has any being is a mirror in which we may behold you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

LENTEN PROJECT -- NETS FOR LIFE! NetsforLife® works to eliminate malaria in some of the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Churches are often the only functioning institutions in these communities located “at the end of the road.” Episcopal Relief & Development is a key part of this program. Their presence and power unite people to bring about lasting change for the whole community. By drawing on this trusted delivery system—churches and faith-based groups— vulnerable people are reached with life-saving nets and other services. NetsforLife® serves people in need regardless of faith affiliation.

We at St. Augustine’s can help. Each net only costs $12.50; it is a small price to pay to help save someone made in the image and likeness of God. Let’s work toward a goal of 50 nets during this Lenten season and help God in healing the world.

St. Augustine Spiritual Support Group (SASS) has its first meeting this evening. If you know someone who has been impacted by HIV/AIDS, please let them know that there is a place for them to seek support in a safe and loving environment. They meet every Thursday evening starting with a pot luck dinner at 6:00 p.m. Please lift this ministry up in prayer!

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The next program in the Lenten Series is at St. Augustine’s next Wednesday, 6 April starting at 6:00 p.m. with Stations of the Cross, followed by the Eucharist. We will then have a light meal and begin the teaching by the Benedictine Monks. Please come!

We will have a pot luck lunch for Easter so begin thinking about what to bring.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the men and women of our Armed Forces serving at home and abroad, the people of Japan and Libya.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

John Keble & the Oxford Movement

Today the Church remembers and honors John Keble who was part of the liturgical reform in the Anglican Church known as the Oxford Movement.

Keble was born in 1792 in Fairford, Gloucestershire where his father, the Rev. John Keble, was Vicar of St. Aldwyns. Keble attended Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and, after a brilliant academic performance there, became a Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, where he taught for some years. While still at Oxford, Keble was ordained a priest in 1815. He first served as a curate to his father, and later he became curate of St. Michael and St. Martin’s Church, Eastleach Martin in Gloucestershire.

He wrote The Christian Year, which appeared in 1827, and met with an almost unparalleled acceptance. It has been described as the most popular volume of verse in the nineteenth century. Although it was written anonymously, its authorship soon became known, and in 1831 Keble was appointed to the Chair of Poetry at Oxford, which he held until 1841.

In 1833 his famous Assize Sermon (“Assize Sermon” refers to the opening of a term of the civil and criminal courts and is officially addressed to the judges and officers of the court exhorting them to deal justly) on “national apostasy” wherein he stated that England had turned away from God and regarded the Church as a mere institution of society instead of the prophetic voice of God and had become too secularized. This was the first spark to the Oxford Movement which argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy and theology. Along with his colleagues, including John Henry Newman and Edward Pusey, he became a leading light in the movement. The movement postulated the “Branch Theory,” which states that Anglicanism along with Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism form three branches of the one “Catholic Church.”

In 1835, Keble was appointed Vicar of Hursley, Hampshire, where he settled down to family life and remained for the rest of his life as a parish priest at All Saints Church. Keble died on this day in 1866.

Let us pray: Grant, O God, that in all time of our testing we may know your presence and obey your will; that, following the example of your servant John Keble, we may accomplish with integrity and courage what you give us to do, and endure what you give us to bear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

LENTEN PROJECT -- NETS FOR LIFE! NetsforLife® works to eliminate malaria in some of the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Churches are often the only functioning institutions in these communities located “at the end of the road.” Episcopal Relief & Development is a key part of this program. Their presence and power unite people to bring about lasting change for the whole community. By drawing on this trusted delivery system—churches and faith-based groups— vulnerable people are reached with life-saving nets and other services. NetsforLife® serves people in need regardless of faith affiliation.

We at St. Augustine’s can help. Each net only costs $12.50; it is a small price to pay to help save someone made in the image and likeness of God. Let’s work toward a goal of 50 nets during this Lenten season and help God in healing the world.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The next program in the Lenten Series is at Grace, Wednesday, 30 March starting at 6:00 p.m. with Stations of the Cross, followed by the Eucharist. We will then have a light meal and begin the teaching by the Rev. Gena Davis. Please come!

We will have a pot luck lunch for Easter so begin thinking about what to bring.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the men and women of our Armed Forces serving at home and abroad, the people of Japan and Libya.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Stir Up Your Might and Come to Save Us!

On this third week of Lent, we hear from the 80th Psalm:

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.

O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?

You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.

You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.

Restore us, O God of hosts; 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.

Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?

The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.

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.

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

I was up early this morning to catch a flight to Dallas. People were trying to find a parking space in the airport garage. Then everyone trooped over to the terminal to stand in the security line, many of us half asleep. After we unpacked bags and briefcases and had our bodies scanned, we repacked and made our way to get out morning coffee before we all stood in line again to board our flights. In the midst of travel for business or pleasure, I wonder how many people, if any, were thinking about their spiritual lives.

“Stir up your might and come to save us.” Even though we walk through life as if we were on auto pilot, we are all, every one of us, looking for meaning in our lives. Know it or not, we are looking for God. The good news is that God has found us. Not only has God found us, but God has saved us.

Let us pray: Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

LENTEN PROJECT -- NETS FOR LIFE! NetsforLife® works to eliminate malaria in some of the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Churches are often the only functioning institutions in these communities located “at the end of the road.” Episcopal Relief & Development is a key part of this program. Their presence and power unite people to bring about lasting change for the whole community. By drawing on this trusted delivery system—churches and faith-based groups— vulnerable people are reached with life-saving nets and other services. NetsforLife® serves people in need regardless of faith affiliation. We at St. Augustine’s can help. Each net only costs $12.50; it is a small price to pay to help save someone made in the image and likeness of God. Let’s work toward a goal of 50 nets during this Lenten season and help God in healing the world.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The next program in the Lenten Series is at Grace, Wednesday, 30 March starting at 6:00 p.m. with Stations of the Cross, followed by the Eucharist. We will then have a light meal and begin the teaching by the Rev. Gena Davis. Please come!

We will have a pot luck lunch for Easter so begin thinking about what to bring.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the men and women of our Armed Forces serving at home and abroad, the people of Japan and Libya.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Saying Yes

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the annunciation. In the midst of the Lenten Season, we see the young girl, Mary, say “yes” to the Lord. In the Gospel according to Luke we read:

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her. (Lk. 1: 26-38).

“Greetings favored one, the Lord is with you!” That is what the Lord’s messenger says to you and to me. You and I are favored ones and the Lord is with us. What is our response? Do we respond like Mary, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord, let it be with me according to your word.” Or do we respond in the negative? The choice is yours. Are you open to the Lord or not?

Let us pray: Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord; that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought unto the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR ALL OF THE WORK LAST NIGHT FOR OUR LENTEN SERIES! This was our first time to host the Lenten Series and to share our home with the people of Grace since 2008. Thank you to everyone, from those who cleaned before, to those who set up the altar, to those who prepared the food, and to everyone who helped clean up. I may be partial, but St. Aug’s does the best food (and I’m glad a few cupcakes and M&Ms found their way in too). THANKS AGAIN!

LENTEN PROJECT -- NETS FOR LIFE! NetsforLife® works to eliminate malaria in some of the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Churches are often the only functioning institutions in these communities located “at the end of the road.” Episcopal Relief & Development is a key part of this program. Their presence and power unite people to bring about lasting change for the whole community. By drawing on this trusted delivery system—churches and faith-based groups— vulnerable people are reached with life-saving nets and other services. NetsforLife® serves people in need regardless of faith affiliation.

We at St. Augustine’s can help. Each net only costs $12.50; it is a small price to pay to help save someone made in the image and likeness of God. Let’s work toward a goal of 50 nets during this Lenten season and help God in healing the world.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The next program in the Lenten Series is at Grace, Wednesday, 30 March starting at 6:00 p.m. with Stations of the Cross, followed by the Eucharist. We will then have a light meal and begin the teaching by the Rev. Gena Davis. Please come!

We will have a pot luck lunch for Easter so begin thinking about what to bring.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the men and women of our Armed Forces serving at home and abroad, the people of Japan and Libya.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Oscar Romero: The Bishop of the Poor

Today the Episcopal Church honors and remembers not someone from the Early Church, or an Anglican or an Episcopalian, but a Roman Catholic archbishop from El Salvador who lived during our time, Oscar Romero, who was born on 15 August 1917 and died on 24 March 1980. He is a modern day martyr who became known as the “bishop of the poor” for his work defending the Salvadoran people. After calling for international intervention to protect those being killed by government forces, Romero was assassinated on this day in 1980.

Oscar Romero was born in Ciudad Barrios, a small town in El Salvador . Longing to be a priest, he left home at 14 on his horse and rode to San Miguel, 7 hours away, where he could begin preparing himself for his vocation.

He was ordained in Rome in 1942. Romero remained in Italy to obtain a doctoral degree in theology, but before he could finish his degree, he was summoned back home in 1943 from Italy (which was under the Fascists) by the bishop at the age of 27. He traveled home with Fr. Valladares, who was also doing doctoral work in Rome. On the route home they made stops in Spain and Cuba, being detained by Cuban police for having come from Benito Mussolini's Italy and placed in an internment camp. After several months in prison, Fr. Valladares became sick and some priests of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer helped to have the two transferred to a hospital. From the hospital they were released from Cuban custody and allowed back home, where they sailed for Mexico and then back home to El Salvador.

In El Salvador, Romero worked as a parish priest promoting various groups, including starting an Alcoholics Anonymous group. He was later appointed Rector of the seminary in San Salvador. In 1966, he began his public life when chosen to be the Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference for El Salvador. He also became the director of the archdiocesan newspaper.

In 1970 he was appointed auxiliary bishop to San Salvador Archbishop Luis Chávez y González. He took up his appointment as Bishop of the Diocese of Santiago de María in December 1975.

He spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture. As a result, Romero began to be noticed internationally.

In 1979, the Revolutionary Government Junta came to power amidst a wave of human rights abuses by paramilitary right-wing groups and the government.

Romero was shot on 24 March 1980, while celebrating Mass at a small chapel located in a hospital called "La Divina Providencia", one day after a sermon where he had called on Salvadoran soldiers, as Christians, to obey God's higher order and to stop carrying out the government's repression and violations of basic human rights.

Here is a little trivia: A statue of Oscar Romero sculpted by John Roberts fills a prominent niche on the western facade of Westminster Abbey in London. The statue was unveiled in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II in 1998. Barry Woods Johnston sculpted the statue of Oscar Romero displayed in the National Cathedral (the Episcopal Cathedral of Sts. Peter & Paul) in Washington, D.C.

Let us pray: Almighty God, you called your servant Oscar Romero to be a voice for the voiceless poor, and to give his life as a seed of freedom and a sign of hope: Grant that, inspired by his sacrifice and the example of the martyrs of El Salvador, we may without fear or favor witness to your Word who abides, your Word who is Life, even Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be praise and glory now and for ever. Amen.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR ALL OF THE WORK LAST NIGHT FOR OUR LENTEN SERIES! This was our first time to host the Lenten Series and to share our home with the people of Grace since 2008. Thank you to everyone, from those who cleaned before, to those who set up the altar, to those who prepared the food, and to everyone who helped clean up. I may be partial, but St. Aug’s does the best food (and I’m glad a few cupcakes and M&Ms found their way in too). THANKS AGAIN!

LENTEN PROJECT -- NETS FOR LIFE! NetsforLife® works to eliminate malaria in some of the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Churches are often the only functioning institutions in these communities located “at the end of the road.” Episcopal Relief & Development is a key part of this program. Their presence and power unite people to bring about lasting change for the whole community. By drawing on this trusted delivery system—churches and faith-based groups— vulnerable people are reached with life-saving nets and other services. NetsforLife® serves people in need regardless of faith affiliation.

We at St. Augustine’s can help. Each net only costs $12.50; it is a small price to pay to help save someone made in the image and likeness of God. Let’s work toward a goal of 50 nets during this Lenten season and help God in healing the world.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The next program in the Lenten Series is at Grace, Wednesday, 30 March starting at 6:00 p.m. with Stations of the Cross, followed by the Eucharist. We will then have a light meal and begin the teaching by the Rev. Gena Davis. Please come!

We will have a pot luck lunch for Easter so begin thinking about what to bring.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the men and women of our Armed Forces serving at home and abroad, the people of Japan and Libya.

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Gregory & Armenia

Today the Church honors and remembers the life of St. Gregory the Illuminator who died in 332 and was instrumental in converting Armenia to Christianity which was the first state to adopt Christianity as its official religion.

James Kiefer writes:

Armenia was a buffer state between the powerful empires of Rome and Parthia (Persia), and both of them sought to control it. Gregory was born about 257. When he was still an infant, his father assassinated the King of Parthia, and friends of the family carried Gregory away for protection to Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he was reared as a Christian. About 280 he returned to Armenia, where he was at first treated severely, but eventually by his preaching and example brought both King Tiridates and a majority of his people to the Christian faith. About 300, Gregory was consecrated the first bishop of Armenia. He died about 332. Armenian Christians to this day remember him with honor and gratitude.

Let us pray: Almighty God, whose will it is to be glorified in your saints, and who raised up your servant Gregory the Illuminator to be a light in the world, and to preach the Gospel to the people of Armenia: Shine, we pray, in our hearts, that we also in our generation may show forth your praise, who called us out of darkness into your marvelous light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

LENTEN PROJECT

NETS FOR LIFE! NetsforLife® works to eliminate malaria in some of the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Churches are often the only functioning institutions in these communities located “at the end of the road.” Episcopal Relief & Development is a key part of this program. Their presence and power unite people to bring about lasting change for the whole community. By drawing on this trusted delivery system—churches and faith-based groups— vulnerable people are reached with life-saving nets and other services. NetsforLife® serves people in need regardless of faith affiliation.

We at St. Augustine’s can help. Each net only costs $12.50; it is a small price to pay to help save someone made in the image and likeness of God. Let’s work toward a goal of 50 nets during this Lenten season and help God in healing the world.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The next program in the Lenten Series is at St. Augustine’s tonight, Wednesday, 23 March starting at 6:00 p.m. with Stations of the Cross, followed by the Eucharist. We will then have a light meal and begin the teaching. We will have a sign-up sheet on Sunday for the meal. Please come!

We will have a pot luck lunch for Easter so begin thinking about what to bring.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the men and women of our Armed Forces serving at home and abroad, the people of Japan and Libya.

Your servant in Christ,

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

“For God alone my soul waits in silence.”

We hear from the 63rd Psalm this Tuesday in the second week of Lent:

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall never be shaken.
How long will you assail a person,
will you batter your victim, all of you,
as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence.
They take pleasure in falsehood;
they bless with their mouths,
but inwardly they curse.
For God alone my soul waits in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my deliverance and my honor;
my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.
Those of low estate are but a breath,
those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
they are together lighter than a breath.
Put no confidence in extortion,
and set no vain hopes on robbery;
if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
Once God has spoken;
twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,
and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord.
For you repay to all
according to their work.

“For God alone my soul waits in silence.” Don’t you feel like that sometime, as if your soul is waiting is God? We wait for God. Some wait for God to answer their prayers. Others wait for God to hear a word of forgiveness. Some wait for God's healing in body, mind and spirit. Some may wait for God to give them hope. Some wait for God just so that they can spend a little time with God. Each of us at some point in our lives wait for God. As you and I wait for God, rest assured that God is your fortress and your rock. Wait in the knowledge that you will not be shaken because you are God’s own. God keeps His promises—God will come. Just wait—wait in silence.

LENTEN PROJECT

NETS FOR LIFE! NetsforLife® works to eliminate malaria in some of the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Churches are often the only functioning institutions in these communities located “at the end of the road.” Episcopal Relief & Development is a key part of this program. Their presence and power unite people to bring about lasting change for the whole community. By drawing on this trusted delivery system—churches and faith-based groups— vulnerable people are reached with life-saving nets and other services. NetsforLife® serves people in need regardless of faith affiliation.

We at St. Augustine’s can help. Each net only costs $12.50; it is a small price to pay to help save someone made in the image and likeness of God. Let’s work toward a goal of 50 nets during this Lenten season and help God in healing the world.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The next program in the Lenten Series is at St. Augustine’s on Wednesday, 23 March starting at 6:00 p.m. with Stations of the Cross, followed by the Eucharist. We will then have a light meal and begin the teaching. We will have a sign-up sheet on Sunday for the meal. Please come!

We will have a pot luck lunch for Easter so begin thinking about what to bring.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the men and women of our Armed Forces serving at home and abroad, the people of Japan and Libya.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury: Navigating Trecherous Times

Today the Church remembers Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, from 1533 to 1553, years that were very difficult indeed and a time when many people found it difficult to keep their heads attached to their bodies. He was a leader of the Reformation in England and is most known for the Book of Common Prayer.

He was born in 1489 in Aslockton in Nottinghamshire, England. His parents, Thomas and Agnes Cranmer, were of modest wealth and were not members of the aristocracy. Their oldest son, John, inherited the family estate, and Thomas and his younger brother, Edmund, were placed on the path to a clerical career. At the age of fourteen, two years after the death of his father, he was sent to the newly created Jesus College, Cambridge, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree following a curriculum of logic, classical literature, and philosophy. During this time he began to collect medieval scholastic books, which he preserved faithfully throughout his life. For his Master’s degree, he took a different course of study, concentrating on the humanists, Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples and Erasmus. Shortly after receiving his Master of Arts degree in 1515, he was elected to a Fellowship of Jesus College.

Sometime after Cranmer took his MA, he married a woman named Joan. He was forced to forfeit his fellowship, resulting in the loss of his residence at Jesus College. In order to support himself and his wife, he took a job as a reader at another college. When Joan died during her first childbirth, Jesus College showed its regard for Cranmer by reinstating his fellowship. He began studying theology and by 1520 he was ordained a priest. He received his doctorate of divinity in 1526.

Cranmer was made Archbishop of Canterbury by King Henry VIII, and he defended the position that Henry's marriage to Katharine of Aragon (Spain) was null and void. During a time when many literally "lost their heads", he kept his in more ways than one. A staunch advocate that the Church needed reformation, he had to navigate the whims of Henry VIII whom, in conscience, Cranmer felt duty bound to obey because Henry was king.

Cranmer took Edward under his wing and protected him. Now Cranmer felt that he was unfettered and when Edward came to the throne, Cranmer moved to bring the Reformation in deeper ways to England, especially in the area of worship by his work on the Book of Common Prayer. His success, however, was as short lived as Edward's reign as king.

When Mary came to the throne and became queen of England, Cranmer was in a real pickle. He had believed, with a fervor that many people today will find hard to understand, that it is the duty of every Christian to obey the monarch, and that “the powers that be are ordained of God” (Rom. 13). As long as the monarch was ordering things that Cranmer thought good, it was easy for Cranmer to believe that the king was sent by God's providence to guide the people in the path of true religion, and that disobedience to the king was disobedience to God. Now that Mary was Queen of England, she commanded him to return to the Roman Catholic Church. Cranmer wrote a letter of submission to the Pope and to Roman Catholic doctrines. However, Queen Mary was unwilling to believe that the submission was sincere, and he was ordered to be burned at Oxford on this day, 21 March in 1556. Cranmer repudiated his final letter of submission, and announced that he died a Protestant. He said, "I have sinned, in that I signed with my hand what I did not believe with my heart. When the flames are lit, this hand shall be the first to burn." And when the fire was lit around his feet, he leaned forward and held his right hand in the fire until it was charred to a stump.

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

LENTEN PROJECT

NETS FOR LIFE! NetsforLife® works to eliminate malaria in some of the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Churches are often the only functioning institutions in these communities located “at the end of the road.” Episcopal Relief & Development is a key part of this program. Their presence and power unite people to bring about lasting change for the whole community. By drawing on this trusted delivery system—churches and faith-based groups— vulnerable people are reached with life-saving nets and other services. NetsforLife® serves people in need regardless of faith affiliation.

We at St. Augustine’s can help. Each net only costs $12.50; it is a small price to pay to help save someone made in the image and likeness of God. Let’s work toward a goal of 50 nets during this Lenten season and help God in healing the world.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The next program in the Lenten Series is at St. Augustine’s on Wednesday, 23 March starting at 6:00 p.m. with Stations of the Cross, followed by the Eucharist. We will then have a light meal and begin the teaching. We will have a sign-up sheet on Sunday for the meal. Please come!

We will have a pot luck lunch for Easter so begin thinking about what to bring.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the men and women of our Armed Forces serving at home and abroad, the people of Japan and Libya.

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Cyril of Jerusalem: A Life of Troubles

Today the Church honors and remembers St. Cyril of Jerusalem who died in 386.

Cyril’s life began a few years before Arianism became the hot topic in the Church. Arianism is the heresy (incorrect teaching) that Jesus was not divine or one in being with the Father. Cyril lived to see its suppression and condemnation at the end of his life in the Councils of Nicea in 325 and Constantinople in 381. In between he was the victim of many of the power struggles that took place.

After being ordained a deacon and then a priest, his bishop, St. Maximus, respected Cyril enough to put him in charge of the instruction of catechumens, those who were preparing to be baptized.

When Maximus died, Cyril was consecrated as bishop of Jerusalem. Because he was supported by the Arian bishop of Caesarea, Acacius, the orthodox criticized the appointment and the Arians thought they had a friend. Both factions were wrong, but Cyril wound up in the middle.

When a famine hit Jerusalem, the poor turned to Cyril for help. Cyril, seeing the poor starving to death and having no money, sold some of the goods of the churches. This was something that other saints, including Ambrose and our own Augustine, had done.

The initial cause of the falling out between Acacius and Cyril was their territory as bishops. As bishop of Caesarea, Acacius had authority over all the bishops of Palestine. Cyril argued that Acacius' authority did not include Jerusalem because Jerusalem was an "Apostolic See" -- one of the original sees or dioceses set up by the Apostles. When Cyril did not appear at councils (a meeting of all of the bishops) that Acacius called, Acacius accused Cyril of selling church goods to raise money and had him banished. (Nothing like a little bad rumor to get things going!)

Cyril stayed in Tarsus (you may recall that St. Paul was from that city) while waiting for an appeal on his banishment.

Meanwhile, Constantius called a council where the appeal was supposed to take place. The council consisted of orthodox believers, Arians, and semi-Arian bishops. When Acacius and his faction saw that Cyril and other exiled orthodox bishops were going to show up for the meeting, they demanded that the persecuted bishops leave. Acacius walked out when the demand was not met. The other bishops prevailed on Cyril and the others to give in to this point because they did not want Acacius to have reason to complain later that the council was not valid. Acacius came back, but then left again for good when his creed (statement of beliefs) was rejected -- and refused to come back even to give testimony against his enemy Cyril. The result of the council was the Acacius and the other Arian bishops were condemned, and not Cyril and his group. With no one to testify against Cyril, the case was thrown out. So Cyril went back hoem to Jerusalem.

This was not the end of Cyril's troubles, however, because Acacius carried his story to the emperor -- embellishing it with details that it was a gift of the emperor's that was sold to a dancer who died wearing the robe. This brought about a new meeting of bishops run by Acacius who now had Cyril banished again.

This exile lasted until Julian became emperor and recalled all exiled bishops. So Cyril returned to Jerusalem. When Acacius died, each faction nominated their own replacement for Caesarea. Cyril appointed his nephew Gelasius -- which may seem like nepotism (it was), except that everyone thought Gelasius was a holy man. A year later both Cyril and Gelasius were driven out of Palestine again as the new emperor's consul reversed Julian's ruling.

Eleven years later, Cyril was allowed to go back to find a Jerusalem destroyed by heresy and strife. He was never able to put things completely right. He did attend the Council at Constantinople in 381 where the Nicene Creed and orthodoxy triumphed and Arianism was finally condemned. Cyril received justice at the same Council who cleared him of all previous rumors and commended him for fighting "a good fight in various places against the Arians."

Let us pray: Strengthen, O Lord, the bishops of your Church in their special calling to be teachers and ministers of the Sacraments, so that they, like your servant Cyril of Jerusalem, may effectively instruct your people in Christian faith and practice; and that we, taught by them, may enter more fully into celebration of the Paschal mystery; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

LENTEN PROJECT: NETS FOR LIFE! NetsforLife® works to eliminate malaria in some of the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Churches are often the only functioning institutions in these communities located “at the end of the road.” Episcopal Relief & Development is a key part of this program. Their presence and power unite people to bring about lasting change for the whole community. By drawing on this trusted delivery system—churches and faith-based groups— vulnerable people are reached with life-saving nets and other services. NetsforLife® serves people in need regardless of faith affiliation.

We at St. Augustine’s can help. Each net only costs $12.50; it is a small price to pay to help save someone made in the image and likeness of God. Let’s work toward a goal of 50 nets during this Lenten season and help God in healing the world.

The next program in the Lenten Series is at St. Augustine’s on Wednesday, 23 March starting at 6:00 p.m. with Stations of the Cross, followed by the Eucharist. We will then have a light meal and begin the teaching. We will have a sign-up sheet on Sunday for the meal. Please come!

We will have a pot luck lunch for Easter so begin thinking about what to bring.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the people of Japan.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Exhort One Another Every Day

Today’s Epistle is from the Letter to the Hebrews and it picks up where we left off yesterday:

Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today”, so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

Now who were they who heard and yet were rebellious? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses? But with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. (Heb. 3: 12-19).

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews understood the power of lifting one another up, and so he calls us to exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today”, in others words—always. Sin hardens; it isolates us because sin is based in selfishness. If others lift us up daily, and we do the same, we live in a community of faith where it is harder for sin to take hold especially if each one of us is looking out for the good of the other.

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

LENTEN PROJECT: NETS FOR LIFE! NetsforLife® works to eliminate malaria in some of the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Churches are often the only functioning institutions in these communities located “at the end of the road.” Episcopal Relief & Development is a key part of this program. Their presence and power unite people to bring about lasting change for the whole community. By drawing on this trusted delivery system—churches and faith-based groups— vulnerable people are reached with life-saving nets and other services. NetsforLife® serves people in need regardless of faith affiliation.

We at St. Augustine’s can help. Each net only costs $12.50; it is a small price to pay to help save someone made in the image and likeness of God. Let’s work toward a goal of 500 nets during this Lenten season and help God in healing the world.

Tonight is the first session of our Lenten Program and it begins at 6:00 p.m. with Stations of the Cross, followed by the Eucharist. We will then have a light meal and begin the teaching. Please come!

We will have a pot luck lunch for Easter so begin thinking about what to bring.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the people of Japan.

Your servant in Christ,

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

If Today You Hear His Voice, Harden Not Your Hearts

Today we hear from the Epistles to the Hebrews:

Therefore, brothers and sisters, holy partners in a heavenly calling, consider that Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses also “was faithful in all God’s house.” Yet Jesus is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken later. Christ, however, was faithful over God’s house as a son, and we are his house if we hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope.

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors put me to the test, though they had seen my works for forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.’ As in my anger I swore, ‘They will not enter my rest.’” (Heb. 3:1-11).

God is faithful to His people, and that faithfulness is made manifest in Jesus Christ. Jesus followed the will of His Father in all things. Jesus’ heart was always open to God the Father. During this Lenten season, we are asked to pay particular attention to what God is calling us to do. So, if you hear His voice today, do not harden your heart.

Let us pray: O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what You would 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 Your straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Lenten Program starts this Wednesday, 16 March at 6:00 p.m. We will have a combined Lenten program with Grace Episcopal on Wednesday evenings. It will begin with the Stations of the Cross, Eucharist, a light meal and then a teaching.

We will have a pot luck lunch for Easter.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the people of Japan.

Your servant in Christ,

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

The Wedding Feast of Cana During Lent?

In this Monday of the first full week of Lent, we have a Gospel reading that does not seem to fit into the solemnity of the Lenten season; it is the wedding feast of Cana. John writes:

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there for a few days. (Jn. 2: 1-12).

Although it seems out of place in the first full week of Lent, let’s take a closer look.

Notice that the passage starts with “on the third day”. We recall that Jesus was raised from the dead by God the Father “on the third day”.

The context of the reading is a celebration, a wedding feast. Feasts in the New Testament are symbols of the Kingdom of God and the heavenly banquet. The fine quality of the wine, which surprised the wine steward, is indicative of God’s generosity and abundance—there is enough “goodness” to go around for everyone in the Kingdom of God.

Even when we are assaulted by temptation, commit sin and stray from God’s will for us, we nevertheless live in the abundance of God’s grace. God is there with us when we are tempted to act contrary to His will for us. He knows our weaknesses and God is mighty to save us through His Son, Jesus Christ. We are at all times, an Easter people, living in the wake of the Resurrection.

Let us pray: Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; 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

Lenten Program starts this Wednesday, 16 March at 6:00 p.m. We will have a combined Lenten program with Grace Episcopal on Wednesday evenings. It will begin with the Stations of the Cross, Eucharist, a light meal and then a teaching.

We will have a pot luck lunch for Easter.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the people of Japan.

Your servant in Christ,

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

A Little Something for Everyone

SPRING FORWARD THIS SATURDAY! YES, IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN; WE MOVE OUR CLOCKS AHEAD 1 HOUR THIS SATURDAY NIGHT.

In this first Friday in Lent, we hear from the second chapter of the Epistle to Titus. Paul wrote this letter to his companion in ministry, Titus, and he gives him sound advice in what he is called to do as a leader of the faith community. Today, there is a little in it for everyone. He 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.

Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to answer back, not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one look down on you. (Titus 2: 1-15).

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lent in Galveston:

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/216866

St. Augustine is featured in the first issue of Diolog:

http://www.omagdigital.com/publication/?i=62992

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Lenten Program: We will have a combined Lenten program with Grace Episcopal on Wednesday evenings as we have had in years past. It will begin with the Stations of the Cross, Eucharist, a light meal and then a teaching. The first one will be on Wednesday, 16 March at 6:00 p.m. at Grace Episcopal.

Saturday, 12 March, work day in the Community Garden, and work begins at 8:00 a.m.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially the people of Japan, Roylene Lemons and pray for the family of Juanita Mack who died this week.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Do Good

SPRING FORWARD THIS SATURDAY! YES, IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN; WE MOVE OUR CLOCKS AHEAD 1 HOUR THIS SATURDAY NIGHT.

In this first Thursday in Lent, we hear from Psalm 37 where the Psalmist writes:

Depart from evil, and do good;
so you shall abide for ever.
For the Lord loves justice;
he will not forsake his faithful ones.

These are good words to begin the Lenten season. The Psalmist invites us to “do good”. Goodness is not passive; it is active. Doing good is an act of love. The Old Testament prophet Micah reminds us: “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8. It includes, as Bishop Munawar K. Rumalshah, Bishop Emeritus of Peshawar, Pakistan, reminds us “cleaning the wounds of those who hate us” and cleaning the wounds of those whom you and I may hate. Doing good is doing God’s justice which includes reconciliation with those whom we may, for one reason or another, despise. We are called to reconciliation during this season of Lent because as we were reminded in the Ash Wednesday collect, God hates nothing that He has made.

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lent in Galveston:

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/216866

Augustine is featured in the first issue of Diolog:

http://www.omagdigital.com/publication/?i=62992

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Lenten Program: We will have a combined Lenten program with Grace Episcopal on Wednesday evenings as we have had in years past. It will begin with the Stations of the Cross, Eucharist, a light meal and then a teaching. The first one will be on Wednesday, 16 March at 6:00 p.m. at Grace Episcopal.

Saturday, 12 March, work day in the Community Garden.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Roylene Lemons and pray for the family of Juanita Mack who died this week.

Your servant in Christ,

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

I Invite You, in the Name of the Church, to the Observance of a Holy Lent.

Today is Ash Wednesday; we begin Lent. In the liturgy for today, the Book of Common Prayer invites us to participate in this season in a meaningful way:

Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer. (BCP, p. 264-5).

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the ever changing world of technology. Just when I get accustomed to the idea of cell phones getting smaller and smaller, I’m introduced to the idea of bigger and bigger so I can watch TV on my cell phone. I am surrounded by more and more information with no place to put it. The world around me moves much faster than I can run to keep up with it; my world moves so rapidly that my vision becomes blurred. Then Lent comes, and the Ash Wednesday liturgy bids us to slow down and to refocus and become centered, to sort out what really matters. On Ash Wednesday, we are reminded in a very concrete way that our time on earth is limited; that we should use our time wisely to concentrate on what is important, something that lasts longer than 2G, 3G and 4G technology. It is a time to center on our relationship with the eternal, on our relationship with God. Our relationships with loved ones outlast technology. Lent is a time to concentrate on what is truly important in life, our relationships with God, our neighbors and and even ourselves.

So I invite you, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent.

THANK YOU TO THE TAYLORS FOR A WONDERFUL MARDI GRAS CELEBRATION! Yesterday, we inaugurated a new tradition at St. Augustine's for Fat Tuesday, a true Mardi Gras celebration. A good time was had by all!

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Ash Wednesday, 9 March at 7 P.M.: The Ash Wednesday Liturgy with the imposition of ashes. The ashes this year will be taken from the Palm Sunday crosses from St. James the Fisherman and given to us by Bob Newding.

Lenten Program: We will have a combined Lenten program with Grace Episcopal on Wednesday evenings as we have had in years past. It will begin with the Stations of the Cross, Eucharist, a light meal and then a teaching.

Saturday, 12 March, work day in the Community Garden.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Roylene Lemons and pray for the family of Juanita Mack, who was buried yesterday.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Shrove Doesn't Mean Pancake!

What in the world is “Shrove Tuesday”? It doesn't mean "pancake".

Lent, which simply means “spring,” was preceded by “shrovetide” (hence Shrove Tuesday). The English term “shrovetide” can be explained by a sentence in the Anglo-Saxon Ecclesiastical Institutes translated from Theodulphus by Abbot Aelfric about 1000 A.D.:

“In the week immediately before Lent everyone shall go to his confessor and confess his deeds and the confessor shall so shrive him as he then may hear by his deeds what he is to do in the way of penance.”

So "shrove" is the past tense of "shrive" which means "to hear someone's confession".

The celebratory aspect of the day developed long before the Protestant Reformation, and was associated with releasing high spirits before the somber season of Lent, thus the continuing carnival tradition associated with Mardi Gras.

Let us pray: Father, keep before us the wisdom and love you have revealed in your Son. Help us to be like him in word and deed, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

MARDI GRAS FUN AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S on FAT TUESDAY, 8 MARCH at 6 P.M.: Welcome a new tradition at St. Augustine's for Fat Tuesday, a true Mardi Gras celebration to be inaugurated by a famous Mardi Gras King and his Queen at St. Augustine’s!

Ash Wednesday, 9 March at 7 P.M.: The Ash Wednesday Liturgy with the imposition of ashes. The ashes this year will be taken from the Palm Sunday crosses from St. James the Fisherman and given to us by Bob Newding.

Lenten Program: We will have a combined Lenten program with Grace Episcopal on Wednesday evenings as we have had in years past. It will begin with the Stations of the Cross, Eucharist, a light meal and then a teaching.

Saturday, 12 March, work day in the Community Garden.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Roylene Lemons and Juanita Mack.

Your servant in Christ,

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

The Word that Sustains

The Epistle reading, from the Letter to the Hebrews, and the Gospel reading, from the Gospel according to John, center on how Jesus reveals to us who God is. The Letter to the Hebrews tells us:

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. (Heb. 1; 1-4).

John writes:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (Jn. 1: 1-5).

Common to both of the readings is the idea that Jesus reflects God perfectly. Jesus reflects God perfectly because Jesus is in fact God. Jesus is the very Son of God who by the Word, his Word, sustains everything in the universe, but he is also true man, like you and me in all things. And so the season of Epiphany draws to an end, and we Jesus is revealed to us as the sustainer of all that is.

Let us pray: Father of light, unchanging God, You reveal to people of faith the resplendent fact of the Word made flesh, Your Son, Jesus Christ. Your light is strong, Your love is near; draw us beyond the limits which this world imposes, to the life where Your Spirit makes all life complete. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

MARDI GRAS FUN AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S on FAT TUESDAY, 8 MARCH at 6 P.M.: Welcome a new tradition at St. Augustine's for Fat Tuesday, a true Mardi Gras celebration to be inaugurated by a famous Mardi Gras King and his Queen at St. Augustine’s!

Ash Wednesday, 9 March at 7 P.M.: The Ash Wednesday Liturgy with the imposition of ashes. The ashes this year will be taken from the Palm Sunday crosses from St. James the Fisherman and given to us by Bob Newding.

Lenten Program: We will have a combined Lenten program with Grace Episcopal on Wednesday evenings as we have had in years past. It will begin with the Stations of the Cross, Eucharist, a light meal and then a teaching.

Saturday, 12 March, work day in the Community Garden.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Roylene Lemons and Juanita Mack.

Your servant in Christ,

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

The Rev. Paul Cuffee, Missionary in the United States

Today the Church remembers someone from our own country, a native son who lived and worked as a missionary in Long Island, New York, the Rev. Paul Cuffee, a member of the Shinnecock tribe. He was the second of seven sons of Peter Cuffee a native Indian of the Shinnecock tribe, and grandson, on his mothers side, of the Rev. Peter John. Paul was born in near Brookhaven, New York probably at Wading River, on 4 March 1757.

The Rev. Cuffee’s tombstone, near Riverhead, New York, tells his story: “Erected by the New York Missionary Society, in memory of the Rev. Paul Cuffee, an Indian of the Shinnecock tribe, who was employed by the Society for the last thirteen years of his life, on the Eastern part of Long Island, where he labored the fidelity and success. Humble, pious and indefatigable in testifying the gospel of the grace of God, he finished his course with joy on the 7th of March, 1812, aged 55 years and 3 days” During those years, the Rev. Cuffee travelled on foot throughout Long Island, which is some 118 miles long.

Let us pray: Almighty God, you empowered Paul Cuffee to be a powerful evangelist and preacher and so to win many souls for Christ among the Native Americans of Long Island: Help us to proclaim your Word with power, in the Name of the same Jesus Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

MARDI GRAS FUN AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S on FAT TUESDAY, 8 MARCH at 6 P.M.: Welcome a new tradition at St. Augustine's for Fat Tuesday, a true Mardi Gras celebration to be inaugurated by a famous Mardi Gras King and his Queen at St. Augustine’s!

Ash Wednesday, 9 March at 7 P.M.: The Ash Wednesday Liturgy with the imposition of ashes. The ashes this year will be taken from the Palm Sunday crosses from St. James the Fisherman and given to us by Bob Newding.

Lenten Program: We will have a combined Lenten program with Grace Episcopal on Wednesday evenings as we have had in years past. It will begin with the Stations of the Cross, Eucharist, a light meal and then a teaching.

Saturday, 12 March, work day in the Community Garden.

Clothing is still welcome for the people of Lord of the Streets.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Karen Lehr for her continued recovery and for Juanita Mack.

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Chad, Bishop

Today the Church remembers and honors Chad who died on this day in 672. James Kiefer writes:

Chad was elected as Archbishop of York, but various persons raised objections, and rather than cause division in the Church he withdrew in favor of the other candidate, Wilfrid. The objection was that some of the bishops who had consecrated him--although not Chad himself--were holdouts who, even after the Synod of Whitby had supposedly settled the question in 663, insisted on preserving Celtic customs on the date of celebrating Easter and similar questions, instead of conforming to the customs of the remainder of Western Christendom.

He was soon after made Bishop of Lichfield in Mercia. There he travelled about as he had when Archbishop of York, always on foot (until the Archbishop of Canterbury gave him a horse and ordered him to ride it, at least on long journeys), preaching and teaching wherever he went. He served there for only two and a half years before his death, but he made a deep impression. In the following decades, many chapels, and many wells, were constructed in Mercia and named for him. (It was an old custom to dig a well where one was needed, and to mark it with one's own name or another's, that thirsty travellers and others might drink and remember the name with gratitude.)

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

CALENDAR REMINDERS

MARDI GRAS FUN AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S on FAT TUESDAY, 8 MARCH at 6 P.M.: Welcome a new tradition at St. Augustine's for Fat Tuesday, a true Mardi Gras celebration to be inaugurated by a famous Mardi Gras King and his Queen at St. Augustine’s!

Ash Wednesday, 9 March at 7 P.M.: The Ash Wednesday Liturgy with the imposition of ashes. The ashes this year will be taken from the Palm Sunday crosses from St. James the Fisherman and given to us by Bob Newding.

Lenten Program: We will have a combined Lenten program with Grace Episcopal on Wednesday evenings as we have had in years past. It will begin with the Stations of the Cross, Eucharist, a light meal and then a teaching.

Saturday, 12 March, work day in the Community Garden.

Clothing is still welcome for the people of Lord of the Streets.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Karen Lehr for her continued recovery and for Juanita Mack.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Please, Bear With Me In a Little Foolishness

In today’s appointed Epistle reading, Paul asks us to put up with a little “foolishness”:

I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough. I think that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. I may be untrained in speech, but not in knowledge; certainly in every way and in all things we have made this evident to you.

Did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I proclaimed God’s good news to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for my needs were supplied by the friends who came from Macedonia. So I refrained and will continue to refrain from burdening you in any way. As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. And why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

And what I do I will also continue to do, in order to deny an opportunity to those who want an opportunity to be recognized as our equals in what they boast about. For such boasters are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is not strange if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness. Their end will match their deeds.

I repeat, let no one think that I am a fool; but if you do, then accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying in regard to this boastful confidence, I am saying not with the Lord’s authority, but as a fool; since many boast according to human standards, I will also boast. For you gladly put up with fools, being wise yourselves! For you put up with it when someone makes slaves of you, or preys upon you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or gives you a slap in the face. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. (2 Cor. 11: 1-21).

Paul has a way of being just a little sarcastic in the opening lines of today’s passage. In some ways, he reminds me of my grandmother when she was just about to zing somebody. But Paul is trying to deal with a concrete problem. Someone has steered the Corinthians in the wrong direction, and he is trying to show them that he preached Christ to them without hope of anything material from them. In fact, his ministry among them was supported by others. Paul preached boldly, and he did because Paul knew the Risen Christ! He preached not with eloquence of a paid professional, but with heartfelt genuineness and love to those he pastored. Paul was authentic.

Are we authentic in our preaching of Jesus Christ to the world? Do you and I preach Christ boldly because we know Christ? Are you and I genuine in our Christian faith?

Let us pray: Holy Father, give us the strength in Your Holy Spirit to preach with boldness the Risen Christ. We pray to grow nearer to You each day so that we may proclaim in a laud and strong voice to the entire world that our God is real, able, good and generous. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

MARDI GRAS FUN AT ST. AUGUSTINE'S on FAT TUESDAY, 8 MARCH at 6 P.M.: Welcome a new tradition at St. Augustine's for Fat Tuesday, a true Mardi Gras celebration to be inaugurated by a famous Mardi Gras King and his Queen at St. Augustine’s!

Ash Wednesday, 9 March at 7 P.M.: The Ash Wednesday Liturgy with the imposition of ashes. The ashes this year will be taken from the Palm Sunday crosses from St. James the Fisherman and given to us by Bob Newding.

Saturday, 12 March, work day in the Community Garden.

Clothing is still welcome for the people of Lord of the Streets.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Karen Lehr for her continued recovery and for Juanita Mack.

Your servant in Christ,

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