Sts. Peter & Paul: Listening to Each Other & the Holy Spirit

Today is the feast of Sts.Peter and Paul. Even though both apostles have their own feast days, today both are celebrated on this day. This dates back to 258, when under the Valerian persecution, what were believed to be the remains of the two apostles were both moved temporarily to prevent them from falling into the hands of the persecutors.

Peter and Paul agreed on the core of the faith; yet both had their disagreements, especially about the continuance of the Jewish laws and traditions with incoming Gentile Christians. In Galatians Paul writes: “When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, "Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions? … Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.” (Gal. 2:14, 16). After much prayer, listening to each other and the Holy Spirit, discussion and discernment, Paul’s views prevailed. Peter and Paul were able to sit down, listen to the other, and come to a decision. There has always been disagreement in the Church; however, sometimes the ability of people to listen,truly listen, to one another has been missing. Prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit is the key.

Let us pray: Almighty God,whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul glorified you by their martyrdom: Grant that your Church, instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together in unity by your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the HolySpirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Your servant in Christ,

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

St. Irenaues, Bishop of Lyons

Today the Church remembers and honors St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, was born around the year 125 and died around the year 202.  Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was brought up in a Christian family rather than converting as an adult.

During the persecution of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor from 161-180, Irenaeus was a priest of the Church of Lyon. The clergy of that city, many of whom were suffering imprisonment for the faith, sent him in 177 to Rome with a letter to Bishop Eleuterus concerning the heresy known as Montanism (teaching that God in the Old Testament and God in the New Testament were different), and that occasion bore emphatic testimony to his merits. While Irenaeus was in Rome, a massacre took place in Lyons. Returning to Gaul, Irenaeus succeeded the martyr Saint Pothinus and became the second Bishop of Lyon.

During the religious peace which followed the persecution of Marcus Aurelius, the new bishop divided his activities between the duties of a pastor and of a missionary. Almost all his writings were directed against Gnosticism (which believes that certain people have secret knowledge regarding God and salvation). The most famous of these writings is Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies).

The purpose of Against Heresies was to refute the teachings of various Gnostic groups; apparently, several Greek merchants had begun an oratorial campaign in Irenaeus’ bishopric, teaching that the material world was the accidental creation of an evil god, from which we are to escape by the pursuit of gnosis (knowledge). Irenaeus argued that the true gnosis (knowledge) is in fact knowledge of Christ, which redeems rather than escapes from bodily existence. Until the discovery of the library of Nag Hammadi (the Dead Sea Scrolls) in 1945, Against Heresies was the best-surviving description of Gnosticism.

The central point of Irenaeus’ theology is the unity and the goodness of God.  His emphasis on the unity of God is reflected in his corresponding emphasis on the unity of salvation history. Irenaeus repeatedly insists that God began the world and has been overseeing it ever since this creative act; everything that has happened is part of his plan for humanity. The essence of this plan is a process of maturation: Irenaeus believes that humanity was created immature, and God intended his creatures to take a long time to grow into or assume the divine likeness. Thus, Adam and Eve were created as children. Their Fall was thus not a full-blown rebellion but rather a childish spat, a desire to grow up before their time and have everything with immediacy.

According to Irenaeus, the high point in salvation history is the advent of Jesus. Irenaeus believed that Christ would always have been sent, even if humanity had never sinned; but the fact that they did sin determines his role as a savior. He sees Christ as the new Adam, who systematically undoes what Adam did: thus, where Adam was disobedient, Christ was obedient even to death on the cross. Irenaeus thinks of Christ as “recapitulating” or “summing up” human life.  This means that Christ goes through every stage of human life, from infancy to old age, and simply by living it, sanctifies it with his divinity.

Let us pray: Almighty God, who upheld your servant Irenaeus with strength to maintain the truth against every blast of vain doctrine: Keep us, we pray, steadfast in your true religion, that in constancy and peace we may walk in the way that leads to eternal 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

INSTALLATION OF THE RECTOR AT TRINITY: Sunday, 1 July at 5 p.m.

SUMMER ART PROGRAM: Please pick up a flier and registration sheet in the narthex of the Church.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Donna Greene (Carol Hogan’s cousin) who is fighting cancer, Steve Poirier who is struggling with cancer but also approaching death.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

The Rev. Cornelius Hill

Today the Church remembers Cornelius Hill (1843-1907) who was a Native American of the Oneida tribe, ordained to the diaconate in 1895 and as priest in 1903.  He was the last of the old Oneida chiefs in Wisconsin. Hill successfully resisted government attempts to move the tribe further west. Having been an “interpreter” for Episcopal services, he was ordained by Bishop Grafton. His wisdom and sanctity are still revered by the Oneida.

As a young man, Hill spent several years at Nashotah House, where the Episcopal priests educated him and formed him in the faith, worship, and tradition of the Church. Hill was greatly respected among his people for his intelligence, courage, and ability to lead, and by his teenage years, he had already been made an Oneida chief, named Onan-gwat-go, or “Big Medicine.”

Hill’s great mentor was the Rev. Edward A. Goodnough, a missionary and teacher who had worked among the Oneidas from 1853 to 1890.

Hill was the first Oneida to be ordained a priest. At the ordination, he repeated his vows in the Oneida language.

Hill saw Christian faith as a way to help his people grapple with the profound and rapid changes which faced them, and the authority of his ordination enhanced his ability to be a bridge between Oneida and white culture.

Let us pray:  Everliving Lord of the universe, our loving God, you raised up your priest Cornelius Hill, last hereditary chief of the Oneida nation, to shepherd and defend his people against attempts to scatter them in the wilderness: Help us, like him, to be dedicated to truth and honor, that we may come to that blessed state you have prepared for us; through Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

INSTALLATION OF THE RECTOR AT TRINITY: Sunday, 1 July at 5 p.m.

SUMMER ART PROGRAM: Please pick up a flier and registration sheet in the narthex of the Church.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Donna Greene (Carol Hogan’s cousin) who is fighting cancer, Steve Poirier who is struggling with cancer but also approaching death.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

An ATM Through A USB Chord

In today’s Gospel taken from Matthew we hear a familiar parable:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’

Then Peter said in reply, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first. (Mt. 19:23-30).

The importance of the parables can hardly be overestimated. They comprise a substantial part of the recorded preaching of Jesus. When Jesus preached so strikingly in parables, he did not create a new literary genre. Rather, he made brilliant use of a genre which was already of long tradition and which was familiar to all throughout the Mediterranean world. In Greece and Rome, parables were employed by rhetoricians, politicians and philosophers. Perhaps the most illustrious among those who made use of them were Socrates and Aristotle.  The parables in the Gospels fall into three groups: (1) similitude, (2) parable, and (3) exemplary story (sometimes called illustration).  All of the parables have this in common; they present an implied comparison between an experience or event from ordinary, everyday life, and a reality of the moral or religious order.

If we would put today’s parable in modern terms, it would go something like this:  It would be easier for a rich man to pull an ATM through a USB cord that it is for a rich person to enter into heaven.  Your first reaction is, “That’s crazy; it’s impossible to get an ATM through a USB cord!” Jesus says, “That’s right, it is impossible for humans to do it, but with God all things are possible.”

This picks up on yesterday’s theme—what, or who, is important to you?  What are your priorities?  If you turn your life over to God totally, not only will you get your priorities straight, but you will become a better, happier, and more complete person. It is a paradox, in giving your life over to God, you gain it.

Let us pray:  Gracious Father, with you all things are possible.  Send your Holy Spirit to give us the strength and the courage to turn over everything in our lives over to you so that we may not only follow the example of Jesus Christ, your Son, but that we may be raised to new life in him by dying to ourselves.  Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

INSTALLATION OF THE RECTOR AT TRINITY: Sunday, 1 July at 5 p.m.

SUMMER ART PROGRAM: Please pickup a flier and registration sheet in the narthex of the Church.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Donna Greene (Carol Hogan’s cousin) who is fighting cancer, Steve Poirier who is approaching death.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

A Matter of Priorities

The Gospel reading for today’s Daily Office is taken from Matthew; he writes:

Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.

Then someone came to him and said, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ And he said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said to him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and mother; also, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘I have kept all these; what do I still lack?’  Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.  (Mt. 19:13-22).

Today’s passage speaks to us about priorities.  It is no mistake that this passage starts out with the children.  Anyone who has been around children knows that they are content to play with whatever they have.  The lids of pots and pans work just as well as toy cars and dolls.  They do not need things.

What do we hold precious?  What can we not do without? What are we attached to?  Jesus knew the heart and soul of this person. Jesus knew that this person kept the Ten Commandments. He was by all accounts a good person.  The word translated as “perfect” is the Greek word “τέλειός” (teleios) which means “having reached its end, complete.”  So, Jesus says, “If you desire to be complete, sell your possessions.” We do things in faith and by faith.  The young man lacked faith in God; rather, he put his faith in his possessions.  His things were important to him, and he could not give them up, so he went away grieving.  Instead of becoming complete, he patched the hole in his soul with things.

What, or perhaps, who, is important to us?  Do you and I walk away grieving?

Let us pray:  O God, whose blessed Son became poor that we through his poverty might be rich: Deliver us from an inordinate love of things, that we, inspired by the example of your Son, may serve you with singleness of heart, and attain to the riches of the age to come; 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

INSTALLATION OF THE RECTOR AT TRINITY: Sunday, 1 July at 5 p.m.

SUMMER ART PROGRAM: Please pick up a flier and registration sheet in the narthex of the Church.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Donna Greene (Carol Hogan’s cousin) who is fighting cancer, and Steve Poirier who is approaching death.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

St. Alban

Today the Church remembers and honors St. Alban.  James Kiefer writes:

There were probably Christians in the British Isles already in the first century. However, Alban is the first recorded Christian martyr. The traditional date of his death is 304, during the persecution under the Emperor Diocletian; but many scholars now date it as around 209, during the persecution under the Emperor Septimius Severus. Alban was a pagan, and a soldier in the Roman Army. He gave shelter to a Christian priest who was fleeing from arrest, and in the next few days the two talked at length, and Alban became a Christian. When officers came in search of the priest, Alban met them, dressed in the priest's cloak, and they mistook him for the priest and arrested him. He refused to renounce his new faith, and was beheaded. He thus became the first Christian martyr in Britain. The second was the executioner who was to kill him, but who heard his testimony and was so impressed that he became a Christian on the spot, and refused to kill Alban. The third was the priest, who when he learned that Alban had been arrested in his place, hurried to the court in the hope of saving Alban by turning himself in. The place of their deaths is near the site of St. Alban's Cathedral today.

Let us pray: Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyr Alban triumphed over suffering and was faithful even unto death: Grant to us, who now remember him with thanksgiving, to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world, that we may receive with him the crown of 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

SAFEGUARDING GOD’S CHILDREN: Tomorrow, Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at Sutton Hall.

SUMMER ART PROGRAM: Please pickup a flier and registration sheet in the narthex of the Church.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Donna Greene (Carol Hogan’s cousin) who is fighting cancer.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas77550

"Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven"

Today’s Gospel reading picks up where we left off yesterday:

‘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.

‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’ (Mt. 18: 11-20)

Holding a grudge is not healthy.  Refusing to forgive someone takes its toll on the person who won’t forgive. Jesus tells us to be up front with each other.  If you have a problem with someone, be gentle about it, but go talk to them about it. If they don’t respond, bring a few others with you from the Church to visit with them.  Jesus makes it clear,each of us has a tremendous power: “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  Exercise it well, and lean toward forgiveness—that’swhat God would have us do.

Let us pray:  Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; in your great compassion blot out my offenses. Wash me through and through from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions only too well, and my sin is ever before me.  Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One,have mercy upon us.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED WITH THE FOOD TODAY AT OUR SENIORS DAY!  I stopped by and visited our guests who visit us on the third Thursday of each month.  What a wonderful, friendly and social group of people.  Thank you to Michelle Walker who spear heads this ministry which is such a gift to so many.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

SAFEGUARDING GOD’S CHILDREN:Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at Sutton Hall.

SUMMER ART PROGRAM: Please pickup a flier and registration sheet in the narthex of the Church.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Donna Greene (Carol Hogan’s cousin) who is fighting cancer.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas77550

"In passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things."

The Epistle reading for today is taken from Paul’s letter to the Romans, which is considered to be Paul’s best work.  He writes:

Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. You say, ‘We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth.’ Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. For he will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.  (Rm. 2:1-11).

People can be very quick to judge. Paul reminds us that the very thing that we may be judgmental of others for, we ourselves are doing.  That, I venture to say, is a common occurrence.  We recognize in others what we cannot stand in ourselves.  God wants to lead us to repentance, and part of repentance is the ability to be honest with ourselves.  Paul is also quick to remind us that God is patient with us, that God forgives us, therefore, we should forgive others.  God does not play favorites—God loves all equally.

Let us pray: O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

CALENDAR REMINDERS

SENIORS AT ST. AUG’S: Tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.

SAFEGUARDING GOD’S CHILDREN, Saturday, 23 June at 10:00 a.m. at Sutton Hall at St. Augustine’s.

SUMMER ART PROGRAM: Please get the sign-up sheets in the narthex of the Church.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Don't Be A Stumbling Block

The selected Gospel reading for the Daily Office today is taken from the 18^th chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew:

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!

‘If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire. (Mt. 18: 1-9)

Children are trusting.  Children are innocent.  To take advantage of a child or to hurt a child is a great sin; it is an offense against God.  Jesus tells us that we must become like children.  Anyone who has the responsibility of teaching the faith is charged to do it correctly.  They cannot be an occasion of scandal for those in their care, or as Jesus puts it, they cannot be “stumbling blocks” causing the children to fall.  You and I should ever mindful not to be stumbling blocks to others.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

SAFEGUARDING GOD’S CHILDREN, Saturday, 23 June at 10:00 a.m. at Sutton Hall at St. Augustine’s.

SUMMER ART PROGRAM: Please get the sign-up sheets in the narthex of the Church.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Bernard Mizeki

Today the Church remembers Bernard Mizeki who was born in Portuguese East Africa (Mozambique) in about 1861. James Kiefer writes:  

When he was 12, he left his home and went to Capetown, South Africa, where for the next 10 years he worked as a laborer, living in the slums of Capetown, but (perceiving the disastrous effects of drunkenness on many workers in the slums) firmly refusing to drink alcohol, and remaining largely uncorrupted by his surroundings. After his day's work, he attended night classes at an Anglican school. Under the influence of his teachers, from the Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE, an Anglican religious order for men, popularly called the Cowley Fathers), he became a Christian and was baptized on 9 March 1886. Besides the fundamentals of European schooling, he mastered English, French, high Dutch, and at least 8 local African languages. In time he would be an invaluable assistant when the Anglican Church began translating its sacred texts into African languages. 

After graduating from the school, he accompanied Bishop Knight-Bruce to Mashonaland, a tribal area in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), to work there as a lay catechist. In 1891 the bishop assigned him to Nhowe, the village of paramount-chief Mangwende, and there he built a mission-complex. He prayed the Anglican hours each day, tended his subsistence garden, studied the local language (which he mastered better than any other foreigner in his day), and cultivated friendships with the villagers. He eventually opened a school, and won the hearts of many of the Mashona through his love for their children. 

He moved his mission complex up onto a nearby plateau, next to a grove of trees sacred to the ancestral spirits of the Mashona. Although he had the chief's permission, he angered the local religious leaders when he cut some of the trees down and carved crosses into others. Although he opposed some local traditional religious customs, Bernard was very attentive to the nuances of the Shona Spirit religion. He developed an approach that built on people's already monotheistic faith in one God, Mwari, and on their sensitivity to spirit life, while at the same time he forthrightly proclaimed the Christ. Over the next 5 years (1891-1896), the mission at Nhowe produced an abundance of converts. 

 

Many black African nationalists regarded all missionaries as working for the European colonial governments. During an uprising in 1896, Bernard was warned to flee. He refused, since he did not regard himself as working for anyone but Christ, and he would not desert his converts or his post. On 18 June 1896, he was fatally speared outside his hut. His wife and a helper went to get food and blankets for him. They later reported that, from a distance, they saw a blinding light on the hillside where he had been lying, and heard a rushing sound, as though of many wings. When they returned to the spot his body had disappeared. The place of his death has become a focus of great devotion for Anglicans and other Christians, and one of the greatest of all Christian festivals in Africa takes place there every year around the feast day that marks the anniversary of his death, 18 June. 

Let us pray:  Almighty and everlasting God, who kindled the flame of your love in the heart of your holy martyr Bernard Mizeki: Grant to us, your humble servants, a like faith and power of love, that we who rejoice in his triumph may profit by his example; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.    Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

SAFEGUARDING GOD’S CHILDREN, Saturday, 23 June at 10:00 a.m. in Sutton Hall at St. Augustine’s.

SUMMER ART PROGRAM IN JULY at St. Augustine’s.  Please pick up a registration form in the narthex of the Church.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, and especially all of those who are traveling this summer, those who are seeking work, the ill and all of 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

Bear One Another's Burdens

The Epistle selection for the Daily Office is from Paul’s letter to the Galatians.  Paul writes:

If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.

My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads.

Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.  (Gal. 5:25-6:10).

Everyone fails.  There is no one who is able to be perfect at all times, although sometimes we may think so. Paul tells us that if someone stumbles, we should “restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness” bearing one another’s burdens.  That is what Christian communities do; we bear one another’s burdens.

Let us pray:  Remember not, Lord Christ, our offenses, nor the offenses of our forefathers; neither reward us according to our sins. Spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood, and by thy mercy preserve us, and give us the strength to bear each other’s burden to the glory of Your name now and for ever.  Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

THIS SUNDAY IS FATHER’S DAY, remember Dad!

SAFEGUARDING GOD’S CHILDREN, Saturday, 23 June at 10:00 a.m. in Sutton Hall at St. Augustine’s.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

St. Basil: Defender of Orthodxy

Today the Church remembers a saint with a great mind, St. Basil.  He was born around the year 330 A.D. His parents were well to do.  His parents were known for their piety, and his maternal grandfather was a Christian martyr, executed in the years prior to Constantine's conversion. Among Basil’s siblings, four are commonly venerated as saints: Macrina the Younger, Naucratius, Peter of Sebaste and Gregory of Nyssa.

Shortly after Basil’s birth, the family moved to his grandmother Macrina the Elder’s home. There, Basil was educated in the home by his father and grandmother. Following the death of his father during his teenage years, Basil returned to Caesarea in Cappadocia around 350-51 to begin his formal education. There he met Gregory of Nazianzus, also a saint, who would become a lifetime friend. Together, Basil and Gregory went on to study in Constantinople. Finally, the two spent almost six years in Athens starting around 349, where they met a fellow student who would become the emperor Julian the Apostate. Basil left Athens in 356, and after travelling in Egypt and Syria, he returned to Caesarea, where for around a year he practiced law and taught rhetoric. A year later, Basil's life would change radically after he encountered Eustathius of Sebaste, a charismatic bishop and ascetic.

After receiving the sacrament of baptism, Basil traveled in 357 to Palestine, Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia to study ascetics and monasticism. While impressed by the piety of the ascetics, the ideal of solitary life held little appeal to him. Rather, he turned his attention toward communal religious life. After dividing his fortunes among the poor he went briefly into solitude near Neocaesaria on the Iris. Basil soon ventured out of this solitude, and by 358 he was gathering around him a group of like-minded disciples, including his brother Peter. Together they founded a monastic settlement on his family estate.

Basil wrote regarding monastic communal life, which are accounted as being pivotal in the development of the monastic tradition of the Eastern Church and have led to his being called the "father of Eastern communal monasticism". In 358, he wrote to his friend, Gregory of Nazianzus, asking Gregory to join him in Arnesi. Gregory eventually agreed to come.

In 362, Basil was ordained a deacon by Bishop Meletius of Antioch. He was summoned by Eusebius to his city, and was ordained presbyter of the Church there in 365. His ordination was probably the result of the entreaties of his ecclesiastical superiors.

Basil and Gregory Nazianzus spent the next few years combating the Arian heresy (a heresy denying the divinity of Christ), which threatened to divide the region of Cappadocia. Gregory and Basil engaged in public debates on Christian doctrine, and they emerged triumphant.

In 370, Basil was consecrated bishop on June 14, 370. Basil was also generous and sympathetic. He personally organized a soup kitchen and distributed food to the poor during a famine following a drought. He gave away his personal family inheritance to benefit the poor of his diocese.

His letters show that he actively worked to reform thieves and prostitutes. They also show him encouraging his clergy, and that he personally took care in selecting worthy candidates for holy orders. He also had the courage to criticize public officials who failed in their duty of administering justice. At the same time, he preached every morning and evening in his own church to large congregations. In addition to all the above, he built a large complex just outside Caesarea, which included a poorhouse, hospice, and hospital, and was regarded at the time as one of the wonders of the world.

His zeal for orthodoxy did not blind him to what was good in an opponent; and for the sake of peace and charity he was content to waive the use of orthodox terminology when it could be surrendered without a sacrifice of truth.

He did not live to see the end of the factional disturbances and the complete success of his continued exertions in behalf of the Church. He suffered from liver illness and his excessive asceticism seems to have hastened him to an early death. A lasting monument of his episcopal care for the poor was the great institute before the gates of Caesarea, which was used as poorhouse, hospital, and hospice.

Let us pray:  Almighty God, who has revealed to your Church your eternal Being of glorious majesty and perfect love as one God in Trinity of Persons: Give us grace that, like your bishop Basil of Caesarea, we may continue steadfast in the confession of this faith, and constant in our worship of you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; who live and reign for ever and ever.  Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

THIS SUNDAY IS FATHER’S DAY, remember Dad!

SAFEGUARDING GOD’S CHILDREN, Saturday, 23 June at 10:00 a.m. in Sutton Hall at St. Augustine’s.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

This morning’s Old Testament reading from the Daily Office is taken from the Book of Ecclesiastes:

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the skillful; but time and chance happen to them all. For no one can anticipate the time of disaster. Like fish taken in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare, so mortals are snared at a time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon them.

I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed important to me. There was a little city with few people in it. A great king came against it and besieged it, building great siege-works against it. Now there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. So I said, ‘Wisdom is better than might; yet the poor man’swisdom is despised, and his words are not heeded.’ The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouting of a ruler among fools.  Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one bungler destroys much good.  (Ecclesiastes 9:11-18)

So many people discount what the Old Testament has to say; however, that is a mistake.  Scripture has to be taken together, Old and New Testaments. 

The Hebrew name of this book and of its author, Qoheleth, is actually a title, and it perhaps means“assembler” (of students, listeners) or “collector” (of wisdom sayings). The book’smore common name, Ecclesiastes, is an approximate translation into Greek of this Hebrew word. The book comprises an extended reflective essay employing autobiographical narrative, proverbs, parables, and allegories.  Ecclesiastes was most likely written in the third century B.C., when Judea was under the oppressive domination of Hellenistic kings from Egypt. These kings were highly efficient in their ruthless exploitation of the land and people, and the average Jewish person would have felt a sense of powerlessness and inability to change things for the better.

This morning we see the wisdom of the Old Testament, the author of Ecclesiastes expresses what many of us have learned by own our experience.  Read the passage at least twice, and see if what it says does not bring a smile to your face, a smile that says: “He’s got that right!” Don’t discount the Old Testament. It is part of your story, the story of salvation.

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 

THIS SUNDAY IS FATHER’S DAY, remember Dad!

SAFEGUARDING GOD’S CHILDREN,Saturday, 23 June at 10:00 a.m. in Sutton Hall at St. Augustine’s.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Enmegahbowh: The First Native American To Be Ordained an Episcopal Priest

Today the Episcopal Church remembers the first Native American to be ordained an Episcopal priest, Enmegahbowh (which means “The man who prays for his people while standing”), who was ordained in the mid-1800s.  Enmegahbowh was an Odawa from Canada who converted to Christianity from Midewiwin.  In 1851, the Rev. Dr. James Lloyd Breck began a mission among the Ojibwa of Minnesota. Enmegahbowh was a catechumen there and was baptized by Breck.

Enmegahbowh was ordained a deacon and went to Crow Wing, Minnesota to assist in a new mission there in 1858.  He took over the mission in 1861. With the Dakota War of 1862, the near-by Gull Lake Band of Mississippi Chippewa rose to attack near-by Fort Ripley. Enmegahbowh prevented some other bands from joining the Gull Lake Band; he, though, was made a prisoner, but succeeded in escaping. He made his way to Fort Ripley with timely information of the impending attack, and helped prevent the Gull Lake Band from attacking the fort. The Gull Lake, along with other Ojibwa, were subsequently removed to the environs of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and then eventually to the White Earth Indian Reservation. Enmegahbowh followed his people there.

In March 1880, Enmegahbowh and Chief Fine-Day traveled across the eastern United States for three months in order to raise money for a new St. Columba Episcopal Church at White Earth. While in Ohio, the governor was so impressed with their speech that he had them address the Ohio state legislature. They raised $6000 for the project. After Chief Fine-Day died in 1883, Enmegahbowh referred to Fine-Day as “our noblest chief” and recommended that a stained glass window in the church be dedicated to him.

Enmegahbowh died at the White Earth Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota on this day in 1902 at the age of 95.

Let us pray:  Almighty God, you led your pilgrim people of old with fire and cloud; grant that the ministers of your church, following the example of blessed Enmegahbowh, may stand before your holy people, leading them with fiery zeal and gentle humility. This we ask through Jesus, the Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

MEETING TUESDAY AT 7 P.M. for the Community Garden.

BISHOP’S COMMITTEE MEETS this Sunday after the Eucharist in Sutton Hall during the Fellowship Hour.

REMEMBER DAD!  This Sunday is Father’s Day.

SAFEGUARDING GOD'S CHILDREN- Saturday, 23 June at 10:00 A.M. Sutton Hall.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, and please remember those who will be ordained deacons this Saturday.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

St. Barnabas: Son of Encouragement

Today the Church honors and remembers St. Barnabas.  We read about him in the Acts of the Apostles:

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet,and it was distributed to each as any had need. There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means ‘son ofencouragement’). He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money,and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (Acts 4: 32-37).

James Kiefer tells us that Barnabas’“new name fits what we know of his actions. When Paul came to Jerusalem after his conversion, most of the Christians there wanted nothing to do with him.They had known him as a persecutor and an enemy of the Church. But Barnabas was willing to give him a second chance. He looked him up, spoke with him, and brought him to see the other Christians, vouching for him. Later, Paul and Barnabas went on a missionary journey together, taking Mark with them. Partway, Mark turned back and went home. When Paul and Barnabas were about to set out on another such journey, Barnabas proposed to take Mark along, and Paul was against it, saying that Mark had shown himself undependable. Barnabas wanted to give Mark a second chance, and so he and Mark went off on one journey, while Paul took Silas and went on another. Apparently Mark responded well to the trust given him by the ‘son of encouragement,’ since we find that Paul later speaks of him as a valuable assistant (2 Tim 4:11; see also Col 4:10 and Phil24).”

“Son of encouragement”—what a wonderful name.  Each of us should be like Barnabas, an encouragement to our fellow brothers and sisters.  Sometimes that can be difficult to do,especially when those we are called to encourage have, in one way or another,hurt us, just as Paul hurt the early Christians.  Nevertheless, Barnabas was willing to give Paul a second chance.  Barnabas’ act of generosity certainly helped to foster Paul’s great missionary work.

Let us pray:  Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of thy faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well-being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

MEETING TUESDAY AT 6 P.M. for the Community Garden.

BISHOP’S COMMITTEE MEETS this Sunday after the Eucharist in Sutton Hall during the Fellowship Hour.

SAFEGUARDING GOD'S CHILDREN- Saturday, 23 June at 10:00 A.M. Sutton Hall.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, and please remember those who will be ordained deacons this Saturday.

Your servant in Christ,

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