George Herbert: Poet & Priest

Today the Church remembers George Herbert, priest and poet, who lived in England from 1593 to 1633.  Herbert was born in Wales and went to university at Trinity College, Cambridge.  He gave up his secular ambitions and he was ordained an Anglican priest in 1630.  Herbert spent the rest of his life, a mere 3 years after ordination, as the rector of the little parish of Fugglestone (St. Peter) and neighboring Bemerton (St. Andrew), near Salisbury. He was noted for unfailing care for his parishioners, bringing the sacraments to them when they were ill, and providing food and clothing for those in need.

His poetry is very well known, and you may remember it from school days.  Here is his poem Good Friday:

O my chief good,

How shall I measure out thy blood?
How shall I count what thee befell,
And each grief tell?

Shall I thy woes

Number according to thy foes?
Or, since one star show'd thy first breath,
Shall all thy death?

Or shall each leaf,

Which falls in Autumn, score a grief?
Or cannot leaves, but fruit be sign
Of the true vine?

Then let each hour

Of my whole life one grief devour:
That thy distress through all may run,
And be my sun.

Or rather let

My several sins their sorrows get;
That as each beast his cure doth know,
Each sin may so.

Since blood is fittest, Lord to write

Thy sorrows in, and bloody fight;
My heart hath store, write there, where in
One box doth lie both ink and sin:

That when sin spies so many foes,

Thy whips, thy nails, thy wounds, thy woes
All come to lodge there, sin may say,
'No room for me', and fly away.

Sin being gone, oh fill the place,

And keep possession with thy grace;
Lest sin take courage and return,
And all the writings blot or burn.

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

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Today, the Lenten Series continues at 6 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church on 1115 36th Street on the Island. This week we will hear from Fr. Peter and Br. Michael, monks of the Order of St. Benedict.

Friday and Saturday, 8 & 9 March, Wine Glass and Art Class with Lee Runion.

We will host St. Christopher’s quiet day and vestry planning day at St. Augustine’s the 9^th of March, Saturday.

Adult Christian Education Series continues this Sunday come and joing us as Jillian and Tom Bain guide us through the Scripture behind Handel's Messiah. This is a wonderful study!

Remember to collect those paper towel tubes and oatmeal containers for the Summer Art Camp at St. Augustine’s.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Gladys and Pat.

Your servant in Christ,

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