an encouraging word from our Bishop  Enter Companioned Spiritual Formation Site page one page two page three <><><><><><><><> ANGLICAN IDENTITY by Archdeacon Geoffrey Hall Reflection
from Conamara by John O'Donohue Humans
have an uncanny ability to domesticate everything they touch. Eventually,
even the strangest things Only
seldom does Sometimes,
unfortunately, it is suffering or threat It
could happen that Someone
you love is suddenly in the grip It only
takes a few All you
know has just been rendered unsure and dangerous. You realise Now it
seems to <><> Beauty Cannot Be Forced Beauty enjoys a profound and ancient autonomy. True beauty is from elsewhere, a pure gift. It cannot be programmed nor its arrival foreseen. It never falls simply into the old patterns of what is already there nor is it frivolous or burdened with leaden solemnity. Frequently, beauty is playful like dancing sunlight, it cannot be predicted, and in the most unlikely scene or situation can suddenly emerge. This spontaneity and playfulness often subverts our self-importance and throws our plans and intentions into disarray. Without intending it, we find ourselves coming alive in a sense of celebration and delight. The pedestrian sequence of a working day breaks, a new door opens and the heart recognizes the silent majesty of the ordinary. The things we never notice, like health, friends and love, emerge from their subdued presence and stand out in their true radiance as gifts we could never have earned or achieved.'' - Beauty - The Invisible Embrace by John O'Donohue to read more quotes from O'Donohue's works .... |
Companioned Spiritual Formation THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SAINT MATTHEW 25:31-46 . Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ . "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." . Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ THE RECTOR REFLECTS AS THE CROWDS RUSHED BY TO BUSY TO SEE, HEAR OR DO . The following article was taken from a most interesting Washington Post article “Pearls Before Breakfast” and took place a couple of years ago. . As
the crowds rushed by, the man found a place to stand out of the way of
the foot
.traffic. People were in a hurry. Heads down they had places to go and things to do. The man opened the violin case he carried. He threw into the case a few coins and dollar bills to “prime the pump.” He proceeded to begin playing. But
this was no ordinary street musician. The anonymous violinist in the
train station was
.Joshua Bell, renowned virtuoso, star of the symphony circuit. Only three days earlier audiences had shelled out between $100.00 to $200.00 for a ticket to watch him play at Boston’s Symphony Hall. Now, as he stood just a few feet from commuters hurrying to work, Bell played his heart out on his multi-million dollar 1713 Stradivarius violin. He
began with “Chaconne,” from Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D Minor. Bell
calls this a
“spiritually powerful piece, emotionally powerful, structurally perfect.” By the way, “Chaconne” is also considered one of the most difficult violin solos ever written. Can you guess what happened? Did busy commuters suddenly stop in their tracks, mesmerized by this master violinist, and drift towards the magical music? Not so much. For the first three minutes of Bell’s “concert” no one passing by acknowledged anything. Not the music. Not the musician. Nothing. Everyone hurried by, too busy to stop, heads down, fixated on their next destination. Places to go and things to do. At four minutes one woman hurriedly tossed a dollar into Bell’s open violin case. Finally, after six minutes, one commuter stopped, leaned against a wall, and listened to the gift that was being poured out into that train station air. Joshua Bell played for 43 minutes. He made a grand total of $32.00 off of 27 donations. (“Better than minimum wage,” Bell noted later). Two people stopped to listen. The other 1,070 people who passed in front of him simply skittered by, oblivious, obsessed by their own agendas. John Lake, author of “Timeless Beauty: In The Arts and Everyday Life”succinctly summed up what this missed moment revealed about all those busy commuters, and about us: If we can’t take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that, then what else are we missing? … ..... for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Hmmn .... I wonder what we are missing? <><><><><><><><><><><><><> - The Tears of Grief at the Altar of Memory - THE HOLY GOSPEL OF MATTHEW 25 : 1 - 13 Glory be to thee, O Lord "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Praise be to thee, O Lord.  There’s a day waiting for you in your life when unwelcome news will breach your boundaries, whether
through the measured sentences of an obligated physician or
through the cold
earpiece of technology, news of illness to you or a loved one will arrive.” John O’donohue, Irish poet, mystic, philosopher, and priest. November’s the month we pause to remember. On the first Day of November we remember the Saints who have gone before us. Many of them martyred. The Church is built on spilled blood. First built on the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, Built on the blood of the martyrs. Built on the blood of the faithful, who choose death rather than deny Christ as Lord of their lives. On November 2nd , for those of the Anglo-Catholic tradition, the deaths of the faithful departed are remembered. A complicated and controversial doctrine. Simply put, and I apologize for stating it perhaps too simply, it’s the praying for a person’s soul as it passes through Purgatory. On the 11th day of November, the 11th, month, on the 11th day, at the 11th hour, the Nation, this great country of Canada, where we enjoy life,and health and safety,and all that is beautiful in the lives of God's people, made as we are in the image of God, we pause even only for a brief moment in time to remember those who have died in the great wars. While on vacation recently up in Ontario, after the wedding of our niece Amy & her husband Isaiah, we took the opportunity to visit some very dear friends who live in Ottawa. They asked us what we would like to see while visiting their beautiful city, the Nation’s capital. We asked to visit the National War Museum. It was a sobering experience to walk through somber exhibitions of the various great wars and lesser wars, if there can be such a thing. To read of the courageous and frightened Canadian soldiers who fought, many were wounded, in many different ways, and many died,their bodies laying where they fell. There was a great silence in the halls of the exhibits as people from all walks of life moved slowly and silently, whispering as they went from one exhibit to another. Each exhibit depicted events beginning with the war of 1812 right up to Canada’s present day involvement in Afghanistan. The Museum profiles the human side of war. It also chronicles the devastation of war's effects on families, communities and countries. Through four galleries the museum narrates the events of war, the devastation of war,and perhaps the necessity of war to stop an evil. It also depicted how Canadian military involvement in these wars shaped the development of this country, both at home and on the world stage. As we moved slowly and quietly from exhibit to exhibit, there was an older gentleman, old enough to be a 2nd World War Veteran justing sitting. He was sitting in front of a great display of the 2nd World War. His hands were clasped and his eyes were closed. First thoughts were that he might be sleeping. On closer inspection it was obvious he was praying. He sat there, unmoving, hands clasped, quietly, in reverent silence, with eyes closed in prayer for a very long time. One wonders what thoughts were travelling through his mind as perhaps the display took this gentleman back 'somewhere' in time. There was one very special place there that our friends wanted us to see. It is a room away from all the other exhibits. It took us several tries to find this place. The first thing you see stepping into the room, built like a bunker, is a small window. There is a half-wall just below the window on which two people sat when we arrived. They were quietly looking at the tombstone. They just sat there. Looking at the tombstone. It was a tribute to all the ‘unknown soldiers’ who lay where they fell in the theater of war and their bones nourished places like Flander’s field to one day produce an abundance of bright blood red poppies. I wondered what thoughts might be in their minds. The sunlight shines through that small window I spoke of. And at the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month, the sun lines up directly with the window and shines its light directly upon that memorial tombstone. The light shines bright in the darkness of war. As we took a seat on that half-wall I could not help but think of all those mothers and wives who had received telegrams informing them that their husbands and sons and daughters would not be coming home from war. Walking through
the long halls of the War Museum some words of John Donohue came to
mind. I couldn't have given you the full quote that particular day word
for word, but the idea was fresh in my mind. Having had the
ardous task of notifying parents, on several different occasions, that
their child had been killed in an accident I always found
O'Donohue's words, not so much comforting, but gained a strength from
the truth and reality of his words Again I quote:
"There’s
a day waiting for you in your life when unwelcome news will breach your
boundaries, whether
through the measured sentences of an obligated physician or
through the cold
arpiece of technology, news of illness to you or a loved one will arrive.” John O’donohue, Irish poet, mystic, philosopher, and priest. Thank God, that we as Christians, listening to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, we know that were are to "keep awake" for none of us know the day or the hour when our Lord Christ will return. Each Sunday, is for the Christian a day of remembrance. Lest we forget .... A Season for Everything under Heaven  A wise man once penned some famous words. Maybe you have heard them. "There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven." The author of these wor ds of wisdom understood that within the human enterprise, ( although we like to think we have ), we re ally have no control over times and changes that are part and parcel of life. One activity
which sustains me during those stressful times, especially those
challenging occasions when the sense of having no control over times and
changes of life is really intensified, is my running. It is an activity
that lends itself to every season. Running helps keep me sane.
This Thursday we enter into the season of Fall. We call it the Autumn Season back in Ireland. During this summer of rain, the blessing of all the rain was how the trees were just bursting, filled to overflowing with succulent green leaves and the grass underfoot was a brilliant shade of green all summer long that for an Irishman does the soul only good. The Fall Season gets underway with the running of 29th Fall Classic Road Race. It looks like a record crowd with registration. It begins a season of special events for the Capital City Roadrunners Club. In November, the Club organizes the one and only Metric Marathon, and in December we have the "Not-the-Honolulu-Marathon, and its definitely not Honolulu temperatures. Both events are "fun" events always with a good turnout of runners - especially in December, the more winter-like the better it is. As the green leaves give way to the reds, yellows and browns, that make Autumn a feast for the eyes, and as the days are cooler, and the hot, humid days of summer are but a memory, Autumn - the Fall reminds us that indeed seasons come and go and with it we grow older. As the years pass, and the passing the big 60 mark earlier this year, without fanfare, and given the nature of what I do, one of the things impressed on my soul, at the deepest level, is the reality that life is fragile. For many, life is but a caged treadmill. You work, eat, sleep, then repeat. I have learned that all the striving in the world as the search for success unfolds can come to naught in but a second. It is essential to learn to strive for the important things of life. There are many experiences in life that cannot be easily explained. There are many disharmonies and anomalies that the human mind cannot unravel. Many people go after schemes, taking advantage of others as they strive to get ahead. How they live with themselves must be another scheme. For me, as a running reverend, the world around me is God’s handiwork. For me, God is Artist. Each Season brings to the eternal canvas great works of beauty that feed the soul as they provide a spiritual feast for the eyes. I love Autumn. As Dr. George Sheehan, that great running philosopher, pointing out how Shakespeare got it wrong, and noted that the real question is ‘to play or not to play’ and what better way to ‘take up arms against a sea of troubles’. As I play in God’s wonderful garden, cultivating a spirituality, which is very different from some of the rigid religious practices we all have encountered, I believe God is in control. That God is in control of my life, even in those times when I clearly know I’m not, helps me keep a balance on what is often a razor’s edge of uncertainty. That God is in control of my life, helps me deal with those things, both large and little that happen in life and that I did not ask for or order, but that God has ordered all things, placed all things in their proper order, a season for everything under heaven. That God has ordered all things helps me accept that when things happen, and they will and they do, they are in fact appointments, God’s appointments. Even though I cannot always, most always never, understand them, or even anticipate them. But the world is ordered by God. God is a God of order not of chaos. Winter will always follow Autumn. The moon will rise just as the sun will set. Night follows the day or is it the other way? And so it is my goal to enjoy the life I have been given. To enjoy life fully. I’m not going to trouble myself with unrealistic goals, unnecessary worries, amass anxieties, but know and accept the measure of my human capabilities. This involves being prudent in all my ways. This involves a certain honesty in humility. In cultivating my spirituality, within the measure of my capabilities, knowing that God knows my full potential, for I am created in the image of God, ( and each one of us is God’s work of art ), I seek to live life meaningfully, purposefully, and joyfully, maybe even doing a little song and dance sometime before sharing the sermon! Maybe being more purposeful in play. Not taking life too seriously. To live meaningfully, purposefully and joyfully, means intentionally tasting, touching, seeing, smelling, feeling those good things of life, family and friends top the list. For this life is fleeting and the changes and chances are such that life’s enjoyments are often gone, the moment lost, before we have taken the time to fully acknowledge and appreciate and enjoy them. Also, entering the sixth decade of life, the ever advancement of the aging process reminds me to enjoy those good things of life and to offer thanks for them, except maybe for the white hair. Of course, for the Christian, the challenge of the Christian life is to be able to give thanks in all circumstances of life, accepting all things, as appointments with God. Perhaps this idea is best stated in the solemn vows couples exchange in marriage, "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health ...." Only we share that solemn vow with the Creator God. In cultivating my spirituality, and running through not only the seasons of the year, but also through the season of life, from my days of foolish youth through more mature years, I have asked God to be the center of my life. As a Christian, the center of my life is Jesus Christ. And so I place God, in Christ, at the center of my life. At the center of my work. At the center of all my activities, including, and especially so, my running. My spirituality takes time out for play - play renews my soul, my mind and my body. I enjoy running. It gives me a sense of freedom. It nourishes my soul. In cultivating my spiriuality, I seek to be content with my lot in life - after all it is divinely appointed. It’s not always easy as many things seek to bring discontent. It is through daily prayer and praise, through daily devotions and Scripture reading that I seek to reverently trust in the Creator God. For in all of life’s mysteries and puzzles, in all the enigmas of this fleeting life - all life in this world - God’s world - all life is under God. God as made all things and we are made in God’s image. Thus, cultivating my spirituality, it finds its fullest expression that it is only with God at the center of my life, my work, my activities, that helps me make some sense of life, and so endeavour to live life fully, to be freed from that caged treadmill, and to fully experience the good things in life, and trust completely in God in the difficult times of life. The last word goes to Dr. George Sheehan, who was an inspiration for those of us who joined the running boom in the 1970's. He set the bar high and removed the barriers of age, and introduced a generation to the notion we need to play. Not only could he run, but he could write. Listen to a passage taken practically at random from Running and Being, it involves finishing a race, and the exhilaration of the 'race' to the finish line. As you read, I trust you are enjoying your life, for it’s the only one you will have. Sheehan wrote these words in 1978: "Only in another season in heaven will I relive that finish. An impossible quarter-mile sprint and then holding on to the man I had just beaten so I wouldn't fall down. Hearing his heart pounding against my ear and my own beating in unison. Knowing only that and a world suddenly filled with friends saying nice things to an aging man who felt ageless in autumn." <><>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<>0<><> On The Road to Emmas  |
<><> * Minnie Estabrooks Suzanne Mason Hazel MacKenzie Rod Langis * Barb Langis * Dot Moore Alexa Kaye * Bob Brittain Cindy Derkson Megan Carney Darlene Adams* Betty Kennett Eleanor Dryden The Rev'd Brent Ham Norma Calhoun Ivy Beal Shirley Marshall Mary Marshall Donna Baker Jan Metzler Beth Cole Carol Keith Joan Hicks Marge Milner Annette Harris Catherine Campbell Edythe Jardine Agnes Scott Coralie Losier Ann Fairweather Linda-Lou Carter Nelida Lemon Eric Bell Loraaine Bell Betty MacNamara *Darlene Losier * *Eleanor Hewey Mary Lou Graves Elsie Grey Pearl Hazen <><><><><><> |
Friday, March 5th, 2010 Evening Meal 5:30pm Registration: 4:30 - 7:00pm Welcome & Introduction - 7:15 - 7:30pm Ice Breaker 7:30 - 8:00pm 8:00 - 8:15pm Introduction of Presenters 8:15 - 9:30pm Social Evening 9:30pm Friday Night Prayers  |
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE Saturday, March 6th, 2010 Breakfast - 8:00 - 9:00am . SaturdayMorning Prayers - 9:00 - 9:30am - . First Session 9:30 - 11:30am Quiet
Time
- 11:30-12:00pm Lunch - 12:00 - 1:00pm Quiet Time - 1:00 - 2:00pm Second Session 2:00 - 4:00pm Quiet Time - 4:00 - 5:30pm Supper - 5:30 - 6:30pm Quiet Time 6:30 - 7:00pm 7:00 - 10:00pm - TBA - BCP - Compline - 10:00pm |
Sunday, March 7th, 2010 Breakfast 8:00 - 9:00am Worship - Eucharist - 9:00 - 10:00am Quiet Time 10:00 - 11:00am Wrap up - small group evaluations 11:00 - 12:00am Lunch - 12:00am Departure Please Note: Tenative Schedule times and format subject to change.  Click here for March 5th-7th, 2010 Retreat Registration |