Category: Sermon

Live to Serve

The banquet is prepared and those that work to no end and without tire humbly provide a grand service. How fitting for the honored guests to be seated at the table to enjoy the succulent pig! The wine has been properly poured, the name placards bear the identification of those present, and the music is just about to begin. The servers circle around the hall with eyes on emptying plates and glasses. It must be done. The people must be fed.

Some may be offended at the notion that we should serve with reverence; some of us would rather be seated among the fine linens and polished silver. Some may say that serving people is just a dirty job. They may be right. But what about serving at the table of the Lord? What about serving fellow man/woman in the streets and how do we do it without faltering in spirit or passion? Christ speaks of this with His words and with His life. His example is exemplary in this matter. St Paul tells us:

“Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (Heb. 5:7)

This sounds like work to me. It screams of passion and undying service. This Holy testament of service represents a requirement for all “Priests of the Order of Melchizedek”. And if it is not known, the designation of the Order of the Priests of Melchizedek are dually assigned to all Christians, including ordained clergy. We all serve and share in this honor. Who do we serve you may ask? We serve each other. We look after each other with reverence for the Holy One’s decrees. We serve those whom suffer through the tribulations of the current day, Christian or not. We do this with confidence. But this is difficult! We live in an age of self. We purposely place our self worth in “things” and not people. Blindly we walk into that grocery store for the best tenderloin but rarely do we notice that we just broke in line to get it! OK, some may be observant…but some are not. But to pay it forward often requires the hindsight of the future; we must be aware before we do something in an attempt to avoid causing duress to someone else. Do we not sacrifice our own self if we desire to serve the table? Christ learned an obedience in His human will and therefore teaches us to do the same.

To lead is to serve. To serve is to suffer and to suffer is to praise God in our actions and not only our words. True greatness is to serve and to do it without a complaint and often times without being noticed. The disciples state that “they are able” to drink of His cup and be baptized like Him. But doesn’t Christ remind us that such a request to be seated at His side can only be seen as a request for temporal power? Does this not remind us that earthly desires such as this are not of HIS father, but of the earth? Jesus makes it clear:

“To sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared” (Mk 10:40).

Such places of position and status are not His to give in this manner. Of course this is not to say that He does not have the authority. He does! But these places may be designated to ones that those seats have been prepared for. St. John Chrysostom reveals to us that these places may be for such people as the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist. It is impossible for us to really know and to anticipate whom Christ was referring to. But we do know that Jesus was speaking of someone else than His immediate disciples. This conversation could also get into some very heavy Christology. Let’s just stop at that. One thing is for sure, Christ made it clear:

“You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant” (Mk 10:42-43) 

I beg of you to observe gently expressions of kindness and service among your fellows and I entreat you to mimic them. Pay it forward, serve and bless, and live to serve again.

Why Me, Lord?

Self pity, as defined by Websters dictionairy means: pity for oneself; especially : a self-indulgent dwelling on one’s own sorrows or misfortunes. Lets look at the last part of the definition- “A self-indulgent dwelling on one’s own sorrows or misfortunes”.  How many times a day do you find yourself saying “why me?”, or whining “why can’t I get a break?” as you face yet another tiresome glitch in your day? As Christians we are taught to entrust our pleas to the Lord, that all we would need to do is ask, and it will be given. But I do not think our Creator included self pity as a valid basis for prayer.

In Psalm 22:1-5 we are beseeching God to rescue us, groaning about the many trials man must endure. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” We then go on to continue our whining, saying “But I am a worm”, {hear the poor me?} “scorned by others, and despised by people”. As if because of our very humanness, we are not worthy to be rescued by God. But the complaining doesn’t stop there. “ All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; “Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver– let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”  Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast. On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my God.”

How many of us have felt just like this poor soul, crying out to God to help us with a trial, a daily issue, or even just something as simple as finding a good parking spot? I know here lately that is all I seem to be doing. Whining to my loving Father because life is just so not fair, crying so many self- pity tears that I have inherited stock in Kleenex tissue. And when an answer, or assistance doesn’t immediately come, I feel like maybe I am just not worth His time. I am a nothing, a nobody. But yet I cry, “ I am your daughter God, why do you not give me what I want?” Yet knowing He never gives us what we want, but always what we need.

As we continue to read in Psalms, “ Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.  Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me;  they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.  I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;  my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.”  Some days are just like this, feeling like our daily struggles are just too much to bear. I know there have been many times “my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast”. As if just one more thing, will send my soul, my spirit in to a deepening chasm of despair, with no hope or rescue in sight.  Just as if I were to already be “in the dust of death”.

But in Hebrews 4:12-16, we are given a glimmer of just how understanding our God really is, and though we may wallow in self-pity, He really does understand what we are going through.

“ Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

This is a very simple but powerful passage for me, and I imagine for many of you. Yes, we whine and complain about yet another item on our to-do list. Or maybe you are like me, and feel as if your spirit has been battered by too many life problems or issues.  We all know the biggies-death, divorce, illness, financial hardship-but what about all those little things that crop up, taxing our already over-loaded emotional and mental resources? Do we complain, indulge in self-pity (I am so guilty of this one), or present a stoic front to the world, thinking we are stronger than these trials? Sorry folks, none of those things will work. First, when you complain enough, people stop listening. And since God already knows the desires of your heart, and as spirit made flesh, He has experienced pretty much everything, then whining to Him is not helpful. Since we have a loving Father “who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.”, know that your sufferings have been seen and understood.

The next step in this wallowing of despair is self-pity. Do you often feel as if you are the only one going through something? Or maybe you just feel alone, like no one could possibly understand what you are going through.  Trust me, I have been there……..more times than I can count. And though I don’t always quickly pull myself out of it, I am learning to recognize this destructive time-waster. For me, it helps to know God has pretty much got things under control, even if I can’t see it at the time. But there are days I still am too stubborn to admit that maybe I am not the one in control of the Universe.

“Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”

Looks to me like there is the answer-not whining, not complaining, and certainly not self pity.  That if we boldly approach God, who already knows our needs, we will find mercy and grace. Though we may not see it at the time, He is working in us, and through us, caring for His children in his time, not ours. God knows the desires of your heart, He understands your trials because He himself, through Jesus, has been there, and knowing this, we are tasked with allowing our loving Father to take control, His will then shall be done.

Lady Wisdom

Wisdom:  a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of one’s emotional reactions (the “passions“) so that universal principles, reason and knowledge prevail to determine one’s actions. Wisdom is also the comprehension of what is true coupled with optimum judgment as to action.

Today more and more women – and men – are questioning traditional biblical teaching about deity. Although many people will assert that God is beyond gender, yet long centuries of referring to “Him” as masculine and addressing Him as Lord, King, Father etc have been a strong conditioning factor in our lives, whether we are “religious” or not. Sacred duties and religious rituals have been largely in the hands of men, and a hierarchy has been put firmly in place, constructed on the base that only men in themselves portray the image of God. For many years, it appeared that this view was the only one available, and is still “natural” and enshrined in many religious traditions.

No one can dispute that most biblical teachings come directly, or indirectly, from God, so thus it would stand to reason that wisdom, as defined above, would be a blessed by-product of this knowledge. Yet, in Hebrew apparently, wisdom is a feminine noun “sophia”, and as such, it is referred to as a “she.”
Therefore, the writer of Proverbs personifies her as “Lady Wisdom”.  Many have speculated that this use of such a feminine noun, clearly shows that God is both male and female. Of course no one can say this for sure, but in the following passages, we learn that calling wisdom a “she”, certainly makes her easier to understand. That it actually makes us want to have a more personal relationship with such an interesting person as “Lady Wisdom”.

Proverbs 1:20-33
“Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand and no one heeded, and because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you,
when panic strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices. For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.”

As we can see by today’s Bible reading, Wisdom is presented as more than an abstract concept like justice. By personifying wisdom as a woman, the abstract idea becomes more immediate and attainable. And the description, beautiful and poetic as it is, makes Lady Wisdom someone you want to know and know well. As described, wisdom becomes someone whose company you enjoy and look forward to. She is approachable to anyone and everyone. The goodness of your heart and purity of your spirit — not your I.Q. — is what attracts wisdom. The desire and resolve to do what is right and just in the eyes of God are the first steps toward wisdom that anyone and everyone can take, if they so choose. This is never more plainly stated than in the following passages:

Wisdom of Solomon 7:26 – 8:1
“For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. Although she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets; for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.  She is more beautiful than the sun, and excels every constellation of the stars. Compared with the light she is found to be superior, for it is succeeded by the night, but against wisdom evil does not prevail. She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well.”

I think the following quote clearly explains how important wisdom was to early Christian Fathers. Portraying this crucial concept in the feminine voice, allowed anyone who wished, the ability to attain a personal relationship with Lady Wisdom.

“Everything to do with her is mysterious and paradoxical. In the Bible she is always female… She is continually being sought and found, lost and found; she ascends and descends; she finds her place in Israel, she can find no place in Israel. She is the divine female companion of God, eternal with Him before creation, and is herself involved in the cosmos as creator, nurturer, teacher and artificer. She acts as intermediary between God and humans and is willing to share herself with them and with the world. She may be married to God or to selected men, and she may be the mother of the created world. Human beings must follow her rules if they are to succeed in this life and also possibly partake in an afterlife with God. It was she who helped God create the universe and she knows all its secrets. She moves through it and orders it well”. (A. P. Long. in: Pirani. A. (ed.) The Absent Mother (1991:46))

I feel that by portraying Wisdom as such an enticing, intelligent, exciting female, the Early Christian authors of the Bible were saying many things:

1. One must strive to learn, and keep wisdom.

2. That such a worthy concept is attainable to all, male and female.

3. Just as with babies, our Mothers fed us, clothed us, and taught us, such is the Wisdom of the Lord.

4. It will nourish and sustain any who seek, and find her, this Lady Wisdom.

Normal???

There is a very staunch and aggressive battle for the hearts and minds of the people in society. In today’s world, we often fight the battle of the “has” and the “has not’s”, do we not? We are “who we are” as a number, a social class, a race, or a creed. Our God given talents, attributes, traits, and preferences define us as a person. But what does that mean and who determines the “normal?”

While referring to an online dictionary, I viewed the definition of normal as “conforming to the standard or the common type”. i It would seem rational to assume that if you had rings around your neck to the point of stretching it, you would be a Padaung women from the Kayan tribe in Burma. Now bring this same woman to downtown Anytown, USA. Would she be accepted? How would our judgmental society see her?

If we are to serve in heaven, would it not be reasonable to say that we must practice here on earth first? We are all different people with various makeups. We are white. We are black. We are gay. We have an assortment of people with an assortment of ethnic backgrounds. We are poor and we are rich. In todays Old Testament reading, we find James, possibly the half brother of Jesus, showing us our patterns of favoritism and judgment.

“For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?”ii

We are guilty of these things that James warns us about, period. Can we change our view and exclusively extend ourselves to our brothers and sisters… unconditionally? It seems that we may have an issue doing this. In the age of segregation, we shunned African Americans. In a post 9/11, era we look at Muslims with suspicions. Brown skin and a burka alarms us. Gays represent sex mongers and the homeless are lazy. James tells us, in the spirit of all that is Christian:

“For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.”iii

Can we walk a mile in someone else’s shoes or would we rather turn a blind eye? Can we have the faith that is required to “let go and let God”?

i Normal. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Stedman’s Medical Dictionary. Retrieved September 05, 2012, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/normal

iiNew Revised Standard Version of the Bible: James 2, 2:2-2:4

iiiNew Revised Standard Version of the Bible: James 2, 2:13

One body and One Spirit!

As I read the bible passages for today, I am reminded of my recent Profession and Ordination to the Diaconate in the Reformed Catholic Church.  Ephesians 4:1-16 states:
“ I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,  making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.”  (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean, but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth.  He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.)
The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.  But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.”

As I took my vows to become  Deacon Reverend Sister,  I flashed back to a past which was dominated by a sense of loss, or misdirection. Like most youth, I searched for meaning in my life, experimenting with various doctrines and beliefs. But yet, each left me feeling empty and alone. The love I sought, from others, and things, was always an illusive dream. It was only after I stopped running, and listened to a voice, well rather a shout, that I realized what I wanted, was in front of me all along.  Like a rebellious teenager, I denied my fallibilities, thinking I knew all the answers.  I knew nothing, and no doctrine, or other religion, were what I really needed.  By listening to God’s still voice, I went from a child “tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming” to a daughter of Christ, and now a Deacon.  He knew all along what I was meant to be, it just took me a while to listen to my loving Father.

As this passage states, there really is only “one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” He is a God of love, and seeks to use us, His children, to build up that which unites us all in faith and grace. Here we are reminded that we all are called to serve God, to receive His gifts of grace and peace, and to join together to “for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God”   This was made very clear to me a couple weeks ago , when I was blessed to join my fellow clergy in the Dedication of our national church, and the appointment of a newMetropolitan Archbishop to serve as its leader.  As we all joined our hearts, minds, and prayers to “build up the body of Christ”, the church, we each had a role to play. Whether evangelist, prophets, apostle, pastor, deacon, teacher, or parishioner, uniting in faith as we are tasked to do, allowed us to bring in to being what was surely only a dream not too long ago. With Christ providing us strength, we were “joined and knit together by every ligament”, working properly to promote the body’s (the National Church) growth in building itself up in love.

Our next reading, from Psalm 51:1-12, stands as a reminder that though born as a sinner, now by God’s grace and love, am I able to serve Him in my new role as Deacon in the church. It states:
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.  Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.  Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.  Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.”

By beseeching God to “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”, we are acknowledging that no one is perfect, that despite what we have done in the past, God does forgive us. He will clean us, wash us, and make us, as if “whiter than snow”. That by simply asking, He stands ready to teach us what we must learn to follow and praise Him, and then to carry this knowledge, this “wisdom in our secret heart”, with us out in to the world, to teach others. As clergy, this is key to following God’s commandments, to use the Holy Spirit, our willing spirit, to take the “joy of God’s salvation”, spreading His message in our ministry. Sometimes even us as clergy forget we were once sinners, born guilty of our transgressions, and through faith, made clean of heart. And like children at times, we make mistakes, we sin, we misstep, lose our way, but this passage reminds us that God forgave us once, cleaned us of our iniquity. And yes, He will do it again, because like a loving father, he wants the best for his children. All we have to do is ask, and it shall be granted.

“Receive the kingdom of God like a child”

The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with you all.

We have come to live in a fast paced world, driven forward by our scientific and technological discoveries and advancements. Our daily lives are filled with emails and texts. Where once we would return home to check our answering machine messages, our telephone calls can now follow us wherever we go. So too the news, as we are bombarded at nearly every turn- “breaking news- this just in!” We are “in the loop” twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

While it is fascinating, it can also be very overwhelming. Coming to understand what I know and knowing what I don’t understand. Most of these being the very concept of all these technical developments. I had a problem with my personal computer, it took my youngest nephew to fix the problem for me.  This drove home a point to me. Many of our youth today cannot recall a time when we did not have these technological advancements.  These aforementioned things are commonplace for them.

I can recall my summers spent outside in the backyard playing in the dirt with Matchbox cars. This has been replaced with time inside the den playing with an X-Box.  Bicycle rides and softball games, have been replaced by “surfing the net” and competing with others in online video games or wii.  As we are exposed to horrific  news of child predators, gang violence and global atrocities; so to are our youth.  I pause to wonder- with all these advacements and media intrusion, at what age is the innocence of childhood lost?

Our quest for knowledge-  for news, for advancements, for change; have played a part in stealing our childhood innocence. The world, with its harsh realities, have forced our youth to grow up to quickly.  Even now as a spiritual adult, friends question me with regards to scientific explanations of heaven and matters of faith.

Christ tells us, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a child, will never enter into it.” (Luke 18:17) While some may say this passage encourages us to introduce children to Christ, I believe Christ reminds us not to loose our childhood innocence. For it may be, only through the eyes of child like wonder can we truly appreciate Christ and His creation.

While many adults will question and challenge with analytical vigor, anything they cannot see or put their hands on, we must be reminded that matters of faith are truly that- matters of faith.  This is the faith- the wonder, the innocence, that each and every child has.

During the early 1970s while in high school, I belonged to a national organization known as “Up With People”. It was a musical movement that sought to get youth involved in changing world problems. While national casts played before Presidents in concerts, on television shows and even a Super Bowl halftime appearance; our “local casts” sung at fairs, school auditoriums and nursing homes.

One of my most favorite songs we sang was called “Children”, written by Frank Fields of the National Up With People in 1968.  The lyrics of that song, are poignant to my subject:

“Children know of little else, but how to need our love. They’re the closet thing I know to angels up above. Feeling much the same love for everyone they meet, aren’t they really better off with knowledge incomplete?

“The children laugh when the sun comes up in the morning, loving life everyday. They cannot hide what they feel or what they’re needing- what if we were all that way? Yes Lord, what if we were all that way?”

Almighty and most merciful God. Help us to retain our childhood innocenc. Help us to see the world through the eyes of a child with wonder and joy, and not eyes blurred by the cynicism and mistrust of age. Give to us the ability to find in all people, in all things, in all circumstances- that beauty, trust and love we saw there as a child.  But caution us, merciful God, not to venture to far- so that our adult eyes may become blind with ignorance to the suffering of others. We ask this humbly, in the name of our Savior and our salvation- Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Prepare Ye The Way of the Lord: The Nativity of St. John the Baptist~Fr. Bryan Wolf

The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all.

I was asked by our Father General, to prepare a sermon for today- June 24,2012.  When deciding upon a topic, I reflected that today is the celebration of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.  A significant day for which to write a sermon for a mostly clerical audience, as many would consider Saint John the Baptist the first “real” preacher to the common people.

As the Archangel Gabriel had foretold the Annunciation of our Lord to Mary, so to did Gabriel appear to the father of John the Baptist, Zechariah, and tell of his coming birth.  Gabriel gave biblical prominence to John, telling his father; “many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.” (Luke 1:14-15) “He will bring back many people to their God […] and go before the Lord […] and turn their hearts […] to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:16-17)

Even after her own visit from Gabriel, when Mary learned of Elizabeth’s pregnancy (Zechariah’s wife, mother of John and Mary’s own relative) she went to visit them, congratulate and spend time before the birth. It is even reported that when Mary arrived, Saint John “leapt in the womb” (Luke 1:44) with great joy and knowledge that Mary was carrying the Christ child even then.  So it is even before the birth of either that these two souls, cousins, were destined for God’s service and forever bound together in history.

“[a]s it is written in Isaiah the prophet: I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way- a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare they way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mark 1:2-4)

John becomes the Baptizer, fulfilling his purpose charged to him by God; attracting large crowds in the wilderness, preaching the Word and preparing the way for the Lord. At first many thought John himself might be the long awaited Messiah, but he reminds them that: “After me comes one more powerful then I, the straps of whose sandals I am not even worthy to unties. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:7-8)

John even feels uncomfortable and unworthy when Jesus presents himself to be baptized. John recognizes Jesus as “the lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29) “John gives his testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. […] The one who called me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one who you see the Spirit come down and remain upon, is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. I have seen and testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” (John 1:32-34)

Biblical prophecy is fulfilled. Christ is baptized by Saint John in the River Jordan and begins the ministry that will forever change the world and the hearts of men.  Even up to his crucifixion and his glorious resurrection, Christ has charged those He has called to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded of you. And truly I am with you, even until the end of all time.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

So in all of this we  learn we, those of us men and women religious who have felt called by Christ, have ourselves become the new “voice of one calling in the wilderness”. It will be our voices, and that of our Church- God’s Church, that will call out to others the Good News. It will be our voices- our actions, our deeds, our love; that will serve to bring others to know and love Christ.  We are the new baptizers! Charged by the call of God within our heart, and the inspiration of our Bishops and clerical mentors, that we venture out into the “wilderness” to proclaim the kingdom of God!

Almighty God, we pray that you give your grace upon our voices. Make our words clear and strong. Make our words one of love, mercy and compassion. Make our voices many, as we join together with out brother and sisters in The Reformed Catholic Church; to call out into this “wilderness” that God is with us today and his message of love and hope lives! Baptize upon us anew, your Holy Spirit to stengthen, guide and inspire us.  For as we are now in all these things, your messengers and servants. We pray this with humble hearts, in the name of our Lord; our Savior and our salvation, Jesus Christ. Amen.

“This is how it is with the kingdom of God”

Mark’s Gospel shows a fondness for seed parables. They have a unique way of pointing out the nature and reality of the kingdom of God. There is an emphasis on sowing the seed and the size of the harvest. The seed sown is the Word of God. Thus, preaching and teaching and living the Christian message—the Gospel—is at the very heart of the kingdom of God.

Being in the Order of Preachers its our duty to live and go out and sow the seed of the Gospel, and sometimes even use words to spread it to the world. This Sunday we read the famous parable of the Mustard sead. Christ said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

If the word is sown, somehow God will make it grow. It requires a great deal of faith for a sower to sow the seed, and then believe that God will do whatever it takes to make it grow.  Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is a small seed planted into darkness, promising nothing. Mysteriously the process of growth begins until finally the grain is ripe for harvesting. But only God can make things grow! He is the one that determines when and what hapens with the seeds that we plant, and in his time,  NOT ours, will the harvest grow and be ready for His Kindom. Don’t be discouraged if we don’t see the seed grow within a few days, weeks, months, or even years. We must remember He works in His time, not ours.  Therefore,  be glad that we have sown his seeds and done his work. He will in his time bring light and hope to the world. “This is how it is with the kingdom of God”

The Holy Eucharist, an On-going Romance by Fr. Seraphim McCune

I have many friends, Catholic and Protestant alike, who wonder why I am so enamored by my belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I am constantly promoting it without reservation (if you’ll pardon my pun). But why? In our day and age increasing numbers of Catholics, Orthodox, and other sacramental Christians are questioning this doctrine – a doctrine that was never questioned until the beginnings of the Radical Reformation. I went the other direction. From a mocking unbelief to utter belief.

It all started in the late 1990’s. I had been raised as a Mormon (a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). The Mormon church denies anything like the sacramental understanding of the Holy Eucharist of historic Christianity.  Like many Protestants, most Mormons mock the Catholic belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I was no different. I looked down over my nose at those ignorant and superstitious Catholics.

In the early 1990’s I converted to Christianity in its Pentecostal variety. Pentecostals generally have no use for sacramental theology, either. Not much changed for me there. Then I began to attend a Seventh-day  Adventist church. Adventists are generally nice people and sincere in their faith, but for them anything whatsoever that they associate with Catholicism is utterly anathema, from the anti-christ. The “wafer god” of Catholicism is not just mocked, but derided as a satanic counterfeit. In short, everything in my Christian experience set me up for just this sort of future.

Back to the late 1990’s. It was November, 1998. I was working grave yard shift in an auto parts supplier factory in northeastern Michigan. We were working 7 day weeks with only an occasional and rare day off. One of those nights I sat up listening to the radio as my wife slept in the next room. I decided that I would find one of those good Christian stations on the AM dial that came in after dark. I stumbled on this pious sounding preacher man and stopped to listen. It was not long before he had started preaching on the rosary and the Blesséd Virgin Mary. That angered me. I believed that not only was veneration of the Saints a violation of the First Commandment, but that the Virgin Mary had absolutely no contact with this sinful world and would roll over in her grave if she could see the “worship” all those awful Catholics were rendering her!

I determined right then and there that I was going to start doing my homework, deeply researching Roman Catholicism’s unique claims and I was going to write the tell-all, end-all refutation of Roman Catholicism. But God had other ideas.

      • I was at that same time very interested in the “Celtic Church” (which I mistakenly believed to be a proto-Protestant body). I decided that they were, if I interpreted Thomas Cahill correctly, the precise model that I would offer the reader as a counter-Catholic model from the ancient Church. I had started my interest in the Celtic Church after reading Cahill’s How the Irish Saved Civilization. That had happened about the same time as I had noticed that Protestant churches that had competing claims were always saying that they did things “just like the Apostles did it.”

      •  It was all a big, potent, and very Providentially timed mix. As I said, I had my ideas, but God had His. And they weren’t the same.

      •  As I began to study Roman Catholicism, I read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and kept saying to myself, “They’re right! Oh my gosh, I did not know that!” and lots of similar things. About the same time I began to understand the Roman view of the Eucharist, I also noticed that the pre-Roman Celtic view, as well as that of the Orthodox, the Copts, and other branches of the Christian Faith were all saying the same thing about the Eucharist: Christ is Really Present in the Blesséd Sacrament. I was cornered by the evidence to agree with what I had set out to refute.

      •  It led me to seek out a Celtic church that would have me as a priest. I approached several bodies. Then, a short time later, I discovered the Independent Catholic Movement. I found a body, Friends Catholic Communion, one of whose bishops would take me on as a candidate for Holy Orders. The more I studied, the more I came to love St. John’s Gospel, chapter 6, where Jesus gives His “Great Eucharistic Discourse.” In time I would discover a book on the Real Presence given at the English College in Rome in the Nineteenth Century by an archbishop who was a Protestant convert himself.

      •  In time I would experience three Eucharistic miracles. At the request of Father General Myke Beckett, I am sharing them with you. Please share them with others who you believe will benefit from them or who will at least be respectful of our belief in the Real Presence. If you are so lead by the Holy Spirit, share it with the disdainful. It may be a seed of faith for them, or else water a seed already planted.

      •  First: I was in my apartment in Beaverton, Oregon, just outside Portland. I was saying mass for a small house church we had started. One of our regulars had brought a guest. I counted out just enough hosts for everyone present to receive. The guest declined to receive and when I went to put away the one left over Host, there were two! The extra one was carefully placed in my mass kit as a precious relic of the Faith.

      • The second time: We had been homeless in Bryan, Texas. I had gotten work and with some help we got into a trailer house of our own. I celebrated a mass of thanksgiving the first Sunday in our new home. Again, I counted out just enough hosts for those present (just my family this time). When I went to put the paten away after communing my last child, there was one Host left again! This extra Host was added to the last one. (Eventually, I built two monstrances by hand for them and one was gifted to the Augustinian order I would briefly join as a oblate member.)

      •  The third time was a much more precious story. After getting to Texas, God began to start teaching me about the real meaning of Divine Providence, that is, the care He has for His creation in all things. It was an hard lesson to learn. Part of that lesson was that God does everything He does for multiple reasons. After four and an half years of being either on time or early with our rent, we were cornered into seeking legal help against a property manager who was abusing the lease. In the end it cost us because a vengeful land lord told us we would be able to renew the lease only to be told just days before it came to an end that we would not be allowed to do so.

      •  I fled from Bryan to Austin, Texas to look for new work and housing. Work was easy, but I knew I faced homelessness again. I lived with my best friend in my van for about a month as we prepared to bring my family to Austin. One night as I sat in the van in a grocery store  parking lot eating canned chow mein I realized that we were low on gas. My friend, John, knew where I could get a voucher, but to be there in time (they only took the first fifty people needing help) we’d have to be there at 4:30 in the morning. We decided to sleep in the church parking lot that night. I went to start the van and the starter gave the most horrible grinding noise I have ever heard from a car. I was terrified that my van had just died and I was about to be out of a job.

      •  About an hour later, I got the guts up to try again and the engine turned over just fine. I pulled out with a huge sigh of relief. There was micro-SUV coming at us that I wanted to beat to that left-turn lane (because it was a short green with a very long red after it at the light). I looked back in my rear-view mirror. Mom, Dad, and two car-seated small children. I commented how little tiny plastic SUV’s should be illegal because they are so dangerous in accidents. When I looked up, the light turned green. I pulled out. As I look to my left, there are two headlights coming at me at a tremendous speed – well above the speed limit. I rammed the gas and turned to deflect as much of the impact as possible and told John to “hold on! We’re about to get hit!”

      • I found myself in a chapel with no doors and no windows. The place was candle lit, but did not need the light. There were flowers in the vases at the front, but they were fully alive. In the center of the altar at the front was a monstrance. The host glowed with a light far above the noon-day sun, but not blindingly. There was no awareness of anything beyond this room. I was barely aware of the room as I contemplated the Eucharistic Lord in the monstrance. I began to sing Tantum Ergo in Latin with deep devotion. Then, as my custom usually is, I began to sing it in English. Then the Voice said to me, “Stop. You can’t sing that now.” I began to form the question, “But why?” but before it even formed in my mind the Voice answered me like Isaiah promised (i.e. “Before you call, I will answer”), “You have to go back.”

      •  I suddenly was aware once more of my family, my earthly life, all those things I had “left behind” in coming to this place. I began to cry. I did not want to go back. This place was so beautiful, so peaceful, so desirable. I so did not want to go back! Then the Voice spoke again, “Your family still needs you. They’re not done with you yet. You need to go back.” I knew that this was not an option, and yet there was no violation of my free will. I really don’t understand that, but I just know that it was. “You need to go back,” the Voice said one more time. I acquiesced that my family needed me and that I had to go back.

      •  When I woke up a cop was looking at me and asking, “Are you okay?” Blood was all over my face and chest, but I walked from the accident. I had been hit by a drunk who had hit me at 55+ miles per hour. My 3,300 pound all metal full-sized van had absorbed the impact. When I looked back at the micro-SUV that I was in such a hurry to get in front of, I realized that had I gotten behind them, I would be witnessing the death of the child and probably Dad who was driving. They would at the very least be cut out with the ‘jaws of life.’ God never does anything for a single reason – of that I am sure. God knew that confronted with Him asking me to take the place of that micro-SUV, I would have done it, so He simply put me up front. God compensated me with a personal audience – a visit to Him I could never have dreamed of.

      •  Two days later, as John and I surveyed the damage in the tow yard, we realized that we had totally forgotten about the container of pres-Sanctified Gifts that we had with us. John said, so poignantly, “Jesus was with us in the accident. I have been in a car wreck with Jesus!”

      • And so it was. That day, I went from believing ardently in the Real Presence, to knowing the reality of it. For me, this is no longer a matter of faith. It is not “the evidence of things not seen,” as the writer of Hebrews says.  It is clear and present knowledge for me. When Jesus said, “I will neither leave you nor forsake you,” He meant so much more than we know. “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age,” is no simple platitude. He really meant it.

Am I Good Enough?

Last Sunday, I was received into the Rerformed Catholic Church.  Am I good enough? Here recently I keep asking myself that question more and more. Am I good enough to claim the title, Child of God? Honestly, I am so not worthy, and I find myself questioning Him, (I know, I know, I shouldn’t), as to the reasons He chose me to go forth, and spread word of His grace and love. Surely God, I query, they are others more devout, more spiritual, more willing to do good works?  Oh it’s not that I don’t want to be a worthy vessel of God’s love, but some days I struggle with that big question: WHY? As I look around me at the works of others more spiritual than myself, I just cannot believe my beloved Father, has in His tender mercies, chose me to be a Sister, in the Dominican Order. My fellow Brothers and dear Father Myke Beckett are obvious choices. But ME, nope just could never imagine God’s reasons, then I read the scripture for today, and there is my answer.

Ephesians 2:1-10
2:1 You were dead through the trespasses and sins
2:2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient.
2:3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else.
2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us
2:5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved–
2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
2:7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God–
2:9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast.
2:10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Now let us examine this line by line. 2:1 You were dead through the trespasses and sins
2:2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, Don’t know about you, but my trespasses and sins would make one blush, yet He set my feet on a different course, despite my past. And He will you, all ya gotta do is ask. Honestly, its that easy.

2:3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. “Like everyone else” I like that because it shows me that despite my past, or your past, God does understand. He gets it, knows we are all human and have made mistakes in the past. Though our sins may be different, it really doesn’t matter now. As long as we acknowledge our past, and ask for His forgiveness.

2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us
2:5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved—Hmmmm, seems pretty self explanatory here. But let’s explore it further, Not only is God showing us mercy, but love and grace. And through such tender blessings, He is making “us alive together with Christ”.  He is lifting us up; wiping away our past sins, such as a Mother would do as she wipes shed tears from a child’s checks, and saving us by His merciful grace. Sounds awesome, doesn’t it?

2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
2:7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  When God does something, He surely doesn’t do it halfway. Not only is He promising to save a seat for us in heaven, but he is demonstrating here that He’s in this for the long term.

2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God–2:9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. Now we come to the answer to my question of WHY. See, it’s not anything you, or I have done or not done, but it is by faith we are saved. You say faith is doing something, to have faith is to believe, and to believe is an action, but seriously folks, is it so hard to believe in a loving God? Yes, I will admit here I struggled with faith for a while, but a funny thing happened. I asked…….I simply asked God to show me how, and He did, in so many ways that I am still amazed at his power and love. And let me also mention here that one word, GIFT. See you and I have been given a gift by God, one that keeps on giving, and He further goes on to state that this gift is not the result of our works, it just is simply a gift from God.

2:10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. He made us to do his work, no other purpose, But its for good works, and is to be our way of life. “For we are what he has made us”……….this is a powerful message here. You and I were not created by accident; we are not just here on earth for any purpose. We are “created in Christ Jesus for good works”, meaning our lives have purpose, and direction.

There’s my answer as to WHY me? I am here for God’s purpose, not my own. I was saved by faith and not by anything I’ve done or didn’t do, and I am not alone. I now know why He chose me, all that’s left is to praise Him for the love, and grace He has shown me, and to share this message with His children.