The Feast of the Archangels~The Very Rev Lady Sherwood, OPI

Feast of Sts Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels.

Today we gather together as the church to honour and to commemorate the Feast of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, these Archangels of God’s Heavenly Hosts. We only know the names of these three, even though there are believed to be seven Archangels if not more in total. Let us take a look at what we do know from the Holy Scriptures about these three Archangels of God. As St. Michael is the Prince of the heavenly hosts, let us begin with information about him.

St Michael:

His name means “Who is like God”. (This is a rhetorical question, as obviously means nobody is like God as God is the highest there ever was or ever can be).

St. Michael is mentioned by his name in three books of Holy  Scripture:

In Daniel, he is described as “one of the chief princes” in the heavenly hierarchy (Dan. 10:13). He is also described to Daniel as “your prince” (Dan. 10:12). The meaning of this phrase is later clarified, and Michael is described as “the great prince who has charge of your people” (Dan. 12:1). He is thus depicted as the guardian angel of Israel. These same passages also refer to Michael doing battle against the spiritual forces at work against Israel.

In Jude 9, Michael is said to have contended with the devil over the body of Moses. On this occasion, we are told, “he did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’”

In Revelation, Michael and his angels are depicted fighting the devil and casting them out of heaven (Rev. 12:7-8). He is also commonly identified as the angel who binds the devil and seals him in the bottomless pit for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3), though the name “Michael” is not given on this occasion.

St. Gabriel:

His name means “God is my warrior” (meaning, essentially, “God is my defender”).

St. Gabriel is mentioned  in two books of Holy Scripture:

In Daniel, he is assigned to help Daniel understand the meaning of a vision he has seen (Dan. 8:16). Later, while Daniel is in a prolonged period of prayer, Gabriel comes to him (Dan. 9:21) and gives him the prophecy of “seventy weeks of years” concerning Israel’s future (Dan. 9:24-27).In Luke, he appears to Zechariah the priest and announces the conception and birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:13-19). Later, he appears to the Virgin Mary and announces the conception and birth of Jesus Christ (Luke 1:26-33).

St. Raphael:

His name means “God heals.”

St. Raphael is mentioned in only book of Scripture: Tobit.

In Tobit, the blind Tobit and the maid Sarah, whose seven husbands have been killed by the demon Asmodeus, pray to God.

The prayer of both was heard in the presence of the glory of the great God. And Raphael was sent to heal the two of them: to scale away the white films of Tobit’s eyes; to give Sarah the daughter of Raguel in marriage to Tobias the son of Tobit, and to bind Asmodeus the evil demon, because Tobias was entitled to possess her (Tob. 3:16-17).

Raphael thus becomes a travelling companion of Tobias, posing as a relative named Azarias son of Ananias (Tob. 5:12). He eventually binds the demon, enabling Tobias to safely marry Sarah, and provides the means for Tobit to be healed of his blindness.

Afterward, he reveals his true identity, saying:

I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One (Tob. 12:15).

These Archangels serve the will of God by protecting , guarding and healing us at God’s request. God has ensured his children always have the full protection not only of God himself, but also from all the hosts of heaven. Our Father loves and protects his children, only ensuring all is best for them. Let us give our thanks and praise for the wonderful gift of His Archangels, and of all the hosts of heaven to our God and heavenly Father.

Let us end this homily with the prayer of St Michael:

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.

Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,

and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts,

by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits,

who prowl about the world

seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Gifts ~ The Rev. Frank Bellino, OPI

Can we expect to receive gifts? If a friend, having received a gift, turns to us and says, ‘I was anticipating this,’ will we not be a little hurt? However, there are some gifts that meet our expectations and, if not given, can cause us to be upset.

There are cultures in which the receiving of gifts is arranged by formal rules, often elaborate ones. In our less formal western society, we may like to think that our gift-giving is more spontaneous, less constrained by social expectations, but any parent can tell you how limiting the effort to provide this year’s toy at Christmas can be.

Should we stop giving gifts? Would life without gifts be easier, so that whatever we receive from others is based on what we are owed?  The difficulty with this is that in many cultures, modern western culture included, gifts are not included as extras. Perhaps it is too far to discuss our right to receive gifts, but many of us certainly experience a need to have gifts on certain occasions and more importantly from certain individuals. This is due to the fact that a gift can create, express, and maintain something essential in our relationships. In giving someone a gift, we can express to them that they have an intrinsic value beyond the meeting of their basic needs, and that we are giving them this gift not because we owe it to them, but because we love them.

Our giving of gifts reflects and expresses our relationships with each other. Where our relationships are unhealthy, the way we give and receive gifts will also be unhealthy.

If we turn to the Gospel today, we find Jesus comparing the kingdom of heaven to a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborer’s for his vineyard.

It is important to bear in mind that this parable, like all the parables we find in the gospels, is not a literal representation of the kingdom of heaven. God can be compared to a householder with a vineyard, but unlike the householder, he has no need of laborers, nor even need to plant and cultivate a vineyard.

The vineyard here stands for Israel, and God had no need to plant and tend Israel in order to provide salvation to all peoples. He had no need to plant or tend any instrument for our salvation. Unlike the householder, God does not hire laborers because he needs their help to cultivate his vineyard. Rather, in love, he wants all individuals to enter his vineyard and thus to receive the reward of eternal life.

The hiring of the laborer’s in the parable is itself a gift. Moreover, once the laborer has been hired, God does not require them to work in his vineyard. Rather, he invites them to share his mission of salvation.

This again is a gift, and although the gift can often be a difficult one for us to accept, especially for those ‘who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat’, it is a gift fitting to the dignity of the human person, who was created to ‘fill the earth and subdue it'(Gen 1:28). Through the gift of planting, tending and inviting us to labor in his vineyard, God establishes a relationship of love with us, which acknowledges our inherent worth as human beings and goes beyond this in providing us with a share in his own life.

One of the dangers in our lives as Christians is that we forget that our invitation to labor in God’s vineyard is a gift. This is the danger that the householder and his vineyard illustrate.

Jesus is reminding us that every gift comes from the generosity of his Father, and it is not for us to put any restrictions on this generosity. For while human gifts are often things we expect, even where we don’t take them for granted, the Father’s divine gift in giving us his Son is greater than anything we could expect or imagine.

The Feast of St Matthew~The Very Rev Lady Sherwood, OPI

When our Lord Jesus called Matthew (originally named Levi) to follow him, He was a tax collector by profession for the Roman Empire. His profession was at that time extremely hated by the devout Jews as it reminded them of their subjection and also the Pharisees saw his profession which was classed as publican, as work for the typical sinner.

St Mathew is one of the Lord Jesus’ twelve apostles and by christian tradition is also seen as one of the four Evangelists. He was the first to put down in writing as his Gospel the Lord’s teachings and the account of our Lord Jesus’ life. Mathew wrote his Gospel in Aramaic, which is the language which was spoken by Jesus himself.

No one was shunned more than a publican by the devout Jews because a publican was a Jew who in their eyes worked for their enemy, the Romans and who duly robbed their own people making themselves fat cat  personal profits. Publicans were despised to the extent that they were not allowed to trade, not to eat or even to pray with other Jews.

One day when Mathew was seated at his table containing his books and his money, Jesus looked at him and said unto him two words, “follow me”. For Mathew, these two words were all it took for him to immediately rise, leaving all his pieces of silver exactly where they lay, to follow our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mathew’s original name was ‘Levi’ which in Hebrew signified ‘Adhesion’ whilst his new name given to him by our Lord Jesus of Mathew means ‘Gift of God’.

The only other major mention of Mathew in the Gospels is regarding the dinner party for Jesus and his companions to which Mathew invited his fellow tax collectors.

The Jews showed surprise at seeing our Lord Jesus eating in the company of a publican, but Jesus explained to the Jews that he had come “not to call the just, but sinners.”

Not much else is known about the life of Mathew but according to tradition, he is reported to have preached in such places as Egypt, Ethiopia and other further Eastern areas.

Some say Mathew lived into his nineties before dying a natural death, but other Christian traditions say he died the death of a martyr.

The Gospel according to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and is the first book of the New Testament. The narrative tells how Messiah, our Lord Jesus was rejected by Israel, and how he finally sends his disciples to preach his Gospel to the whole world. Most Scholars believe the Gospel of Matthew was composed between 80 and 90 CE, with the possibility of between 70­110 CE. The Gospel of Matthew is a creative reinterpretation of Mark, stressing Jesus’ teachings as much as his acts, making subtle changes to reveal Jesus’ divine nature­ for example, Mark’s “young man” who appears at Jesus’ tomb becomes a radiant angel in the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew shows Jesus as the Son of God from his birth, the fulfillment of the Old Testament. The Gospel of Matthew was the favourite Gospel of St.Dominic de Guzman, who always would carry it wherever he went.

Let us pray to St Mathew to ask him to intercede on our behalf:

O Glorious St Mathew, in your Gospel you portray Jesus as the longed-for Messiah who fulfilled the prophets of the Old Covenant and as the new lawgiver who founded a church of the New Covenant. Obtain for us the grace to see Jesus living in his church and to follow his teachings in our lives on earth so that we may live forever with him in heaven. Amen.

Seek Ye First~Br. Milan Komandina

I will start this sermon with a quote from Isaiah 55:6 – Seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is near. Dear friends, have you ever experience going to the church and feeling that the church is not a place where the Lord dwells. Unfortunately in my country I experienced that many times. As you know I was born and raised in Orthodox Christian environment. While growing up I was attending the local Orthodox Church. I was seeking the Lord and seeking the Lord. But it seems that many times I could not find him in Orthodox Church. In my country priests in their sermons very often do not preach about Jesus. They rather preach about politics. They preach about Kosovo, in a way that we (Serbian people) need to go in war to free Orthodox churches and monasteries and the entire Kosovo. They preach about brother`s Russia and Ukraine presenting Russia as a victim of war happening in Ukraine. They support Putin`s aggression. And many times they justify things that are against common sense. They also preach about homophobia. They strongly oppose to all people who are LGBTQ+ trying to make their life even harder. The materialism is highly present within the church where many people invest a lot of money which priests use for their own benefit instead of giving charity and doing things according to the Bible. I don’t want to judge them I just feel the need to say that there are many churches like that. Churches seem to not having Christ. Not only Orthodox. Roman Catholic is not far from that. Croatian Catholic priests as well as Serbian Orthodox priests were blessing weapons in the wars between these two countries. They also like preaching about nationalism and homophobia in a positive way rather than talking about Christ. After many disappointments during my seeking for the Lord I kept seeking and seeking. And I am happy that back to 2016 I found Unified Old Catholic Church. In the coming years I found Anglican and Episcopal churches and in Serbia and in Germany where I live now. The church where Jesus is preached. The church where people love each other, pray for each other, encourage each other and respect each other no matter if they are ethnic Albanians, Hungarians, Serbs, Croats and no matter if they are straight, gay or trans no matter if they are while or black. The churches where ALL are welcome, where ALL are respected and loved. The words from Isaiah 55:6 – Seek the Lord while he may be found, could really have their fulfillment if you keep seeking. Maybe you live in a small village and you miss the real congregation. Maybe you live in a big town but there is no church. Thanks God, today we live in era of Internet and we can connect online from the places worldwide. There is a church. There is the Lord. There is Love. Just keep searching. Keep seeking. Maybe you feel uncomfortable in a local community, or you do not understand hate that you may encounter there. Maybe there is a lot of judgment, nationalism, homophobia, hypocrisy. Just keep seeking. This is what the Bible says.

Philippians 1:27 – Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.

Are You An Island? ~The Rev. Frank Bellino, OPI

If someone hurts you, what action do you take? Do you respond to your anger and pain? Do you retaliate or respond? Do you seek reconciliation and recovery?

Paul Simon’s song ‘I am a Rock’ tells the story of someone who has been hurt and has withdrawn from the world. ‘I am a rock,’ he sings, ‘I am an island. A rock feels no pain. And an island never cries.’ (“Lyrics for I Am a Rock by Simon & Garfunkel – Songfacts”)

From time to time, we all feel like stepping into our shell. We would all like the world to go away. Today’s world is a good reminder that we are not meant to live in isolation; we are all much too interconnected. We need each other, and when we’re separated, we become unhappy.

When God created humankind, he told, ‘It’s not good for man to be alone’ (Gen.2:18). So, he gave Adam a wife, they had a family and we’ve been living in community ever since. Or at least, we are meant to be living in a community.

The famous English preacher Charles Spurgeon once visited a man who had isolated himself from his church community. Spurgeon walked into the man’s residence without saying a word and sat with him by his fireplace. The man felt a bit uncomfortable. Spurgeon took a lump of coal from the fire and placed it on a brick. The two men stared at that solitary coal as it dimmed and cooled. Spurgeon then stood up, and as he opened the door to leave, the man said, ‘I understand pastor; I’ll see you next Sunday’.It is not always easy to live with others. Often, tension and conflict arise, particularly when someone does something wrong. However, as Christians, we have a responsibility to look out for others, even when they disappoint us. This is the message from today’s readings, which provides us with three ways to respond when we find ourselves in conflict with someone.

These three methods are speaking, respecting and healing.

In our first reading, God asks the prophet Ezekiel to watch over his people in Jerusalem.  He is responsible for protecting the people by speaking up if they do anything wrong or if they put themselves in danger.

That’s what we are asked to do.  As Christians, we all have a duty to speak up if someone’s doing something wrong. It is not necessary to change their behavior, but we must speak the truth to those we care about. Otherwise, our silence can be taken as tacit approval and we become partly responsible for their mistake.

However, speaking up can be challenging, so St Paul in our second reading reminds us to always respect others. He refers to the Ten Commandments, saying that it is important to respect the other person’s life, marriage, property and integrity.

Indeed, seven of the Ten Commandments are about our connection with others, and they can all be summed up in one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’. If we really love and respect our neighbors, we wouldn’t harm them at all, and they’d be much more likely to stay in contact with us. In our gospel, Jesus states that before talking, make sure you have a humble, compassionate, and forgiving heart. These are essential factors in healing relationships.

Then go and talk openly and honestly with the person who has hurt you, he says, but do it privately, to avoid any embarrassment. If that doesn’t work, invite one or two others into the conversation, not to gang up on them, but to help them reconnect. If necessary, invite someone else, perhaps a mediator, to resolve the matter.

But whatever happens, Jesus says, always pray for reconciliation and keep the doors of communication open, since we all need to heal.

In his book, The Great Divorce, CS Lewis describes hell as a large, dark place, where there is no connection between people. Hell started out small, he says, but people quarreled with one another and split apart. At the same time, there were other squabbles and people moved even further away, until no one could even see anyone. And there they lived, alone in the darkness.  Jesus wants us to avoid this hell.

When we realize how flawed and broken, we all are, it becomes much easier to understand that we all have the same basic need for healing and wholeness.

We are not solitary rocks or islands. As the poet John Donne wrote, ‘No man is an island entirely; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main’. We are all meant to live and grow and flourish together, in our families and communities.

Christian love isn’t an emotion or a feeling; it’s a responsibility and a decision.

Success?~The Rev. Frank Bellino, OPI

What is your definition of success? What would you define a successful life?

Let’s all close our eyes for a moment and envision what we would look like if we were successful. What would your home look like? How would your children or spouse be like? What would be my waistline? What would your life look like? What concrete examples of what a successful life looks like for you? Have a picture of that in your mind. I believe this is an important spiritual exercise, as you will see in a moment. Nonetheless, if your answer to this question was, my life is successful just the way it is. Congrats! Good for you. I think we all desire that for ourselves. However, you are not off the hook. Ask yourself, why did you answer in this way? What are some examples of why you feel like your life is successful right now? Imagine it in your mind.

The reason why I am asking all of us to consider our definition of success is because our definition of success and the bible’s definition of success don’t always see eye to eye. Take our first reading for example. Jeremiah laments, “All day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me.” Why was Jeremiah an object of laughter? What caused everyone to mock him? The reason for this was because he was trying to do God’s will.

Imagine for a moment how that would feel right now, to be an object of laughter, for everyone to mock you? It wouldn’t be enjoyable, would it? In our second reading, St. Paul tells us, “To offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.” It is important to understand what Paul meant by the word “sacrifice” in this context. He is referring to the actual sacrifices that were conducted on the temple altars of his time that everyone listening to him would have known about. It is not a pleasant image. He is urging us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, our spiritual adoration. Doesn’t really sound like fun, does it?

And, just in case if we misunderstood what St. Paul was saying, we have our Lord himself challenging his disciples in our Gospel reading, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” What is Jesus talking about when he says take up your cross and follow him? He is talking about that. He is talking about the cross. Does he look successful to you? And yet, Jesus is the most successful person the world has ever known.

Remember last week, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am? This is the most fundamental question we can ever ask if we call ourselves Christians: who is Jesus? Peter shined like the prince of apostles he is by answering correctly, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This week we discover that after Peter’s bright and shiny moment, he simultaneously answered the question incorrectly. And it underscores why the final exams for neurosurgeons should never be multiple choice.

Peter had the correct answer, but he also had the wrong answer. Peter believed Jesus was going to be the new King David. He believed that Jesus was going to liberate Israel from all oppression. He thought Jesus was going to usher in a new era of prosperity and peace for his country. Peter believed all this because if Jesus was the Messiah, who is what he had in his mind what a successful messiah would look like.

What was Jesus’ view of a successful messiah? Jesus says, “He must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” That is what success looks like. And what was Jesus’ definition of a successful disciple? ““Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (“Matthew 16:24 – Take Up Your Cross – Bible Hub”) For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (“Matthew 16:25 AMP – For whoever wishes to save his life [in – Bible Gateway”)

My friends, I believe it is appropriate to search and ask ourselves the question, how do I define success? In our society, people who have bigger homes, better cars, better clothes, perfect spouses, perfect waistlines, and children without acne, are all somehow seen as more successful. The Bible defines success in a different way. In the Bible, success is about achieving God’s will, period, what may, even if this requires, we must suffer for it. Or as St. Paul tells us in our second reading, and this is good advice by the way for anyone suffering from any anxiety right now, from what is going on in our country today. Success according to St. Paul states, “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” (“Romans 12:2 – BibleGateway.com”) How about that? It would be beneficial for us all to take some time this week and reflect on what St. Paul is saying here and ask ourselves the question, what does this look like? What does this require me to do?

Two Minute Mendicant~Br. Christian Ventura

Are religious brothers/sisters lay or ordained?

The answer is typically neither!

This is a tough question.

Ordered life in and of itself is not considered laity or holy orders (i.e. priest, deacon). Religious are set apart as having “consecrated life” that subscribe to a specific rule of life. They do not fall into either category, it exists in a separate space.

By virtue of this, some religious serve as extraordinary ministers or in other ministerial roles that sometimes overlap with duties traditionally seen as clerical. Religious are not inherently granted faculties as ministers of the sacraments. Instead, they usually serve as educators, chaplains, counselors etc. since it is customary for them to acquire proficiency in pastoral care with significant theological education.

However, some religious are also ordained or in the process of becoming ordained. This is an entirely distinct vocation. In the Dominican styling, we refer to brothers who are not called to ordination, not as “lay brothers”, but rather “cooperator brothers” who live out and enjoy a full vocation. In new monasticism, generally speaking, religious brothers and sisters are subject to their direct superior (prior/abbot, etc), and are not usually under the jurisdiction of the local diocese (although this varies). Dominicans have traditionally been granted dispensation to have preaching faculties wherever they go without needing to seek permission from the local Bishop. Diocesan clergy are usually subject to the authority of the local ordinary (the Bishop (s)).

Love and Common Sense~Br. Milan Komadina

Reading Bible and understanding Bible in the right way is a very responsible activity. During the history many evil things were happening because of the wrong Bible interpretations. Many people were killed in the name of Jesus and many wars were started for the sake of church. Today we also have many evil activities that Christians do for the sake of God. There is a special group of people who are victims of satanic and anti-Christian propaganda that certain Christians spread by saying that LGBTQ+ people deserve to be persecuted and to disappear from this Earth. Recently I have joined an online meeting conducted by LGBTQ+ Ministry within Church of Christ the King, here in Frankfurt. We were discussing about the issues and hardships that LGBTQ+ Christian people are struggling with for years just because of wrong interpretations of the Bible. The story about Sodom and Gomorra talking about the violence and violent people who were punished because of the violence. Violent gang bang raping was also included and their desire to hurt angels. But first of all it was about violence. There are some other verses condemning ritual same-sex activities which in the context of that time might be related to pedophilia and worship satanic rituals. There is not a single sentence talking about the love between two same sex people including mutual respect, dedication, emotional and physical affection and love. As straight sexual activities are also defined sinful as we know that Jesus even said that when a men even for a moment think sexually about the women he already did adultery in his heart and further we know that adulterers should be eternally condemned. Does that mean that the Bible talks about straight people that all straight population is not going to enter the Kingdom of God? If we would interpret the Bible in a wrong way we could say so. This is why it is very wrong to interpret Bible in a way that it should not be interpreted. I would also like to add here that God when giving us Bible he has also given us a common sense to understand that if one’s biblical interpretation could lead to discrimination and make another human being feel endangered and hated just because of who he or she was born to be, a healthy functional brain and a common sense would realize that something is wrong with this interpretation. One of these wrong interpretations exists for the centuries and centuries and they are related to the definition of the Roman Catholic Pope. In today’s reading Matthew 16/13:20 we read promise to Apostle Peter that Jesus will give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven:

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[d] loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Even though it does not have much common sense and that it totally runs out of the entire Biblical context many people believe today that the Pope is the new Peter and representative of God on Earth. There is an interpretation that by this sentence Lord Jesus gave the power to Apostle Peter to be a new representative of God, in Latin we would say Vicarius Filii Dei which means Representative of the Son of God. Roman Catholics believe that after Peter every new bishop of Rome (read Pope) has a special privilege to be called as a representative of the Son of God on the Earth. Through the history churches have done many evils because of wrong interpretations of the Bible. And people were lacking to use brain and simply have common sense. Today that same church is fighting against human rights to love and create a family. Unless straight family. God is still showing them that it is wrong while there are over 8.000 pedophiles within Roman Catholic clergy said Pope Francis. There are many gay sex scandals happening within all traditional and homophobic churches, not only in Roman Catholic but also in Orthodox Church and other conservative protestant churches. We lack of scandals in Old Catholic, Episcopal, Anglican, Lutheran and all of those churches that respect equality and human right to love a person of same sex. And look, there are no more scandals, no more hidden sexual activities of self-called saints just because church (read believers) use the God-given common sense to admit that everyone is free to love who they want to love and that the core of our faith is love. And that is a real natural condition. For someone that is astrophysics but for someone it is just a logical thing and a common sense. And I would like to end this sermon with a message while reading the Bible please use your brain and use your heart. Your brain will tell you the common sense, your heart will tell you that where love is there is no sin. And only in this way you would have the power to understand and to preach the Bible. In the name of Love. Amen.

Two Minute Mendicant~Br. Christian Ventura, OPI

Sacred Vessels

In chapter 31 of his rule, St. Benedict tells his monks to [regard all utensils and goods of the monastery as sacred vessels of the altar].

As members of a beloved community, how do we seek out the sacred in each of us, as constituents of the Body of Christ? Sometimes it can be very hard to recognize the divinity of Christ in someone, especially if the relationship is a little rocky or they’ve upset us in some way. Benedict tells us that we can work toward this challenge by simply exercising patience. Patience is a sincere act of profound love.

We also ought to think about this in the context of the climate crisis. Recognizing our responsibility to acknowledge the sanctity of the land and soil which is not our own, but our Creator’s. How do we show love for God by taking care of our planet, the animals, and the humans that live here?

Where else do you see sacred vessels?

~ br c

 The Feast of St. Bartholomew-The Anonymous Apostle~The Very Rev Lady Sherwood, OPI

My dearest brothers and sisters -in-Christ:

Today, we come together as the Church to commemorate the Feast Day of St Bartholomew the apostle. Bartholomew is a relatively difficult saint to commemorate because we hardly know anything much truly about him. There are some who may believe that Bartholomew is the same person as Nathaniel –but scholars have been known to argue about the truth or otherwise of this. What we do know is that In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke,  that Bartholomew is listed as being one of the twelve Apostles called by Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ancient writers on the history of the Christian faith have written that Bartholomew was an apostle to India – possibly in the region of Mumbai (Bombay). Along with his fellow apostle Jude, Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia in the 1st century. According to church tradition, Bartholomew is said to have been flayed alive, before being crucified upside down, thus becoming the patron saint of Leather-workers. In art paintings and in sculpture form, Bartholomew is often represented as holding a knife, with his own skin neatly draped over his arm. Bartholomew has also always been associated with healing, so there are a number of hospitals which have been named after him because of this

Bartholomew is also believed to have been associated with the small Italian Island of Lipari, where it is thought that he may have been buried. During World War II, the regime looked for ways to finance its  activities, and ordered that a silver statue of Saint Bartholomew from the cathedral in Lipari was to be melted down. But when the statue was weighed,  it was found to only actually weigh just a few grams so it was returned to its place in the Cathedral of Lipari. However,  In reality, this same statue is made wholly of solid silver and therefore should indeed be very heavy in weight. This is a fairly recent miracle that has been associated with St Bartholomew.

About Bartholomew himself we know almost nothing,  except that he was an Apostle of Jesus. Far from being a negative thing, I think this is the most important thing about this rather mysterious and anonymous apostle. For this teaches us that the call to serve is not really anything whatsoever to do with worldly status or fame. If we Look around us today,  we will see much evidence of the reign of ego and of worldly fame, perhaps it is media stars and celebrities which tend to be the best known for this. An increasing number of children, when asked what they want to do when they grow up, say that they want to be famous, to be a celebrity or a star–  and that the goal of reaching fame has become for them their vocation. Some of our politicians can also seem rather the same way. But the church isn’t entirely exempt either: we see evangelists on religious tv stations, pastors of megachurches, and, unfortunately,  some bishops and clergy who just love being in the spotlight, have who love self-publicity. I once heard someone say that their church was OK but it was hard to see God because the Vicar always got in the way. It’s a temptation clergy are aware of and must always resist – our job is to point people to God, not towards ourselves.

So Bartholomew’s anonymity shows us ‘it’s not all about us’. Our job as Christians is to get out of the way and to enable people to catch a glimpse of the God and Father whom we serve. We also know, from the life of this mysterious and anonymous apostle, that we actually don’t need worldly fame, because God loves us, and that is all we need – we ought to need no other adulation than that!!

Each and every one of us eventually will join the ranks of anonymous Christians who have served God throughout the ages. In 2000 years’ time – and most likely long before that – we will all have been forgotten, except perhaps by the odd ancestor hunter who might still be digging our names out of archives and searching church registers to find historical information.

This might seem rather disheartening, but it definitely needn’t be such, because we know we are each p of God’s creation and of his redeeming: we are each loved by God more than we could ever hope imagine!  Part of our job as Christians, is to try to discover more of this love as we go about living our lives. When we truly understand even a little bit of this love that God our Father and our creator, truly has for us, our anxieties about worldly status, worldly importance and worldly fame, begin to lose their hold over us. In God’s love we truly have everything we need.

So often we see the lives of the rich and famous descend into tragedy or disaster. Worldly riches and fame often don’t bring true and lasting happiness. The ordinariness of our lives is something which we as Christians should celebrate, if, like Bartholomew, our lives are built on the rock of faith and we have the knowledge of God’s true and eternal love, like a hidden jewel, burning deep inside of us.

So Bartholomew is one of us:  he is a follower, a disciple, and a servant of Our Lord Jesus Christ. An anonymous, unshowy person who gave of his best. Bartholomew may well be Someone we don’t know all that much about, but we do know that his soul is now residing with God where that great love will, at last, be fully known.

That is all that is needed. All that truly matters. Amen