onewhoponders

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Daily Office Readings for Tuesday after the Fourth Sunday of Lent: Year 2

Psalm 97, 99, [100]; PM Psalm 94, [95] Gen. 49:29-50:14; 1 Cor. 11:17-34; Mark 8:1-10

“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is foryou. Do this in remembrance of me.’” (1Corinthians 11:23 – 24)

In the Synoptic Gospels as well as here in 1^st Corinthians, Paul reports that our Lord Jesus gives us the image that he wants us to remember him by, the bread and the cup. This is what I am missing by not being able to go to Church due to the Coronavirus. I never thought I, or anybody, would give up Holy Eucharist for Lent. I miss it as does all of my flock.  Receiving Holy Communion will be so special when we celebrate it again, I hope in the not too distant future.

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Today is the day we are suppose to remember Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop of Armenia 332.  But I am also reading from a book given to me long ago as a Seminary graduation gift; Readings from the “Daily Office From the Early Church.”  Today features a sermon from Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome 461.  This sermon is specifically about Lent and I thought meaningful for us today. In part he writes; “The faithful should therefore enter into themselves and make a true judgment of their attitudes of mind and heart.  If they find some store of loves’s fruit in their hearts, they must not doubt God’s presence within them. If they would increase their capacity to receive so great a guest, they should practice greater generosity in doing good, with persevering charity.  If God is love, charity should know no limit, for God cannot be confined.” (Page 153)

If we just leave a little room in our hearts for God to enter in, God, over time, will adjust the furniture in our hearts in order that we might be more accommodating to the needs of those in worse shape than ourselves. The words “charity” and “love” are interchangeable in many of our biblical translations. The best example is in St. Paul’s 1^st Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 13 where it is written:  “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity (King James);  And, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (NIV).  Love and charity mean the same thing.  Love is expressed through charitable acts. It doesn’t matter what faith denomination or tradition one holds, love is made manifest through charity.  As we have been forced to stand down with our Church services, our charitable giving, both to our church and to the needy is of the utmost importance. If you would let God increase your capacity to receive so great a guest as God, you would practice greater generosity in doing good, with persevering charity. As Leo the Great has shared, “if God is love, charity should know no limit, for God cannot be confined.”

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through the saints of God and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do.  John

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Daily Office Readings for Monday after the Fourth Sunday of Lent: Year 2

Psalm 89:1-18; Psalm 89:19-52 Gen. 49:1-28; 1 Cor. 10:14-11:1; Mark 7:24-37

“But she answered him, ‘Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’” (Mark 7: 28)

And with this response from the Syrophoenician mother Our Lord Jesus yielded to her faith.  Some say that this event happened so that we could see God’s inclusive love for all people. Some have even said that this happened as Our Lord Jesus was still learning who he was and the nature of his mission with us.  I prefer the first.  As Jesus intentionally went to lands outside of Israel to heal and teach, it is doubtful that he would not care about this woman’s daughter.  Also, the Syrophoenician mother shows that anyone bringing their problem to our Lord Jesus, if their faith is genuine, they will not be turned away. Thank You Lord Jesus

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Daily Office Readings for James De Koven Priest and Teacher, 1879

Psalm 84:7-12  2 Timothy 2:10-15 Matthew 13:31-33

“He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’” (Matthew 13:31 – 32)

While De Koven’s Day was Yesterday, the 22^nd of March, His day was missed because it was a Sunday.  Even with this, He died on the 19^th of March but it was already set aside for St Joseph. Poor De Koven, always pushed around.  But I feel the need to lift him up today.

De Koven’s devotion to ritual has kept us as Episcopalians steadfast in our physical discipline of ritual worship.  This same devotion costs him two Episcopates but he kept his tradition anyway. God has blessed us with memory, reason and skill. These gifts are essential in crafting images and art that enable us to focus our attention on God, beyond the crafts and art itself.  Icons, paintings, stained glass, candles, vestments and so on, even our beloved Book of Common Prayer are all items that help us focus on our Creator. “Because of his [De Koven] advocacy of the “ritualist” cause, consents were not given to his consecration as Bishop of Wisconsin in 1874, and of Illinois in 1875” (Great Cloud of Witnesses for March 22). He was a wonderful liturgist and priest and he held on to his traditions no matter the personal costs. I am so thankful for people of principle.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through the saints of God and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do.  John

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Daily Office Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent: Year 2

Psalm 66, 67; PM Psalm 19, 46 Gen. 48:8-22; Rom. 8:11-25; John 6:27-40

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11)

All of our Christian faith rides on these words. The Spirit of God, who raised our Lord Jesus back to life, will also raise our mortal bodies back to life.  Eternal life is what we should be living for.  Even as we are going through this hard time with the Covid 19 virus, it cannot win over God.  Paul says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.” (Romans 8:18 – 19)  In this section Paul mentions us as “Children of God” (a term that I really like) three times. So like our Brother Jesus, we to will be raised as he was to eternal life.  Thank You Lord Jesus

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Eucharistic Readings for the Fourth Sunday in Lent: Year A

1 Samuel 16:1-13  Psalm 23  Ephesians 5:8-14  John 9:1-41

“But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” (John 9:10 – 11)

Each line above can be the basis of a homily. The man called Jesus, (through whom all things were made) made mud, put it on my eyes (used God’s earth to cure those made of God’s earth) and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash (Go and be baptized) and (he had a responsibility to co-create with God) you must obey me.  I washed and received my sight (I obeyed and was able to receive my sight – sight I never had. And because of our Lord Jesus we now see as we have never seen before. So, the Incarnate Word through whom all things were made, made medicine, applied it to the eyes, ordered the man to go and rinse with water as in baptism, requiring his participation in seeing the Truth, the real Truth.  Our Lord Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. (John 14:6) Yes, there are many little homilies in this passage. But all of them the are very important lessons.  We too must believe, ask, accept, obey, participate and receive, and finally, see.  Thank You Lord Jesus.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through the saints of God and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do.  John

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Daily Office Readings for Saturday after the Third Sunday of Lent: Year 2

Psalm 87, 90; Psalm 136 Gen. 47:27-48:7; 1 Cor. 10:1-13; Mark 7:1-23

“Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them.” (Mark 7: 1-2)

We are always on notice that when the Pharisees approach our Lord Jesus that it is normally confrontational. This meeting at the beginning of Chapter 7 is no different.  However, as we live today in the throes of the Covid 19 virus the message over and over again is wash our hands and wash them often.  Our Lord Jesus will speak of the ill intent of the Pharisees attempt to discredit him.  He will also let us all know that if we are not careful there is an unholy dirt that may be in us, in our hearts and it will do much damage if it comes out against our neighbors.  He says, in effect, in this chapter that it is not what goes into a person that defiles them but rather, what is created in them and then comes out of them that defiles.

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Daily Office Readings for Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury and Martyr, 1556

Psalm 119:73 – 80;    Romans 11:13–24;    Luke 2: 25 – 35

“For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”  (Luke 2: 30-32)

Today we remember Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (1533 – 1556). “During the reign of Edward VI, Cranmer had a free hand in reforming the worship, doctrine, and practice of the Church. Thomas Cranmer was principally responsible for the first Book of Common Prayer of 1549, and for the second Book, in 1552. But at Edward’s death he unfortunately subscribed to the dying King’s will that the succession should go to Lady Jane Grey. For this, and also for his reforming work, he was arrested, deprived of his office and authority, and condemned by Queen Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII by Catherine, and a staunch Roman Catholic. He was burned at the stake on March 21, 1556.” (Great Cloud of Witnesses for March 21)

I share with Simeon in our Luke reading. The work of Cranmer and the Book of Common Prayer has been, and continues to be “a light for revelation to all nations.”

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through the saints of God and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do.  John

Daily Office Readings for Friday after the Third Sunday of Lent: Year 2

Psalm 95 [for the Invitatory] 88; Psalm 91, 92 Gen. 47:1-26; 1 Cor. 9:16-27; Mark 6:47-56

“And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.”  (Mark 6: 56)

Our Lord Jesus often tells people, after they have been healed, to “Go in peace, your faith has made you well.”  Today’s reading offers a classic example of their faith healing.  Like the woman who eased up close to our Lord Jesus in the crowd as he was going to heal the sick twelve year old girl, the woman said to herself “for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” (Mark 5:28)  So too, the people of Gennesaret wanted to do the same, and in doing so, they were healed.  My point is, their initiative got them the healing they needed. They touched his cloak, their faith made them well through our Lord Jesus.

We can so much use this healing now in light of this Coronavirus or Covid 19 infection that has gone global, that is, pandemic.  Today we can still touch the cloth of our Lord Jesus by reading the Gospels during this Lent. I recommend reading at least two Gospels this Lent, perhaps John and one of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark or Luke). As you read and touch the pages of your Bible (the cloak of our Lord), and feel those ancient words of healings with your fingers, healing is made manifest through your own faith. This is the same faith that the people of Jesus’ day had. He used the faith that was in them as a path to their recovery.  I know it’s not time yet because we are still in Lent but, “Alleluia,” Thank You Lord Jesus.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through the saints of God and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do.  John

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Readings for Thursday after the Third Sunday of Lent: Year 2

Psalm [83] or 42, 43; Psalm 85, 86 Gen. 46:1-7,28-34; 1 Cor. 9:1-15; Mark 6:30-46

“You give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37)

The crowd has been following our Lord Jesus until late in the day.  They were tired and now hungry.  The disciples warned Jesus to send them home so that they could feed themselves.  Jesus said no, “You give them something to eat.” True Christians take responsibility for what needs to be done. Our Lord Jesus has them to take stock of what they have, five loaves and two fish. Admittedly not enough without God getting involved but Jesus takes it, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it.  The lesson here is not to take stock of what we have, but to take what we do have, bless it to God, divide it up and distribute it as we are then able. With God, all things are possible.

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Daily Office Readings for St Joseph for March 19

Psalm 132; Isaiah 63:7-16;  Psalm 34; 2 Chronicles 6:12-17; Ephesians 3:14-21 Matthew 1:18-25

“When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife” (Matthew 1: 24)

Joseph, whom we remember today the 19^th of March, is my Patron Saint of Fatherhood.  I say this because he was a man obedient to God and protector of Mary, the Mother of our Lord. We have no words from Joseph in any of the Gospels. We only have the record, mainly from the Gospel of Matthew, that he was kind to Mary and did not want her to suffer any harshness because of her supposed indecency of being pregnant out of wedlock.  Joseph makes me wish that I had been more of a praying father as I raised my children. Joseph doesn’t seem to be a bullish man nor a harsh father.  He accompanies Mary back to look for the lost child Jesus in Luke’s Gospel. When they find him, only Mary speaks. The Eucharistic Gospel Reading for the Feast of St. Joseph is Luke 2:41 – 52. There we read, “When his parents saw him, they were astonished. “His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” (Luke 2:48)  Joseph participates in the background.  Apparently Joseph teaches Jesus to be more than just a carpenter.  Joseph teaches our Lord Jesus to respect women, make things from wood and obey the Lord. Joseph listened to what the Spirit was saying to him and he obeyed.  All fathers should follow St. Joseph’s lead.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through the saints of God and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do.  John

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Daily Office Readings for Wednesday after the Third Sunday of Lent: year 2

Psalm 119:97-120; Psalm 81, 82  Gen. 45:16-28; 1 Cor. 8:1-13; Mark 6:13-29 

“But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling-block to the weak.” (1 Corinthians 8:9)

Paul here is talking about not eating food dedicated to idols. But we can all look deeper into our own lives as thinking Christians. Reason is one of the three legs of the three legged stool that Richard Hooker used as a metaphor for us to think about; Scripture, Tradition and Reason.  They all carry the same and equal guidance on our Christian behavior.  I like to have a beer every now and then.  But I will not stop at a store and purchase beer while wearing clericals (clergy shirt with tab or collar).  North Carolina, being part of the Southern Bible belt where beliefs are pretty fundamental, right or wrong, I don’t want people to think ill of me or of my Church. Are there any practices or enjoyments that you have that could become a stumbling-block to the weak?

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Today we remember Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem from 349 to 386

Readings for Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem:

Psalm 34:1-8  Ecclesiasticus 47:2-10 Mark 9: 38-41

“Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord; let us exalt his Name together.” (Psalm 34:3)

“It is likely that it was Cyril who instituted the observances of Palm Sunday and Holy Week during the latter years of his episcopate in Jerusalem. In doing so, he was taking practical steps to organize devotions for countless pilgrims and local inhabitants around the sacred sites. In time, as pilgrims returned to their homes from Palestine, these services were to influence the development of Holy Week observances throughout the entire Church. Cyril attended the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, in 381, and died at Jerusalem on March 18, 386. (Great Cloud of Witnesses for March 18)

Cyril seemed to be one who invited others to join him to praise God. He lived into the Psalmist’s words, “Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord; let us exalt his Name together.”  Inviting people to join us in Church is certainly not a stumbling block, but rather, a step up.  Our Church is going through a really hard time now with this Covid 19 threat. Now is the best time to invite others.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through the saints of God and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do.  John

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Daily Office Readings for the Tuesday after the Third Sunday of Lent: Year 2

Psalm 78:1-39; 78:40-72 Gen. 45:1-15; 1 Cor. 7:32-40; Mark 6:1-13

“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at him.” (Mark 6:3)

Just because we know someone and their family, and our opinion of them is not favorable to us, does not mean that God is not making good use of them for a better life in the community in which that person lives. But in this case, we’re talking about God Incarnate. His community thought they knew everything about Jesus and had already decided that he was not Godly.  They were so wrong.  Besides that, God is able to use anybody to do God’s work, which includes you. 

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So today is St. Patrick’s Day!  Are you wearing something green?

Readings for St. Patrick

Psalm 96 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8  Matthew 28:16-20

“When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.”  (Matthew 28:17)

 “Patrick was born into a Christian family somewhere on the northwest coast of Britain in about 390. His grandfather had been a Christian priest and his father, Calpornius, a deacon. Calpornius was an important official in the late Roman imperial government of Britain. It was not unusual in this post-Constantinian period for such state officials to be in holy orders. When Patrick was about sixteen, he was captured by a band of Irish slave-raiders. He was carried off to Ireland and forced to serve as a shepherd. When he was about twenty-one, he escaped and returned to Britain, where he was educated as a Christian. He tells us that he took holy orders as both presbyter and bishop, although no particular see is known as his at this time. A vision then called him to return to Ireland. This he did about the year 431.” (Great Cloud of Witnesses for March 17)

Like our Lord Jesus who when the eleven met him after His Resurrection, “some doubted.” So too some in Ireland may have doubted that this returned person, now a bishop, was actually the escaped shepherd youth named Patrick. Humans are created by God to be made and to be made over.  If you live and learn and love, long enough, you too will be made over.  You will be better.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through the saints of God and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do.  John

Daily Office Readings for Monday after the Third Sunday of Lent: Year 2

Psalm 80; Psalm 77, [79]   Gen. 44:18-34; 1 Cor. 7:25-31; Mark 5:21-43

“Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years.” (Mark 5: 25)

Jesus was on his way to heal a child when this hemorrhaging woman acted from her faith and touched Jesus and was healed. So our Lord Jesus, while on his way to do a good work, did an additional good work.  In Cursillo we call this an “unexpected opportunity.”

Opportunities to do unexpected good works abound.  Our Lord Jesus models for us that there will be people in need all around.  We may not know them but they need us.  They come to us from their faith, trusting in God to work through us for what they need. These are unexpected opportunities. Had not our Lord Jesus been going to do a good work already, the woman in need may not have ever crossed his path.  The same is true for us today.  As we go about our business to do good God will put people in our path who need us. From that point on, God is watching us, to see how we might respond. Remember, it is their faith in God working through you that works in them.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through the saints of God and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do.  John

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Daily Office Readings for the third Sunday of Lent: Year 2

Psalm 93, 96; Psalm 34 Gen. 44:1-17; Rom. 8:1-10; John 5:25-29  

“For the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” (John 5: 28 – 29)

From the reading from the Gospel above, we will all come to the Resurrection after death.  However, we will hit a fork in the Resurrection road!  Some will proceed to Eternal Life. Others will not. I have always interpreted the Gospel to say we will all be raised to the next life, but then judgment comes.  Some will proceed to eternal life.  Others will proceed to non-existence.  I don’t believe a loving God would maintain us just to see us suffer, not my Lord Jesus. But this life we live today determines the path we take in he Resurrection.

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Eucharistic Readings for the Third Sunday of Lent: Year A

Exodus 17:1-7  Psalm 95  Romans 5:1-11  John 4:5-42

“They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42)

I am always amazed at the number of unnamed persons in the Bible. Luckily, at the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus, Mary Magdalene was named as the preacher who preached “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18) The un-named woman at the well and the un-named man healed in part 1 of today’s blog are like many of us today.  Folks may not know our names but we are still being sent out to tell the life changing and life saving story of our Lord Jesus.

Funny how the two Gospel readings from John, though from different offices, the first from the Daily Office, and the second from the Eucharistic Readings for today, have the same theme in common.  This may be the work of the Holy Spirit trying to tell us something. Can you hear what the Spirit is saying?

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through the saints of God and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do.  John