What is truth?

Nikolai Ge, Christ and Pilate ("What is truth?"), 1890.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontius_Pilate#/media/File:What-is-truth02.jpg

A Joint Holy Week and Easter Message from the Archbishops of Armagh

The Most Revd Richard Clarke & The Most Revd Eamon Martin

“The truth will set you free.”  John 8:32

At the core of the trial of Jesus, Pontius Pilate asks a question, self–servingly and flippantly, “What is truth?” Pilate scoffs at Jesus’ idea of bearing witness to the truth. From Pilate’s position of power, truth is optional, inconsequential even; truth can be defined how one wants.

In many ways it seems as though the same attitude to truth prevails in the world of today. People talk of being “economical” with the truth, of “mis–speaking” instead of “lying”, and of “fake news” as the news that is inconvenient. The truth, the whole truth about the past can be covered up, manipulated, revised and presented to suit the agendas of the powerful today. But truth matters infinitely. Christians must not be content to keep silent in a world where truth has almost become a disposable commodity – occasionally of value, but capable of being twisted or discarded when awkward, disturbing or embarrassing.

Humanity searches for answers to the truth about our identity and purpose – who are we, where do we come from, how should I live, what is right, what is wrong, what happens when this life is over? For Christian disciples the answers to these questions are ultimately to be found in the dramatic events of the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. It is Truth that is at the heart of the story of Holy Week and Easter. Jesus Christ goes to the Cross because he is the embodiment of Truth, betrayed by grubby ambition and squalid self–interest. The Resurrection is the ultimate vindication of the Truth that the God who is Love will in the end prevail over darkness, hatred and suffering.

The great German theologian and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, preaching in Berlin as Hitler was coming to power, reflected on Pontius Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” He said that although we may ask for the truth, there is also a Truth that is asking for us, seeking us out. We may live in a miasma of half–truths and untruths, but the Truth that is Christ himself is challenging us, on a daily basis, to take our place at his side in the name of unconditional truth and of absolute integrity.

In these weeks, we have an opportunity to delve deeper into the mystery of the Passion and Resurrection of Our Lord and allow ourselves to be taken over by the Truth who seeks us out. In opening ourselves up to Jesus who is “the Way, the Truth and the Life”, we can courageously face the truth of our own lives, and become people who live by, and bear witness to the Truth.

May God in Christ bless you all.

+Richard                                                              +Eamon

Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh           Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh

https://www.ireland.anglican.org/news/7080/a-joint-holy-week-and

morning meditation with sharpies

Bartholomew the Unremarkable

Once again, I am hunting for a noon office reading to go with the scripture and saint of the day and have found something to share. It seems to go well with the Gospel reading for this upcoming Sunday as well (Luke 14:1, 7-14), or at least with what I am working on in writing a sermon. Who knows, I may end up referring to this. 

St. Bartholomew icon
By Urek Meniashvili (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Following St Bartholomew's example 24-8-08 by Rosalind Brown

Like everyone else, I have been marvelling at the achievements of the Olympic athletes. We have been in a fortnight of superlatives when the commentators have run out of adjectives. Greatness is all around us. But in a few years time will we remember the names that trip off our tongues? Will there be other candidates for the title ‘greatest Olympian ever?' What makes a person memorable, even great? As we have been constantly reminded, it is not just the achievements but the years of disciplined training that contributed to their greatness.

In contrast to this month's roll call of great living people, today we remember someone from 2000 years ago whose achievements are pretty much lost to history. There's something delightfully perverse about that, but the church has never been entirely rational by the world's standards and we have a much longer memory than most institution. Great as they are, no one will remember today's Olympic medallists in 2000 years time, let alone set a day aside to celebrate them.  So today, being countercultural, we remember St Bartholomew whose only sure claim to be remembered is his appearance in the list of apostles which we heard in the second reading.

…So in this month when greatness is being defined in terms of athletic achievement, I want to put in a plea for other definitions of greatness as well. What about the greatness of radical discipleship? The greatness of staking everything on the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? That is why we celebrate Bartholomew. He may not have hit the headlines as some of the disciples did but he was one of the twelve, he was there with Jesus for about three years, he gave up everything for what he believed…

And so today we remember Bartholomew, an unremarkable disciple whose memory has outlasted that of Olympic athletes of the ancient world. As we give thanks for him, we celebrate the daily routine of ordinary discipleship, of getting on with the task in hand, perhaps rising to occasional moments of greatness but underpinning them with routine devotion - immersion in God's word, prayer, growth in God's wisdom and, when the occasion arises, being willing to go wherever we are sent, but to do so without great fanfare, just with fidelity.

https://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/worshipandmusic/sermon-archive/following-st-bartholomews-example

of polls, pols, coloring books, and squirrels

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I think fear is one of my reactions. But not the same set of fears that are driving the people that have me praying for our country.  I've been thinking about a blog post for a few days but have been too under the weather to have the energy. Not that I'm over it. But now this: CNN: Why I'm voting for Donald Trump. Did not watch the videos. Just couldn't. (And I'm not watching the Iowa caucus returns tonight.) But I did read the article.

Fear always plays into politics - always has, always will.
This started before the cavemen, I'm sure.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35111615

And I know I know people who are thinking just exactly those things. And will vote for him. That frightens me more than the reality of potential terrorist attacks, which I've accepted as a possibility since 9/11 made me think of it. The homegrown variety is still the most dangerous, and statistically speaking, chances are it will be a white man who identifies as Christian. Can. Not. Comprehend. That. Last. Part. I think we must be reading different Bibles.

Also, the racism.

The racism.

I've been wanting to write a post on that. Several posts, actually. And I have no time to write something thoughtful. I need to find it, somehow. But, oh, the racism. (And people try to tell me this is a post-racial society? Ha. First, Flint. You can stop there. Or just do a few searches on Twitter. It's jaw-dropping.)

I read a BBC article a while back that seems to echo some of my thoughts, though through a different lens.  It opens with an excellent question: Is there a greater democratic show on earth than the American presidential election?

Key word: show. It's like a circus crossed with a slow-motion train wreck. Reminds me of the time I was on the way home from school riding in a friend's car. Creeping along the icy road not far from the high school's exit, we came across another student's car, which had slid off the road, and that of yet another group of students who had slid in the same spot right into the first. Then it was our turn. The steering wheel turned, and the car did not. As we frantically waved our friends out of the way (successfully! whew...), we watched ourselves slide slowly right into those two cars.  If you made these clown cars and waved flags, that might closely approximate what I see happening here. At least we noticed we were sliding and waved our friends out of our path.

The Physics of Clown Cars

A quote from "The Physics of Clown Cars" seems apt here:

However, how many clowns go in is a mix of Clown Politics (CP), Clown Size (CS), Clown Flexibility (CF), General Survivability (GS), and the critical Maximum Clown Hilarity (MCH) quotient.
Unfortunately, and contrary  to accepted folklore, clowns need to breathe. Discomfort is to be anticipated, but General Sur­vivability demands some consideration of  physiological needs. 

Just consider the potential application for a moment.

best title: the braggadocious billionaire

Back to the BBC:

The problem is that the greatest democratic show on earth also doubles as the most outlandish.

For international onlookers, it can seem freakish and bizarre: a long-running farce populated by cartoonish characters, which works as entertainment but is a poor advertisement for American democracy.

Though presidential elections easily satisfy most theatrical requirements, do they meet the needs of a well-functioning democracy?                         http://www.bbc.com/news/the-reporters-35365848 

Theatrical requirements may be met on some grounds. I gather this election cycle is the hottest topic on Facebook. Thank God I have friends who don't rant on Facebook. (If I'm ranting, I apologize - but at least this isn't hate speech in your Facebook feed, which some of my friends apparently get.) I have friends at the far ends of the spectrum - both ends - and so I appreciate it even more. I intend to keep all of them. But it's just as well I don't spend too much time on Facebook. Even better that I don't watch television when I'm not on holiday with my family (and that tends to be HGTV). What is obvious to me from the articles I've read - and to you who probably watch television and could give me quotes - politics is going from nasty to nastier.  That crossed my mind during Sunday's reading from Galatians (5:13-25).

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
http://dailyoffice.org/2016/01/30/morning-prayer-1-31-16-fourth-sunday-after-the-epiphany/

So I am praying. Truthfully, prayer for our country has been pretty low on my priority list. I say to myself, well, it could be worse. We could be having elections like those in Haiti, which continue to get more complicated and eye-crossing from day to day. I did learn to appreciate the way things work here when I lived in a place where they didn't. But that's not much of a comparison. (Oh, and PLEASE pray for Haiti and their current election dilemma - it's awful, and it makes writing this post feel whiny just thinking of it. Still writing it, though.)

(do not have source for this - my apologies)

SQUIRREL!!!

Yes. Yes, I do prefer squirrels and art supplies to politics. It's time, however, for me to commit to attending to prayer for our country and specifically for our elections. 

Maybe we should all pay more attention. Not to the show. Less there. More attention to the content, the voter turnout, and prayer for the process, the outcome, the candidates, the voters, and all whose lives will be most heavily impacted by the decisions we make collectively this year. 

the mad dash to the top

Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on all of us sinners.

Romel Joseph

Sr. Claire Marie's cousin, violinist Romel Joseph, died in Haiti this past week.

Romel Joseph, left, a Juilliard-trained violinist, lost his wife, their unborn child, and his music school in the Haiti earthquake of 2010. Two years later, he practiced for a concert, with his children, Bradley, center, on the piano, and Victoria, right, on violin. The family has raised money to help build a school of music in Port-au-Prince for children.

MARICE COHN BAND Miami Herald file

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/obituaries/article38114070.html#storylink=cpy

Violinist Romel Joseph, survivor of Haiti earthquake, dies at 56 

obituary (minus headline and photo) in the music section of Le Nouvelliste, the major newspaper in Port-au-Prince

As Sr. Claire Marie told me, his funeral was held today at the Cathedrale Sainte Trinite, Port-au-Prince, the cathedral of the Eglise Episcopale d'Haiti. On the Facebook page of the New Victorian School, the bilingual academic and music elementary school which he founded and directed, his daughter Victoria, also a violinist, confirmed this, saying,

"As you know already, Bradley and I are incredibly saddened to officially announce the loss of our beloved father, educator, violinist and Founder of The New Victorian School, Romel Joseph. As he is remembered, it is our hope that the focus not be on his passing but to the endless service he has given to his community and many around the world.

With the love and admiration for children and music education, our father embarked the ambitious journey of making his dream a reality. Without a doubt, the spirit of survival and resiliency that he demonstrated in the 2010 earthquake will continue to live in us and all the children in The New Victorian School. As a result, our 200 current students have embraced his vision at the school by marking its 25th anniversary beginning January 1, 2016. More than his professional and musical accomplishments, he is measured as a devoted husband, father, friend and teacher. "

I wish I had heard him play myself. I am glad to have been able to meet him, however briefly, back when I was living in Haiti. He came to Holy Trinity Philharmonic Orchestra concerts, so there was opportunity for me to be introduced.

This is a recently posted video of one of his concerts in Holy Trinity Music School's Salle Sainte Cecile, which is - was - attached to Holy Trinity (Episcopal) Cathedral in Port-au-Prince.  Holy Trinity Music School was founded by our own Sr. Anne Marie, and Romel studied there, so there is yet another connection with us.



Romel Joseph's beautiful music and all his other achievements are all the more impressive when one learns he had a lifelong visual impairment. Clearly, it didn't stop him from using his gifts. As a child, he attended St. Vincent's School for Handicapped Children in Port-au-Prince, founded by Sr. Joan; Sr. Claire Marie, too, is a graduate and taught there for a while before becoming a sister.
Ecole St Vincent - Facebook page
Centre St Vincent Pour Enfants Handicapes - Facebook page

As is mentioned above, he survived the 2010 earthquake in which he lost his wife and unborn child and spent 18 hours buried in rubble, keeping himself together by mentally playing concertos.

As a world-class violinist, he received media attention when, finally rescued, he was flown to a Miami hospital. As a result, Stevie Wonder sent him two of his keyboards as encouragement and so that he might practice and strengthen his fingers as he recovered.

Can you imagine breaking your fingers if you were a professional violinist? Obviously he also played keyboard - Sr. Claire Marie tells me, "he could play any instrument" - a wide variety, in any case.

And he did play again, despite cautions from doctors who thought this might not be possible. Furthermore, as he also vowed, his school was rebuilt and continues its work.
http://www.npr.org/2010/01/23/122900781/wife-school-lost-in-quake-violinist-vows-to-rebuild

Romel Joseph, founder of The New Victorian School in Haiti, and his daughter Victoria perform at the Aventura Cultural Center in Miami on Jan. 8. It was Joseph's first performance since last year's earthquake.
Neil Oxenburg/Courtesy of Victoria Joseph via NPR
Quake Crushes Haitian Violinist's Hand, But Not His Spirit (NPR 2011)

Romel Joseph, a blind violinist who survived the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti after spending 18 hours pinned under concrete, played the violin at the rehabilitation center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in March 2010, just a few months after treatment. Alexia Fodere For The Miami Herald http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/obituaries/article38114070.html

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/obituaries/article38114070.html#storylink=cpy

And here he is in 2014 with his daughter Victoria, playing a mini concert at the Miami hospital where he was treated following the earthquake.

Please keep his family, loved ones, and students in your prayers. 

If you wish to do something to honor his memory, you could post a memorial here: https://www.facebook.com/RomelJosephMemoriesTribute

You could also, I am sure, donate to his school (links above),
to the Holy Trinity Music School where he first studied the violin
http://www.saintetrinitemusique.com/
Ecole de Musique Sainte Trinite Facebook page  
http://singwithhaiti.org/
or to Instrumental Change, a non-profit organization begun by a friend of mine that brings musical instruments to and otherwise supports a number of music programs in Haiti (including Holy Trinity Music School).
http://www.instrumentalchange.org/
Instrumental Change Facebook page

reflection on Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday 2015
St. Margaret’s Chapel, Duxbury

Holy Saturday. Jesus’ body lies in the sealed tomb.  Mary and the women wait with the disciples. It’s the sabbath; nothing can be done.

Nothing can be done.  That is an extraordinarily difficult place to be.

Imagine them, gathered in small groups perhaps. Traumatized, grief-stricken, uncertain, angry, afraid. Those few who had summoned up the courage to go to Golgotha likely cannot shake the images burned into them during that time. Those who hid – that is, most of them - are guilt-ridden.  And there is no escape, no distraction. It’s the sabbath. Time to be still. Time to wait and pray.

Some of them are planning what to do next. The women, at least, have something they can DO in the morning, before dawn. They can go to the tomb and anoint the body, one last gesture of love for one they loved so dearly – and who loved them even more.  Some of the men are gathered, talking in low voices behind closed doors about what to do next. The unthinkable has happened. Their world has been shattered, their lives may be in danger, and they have no earthly idea what will happen in the days to come. They don’t understand it – and how could they?

Everything is up in the air. Nothing is certain.

And nothing can be done.  Oh, little things... Somehow the women have gotten ahold of the ointments for burial. The men can curse at Judas, at the Temple authorities, at Pilate and the Romans. But Jesus is dead, and there is no changing that.  Perhaps they remember the passage from Job:

For there is hope for a tree,
if it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
and that its shoots will not cease…
But mortals die, and are laid low;
humans expire, and where are they?   (Job 14:7, 10)

Two things are certain: death and taxes – and the Romans have both of those well in hand.

So there they sit, face to face with their grief and confusion.  They know Jesus is not coming back, but slowly the memories of other times, still fresh, surface among those of yesterday. “Do you remember?” “Do you remember?”  And, in this, a thread of courage and peace weaves its way through the quiet tumult of their day. They still don’t understand, their grief is still deep, and they still can do nothing. But slowly they are becoming strong enough to stay there. “Do you remember?”

Holy Saturday is a sabbath day for us, too - a day of repose, a day when we are asked to be still. To stay. To be fully present. It’s uncomfortable to be in a place where we can do nothing. Being, just being, rather than doing, goes against all our cultural training. Most of us have had no experience of true weekly sabbath trained into us from childhood as the disciples would have had.

We, of course, know the end of this story, and it’s a temptation to jump straight to Easter.  But Holy Saturday has its own gift. When we stay with the disciples in their grief and uncertainty about the future, in their not-knowing, we begin to know more deeply the power of God to hold us. We begin to grow in trust.  When we stay with the disciples, contemplating the sealed tomb, we receive the grace of courage to be – to be present instead of running away – to accept what is, even death itself.  None of us knows what the future will bring any more than the disciples did that Saturday.  But we are here, now, as we are, as it all is.

As the disciples must have done, we can say, “Do you remember?” We, too, have had our experiences of God – and we can share in the remembering of the community when our own memories and experience fall short. Together, even at times when we know little and can do nothing, we stay.  We remember that God is with us, even when we don’t know where or how.  And with the disciples that sabbath day, we can rest in that.

We who are here today have been given the gift of knowing that Holy Saturday isn’t the end of the story. And, as we know, that changes everything. Everything. But let’s not jump ahead just yet. Let’s take today to wait with Mary and the other disciples. Whatever the time brings, together we can stay with it.

Good Friday Anthem 1

We glory in your cross, O Lord,
and praise and glorify your holy resurrection;
for by virtue of your cross
joy has come to the whole world.

May God be merciful to us and bless us,
show us the light of his countenance, and come to us.

Let your ways be known upon earth,
your saving health among all nations.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.

We glory in your cross, O Lord,
and praise and glorify your holy resurrection;
for by virtue of your cross
joy has come to the whole world.


Book of Common Prayer 1979 p. 281

Last Epiphany/Transfiguration/Blizzard Sunday

This morning, as I look out the window through the blowing snow to an all-white landscape featuring trees swaying in high winds, I marvel at its beauty and I give thanks that, much to our astonishment, we still have power. 

I am grateful we have the option of having our own Eucharist here at home when we can't get out to church on a Sunday morning. Of course, we do have daily Eucharist here at the convent, and there is always one of us available to celebrate, but it's hardly something even we can take for granted. Most people, of course, don't have this option at all.

I'm also grateful that parishes have had the common sense to follow the state emergency management's request that we all just stay home today.  I remember missing exactly one Sunday for snow as a child - the Blizzard of '78, of course, to which we keep referring this month.

About the Transfiguration
Fr. Tim Schenck - St. John's, Hingham
screen grab from the bulletin for the Eucharist that got blizzarded out
http://www.stjohns-hingham.org/storage/bulletins/Last%20Epiphany%20-%20Feb%2015%202015.pdf

If you are stuck at home yourself, you could read the lessons for today:

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany - Year B RCL

You could pray Morning and Evening Prayer, knowing that many others around the world will be doing so, and so you are still part of a much larger congregation:

The Online Book of Common Prayer
(See link to Daily Office on the left.)

Finally, here is an excellent sermon for today, the one Fr. Tim would have been preaching had there been a service today. Actually, he preached it last night, come to think of it - they always have a Saturday evening Eucharist, and he invited the rest of the congregation, the Sunday morning people, that is, to join them.

A Sermon from the Episcopal Parish of

St. John the Evangelist in Hingham, Massachusetts

Preached by the Rev. Timothy Schenck on February 15, 2015 (Last Epiphany, Year B)

Enough is enough. The novelty has worn off. Just make it stop. Please. The snow I mean; not this sermon. People sometimes jokingly say to clergy, “Can’t you do something about the weather? You must have some connections, right?” And I always remind them that I’m in sales, not management. So I just want to reiterate that point this morning. I am officially washing my hands of the extreme weather we’ve been having. It’s not my fault. Call the bishop.

We’ve all been staring up into the sky a lot in the last few weeks. Watching in disbelief as the snow just keeps falling. Liturgically, we started this Season after the Epiphany by gazing up at a bright light in the sky right along with those three wise men making their way to the manger. And the season concludes with us staring up at another bright light in the form of the transfigured Jesus. This morning we hear Mark’s account of the story that appears in slightly different forms in all three of the Synoptic gospels.

It’s tempting to try and deconstruct this story and search for metaphysical answers or rational explanations. But that won’t get us very far. It’s safer to speak about it as a metaphor for the divinity of Christ and the Transfiguration is a manifestation and affirmation of the divine character of Jesus. But there are times when it’s okay to just stand back and gaze in wide wonder at the astonishing nature of God. Times when it’s okay to simply revel in the wonder of the divine. Times when it’s okay to just be in the presence of something beyond all human comprehension.

Let’s face it, we’re not very good at sitting still and contemplating the presence of God. Our minds wander; we get distracted; our phones buzz; we have stuff to do; the kids are hungry; the driveway needs shoveling (again); it’s not on our to-do list; we’re not monks or nuns — well, some of us are but most of us are not; time is money; the game’s on; Downton Abbey’s on; I have a headache. There are so many reasons we don’t have the bandwidth to still our minds and revel in God’s presence.

But holy contemplation is an important spiritual discipline. It reminds us that, despite everything else going on in our lives, nothing is as important as spending some quality time with God. It anchors everything else and helps us keep our lives in perspective; it reminds us that our anxieties and stresses are all relative; it encourages us to reflect upon the great stretch of humanity that has come before us and will come after us.

Granted Peter, James, and John weren’t having such deep thoughts in the moment. They were terrified! And you can’t blame them. Blinding light, voice from on high, visions of two long-dead prophets. The other-worldly nature of the whole experience was precisely the point. It was other-worldly because the fullness of God is other-worldly.

At one level, I have to admit, and this is a little embarrassing, but I have transfiguration envy. I don’t mean I want to be transfigured, but I’m envious of the three disciples who witnessed this event. I mean talk about wiping away all the doubts you’ve ever experienced in a single moment. Seeing Jesus all lit up in the fullness of his resurrection glory and taking the time to just revel in the wonder of it all would forever change how you experienced God in your life.

The good news is that we are offered glimpses of the resurrection in our own lives. Not as often as we might like, perhaps, and not necessarily accompanied by the drama of a bright light; but we do have such moments. I talked about this a bit at longtime parishioner Bill Austin’s funeral in December. I still miss seeing Bill here on Sunday mornings and thought I’d share this story.

The day before he died, I went to South Shore Hospital to be with Bill and his family, and while he was physically weak, he was quite lucid and very much still Bill. I thought I’d say a few prayers, give Donna a hug, and let him rest. But Bill had other ideas. He wanted to talk. And he asked me a question no one else ever has in the waning moments of an earthly pilgrimage. Bill looked at me intently and asked “What are some moments where you have experienced God in your life?”

And after taking a deep breath, I talked about what I like to call “resurrection glimpses,” times when we encounter the divine in brief moments of conversation or interaction. They often happen at moments when you least expect them. Sometimes it’s a feeling that washes over you, sometimes it’s in serving someone in need, sometimes it’s in an encounter with the natural world, sometimes it’s in an interaction with a loved one or a stranger. To me these are moments when the Kingdom of Heaven breaks into the visible world and they keep us going until that time when we will revel in the fullness of Christ’s resurrection in the age to come.

I’ve found over the years that these resurrection glimpses often happen in moments that, on the surface of things, feel hopeless. Like dying in a hospital room. Until you sit up and, like Bill, recognize the depth of love and prayer that surrounds you; and you realize that your family, even in their grief, will be okay; and you become aware of a deep and abiding sense of peace that allows you to let go; and you truly know and feel that the presence of God isn’t just pie-in-the-sky fantasy but something real, tangible, and life-giving even in the face of death.

These mini-moments of transfiguration really can keep you going when things are difficult. It’s no accident, Jesus was revealed to the disciples in this way, just before heading into Jerusalem for the Last Supper, his trial, and crucifixion. Amid the despair, they had that resurrection glimpse to hold onto; to keep hope alive amid the darkness. Just as we’re given this gift of the Transfigured Jesus to cherish as we move into the wilderness of Lent.

So, keep open to the resurrection glimpses in your own life. Look for them; they’re out there waiting to be discovered. Make room for at least a bit of holy contemplation. You may not get the bright light and voice from heaven but I guarantee you’ll experience the presence of God in new and life-giving ways.

© The Rev. Tim Schenck
https://frtimsermons.wordpress.com/2015/02/14/last-sunday-after-the-epiphany-2015/

And pray, please, for all those who are working outside on our behalf and for those with inadequate shelter.

Stay warm, all of you out here in blizzardland, and stay inside.

#Prophet #EpiscopalAdvent

John the Baptist - Baptism of Our Lord
Cathedrale Sainte Trinite, Port-au-Prince (pre-earthquake)
#Prophet #EpiscopalAdvent

(See http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/salvaged-historic-murals for more)

Among those born of women
there arose none greater than John the Baptist
who prepared the way of the Lord in the wilderness.
Alleluia.

A man was sent by God
whose name was John,
who prepared the way of the Lord in the wilderness.

(translation via Choral Public Domain Library)



Cristóbal de Morales (1500 - 1553) - Inter Natos

Inter natos mulierum
non surrexit maior Iohanne Baptista
qui viam Domini praeparavit in heremo.
Alleluia.

Fuit homo missus a Deo
cui nomen erat Iohannes,
qui viam Domini praeparavit in heremo.

for an Advent word for the day: grace

INFINITE GRACE
taptap on the road to St Marc, Jeannette, Haiti
#Grace #Haiti #EpiscopalAdvent

Giving thanks for the grace shown to me and to all. Waiting and praying this Advent for more and more grace to flow over Haiti, healing, transforming, giving hope, breathing in new life.

oops... left off an event!

I posted an event list below and left off an event.  Sigh.  And it's a good one, too! Problem is that we didn't plan it in June as we did all the others (brochures get printed in July), so it's not on all the official lists.

Here it is:

Art Show and Open House    
Saturday, December 13, 1 - 5 pm

The Farmhouse, 40 Harden Hill Road, Duxbury MA

Come, tour the recently renovated guesthouse while enjoying cookies and wassail. Sr. Marjorie Raphael, SSM will display and sell a selection of her new canvases.

Free and open to the public.

This collage of sorts is a picture from the Bumpus Gallery's site when Sr. Marjorie Raphael was having a show there.

I've fixed the event list in the earlier entry, but once it has been read, it is unlikely that anyone will come back to it, so this gets its own post.

The Farmhouse, newly shingled

Do note that this is the same day as the Morning of Prayer. Perhaps you will want to come to both! In any case, you'll enjoy seeing the newly repaired, shingled, and painted Farmhouse (one of our guest houses) along with Sr. Marjorie Raphael's paintings.  

Sr. Marjorie Raphael painting in the yard earlier this year

#GivingTuesday

Today is #GivingTuesday. We hope you will consider making a gift to the Sisters of St. Margaret today. You can make a donation by calling 781-934-9477 x 1. You may also donate online here. Everyone who donates to the Sisters of St. Margaret today will have their name entered into a drawing. We'll select one person from all donors to receive this beautiful painting by Sister Marjorie Raphael!

Painting of Duxbury Bay by Sr. Marjorie Raphael This painting of Duxbury Bay by Sister Marjorie Raphael will be signed and mailed to one randomly selected donor from all those that give to the Sisters of St. Margaret today, #GivingTuesday. Please consider a donation and share this email with all your contacts. You may make a donation on our website here. Thank you for supporting the Sisters of St. Margaret.

Advent meditation through photography

This Advent, there are not one, but TWO opportunities to participate in meditating on a given word each day and then, if desired, posting a photograph that expresses that word's meditation.  The idea is that you post your photo on one or more social media sites, labeling it with the assigned # so that others can find, enjoy, and pray with your photo.

#EpiscopalAdvent is sponsored by the Episcopal Church's Formation and Vocation Ministries Team.
http://episcolifelong.org/2014/11/18/advent-resources/

Advent Meditation with Photography - Episcopal Digital Network

"Each day will have reflection word taken from the Sunday Readings that will be posted on our Social Media sites. We invite you to meditate on that word throughout the day and if you find a photo that captures that word for you, post it to your social media sites with the hashtag #episcopaladvent as well as a hashtag for the word for the day (for example: #joy). We will begin posting on the First Sunday of Advent (November 30) and will end on Christmas Day."

The second one was created by the Society of St. John the Evangelist, better known as the SSJE Brothers (or in the UK the Cowley Brothers/Fathers). Theirs is #AdventWord.  I expect it will have more users because the Anglican Communion News Service picked it up.

Global Advent Calendar - pray with your phone camera

At first, having heard of both in passing, I thought it was the same thing. Same idea, yes; same words for the day, no.  So which to choose?

I finally decided to do both. Am I crazy? Perhaps. But I do meditate well with a camera, actually. (I really need to do a blog post about that, or at least link to the books I've recently obtained to supplement my own experience.)

So here is the cheat sheet for both, lined up, in case anyone else would like to do both as well.

I'm noticing that the Young Adult/Youth/Lifelong Formation group has chosen a set of words that seem much more traditionally Adventlike to me.

It will be interesting to see what sort of meditation grows from the combination of the two words each day.

Are you up for a challenge? Some unusual ways of inviting God in to your prayer this Advent? Join us.

vampire opera

I just went to a vampire opera.

No, I am not making this up.

Tammy Ryan, who plays a lead role, Della, is someone I have known for a number of years now.  I remember her staying with us when she was auditioning for things when she was in college.  I've watched and enjoyed Facebook photos.  This was the first time, however, that I've heard her sing! That is, if you don't count hymns in chapel.  And let's just say there aren't many high D's in The Hymnal 1982.

I enjoyed it very much.

The music is from the 1828 "gothic opera" by Heinrich Marschner.  It's big music, the kind of music most people think of when they think of opera. Reminded me of Wagner (and therefore Bugs Bunny and "kill the wabbit" on an epic scale, but never mind). Well done. I appreciated having real musicians playing (piano, violin, and brass, if I remember correctly).

Here's a big performance of another version in New Orleans, a much larger setting than this tiny minimalist one.  It looks nothing like what I saw, but you can hear the music:

And then there's the new libretto.  I can't tell you how many times I laughed out loud.  Not all of the lines in it are something I'd type out on a blog, but it's fun and fabulous.  Occasionally the juxtaposition of such lines with such music made it even funnier.  And I appreciated the nods to Monty Python and Buffy the Vampire-Slayer, too.  Wonder what other references I missed, not being up on my Anne Rice or current television series and movies... Of course, you can't hear all the words when you have three different characters singing different words at the same time, so there were parts I missed. I'd love to find a written copy at some point.

The basic storyline, modified from the original to the point that it's almost a different story, is that of a man who wants to join a group of London vampires. He's looking for power and immortality, though he certainly does enjoy preying on young women as a way to get it.  Apparently vampires need to seduce them first before imbibing, or it doesn't count? I was a bit at a loss here, again being somewhat ignorant as vampire traditions go.  In any case, once bitten himself, this man has to kill 29 young women over 29 days in order to be fully a member.  Think gang ritual initiation.

Meanwhile, Tammy's character, Della (SPOILER ALERT!) dumps her fiance because he and her father are deciding her future without even consulting her.

Add bar scenes, various lovers' spats, and a Buffy-style Muffy who tries unsuccessfully to kill off the vampire herself.  Fast forward to the end and add a masked costume ball.  So far, so good, certainly the stuff of opera.

What this new libretto also does, along with making people laugh, is make some very pointed statements about women not being treated as men's property and about the way people tend to blame the victim.  Well, that tart shouldn't have been out alone at night. She was asking for it. What do you expect. Too familiar to contemporary ears.

It also made the point that Della's fiance isn't as holy as he thinks he is given that he has stood by and done nothing up until the point when Della is threatened.  What, none of these other women matter? ...and so all we so-called innocent bystanders share some of the guilt for things that happen if we do nothing when we could do something.

No, it doesn't quite spell it out in such very small words, but nearly, mostly through the humor.

To summarize: 19th century London, including costumes, but a current sensibility.  (If you've read any Amelia Peabody Egyptology mysteries, it's a somewhat similar combination.)

It was well done, it was fun, and I would have been glad to be there even if I hadn't had the extra enjoyment of finally seeing and hearing Tammy on stage. I love being surrounded by music, performed live.  Time well spent.

Any of you who live in the Boston area and might be interested, go have some fun! There are four performances left: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of this week. Tickets are to be had online here: https://www.artful.ly/store/events/3363. They are free, with donations encouraged (which is why I could go).  It's at the Boston Center for the Arts' Plaza Theater on Tremont Street.

Finally, here is a not-very-good homemade video of it I just found on YouTube. The performance and set have improved since this taping, I must say (must have been a rehearsal), but it will give you a better idea:

For more information:
http://www.classical-scene.com/2014/06/19/bats-vampires/ 
OperaHub Announces: DER VAMPYR