Cardinal William H. O’Connell was never much of a Red Sox fan. Despite presiding over the Archdiocese of Boston during a period when the team won the World Series four times, there’s no evidence that he used his free pass to Fenway, and he railed against the playing of baseball on Sundays.
Facing East #30
Facing East Podcast Episode 30 is now online. Join us this week as we speak with our friend Huw from Buffalo, New York.
Thousands Turn to Online Prayer
Thousands turn to online prayer and advice as financial situationworsens
Posted On : October 9, 2008 1:10 PM
Posted By : WebmasterRelated Categories: ACO EnglandACNS:
http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2008/10/9/ACNS4533
Web users looking for support during the current financial situationhave boosted traffic to a Church of England website section focusing ondebt advice by over 70 per cent, and increased visitor numbers to theChurch’s online prayer page by more than a quarter.
The Matter of Life and Debt website section – containing a new ‘debtspiral’ feature so visitors can work out if they are one of the manyfamilies who will be seriously affected by the credit crunch, and usefuladvice for those worried about debt – has seen a 71 per cent increase intraffic in recent weeks.
It can be viewed by visiting www.cofe.anglican.org/debt. A new Prayer for the Current Financial Situation has been viewed nearly8,000 times since it was published online in September – increasingtraffic to the popular Prayers for Today section by 28 per cent.
It can be found online at www.cofe.anglican.org/prayers. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, recently said: “At thistime of international financial turbulence, it is important that theChurch should be offering the opportunity for prayer and reflection.”Prayers for Today also contains many other useful contemporary prayers -covering issues such as exam stress, and world peace.
Prayer for the current financial situation
Lord God, we live in disturbing days:
across the world,
prices rise,
debts increase,
banks collapse,
jobs are taken away,
and fragile security is under threat.
Loving God, meet us in our fear and hear our prayer:
be a tower of strength amidst the shifting sands,
and a light in the darkness;
help us receive your gift of peace,
and fix our hearts where true joys are to be found,
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
On the Radio
If you are in the Southbridge or South Central Worcester County area tomorrow (Friday) then tune in to WESO 970AM from 7-9 I will be a guest on the morning show. Who knows what will happen but I am in the hot seat for two hours. Call in if you can.
Where are Our Bishops?
We are 28 days from a National Presidential Election. The economy has been going down the tubes for the last few weeks. The Dow in going down. And where are our Orthodox Bishops? I have spent a little time looking at the website of SCOBA (The Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in America) and not a statement on the election. Not a statement on the economy. Nothing or bishops are silent. In these times of uncertainty we need to hear from out leaders. We need assurance from them and we need guidance from them. But all we get is silence.
Now I could be wrong and if I am please send me links to their statements and I will post them here for all to read. Bishops we need to hear from you!
Blog Martyr
If anyone thinks discipleship does not have a cost you need to read this story. Rania was from Saudi Arabia, you remember them they are our partners in the Middle East. The ones who helped us overthrow Saddam and the others. Well Rania converted to Christianity and she blogged about it and was then burned to death for her story. I will not tell you anymore I would like you to read it and remember Rania next time the government talks about our friend the Saudis! This just makes me sick.
H/T Tall Skinny Kiwi
Blogging Parishioners
Well it would seem I have created a monster. I have been blogging for about 2 years and now I have been joined by two of my parishioners. This is great! Please welcome:
Laura – Kiss the Boo Boo
Linda – Convert
To the blogospher! These are two of the hardest working women I have in my church. I am not sure where we would be with out these two. Put them in your feed and read their writings. They write from a perspective of wife and mother and talk about what is going on in their lives. And on occasion they mention me, so that is a bonus.
Welcome ladies and keep up the good work.
Economic Crisis
Well it would seem that the crisis has reached far from our boarders. If anyone still is in need of convincing that we are part of a global economy just look toward Iceland. Today the Government of Iceland has Nationalised some of their banks to protect them from going under. Iceland!
On the upside gas prices have fallen again and there was a rumor that gas could be had for $3.06 per gallon so this is good new but how long will it last. Oil is also coming down bad news for the church we locked in at $3.65 per gallon and I hear it is down to something like $3.40 per gallon oh well that is the chance we take I guess. So we just grin and bear it and hope that all will be well.
Today I awoke to 35f temps outside. Thanks to Laura and John who came by last night to wrap the tender plants in front of the rectory to keep them from freezing. I never think of those things so I am glad someone is. So it looks like the cold weather is here. I don’t mind telling you I am glad. I like summer but I cannot take the humidity. It just takes all my strength away.
Today I am off to interview a priest who is on his way into the Orthodox Church with his entire congregation. They are becoming part of the Western Rite of the Antiochian Archdiocese. Fr. Ken and his congregation have been working for more than a year to become Orthodox. I will have the honor of helping to hear confessions next week prior to the Chrismation. I will also attend their ordinations. Big day! Listen to Shepherd of Souls this weekend for the interview. It might end up in two parts depending on how long winded we both get.
So for now stay warm!
Weekend Round Up
For a small parish we are very busy!
This weekend saw our Annual Yard Sale and Harvest Bake Sale. The ladies of the parish were very busy and as usual they did an amazing job. For a small group of people they never cease to amaze me of what they are able to pull off. For my part all I did was show up and talk with people and eat some food. The life of a priest is difficult but I embrace the difficulty!
If you follow me on twitter you have heard me speak of the Lake House. Well the Lake House is a trailer that I purchased a few years back as my retreat or monastery if you will. My plan was to spend my days off there in prayer and meditation. Well it never really seemed to work out that way so I sold it and Saturday I had to clean all the stuff out of it. It was sad to see it go but I needed to make a break. It was getting expensive to keep it on the site I had it on so I had to say goodbye. Goodbye is never easy but it had to be done.
Sunday was the first day that Shepherd of Souls was syndicated. Although I have no idea how many people listen on the three radio stations it is on I feel that this ministry is important to reach people. Liturgy went well and I have posted my homily from the day. After Church coffee hour. This has become a very important ministry here at the church. In days gone by everyone lived within walking distance of the church. Well that is no longer the case so coffee hour is the time for people to check in with each other and see how things are going. It also gives me time to talk with the parishioners and see what is up in their life. After that was done I had to go out to the lake to meet the guy who bought the lake house. Then back to the rectory for some R&R.; I made a Highland Hot Pot for supper and I will post the recipe latter on. I have made this before and it was good. Very good on a cold day. It is soup and stew season and I love it. Time to cook with root veggies again.
This week we begin a lecture series on what the church teaches on certain social issues of the day in advance of the presidential election next month. I plan to record the sessions and post them but we shall see how that goes. I am looking forward to this class but it means more work for me. That’s okay I enjoy it. I am still part of the book club although I only did one past from the reading assignment. I will get better I hope.
The rest of the week is filled with meeting and podcasting and interviewing people for up coming episodes. For now it’s time to pray and read a little.
19th Sunday After Pentecost
2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Luke 6:31-36
Inner Poverty
Last week I spoke about greed and why we must avoid it at all costs. Greed is a sin plain and simple and leads to much destruction as we have seen in these past weeks.Yesterday on the Western Church Calendar was the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. I will admit that St. Francis is still to this day one of my favorite saints on either calendar. The fact that he is not listed among the saints on the Orthodox Calendar should not detract us from reading about his life and what he had to say and what he still has to say to us today. St. Francis has much to say to us especially in these days.I am sure we all know the story. Francis was born to a very wealthy family in Italy and was destined for greatness. At one point in his life he had what has been described as a mystical experience and heard the voice of God tell him to rebuild his church. Francis took this very literally and began to rebuild the church of San Damiano located just outside his village. Well his father was not happy about this at all. In the story we are told of Francis standing in the middle of the town with all the inhabitants of the town gathered around. Francis denounces his inheritance and literally strips himself bare and walks out of the town completely naked. In a very real sense he was now listed among the poor of the world for he had no worldly possession. Francis believed that owning possessions took our eyes off of God and His Son Jesus Christ as we would rely on those things for help and not God, who Francis believed, gave us all that we needed. But Francis took this one step further. Francis spoke of something called inner poverty and this is something that I eluded too last week. The emptying of ones self to make room of the mystery of the almighty. A joining together of our will with the will of the Father. A working together if you will. Jesus often speaks about rich people and at one point in his ministry tells his followers that it will be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. So will Warren Buffet and Donald Trump be in heaven, I have no clue and it is not our place to judge. What Jesus is speaking of here is interior poverty and not exterior poverty.In Matthews Gospel Chapter five and verse 3 Jesus tells us during the Sermon on the Mount that “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Poor is not a negative in this sentence in fact it is the opposite it is a positive. Poor in spirit means both the materially poor but also the faithful among God’s people. The poor in spirit, the humbly, the lowly have the heart of the poor and their total dependence upon God. These are truly spiritually rich.
Let me ask you this question. If you woke in the middle on the night and your house was on fire what would you take with you? Pictures, money, checkbook, insurance policy, Icons, Bible? Think about the treasures we have stored up and ask ourselves if we can do without them. Do we rely more on the things of this world for our happiness? How much time do we spend worrying about the future and our financial well being versus the amount of time we spend in prayer giving all that we have, body and soul, to God? If we were to loose everything tomorrow what would happen?Back to St. Francis for a minute. Francis believed that if we had possessions then we would need weapons to guard them. We would need to protect the things of our life from someone stealing them. How are we with guarding the things of our souls? What weapons do we have to guard against the theft of our souls, of our spirits, of our very lives, not our physical lives, but our spiritual lives?
I am not a gun owner, most of you I am sure are glad to hear that. I believe that in this day and age guns are a necessary evil in our society. But gun owners spend many hours polishing their guns and making sure they work. They oil all of the moving parts and make sure that the bullets are clean and that they know where the gun is so at a moments notice they can run and get it to protect themselves, their families and their stuff. I wonder how much time we spend polishing the weapons of our spirituality? How much time do we spend in prayer, with the word, or just meditation? Most of you work 40 hours plus a week to put food on your table and clothes on your back, and thank God a little something in the tray when it is passed. 40 hours plus a week building up your kingdom here on earth. How much time do we spend building up our kingdom in heaven?
We are now less than a month away from the presidential election. Many of you, me included, spend hours watching the TV news, reading the blogs, and thinking about the next president of the United States. Many of us can name the candidates, their running mates, and where they stand on certain issues. How much time do we spend thinking about the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? How much time do we spend reading his word and thinking about where he stands on the issues of the day? Does what the church teaches on issues influence your vote at all or just slightly? Do we even know what the church thinks and teaches about the issues of the day, do we even care?
Inner poverty is a change, we have heard a lot about change these last few months. Inner poverty is a new way to think about what we do and how we do it. Inner poverty is a surrendering of that part of our life that should belong to Jesus. It is turning over that part of ourselves to the other that I spoke about last week. It is a change in how we do things and how we act and how we live our very lives. It is a turning toward God and away from the world.
We soon will be entering the liturgical season of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation. A preparation for the birth of the Christ Child. It is also a time of preparation of our selves for the coming of the Christ Child. A time for us to think about what we have done and what we have left undone during the past year. Let us spend those days in true reflection of what it means to be a follower of Jesus and what Jesus is asking us, as his followers, to do with our lives. Let us spend a little more time with Jesus and a little less time worrying about our stuff.
Stand in the square. Strip yourself naked. And turn it all over to Jesus.