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Do Not be Afraid of the Dark

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:07:24 GMT

Do Not be Afraid of the Dark

DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THE DARK

By John Santosuosso

I must admit that, despite their popularity, I have only attended two Easter Sunrise services in my life. One was at Shell Point Village, a retirement community south of Fort Myers. The other was at a small country church in Southern Indiana. I suspect this has nothing to do with either theology or tradition but rather a certain reluctance to start the day early. Now, if you are looking for a "loophole" to cover your own similar reluctance, you might be thinking, but what about the Great Vigil of Easter? Surely that counts. It is time to get out your favorite copy of the Book of Common Prayer. It will remind you that the service actually begins in the dark and can start anytime after sundown on Saturday. However, be patient. This is going to turn out better than you may have thought.

The Sunrise service probably got its popularity from the common belief that the resurrection of Jesus took place at that moment. All right now, it is time to dust off our Bibles and actually read what it has to say about this matter. None of the four Gospels says Jesus rose at sunrise! The Gospel of John explicitly says it was dark. The other three imply that it was. God is truly amazing. Before we are even aware of it, God is at work. Jesus was resurrected at night, while it was still dark, and while his followers must have still been filled with despair. (John 20:1, Mark 16:1-2, Mt 28:1, Luke 24:1-3)

The Easter story is a truly astonishing one, and sometimes in ways we may have overlooked. At the very time that the disciples must have thought all was lost, God was about to change the course of human history. As so often happens, the power of God is about to be revealed just when we may least expect it. The great Spanish mystic, Saint John of the Cross, discovered that. In his book, "The Dark Night of the Soul," he relates that it was not on the mountain tops but rather in the deep valleys of despair that the revelation of God would come to him. We do not control the Spirit of God. It comes when and how it pleases.

The good news of Easter Day is that we do not need to be afraid of the dark. As we go about our daily lives, things sometimes are very difficult, or even impossible. I recall one Episcopal priest declaring that he thought many of his parishioners attended church not hoping for miracles but for just enough faith and hope to get them through another week. Probably all of us have had times like that. However, while we may be totally unaware of it, that can be the time God is walking closest to us, preparing the way for a brighter tomorrow, one where the promises of Jesus now become our realities. The dark is not to be feared. Rather, it is to be approached with care and the confidence that, despite its appearance, it holds promises we cannot yet fully fathom. Our church will be dark on Good Friday, but then filled with glory on Easter Day.

My fellow pilgrims, let us continue our journey, but this Easter, let us go forth with the power and confidence that can actually come to us while it is still dark. Perfect love casts out all fear, and God's love is perfect. (I John 4:16-21) Jesus was raised to walk with you. You do not need to fear the dark.

Everlasting Waters

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:48:21 GMT

Everlasting Waters

EVERLASTING WATERS

By John Santosuosso

"For though from out our bourne of Time and Place

The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face

When I have crossed the bar."

Alfred Lord Tennyson, "Crossing the Bar"

The next time as you enter a liturgical church pause for a moment before you look for a place to sit. It is not always the case, but often you will find the baptismal font close to where you are standing. That is no accident. It is part of what we believe. Baptism is the sacrament by which we acknowledge we are part of God's family and belong to God forever. After baptism at some later point in life if you find yourself at the banks of the River Jordan and feel a strong desire to be baptized again, go ahead and do so, but it is not really necessary. Once you are part of God's family you cannot be evicted. You are part of it forever. Actually the Bible appears to indicate that even before we are born God has plans to eventually bring us into the family (Jeremiah 1:5).

The theology of St. Paul the Apostle has played a key role in shaping the foundation of Christian theology, especially its Protestant version. However, perhaps the Protestant Reformation went so deeply in this direction that in baptism we often see it only as a rite for the forgiveness of sin (Acts 22:16). We can agree with Paul that forgiveness is a valuable treasure. Especially during this season of Lent we do well to remember that. Still, we need to be aware of the rest of the story. In baptism God claims us as one of his beloved children. God is fully aware that "the kids" do not always do the right thing. God loves us anyway. This of course is not a license to be destructive.

If you are not baptized will you go to hell? You could if you drive to Hell, Michigan, or visit the Hell post office on Grand Cayman Island. Sadly some well-meaning people both inside and outside the church see baptism as some sort of heavenly fire insurance. Being baptized will not keep you out of hell nor will failure to be baptized, or use enough water, or infant baptism send you there. Baptism is more like a sign that God is at work. Baptism reveals that God is on our side and has a gift for us that is the most valuable thing we can possess.

The gift is God's perfect and eternal love. Try and reject it and you are going to lose every time. You see God has eternity to destroy evil and rebuild the creation. When we are finally worn out resisting God's love, God is just getting started. We are family. God always seeks out the lost sheep, the straying family member. Failure to do so would mean God's love is less than perfect, and that just is impossible.

The next time you attend a baptism, wherever it may be, think about what you are witnessing. There is more going on here than babies crying or laughing and proud family members beaming, although those may be delightful signs. We are actually witnesses to the love of God at work. God is claiming yet another member of the family, one who is "sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked Christ's own for ever." (BCP)

So if this is true, why is there suffering in the world and wicked people who resist love in any form? I am not smart enough to answer that. I will not try. Just remember God has eternity on God's side. Ultimately it is not the love of God but suffering and evil that will perish.

A Last Letter to Leo

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 21:49:02 GMT

A Last Letter to Leo

A LAST LETTER TO LEO

By John Santosuosso

"Ain't but three things in this world that's worth a solitary dime

But old dogs and children and watermelon wine,

Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes,

God bless little children while they're still too young to hate."

Song written and performed by Tom T. Hall

" The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with

the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a

little child shall lead them."

Isaiah 11:6

Dear Leo, someone once said God made dogs without wings so humans would not know there were angels in their midst. I do not know if you were an angel or not, but I am sure you would do just about anything for me. You have been gone only a few weeks, but there is an ache in my heart that remains since you crossed over that Rainbow Bridge. However, you taught me about trust. You always trusted us to do what we believed was best for you. With your help and wisdom I am learning to trust God. It is a very difficult lesson, but I sensed you always knew that even in that Valley of the Shadow of Death God is by our side and leading the way to safety (Psalm 23).

You taught me about faithfulness, that faith still holds us in love even when we may not be very lovable. (Luke 15:1-7) Everywhere I would go you would go with me, if you possibly could. And when you could not, you still looked for me in hope we would soon be reunited.

You taught me to never give up on the world, that it is God's creation.

(Genesis 1:31) On a simple walk or going "bye-bye" in the car, ears perked, eyes wide open, and nose working overtime you showed your love of that creation, and in your own way declared it was good, despite human efforts to make a mess of it

You taught me that we are stronger when we take our journey with others. (Matthew 18:20). You greeted everyone with enthusiasm, both human and four-footed. Perhaps you understood Jesus joins us at such times.

Before you venture further on your journey through eternity I wanted you to know how much you meant to me and to thank you for the many gifts you left me. Like Jacob, I have been battered by an encounter with the divine, but I have also been deeply blessed. (Genesis 32:22-32) Vaya con Dios, my little friend. Go with God. I am in no hurry to leave, but when God says it is time I will meet you at the Rainbow Bridge.

Note: I understand not everyone has had good experiences with dogs or other animals. I also realize that some people feel we waste resources that are badly needed by people on pets. I accept your feelings and do not doubt your sincerity despite our differences. In the words I have written above I simply wanted to express one of the ways that I believe God reached out to me. There are many ways God can touch our lives. My prayer is that you will soon experience at least one of these if you have not done so already.

What the Camel Knows

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 18:12:03 GMT

What the Camel Knows

WHAT THE CAMEL KNOWS

By John Santosuoso

"Then the Lord answered me and said:

Write the vision;

make it plain on tablets,

so that a runner may read it.

For there is still a vision for the appointed time;

it speaks of the end and does not lie.

If it seems to tarry, wait for it;

it will surely come; it will not delay.

Habakkuk 2:2-3

In Morocco, I was fortunate enough to get a camel ride for a mere ten dirham. With enough bargaining, you might actually be able to buy one for five, but when traveling, I try to remember the locals need to make a living. In any case, except for getting on or off, the ride was smooth enough. While on our brief journey together, perhaps it was inevitable that I might recall the Biblical Epiphany story, which is found only in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 2:1-12). The camels in Matthew's account have always been a favorite detail, and one wonders what those camels might have known. Camels are not remembered for good manners and gentle dispositions. However, they are rather intelligent animals. They would have to be in order to survive the challenges of being the desert's transportation system. Maybe Matthew's camels in some way were aware of the importance of their passengers and the journey they were undertaking.

Matthew relates that the travelers were magi from the East. Those details are significant. They were astrologers and, to some extent, astronomers, whose homeland was Persia (modern-day Iran). They were not Jews, and Judaism was not the religion they would have practiced. Their presence reveals that the Christ child had been sent to heal everyone, not just a single nation. Jesus makes this clear when, later in Matthew's Gospel, he declares those who follow his teachings belong to him even if they do not know him (Mt 25:34-40). We celebrate the arrival of the magi every January 6.

The word Epiphany actually means "manifestation;" something becomes clear to us, often very suddenly, that we had not known before. Maybe the camels knew something important was about to be revealed. Maybe we have had similar experiences. If we listen and are patient, God may give us one or even more epiphanies.

Some of the details in Matthew's story do not really change it, but they can be of interest. The journey of the magi is found only in Matthew's Gospel. Although tradition claims there were three, probably because they brought three gifts, Matthew never says how many magi arrived in Bethlehem. He does say they met Jesus in a house, not a stable or at a manger, and it seems their arrival was some time after the actual birth. It is best to leave these things to the scholars for debate. What matters is the magi completed their journey.

While the Eastern Orthodox churches also celebrate Epiphany, the focus is not on the magi but on the baptism of Jesus (Mk 1:9-11). That also is a manifestation of who Jesus is. God reveals Jesus is his son. At the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Tarpon Springs, after the mass on Epiphany, the parishioners are given holy water to take home, and boys dive in a nearby grotto to recover a cross cast into the water by the bishop. We Episcopalians commemorate the baptism on the first Sunday after Epiphany.

In the days ahead, as we begin this new year, let us be open to the possibility of an epiphany. Our Lord may have a manifestation for us. What is cloudy now may become clear at some future time. We need to be hopeful, patient, and open to the possibility that some message we need is about to arrive.

As we were riding toward Cologne Cathedral in Germany, I was worried. There had been several recent occasions when pieces of stone had fallen from the roof and the walls. The Cathedral had been closed as a result. I did not know what we would find upon arrival. We were fortunate. The building had reopened. I entered in anticipation. There it was, the gold sarcophagus said to contain the bones of the magi. I did not really care whose bones those actually were. I could not help myself, and before I knew it, I was quietly singing to myself "We Three Kings." This was holy ground, a place where God might make His presence known. The manifestation came later, and not where expected, but it did come. The magi were still at their work.

A (Sort of) Christmas Story

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:46:03 GMT

A (Sort of) Christmas Story

A (SORT OF) CHRISTMAS STORY

By John Santosuosso

"And our eyes at last shall see him,

Through his own redeeming love;

For that Child so dear and gentle,

Is our Lord in heav'n above;

And he leads his children on

To the place where he is gone

Cecil Alexander, " Once in Royal David's City"

"And man will live forever more because of Christmas Day."

Harry Bellafante, "Mary's Boy Child"

NOTE: The story below is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the guilty. A special thanks to the late Jean Shepherd for some helpful inspiration.

It was over eighty years ago, but it seems like only yesterday, the first day of kindergarten. Under the compassionate supervision of our teacher, Miss Richardson, there we sat stringing beads and stacking blocks, unaware of the dramatic change that was taking place in our young lives. We were about to embark on a long journey, one filled with success for some but tragedy for others.

Mary Langdon, however, sensed something, something she did not like. She made a bee line for the classroom door in a desperate attempt to exit, only to have it blocked by Miss Richardson and her mother. Sobbing, she was sent back to her beads. Gloria Gomez threw a miniature plastic Santa Claus across the room in protest, but it bounced harmlessly off the blackboard, changing nothing. In the far corner of the room Mark, the son of a locally prominent clergyman would periodically utter, "Here comes the boogey man." The rest of us were too confused to do much other than continue our bead stringing. We were about to be born into a new world, but the reality of that had not yet dawned upon us.

Gradually we began to learn to adapt, one of the reasons we were here in the first place, though we did not yet understand that. By the time we made it to the first grade the girls had learned several games they could play at recess, and the boys had taken up football. The Frank M. North Elementary School failed to provide us with athletic equipment, but no matter, somebody's hat could serve as the ball. Bill Dempsey soon established himself as our quarterback, an honor and task that were his until high school graduation..

The years passed by almost without notice. Some of us would graduate together. Others moved away. Tragically there were a couple of suicides, but there were success stories as well. Mark gave up boogeymen for a Ph.D. and joined the faculty of a very prestigious university. Regardless of the success any of us were fortunate enough to enjoy, none of us has made the journey without falling into some nasty potholes. My good friend "Ace" lost his loving wife to cancer. At least one classmate fell victim to alcoholism. Still, as a whole we managed to survive, at times even thrive. On occasion we reached the mountaintops. At other times we had to walk through the dark valleys. But there are those tasks that all of us are called to complete. Birth opens the door to opportunity, but that opportunity inevitably comes with a price.

Some two thousand years ago there was a birth in Bethlehem that heralded a new beginning. Shepherds and magi alike would join the celebration of the event. However, later they would not be there. That birth led to a sometimes lonely dangerous journey that ended in death at Golgotha. Jesus encountered all of it and dared to overcome it, but it did not come easily. It came at a terrible price.

Think about your own journey. As a child there may have been the joy of a first pet, and also the sorrow of the death of that little creature that gave you unconditional love. Do you recall the first time you fell in love, and the first you encountered rejection? Was there the joy of your first paying job and the pain of later losing it? Did love ones whom you adored later grow ill leaving you to wonder why? Still, we have marched on, called by the death and resurrection of our Lord to learn all and be all that God intended for us to be.

Christmas day commemorates the birth of Jesus. It is also our day of birth into a journey with the one who went before us, a journey to a glory that will never end. Some will have less difficulty making the trip than others, but never forget our Lord will work without end to make certain no one is left behind. Have a blessed Christmas.

Our Shared Parish- Our Shared Goals

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 19:45:25 GMT

Our Shared Parish- Our Shared Goals

Dear Saints of St. Peter's,

This Sunday is the day--Giving Sunday! Together we will bring our pledge cards marked with our loving intention of support of the common ministry of our shared parish through prayer, participation, and provision to the altar as an offering to God.

It is an incredible joy to share this community and all the gifts and responsibilities it gives us. You can see that joy in the way people talk about this community. For the last few weeks we have heard some of those stories in our Share and Tell videos. Today we have two final stories to share with you. Check them out below!

I love that line that Andrea shares with us, "Faith and community are found in the small things we share with one another." That's the heart of the Our Shared Parish theme. In sharing the little things of life with one another, we share our hearts, we share our faith, we share our community.

Here are our shared goals for this year's pledge campaign:

Prayer:

70 people commit to attend Morning or Evening Prayer at least once in 2026
20 people commit to attend Morning or Evening Prayer at least once a month
5 people commit to attend Morning or Evening Prayer at least once a week
10 people to join the Daily Office Officiant Team

Participation:

100 people serving in ministry at St. Peter's (Currently an estimated 85)
45 people serving on core Ministry Teams (Currently an estimated 33)

Provision:

Number of Financial Pledges: 80 (Last Year: 72)
Amount of Financial Pledges: $312,000 (Last Year: $297,596)

I will report back next week to you how close we are to that goal! Are you as excited as I am? Thank you for your loving presence in Our Shared Parish.

With peace and thanksgiving,

Derek

The Rev. Derek Larson, TSSF

Rector

Our Shared Parish- Young and Old

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 19:42:34 GMT

Our Shared Parish- Young and Old

Dear Saints of St. Peter's,

We are less than a week and a half away from Giving Sunday, November 9, 2025 . On that day we will bring forward our pledge cards to the altar in gratitude for Our Shared Parish not as individual gifts but as an offering held in common.

Each one of us loves this parish, that much is clear. It has been a balm in times of trial. It has been a community in times of loneliness. It has been a place of discernment in times of confusion. It has been a place of enlightenment in times of doubt. It has been a place to ask difficult questions in times of false certainty. Each of us have been touched by the Holy Spirit working in this community.

In the lead up to Giving Sunday we have been sharing stories from parishioners about what St. Peter's means to them. Below are two more generously shared by one of our youngest members and two of our older members, just for you.

What a gift it is to be an intergenerational community with young and old worshiping together each Sunday side by side. The Church is the family of God, and families have folks of all ages and seasons in life.

At St. Peter's, intergenerationality is one of our greatest priorities. To that end we intentionally expanded our offerings for young people in worship, formation, and communal events this past year. Our children's and youth ministry are growing incredibly fast. In fact, they are growing so fast that we are struggling to keep up with them! We have the incredible support of parents, grandparents, friends, and volunteers, and yet it won't be long before we will need to consider expanding our staff to keep up with this growth.

The only way we will be able to make that step is through the generosity and forward thinking of our parishioners. When you make a financial pledge to Our Shared Parish, you directly support the growth of our children's and youth ministry and so much more.

So I encourage you, pray passionately, give generously, and thank God consistently as you discern your pledge for 2026. There are materials to help you in this journey below. We share the ministry of this parish, young and old, as one.

With peace and thanksgiving,

Derek

The Rev. Derek Larson, TSSF

Rector

Our Shared Parish- Daily Prayer

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 19:37:12 GMT

Our Shared Parish- Daily Prayer

Dear Saints of St. Peter's,

We are well into stewardship season now and we have been exploring what it means not only to belong to a parish as members but to share a parish as ministers. I've preached three sermons so far exactly about that ( you can find them all here! ), and we've also heard from parishioners about their own connections and experiences in this parish. In fact, below are two more of those stories, one from Mark Conner about his favorite places on campus and one from Christy Wilson about the object that reminds her most of our parish community's love and connection to one another.

As you know, stewardship is about so much more than supporting St. Peter's with your financial gifts--it is about upholding our shared parish together in all aspects of our communal life. Today I want to share a little more about one of those aspects of our common life, daily prayer .

This week I am away for a family wedding (congrats to LauraAnn's sister, McKel!), but even though I am 650 miles away, this morning the doors to the church were open and parishioners gathered to pray Morning Prayer together. And as they prayed, they prayed not only a liturgy on a page but they held up our own parishioners, the community, and the world in prayer. You were prayed for at St. Peter's this morning, just as you are prayed for there every morning.

The first task of the church is prayer. It is our primary vocation. We can do all kinds of service to the community and have the best music and the have the best preaching and have the best looking social media and publications, but if we do not pray together regularly, we have missed our calling.

In the Anglican tradition, we have the great gift of the Daily Office, the prayer book's liturgies for daily morning and evening prayer. There are more pages dedicated to the Daily Office in The Book of Common Prayer than even the service of Holy Eucharist. And that's because while the Eucharist is the beating heart of our parish life, the Daily Office is the blood that pumps from this heart into all our shared life and ministries.

Three years ago our Task Force for Mission and Vision named "Episcopal Tradition" as an important value and wrote into our Mission Statement "to embody God's Word and Sacraments". This year, as part of our stewardship campaign, we are taking that seriously and seeking to establish both Morning and Evening Prayer as a central aspect of our life together at St. Peter's.

As a parish, we are committing to pray Morning and Evening prayer every weekday in 2026. That will be 261 weekdays and 522 Daily Offices. It's an enormous commitment, but perhaps the single most important one we can make together as a community. If we want to grow as a parish, if we want to be healthy and have our bills paid, if we want to experience transformation and personal growth, if we want to share the gospel with Plant City and the world, we must be rooted and established in a life of common prayer.

The good news is no single person is being asked to carry this life of prayer alone. We don't expect most of the congregation to show up each day at these services. Instead, what we are asking is that every member of this parish commit to participating in the Daily Office at St. Peter's in some way in 2026. Ideally, that would be participation at least once a month, perhaps Wednesdays for Evening Prayer just before Engage Cafe. It may mean joining the Daily Office Team and being put on a rotation to help officiate. Or in this season in your life, it may be attending once in 2026. In any case, the Daily Office is the shared life of prayer of our parish and we need your prayers to join us.

We live in a chaotic and uncertain world and the world needs our constant prayers. As St. Paul wrote to the church in Thessaloniki, "rejoice always, pray without ceasing..." Let's take up his call and make prayer the foundation of our life together at St. Peter's.

By clicking the "Discerning Your Financial Pledge" pdf below, you will find the second page gives a little more history and background on the Daily Office. I invite you to read and pray over that document as you discern your pledge of prayer for 2026 .Morning and Evening prayer will take place at 8:00am and 5:15pm each weekday in 2026.

As always, I am deeply grateful for this community and your prayers, participation, and financial provision. Thank you!

With peace and thanksgiving,

Derek

The Rev. Derek Larson, TSSF

Rector

Our Shared Parish

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 19:31:44 GMT

Our Shared Parish

Dear Saints of St. Peter's,

What is a parish? It’s a community!

From the earliest centuries of the Church, Christians used the Greek word paroikia to describe themselves. It means to dwell beside. A parish, then, is not a place on a map or an institution—it’s a community of people dwelling together in faith.

At its heart, St. Peter’s is just that: a community. We are not a business, a foundation, or a political party. We are a spiritual family—with all the joy and, yes, the beautiful messiness of real human relationships. We care for one another, support each other, and walk through life together. We gather to hear God’s Word and share God’s Sacraments as the Body of Christ in this place.

Below are two stories that share that sense of community.

What a wonderful community we share, and what a wonderful season our community is in!

Over the past year, we have seen the Spirit’s fruit growing among us in abundance. Our pews have grown fuller by forty percent, and the joyful sound of children’s laughter fills our worship. We’ve welcomed new members, baptized six children, and celebrated the confirmation or reception of eleven adults.

Three new Sunday School classes nurture our youngest members, and a new youth group of more than 20 students gathers regularly for fun, service, and reflection. Adults have found new rhythms of prayer and study through Bible Study with the Rector and daily Morning Prayer in the church.

We’ve also grown in service to our neighbors through Laundry Love, Friends in the Park, and community drives for food and gifts. Over $13,000 was shared with hurricane victims, and new partnerships are forming with local groups who share our vision of a kinder, more compassionate community.

Even our look has been refreshed, with new logos and materials reflecting the warmth and welcome of St. Peter’s. Through our vestry’s discernment and honest conversations in cottage meetings, we’ve begun to imagine the next chapter of our shared life.

None of this is the work of one person—it is the Spirit’s work through all of us. It is what happens when prayer and participation come together, when generosity and faith meet, and when we dwell beside one another in love.

As we turn toward a new year, we do so with gratitude and anticipation. The coming year will be a season of planting and planning—a time to dream faithfully about what God might do through us in the decade ahead. Together, we’ll begin shaping a new strategic plan to guide our shared ministry forward.

In July 2026 , we’ll also celebrate 50,000 days of ministry —a reminder that our ministry is not seasonal or occasional, but daily. Every prayer spoken, every act of service, every welcome offered continues that long story of God’s faithfulness among us.

Our 2026 stewardship theme, Our Shared Parish , invites us to live fully into that story. The work before us is too much for one person, but not too much for us together. Each of us holds a part of the whole; stewardship is the joyful act of caring for what we share—the life and ministry of St. Peter’s.

This year, our shared goals center on Prayer, Participation, and Provision :

Prayer: Establish Morning and Evening Prayer every weekday, sustained by the prayers and presence of parishioners.

Participation: Introduce a new leadership structure shaped by our shared vision, inviting parishioners to serve on Ministry Teams.

Provision: Provide $1,000 each day for ministry—$365,000 for the year—so that the daily life of St. Peter’s continues to flourish.

Each of these goals is held in common—not burdens for a few, but blessings for all. Each of us has a sacred responsibility and joy to offer our part, trusting that in our shared offering, God will bring about more than we can imagine.

On Giving Sunday, November 9, 2025 , we will bring our pledge cards to the altar to be blessed as offerings of gratitude and hope. As we place them before God, we offer not just gifts, but our faith in what God can do through us together.

I am deeply thankful for this community—for your prayers, presence, generosity, and love. Each of us has a part to play, and together we form something far greater than any one of us alone. That is the beauty and the calling of our shared parish.

With peace and thanksgiving,

Derek

The Rev. Derek Larson, TSSF

Rector

THE TRAINS RAN BOTH WAYS

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 14:35:37 GMT

THE TRAINS RAN BOTH WAYS

By John Santosuosso

"I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

Acts 7:32

" Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more."

Rev. 21:1

Much of my time during that part of my "formative years" that lasted from the third to the sixth grade was spent at the Robert Zane Elementary School in Collingswood, New Jersey. Named for an early settler in the area, there was nothing special about the building. It was beginning to show its age, and tended to be a bit gloomy inside. However, our teachers were very dedicated, compassionate, and highly competent, more so than we appreciated at the time.

For me personally Zane School held one other virtue in addition to its staff. It was located very close to the railroad station of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. I had become a "railroad nut" ever since, while I was still at a very young age, my grandfather on several occasions had taken me by train to New York City. A retired machinist from the Pennsylvania Railroad locomotive shops in Altoona, he would travel the country using the passes his "golden years" now offered. Sometimes my grandmother would go along, but she was somewhat "turned off" when by rail and ferry they went to Havana, and walked into a restaurant only to discover a live pig wandering about the place.

I never made it to Havana, but with my two closest friends, "Ace" and "Rube," we would sometimes go to Philadelphia's 30th Street Station to do some train watching and riding from 30th Street to North Philadelphia. We rode some of the best trains in the country, even if it was only for five miles in one direction. No matter, the ride was usually free, and if a conductor did come by he only charged you a quarter.

Of course such excursions had to be limited. That is what made Zane School special. By taking a slightly longer walk home, I was able to make a meaningful if brief stop at the station. It was on the main line of the PRSL, which ran from Camden to Atlantic City. However, only a few morning and evening local trains stopped here, plus a mid-afternoon one running between Camden and Hammonton. If I was lucky, I could spot that one at the station at the very end of the school day. My station visits were supplemented with actual rides when possible. Haddonfield was within short biking distance, and from there you could catch a train to Philadelphia, Camden, Atlantic City, or even Cape May.

The trains did run both ways. I loved the return rides almost as much as those that had taken me to my original destination. It was an enjoyable journey, a chance to reflect on the wonders I had seen and the places I had experienced, such as Atlantic City's famous Steel Pier with its diving horses, probably more fun for me than the horses, there was Mr. Peanut stirring his kettle at the Planter's Peanut Store on the boardwalk. In addition, those after school station visits left me with dreams of future trips. These were experiences I still savor from time to time.

In later years as I would recall those days, they struck me as in some ways similar to our life journey. We have the ability to look back as well as forward, and that can be a gift, although sometimes with a high price. How many times did we feel that God was directing our path? How many times did we feel we were alone? Barbara Brown Taylor writes about "Learning to Walk in the Dark." The mountain top experiences can be fulfilling, but sometimes the valleys are filled with lessons, some painful, but all of them ones we need to learn. Life flows in both directions. Looking back we can see where we have been and learn from it. Looking forward we can sometimes see where we need to go. Always we can be assured we do not ride or walk alone. The universe is a strange and awesome place, filled with things we cannot understand. But we can understand Jesus because He experienced what we have experienced. He came to forgive sins, but more importantly to make us whole, what God intended us to be. He came that we might, "Live fully, love wastefully, be all that we can be." For that gift we can be truly thankful. Happy Thanksgiving.

Waiting for the Rapture

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 19:12:14 GMT

Waiting for the Rapture

WAITING FOR THE RAPTURE

By John Santosuosso

Last September a prominent church leader in the Republic of South Africa predicted the date of the Rapture, when the faithful would be caught up into Heaven and escape the coming Great Tribulation. The news spread around the world rapidly, and those who felt certain they were among the believers to be raptured began to sell or give away their property, including cars and even homes. Soon they had to deal with the painful fact that they were in many cases now penniless and homeless. As had been true when such predictions were made in the past, the Rapture did not arrive. When I was a child and a teen I remember several similar situations, and you can also find them in the religious history of the nineteenth century. In most instances belief in the hope of the Rapture was based on misinterpretation of the fourth chapter of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. He describes the faithful being caught up into the clouds to meet the Lord, but he appears to believe this will happen during his lifetime or not long after, and he seems to know nothing of a Great Tribulation.

What would probably surprise many Christians today is that during its first eighteen hundred years the Church knew nothing about the Rapture. It did of course teach, as had Paul, that at some future time the followers of Jesus would be reunited with Him, but it pretty much accepted that exactly when and how was up to God. John the mystic, author of Revelation seems to go into more detail, but he was essentially interested in the destruction of the Roman Empire. The word "rapture" does not even appear in either the Bible or the Apocrypha .

The doctrine of the Rapture in its present-day form first begins to appear in the 1830s in the preaching and writings of the Anglo-Irishman John Nelson Darby. Originally Darby was influenced by both the Anglican and Presbyterian churches, but he gradually moved away from them and became one of the founders of the Plymouth Brethren. He eventually became the new denomination's leader. Not only did he teach the doctrine of the Rapture, he also developed a Biblical theology known as dispensationalism. Dispensationalism divides Biblical history into seven periods known as dispensations. It was later declared a heresy by the former southern Presbyterian church in the United States.

If Darby was the creator, he was not the one who made the Rapture a popular belief, especially in evangelical and fundamentalist churches. Credit for that belongs to an American, Cyrus Scofield. In his younger years Scofield was a pretty unsavory character. However, he appears to have undergone a genuine conversion experience, and early in the twentieth century, without giving any credit to Darby, he published his reference Bible, which teaches the Rapture and dispensationalism. It includes the King James text and some useful cross references, but it was the interpretive notes that gave it its popularity. Among other things, Scofield's return of Jesus seems based less on reunion of the faithful with Jesus than with the restoration of Israel as a nation, including aspects of this totally missing from ancient or modern Judaism.

It would be difficult to over-estimate the influence of Scofield's work. His reference Bible is still in print today, and many years it outsold all other religious books. It even influenced other books, such as Hal Lindsay's "Late, Great Planet Earth," and the "Left Behind" series. In my home town of Collingswood, New Jersey, if you were not a Roman Catholic or a Jew, your family probably owned a Scofield Reference Bible regardless of where you attended church on Sunday. When I graduated from high school my family presented me with one. I still have it. Reading it provides a lot of insight into the state of religion today.

My personal opinion is that teaching the idea of the Rapture can discourage us from what our Lord actually called us to do. One can be so caught up in anticipating a future that never happens that we forget that we are asked to "love one another." It can even lead to belief that those who do not believe as we do deserve the wrath of God, hardly the picture Jesus paints in the 25th chapter of Matthew. The Kingdom is to come, but Jesus also tells us it is both here now and within us (Luke 17:21). He calls us to be builders and stewards. In the fullness of time God will reveal the future. We are asked to help make it one that reveals the eternal power and love of God, and that is a far more rewarding life than waiting for the Rapture. If you have never read or seen Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot" and are inclined to take a look at it, you will see the eventual outcome of deciding to wait rather than work.

Home Again!

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:08:17 GMT

Home Again!

HOME AGAIN
By John Santosuosso

Let me tell you about my surgery. OH, NO!!! Not that! Let's start over. Dear members and friends of Saint Peter's. Thank you so very much for your notes, cards, prayers, and visits during my recent recovery. Because of your love and support I never felt that I was alone or separated from you. You raised me up when I need it most, and now I look forward to seeing you in the near future.

During my recovery there were several days I cannot recall at all, but there were also some times that I will always remember with thanksgiving. There was my new friend I knew only as Mi Amigo. All he needed to brighten your smile along with his for the day was a friendly "Que tal" (how are you). There was the young lady with whom I had the opportunity to discuss our mutual admiration for the Gospel music of CeCe Winans. If you have never heard CeCe, listen to her music sometime on the web. She has a talent that rivals that of the late, great Mahalia Jackson. And, yes, I actually got to sing an Elvis Presley song on one occasion. I chose "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You.''

But as memorable as those occasions were, they were not what left the greatest impression on me. Not for one second do I believe that God was responsible for my accident. However, maybe God was thinking, well as long as he has to recover anyway, he might as well learn something. That is when the miracle happened. You see I entered the hospital and rehab with a broken hip. I left with a renewed understanding that despite all the tragedy in this world, it is filled with countless people full of compassion and unconditional love. Many people ministered to me in many ways. Ironically it is often those with the worst jobs and the most work who are first by your side. They are not without their own challenges, but they have a deep rooted faith that is much like a palm tree. When the storms come they bend, but they do not break. I learned to say thank you more times than I can remember.

There were other gifts given to me. When facing the potholes and storms of life, if you can meet them with faith that is a wonderful thing. However, if you are unable to muster even the slightest amount of faith please do not despair. God will still be there. God rejoices in our faith, but God will meet us where we are, full of faith or with none at all. You see grace is truly amazing. From our first breath to our last God is walking beside us whether we are aware of it or not. And if you want to give God some help by also walking with someone, no matter where you are, how fast or slow you travel, you will make all of Heaven rejoice.

.

Here We Go Again

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 17:03:41 GMT

Here We Go Again

HERE WE GO AGAIN

By John Santosuosso

When times are stressful it seems to happen every day. Go to the checkout lane in the grocery store, surf the Internet, or come across advertising for television programs and movies, and there it will be. Nostradamus predictions for 2025, or maybe Baba Vanga predicts the end

of Western civilization, while still other headlines scream Revelation says an angry God is about to seek vengeance! Always the headlines are filled with horror and terror. We shudder and think all of us, without exception, are doomed. Maybe it is always like this when the world seems dangerous. I am old enough to remember the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Children were

afraid to go outside for fear that a Russian rocket would come down upon

their heads.

Obviously fear of future doom sells well. However, is there any real basis for it, or is it something that is most dangerous because it keeps us from dealing with reality and resolving the problems that our world faces today. As Christians we may not be called to be of the world but we certainly are called to live in it. Jesus Christ was looking for God to end the oppression of the Roman Empire against the Jewish population. That did not stop him from preaching and healing while he waited. If you read to the end of this piece I hope any fears you may have about the present or the future have evaporated or at least diminished. Even sincere prophets can be wrong, and they can also be misused by dishonest people who care nothing about the harm they may cause.

Let's take a look at some of these prophets and see if we should take anything they said seriously. Probably the most popular of the "prophets of doom" is the Frenchman Nostradamus who lived from 1502 to 1566. He is often referred to as a medical doctor but was actually more of a herbalist and astrologer. His prophecies were contained in a book first published in 1555 and expanded in later editions. The final edition divides them into ten "Centuries," each of which contains a number of quatrains, or four line prophecies written in an old version of French with occasionally other languages included. All of this makes them difficult to translate and easy for them to be misused.

In the preface to his book written as a letter to his son, Nostradamus says his prophecies extend to the year 3797. Whether he was sage of charlatan he certainly was not predicting the destruction of the planet in 2025, or 2026. His prophecies are seldom dated. A rare exception is X:72 for the year 1999. What happened in that year that fits his prophecy of the King of the Mongols (Mongolia has no king)? Absolutely nothing!

Admittedly in a very few cases Nostradamus seems to be somewhat on target. Claims are often made that he predicted the great 1666 fire of London (II:52) and the death of the French King Henry II (I:35). The prediction of Henry's death may be his most famous, but no one attributed the prophecy to Henry until fifty-five years after it was published. Even in the unlikely event that Nostradamus was accurate in a very few instances, his quatrains are so vague and difficult to translate that it is almost impossible to interpret them until after the event they supposedly describe has occurred. You can read and study them extensively, and still you will learn nothing about future events. So, what should we do with Nostradamus? Save your money and leave the tabloid in the grocery store.

Today another famous seer is the blind Bulgarian mystic, Baba Vanga. She lived from 1911 to 1996, and like Nostradamus, had a popular following during her lifetime. She is said to have predicted that European civilization would end in 2016 after a nuclear war. She also incorrectly supposedly claimed that the 44th president would be America's last. Ironically Baba Vanga wrote nothing, so it is impossible to know if the predictions attributed to her are genuine or not. Relatives have claimed many of them she never said. Again, like those of Nostradamus, her prophecies whether truly hers or not, are often vague and often wrong. If you want to have an idea of what the future holds the predictions of Baba Vanga are not the place to look. Of course you could try those of Edgar Cayce, Mother Shipton, and a legion of other prognosticators, but the results will be the same as you will receive from the two already discussed here.

Finally we need to take a look at the book of Revelation. When I visited the Greek island of Patmos and entered the small cave where John the Seer (he is not the apostle) supposedly wrote this work, I wondered if he had known how much mischief it would cause would he have written it. The book is filled with more violence than any other book in the entire Bible and is difficult to interpret unless you understand when it was written and why.

John, Paul, and Jesus were all apocalyptic prophets. As such they preached against the oppression of the Roman Empire. They expected that God would soon intervene in a dramatic way to put an end to it. Jesus proclaimed that a mysterious divine being known as the Son of Man and prophesied in the Old Testament book of Daniel (7:13-14), would soon come to free humanity from this evil and establish the Kingdom of God (see Luke 21:25-28) Apocalyptic writings are full of strange symbols and hidden meanings. I have never found a satisfactory explanation as to why. Many have thought it was to hide their message from the Romans, but Rome would have had very little difficulty to uncover it. A few bribes would have done the job.

The book of Revelation should not be dismissed as having no value. Written at the time of the persecution of Christians ordered by Emperor Domitian (around 95 AD), in places it provides some beautiful words of comfort and encouragement (see for example 21:1-7). However, interpreting it as foretelling the destruction of the world in our day after horrors of war, disease, and climatic disasters is a misuse of the book. As we have, seen John's writings were intended for his time, not ours (22:7,12). Did God act, as these men had hoped? Yes, Jesus is revealed as the Son of Man (Luke 16:20-25) However, it was not the Son of Man's responsibility to solve all of humanity's problems while the world sits back and watches.

So, where does this leave us today? A first step is to realize that the future is known fully only to God. Will God intervene in some dramatic way in the future? Anything is possible, but only God knows the answer. God has created us with amazing powers to have some idea of what lies ahead and more important to know what we are called to do. A reading of Matthew chapter 25 clearly explains what a true follower of Jesus is. Philosophers such as Karl Jaspers and Georg Wilhem Hegel saw history as moving toward a goal. The Christian faith has always viewed that ultimate goal as the Kingdom of God. Like St. Augustine, we may not completely know or understand what the Kingdom will be like, but we can know that like the cathedral builders of the past we are asked to get on with the construction. In the fullness of time God will reveal what is unfolding. In the meantime let us turn away from false prophecies and other attempted shortcuts to see the future. It is time to abandon fear and affirm that God was, is, and always will remain in charge. We do not need to fear tomorrow and the days that follow.

Note: References for the prophecies of Nostradamus are given by number with that of the century first followed by the quatrain. Biblical references are from the New Revised Standard Version, updated edition. Those seeking a more in-depth examination of Revelation might find the "New Interpreter's Bible One-Volume Commentary" very helpful. I believe that Jonathan Kirsch's "A History of the End of the World" is the best book ever written about Revelation.

Pope Joan

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 13:51:34 GMT

Pope Joan

POPE JOAN

By John Santosuosso

Recent selection of the first American to the office of the Papacy and release of the film Conclave have renewed interest in the question of who may be selected as pope and thus become the spiritual head of the Roman Catholic Church and the secular leader of the Vatican City State (the Holy See). The actual requirements are much fewer than we might think.

Although no one other than a cardinal has been selected in over the last five hundred years, many early popes were not cardinals. You do have to be male, baptized in the Roman Catholic Church, physically and mentally capable of carrying out the duties, and willing to take on those responsibilities. At the time of your consecration to the office, you must be an ordained bishop. However, that can actually be arranged as late as the day of your consecration. One early and somewhat reluctant candidate was ordained deacon, priest, and bishop on the day of his consecration. The number is not certain, but several early Popes were also married. Although Episcopalians might acknowledge that Simon Peter was first among the apostles, Rome goes further and declares he was the first pope. If so, then the first pope was among the married popes (I Corinthians 9:5).

Though the legal requirements are few, one large group of baptized Roman Catholics is not eligible to be considered for the Church's highest office. These are the women, and they are not eligible to hold any office that requires ordination. Still, there is a persistent story that one woman, who disguised herself as a man and became highly respected as a church scholar, actually was selected Pope, and led the Church for several years. She is known in history and legend as Pope Joan.

The first references to Pope Joan date back to the 13th century in the writings of a Dominican historian, Jean de Mailly. He claimed that around the year 1100 Joan served as Pope for two years. Supposedly on a procession to the Basilica of St. John Lateran (the Pope's church as Bishop of Rome) she gave birth to a child. What happened after that is not clear. Some accounts say that along with the child she died immediately after giving birth. Others claim an angry mob seized her and killed her. At least one says the child did not die and later became a bishop. Still others move the entire story back to the mid-9th century. In any case, to this day popes avoid the spot where Joan supposedly died near the Basilica.

Although several books claiming that Joan was a real, historical person have been published in recent years, today most church historians think that she was nothing more than a fictional character in a Medieval legend. If that is accurate, then it is logical to ask why was the story written in the first place, and why did it become so popular. No definitive answer has

appeared, but most likely it is the product of some theological and/or political dispute within the Roman Church. Such disagreements were not rare, and sometimes the pen was the weapon of choice in the battle with one's opponents.

Will ordained offices in the Roman Catholic Church ever be opened to women? At the present time the possibility does not look promising, but it is impossible to say what changes may occur in the future. While the Episcopal Church and the entire Anglican Communion were slow to ordain women, the benefits of having done so are obvious. Several years ago Janet and I had the pleasure of hearing Katharine Jefferts Schori speak at our Diocesan Annual Convention. At the time she held the highest office in the Episcopal Church, that of Presiding Bishop. She brought to that office an unusual educational background, having earned a Ph.D. in oceanography from Oregon State University. To hear her is to know she is a person full of compassion and willing to take on the task of following our Lord no matter what the cost. Unlike the Pope, she had few tools and weapons available when seeking to carry out her responsibilities as leader. Like the King of England, it could be said she reigned but did not rule. Her most powerful "weapons" were probably the arts of listening and persuasion. However, she mastered those well and guided the Church

through some difficult times. It would have been a great tragedy if she had been denied her office because of her gender.

My hope is that the Episcopal Church will always be one that recognizes everyone has some God-given talent and a role to play in the building of God's Kingdom. Let us pray that as a church and as individuals we will work to make it possible for everyone to participate by using their talents. Let us pray that together we will tear down walls and build bridges.

The Thin Spot

Sun, 04 May 2025 14:12:45 GMT

The Thin Spot

THE THIN SPOT

By John Santosuosso

I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago who was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows--was caught up into paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my own weaknesses.

The Apostle Paul, II Corinthians 12:2-5

For many years Paul's account of an experience he had has left me puzzled but also intrigued, unable to find a fully satisfying explanation but at the same time concluding there is more reason to be hopeful both for this life and the life to come than I had fully realized. At one time I felt it might be Paul's description of his encountering the resurrected Jesus, but neither the chronology behind it nor the account itself, as he relates both in his letter to the Galatians, fits what he is trying to explain to the Corinthians. These are two different experiences in the life of the Apostle.

It appears that some of the Corinthians were challenging Paul's apostleship. Such challenges were something that happened to him more than once, and no matter where he was, he was always quick to defend his right to be called an apostle. What makes his account in II Corinthians unique is that he is obviously very reluctant to write about it, and if anything similar happened to him on another occasion, the description of it has not survived. Paul himself seems somewhat not able to explain to the Corinthians what happened. Does he think he saw a vision or did he have some sort of indescribable out-of-body experience? He does not know. Did he encounter a language he could not understand or was it simply a case that he was not to repeat what he heard? He is not clear.

Some scholars believe Paul may have been a member of some sort of sect of mystics who sought divine visions. If so, it is odd that in his surviving letters he never mentions this nor did any of the early Church Fathers in their writings. We also do not know exactly what Paul meant by the term third heaven.

A United Presbyterian minister I know and respect has preached that in the case of the resurrection of Jesus Christ it is best to first believe in its reality then anticipate that the evidence for it will follow in due time. The same may be true for Paul's II Corinthians experience. There is much here that is very challenging to comprehend. As we noted, it was even a challenge for the Apostle, but if you come to it with an open mind it can be a beautiful account that fills us with awe and wonder. Has Paul entered one of those "thin spots" where heaven and earth, even if briefly, appear to meet? Is he being reassured that indeed God called him to be an Apostle, and that God reigns over both this world and the next? Is it a reminder for us today, that we are here both to learn and to help build God's kingdom, both in this world and the next? If that is true, and I believe it is, then it is time to, "Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!"

Sometimes I Wonder as I Wonder

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:59:01 GMT

Sometimes I Wonder As I Wonder

SOMETIMES I WONDER

AS I WONDER

By John Santosuosso

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Afro-American Spiritual, Episcopal Hymnal, No. 172

The German philosopher Immanuel Kant claimed there were two things that filled him with awe and wonder, the stared heavens above and the moral law within. By the moral law within he simply meant he thought there was a potential good in everyone. It just needed to be released. As an astronomer, as well as a philosopher, he truly was in awe of the creation he saw revealed in the night skies of his native Prussia. He sensed in some way it was so great that it really was beyond our comprehension.

Holy Week is for me a similar experience. "Our island home," as Eucharistic Prayer C calls it, is in terms of the universe nothing special. Here we dwell on a modest third planet, of a modest star, somewhere in an easily forgettable galaxy in a universe of possibly infinite galaxies, and if Stephen Hawking is correct in a universe among an infinite number of universes. We really would be so easy to forget, no more memorable than a single bucket of water in the midst of a great ocean.

Yet around two thousand years ago something happened that whispers, there is more to this place than you realized. Two thousand years ago an innocent man was sentenced to a criminal's death. He died and was buried. That should have been the end of the story. After all it was hardly a unique one. In a wonder that is truly incomprehensible it actually was the beginning of the story. All life eventually begats death, from the lowest of creatures to the most complex. The innocent man was no exception. But then it happened. He proved there was a force, a power stronger than death.

Had we been there what would we have actually seen, if anything? That is a difficult question to answer. I will not even try. It is not surprising that many have denied the reality of it all. There were those at the time that did (Matthew 28:11-15). After all, why here in such an obscure corner of the universe would such an impossible thing happen? The Apostle Paul did not seek to describe what he experienced, but he was willing to endure stoning, beatings, shipwrecks, and eventually his own death, because he was absolutely convinced that what he had experienced was real, and because it was real all of us could share in the victory over death (II Corinthians 11:21-33). There were others just as courageous as Paul who also paid the ultimate price in order to proclaim the miracle.

So, yes, as strange as it may seem, on this "our island home," as unlikely as it may seem, so long ago I believe God destroyed the ultimate power of death and made known the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Why here? Why then? Why in this way? I have no answers for any of those questions, except to say none of God's creation is so small or remote as to be beyond God's love and care . My fellow pilgrims I continue my walk in faith and ambiguity even at those times when I cry out Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief. We may never know the answers, but if we continue our walk in faith we shall possess the victory.

The original ending of the Gospel of Mark depicts Mary Magdalene and several other women first staring into an empty tomb then fleeing in both amazement and terror (Mark 16:8) . They are confronted with that question that Mark does not answer but asks of all his readers. Who is this Jesus? As I continue to wonder I can only answer he is the Christ, the Son of God, the one who sends death to its grave.

The Saints of God

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 21:06:02 GMT

The Saints of God

The Saints of God

by Hilda McCarter

“Any person who has contributed to a better life for the world, doesn’t need to be a saint.”

Let me ask you “Can we all agree on this?” It’s a bit puzzling to me. Contributions to a better life are made every day, all over the world. Most go unrecognized and those performing them aren’t doing them for recognition, to be a saint or any other available title. So, join me in exploring some of the discoveries I made while consulting Professor Google and other sources to see how we might look at the statement.

First, let’s remember that in the eyes of the church, all who have been baptized are considered as “saints”, with a small letter “s”. That includes most of us gathered to worship at St. Peter’s. As a Biblical example, St. Paul addressed Christians in Phillipi as “saints” by virtue of being baptized into Christ’s life and death. A similar definition of a small letter ”S” saint states, “It’s a person whose record of transgressions against God’s law has been blotted out from God’s sight for the sake of the Savior in whom he/she trusts”. Again, for us, Holy Baptism. The likelihood of any of us to become a Saint with a capital S is pretty slim. And we would never know! That title is only granted after one has died.

Most Episcopalians know that good old hymn, “I sing a song of the saints of God” That’s the small letter “S” , of course. Mentioned as examples of saints are a doctor, a queen, a shepardess on the green, a soldier, a priest, and so on. And it ends, “ because the saints of God are just folk like me. And I mean to be one too.” The intention is there and the qualifications necessary for being a saint are stated as: loving their Lord, following the right, and doing His will. So, let’s keep on exploring to see what we are expected to do,or be, to further qualify for this designation.

A small book, noted by Google, outlines steps to become a living saint. Though it’s written by a Roman Catholic priest, many of the steps can easily be practiced or adapted for any of us. The title “Humdrum to Holy” , A Step by Step Guide to Living Like a Saint, identifies steps taken to being a saint beyond baptism.

These steps include: Grow in self-knowledge, make a plan for your life, improve your prayer life, increase your patience, cultivate gratitude, root out envy and form a healthy conscience. Another resource lists such things necessary to living a saintly life as - put God first, live modestly, live in the moment, and help others. This has the makings of a Lenten discipline to live all year. Try your own internet search and you’ll find more listings under Qualities of a saint, or How to live a godly life.

So, let’s say that we do all of that, consciously or with little thought. Are we ready then to contribute to a better life for the world we live in or the world at large? That might be a logical outcome. More than likely though, many women, men and even children are already contributing to a better family life, a better neighborhood, city, work place, and a better world. If faith is one of their virtues, then those actions are undergirded and often prompted by the faith experiences in their own lives. Christians can’t claim to own the market on good works, however, as there are those individuals with other value systems who perform good works as well.

The actions of practicing “saints” are often unnoticed, - nor do they seek recognition. Think of the women or men in your family, in your group of friends, or in your church whose actions go unnoticed by those in their world. If you recognize saintly qualities or if you’ve never thought of them as “saints” , now’s the time to do so, tell them, or remember them. In your eyes or in your memories, think of them, pray for them, model your lives after them, and give thanks for their role in your life.

So, to return to the opening statement, this may still be puzzling in light of some research. It’s correct, any person who has contributed to a better life for the world, doesn’t need to be a saint, as a motivator - or as a reward - though it’s likely that his or her lifestyle and values have intertwined as a motivation to good works and thereby to strengthen his/her faith.

A closing thought: You may be a saint in the eyes of someone - live like it!

There go Those Critters Again

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 18:58:30 GMT

There Go Those Critters Again

THERE GO THOSE CRITTERS AGAIN

By John Santosuosso

We are now in the liturgical season of Lent. Ash Wednesday has come and gone. If it was a typical Ash Wednesday then Joel's locusts showed up and devoured everything in sight before moving on. (Joel 1:1-7) In case you missed them, their story is the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) reading for our Ash Wednesday liturgy. Some scholars believe Joel is describing an invading army. However, I think the prevailing opinion is he depicts an invasion of hungry locusts. Neither view provides much comfort, to say the least, and maybe we are just as glad to turn to other things and give thanks that Joel does not show up in our liturgy very often.

The locusts that invade Judah are said to be the result of the nation forgetting the commandments of God and becoming a bunch of drunkards or worse. Judah has really brought this upon itself. Still, whenever I hear this prophecy I keep asking myself could the entire nation be guilty. Surely there must have been some who were attempting to lead a responsible life. Why did these have to suffer along with the guilty? I get the same reaction whenever I hear the Noah story. Would God have to drown the innocent along with the sinful?

I must admit I have no satisfactory answer to the above question. It takes us back to the puzzle of "why do bad things happen to good people." While I have no answer, the puzzle does lead me in a direction I increasingly feel enables us to live with this dilemma. It is not a perfect solution, but maybe it is one of the lessons Lent is able to offer us.

There are some great saints of God who lived and are living lives of solitude. I am thankful for them and the prayers and wisdom they have bestowed upon us. On the other hand, I do not feel that this is the life most of us would choose to live or are even capable of living. Barbra Streisand sang, "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world." There is truth in those words. I think our congregation, and many others, are proof of that. Laundry Love and our grants for those who had losses from natural disasters are just two ways in which we say the locusts will not win. There are numerous others, some well-known with considerable publicity, others quietly, effectively contributing to rescue and healing.

If you have been the member of any church or charitable organization very long you know they are not perfect. I still shudder when I recall two members of one congregation (Not Episcopalian!) arguing for an hour over who got to wear the Santa Claus suit at the annual Christmas party! Fortunately this kind of behavior is the exception, not the norm. We are family, and family supports family while reaching out to those who are not family.

We cannot let the locusts devour all the good we have accomplished. Never forget that even if you think your contribution to building God's Kingdom is not that big, in the sight of our Lord it most definitely is. In standing together to support each other we say "NO" to the forces that would destroy. Never hesitate to receive a ministry if you need it or give one if you can. For when we do the Lord's work, the Lord is on our side.

Puckle's Amazing Machine Gun

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:08:36 GMT

Puckle's Amazing Machine Gun

PUCKLE'S AMAZING MACHINE GUN

By John Santosuosso

"You shall have no other gods before me."

Exodus 20:3

"Nor will you ever worship what I worship. You have your way, and I have my way."

Quran, suruh 109:5-6

"Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers.? He said, The one who showed him mercy. Jesus said to him, Go and do likewise."

Luke 10:36-37

Parable of the Good Samaritan

"He's got you and me brother in His hands,

He's got you and me sister in His hands,

He's got the whole world in His hands."

Afro-American Spiritual

While doing some research on antique firearms for the National Park Service, I had run across rumors of this strange device. Still, I had doubts that it had ever actually existed, or if it did, one could still find it now. However, one day while we were walking through the halls of the Tower of London, to my total surprise, there it was, a perfect specimen of Puckle's Machine Gun!

Some further research managed to turn up additional information about this strange weapon we had encountered in London's Tower. While not a true machine gun in the modern sense of the term, it did have a revolving barrel and was the first firearm to be advertised as this type of gun. Even stranger was the fact that in 1718 the British Patent Office had actually issued inventor James Puckle a patent for it.

What made the weapon unique was that it had interchangeable barrels. One shot a typical round type of ammunition. Puckle had deemed that suitable and sufficient for killing your enemies who did at least practice the Christian faith. The other barrel fired a square projectile intended for Turks and other Muslims. Puckle's theory was this would cause more painful wounds and also make the infidels "see the benefits of Western Civilization." Puckle and the Patent Office seemed to have missed something about the essence of Christianity.

If you read either the Old (Hebrew Scriptures) or New Testament you can find plenty of examples of where Judaism and Christianity were at odds with other religions and eventually with each other and even themselves. Roman Catholics could not study at Oxford and Cambridge until 1871. However, fortunately there are other examples of where Christians and Jews were able to practice toleration and even respect for those of other faiths. In the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus tells the story of two travelers, one a Jew, the other a Samaritan. While there was much similarity in their religious practices , the two groups loathed each other. None the less, it is the Samaritan who rescues the Jewish traveler and takes care of him while two Jews simply walked on by. Note at the end the story there are still one Jew and one Samaritan. Caring for the injured man is what matters, not his beliefs. (Luke 10:25-37).

The Hebrews, especially in their earlier years, undoubtedly knew people of other faiths. It is interesting that the First Commandment declares, "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3) The Commandment does not say there are no other gods. What it does say is the Hebrews are not to worship these deities. What it also does not say is you are to kill those that do. It is probably not until the time of II Isaiah that the Hebrews were monotheistic in the modern sense of the word.

We do not need to agree on everything. Episcopal priest and highly acclaimed author Barbara Brown Taylor relates a discussion she had with an Orthodox rabbi. He pointed out to her that total unity for the Jew would mean the obliteration of the Jewish people. We need not give up evangelism either. As Christians, we should always have open arms for those who wish to join us on our faith journey. But in today's world, which is so badly divided, it is time to lay down our machine guns and walk with our brothers and sisters in peace and harmony lest we destroy this "our island home," a home we must share with everybody.

A significant element in the Torah, and even in Mideastern culture today, is the concept of hospitality. Remembering their time in exile in Egypt, the Hebrews believed there was a divine commandment to take care of the stranger in their midst, no matter who he or she may be. (Deut. 24:19-22. Heb. 13:2). One of our Christian hymns proclaims, "This is my Father's world." All of it belongs to God. We are asked to respect and care for all of it and all who dwell in it.

When Faith is Difficult

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 18:20:22 GMT

When Faith is Difficult

WHEN FAITH IS DIFFICULT

By John Santosuosso

"I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden."

Song by Lynne Anderson

"Grace is free, but it is never cheap."

John Santosuosso

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Mark 15:34

In the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew, Jesus very clearly indicates he prefers action over beliefs. However we should not be too quick to abandon St. Paul and his emphasis on faith. Often what we believe determines how we act. Faith and act can walk hand in hand. When things are going well, faith may not be too difficult. God may seem very close and ready to provide plenty of "showers of blessing." But there is a problem.

Things, even for the most fortunate, are not always going well. For the less fortunate it might seem that everything including the "kitchen sink" is coming their way. Now faith can become much more difficult to find. After all, believing in something that you cannot see, hear, or touch is a serious challenge. To call out to God when you are in need and sense no response can be faith-shattering indeed. Possibly years later we may discover that we did receive a reply. However, the night might seem very dark and long before that discovery.

I wonder if many recent high school graduates coming out of our churches have an initial serious crisis of faith when they for the first time leave home and go off to the university campus. I recall in high school Youth Fellowship singing songs like "Everyday with Jesus is Sweeter Than the Day Before," and "Are We Downhearted, No, No, No." Even at that young age I knew those songs were useless for helping us prepare for the road ahead. The real world obviously is filled with some days that are neither sweet nor free of depression.

Episcopal priest and author Barbara Brown Taylor taught comparative religions at Piedmont College in rural Georgia in the heart of the Bible belt. She writes that during her twenty years there the school never had difficulty in obtaining the maximum possible enrollment for Religion 101. She said students flocked to the class because they were hungry to ask the questions they were afraid to ask at church or home. Some had even been encouraged by their family to not enroll for fear they would lose their faith. Sadly, we forget that often honest doubt is the mother of belief. There is a tremendous task awaiting us to teach our young how to learn from the Bible (and other sources) rather than trying to "defend" the Bible. Until we understand how to do that some of our young are going to be joining the Church Alumni Association rather than the local congregation.

Of course the "crisis of faith" takes many other forms as well. A few years ago I was fortunate to be able to visit with one of my closest childhood friends. We discussed numerous things, especially trains. We had chased after them many years ago, and he went on to be a professional expert on transportation needs. His life had been a good one, with probably far fewer potholes than many people encounter. That all came crashing down when his wife got a cancer diagnosis. He prayed, he hoped, he looked for "Mr. Fix-It God" to come to their rescue. However, "Mr. Fix-It God" never arrived, and he found himself a widower. It brought on a crisis of faith. Although I do not know exactly how, he was eventually able to overcome this, but it did change dramatically his understanding of God, and how God acts in this world.

There is no quick easy solution to the "faith crisis," but there are probably some things we can do that will help us deal with it. First of all, like many other things of value, a sustaining faith takes time to build, time for it to put down roots that will not be easily upended when a storm arrives. It has been said there are no atheists in foxholes. I doubt that is true, but even if it were, I think "foxhole conversions" are of little value. They have no roots. Are we seeking to build faith now so that it can provide a firm foundation for storms that may come later?

A good place to start in dealing with this problem is to admit we do go through times when we find faith difficult to sustain. It is a universal experience. Walking in faith is a walk in ambiguity. Sometimes it is easy. Sometimes it is very difficult. Even Jesus had times when he felt abandoned and alone. A temporary lack of faith need never be replaced by a load of guilt.

Dr. Joan Borysenko has written that no matter how dark the moment never give up in walking toward the light, no matter how dim it may be. There is a tremendous ability for the mind to heal and to restore our faith as it does. As Barbara Brown Taylor puts it, we need to learn to walk in the dark.

Just how we do that may not be easy and will vary from person to person, but it can be done. Viktor Frankl in his classic "Man's Search for Meaning" relates his time spent in a World War II Nazi concentration camp. He discovered the difference between those who managed to survive the horrors of the place with those that did not. The survivors had one thing in common. They found something that gave them a sense of purpose. So it is with faith. If we have purpose we will find faith.

The Knights of Malta

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 21:30:57 GMT

The Knights of Malta

THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA

By John Santosuosso

Should you be in Rome, anywhere near the Spanish Steps, take a stroll down the Via Condotti. Walk a brief distance and you will soon arrive at No. 68. It is worth a stop. You are standing in front of the only country in the world that can be identified by street address. Officially it is known as the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta. If you find that a bit too lengthy, you can simply refer to it as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta or the SMOM. If its name is lengthy, its territory is small, and in comparison the Vatican City, which is far smaller than New York's Central Park, is impressive in size. The SMOM has sovereignty only over the Palazzo di Malta at No. 68 and the summer palace of the Grand Master, which is on the Aventine Hill over looking the Tiber River.

What it lacks in size it makes up for in ambition. While some say its sovereignty really rests in the Order itself, and it is not a true state, the SMOM may beg to differ with you. It is formerly recognized by over one hundred states, and has a permanent representative at the United Nations, who does not vote but has the right to speak to the General Assembly and other UN bodies. The SMOM issues passports as well as coins and postage stamps. International law requires that in order for a territory to be recognized as a sovereign state it must have land, citizens (the SMOM has three), a government that has ultimate control of the territory, and be recognized by other states. The SMOM meets all of these criteria. In addition it has operations in nations around the world, including some, like the United States, that do not formerly recognize it.

The origins of this microstate are much older than that of many larger countries. Its roots go back to the Crusades when it was formed as a lay order of knights and recognized by the Pope to protect pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land as well as to care for the sick and wounded. Its first hospital was opened in Egypt in 1048. Said to lack decent sanitary conditions it probably was no worse than most others at the time.

From time to time the knights were attacked by those who coveted the territory it controlled. When they lost a battle they simply sailed away to start anew. Their last stronghold, on the isle of Malta, was conquered by Napoleon in 1798. After that battle the knights appeared stateless. Some did seek the protection of the Russian Tsar, but in 1834 at the invitation of the Pope they established their headquarters in Rome, where they have remained to the present day.

Today the SMOM no longer has to go to war. Its over 13,000 members, all Roman Catholics, support its worldwide charitable work which includes hospitals, assisting refugees, and other humanitarian acts. Membership is by invitation and open only to Roman Catholics. With the departure of members as a result of the Reformation, similar Protestant orders were established in several European countries. These are the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, and England. Only the English order is open to both Protestant and Catholic members. The SMOM recognizes it is in "alliance" with these organizations and works with them in some of their charitable work. Especially toward the end of the 19th century a number of organizations with names similar to the SMOM began to appear in Europe and North America. Some of them do excellent charitable work. However, none of them is recognized by the SMOM as having its origins in the medieval order. It does not work with them or associate with them.

So, can you visit the world's smallest state today? To a limited extent it is possible. There is a post office in the back of the Palazzo, although this may not actually be territory under the SMOM's jurisdiction. At. No. 68 you can walk through a very short tunnel and peer through iron gates to view a courtyard which contains a large Maltese Cross on its surface and a small fountain. Janet and I found the concierge in a very good mood, and he graciously opened the gates so that we could step inside and take a better photograph. However, we were not permitted to go further. We got a further treat when as we were leaving a limousine bearing a SMOM-1 license plate pulled into the tunnel and out stepped the Grand Master himself. He is the highest ranking official in the state and one of the Order's three members with citizenship. You can also view the Grand Master's summer palace, although it is not open for tours.

I had one further encounter with the SMOM in addition to our visit on the via Condotti. It was a very hot day. Europe was breaking summer heat records, and I was walking down the street of a Hungarian city. I happened to go by the local headquarters of the SMOM. They were outside handing out cups of cool water to those walking by. Perhaps a small gesture, but certainly one that was greatly appreciated by the beneficiaries. For nearly one thousand years this organization has sought to answer the call of its Lord to be a healer and a protector. It has no intentions of quitting that task.

One final note. If you thought you would like to stop by the SMOM post office and mail a few postcards to friends or even one to yourself as a souvenir, you are going to need some assistance. The SMOM is not a member of the Universal Postal Union. It does have postal agreements with over fifty countries, but sadly the United States is not one of them. My SMOM mail goes by way of Canada, which does have an agreement, and is then forwarded to me by a Canadian friend. If you attempt to send it directly it probably will never arrive. You can find information on which countries do have a postal agreement on the internet. In any case if you have a chance to make a visit to the SMOM take the opportunity to visit this historic landmark of ancient Christianity.

Hold on to Your Dream

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 21:02:14 GMT

Hold on to Your Dreams

HOLD ON TO YOUR DREAM

By John Santosuosso

In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall be made level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 40:3-5

"Tell them about the dream, Martin."

Mahalia Jackson

It is not easy to find. Thousands, perhaps millions, have walked over it, and gradually its words are fading away. In the steps of Washington's Lincoln Memorial a small, fading plaque still proclaims that this is where Martin Luther King stood when he gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. By accident I happened to see that on a live television broadcast. King's dream of liberty and equality for everyone is still just that, but if you heard his words that day you knew that with all his heart he believed eventually it would be a reality.

In ancient Judah the prophet Jeremiah repeatedly warned that the Babylonians (Chaldeans) would soon attack and send the Hebrews into a tragic exile. They did not listen, and his worst fears eventually became a reality. However, Jeremiah believed with all his heart this was not the end of the story. He went out and did what his neighbors must have thought a very strange thing. He bought a piece of real estate (Jeremiah 32). While some people do "flip houses," purchasing real estate is usually a long-term investment. Jeremiah knew that his God was faithful and would in His own time rescue His people. Jeremiah worried less about tomorrow and put his hope in God's eternity. He would not let go of his dream.

We are beginning a new year. That is often a time of hope but possibly more often one of doubt and even fear. What does tomorrow have in store for us? If you rely on Nostradamus to tell you I am afraid you are going to be disappointed. Even in the unlikely event one of his predictions is correct you will never know until after the event has happened.

But what are your dreams? For some the here and now is already difficult enough. It seems impossible to put much faith in tomorrow. However, that is exactly what the great men and women of history have often done. A winter at Valley Forge would have sent a lesser commander to the surrender table, but not George Washington. Jane Addams went into the slums of Chicago to establish settlement houses and salvage the unfortunate people who lived there. I believe it was coach Vince Lombardi who declared, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

Your dream may seem more modest. Maybe it is along the lines of helping an elderly neighbor or raising your children with love and care. It does not matter. Whatever your situation our Lord has put you here with a dream, even if you have been too busy to pay it much attention recently. Never let go of your dream. You are unique to the universe, and so is your dream.

In this New Year that might seem overwhelming. Remember they called the one the magi and the shepherds found Emmanuel, God With Us. No matter how dark the night may seem, the dawn will come, for though we may not always be aware of it, we do not walk alone.

What Child is This

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 23:22:02 GMT

What Child is This

WHAT CHILD IS THIS?

By John Santosuosso

In the first century AD the number of Christians in the Roman Empire was relatively small. Some had actually known people who had met Jesus. Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians is written just a few decades after the Resurrection. To these early Christians Jesus may have seemed real enough. After all he was almost a contemporary. Still, many must have wondered just who is this man. There had been none before like him. Some would simply say, he is the Son of God (Matthew 3:17). That title was applied to Jesus, but he called himself the Son of Man (Matthew 16:27), and strange as it may seem to Christians of our day, this is actually a higher title. Jesus was also known as King of the Jews (John 19:22), a priest of the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:11), and by various other titles.

Two thousand years later we read the Scriptures, we know the titles, and yet we still wonder who is this man. He is unique in all of history, and just when we may think we fully understand him, as author and Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor has remarked, "He seems to have walked into the mist."

Not surprisingly as we get into the second century the new faith has gained many more converts yet is further away from the actual time of Jesus. More questions begin to be asked about who Jesus was. We lack the time to deal with all aspects of this question, but in the season of Christmas we might turn to one area of his life where the Bible is close to silent. Matthew and Luke do have accounts of his birth, but the New Testament tells us almost nothing about his childhood with the exception of his presentation in the temple by his parents (Luke 2:22-36). It is not surprising that stories began to circulate about his childhood to fill in the gaps. New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman has said we do not know to what extent these stories were simply told for entertainment or were taken seriously as actual fact. Some seem rather outrageous to modern ears, but I believe if you read to the end of this piece you will see that all had a very serious purpose. So let us not be too quick to judge.

The stories of the birth and childhood of Jesus are mostly found in the I and II Infancy Gospels of Thomas (not the real apostle), the Protoevangelium of James (not the brother of Jesus) and Joseph the Carpenter. While not composed before the second century, they became very popular during the Medieval period.

One tale in the Protoevangelium claims that the birth of Jesus was so significant that at the moment of his birth time literally stopped (Chapter 18). The Protoevangelium may also be the first writing to claim Jesus was born in a cave rather than a manger.

While some of the stories in the Infancy Gospels present a picture of a rather mischievous little boy, one reveals Jesus using his unusual powers to help his father. Joseph has a board that is too short for the project he has undertaken. Jesus tell his father to lay it next to a board that is the correct length. Joseph does it, and Jesus stretches the board to the necessary length. Joesph is delighted (II Infancy, chapter 13).

However, the boy could frighten the neighbors. When a man tried to hit the young Jesus, he caused his hand to wither and the man fell down and died. Joseph in alarm said we cannot let the boy out of the house, as he feared he would harm other neighbors (I Infancy, chapter 20. Remember this is fiction!)

One of the most popular stories is that of Jesus and his friends making sparrows out of clay. When Jesus clapped his hands, his flew away (II Infancy, chapter 1).

There are many other stories that could be told, but I think no matter the plot they all point to the same thing. This Son of God, Son of Man, in some ways was beyond human comprehension. There was none like him, and in ways that could not fully be understood by either first-century or twentieth-first century Christians, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph had selected him for a mission to save us from ourselves. To those who dare to truly follow Him they will begin to partially understand who He is. The stories simply try to explain He who is beyond explanation, He who even as a child can do what none other can. No wonder they told stories and stood in awe at He who is the Christ, born to us this Christmas Day.

Chapter 16:1-8, the original ending to the Gospel of Mark, depicts several women looking into an empty tomb and wondering who is this Jesus and what has happened to him. The Christmas story is really the beginning of the Easter story. We are invited to look into the tomb and answer for ourselves what child was this, who is this Jesus.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 22:08:38 GMT

Thanksgiving Leftovers

THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS
By John Santosuosso

The outline below was used in our Pathfinders class on Sunday, November 24. It was part of our presentation on Thanksgiving and included information on Thanksgiving observances in some of the churches in the Anglican Communion. I am making it available here for those who were not there and for those who were and may have wanted to save it but the family dog got to it before you did. So make yourself that turkey sandwich or whatever your favorite leftover may be, pull up a comfortable chair, and enjoy reading about one of our most important holidays.

1. There are three observances that in their modern form were first established by the Federal Government and then were adopted by the Episcopal Church in the United States. They are as follows:

a. Independence Day
b. Thanksgiving
c. Labor Day (BCP 1049, 2007 edition. Lessons only, not in the
calendar. May not be in some more recent editions.)

2. Establishment of Thanksgiving Day in the United States

In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation establishing Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday of November. In this and an 1864 proclamation he asked for prayers for peace, harmony, the country, and the union. In his 1863 proclamation he actually calls not for a day of feasting but for one of fasting and prayer.

By Act of Congress in 1941 President Delano Roosevelt established Thanksgiving Day as the fourth Thursday in November. Roosevelt's rather lengthy proclamation calls for divine protection as America prepares for the threat of war.

Note all of these acts were done during or just before a major war. American Thanksgiving also takes place a considerable time after harvest or before planting. The emphasis on our holiday appears to be less on harvest and more on national well-being.

3. Thanksgiving observances around the world:

There is no agreement on how many countries observe some sort of day of Thanksgiving. It may be as many as fifteen to seventeen, although a lower number is sometimes suggested. In some countries this is a religious observance. In others it may be essentially secular. In some countries the Rogations Days, while really more of a planting festival, replace Thanksgiving. In others, where Christianity is not the primary religion, festivals with an element of thanksgiving and connected to a non-Christian religion are observed.

There are some unusual observances:

a. On the island of Grenada Thanksgiving commemorates an American invasion that kicked a Marxist government out of the country.

b. While most people in Australia and New Zealand do not observe Thanks- giving, Norfolk Island in the South Pacific Ocean is an exception. In the nineteenth century American whalers settled in this Australian territory and brought the holiday with them.

c. Only a few people in the Netherlands observe Thanksgiving, but in the Dutch city of Leiden it is a big holiday. It commemorates the lifting of a Spanish siege, and the Pilgrims happened to be there for the first parade while on their way to America.

d. Liberia is the only African country where Thanksgiving is an official national holiday. The Thanksgiving customs often resemble those of the United States, and the holiday is observed on the first Thursday in November. Liberia was founded as a homeland for freed American slaves, and no doubt the immigrants brought the holiday customs with them.

4. The origins of Thanksgiving:

Harvest and planting festivals were observed at various times and places during the early centuries of the Christian Church and also in Judaism. By the Medieval period some of these had grown into rather elaborate celebrations. However, they appear to have gradually declined and fallen out of favor. Despite this, Thanksgiving observances never disappeared entirely. There were local celebrations in the United States long before Lincoln made it an official holiday. For the most part they were closely associated with the fall harvest. There is also the tradition of the Pilgrim's first Thanksgiving with local American Indians, and both groups eating and drinking while keeping a watchful eye on each other.

5. Thanksgiving in the Anglican Communion.

In Canada in most provinces it is observed as a national holiday. It is optional in Atlantic Canada. Canadian Thanksgiving is officially observed on the second Monday in October, and the celebration is closely tied to the harvest. While Thanksgiving was celebrated in Canada as early as the 1870s, the date was not officially established until 1957.

In Australia and New Zealand Thanksgiving is not an official holiday. However, as noted above, it is celebrated on Norfolk Island. The New Zealand Prayer Book states: "Harvest Thanksgiving may be observed on a Sunday as determined by local custom."

The prayer book for the Church of Wales does not specify a particular day but does have prayers for a Eucharistic celebration of "Thanksgiving for the Harvest." Thanksgiving is not widely observed in Scotland.

The Alternative Service Book (1980) of the Church of England offers extensive reading and prayers for the Eucharistic celebration of a "Harvest Thanksgiving" but does not specify a specific date for such a service.

The Anglican Church in Nigeria is the Communion's largest. In some parts of the country, it celebrates Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November after the maize harvest is completed. There are various regional festivals with a Thanksgiving theme, but there is no national Thanksgiving holiday. Many churches have Thanksgiving Sundays when people bring special offerings to the Sunday service.

6. Summary and Conclusions.

Around the world and in the Anglican Communion Thanksgiving is observed in a modest number of countries. It may be a national holiday but more often is one observed because of religious or local customs. It has its roots in early harvest festivals, and in most countries it is essentially a harvest festival. Probably the United States is the country with the strongest Thanksgiving tradition. Here it is a national holiday, and while it does recognize the blessing of the harvest, there may be more emphasis on the well-being of the nation.

e.

Waiting from the Watchtower

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 14:35:52 GMT

Waiting from the Watchtower

WAITING FROM THE WATCHTOWER

By John Santosuosso

I will stand at my watchpost

and station myself on the rampart.

I will keep watch to see what he will say to me

and what he will answer concerning my complaint.

Then the Lord answered me and said:

Write the vision;

make it plain on tablets,

so that a runner may read it.

For there is still a vision for the appointed time;

it speaks of the end and does not lie.

If it seems to tarry, wait for it;

it will surely come; it will not delay.

Look at the proud!

Their spirit is not right in them,

but the righteous live by their faithfulness.

Habakkuk 2:1-5

NRSV, updated edition

One of my favorite theologians has written an outstanding Biblical commentary. Unfortunately, he completely ignored the prophecy of Habakkuk. Perhaps he should be forgiven. Few Biblical readers ever spend much time with it. Admittedly, it is easy to miss, as it is short and is only one of the so-called "Minor Prophets." Nonetheless, what it lacks in length it makes up with a very powerful if often overlooked message.

Very little is known about Habakkuk. In one respect he does seem rather unique. There is no Biblical record of him having received a call from God to be a prophet. He took this burden up without waiting for such an event. That burden was one which some better-known prophets, such as Jeremiah, knew all too well. It was the invasion of Judah by the Chaldeans (New Babylonians) and eventual exile for most of its inhabitants.

Psalm 137 reveals the anger, despair, and hopelessness that the exiles felt. They even wanted to bash the heads of the Chaldean babies upon the rocks. Habakkuk's prophecy may date just a few years before the exile, but he definitely knew of the invasion, and there is a good probability he knew of the exile and may himself have been a victim of it.

Habakkuk was aware of how his fellow Judeans felt. There was no reason to look forward to the future. The future would only be one of servitude to the invading Chaldeans. However, Habakkuk was a righteous man. He understood that the righteous are faithful to their God, and that God is faithful to them. It is with that confidence that he ascends to a watchtower to wait for a vision from God. He does not know or really care how long he will have to wait. He understands that when the vision comes it will be so clear it will not be misunderstood.

In our day it takes faith and courage to follow in the footsteps of Habakkuk. We are a world divided, a world that has known too much war, hate, starvation, and a whole host of other tragedies. As a child, I remember hearing that old Gospel song, "In Times Like These We Need a Savior." God has provided a Savior, but we may feel perhaps the job of salvaging this mess is too great even for Him. If Habakkuk were in our midst today I believe his message would be, "Are you living in righteousness? If so, then be faithful to your God. Your God has not forgotten you. The message will come; wait for it in faith."

Good Friday is followed by the first rays of sunlight on Easter morning.

The disciples learned that the tomb was empty. There is no more powerful message than that. There is a message for our day. Wait for it in faithfulness. In the fullness of time it will surely come. Until that day, remember Babylon, the Chaldean capital, is in ruins, but "He shall reign forever and ever."

What I learned from Hoffman

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 16:43:42 GMT

What I learned From Hoffman

WHAT I LEARNED FROM HOFFMAN

By John Santosuosso

I will admit I would rather go to a baseball or football game than an opera. Fortunately my beloved spouse has much more culture than I do. By accompanying her to the opera, whether live or on screen, I actually managed to pick up a veneer of culture and a liking for many operas. As the child of a friend of ours once remarked when asked if he liked his new school, "It is sort of an acquired taste."

Recently we saw a production of Jacques Offenbach's "Tales of Hoffman." First performed in 1881, it is the only opera Offenbach ever wrote. While it seems to be produced rather frequently, some opera critics will claim one was enough. They have not always been kind to Offenbach's effort, and producers have been quite willing to tinker with it, adding an aria if they felt like it and deleting something else if they found it unnecessary. It is not really one of my favorites either. I would rather see Mozart's "Don Giovanni," in which my spouse when we were on a date excused herself at intermission only to reappear as a dancer in the final act, or Puccini's "Tosca," and of course anything that has Isabel Leonard in it. "Tales of Hoffman" gets a bit "redundant," as in each act our hero introduces you to a new love affair gone sour. However, you need to stick around for the final curtain. In the last five minutes Offenbach hits it out of the park.

Hoffman, before the night is over, ceases to be a scorned lover and becomes something of a philosopher. It finally dawns on him that, "You learn through love. You learn much more through tears." Sadly, that seems to be the case. Love requires relationships. Relationships are eventually broken in a variety of ways, and that often leads to pain which in turn leads to tears. Few if any of us ever escape that pain. The Episcopal Burial Rite reminds us that even our Lord wept at the grave of his friend Lazarus (BCP p.497) The often overlooked Old Testament book of Lamentations depicts the entire Hebrew nation weeping over loss of family, friends, and country. Hoffman learned you do not get out of this life before you shed your share of tears.

If this is the case then what is it the tears might teach us, even though the lesson may be painful? How well I remember the morning when I was having a quiet moment at home only to have the silence broken by a phone call from a dear friend whose wife had died suddenly and unexpectedly less than an hour before. In the midst of his tears the only thing he could hold onto at that time was the love and comfort he felt he could never lose from Jesus. That was a difficult way to learn a valuable truth. Our relationships might die. However, no matter how dark the night may seem and how total our inability to see the light, there is no place where the darkness overcomes this divine love.

In Isaiah chapter 53 we encounter the Suffering Servant. To the Jew this is symbolic of the nation of Israel. To the Christian it is a reminder of Jesus.

The servant takes on the wounds of the world, in order that the beings of this world may live. And in the battle with the powers of darkness, the servant promises because of that love our relationships will be restored, and we will live in the house of the Lord forever.

Let us never be afraid to love. Let us also remember we are never alone. We have been promised the tears will be temporary.

"See the home of God is with mortals.

He will dwell with them;

they will be his peoples,

and God himself will be with them and be their God;

he will wipe every tear from their eyes;

Death will be no more,

mourning and crying and pain will be no more,

for the first things have passed away.

Revelation 19:3-4

The Gospel of Thomas

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 16:36:49 GMT

The Gospel of Thomas

THE GOSPEL OF THOMAS

By John Santosuosso

In 1945, before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, some Egyptian farmers were digging for fertilizer near the village of Nag Hammadi. History did not record what success they had, but they did find something better than what they were seeking. It was a jar, and it contained fifty-two ancient writings on thirteen leather manuscripts. Today scholars appropriately call them the Nag Hammadi library. While all are valuable, it is the so-called Gospel of Thomas that has attracted the most attention.

The early documents pertaining to Christianity and the period between the Old and New Testaments might be separated into three groups. The first of these would be the Canon. These are the ones considered to be the core teachings of the faith and include the books of the Bible such as the four Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the Acts of the Apostles, along with the Old Testament Canon. Recently I wrote a blog piece on the Apocrypha. It includes books considered canonical by Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodoxy, but not most Protestant denominations. Episcopalians and Lutherans take the position that while not canonical they are useful for instruction. Finally there is a large number of writings known as pseudepigrapha (spurious or hidden). A very few of these have been accepted by some churches, such as the Ethiopian Church, but most are not considered canonical by anyone. The Gospel of Thomas belongs to this category.

So why have scholars been interested in it? There are several reasons. The Gospel of Thomas has no account of Jesus's birth, crucifixion and resurrection, or miracles. What it does have is over one hundred sayings attributed to Jesus. While most are probably later, some may actually be authentic teachings of Jesus. Others are very similar to some found in the Gospels.

The fact that this is a collection of sayings is also noteworthy. Many scholars have a theory that the authors of the Gospels of Luke and Matthew in writing their Gospels used a "sayings of Jesus" collection. It is simply known as "Q" or Quelle, German for source. No copies of this have been found. Certainly Luke and Matthew did not use the Gospel of Thomas, but its existence is proof that sayings sources did exist.

Hopefully, this technical stuff has not caused you to find something that might be "lighter reading," because when you understand that some scholars spend their entire professional lives working with puzzles like this you begin to see how much attention our treasured Bible has received down through the years. You can see why we need to take this book seriously, and that the years of scholarship it has received have contributed tremendously to our understanding of its vital message. We can leave the details to the scholars, but we can benefit greatly from their findings.

Why was this book written? It dates from the early second century, so Thomas was not its author. That is one of a number of reasons it did not make it into the Canon. It probably came out of gnostic circles. Already by the time of Paul gnostics were starting to become a problem. Frustrated by the delay in Jesus's return, they began to preach that salvation came from understanding secret teachings of Jesus. There were many varieties of Gnosticism, and the subject is too involved to discuss here. However, the Gospel of Thomas again proves useful in helping scholars understand the challenge to early Christianity and how Paul and the early Church Fathers worked to combat it.

If you want to read the text of the Gospel of Thomas, you should be able to find a translation on the web. You can also purchase copies for a modest price from Amazon or other book sellers. It certainly is not necessary in order to understand the Bible, but if you want to explore the "Q" theory the best books are probably those of Burton Mack. They are not difficult reading. Elaine Pagels, who has guest lectured at Florida Southern College, has written numerous books on Gnosticism. She is a most gracious person, willing to sign books and answer questions about her work.

The Gentle Breeze

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 23:32:19 GMT

The Gentle Breeze

THE GENTLE BREEZE

By John Santosuosso

Then he was told, 'Go out and stand on the mountain before Yahweh. Then Yahweh himself went by. There came a mighty wind, so strong it tore the mountains and shattered the rocks before Yahweh. But Yahweh was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake. But Yahweh was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire. But Yahweh was not in the fire. And after the fire came the sound of a gentle breeze. And when Elijah heard this, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

Jerusalem Bible, I Kings 19:11-13

Sometimes belief, or faith, is very difficult. It can be hard to believe in a presence you cannot see or hear. So often, we long for some sort of sign to restore our faith and direct us in what we should do. It was no different in the time of Jesus (see John 6:30). However, when Jesus gave people a sign frequently the response was to ask for another one. Have you ever known a friend or someone else who would take "polls" until they got a sufficient number of replies that they should do what they had always wanted to do in the first place? Perhaps we are tempted to do this because when we request a sign from God it seems to either to be totally nonexistent or at the very most not clear or reassuring. There is that old story, hopefully apocryphal rather than historic, of a small congregation that did not know what God's instructions were. They decided to open a Bible and at random select a verse. They did, and the verse they got was, "And Judas went and hanged himself." Puzzled they decided to try again. This time the verse was, "Go, thou, and do likewise."

Poor Elijah, his prophetic message rejected and his enemies seeking to kill him, must have wondered where was God. What was he to do? The answer did come, but not in the way he expected. It was not in the fire or earthquake, but in the near silence of a gentle breeze. We should not make the mistake of thinking that when the message comes it will always be a gentle one. Rather it may be just the opposite. However, it often may come in the silence of the breeze, so subtle we could miss it if not patient and expecting it.

Some years ago I was in Italy in the town of Assisi, the place associated with our beloved St. Francis. I was waiting for the Basilica to reopen after lunch, and while waiting decided to take a walk in a nearby neighborhood. I should have known better. This is not a wise thing to do when alone in a foreign country, and normally I would know better. For some reason this day my common sense took a vacation. As I walked about I noticed two things. Many of the streets were more like tunnels, and there was absolutely no one else around. It was just a bit eerie. As I went around a corner I saw a very elderly man, wearing a white shirt and an old pair of dress pants standing by the edge of the street. As I approached him, he held out a hand. He was a beggar. He had a speech impediment and could only utter sounds. Without thinking much about it, I gave him some money and went on my way. I soon began to wonder if maybe these empty streets were not the safest place to be, and I began my return. When I reached the place where the old man had been just a few minutes earlier he was gone. I did look around for him, but he was no where in sight. I eventually left those streets went into the now-open Basilica and pretty much forgot about my encounter.

Strangely enough, after returning home, one day I began thinking about that old man. Why would a beggar choose such an isolated spot when there were streets not too far away which would be more profitable? How had he managed to totally disappear in just a few minutes? There were things about his appearance that just seemed different than that of the usual street person you might encounter. I will never know. Possibly this was all just coincidence. Or could it have been one of those subtle encounters the Divine sends us when we least expect them and maybe are not even looking for them? Was the old man a quiet reminder that we who have been given much are expected to do much? Was he a heavenly "gentle breeze" there to revive a soul needing reviving? There was no fire, wind, or earthquake, just an old man in a white dress shirt, with a speech impediment, and his hand out. I will leave it to you to decide for yourself. Meanwhile never ignore the breeze or even the total silence.

THE WEEPING ICON OF TARPON SPRINGS

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 21:54:42 GMT

THE WEEPING ICON OF TARPON SPRINGS

By John Santosuosso

The fishermen and farmers began to arrive in the mid-1870s. It was not too long after that before two of America's most famous landscape painters, George Inness and his son George, Inness, Jr., would discover the Tarpon Springs area and capture some of its beauty on canvas. George Inness, Jr., in particular, also seems to have gained spiritual insights from his time here, and this is often reflected in his paintings. Some of these are in the possession of the local Unitarian-Universalist church (which dates back to the early years of the community) and can be viewed by appointment.

By 1887 Tarpon Springs was a fully incorporated town. Three years later its famous sponge industry began, and by 1905 several hundred sponge divers from Greece had arrived. The divers and their families not only brought their professional skills with them, but also their Greek Orthodox faith and their patron saint, Saint Nicholas. In 1943 the Greek community's present church, the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, was completed. The church is a beautiful example of neo-Byzantine architecture and modeled on the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, which at one time was the largest Christian church in the world. Visitors are welcome to tour its magnificent interior any time services are not being held.

Tarpon Springs is noted for its celebration of the January 6th Feast of the Epiphany. Services draw many to the cathedral on that day, and afterwards crowds gather at nearby Spring Bayou to watch boys sixteen to eighteen dive to recover a cross cast into the water by the Archbishop. The one who finds it is said to receive a year of good luck. This observance was first held in 1920.

The theme of the Epiphany is different in Eastern Orthodox churches than in Roman Catholic and those Protestant churches that observe the day. In the West it commemorates the arrival of the Magi (Wise Men) in Bethlehem to bring gifts to the baby Jesus. The traditional final resting place of the Magi is in the West, in a gold sarcophagus in Cologne Cathedral in Germany. In Eastern Orthodoxy it is focused on the baptism of Jesus. In keeping with that theme worshippers can obtain small bottles of holy water after the service concludes at St. Nicholas Cathedral.

In 1970 something happened at Saint Nicholas Cathedral that to this day no one has been able to explain. On December 5, the day before the feast day of Saint Nicholas, an icon of Saint Nichols located near the entrance to the church appeared to be weeping tears. It would do this "off and on" during the Christmas season through 1973. A carpenter was called in to examine the case protecting the icon. He pronounced it as air tight, with nothing able to enter. The Archdiocese of New York carried out an investigation but came up with no answer, and proclaimed it an apparent miracle. Janet and I on one occasion were able to visit the church and did see the tears. After 1973 the weeping stopped. In 1989 several icons were reported as weeping at the nearby Shrine of St. Michael (said to be a place of miraculous healings). However, the probability that these were faked is extremely likely. For whatever reason he had, Saint Nicholas appears to have stopped weeping after 1973.

Do icons or statues really weep, or is there a natural explanation, or maybe a case of us seeing what we want to see? I cannot answer that question and will leave it to you to decide. What I do wonder is if the tears were real why would Saint Nicholas be weeping, or why might the tears begin again in our own day. We must never forget that there are always many good people accomplishing many good things and doing their best to live a life that reflects what our Lord has called us to do. None the less, we know there is much in our world that seeks to violate the will of God and the kind of place that God made possible for us to inhabit. Is it any wonder that the statues and the icons weep? We have been called to do what we can to help to dry their eyes. At Saint Peter's let us continue to work toward that goal.

Note: This is some further information on the paintings of George Inness, Jr. His masterpiece is considered to be a work entitled "The Only Hope." It is an abstract piece depicting Jesus casting his light upon the world. For many years it was in the collection of the Unitarian-Universalist Church and may still be there. However, I recently saw a reference that appeared to indicate the painting was sold in 2022. I have been unable to find any further information.

George Inness, Jr., was also noted for his paintings using various shades of green. An attractive example of this can be found in the Eleanor Searle Drawing Room of Joseph Reynolds Hall on the campus of Florida Southern College.

(MOST) EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE APOCRYPHA

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 21:36:54 GMT

(MOST) EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED

TO KNOW ABOUT THE APOCRYPHA

By John Santosuosso

What is this mysterious thing we call the Apocrypha? The word actually means "spurious" or "hidden." However, as we use it in discussing Biblical literature there is nothing hidden about it at all. The Apocrypha is simply a collection of religious writings most of whom were composed in the time period between the Old and New Testaments. They were written in Greek rather than in the Hebrew and Aramaic used for the Old Testament books.

These books became popular in Jewish religious circles and as a result were included in the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint. By the end of the first century the Septuagint was the Bible used by most Jews. It is also the Old Testament version most quoted by the New Testament writers.

The term "canon" refers to those Scriptures that were considered to be divinely inspired or authoratative. Even though it had made it into the Septuagint, ultimately the Apocrypha was excluded from the Hebrew canon because Jews considered the age of prophecy to have ended with Malachi, the last book in our Old Testament canon. The Apocryphal books were not authored until after this time, and thus were not considered to be divinely inspired.

The fact that they were already widely circulated during the early centuries of the Christian church resulted in them having better success in acceptance with Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox churches. In Roman Catholicism they are often referred to as "deuterocanonical," but there seems to be no significant difference between canonical and deuterocanonical. During the time of the Protestant Reformation, Rome countered with the Council of Trent. Among its decisions was a reaffirmation that the Apocryphal books were to be considered canonical. In Catholic and Orthodox Bibles these writings are not grouped together but are placed at various spots in listings of the Old Testament books.

Martin Luther included the Apocryphal books in his German translation of the Bible, but he had doubts about their authority. They were not in the Hebrew canon, and they were Greek manuscripts rather than Hebrew. In general Protestant churches completely rejected them and continue to do so to the present day. Some Protestant translations of the Bible leave them out entirely. Others, especially the more recent ones, include them but group them together, often between the Old and New Testaments.

As is sometimes the case, Anglicans took a position somewhere between the Protestant churches and that of Roman Catholics. The King James Version of the Bible included translations of the Apocryphal books, and they were often printed in King James Bibles until well into the nineteenth century, when they began to fall out of favor. When the Church of England separated from Rome it drew up the "Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion," where it set forth its official position on various issues, including those where it differed with Roman Catholicism. Article Six declared that while the Apocryphal books were not to be used to establish doctrine, they can be read for education and instruction. With some modifications, the Episcopal Church in the United States adopted the Thirty-Nine Articles when it separated from the Church of England, and this remains the current position of the Episcopal Church.

The Thirty-Nine Articles names fifteen Apocryphal writings. You can find these listed with the complete document in the Book of Common Prayer. Roman Catholics accept twelve as canonical along with I and II Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh as Apocryphal. Fourteen are accepted as canonical in the Greek Orthodox Church along with Psalm 151 and III Maccabees, which are not in the Western canon or Apocrypha. Greek Orthodoxy considers the Prayer of Manasseh and IV Maccabees (not in the Western Apocrypha) to be Apocryphal.

The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible includes all the usual Apocryphal books plus those considered either canonical or Apocryphal in Greek Orthodoxy. This translation is popular with scholars and is approved for use in Episcopal services. It might be said to have "expanded" the Apocrypha, even if not officially.

The Common Lectionary, used by the Episcopal Church and various other denominations, includes readings from the Apocrypha along with aternate Old Testament ones for several Sundays throughout the year. Several of the Canticles in the BCP are based on the Apocrypha, and a reading from Tobit is provided for the marriage liturgy.

A wide variety of writings on many different religious subjects began to appear early in the history of the Christian church, and in fact occasional new ones are still produced. Various localities considered some of these canonical. Many are useful to scholars. Others, even if interesting, are somewhat outrageous. For example in the Infancy Gospels, Jesus and his childhood friends make toy pigeons out of clay. The difference is those crafted by Jesus can fly. A very few of these works have gained canonical status in various regional churches such as that of Ethiopia. Most have not. They are often referred to as "pseuedepigrapha," or spurious writings. If you care to see the text of any of these you can download free apps from the Google Play Store. There are numerous others, but among those available are The Gospel of Thomas, The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden, The Book of Jasher, The Book of Jubilees, The Book of Enoch, and The Unknown History of the Life of Jesus Christ. I plan to do an article on the Gospel of Thomas at some future time.

Sumertime and the Reading is "Easy"

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 23:05:27 GMT

Summertime and the Reading is "Easy"

SUMMERTIME AND THE READING IS "EASY"

By John Santosuosso

Ah, summertime in Florida. There are fewer crowds, we have vacation days, an inviting surf. Of course it is hot, hot, hot! In the heat of the day we may be driven indoors while giving thanks for air conditioning. Some spare time. What should we do? We spy a book. It's a Bible. Hello, old friend; I have not seen you in a while.

OK, time for a bit of honesty here. Maybe you read the Bible regularly. That is fine. Maybe when you pick yours up there is dust on it. That is quite understandable. Those who may try to shame you for lack of Bible reading probably have not read one recently. Do not let anyone put you on a guilt trip. No matter what translation you read, or maps, pictures, and charts your Bible may contain, reading the Bible is not an easy task. Here you have a book approximately two thousand years old, written and edited by at least forty different men (and probably one woman!), and from a time and culture very different from our own. In addition, the languages of the authors are not our languages. But if you are ready for the challenge we will look at some things that might help.

First of all if your Bible reading is proceeding without any major difficulty, stop! You do not need to be reading this. If something is not broken do not try to fix it. Secondly, only suggestions are offered here. They may not work for everybody. Feel free to ignore any you think are not going to be helpful.

The question sometimes comes up, what translation is best. Let's keep it simple. The best translation is the one you will read. There are numerous free translations available on the internet. Sample some of these and see if there is one that has particular appeal to you. If you lack a computer you can go to a bookstore that sells Bibles. They will have a selection of translations. Almost none of us needs to read the Bible in its original languages. Most modern English translations are quite adequate. The one I prefer is the New Revised Standard Version, updated edition. This is by no means the most popular one, and it may not be right for you.

If your religious preference is Episcopalian, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox, and you want to try a new translation, I would strongly encourage you to buy a Bible that contains the books of the Apocrypha. Many modern translations are available with these. Even the King James Version includes them, although you may have to buy them in a separate book. If your religious tradition is other than the above, you probably can go without, as the Apocryphal books are not normally used in your worship and teaching.

Next, after you know what Bible you want to read the logical question is where should I begin. Some folks start with the first verse in Genesis and plan to read strait through from beginning to end. The rate of failure for trying this is extremely high. Before very long the reader gets to Leviticus and Numbers and overwhelmed by boredom as well as confusion will close the Bible and put it aside. You are likely to have more success if you start with the heart of the Bible's message. Go to the New Testament and read the four Gospels. Here is the heart and soul of what we know about Jesus and what Jesus taught. Be sure to read Mark, not Matthew, first, as Mark is the earliest to be written, sometime around 70 AD. Read John last. It is the latest.

After you have made your way through the Gospels, it is time for Paul. There are seven letters in the New Testament that nearly all scholars agree Paul wrote. These are Romans, Galatians, I and II Corinthians, I Thessalonians, Philippians, and Philemon. In the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) the Psalms and Proverbs are good places to start. There are 150 Psalms, so you may only want to read a portion of this book. If you want to explore the Apocrypha, try Tobit (often read at weddings) or Ben Sirach (Ecclesiasticus).

If you have read all of the above you should have enough background to begin to see what other sections of the Bible might interest you. I would suggest avoiding I and II Chronicles as they are mostly a retelling of the story of the Davidic monarchy found in I and II Samuel and I and II Kings. The difference is that the Chronicler seems to feel David and Solomon can do no wrong. I would encourage you to skip Revelation, but most people are going to look at it anyway. If you absolutely must read it, do so with the help of a good commentary. You might also want to buy a copy of Jonathan Kirsch's "A History of the End of the World" to see how much mischief this book has caused. I will just note here none of its prophecies apply to our time, despite what you may have read or been told.

Actually having access to a good commentary or a study Bible can be very helpful. I like the "The New Interpreter's Study Bible" and "The New Interpreter's Bible One Volume Commentary." The latter is a bit expensive, but used copies are often available on Amazon for rather reasonable prices. There are other good ones around. Although it is an annual best seller, avoid the Scofield Reference Bible. Its teachings conflict with those of almost all Christian churches and were actually condemned as heresy by a major Presbyterian denomination.

When reading any part of the Bible, it is often better to try to read the entire book or at least a major part of it. Many people do just the opposite, reading a single verse or a few verses at a time. Do this and you may miss the writer's point of view. The Bible was not written with versing. Those divisions were added later for convenient searching and for making references. Another mistake people often make is to try to fit everything neatly together in some sort of harmony. There were many Biblical writers, and they often saw things differently. Try to make it all compatible and you are likely to lose everyone's view. A Biblical literalism can lead you to even greater difficulties. If you want a Bible where you can accept everything literally you are also going to have to accept a god that does all sorts of nasty acts. In Deuteronomy 21:18-21 God calls for parents of a rebellious son to have him stoned to death. Sorry, my God does not do that sort of thing. It is in reading such passages that a good commentary can be helpful.

Finally, I would ask you not to reject all modern Biblical scholarship. Many people do, fearing that somehow it may weaken or even destroy their faith in God. It may change your view on some things, but you might find it strengthens your faith as you will now know why you believe what you do. Of course not all of it is useful, and scholars often disagree. However, it is in that dialogue over our findings and opinions that we often grow in understanding.

In reading the Bible you are following the path that Martin Luther and over Reformers put forth centuries ago. You may find it is not an easy one to travel. Continue the journey anyway. The rewards may be great.

It's the Law

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 21:33:39 GMT

It's the Law

IT'S THE LAW

By John Santosuosso

"You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard." (Leviticus 19:27)

"You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your animals breed with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; nor shall you put on a garment made of two different materials." (Leviticus 19:19)

The rumors that some of my former students liked to spread, that I was too old to have ever been a child, just were not true. Many years ago I had a childhood, along with my two sisters, one older, one younger. My God-fearing parents of course sent us off to Sunday School every week, in the hope that we were to learn the paths of righteousness. I well remember some of my early Sunday School teachers. They were kind, loving, well-meaning. However, despite this environment I did develop a bad habit that caused them problems on more than one occasion. I asked a lot of questions. I asked too many questions. For example, if Methuselah could live 969 years was it possible we might get at least 200. I regret that I never asked if Noah kicked the unicorns off the boat for some now long-forgotten offense.

There was one matter that particular disturbed me as a young lad. At a too-early age we got subjected to some of those legal passages in the Torah, including those in Leviticus and Numbers. That was heavy stuff, and to a kid it seemed God might have found better things to do with His time than instruct Hebrews on how to trim their beards. Although questions about facial hair ran through my mind, even more disturbing were all those dietary laws. Did God really say owl was off limits? (Leviticus 11:16-18) My Mother had never served owl, nor do I recall any of my friends remarking that they had enjoyed that delicacy. Now we never ate owl, but we did eat pig, though we hid this fact by calling it pork, ham or bacon. That also had been forbidden (Leviticus 11:7). Plus my Jewish friends seemed to think that pig was a much greater offense than owl, though some admitted to trying pig but never owl.

To comprehend such matters required help for my friends and me. We of course asked our teachers. The best they could do was to tell us you could get sick if pork was not cooked properly. We wondered if God thought Hebrew women were poor cooks. It did not seem to say so in Leviticus. Well, I think we simply moved on to other lessons, leaving behind certain omissions and deficiencies in our early Christian education.

The years go by, and as the challenges of college, starting a career, and falling in love appeared the mischief and genuine curiosity of early childhood faded away. So did Leviticus. It would be quite a few years before the luxury of more time would pull me back to explore some of those unanswered questions of long ago. I am glad that eventually happened, because what I discovered helped open the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) to an understanding I had lacked earlier in life. It was a humbling experience to some extent. God knew more than I did about this stuff.

One of the first things I discovered is that the part of Leviticus that often seems the most difficult to understand is known as the Holiness Code. It extends from Chapter 17 through 26 and also includes Chapter 11. The Holiness Code takes its name from the fact that all the Hebrew people were expected to live by it, not just the priests. It is a key part of the Torah, or the Law.

There still is considerable disagreement over why the dietary laws in particular were included. Many continue to argue they were for health and sanitary purposes. However, eating raw chicken can make you sick just as quickly as uncooked pork. Pork is forbidden. Chicken is not. If you start searching you will find a number of other explanations, none of which I find very satisfying. However, although not everyone embraces it, there is one theory that I think unlocks the key to understanding much of the Torah and in turn much of the Old Testament. To find that key we need to take a quick look at Hebrew history.

In the year 722 BC the Assyrians concluded their conquest of the northern Hebrew Kingdom of Israel, and sent most of its inhabitants into exile (II Kings 17:5-6). These ten tribes living in an alien land eventually lost their identity, entered into marriages with the local population, and disappeared from history. They are sometimes referred to as the "ten lost tribes."

In the year 587 BC the Chaldeans (New Babylonians) led by King Nebuchadnezzar II conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple of Solomon, and sent the Judeans into exile in Babylon (II Kings 25, Jeremiah 52:16, Psalm 137). Their fate could have been the same as that suffered by their brothers and sister in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. However, the leadership of Judah, particularly the priests, were aware of what happened. They were determined that it would not happen to the exiles of the Southern Kingdom.

The earliest Hebrew Law Codes are to be found in chapter 20 through 23 of the book of Exodus, and include the Ten Commandments. Some of this dates back to the time of Moses. As needed, additional codes were developed later in Hebrew history. Now the priests took these codes, collected additional material, and edited the entire collection. Their editorial work includes much of what we find in the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament today).

Torah, often translated as the Law, but more properly as Guidance or Instruction, contains 613 basic commandments. Here is a key point. Rabbinical scholars claim only SEVEN of these are considered obligations of gentiles (non-Jews). They are as follows: Do not worship idols, do not murder, do not steal, do not eat live animals, do not curse God, do not commit adultery, do establish judges and courts of justice. ALL 613 are considered obligations of Jews. Most Jewish law was never intended to apply to non-Jews! So why does this great difference exist?

The priests of Judah were geniuses. Judah was in exile. It had no government, no land, nothing to hold the exiles together. By proclaiming Torah they give the Judeans the one thing they needed, a culture, a sense of identity. They deliberately made observance involved, challenging, and just plain difficult. If you were going to claim a Jewish identity you were going to have to prove you were serious about it. Likewise, while gentiles who wanted to convert would be welcome, they would have to take on the serious task of observing the Torah. Did it work? Because of Torah the Jewish people were able to survive the Babylonian captivity and maintain an identity without a homeland until the mid-twentieth century when the state of Israel was finally established. For Jews, the Torah is a life giver. We Christians have usually failed to understand that.

So why does Saint Paul refer to Torah as a stumbling block? Paul had the blessing and the authority of the church at Jerusalem to be the missionary to take the Gospel to the gentiles (Galatians 2). Remember the vast majority of the Torah was never intended to apply to gentiles. Paul needed to preach faith and forgiveness through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that is precisely what he did.

So where are we today? Can we read the Old Testament with Jewish eyes? It is after all the Hebrew Scriptures. Can we understand that for Jews it has a special message not intended for Christians? Christians see in it the coming of the Messiah. Jews see the preservation of the people God first chose to proclaim His love for everyone (see Isaiah). Will we permit God to act as God sees best? I hope, like Paul, I no longer think like I did as a child. This story is not really about owls and pork, but about a God who loves all people and will seek them out whatever their needs, wherever they may be.

Job Encounters the Whirlwind

Sat, 22 Jun 2024 16:40:57 GMT

Job Encounters the Whirlwind

JOB ENCOUNTERS THE WHIRLWIND

By John Santosuosso

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind.

Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Gird up your loins like a man.

I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me if you have understanding.

Who determined its measurements--surely you know!

Job 38:1-5

In the end, Job is everyone. The path seems good, the path seems clear. Surely we will prosper! Then it happens. Our world comes crashing down. Everything seems lost. Everything is crushed. Everything is broken. We wonder if we have the strength to go on. We cry out, "Why me, O Lord?" In the silence the only answer we receive is, "Why not you?"

Our minds begin to wonder. Like Job, we declare to our God, "What did I do to deserve this?" Again, there is that silence, then the reply. "Nothing!" "What sort of God are you?," we retort. "Why do you let good people suffer? Are you playing dice with me, to see how much I can stand?

Perhaps you are such a weak being you cannot stop evil and suffering even if you wanted to do so!"

Thus, a legion of atheists is born. Why worship a god such as this? Can we sing the praises of this god, or like the ancient Hebrews, should we sit down by the rivers of Babylon and weep for our loss (Psalm137) . The light has gone out, and we have not yet learned how to walk in the dark.

Our minds search for some sort of explanation when tragedy comes. Maybe we brought this on ourselves! Well, sometimes that is true. Abuse your body you pay the price. Abuse your earth, your island home, you pay the price. Play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. However, in the end this answer is no answer at all. Thousands of people die in a tsunami. A baby is born with brain damage. An innocent animal suffers and dies. We cry out for justice, but there is none.

Perhaps we can find a way out by declaring, "But don't people sometimes grow through suffering?" Some do. Many do not. Recently in the Netherlands a physically-healthy young woman underwent legal euthanasia because her depression had become so painful that death had become preferable to life. Her doctors had already declared there was nothing more they could do for her.

So why do good people suffer? Why does evil sometimes rule the day? The answer is we simply do not know. The disturbing answer really is we not only do not know, we are not capable of knowing. It should come as no surprise that the response of many is atheism. For others it may be even more drastic. But perhaps you may hear a voice in the midst of the whirlwind. It is more of an "in spite of" reply than a "because of" one.

The voice calls to you to take on a challenge. Can you take the walk of faith? This is not an everyday "walk in the sunshine" sort of faith. Rather it is a walk in ambiguity. One wise Episcopal priest has said sometimes we just sort of have to let things happen and go where they are willed to go. We may be called to walk in the dark for a long time. If light does appear, walk toward it no matter how dimly it glows. Remember that in the midst of our pain and doubt we can recall the "walk" that even our Lord had to make, as he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 33:34).

There is another step we can take that may help turn back the darkness. In his classic "Man's Search for Meaning," the Austrian Jewish psychiatrist Victor Frankl tells of his imprisonment in a Nazi concentration camp. He noticed that despite the horrors of the camp some managed to survive. Without exception they shared a common trait. While in the midst of that hell, they had still managed to find something that gave their lives meaning.

If we are going to learn to walk in the dark we need to find something that gives our lives a sense of purpose. If you do not have any other place to look for one, try Matthew 25:35-36, but there are plenty of others to explore.

In the end Job never does receive an answer to his loss and suffering (Job 38-39). But he has the courage to take that walk in ambiguity and to declare that his vindicator lives and stands on his side. He will see God. (Job 19:24-27) Our vindicator lives. He is on our side. The darkness shall be shattered. We shall see God. In the meantime walk in ambiguity. Although you may not sense it, someone is walking with you every step of the way.

Note: When reading Job it is best to ignore Job 1:1-12 and Job 42:7-17. These verses are the work of a later editor. He seems to have been troubled by the original work and tried to "fix" it. The book is fiction, typical of Hebrew Wisdom Literature. In its present form, it probably dates to the third century BC. We do not know the author.

Streaming: What is it and why do we Need it?

Wed, 29 May 2024 21:30:17 GMT

S treaming: What is it and Why do we Need it?

Streaming: What is it and why do we need it?

By Hilda McCarter

If you’re a regular reader of St. Peter’s TWASP, then you know that a connection to Streaming of the 10:30 service is available. Perhaps you’ve had an occasion to participate that way in a service, due to being homebound or on a trip. This form of participation came about during the confinement we experienced during the worst of Covid. Though not the same as actually being present in a pew, it nevertheless gave you a connection to the beauty of the sanctuary and the services and the people who shared the pews with you.

Thankfully, that time has gone and, hopefully, will not return.So, why continue to offer the Streaming service at all? A search tells us that Streaming is a method of transmitting data (especially video and audio material) over a computer network on a steady continuous flow, allowing playback to start while the rest of the data is being received. Available also on YouTube, it is not over the public airways. Such data can be viewed in real or actual time or in playback over a period of hours.

How does this affect us who normally occupy a seat (usually a favorite one!) on an almost weekly basis? On those days when one cannot attend due to traveling or illness, the Streaming allows you to feel a participation in the familiar service. In addition, if you do attend and find your mind wandering during the sermon (heaven forbid!) or announcement time, then checking the Streaming gives you a rerun of the live version to receive the information you may have missed.

Then, of course, there are those parishioners who, for whatever reason, usually illness, cannot attend services on a regular basis. Having been in this category, I can attest to the joy it provides when I can participate, virtually, as it’s called. Though one cannot actually receive Holy Communion in this way, a visitation from a priest, deacon, or lay Eucharistic visitor is available as a follow-up. In other words, all the bases are covered to reach all communicants whatever their needs or living style.

Since Streaming of any service or event is available on YouTube, there’s also the possibility of our beloved service being an outreach to someone seeking a church home. For this reason and the other reasons mentioned above, Streaming becomes a valuable ministry of our church, deserving of a qualified staff and financial support. To those who have been available to present this up to now, we owe a debt of gratitude. May we continue to have access to Streaming as our church and its congregation grow together under the leadership of a new rector.

Gone Fishing

Wed, 15 May 2024 23:40:21 GMT

Gone Fishing

GONE FISHING

By John Santosuosso

From the time I started kindergarten through the second grade I had a walk to school of approximately one mile. Except in the very worst of weather my friends and I did not dread this. In fact we loved it, kicking leaves, or throwing snowballs, and inventing games along the way. As I would make my way from Allen Lane, after a rather brief time, Stokes Avenue would come into view. From there it was a strait shot all the way to the Frank M. North Elementary School in Collingswood, New Jersey. For the most part the houses that lined our path had a certain sameness about them. Most, dating from 1900 to 1940, were two story, and some had traces of a late Victorian style. We walked by without giving them a single thought, unless it was the home of someone we knew. However, there was one home that almost always caused me to pause if only for a moment. Set back from the street a greater distance than most, it had a large front yard, with a creek running diagonally across it! That creek held me in some sort of childhood wonder, and I said to myself someday I am going to own a house just like this one.

As is often the case with childhood dreams, this one did not come true. But there was to be a consolation prize! When we moved into our present home around 2001, Janet knowing of my love of homes by streams, from one we knew in Gainesville, contracted to have a backyard pond with two little waterfalls constructed for me. After completion we went to a pet store and bought ten ordinary goldfish and comets for twenty-five cents apiece to stock it. We would never have to buy pond fish again. They took to their new home, well, like fish take to water! They were happy. I was overcome with joy!

For twenty-three years most days my fish and I had a ritual. In the morning they would all swim down to one corner of the pond and wait for me to dispense breakfast. In the evening dinner would be served, and sometimes they would actually line-up in anticipation of receiving it! But there was more. Especially if we had an evening or late afternoon rainstorm, after dark the frogs would show up, and their screeching and hollering sounded like you were in the middle of a forest. A few days later we would have a new crop of tadpoles and eventually a backyard full of tiny "froglets." On rare occasions a large bull frog might show up and let everybody know who was king of the pond. Can you actually love some of God's "least of these," a pond full of fish and frogs? Yes you can.

Sadly, the years pass by, and with age things that once were no problem at all to accomplish become difficult, and could even in some cases be potentially dangerous. By April of this year, I found I could no longer maintain our beloved fish pond. Our landscapers found new homes for our fish, and our backyard pond has been transformed into a very attractive sitting area with a firepit, and surrounded with beautiful plants. It is a lovely, peaceful setting, but my relationship with my fish is permanently broken. Our final morning together I quietly fed them breakfast, but then had to retreat into the house while they were removed and transported to their impressive new homes. and our backyard was once again transformed.

Over the years God's "least of these" not only gave me joy, but they taught me much. They caused me to recall what my seminary philosophy professor Sam Keen tried to teach us many years ago. The creation is filled with wonder. You do not have to figure it all out. Just rejoice in the splendor of it all . . . and take care of it. Was that not the heart of the Genesis story of Adam and Eve? Do we respect life, all life? The real theme of the story of Jonah, that is usually overlooked while people debate what a whale can swallow, is that God loves even those whom we cannot. The great German philosopher Immanuel Kant claimed that within every soul there dwells moral law, and because of that potential for good, everyone has the potential to be salvaged by God's unlimited love. A fish in a backyard pond can remind you, respect life, all life (and if this summer you visit a National Park may this ex-Park ranger say please don't be a touron!).

There is something else my fish helped teach me. It is a difficult lesson, one of the most difficult we must learn on our journey. We enter into relationships. They can be very beautiful, sustaining, uplifting, and yet every relationship we ever entered into, no matter how dear, how precious, will someday be broken. That happens in countless ways. Friends move away, divorce, illness, and of course death. There may be memories, hopefully good ones, but that is all. Hopefully, knowing this it causes us to do something critically important, namely live in the present, for that is all we have. This is not a call to irresponsibility. Rather it is just the opposite. We can of course learn from our past, and prudent people prepare for the future, but living and loving must be done now, if they are to be done at all. There is an old country song that says, "Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow may never be mine." If you need to remind someone that you love them, the time to do that is now. If you need to forgive or ask for forgiveness, the time to do that is now. If you need to work on your dream, the time to do that is now. If you need to say thank you to someone, the time to do that is now.

I am certainly not a big fan of the book of Revelation, and believe it has down through the centuries probably been misused more times than properly interpreted. However, it does promise that God through Jesus Christ intends to make all things new, and where there are tears He will wipe them away. As Christians we have the hope that in the fulness of time good relationships will be restored. Until that time, my friends, walk in love, for perfect love can cast out all fear.

"The least of these" have many things to teach us.

Trinity Sunday

Thu, 09 May 2024 14:39:54 GMT

Trinity Sunday

TRINITY SUNDAY

By John Santosuosso

There is an old joke in Episcopal circles that Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost, is an excellent time to have the deacon preach. More than one rector has acted on the "wisdom" of that saying? Why? Because Trinity Sunday is different from nearly all other days in the Church Year. It commemorates a concept, not an act or the people who are responsible for an act. Furthermore the concept is one that is at least to some extent unknowable, namely God. For many there is no Sunday that presents a greater challenge for the preacher than this one.

There is a certain irony here. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the very few doctrines that nearly all (but not quite all) Christian denominations accept. Its roots are very old, the idea first gaining official acceptance at the Council of Nicaea in 325, and then being finalized in what we know as the Nicene Creed in 381 at the Council of Constantinople. What we sometimes fail to stop and realize is that the Nicene Creed, which is recited in most liturgical churches most Sundays, was actually an attempt to define the Triune God of Christianity. The bishops did the best they could. No one has really been able to bring forth a better definition, although I must admit a fondness for Paul Tillich's, "The Ground of All Being, the Ground of All Love."

Perhaps it would have been beneficial if the Church Fathers had encountered the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu. He wrote, "The Tao that can be known is not the true Tao." Tao may be best translated as "the way," but the context of his usage seems to imply more than that, namely something divine. Many so-called "primitive" animistic religions take a somewhat similar approach. They recognize a "sky god," but this god is so far above the world of humans that nothing can really be known about him. Moses did not have much luck either. God simply tells him, "I Am, Who I Am." (Exodus 3:14)

A few years ago Janet and I were at Westminster Abbey in London. It was the day before the funeral for Stephen Hawking. We came upon the crypt they were preparing for his ashes. I looked at the final resting place of this brilliant physicist/cosmologist and thought, he is going to have interesting company. Charles Darwin was on one side and Isaac Newton on the other! Hawking said and wrote a lot of things too complex for me to ever understand. However, I found his theories on multiple universes very fascinating. Scientists have estimated the size of our universe at seven trillion light years in diameter! We cannot really imagine that, though perhaps Eucharistic Prayer C makes a valiant attempt when it refers to "interstellar space, galaxies, suns, and planets." Hawking claimed there are quite possibly more, many more. I cannot not comprehend God's creation. How can I ever expect to comprehend God?

Several thousand years ago a man lived in a small, almost-forgotten town called Nazareth. Though there was something different about him, he experienced all the trials and challenges that people of his day and ours experience, and he overcame every one of them. He had love and compassion for even the unlovable. He was a threat to the power centers of his day, so some tried to kill him. The world discovered he was more powerful than death. We look at Him, and we have a window into the essence of the Great I Am. He was so close to God the Creator that it is impossible to experience one without the other. He promised that through the outpouring of the Spirit of God we also could know both Him and the God of all Creation. The three are inseparable, and invite us to join them through the Spirit. Look out upon this "small island earth we call home." We are all brothers and sisters. We are linked to all living creatures in this, the Trinity's creation.

We cannot fully explain our universe, or any others that may exist. We cannot fully explain the God who is their creator. What we can know is that as vast as our universe may be, and how great its creator and governor, we are neither rejected nor forgotten. Instead we are invited to participate with the Triune God in the glories of the creation.

Ascention Day

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 17:52:46 GMT

Ascension Day

ASCENSION DAY

By John Santosuosso

It seems to me that Ascension Day is a pretty hard sell today, even to most Christians. In desperation some churches have flown balloons in an attempt to encourage the faithful to get enthused about the event. I cannot say that does much for me, and the balloons, whether in the air or on the ground, are a potential threat to wildlife. I must admit I was surprised to see a rather full church on an Ascension Day at the Basel Minster in Basel, Switzerland, but I suspect for most Europeans Ascension Day is seen as a time for an extended weekend at the beach or some other vacation spot. Most Americans seem totally oblivious to the day.

Well, it is not difficult to understand why. The Gospel lesson for that day is always Luke 24:44-53. Luke uses the best language and understanding that would have been available to a first century Christian. He should not be criticized. He depicts Jesus leaving his Apostles and passing through the clouds, while ascending to Heaven. Actually, he does not mention the clouds. They are frequently added by artists in their conceptions of the Ascension. Whether you have clouds or not, this is a rather difficult idea for many twenty-first century beings to accept. Is Jesus just wandering around in the sky waiting until his triumphant return? I recall my seminary Greek professor Dr. George Edwards acting out this scene by portraying a Jesus hiding among the clouds, since no one, including astronauts, is supposed to see Him until his triumphant return to earth. Dr. Edwards could also do a pretty good imitation of the Old Testament angry God salivating.

No, he was not ridiculing Jesus, Luke, or anyone. What he was trying to demonstrate was the need to realize we do not live in the first century. What may have made something understandable then can be completely alien now. If Ascension Day is to make sense today we need to see it in a different way. I think we once had the key, but we did not realize it.

When Rome held the Vatican II Council meetings in the 1960s, it made what probably seemed at the time to be a very minor, subtle liturgical change. Vatican II decreed that the Paschal candle would remain lit at all services until after the Feast of Pentecost. This made sense. After all, the liturgical season of Easter does not end until the conclusion of Pentecost. This change was of course adopted by Roman Catholic congregations, and many Protestant churches that made use of the Paschal candle soon followed. However, we may have lost something.

Before Vatican II the Paschal candle was extinguished on Ascension Day either at the end of the Gospel lesson or more often at the point in the reading when Jesus is taken up into Heaven. I only ever witnessed this once. It was in the Anglican Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Hamilton, Bermuda. I was not prepared for this. It had a most powerful effect on me I have never forgotten even though the event was almost thirty years ago. All of sudden as the flame was extinguished it was as if Jesus was gone. He was not there. That experience must have happened to the Apostles. There had been the visions of Jesus, the assurance of the Resurrection. Then they stopped. Despite the promise of the sending of the Holy Spirit, things were now drastically different. Jesus was really gone.

When seen this way, Ascension Day is a probing into the life of every Christian. We have the mountain top experiences. Maybe it is falling in love, or a momentous professional accomplishment in our career, or holding a grandchild. There are countless examples. At such times there seems to be a thin spot between Heaven and earth. God has blessed us. The presence and love of Jesus is very real. Unfortunately, that is only part of the story. When we were young perhaps in Sunday School or youth meetings we were encouraged to sing songs like "Everyday with Jesus is Sweeter than the Day Before," or "Are We Downhearted? No, No, No!" There may have been times when it was difficult to be that cheerful even at an early age. As we get older we often see tragedy around us in the form of illness, financial crisis, the death of a loved one. The candle has gone out. Jesus seems gone. We are experiencing what that great mystic St. John of the Cross appropriately called, "the dark night of the soul."

John knew the darkness firsthand. On several occasions he was kidnapped and thrown into prison. There was no reason to be optimistic or feel that Jesus would come to minister to him. Yet, John writes it was at those very moments that God did come to him. In the darkness when hope is lost is when we are sometimes most open to letting God flow into our hearts and direct our lives. Our pride is gone. Our resistance is down. We are open to the love of God. John warns this is no "things always happen for the best" experience. Rather it can be a very painful one as the Spirit of God seeks to overcome the darkness we have encountered.

In her book, "Learning to Walk in the Dark," Barbara Brown Taylor has conveyed a similar message. Our lives are not always going to be lived in the light. The candle goes out. The darkness comes. Jesus seems to have left. We have to learn to walk in the dark, to have courage, and tear down our defenses. In her classic, "Guilt Is the Teacher, Love is the Lesson," Dr. Joan Borysenko describes the experience as while we are still in darkness we walk toward the light no matter how slowly our walk may be, no matter how dim the light. We have to get out of our own way and let the Spirit of God flow into our souls.

So for me, what is the lesson of Ascension Day? It is a simple one. At times the light is going to go out. Pain and tragedy will come. Jesus seems far away. Difficult as it may be, walk toward the light. Our Lord will walk with us even when we can neither hear nor see Him.

A Return to St. Anne's Shrine

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 15:43:25 GMT

A Return to St. Anne's Shrine

A RETURN TO SAINT ANNE'S SHRINE

By John Santosuosso

My recent blog piece on Saint Anne's Shrine stirred up enough interest that I decided I needed to do some further research on this peaceful spot near Lake Wales, Florida. It was worth the time. There is more to the story than I first thought. Some of it is intriguing. Some of it is disturbing.

The most impressive thing at the site of the shrine is the grotto. I had believed this was erected to honor Saint Anne. In reality it was constructed for Our Lady of Lourdes. Lourdes is a place associated with miraculous healings, as is Saint Anne's Shrine, so perhaps this is not surprising. The primary memorial to Saint Anne was a full-size copy of the statue of her in the basilica at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre in Quebec. The copy was in the parish church. When the church was demolished, sometime between 1950 and 1960, it was removed. I do not know its ultimate fate. At the time the parish was closed and the church building destroyed nearly all of the statues on the property were removed. Some were relocated to the Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church in Lake Wales. The Diocese of Orlando has lost track of what happened to the rest. Ironically the removal of the Saint Anne statue means there is no present memorial to Saint Anne at Saint Anne's Shrine.

Another loss were the murals in the church that had been painted by a French artist in thanksgiving for the healing of his son. They were destroyed when the church was destroyed. In fact most everything in the church appears to have either been destroyed or disappeared. I have discovered that the church had erected a Biblical museum in a separate building a short distance away. Its contents may have met the same fate.

Although I believe that probably about 98% percent of them are probably not genuine, I must admit to a certain fascination with relics. Perhaps you remember that when Notre Dame in Paris caught fire there was a last minute rescue of the Crown of Thorns that supposedly Jesus wore at his crucifixion. I recall seeing that relic on a visit to the Notre Dame treasury. Saint Anne's had its own treasured relics. A piece of "True Cross" was housed in a reliquary located in a small outdoor shrine. Other relics were displayed either in the museum or the church. There were two relics said to be of Saint Anne, a thorn from the Crown of Thorns, and a reproduction of the True Nail. There was also a reproduction of the Holy Sepulcher. All of these things have disappeared.

There was one removal at the shrine site that was warranted. The body of the leader of the former local French Canadian community, Napoleon Palletier, was removed and relocated to Canada. His grave marker still remains a short distance away from the grotto.

The years have not been kind to Saint Anne's Shrine. What is left seems more like a shadow of what was once here. Still, they have been more generous than to another nearby site associated with religious activity. From 1953 through 1998 a nearby amphitheater was the winter home of the Black Hills Passion Play. It was quite a production, with live animals and an opportunity for local residents to be part of the cast. The depiction of the crucifixion was dramatic and very moving, the resurrection not so much. Time and hurricanes have all but obliterated the site, and today there is almost nothing to see. The location is on private property and cannot be visited.

I hope to do more research on Saint Anne's Shrine, and if it produces any results they will be presented in the Saint Peter's blog.

ADDENDUM: In my St. Peter's blog piece on the tomb of Jesus in discussing the Talipot Tomb, what is sometimes referred to as the "Jesus family tomb," unfortunately I accidentally omitted some words that could have led to confusion on the part of some readers. I wrote: An ossuary found in the tomb contains the inscription, "James son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." The omitted words were, another ossuary has the inscription, "Judah son of Jesus." My point was that since there is no credible evidence that Jesus ever married and was a father, this second inscription is one of several reasons why most scholars reject the Talipot Tomb as a possible burial site of Jesus Christ. The complete discussion of the Talipot tomb can be found in the blog piece.

Intercession City

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 21:01:30 GMT

Intercession City

INTERCESSION CITY

By John Santosuosso

Should you be traveling down Route 17, about seven miles west of Kissimmee, you will come across the settlement known as Intercession City. Today, other than the name, there is little to attract your attention here, and most people will simply continue on their journey giving the place no further thought. This unincorporated town has fewer than a thousand people, and the per capita income is well below the average for the State of Florida. It was not always the case. Intercession City was once a thriving community and a significant center of religious activity in the Sunshine State. It also has the unusual distinction of being founded by a woman, a woman who was a bishop, no less. In fact it might be proper to call Intercession City Bishop Osie England's town.

The roots of Intercession City go back to the Florida land boom of the 1920s. A real estate developer from the North bought five thousand acres for a planned community he intended to build. It was to be called Interocean City and linked to both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean by canals. He managed to sell a few lots to people who wanted to build homes there, and by 1925 completed construction of a rather impressive hotel. Unfortunately in 1926 the Florida land boom began to morph into the Florida land bubble, a bubble that would soon burst. The developer could no longer pay his workers and the land was eventually repossessed. For a while nothing further would happen here, but Osie England had a dream, a dream that would produce dramatic change.

Osie England was born in Ohio in 1877. After attending a revival meeting she eventually had a dramatic conversion experience that changed her life. Having once been a Presbyterian, she became active in the Wesleyan Methodist church, whose members today prefer to be called Wesleyans. Osie founded an orphanage and a mission training school. Over the course of her life she would go on to start schools for poor children, a Bible college, and homes for the elderly as well. As a result of her labors, she was ordained and eventually raised to the rank of bishop. The Wesleyans take pride in the fact that they were ordaining women before most other denominations were even thinking about it. But Osie had a dream.

Osie England wanted to extend her work to a warmer climate. Fortunately she discovered the now defunct Interocean City. In 1934 she managed to buy the five thousand-acre development with its hotel and other buildings for only $50,000. This was a miracle even in the midst of the Great Depression. The name was changed to Intercession City because Osie England intended to make this a city of prayer. From three or possibly four "prayer cabins" intercessory prayer was offered twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Osie was going to make certain her Lord would hear what her ministry needed! Much of the prayer was in support of the missionaries she had helped train. Indeed the whole town would become a prayer meeting. It was said you could drive through it at three in the morning and hear somebody praying by an open window. In addition to unending prayer, in the 1940s Intercession City sponsored one hundred-day revival meetings, which sometimes featured the best known revival leaders of the day.

The former hotel became the focal point for many of the activities in Intercession City. Renamed England Hall, it housed visitors to the community, and in 1939 a Bible college was established here. It probably provided facilities for other projects, including a school for poor children, a mission training school, a radio program, and a publication.

In the midst of a depression, when other towns were dying, Intercession City was thriving! The place was said to be free of crime, beautiful and growing. This was known as the "Golden Rule Town." Businesses came, and people bought homesites, but the rules were strict. No alcohol of any kind was permitted, nor any tobacco products. Women were forbidden to wear shorts or slacks. All businesses had to close on Sunday, and any form of gambling was prohibited. Shows and movies also were banned unless they could be shown to have educational or religious value. The wearing of jewelry was frowned upon, and Osie was known to collect jewelry at meetings and services, have the metal melted down, and sold. Still, for a time, the town thrived.

But there was trouble in Intercession City. Teachers complained of the small salaries they received, although Osie claimed she was paying them as best she could. A society needs rules, but the more rules you have the more disputes over their interpretation and enforcement you are also going to have. Disagreements broke out over what clothing was appropriate and what was not. There was a gun-toting evangelist in town who until he underwent a second conversion terrorized half the community. Probably most serious of all were the doctrinal disputes. Some of these were disagreements over when believers received the gift of the Holy Spirit. There were others as well. So serious was the situation that Osie's congregation split on more than one occasion, and rival Wesleyan and Baptist churches sprung up in town. In some cases these splits were later healed, but too often the damage was already done. People began to leave Intercession City, and the town was starting to die.

By 1948 Osie England had enough. She left Intercession City in 1948 for Sanford, Florida, and continued her work there. The Bible college managed to survive until 1956, when a fire destroyed England Hall, but the end of the glory days was already certain. Today there is almost nothing of what was once the Golden Rule City. There are some who would like to rebuild it, but without a miracle and Osie England that will probably remain only a dream.

There is little left to see of BIshop Osie England's Intercession City. However, the site of England Hall is easy to find. Now the Miracle Springs Church is located there, and while it sits somewhat back from Route 17, the church has a large brightly-lit sign close to the highway. There is one building that does date from the time of Osie England's ministry. In 1946 the Morrison Memorial Church was built in honor of Henry C. Morrison, who died in 1942. Morrison served as president of Asbury College and was one of the founders of the Asbury Theological Seminary, both in Wilmore, Kentucky. He was very interested in the Intercession City project and visited it a number of times, including coming to speak in the one hundred-day revivals. Today Asbury continues to be a center of revival activity, with a two-week long revival breaking out on the college campus in 2023. The Morrison Memorial Church still houses an active Wesleyan congregation and is located at 1548 Tallahassee Boulevard. What was once Osie England's modest home is located across the street. It is not open to visitors.

Intercession City leaves us with a powerful message. Even when there is love and genuine ministry in the house of the Lord that is not enough. Without tolerance, a willingness to listen without condemnation, and a good degree of flexibility, that love and ministry may be doomed. Bishop Osie England deserves praise for the tremendous ministry she established. Sadly, its foundation lacked that tolerance and flexibility that would have enabled it to continue at Intercession City. Because it takes what it believes and practices very seriously, the Church of Jesus Christ too often has had trouble remembering such things. It is why there are more than two hundred Christian denominations in the United States alone, and thousands more worldwide. We need to remember the lesson of the Book of Jonah. God loves even those whom we do not.

The Tomb of Jesus

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 21:31:31 GMT

The Tomb of Jesus

THE TOMB OF JESUS

By John Santosuosso

For I handed it on to you as of first importance what in turn I had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures and that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians 15:3-4

We are rapidly approaching Good Friday. Many Christians prefer to skip over it and go from Palm Sunday to Easter morning. It is not the most pleasant day in the church year. The Apostle Paul would declare that it is a big mistake, and he makes clear that our Lord really did die and was definitely buried. There is an important reason for this. Even as early as the time of Paul there were those that claimed Jesus did not actually die on the cross. Perhaps he simply lost consciousness, or maybe he never really went to the cross. However, Paul knows that if Jesus was not crucified there was no resurrection. If there is no resurrection then Christianity has nothing much to say that had not already been said, and Paul would declare our faith is in vain. Yes, it is important to accept the reality that Jesus did die and that he was buried.

Ironically accepting the reality of the burial of Jesus raises another question. Where was he buried? The Gospels accounts are vague. Best known is the story in John of Joseph of Arimathea claiming the body of Jesus and burying it in a new tomb in a garden (19:39-42). He does not say where the garden is located.

Should you visit the Holy Land your religion might determine what you are told about the burial of Jesus. Muslims will be told that there is no tomb of Jesus because God raised him directly up to Heaven much the way he raised the prophet Elijah (suruh 4:157-158). Obviously that is not an acceptable answer to the Christian.

Protestants love to visit Jerusalem's Garden Tomb. Probably the reason for this is because it looks much like the tomb described in the Gospel of John that was the property of Joseph of Arimathea and is fairly close to the site of Roman crucifixions. The tomb was first discovered in 1867 by British General Charles "Chinese" Gordon, who would later die in the Battle of Khartoum in Sudan. Those responsible for the care and interpretation of the tomb take a rather conservative approach claiming it resembles the one in which Jesus was buried, but there is uncertainty that it is the actual burial tomb. Archaeologists generally think the tomb is too old to be the one described in the Gospel of John. If you never got to journey to Jerusalem but managed to visit the Holy Land Experience theme park in Orlando before its recent closure, you probably explored a reconstruction of a tomb based on the Garden Tomb.

Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and most Anglicans prefer the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, which is said to contain the original tomb of Jesus. New Testament scholar John Dominic Crossan states that if crucifixion victims received burial at all, it was usually in a shallow grave close to the site of their death. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is close to Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, the traditional site of the crucifixion of Jesus. The church site was shown to St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great. Constantine had a Roman temple to Venus torn down in order to build a church here. As a result a tomb was discovered, and this was thought to be the true burial tomb of Jesus. It has been accepted as such by many Christians since the fourth century, and the fact that there was a Roman temple here may be the result of the Romans wanting to hide its earlier history. No place probably has a better claim to be the original burial site, but its claim is hardly beyond reasonable doubt.

When I first moved to Lakeland some decades ago, I developed a friendship with a retired Presbyterian minister by the name of Robert Hannum. Bob was a fascinating person. He was born in India of missionary parents and spoke fluent Hindi. One day when we were having a casual conversation he suddenly decided to tell me about his visit to the tomb of Jesus in Kashmir. Yes, Kashmir! While orthodox Muslims believe Jesus ascended directly to Heaven, the Ahamaddi sect not only believes that he died but that the so called Roza Bal tomb in the Indian Kashmir city of Srinigar is his tomb. Bob made a journey there and saw it for himself.

While I neither believe Jesus visited Kashmir nor is buried there, if you want to read about the adventures and legends surrounding the Roza Bal tomb I recommend Suzanne Olsson's Jesus in Kashmir: The Lost Tomb. The story of her journeys is fascinating even if her Biblical interpretation and theology leave a lot to be desired.

Well, sooner or later The Da Vinci Code, the Knights Templars, and Mary Magdalene were bound to make an appearance in this account. Richard Andrews and Paul Schellenberger in their book The Tomb of God make the claim that the Knights reburied Jesus somewhere on France's Mount Cardou, atop which sits the legendary town of Renne-le-Chateau, associated with so many Holy Grail legends. I must admit the book lost me rather early in a maze of geometry, and when I was at the base of Mount Cardou I saw no signs of any grave. Few take the authors' claims seriously. Still, there is something about the church at Renne-le-Chateau (I was unable to visit) that is mysterious, and one cannot ignore that a long established traditional grave for Mary Magdalene is to be found in southern France at Vezelay (see Esther de Boer, Mary Magdalene: Beyond the Myth).

At least one reputable New Testament scholar, James Tabor, Professor Emeritus of the University of North Carolina, takes the "Jesus family tomb" seriously. The tomb was found in the Jerusalem neighborhood Talpiot in 1980. An ossuary found in the tomb contains the inscription, "James son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." While Tabor and a few others feel it is authentic, most scholars do not. The names are common names, and there is no credible evidence that Jesus was married. There is also doubt that the family of Jesus could have afforded a tomb of this nature.

Finally we present the grave of Jesus in Japan! You can find it in the northern village of Shingo. Except for a few locals who might want to sell you postcards and trinkets, no one, including the Japanese, takes this one too seriously. The prevailing theory is the grave is probably that of an early missionary.

So what are we to make of this? Does it matter where Jesus was buried? Probably not, but I think the fact that so many places claim to be the burial site says something of great importance. Somehow the life and claims of Jesus spread at an early date and over later years far beyond the little town of Nazareth, where most of his life took place. The power of Jesus knows no geographical boundaries, and is so miraculous that people were in awe of it even after his death. This is our risen Lord of Easter morning. In tradition he had many graves, but none was powerful enough to hold him!

It Ain't Over Til It's Over

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 23:33:02 GMT

It Ain't Over Til It's Over

"IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL IT'S OVER"

By John Santosuosso

In 1947 at the age of eight years I attended my first major league baseball game. The New York Yankees were playing the then Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park. In our South Jersey neighborhoods and school yards the baseball wars started early in life. Most of my friends were devout A's fans. On the other hand, I was already living a life of quiet desperation. I was a Phillies fan. Yes, a pennant would come three years later, but in 1947 they were still too often cellar dwellers. However, here was hope. Joe DiMaggio was coming to the plate. He would put those "Amazing A's" in their place! The legendary DiMaggio then proceeded to strike out, and ultimately the A's went to the clubhouse with a 5 to 3 victory.

In my sorrow I had not given full attention to another Yankees player that day. They had a young catcher by the name of Yogi Berra. No one realized it at the time but not only was Yogi a Hall of Fame catcher and manager, in his own unique way he was a philosopher. Remembered for a variety of "Yogisms" down through the years, undoubtedly the most loved is his classic, "It ain't over 'til it's over." This was certainly inspired by games in which Yogi played and managed. He had seen teams with seemingly nothing left to cheer about suddenly come roaring back to snatch a win at the very moment when it seemed hopeless. I well remember one National League example of that when the dreaded (as far as the Phillies were concerned) then Brooklyn Dodgers had two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, with nobody on base, and were trailing the St. Louis Cardinals 2 to 0. The Dodgers won, 3 to 2. You see, it never is over until it's over.

Today, I think our churches and our society could use some Yogi Berras. I am reminded of an old Gospel hymn, "In Times Like These We Need a Savior." Well, yes, we need (and have!) a Savior, so maybe we need a lot more optimism that He will get the job done. It ain't over. Caution, if you surf the Internet or look at the cover of the tabloids in the grocery store, you see warnings that the end is near, and it is not going to be pretty. There are screaming headlines that the rapture (even though that word never appears in the Bible) is coming, and most of us will be left behind to face a great tribulation. Of course Nostradamus has ten predictions for 2024, and you are not going to like any of them. If Nostradamus does not have you depressed enough, the Bulgarian prophet Baba Vanga might send you over the brink with her 2024 prophecies. One blog I read regularly has numerous questions and answers about religious topics. An uncomfortably large percentage focus either on Noah and his ark or the book of Revelation. I must admit I never cared much for the Noah story. Yes, the animals are cute, but the God I worship does not drown almost all of them along with nearly every man, woman, and child, plus their pets, and even their house plants. We will come back to Revelation shortly.

This malaise we are living in is quite dangerous, far more than the actual reality we face. Gary Moore, who before moving was a member of St. Peter's, is a well known financial advisor and author. He was a good friend of one whom many believe was the greatest investor of the past century, Sir John Templeton. Gary was a pioneer in the area of socially responsible and faith-based investing. He has consistently warned that people who are continually afraid and depressed make both poor investors and builders of the Kingdom of God. When you believe Chicken Little was right after all, you are not likely to invest your money in projects that will benefit churches or society, or feel that much of anything you do can have a positive effect. You are more likely to just sit and feel helpless, or maybe stuff your mattress. Although retired, Gary continues to write for the benefit of our churches, their members, our country, and the world. He understands Yogi got it right. It ain't over. Some of Gary's books are still available from Amazon and Thriftbooks.

Recently St. Peter's member Dick Grant brought to my attention a wonderful little book by N. T. Wright entitled Surprised By Hope. Over the years Wright and I have sometimes had a different perspective on things; but not this time. He states that what we do to try to heal the wounds of our present world and build God's Kingdom may not be fully visible until after we are gone. He uses the example of the Medieval cathedral builders. Those that constructed the base knew they would never see the completion of the building. However, they had faith that by the power of God it would be completed. Wright urges us to get to work now. It ain't over.

Maybe it is time to take a look at the book of Revelation. If you want gloom and doom this is the place to find it. Unfortunately most Christians do not know how to interpret this work. If you want the "full treatment" I would highly recommend Jonathan Kirsch's book, "A History of the End of the World."

Other than that he was an exile by the name of John, living on the Greek isle of Patmos, we do not know much about the author. He was not the Apostle John. When I visited Patmos and the cave where John allegedly authored Revelation, I wondered if he would have done so had he realized how much mischief it would cause. Like Jesus and Paul, John the Seer was an apocalyptic prophet. As such he was looking for God to intervene in a dramatic way in the near future. He was NOT trying to predict things that would occur hundreds or even thousands of years into the future. If we take a look at chapter 22 verses 6 and 20, we see that John believed that what he was predicting would soon take place. This means that the horror that John contemplated had already happened or it was never going to happen. It is time to stop reading Revelation and get back to the Gospels, the letters of Paul, the hope of the prophecies of Isaiah and Jerimiah and boldly declare, it ain't over. When everyone else is full of despair, Jeremiah goes out and buys real estate! (Jeremiah, chapter 32.)

Perhaps we should briefly take a look at Nostradamus, since he is so often misused to support misinterpretations of scripture, including Revelation. Nostradamus was a French physician and astrologer. Between 1550 and 1558 he wrote over 900 quatrains divided into ten "centuries". Whether any of these ever came true is a matter of debate. What is pretty clear is that if he got something correct, it is impossible to know that until after the event has happened. Perhaps his best known prophecy is an alleged prediction of the death of the French King Henry II (I:35), but some claim it never appeared in writing until after the king's death. In any case, the vast majority of his prophecies have no dates, and the few that do are almost always dated several centuries in our past . One (X:72) is dated 1999, but nothing happened in that year that even remotely fits the quatrain. In the preface to his work he claims that his prophecies extend all the way to the year 3797. Clearly there is nothing in Nostradamus that supports the book of Revelation, pertains to the year 2024, or predicts we are in the "last days."

As for Baba Vanga, she never committed any of her prophecies to writing, so it is impossible to know what she said. The English seer Mother Shipton probably never existed. It is time to stop reading the tabloids and get back to the Gospels, because, "It ain't over 'til it's over."

N. T. Wright sums it up in a very few words. "Creation is to be redeemed." The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was not an act in vain. It is God at work, redeeming the creation. As Genesis so beautifully puts it, "God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good." (1:31). God intends to put it back that way. It is time for us to also be at work. We might start with just a few random acts of kindness, while remembering, "It ain't over 'til it's over." Shalom.

Clean Monday

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 00:48:54 GMT

Clean Monday

CLEAN MONDAY

By John Santosuosso

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin.

Psalm 51:2

It took me several major attitude adjustments to finally grasp what Lent is and why we need it. The churches I attended in my pre-Episcopal life observed Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. That was about it, and that was fine with me. Then one day came my first Ash Wednesday. Oh my! Here comes Joel with a plague of locusts (Joel 1:4) Scholars are divided on whether he means real locusts or an invading army. That does not help much. These "Episcopals" are out to either starve me to death or shoot my belly full of arrows. Then there is that well-meaning couple in the grocery store who gently and quietly want to remind me I forgot to wash my face.

Now I am deeply ashamed of this, but when a good Episcopalian and friend politely asked me what I was giving up for Lent, on one occasion I snapped back and said, "liver!". Well, at least that was one Lenten vow I have faithfully kept. I also really prefer "taking on" something rather than "giving up" something, but as I said I have come to deeply repent of my lack of civility on that occasion.

However, gradually "liturgical exposure" began to take its toll, and dimly at first, but surely, I began to see that maybe there was something to this Lenten thing after all. Maybe it was the Great Litany. That ancient prayer began to penetrate and stir something in my soul that had not stirred before. It is a haunting, beautiful prayer that covers more perils than a Homeowners Insurance policy, and certainly costs a lot less. Maybe it prodded me into seeing that all was not quite right.

That liver thing had really gotten to me, and admittedly there was an element of curiosity as well. So when my church offered sacramental private confession I decided to give it a try, despite the fact that those of us who had been raised to be proper Protestants do not engage in this sort of behavior. It was not difficult at all to dredge up enough guilt from the corners of my soul to go to confession. I was absolved of my sins and received a penance. My penance turned out to be a treasured reward. I was "sentenced" to read a selection of Psalms every day for a week, and I faithfully did. Little had I realized how much I had forgotten. Here were words so beautiful they had the power to lift one up and get a glimpse of the heavens.

And gradually I began to see what Lent truly is. It is not a time when we encounter an angry god salivating, but one where we stop for rest and repairs. Who are we? Where do we want to go? How do I get rid of all this junk I have been carrying around for no real reason at all. Can I leave it at the altar? Will my battle scars fade? Will my soul be cleansed? Wrestling with these issues is what a Holy Lent is intended to be.

Well, maybe everybody needs a soul cleansing from time to time. We are so busy doing what we think we have to do that we cease being what our Lord intended us to be. Not too long ago I discovered that most Eastern Orthodox Churches do not observe Ash Wednesday. Instead they observe Clean Monday. I will not discuss the differences in the way that East and West determine the date of Easter. It can get very complicated, and it is not very interesting. On the rare occasions when East and West observe Ash Wednesday on the same day, Clean Monday comes two days earlier.

Clean Monday really begins with a service on Sunday evening known as Forgiveness Vespers. Those participating ask each other for forgiveness so they can begin the Clean Monday observance with the proper approach.

The Clean Monday mass is focused on the spirit of Isaiah 1:1-20. It is far less a service of morning and repentance and much more one of cleaning and repair. If one fasts that day, the call is to do it in the spirit of Matthew 6:14-21, doing it with a scrubbed face and the appearance of normality. So begins the period leading up to Holy Week known as Great Lent.

There is a certain amount of fasting on Clean Monday and throughout Great Lent, but the entire time is done more in the spirit of spring. Life begins anew. Our Lord will wash us. Those dark, hidden corners of our essence are cleaned and refreshed. We can go forward once more.

Maybe this Lenten season you would like to join me in a modest observance of Clean Monday. What more appropriate way could there be to do this than to make a gift to St. Peter's Laundry Love ministry? The amount is your decision alone, but the intention is one we share. If there is no Laundry Love ministry where you are, maybe you might make a gift to a food bank, shelter, or other ministry that helps the poor. The intent will be the same. We cannot change the entire world, but we can shine a healing light into some of its darkest corners.

Have a Holy Lent. Have a Clean Monday.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and put a new and right spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence,

and do not take your holy spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:10-12

Who is the Fisherman

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 01:13:22 GMT

Who is This Fisherman?

WHO IS THIS FISHERMAN?

By John Santosuosso

He must have been a physically strong man. On the waters of Galilee there were no outboard motors or electric starters. You had to depend on your skills with the sails and your stamina with the oars. In all probability, like most of the rest of the population he was illiterate. After all, he did not need to read and there was very little available to read anyway. We know he had a wife whom he dearly loved (Matthew 8:14-15, I Corinthians 9:5) An ancient tradition claims he was a witness to her martydom for the Christian faith.

Yes, on one occasion he denied his Lord (Luke 22:55-65), but on another Jesus will declare him the "Rock" (Matthew 16:18) We must respectfully disagree with Roman Catholicism that this made Peter the first Pope (a married Pope?), as it will be several centuries before the institution of the Papacy appears to really emerge. However, he does take on leadership of the original Apostles, and only Mary Magdalene has a more prominent role in the Gospel accounts of witnesses to the empty tomb.

The New Testament is silent on exactly when and why he went to Rome, but there is near unanimous agreement that he did and became the first bishop of the Church of Rome. In the year 64, or very close to that date, he died a martyr during the persecutions of the Emperor Nero. Tradition says he was crucified upside down as he declared he was not worthy to die in the way his Lord had given up his life.

While all of this makes Peter a person we might hold in awe, it is not what may well be the most important step he ever took for the fledgling Christian faith of his day. For some reason unknown to me, it seems to be largely overlooked despite its importance. We have only one resurrection account actually written by the person who experienced it. That of course could not be Peter. As we have already noted, he most likely was illiterate. It was that of the Apostle Paul (I Corinthians 15:1-9). While this is important, remember that Paul, unlike Peter, never knew Jesus before his crucifixion. Paul must have felt there were some pieces still to be added to what he had experienced, because three years later he felt compelled to make a trip to Jerusalem. There he met with only two people, James, brother of our Lord, and Simon Peter. Both knew Jesus before his crucifixion, and both had witnessed the resurrection. Paul claims he spent fifteen days with Peter. Oh, how wonderful it would be if we had a transcript of their conversations. Undoubtedly Peter was able to reassure Paul of what they both had witnessed and give him an account of the life of Jesus. In effect, Simon Peter put his seal of approval on Paul's resurrection account!

We claim Simon Peter as our Patron Saint. We can take genuine pride in that, but with the pride comes tremendous responsibility. If we claim Peter as one of our own are we ready to bring honor to his name by following in the footsteps of the one Peter followed? If so, then as Albert Schweitzer wrote years ago, in our own time, just as Peter did, we will come to know just who He is.

St. Anne's Shrine

Sun, 14 Jan 2024 20:25:47 GMT

St. Anne's Shrine

SAINT ANNE'S SHRINE

By John Santosuosso

Should you be driving along Route 60, east of Lake Wales, but just before you get to the self-service honey shop at Hesperides, why not slow down and look for Saint Anne's Shrine Road? Turn right, and a short ride will bring you to a small lake surrounded by mostly modest winter homes. Continue slowly again to the right, to the far side of the lake, but please go with a sense of respect, for you are about to enter sacred ground.

The first thing you will encounter is the remnant of a small shrine on the shore of the lake. It once housed a statue of Saint Christopher. However, Saint Christopher has been gone for many years and his current presence is unknown. While the statue is gone, the story of why it was placed there in the first place lingers, and still gives hope to those coming here looking for a miracle. I cannot vouch for the authenticity of this, but according to the legend, supposedly a boy with cancer went swimming in the lake and was healed .

The lake is small, but its waters dark. The shoreline is overgrown with weeds. It is impossible to know what may be lurking just under its surface or near the water's edge. Today there is real danger if one enters this lake. I would strongly advise staying out of it and avoiding its shoreline.

Just a short distance further down the road there is a white cross on the opposite of the road. It is best to park your car at a safe spot near here and make a short walk through the grass or down the nearby dirt road. Within a minute or two this will bring you to a stone grotto, which continues to house the shrine of Saint Anne.

Saint Anne remains something of a mystery. She is never mentioned in the Bible. However, ancient legends about her and her husband Joachim can be found in the apocryphal gospel The Protevangelium of James. She is said to be the mother of Mary, and thus the grandmother of Jesus. There once was a church nearby, but it was closed around 1950. A Roman Catholic mass is still celebrated at the altar of the shrine every Easter. Episcopalians may celebrate the feast of Saint Anne and Joachim on July 26.

The grotto and the surrounding land are owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando, but local residents appear to be the ones that lovingly care for it. Anyone is welcome to visit and even worship here, but please remember this place is holy. Treat it with the respect it deserves. Near the grotto is a single grave and also what was once a fountain dedicated to the one known as the Little Flower, Saint Therese. A small stone baptistry is also here.

As you leave and continue driving around the lake you will see a monument commemorating the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but the statue that was on its peak is gone. The monument itself used to be located in front of the church, but when that building was demolished it was moved to its present location, near the shoreline of the lake. The small church had a beautiful interior, and postcard views of it can still be found. Today it is totally gone, not even ruins have survived. As you travel further down the road you will pass the former convent and rectory. These are now private residences and cannot be visited.

Saint Anne's shrine is a peaceful place, not known or visited by many, but cherished by those that do. If you have ever been here, or even if you have not, the question might come to mind, why is this place of peace here? Why would a shrine to the grandmother of our Lord be erected in Central Florida. To answer that question, we must journey to the North.

Approximately twenty miles northeast of Quebec City, lies the small French Canadian community of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre. It was founded by sailors, and they wished to honor their patron saint, Anne, and also seek her protection from the dangers of their journeys. Eventually they decided to build a shrine to honor and protect a statue of their patron. The statue of Anne was said to have had miraculous healing powers. The first efforts for this project began in 1658, and one of the workers helping to build a small chapel here was reportedly healed. From these modest beginnings the fame and memorialization of this place grew so that by 1876 the first basilica on the site welcomed worshippers and those seeking healing. The present-day basilica dates from 1926, and receives over a half-million visitors every year. It is one of the great shrines of North America. Rome claims many healings have taken place here.

When I visited the basilica, Saint Anne's statue was in a very visible place. A number of visitors would approach it and make prayers for healing and other help. I do not know if those prayers were answered, but one does feel a certain sense of love and calmness here. Outside, not far from the basilica I came across a spring that had been walled up to make a well. I wondered if these waters were believed to be a source of healing.

In the 1920s French Canadian residents were spending their winters near that little lake east of Lake Wales. Informally led by Napoleon Pelletier, and inspired by the reported healings at Lourdes as well as those at Saint-Anne-de-Beaupre, they decided to build a shrine for Saint Anne des Lacs, Saint Anne of the Lakes. Thus the shrine in Central Florida was born. A church would be built here as well as the grotto. Before long this would be a popular pilgrimage spot. At least one healing at the grotto was reported in the 1920s. The grotto and the church would continue to thrive throughout the 1930s. Upon his death Pelletier would be honored by being buried here. However, when World War II came the visitations came to a halt. They never recovered even after the war. With a dwindling attendance, the Diocese of Orlando, over the protests of the local residents, finally decided it had no option but to close the church. By 1950 it was gone.

Still the grotto is here. The few that come know that it remains what it has always been, a place of restoration, hope, and healing. For me it reminds me of the words inscribed over the main entrance of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, New Jersey: "The body is often curable; the soul is always so."

Welcome Everybody

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 14:42:47 GMT

Welcome Everybody

WELCOME EVERYBODY

By John Santosuosso

When I was a kid I can remember an exciting day that my siblings and I had awaited with eagerness for some time. We had been invited to the home of a working friend of my father to see a truly amazing wonder. This family had a television set! Further, it was not one of those seven inch screen sets that most of those very few who had TV possessed. This one had a full ten inch screen! We waited politely and patiently for the station to sign on, which most did at 5 pm. Finally the moment had arrived, and we were going to be treated to an old Western movie starring none other than Hoot Gibson!

It was not too long after this that my family got its own TV. While I am sure I am merging various times and events together, it still seemed that we received mostly old Westerns with none other than Hoot Gibson. Now again I am certain I am mixing plots of various films, but it felt like often there were cattle ranchers who were angry with a bunch of sheep herders who had moved into the area. The ranchers seemed prosperous but angry. The sheep herders were anything but prosperous and seemed helpless. The ranchers claimed that grazing sheep destroyed the prairie grass, and they were determined to run the herders and their animals out of town, and they did not care much how they might do that. Somehow Hoot always showed up and somehow saved the sheep herders from destruction, and the ranchers were able to live with the result. However, come the next film, and the sheep would be in trouble again.

In the Gospel story of the birth of Jesus, it is only Luke (2:8-20) who has anything to say about shepherds. They are out watching their flocks at night, lest some harm come to their sheep. In the time of Jesus, shepherds were not really held in any higher esteem than in the time of Hoot Gibson. They are pretty low on the social scale, probably smell somewhat like their animals, and are not exactly the most educated folks in town. However, an amazing thing happens! Luke says that an angel came looking for them and told them to get into town and see the baby Jesus, who is the Messiah!

Well, when shepherds encounter an angel they know this is pretty serious business, and they rushed into town. Given that they were shepherds it is rather astonishing that Mary and Joseph let them anywhere near their baby! However, they did, and the shepherds go and tell anybody who will listen. I suspect at that point Heaven must have smiled. This Messiah was different. This was a Messiah who would grow up and bring everyone into his circle, including those low on the social scale and even those who were the outcasts of society. Luke includes shepherds in his story for a very important reason.

What about Matthew? Before we get to his message, I want to tell you about a couple of folks I encountered some years ago. One was very unhappy with her trip to Italy. She exclaimed, "Why, they didn't speak English there." Another was frustrated with the metric system, and thought the rest of the world should junk it and learn out system. Their world views we might say were just a bit provincial. However, Matthew's certainly was not. In Matthew (2:1-12) wise men from the East were puzzled. They were more properly known as magi, and they most likely were from Persia. Magi were astrologers, and so they studied the stars. According to Matthew they were puzzled. One star would not behave as it should and kept wandering. So they decided to follow it, and you know the rest of the story. But possibly there is one thing often overlooked. The magi were from Persia. This amazing Messiah loved everybody and belonged exclusively to nobody. It is something Isaiah had tried to explain centuries earlier. The world needed to hear it again. Wherever you are, whomever you are, the Messiah is willing to claim you as one of his own.

A few years ago I found myself in Germany's Cologne Cathedral. If you go there you cannot help but see a magnificent gold sarcophagus. Supposedly it contains the bones of the three magi (Matthew never says how many there were). I cannot vouch for the authenticity of this claim, but I found myself quietly singing to myself "We Three Kings of Orient Are." It really does not matter what is actually in that box. Jesus is too powerful for anything to contain Him. " For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the

Messiah, the Lord."

Merry Christmas, Everybody

The First of the First

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 00:32:20 GMT

The First of the First

THE FIRST OF THE FIRST

By John Santosuosso

Note: For the sake of consistency with Lesser Feasts and Fasts, I have used the term "Native American" in this essay. However, in talking with members of the Lakota Sioux tribe in South Dakota and the Navajo in Arizona, I never heard them use any term other than "Indian." "Indian" also appears to be the preferred usage of both the Seminole and Miccosukee as well. Personally I like the Canadian term "First Nations," but since we are many miles south of the border "Native American" seems more appropriate here.

When the Plymouth Bay colony celebrated its first Thanksgiving in October 1621, 53 Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag tribal members sat down together for dinner. The feasting must have been a great success, because it went on for a period of three days. Unfortunately we have no statistics on how much colonial American equivalent of Alka-Seltzer and Tums may have been consumed when the party was finally over. Despite later tragic events in history, this gathering is evidence that colonist and Native American could contribute to the success and well-being of each other.

Fortunately the Episcopal Church later benefitted from this kind of cooperation. In 1859 John Johnson was ordained a deacon, and in 1867 a priest. Johnson was a member of the Odawa (Ottawa) tribe and the first Native American ordained to the Episcopal priesthood. We celebrate his feast day on June 12.

In the first grade, many years ago, I was the last kid in the entire class who learned how to spell his full name. I also had the longest name, chocked full of "s's and o's. Thus I have some special sympathy for Johnson, whose real name was not John Johnson at all. It was Enmegahbowh, which means "One Who Stands Before His People." Actually, it is a very appropriate name because he had a very successful ministry. Among other things, he worked extensively among the Ojibwe, especially near Peterborough, Ontario. To this day the Objibwe people are noted for their love of hymn singing. In Minnesota he help to found the very vital Columba Mission. Known as a man of peace, he brought peace between the Ojibwe and Dakota peoples.

About the only claim Johnson could not make was to be the first ordained Native American (First Nations) in all North America. That honor goes to Henry Budd, a member of the Cree band (tribe), who was ordained a deacon in the Anglican Church of Canada on December 22, 1850.

The Native American contribution to our faith has been richer than many of us may have realized. Actually Native Americans coming to the Episcopal faith would rather easily understand and support our love of liturgy (ritual)), the reality of both good and evil, and the importance of the earth's creation and our need to care for it. This Thanksgiving, like the Pilgrims of long ago, we can give thanks for their participation in our lives and faith.

You Can Climb but You Can't Hide

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:25:11 GMT

You Can Climb but You Can't Hide

YOU CAN CLIMB, BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE

By John Santosuosso

Well, it is almost January 5th again, and one of my favorite saints has still failed to achieve the coveted status of having his feast day included on the Episcopal Calendar. Perhaps you have not heard of him. His name is Simeon Stylites.

Simeon's origins are quite humble. He was born around the year 390 into a shepherd family. As a child he toiled as a shepherd, but at an early age he began to have visions. He soon entered a monastery, and then shortly another, but poor Simeon was so devout and so strict in his devotions that the monks weary of his ways kicked him out! However, they had not reckoned with the determination of young Simeon. He soon moved to the top of a mountain where he could pray and fast without interruption, or so he thought. Even in an age without Internet and cell phones, word quickly spread about the devout holy man living on the mountain. Crowds began to gather at the foot of his refuge seeking prayer and advice.

Poor Simeon, although kind and helpful, longed for a life of solitude. In a desperate attempt to find it, he moved to the top of a ten-foot-high pillar, with a platform six-feet in diameter. However, the crowds simply followed. By the time of his death in 459 Simeon had resorted to a sixty-foot-high pillar, but still the devoted came. Actually, they tried to help the reluctant saint by climbing a ladder with a basket of food or tying a rope to the basket so that it could be raised to the pillar platform. Since pillar monks were rather reluctant to bathe, some were probably thankful Simeon stayed at the summit of his perch.

Still the monk's fame continued to spread. He preached daily and converted many. Emperors Theodosius II and Leo, I sought his consul. Other monks sought to imitate his devotion and built pillars of their own, sometimes adding a small hut or a chapel at the top. Even today there is a monk in Georgia (not the state, you Braves fans; the country) who continues the tradition.

Eventually a church was built at the site of the base of Simeon's pillar, a few miles northwest of the city of Aleppo in Syria. Most of the pillar had been destroyed by souvenir hunters, but as recently as 2016 the base was still standing in the church courtyard. Unfortunately, in that year a Russian aerial attack during Syria's civil war reduced it to a small pile of rubble.

So, what is Simeon's legacy? Perhaps it is the awareness that some may be chosen for a true life of contemplation, but for the vast majority of us, the Christian life is one lived in community. We are here to minister to each other, and, if we take the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 25 seriously, also to those outside our immediate community. Yes, sometimes we may forget. I once saw two grown men argue for an hour over who would get to wear the Santa Claus suit at a church Christmas party. We might need to remind ourselves on occasion that silence is golden, but often we do come together, we do hold each other up, and we share both joy and sorrow. I think Simeon would approve.

Why There are Two Days

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 16:50:15 GMT

Why There are Two Days

I once knew a man whom I considered to be a very sincere Christian. Among his many "fruits of the Spirit" was a tremendous willingness to help people, especially if they needed help in repairing things. He had the ability to turn the old back into new. I also especially appreciated his great love for animals, sometimes even risking the displeasure of neighbors by making sure feral cats did not go hungry. However, if you remarked that he was a saint, he was very quick to exclaim, "I'm no saint!" Unfortunately he probably had bought into the common definition of sainthood which claims a saint is someone who feels that in some way you should feel guilty if you are doing something that is fun. OK, I exaggerate a bit, but modern day concepts of sainthood often miss the mark. Since the days of the early church all you had to do to become a saint was to become a Christian, a real Christian, not a church on Sunday, something else on Monday sort of Christian.

It is not surprising that before long various churches began to remember and honor the saints, especially those who had died as martyrs for the faith. In fact in the earliest years of the church All Saints Day, as it will eventually become known, was probably celebrated more regularly than Christmas Day. The practice appears to have started in Ireland then spread to England, and finally reached the European mainland. In England November 1 eventually came to be observed as All Hallows Day, and the night before as All Hallows Eve. The word "hallows" is derived from a Medieval word and simply means holy. Our word, Halloween in turn owes its origins to All Hallows Eve.

While every Christian is a saint, there are some saints who were more prominent than others. I wonder how many remember Leon Hart. In the 1950s he played end for the Detroit Lions, and during his college days he won the Heisman Trophy. Today if you are a lineman you can pretty much forget about winning the Heisman. You need the linemen, but the quarterbacks are most of the super stars. Well, we need "all the saints," but Apostles, martyrs, and folks like St. Francis of Assisi, or Mary Magdalene are the stars. They tend to get most of the attention on All Saints Day.

By the tenth century there were those who felt we were in danger of losing something precious if we forgot the everyday Christian, who might never be famous, but did his or her best to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

So, a new day was added to our church calendar. It is All Souls Days, observed on November 2. Many churches have a service on this day which includes reading the names of all the saints who have died in the past year, and perhaps including others that family and friends have asked to be remembered. Along with Good Friday, All Souls Day is one of two days during the Church Year when black is the usual liturgical color.

In Mexico All Saints Day and All Souls Day, as well as a few days right before these two, have been blended together into an observance known as the Day of the Dead. The observance has spread into the American Southwest, and if you are ever in San Antonio around this time, try to take the Spanish Mission tour. You will find the altars of the churches are elaborately decorated, sometimes in a way which might strike some of us as rather grim, as skulls are commonly featured. To those who worship here they are simply reminders of our mortality and our love for the departed.

If All Saints Day does not fall on Sunday, it is automatically transferred to the next Sunday. It is not considered an optional observance, but one we should celebrate every year. We also need to remember that in the Episcopal tradition we do not pray to saints or ask favors of them. We honor and commemorate them, and that is all. Should you have slipped up a few times and had a talk with Saint Jude or someone else, do not worry. God understands.

There are some wonderful hymns that have been written to help us celebrate All Saints Day. So, sing with gusto, enjoy the day, and celebrate your sainthood.

A SECOND PRAYER BOOK

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 03:18:30 GMT

A Second Prayer Book

A SECOND PRAYER BOOK?

The Rev. John Santosuosso

Anyone who has been an Episcopalian for more than about ten minutes is aware we are "People of the Book." Ever since the year 1549, when Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer authored the first Book of Common Prayer, worship in Anglican churches has been guided and directed by this famous volume. I tend to grind my teeth when I hear it, but the Book of Common Prayer is so closely associated with Anglican worship that I have even heard it referred to as the "Episcopal Bible."

However, there is another book, not nearly as well known, that has also strongly influenced one church in the Anglican Communion, namely our American Episcopal Church. That influence has been great enough that I think it might be unofficially called a "Second Prayer Book." The correct name for it is Lesser Feasts and Fasts, and the latest edition is 2022.

In the front of the Book of Common Prayer is the calendar for the Church Year. This lists all the days we commemorate throughout the year. It of course includes the major feasts or holy days such as Christmas, Easter, and All Saints Day. Virtually every Episcopal Church in the United States observes these. In 1964 the General Convention of the Church began to do something different. It began to add optional days of commemoration for those who had made great contributions and sacrifices for Christianity in general and Anglicanism in particular. Some of these persons lived centuries ago. Others were more recent, but all could be considered saints. Churches were free to commemorate these persons (and events), but were not obligated to do so. Thus Lesser Feasts and Fasts was born. Every three years the calendar is officially revised. New Names can be added, and in rare instances can be dropped. Periodically a new edition of Lesser Feasts and Fasts is published with these changes. The book lists propers and Scriptures readings that are appropriate for each observance.

What may be of particular interest to the laity of the church is that for each person or event included in the book, Lesser Feasts and Fasts includes a brief historical sketch. In recent years there has been an effort to include more women and persons from non-Western nations, without excluding those who have appeared in earlier editions. Reading a copy of Lesser Feasts and Fasts is an easy, painless way to get a first-class education in church history. It can be eye-opening to learn of great heroes and heroines that were previously unknown to us, and there are no exams!

Ironically there is one feast day widely observed in the Episcopal Church that you will not find included in Lesser Feasts and Fasts, and the reason for that is that its observance has never been officially added to the church calendar. This is the feast of Christ the King, which commemorates the reign of Jesus over all creation. Its earliest observance was in the Roman Catholic Church in 1925. Gradually other churches, including Episcopal and Lutheran, more or less unofficially borrowed it and celebrate it on the last Sunday before the Season of Advent. While not in the calendar, the propers and readings for the day are in keeping with the theme.

Hardback copies of Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2022 can be obtained directly from the Church Publishing Corporation or from sellers on Amazon. A new copy will set you back about forty-five dollars, probably more than most would be willing to pay. The good news is you can go to the Internet and download a complete copy of the book absolutely free.

Should you be tempted to do this, you will have taken a major step toward a fascinating exploration of Anglican history. Happy reading.

Here’s the link:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwivorSdz-eBAxUGOjQIHSqnDTgQFnoECA0QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.episcopalcommonprayer.org%2Fuploads%2F1%2F2%2F9%2F8%2F129843103%2Flesser_feasts_and_fasts_2022_final.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2iCt1pK6UnypDe1KmpbJky&opi=89978449

st-peters-episcopal-church9d07288f

Do Not be Afraid of the Dark

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When Faith is Difficult

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﻿

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