Folks,
The lessons for this Sunday include from Genesis (Adam and Eve expelled from the Garden of Good and Evil - or as Archie Bunker (of the TV sitcom "All in the Family" put it: "Get your clothes on and get the h*** out of here"), Matthew (the Temptation of Christ) and Romans (where Paul tries to make sense of the Condemnation for sin by way of the Justification we have in Jesus - heavy duty stuff! As we begin Lent this Sunday, often thought of as a time to look back on one's life, using those lessons along with the little bit of Lenten humour mentioned last weekend (the Proverbs 15 quote that "A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate") the point of the quote isn't condoning hatred of any, but to lift up love. In a similar looking back, last week's lessons included Transfiguration experiences, along with the admonition in Peter's letter warning about "interpretations", to which it feels important to respond that we are pilgrims trying to find our way to that Omega Point de Chardin et al spoke of. Thus this past weekend we heard at St Columbas Church and Retreat Centre in Inverness one of the better homilies we have ever heard about the Transfiguration from Fr Vince Pizzuto, wherein he put the REFLECTION of the extra light on Moses and Jesus in the Old Testament and Gospel lessons back on God's people. For if those events were merely a heavenly praise of Moses and Jesus, leaving the people wondering what good this was to them, they would hardly have been worth recounting. Indeed in his book Contemplating Christ Fr Vince makes clear that our prayer in meditation and contemplation is NOT about the supernatural, as instructive as such events may end up being. Rather it is a chance to partake of the gift of the divine that is around us and in us all the time, yet largely unrecognised. (Our experience at St Columbas with Fr Vince and his equally active parishioners, including his spouse Fernando Esponda, and the hike up Mt Vision were transfiguration / mountain top experience is many ways - and there will be more reflection as we begin to digest in smaller bits.) So what does this have to do with the aforementioned eviction from Eden? Simply to recognise, and let take hold, the "better angels of our nature", the better parts of all, and encourage them in all, thus creating by loving (as Vince might say, reflecting the light of God's love onto others) and so having the better companions at dinner, beginning with one's self. May we all be with ones we love at our Lenten FEASTS (even when fasting), whatever is on the menu! Our love to all - may all have a blessed Ash Wednesday! Bart (and Tony!) Events Folks This is the week of Lent, beginning TODAY, Ash Wednesday. Tony(!) and I will be on our way home to the ranch as you read this. With that, we again do not have time to come close to listing all the events in the SLO Deanery and El Camino Real Diocese, so encourage you to go to their calendars at www.slodeanery.org and www.ecr.org We cannot miss mentioning a couple of local events, including Evening Prayer this Sunday at our own St Matts, as well as Ash Wednesday services at St Marks, King City (English noon TODAY and Spanish at 6pm TODAY). Also of note, Daphne Denny of St Lukes, Jolon, tells us that TODAY "We will have our usual monthly Vespers Potluck at St. Luke's Episcopal in Jolon this coming Wednesday, February 22, beginning at 6 p.m. This just happens to be Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Everyone is welcome to come for supper, and if you choose, to stay for Vespers afterwards, beginning about 7 pm. The food is excellent and the company is even better." Finally, as mentioned the 3 South Monterey County parishes, St Matts, St Lukes, and St Marks, will be joining together for a farewell celebration for Fr Filemon Diaz, as he is about to take up the post at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in San Jose. We expect to be there for the Eucharist at 11am and the party after services in the parish (Guild) hall. And from our travels, we'd like to mention St Columbas and Fr Vince have a LOT to offer (we are looking forward to an individual retreat there soon) - see their websites put together by Fernando and the congregation. More about these in future NEWS episodes. Note that on many weekends they host group retreats. https://www.stcolumbasinverness.org/online-offerings
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Folks,
We are travelling this weekend for fun (hiking trails in the SF Bay Area) but wanted to mention the Lectionary lessons at http://lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Epiphany/AEpiLast_RCL.html and including Exodus, I Peter and Matthew. While Moses and Jesus have somewhat similar "transfiguration" experiences in the OT and gospel lessons, it is Peter's writing (glad he includes women prophets!) that causes me to remember that while he and the others who saw Jesus in person were blessed, "Blessed are those who have NOT seen, and yet believe." May we all, 2000 years after the gospel events, have the faith that sees without seeing, hears without hearing! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events Because we do not have time for extensive event notes, we just mention that St matts is meeting at 4pm in San Ardo for Evening Prayer while St Lukes in Jolon and St Marks in King City will be worshipping together at 10am at St Lukes in Jolon (San Marcos will be meeting at their usual noon hour in King City). Other Events As Lent begins on Ash Wednesday of this coming week (look for special events at your local parish), be sure to have some fun (Mardi Gras) on Shrove Tuesday, at some of the several Pancake Suppers we have mentioned, including at St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande 5:30-6:30pm and at Diocesan HQ (Sargent House) 5-7pm - please register for the latter at https://realepiscopal.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=35dc31c2d9&e=f136cc0442 Humour We wanted to tip our hats to Pastor Linda of Good Shepherd in Salinas who pointed out a verse from Proverbs which read "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, Than a fatted calf with hatred." in the King James Version, but has been delightfully translated (and apt for Lent) in the New Living Translation as "A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate." Folks,
The lessons this week begin with the notion of choice (rather like "free will" as the philosophers might put it) in both Deuteronomy (a copy of the law) and the alternate lesson from Sirach, but rapidly move to the notion of sin or sins - to me an important distinction since "sins" seem to spec out individual "peccadilloes" whilst "sin" seems a more generalised notion, as in "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (from Romans 23). Paul's letter to the Corinthians takes up at that same place, though it then moves back to a continuation of concerns about following differing evangelists. The gospel lesson continues in the same vein about sin, though Working Preacher usefully suggests the following: "Jesus connects the dots for his listeners from outward acts to internal orientation, from murder to anger, from adultery to lust. It is one thing to behave rightly. It is another thing entirely for one’s heart to be oriented toward love. Just as it is easier to make a sacrifice at the temple than it is to do justice (Micah 6), so it is easier to keep the commandment against murder than it is to avoid anger in one’s heart." Such a jump seems correct to me because intention not only evaluates current actions, some of which need to be understood in light of Joseph Fletcher's notion of "situation ethics" (eg, divorce may be the better choice, war may be "necessary" to prevent yet greater injustice, etc), but also motivate individuals to the good. For me, it is refreshing to have a simple discourse emphasising individual responsibility by way of free will, even if ultimately the psychological scientists sometimes suggest our actions and so our "choice" are in fact "determined" It is for this reason that we pray things like "lead me in paths of righteousness" even while we say "I choose to do what is right". May we find the ability to act responsibly for ourselves and commend it to others even while we recognise the complexity of real-life "situations". And may our hearts seek to understand God's "law" in all things, even as we pray for God to fill us with understanding of that law. Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Recent Events in Need of Attention Undoubtedly the "biggest" event of recent days has been the earthquake in Syria and Turkey, affecting so many and visiting death and destruction in a large area. We have received a note from Carole Bertolini at Diocesn HQ Sargent House that we can more effectively donate via Episcopal Relief and Development: Episcopal Relief & Development Turkey-Syria Earthquake Fund link to donate online: https://support.episcopalrelief.org/syria-turkey-earthquake?_gl=1*1ybrxoe*_ga*MTE0NzA0NjQ1OS4xNjYzNzA5NTM4*_ga_5J3W6B8WL4*MTY3NTk3NjYzMi42LjAuMTY3NTk3NjYzMi4wLjAuMA.. Link to the ERD Bulletin Inserts and other helpful materials: https://www.episcopalrelief.org/church-in-action/worship-resources/bulletin-inserts-2/turkey-and-syria-earthquake/ Archbishop Naoum asks for support for those affected by the earthquake in northern Syria – Click here to read the Archbishop’s message. Link to online donation page for the Archbishop’s Earthquake Donation Relief Fund: https://afedj.org/give/give-online/ Thank you for reaching out to those in need around the world. Events St Matts Church in San Ardo will meet this Sunday, Feb 12, for Evening Prayer at 4pm. And Daphne Denny of St Lukes Church in Jolon tells us that "Roy Morris will be leading the Service for Morning Prayer this coming Sunday, February 12, at 10 a.m. at St. Luke's in Jolon. Everyone is welcome. Also, there will be a Celebration of Arts and Artists the day before, on Saturday, February 11, at St. Luke's in the Fellowship Hall at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome to participate or observe, as they choose." St Marks / San Marcos Church in King City will be meeting for services at 10am (primarily English) and noon (primarily Spanish) and all are welcome. Our friend there and occasional minister at St Matts, Fr Fliemon Diaz of St Marks, tells us that he and his family will be moving to San Jose - in his words "As you have already been informed and I want to share it with you, my family and I have made the decision to respond to the call that has been made to me to serve the bilingual community of Trinity/Our Lady of Guadalupe in San José starting March 1 of 2023." Our prayers go with him and Nancy and the family! We at St Matts are trying to help with a farewell gift to help support him in his new ministry. If you'd like to help please email me back for details. Our friends at the Community of Divine Love, an Episcopal monastery in San Luis Obispo, tell us that there monthly Silent Saturday has been rescheduled to Sat, Feb 18, from 9am until noon and all are welcome. We are particularly partial to silent gatherings - the intensity of silence with others present is amazing! For now, CDL is located at 2424 Augusta St.in SLO, but in the near future they plan to relocate to Cambria. We will be keen to hear more about this new location. Note that Passover is coming in later April (along with Easter of course) and St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego tells us you can join Rabbi Yael Ridberg for an examination of the rituals of the Passover Seder (ritual meal) that celebrates the ancient Israelites redemption from slavery. Watch online at 9am this Sunday at https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zkPhgkgQt_ThgIWxOBO4SIPunKNR33Z6qda535lwAeK78_qRXI_PCFUPBkLxmzNMMeYp4270meiR8COWI3QxTx9Kp5T-2Cy47INmsBxgrJ4_AQvWiZTki8ZQZuAbvJhg64HaagyXfac1noT_dbS2WxLzWHy5QN4FDYwhz8CWeLaeyRDusXbTPxbPGe1qGVhzOCd7bXWCrmk=&c=hU1vAdKEhzJS_NPyCtDmsTZEFORuOCZ9zRmZRcU57Q4fVdliZlJQUA==&ch=DDsLhRYIwNlv2qn8GI6Pz_M9mJp_jwEkkjIf1Jb4IiFfV5NtSWVEDQ== And at 5pm this Sunday St Pauls will perform Evensong, sung by the Cathedral Schola, will including works by Palestrina, Stanford, and Brahms. Watch and listen at https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001zkPhgkgQt_ThgIWxOBO4SIPunKNR33Z6qda535lwAeK78_qRXI_PCFUPBkLxmzNMMeYp4270meiR8COWI3QxTx9Kp5T-2Cy47INmsBxgrJ4_AQvWiZTki8ZQZuAbvJhg64HaagyXfac1noT_dbS2WxLzWHy5QN4FDYwhz8CWeLaeyRDusXbTPxbPGe1qGVhzOCd7bXWCrmk=&c=hU1vAdKEhzJS_NPyCtDmsTZEFORuOCZ9zRmZRcU57Q4fVdliZlJQUA==&ch=DDsLhRYIwNlv2qn8GI6Pz_M9mJp_jwEkkjIf1Jb4IiFfV5NtSWVEDQ== For more info on St Pauls and their events go to www.stpaulcathedral.org - most of their events are both live and online. A Sunburst event: We have mentioned our friends at the Sunburst Community, a lovely spiritual group who operate something of a retreat center at a ranch west of Gaviota. Many of their events are online and we can recommend them to you, including their Sunday Inspiration & Meditation at 10:30am and note their website offers replays. See more about their events at https://sunburst.org/upcoming/ Other Events Our friend Don Maruska of St Benedicts Church in Los Osos and the Earthcare group there tell us of a webinar event set for Feb 21 at 1pm Eastern (10am Pacific) called "Planning the Energy Future of your Congregation", hosted by Interfaith Power & Light For more info and details, go to https://webmail8.userservices.net/?_task=mail&_caps=pdf%3D1%2Cflash%3D0%2Ctiff%3D0%2Cwebp%3D1%2Cpgpmime%3D0&_uid=90413&_mbox=INBOX&_action=show the Energy Future of your Congregation, hosted by Interfaith Power & Light and our partners. Friends,
The lessons this week have a marvelous balance, with the lesson from Isaiah being the what I might call the "social justice" lesson which should be spoken in a loud voice and with a sense of righteousness, while the epistle to the Corinthians has Paul dwelling on developing his notion of a spiritually-oriented community - all this capped off by Jesus, in Matthew's gospel, making clear that the law will be upheld (and perhaps with a bit of a chuckle to himself, saying that "unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (a low standard indeed). To me, taken together these three lessons rather well describe what the church can be. There are some in the church who criticise the "firebrand preachers of social justice, with folks like Martin Luther King (who led march a block from my home in Chicago when I was a child and William Sloane Coffin who preached one Sunday at Stanford Memorial Church, upsetting the status quo. At the same time, there are many groups who live in a contemplative and more silent life, such as the monastics of old and even the new age groups - we have been drawn to such as the Benedictine monks once at Mt Calvary and the more nearly New Age Sunburst group near Santa Barbara. Those two aspects well-describe the spiritual life to me but then Jesus adds, not to destroy the law but to "fulfill" it. My understanding of Jesus's words means that while in "this world" we need "separation of church and state" (render unto Caesar ,,,) is very much needed, in the kingdom to come, the community the church is working to become, such separation is unneeded, because all will live in a perfect balance of justice and love - and spiritual and temporal matters will be as one (remember that Great Commandment is really two: love your God (spiritual) and your neighbour (temporal). But today I think we need to see that process of the church's "work" in helping build, inasmuch as we can, that heavenly kingdom here on earth. While that process very much includes Isaiah-like preaching of justice, people first need the spiritual sustenance that drives that work for justice. This food is the Spirit, a very Holy thing to my mind, and it enables faith to flow into the people, especially when nurtured by a spiritual community. And it is for that reason that I ask the meaning of "spiritual", especially since some would observe someone in meditation and ask "What good is that for the poor and lowly?" It seems to me that the fact is that without that basis of faith found in meditation, contemplation and the reading of scriptures, and without the support of the loving community of faith, the striving for justice can fall flat. I remember too well a justice-oriented bishop in the 70s who came around to my junior high Sunday School class at a parish in the affluent Palo Alto suburb of Portola Valley. It was the kind of place where parents dropped off kids but would themselves not attend even the Sunday worship services, let alone the study and meditation which are necessary parts of spiritual growth which engenders (like a well-balanced diet) the work of justice (preaching, writing letters, making calls, demonstrating , etc - all not for their own sake but when needed to let justice flow forth). Those poor kids (I say "poor" because though affluent they had barely begun experiencing, if at all, the rich diet of faith that opens the mind to the "Spiritual" - rather, they just sat there when being preached at by this well-intended bishop with a look on their faces like "Why are you telling me this?" All of the above to me, and based on these lessons, need an understanding of matters of the Spiritual, which in turn involves an Epiphany (as in recent usage, a word meaning a realisation of an intuitive understanding). The definition of the Spiritual is in matters that go beyond the everyday, to the very nature of being - which, however useful and inquisitive as Science can be always falls short of ultimate understanding and awareness that there are greater things - it too is a work in progress. May we come together in loving community (even if online, as several of our spiritual groups do) to search and receive more spiritual understanding for our work of justice here on earth! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events The 3 South Monterey County missions will be having Sunday services at their regular times this coming Sunday, our St Matts at 4pm, St Lukes in Jolon at 10am, and St Marks in King City at 11am. Special Event at St Lukes, Jolon Our correspondent (and good friend) Daphne Denny tells us of the following (and delightful sounding) event: Hello to Everyone, Please come join us Saturday, February 11, at 7 p.m. at St. Luke's Episcopal in Jolon for a Celebration of Arts and Artists. If you make music, write prose, or poetry, create visual art, dance, or any other art, or simply enjoy seeing and hearing the amazing things other people are creating, you are welcome here. St. Luke's Fellowship Hall will be open at 6:30 p.m. There will be light refreshments. If you would like to bring refreshments to share, please feel free. After all, food is Art, too. At 7 p.m. we will begin our Celebration Circle. Everyone is invited to share one or two pieces with the group. Everyone is welcome to participate or observe as they choose. Children are welcome and are encouraged to bring something to share. We aim to create a friendly, nurturing environment for everyone. There is a nice piano that is reasonably well-tuned at the Fellowship Hall. If you can't attend this event, don't worry. We plan to make these Celebration Circles a regular event. If you have any questions, please call or text me, Daphne Denny, at 805-835-9168. Please shares this announcement with anyone you think might be interested. Much love to all of you, Daphne Denny. Other events In the runup to Lent, we have already mentioned Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinners and now hear the St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande will be having one at 5:30pm on Tuesday, Feb 21. We have taken part in several of these which offer a bit of the Mardi Gras sensation with a fun event ahead of the more meditative / contemplative Lenten season. From the Diocese, etc And both the DIocese of El Camino Real and the Parkfield "Club" (our friends who meet at the old community centre there) have links to FEMA for help with damage from the recent rains / floods - check them out. |
WILLIAM BARTOSH
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