On Sunday, I missed a healing service at my church, because I went to Christ Church Cathedral in New Orleans for the Eucharist at which Bishop Katharine presided and preached. I'm sorry I was not able to be at St. John's.
From the Daily Comet:
THIBODAUX - The words were hard for the shepherd to say and even harder for his flock to hear.
“We must pray for Derrick Odomes,” said Ed Robertson, pastor of St. John Episcopal Church, during the second of two services Sunday morning.
Robertson’s words contained the sort of compassion generally reserved for a sick church member, not someone accused of killing a former pastor.
Fr. Ed is right. We must pray for Derrick Odomes.
After the service, Horgan’s sister said her brother believed in forgiveness and true healing can only begin if people apply his teachings to their own lives.
Those are beautiful words from Kay Hardee, and I do believe that Fr. Horgan would have counseled forgiveness.
In The Lord's Prayer, we say, "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us...." It seems to me that we ask God to forgive us in the same way that we forgive others. They're hard words to bear, but Jesus, himself, taught us to pray this prayer.
For purely selfish reasons, I believe that forgiveness is a good thing. As we harbor unforgiveness, it eats away inside us. If, by the grace of God, we let it go, we are healed from its ill effects.
Robertson told his congregation to pray for Odomes, citing a verse from the Bible’s first chapter of Timothy that says “pray for them all without distinction.”
“It might be a bitter pill to swallow, but that which saves our enemy saves us too,” Robertson said.
Amen.
My prayer for the relatives and friends of Hunter Horgan and for the congregation at St. John - for everyone who loved him and misses him - is that "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
You are so right about forgiveness helping the forgiver. I wish I had learned years ago that allowing anger, hurt and similar emotions to dominate means allowing someone else to control me. That is ridiculous. It may work for Bush to have someone else pulling the strings but look where that has us. We need to learn to snip those strings by letting go of the negative emotions that tie us in knots. That to me is a major message of the Bible.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I needed that.
ReplyDeleteI'm engaged in yet another round of justifying myself to others, and one thing I have to do is state my position on Windsor (I'm honestly getting worn out with these topics. I'm getting too old to learn so many new ways of distinquishing myself from other people, but to the laity especially, the ministry seems to be all about such distinctions.). I'd read your post below ("Padre Zico speaks") and remembered the language about the "instruments of unity", but couldn't remember where I'd read them.
I need to fold them into my answer. So, this morning, when I most need it, a double blessing. Blessings are funny that way, eh?
Beautiful and so true. I wrote on my other blog... (to which you have access Grandmere, but that I can't really make fully public. If others want to know they can ask at frr2003 at gmail dot com)the other day that one of the lessons I learned from my mother's family was forgiveness.
ReplyDeleteIt was not because they were such a forgiving lot... No, because, as I said over there, they all tended to die with their arms crossed, their jaws clenched and their heads turned away.
Grace permeated and somehow I don't live like that. There is nothing like forgiveness.. given and received. They both must happen.
Piskie, you're so right. We are bound by those whom we cannot forgive.
ReplyDeleteRmj, I'm pleased to be of service. The thought that I can be of help to anyone on things Episcopal made me smile.
Blessings upon you during your inquisition.
Fran, so your unforgiving relatives taught you forgiveness, teaching by example what not to do.
Life is full of irony.