Our friend, Ann, has set up a new blog called How Beautiful... The purpose of the blog will be to bring to us the good news from the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
Upon hearing about Ann's blog, I had mixed emotions for a selfish reason. Ann has supplied me with material that I have used in posts for my blog, and now I presume she will save the best for her own blog - of course! She has begun to give us the good news of the kingdom, right here and right now. Please pay her a visit.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
The Advent Antiphons
Image from the massive Ghent altarpiece, "The Adoration of the Lamb" by Hubert and Jan van Eyck at St. Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium. Wiki has the whole altarpiece, except for missing parts, and is worth a look.
The well-known carol, “O come, O come, Emmanuel,” provides just such a passageway linking the old and the new. The carol’s familiar names for Christ are based on the Advent Antiphons—the “Great O’s”—which date back possibly to the sixth century. These antiphons—short devotional texts chanted before and after a psalm or canticle—were sung before and after the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, at Vespers from December 16 through December 23. Each of the antiphons greets the Messiah and ends with a petition of hope. The simple refrain of the carol, “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!” sets the tone for this Advent time of waiting and expectation.
From "Hasten the Kingdom: Praying the O Antiphons of Advent" by Mary Winifred, C.A. (Liturgical Press, 1996).
From Speaking to the Soul, posted by Vicki Black at the Episcopal Café.
Over the next several days, beginning tomorrow, I plan to post each day on the "O Antiphon" of the day.
Image from Fish Eaters.
Censored Levee Video
Do go watch the spoof levee video at Through the Dust, put together by high school students from New Orleans, which was censored, but the censorship backfired, and we are now permitted to watch once again.
Please Help Christ The King Church In Rio
I'm not a good beggar. Others have more skills in cajoling, using humor and other techniques to get attention. But I do believe in the cause. The donations go to the Anglican Church of Christ the King, located in one of the poorest and most violent slums in Rio de Janiero. Our virtual friend Luiz Coelho, a candidate for the Anglican priesthood, worked for nearly a year with the children of the City of God. As of yesterday the amount of $5537.49 has been collected in 16 days. Thanks be to God.
As I said in another post on the City of God:
We are taught that God loves each of us infinitely, but I cannot help but believe (probably heretically) that the destitute and the poor amongst us are more precious in the sight of God than those of us who possess more of the world's goods. God is surely present with those who live in the City of God slum.
Go here to make a donation by Paypal, or:
In the U.K. cheques (made payable to "St. Francis Church") should be sent to:
CITY OF GOD APPEAL,
St. Francis House
18 Cotswold Gardens
High Heaton
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE7 7AE
Please write "City Of God Appeal" on the reverse of the cheque.
In the United States, cheques (made payable to "The Episcopal Church of St. Paul") should be sent to:
CITY OF GOD APPEAL
c/o The Reverend Elizabeth Kaeton
The Episcopal Church of St. Paul
200 Main Street
Chatham, NJ 07928
Please write "City Of God Appeal" on the front of the check.
Thanks to Paul at Byzigenous Buddhapalian for the picture.
Friday, December 14, 2007
A Walk Full Of Grace
What a grace-filled walk I had this evening! Though welcomed, but not sought, the powerful felt presence of God accompanied me on my walk. It was gift. It was grace. I have no meditative techniques, but I often find that God meets me on my walk. In fact, I plan to meet God on my walks. But tonight was special, because of the intensity of the Presence - truly the work of the Spirit of the Living God.
The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
I can but bow down in thanksgiving, and say, "Lord, I am not worthy, yet you grace me with your presence. I give you all praise, and honor, and glory, in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
I can but bow down in thanksgiving, and say, "Lord, I am not worthy, yet you grace me with your presence. I give you all praise, and honor, and glory, in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."
Fr. Jake On The Advent Letter To The Primates
Fr. Jake has an excellent post on the Archbishop of Canterbury's Advent letter to the primates of the Anglican Communion, which includes copious quotes and commentary. I'll leave it to others to parse the epistle and confine myself to brief comments.
It seems plain to me that the Archbishop still does not understand the polity of the Episcopal Church. It's not only bishops who make the rules. Lay persons and clergy really do have a place in the governance of the Episcopal Church.
It seems plain to me that the Archbishop still does not understand the polity of the Episcopal Church. It's not only bishops who make the rules. Lay persons and clergy really do have a place in the governance of the Episcopal Church.
From The Archbishop Of Canterbury
An excerpt from the Archbishop of Canterbury's Christmas Message to the Anglican Communion, December 14, 2007:
God loves the company of those who know their need, and that is why he comes at Christmas to stand with them, to live with them and to die and rise for them. He is the God who blesses the poor - not only those who are materially poor, but those who are without the 'riches' of self-satisfaction and complacency, those who know all too well how far they fall short of real and full humanity. And so we are to pass on that blessing to the poor of every sort, those who are without material resources and those who are 'poor in spirit' because they know their hunger and need. Let us ask ourselves honestly whose company we are ashamed to be seen in - and then ask where God would be. If he has embraced the failing and fragile world of human beings who know their needs, then we must be there with him.
Read the rest at the Anglican Communion News Service.
God loves the company of those who know their need, and that is why he comes at Christmas to stand with them, to live with them and to die and rise for them. He is the God who blesses the poor - not only those who are materially poor, but those who are without the 'riches' of self-satisfaction and complacency, those who know all too well how far they fall short of real and full humanity. And so we are to pass on that blessing to the poor of every sort, those who are without material resources and those who are 'poor in spirit' because they know their hunger and need. Let us ask ourselves honestly whose company we are ashamed to be seen in - and then ask where God would be. If he has embraced the failing and fragile world of human beings who know their needs, then we must be there with him.
Read the rest at the Anglican Communion News Service.
I Got Elphed
Lapin Elphed me and some other folks. Cool, isn't it? Go elf yourself.
UPDATE: Folks want to know: The dancers are the 16 year old MadPriest, That Kaeton Woman, me, and the ABC having a jolly old time.
UPDATE 2: Here's another version of my elfing, thanks to Ann.
UPDATE: Folks want to know: The dancers are the 16 year old MadPriest, That Kaeton Woman, me, and the ABC having a jolly old time.
UPDATE 2: Here's another version of my elfing, thanks to Ann.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Surprise! Jodie Foster Comes Out!
From the TimesOnline:
After guarding her private life fiercely for 15 years, Hollywood actress Jodie Foster has publicly acknowledged her lesbian partner.
The Oscar-winning actress thanked "my beautiful Cydney" after winning an award at the Women in Entertainment Power 100 breakfast in Los Angeles.
From the comments to the Times article:
Wouldn't it be great if one day this sort of thing was so inconsequential that nobody cared?
Yes, it would. No headlines. Just life.
After guarding her private life fiercely for 15 years, Hollywood actress Jodie Foster has publicly acknowledged her lesbian partner.
The Oscar-winning actress thanked "my beautiful Cydney" after winning an award at the Women in Entertainment Power 100 breakfast in Los Angeles.
From the comments to the Times article:
Wouldn't it be great if one day this sort of thing was so inconsequential that nobody cared?
Yes, it would. No headlines. Just life.
Bishop Jenkins On Public Housing In NOLA
Thanks to Ormonde at Through The Dust for the tip on the statement by Bishop Charles Jenkins on the plan to tear down public housing in New Orleans. Ormonde says:
My bishop, Charles Jenkins, has issued a statement opposing FEMA's decision to evict refugees from trailers and HUD's decision to bulldoze federal housing in New Orleans (already a city with many homeless).
This is, as Bishop Jenkins says, very much a moral issue. Bishop Jenkins' statement is here.
In this holy season, the decision has been made by FEMA that tens of thousands of families or individuals must leave their trailer homes by the spring of next year. Eviction notices are being posted even now. At the very same time, it has been decided by the Housing Authority of New Orleans and HUD that the bulk of the Federal Housing Projects in New Orleans are to be bulldozed to the ground this month. Many of those living in FEMA trailers do not have the resources to find other housing in the notoriously expensive New Orleans housing market. The Case Management system, which is designed to help citizens of the diaspora and those returned home deal with such challenges, is scheduled to end in March of 2008.
As a Christian, I am compelled to speak of the morality of these decisions. The issue is not simply one of housing or even subsidized housing. Rather, the issue before us is primarily a moral issue. The issue before us is not buildings, but people. As the Christ Child had no place but a manger to lay his head, so it is that many children in New Orleans and of the New Orleans diaspora have no place to call home. Shall America by policy treat our citizens as mere statistics or shall we respect the dignity of each person as a child of God? The numbers are huge, but as we were reminded by a thoughtful rabbi in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center, each number represents a human being. It is not that tens of thousands shall be further displaced but that multitudes of human beings shall again be put out - one human being at a time.
The buildings are in disrepair, but they are well-built. They have good bones and could be repaired for much less money than rebuilding from scratch. The New Orleans Housing Authority was corrupt, and they mismanaged public housing in New Orleans for a good number of years. The feds, through HUD, took over management of the housing and didn't do much better in maintaining the buildings and keeping them safe for the residents who lived there. HANO is now back in charge.
Yesterday the bulldozing of the B. W. Cooper project was to begin, but protesters got in the way, and the operations were suspended. The New Orleans Times-Picayune has the story.
Dozens of protesters stalled plans by the Housing Authority of New Orleans to begin demolition of vacant buildings at the B.W. Cooper public housing development Wednesday, signaling the start of a contentious battle between what the government calls progress and dissenters view as an attack on the poor in post-Katrina New Orleans.
....
That fact meant nothing to the protesters, who managed to claim a victory, if only for one evening, as HANO and the city attorney's office agreed to halt demolition late Wednesday and possibly start fresh today.
....
Many residents of public housing reacted to the sight of the excavators with expressions of sadness and voiced distrust of the government's plans for "revitalization" of HANO's properties.
'It's home'
"It's not the lakefront, but it's home," said Ralph Lewis, 51, who was born and lived at Cooper until he evacuated before Katrina struck.
....
Tanya Davis, 44, said many of her missing neighbors are stuck in Texas or Georgia or Arkansas, waiting to come home.
....
Davis applied for her first "project," a one-bedroom apartment, more than a quarter-century ago, when she was a young mother. She got it.
"I started from there," she said. She's been working steadily ever since like most of her neighbors, she said. The ones who didn't work were disabled or senior citizens on a fixed income, people whom she and others helped by paying cab fare or fixing meals. "It was a tight-knit community. Everybody was close," she said.
The majority of the residents were working people, or they were elderly or disabled. The were not the deadbeats that we hear so much about. The powers have said that there is public housing that is now sitting vacant, but Bishop Jenkins addresses that point too.
Beware the claim that low cost housing is available and going unclaimed in New Orleans. There is more to this than empty apartments. The capacity of the growing homeless population in New Orleans and those of the Diaspora to qualify for these apartments, should they exist, is compromised. Without assistance, without case management, many do not have the ability to qualify for these apartments. So, if FEMA is putting people on the streets, many will decide that if they are going to be homeless, they would rather be homeless in New Orleans than in Houston or Atlanta. We face the potential of an extended situation not unlike that we saw in the Superdome immediately after Katrina.
Altogether, this statement from Bishop Jenkins is excellent. I admire greatly his advocacy on this issue. We need to hear from the leadership in the churches on matters of justice such as this. Thank you, Bishop Jenkins. Thank you, Ormonde, for calling attention to the bishop's statement.
My bishop, Charles Jenkins, has issued a statement opposing FEMA's decision to evict refugees from trailers and HUD's decision to bulldoze federal housing in New Orleans (already a city with many homeless).
This is, as Bishop Jenkins says, very much a moral issue. Bishop Jenkins' statement is here.
In this holy season, the decision has been made by FEMA that tens of thousands of families or individuals must leave their trailer homes by the spring of next year. Eviction notices are being posted even now. At the very same time, it has been decided by the Housing Authority of New Orleans and HUD that the bulk of the Federal Housing Projects in New Orleans are to be bulldozed to the ground this month. Many of those living in FEMA trailers do not have the resources to find other housing in the notoriously expensive New Orleans housing market. The Case Management system, which is designed to help citizens of the diaspora and those returned home deal with such challenges, is scheduled to end in March of 2008.
As a Christian, I am compelled to speak of the morality of these decisions. The issue is not simply one of housing or even subsidized housing. Rather, the issue before us is primarily a moral issue. The issue before us is not buildings, but people. As the Christ Child had no place but a manger to lay his head, so it is that many children in New Orleans and of the New Orleans diaspora have no place to call home. Shall America by policy treat our citizens as mere statistics or shall we respect the dignity of each person as a child of God? The numbers are huge, but as we were reminded by a thoughtful rabbi in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center, each number represents a human being. It is not that tens of thousands shall be further displaced but that multitudes of human beings shall again be put out - one human being at a time.
The buildings are in disrepair, but they are well-built. They have good bones and could be repaired for much less money than rebuilding from scratch. The New Orleans Housing Authority was corrupt, and they mismanaged public housing in New Orleans for a good number of years. The feds, through HUD, took over management of the housing and didn't do much better in maintaining the buildings and keeping them safe for the residents who lived there. HANO is now back in charge.
Yesterday the bulldozing of the B. W. Cooper project was to begin, but protesters got in the way, and the operations were suspended. The New Orleans Times-Picayune has the story.
Dozens of protesters stalled plans by the Housing Authority of New Orleans to begin demolition of vacant buildings at the B.W. Cooper public housing development Wednesday, signaling the start of a contentious battle between what the government calls progress and dissenters view as an attack on the poor in post-Katrina New Orleans.
....
That fact meant nothing to the protesters, who managed to claim a victory, if only for one evening, as HANO and the city attorney's office agreed to halt demolition late Wednesday and possibly start fresh today.
....
Many residents of public housing reacted to the sight of the excavators with expressions of sadness and voiced distrust of the government's plans for "revitalization" of HANO's properties.
'It's home'
"It's not the lakefront, but it's home," said Ralph Lewis, 51, who was born and lived at Cooper until he evacuated before Katrina struck.
....
Tanya Davis, 44, said many of her missing neighbors are stuck in Texas or Georgia or Arkansas, waiting to come home.
....
Davis applied for her first "project," a one-bedroom apartment, more than a quarter-century ago, when she was a young mother. She got it.
"I started from there," she said. She's been working steadily ever since like most of her neighbors, she said. The ones who didn't work were disabled or senior citizens on a fixed income, people whom she and others helped by paying cab fare or fixing meals. "It was a tight-knit community. Everybody was close," she said.
The majority of the residents were working people, or they were elderly or disabled. The were not the deadbeats that we hear so much about. The powers have said that there is public housing that is now sitting vacant, but Bishop Jenkins addresses that point too.
Beware the claim that low cost housing is available and going unclaimed in New Orleans. There is more to this than empty apartments. The capacity of the growing homeless population in New Orleans and those of the Diaspora to qualify for these apartments, should they exist, is compromised. Without assistance, without case management, many do not have the ability to qualify for these apartments. So, if FEMA is putting people on the streets, many will decide that if they are going to be homeless, they would rather be homeless in New Orleans than in Houston or Atlanta. We face the potential of an extended situation not unlike that we saw in the Superdome immediately after Katrina.
Altogether, this statement from Bishop Jenkins is excellent. I admire greatly his advocacy on this issue. We need to hear from the leadership in the churches on matters of justice such as this. Thank you, Bishop Jenkins. Thank you, Ormonde, for calling attention to the bishop's statement.
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