Spirit of the Eagle – February 2018
Tidbits for February from Father Tim
February has arrived and the Lenten Season along with it. Ash Wednesday falls on the 14th day of the month. When we think of Lent, things like fasting (Psalm 35:13), abstinence, daily prayer, self-examination, mourning our sins, repentance, and Confession come to mind. We consider what we could ‘fast from’, ‘take away’, or possibly ‘add to’ our Lenten Season. It is a time to humble ourselves before God. We should desire to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion more frequently. Lent is a time of retirement. Limit your social media and cut back on social entertainments. Find time to be alone and “commune with your own heart, and in your chamber, and be still” (Psalm 4:4). To afflict our own soul is well and good, but we must also consider the needs of others, especially the poor. We should not forget about charity ‘given in secrecy’ during Lent. In addition to the above I would recommend reading the 51st Psalm, Miserere mei, Deus, and The Lamentations of Jeremiah from your family Bible. There are many other good Lenten disciplines and books available as well. Why are these self-disciplines necessary? One of the many reasons is to prepare us for those future disciplines, allowed by God, which come upon us without our volunteering for them. Such as something we enjoy at our secular work taken away. A good friend or grown child moving to another state. It could be an additional ‘maintenance’ of some type suddenly thrust upon us. Or, and we all lived through this in 2017, it could be additional ‘responsibility’ at church because someone else can no longer be responsible or gave up the responsibility. A good Lenten-discipline can prepare us to overcome the unexpected disciplines in a holy manner. Be sure this Lenten Season to be realistic in your discipline, remain focused, and avoid gloominess because there should be a true joy in penitence as we adjust, and fine tune our turn towards God. I pray your Lent is both holy, and meaningful. ~ Father Tim
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The Name of Jesus brings forgiveness and reconciliation. When we have grievously sinned (and so much the more when we have sinned lightly), we can, within one second, cling to the Holy Name with repentance and charity and pronounce it with our whole heart, and the Name thus used (and through which we have reached the person of Christ) will already be a token of pardon. After sin let us not ‘hang about’, delay and linger. Let us not hesitate to take up again the invocation of the Name, in spite of our unworthiness. A new day is breaking and Jesus stands on the shore. ‘When Simon Peter heard that it was the the Lord he . . . cast himself into the sea’ (John 21:7). Act like Simon. Say ‘Jesus’, as though beginning life afresh. ~ Lev Gillet, On the Invocation of the Name of Jesus
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Ash Wednesday
St. John parishioners will have two Wednesday options to receive the Imposition of Ashes on the 14th day of February which is right around the corner. For those who want Ashes early there will be a 12:00 Noon Imposition of Ashes and Holy Mass. For those who want to come by in the evening (or stop by after work) there will be a 6:00 PM Imposition of ashes and Evening Prayer. I will save the ashes until Sunday, the 18th of March, for anyone who cannot make the Ash Wednesday services. Please pass this information along this Sunday to those who do not have email.
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February Spirituality Class
Please join us after Holy Mass on the 18th of February as we read and discuss A Time to Turn: Anglican Readings for Lent and Easter Week, by Christopher L. Webber. For centuries Lent has been a time when Christians stop and take stock of their lives. It is a time for revisiting the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. It is a time of focusing on our sinfulness and the need to repent, as well as a season in which we focus on putting aside our luxuries and making sure that others have what they need. All of these themes, and more, are explored in this collection of Anglican readings that begin with Ash Wednesday and end on the Saturday of Easter Week. These readings are arranged in a regular sequence through each week of Lent. Sunday readings focus on God’s love, Mondays on the need for discipline, Tuesdays on fasting, Wednesdays on prayer, Thursdays on sin, Fridays on the cross, and Saturdays on baptism. A Time to Turn draws on the best sermons, books, poems, and hymns of Anglican writers throughout the centuries, with a reading for each day, followed by the brief suggestion for focusing the reader’s meditations. Writers include Christina Rossetti, John Donne, Philips Brooks, John Keble, Thomas Traherne, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and many others. Brief biographies are included, along with a bibliography for those who would like to read more from a given writer.
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Conquer yourself and the world lies at your feet. ~ Saint Augustine of Hippo
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Psalm-Children
This month we journey from Pre-Lent into Lent. On February 4th, we will review the Seven Sacraments, on February 18th we will learn about the Lenten Season, and on February 25th we will learn about Jesus’s 40 days in the Wilderness. In addition, during the coffee hour, we will introduce our Lenten project “The Crown of Thorns”. Please feel free to write down or e-mail me with intentions for our Prayer Cross. We invite all children ages 2-12 to join us as we learn through lessons, activities, and fellowship. ~ Mary Matias Akhtar
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Welcome dear feast of Lent: who loves not thee,
He loves not Temperance, or Authority,
But is compos’d of passion.
The Scriptures bid us fast; the Church says, now:
Give to thy Mother, what thou wouldst allow
To ev’ry Corporation.
Yet Lord instruct us to improve our fast
By starving sin and taking such repast,
As may our faults control:
That ev’ry man may revel at his door,
Not in his parlor; banqueting the poor,
And among those his soul.
~ George Herbert, Lent (First and last verse)
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St. John February Ordo Kalendar
Sunday, the 4th of February, we celebrate Sexagesima and Vestry Meeting
Sunday, the 11th of February, we celebrate Quinquagesima and Shrove Tuesday Coffee Hour
Wednesday, the 14th of February, we celebrate Ash Wednesday at 12:00 Noon and 6:00 PM
Sunday, the 18th of February, we celebrate Lent I
Sunday, the 25th of February, we celebrate Lent II
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Catherine Akhtar – Birthday – February 6
Sally Whalen – Birthday – February 6
Ruth & Mike Lenz – Anniversary – February 16
Mary Matias & Reza Akhtar – Anniversary – February 17
Carrie Moore – Birthday – February 18
Isabella McHale – Birthday – February 20
Bob Petrie – Birthday – February 23
Mike Whalen – Birthday – February 27
Jack Murray – Birthday – February 28