Spirit of the Eagle – September 2020
Spirit of the Eagle
St. John the Evangelist ACC
Spiritual Tidbits & Rector’s Reflections for
September 2020 from Father Tim
Summer begins its descent with the arrival of September. Hopefully covid-19 will descend into history right along with it. The big day on the secular calendar this month is, of course, Labor Day on the 7th. If only as many people in our nation would recognize the following Monday the 14th, Exaltation of the Holy Cross, with as much vigor, one could easily assume our country would be much closer to the Kingdom of God. September also includes the fall Ember Days (16th, 18th, and 19th), the feast of S. Matthew (21st), and the feast of S. Michael & All Angels (29th) The Exaltation of the Holy Cross commemorates the discovery of the True Cross. Legend holds that the relic was found by S. Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land about 326. She razed the second-century Temple of Aphrodite, which tradition held was built over the Savior’s tomb, and her son built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher on that spot. During the excavation, workers found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch healed a dying woman. The cross immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good Friday celebration in Jerusalem toward the end of the 4th century, according to an eyewitness, the wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus’ head: Then “all the people pass through one by one; all of them bow down, touching the cross and the inscription, first with their foreheads, then with their eyes; and, after kissing the cross, they move on.” The Chapel of St. Helena inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built by the Crusaders in her honour, and below it lies the Chapel of the Finding of the True Cross, in which the cross of Christ’s crucifixion was reportedly discovered. To the eyes of the first Christians, the cross had no beauty, because they witnessed so many crosses outside too many city walls, decorated only with decaying corpses, as a threat to anyone who defied Rome’s authority—including Christians who refused sacrifice to Roman gods. But Christians eventually saw the cross as a thing of beauty, to be carried in procession, or worn as jewelry. It is a fact, often overlooked, that when Jesus touches the corrupted, the repulsive, the decaying, the result is a new creation of beauty. I pray your September is a month of beauty. ~ Father Tim
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Is there someone in your life who is struggling with despair? Do they feel depressed? September is the month of Exaltation. It is a perfect time to speak with a lost soul about the great mystery of the cross, invite them to attend Saint John’s with you, and kneel at the foot of the cross. This September could bring beauty to someone you cherish. ~ Father Tim
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The body was made for the sake of the soul, and this world for the sake of the other world. ~ St. Giles, Abbot, feast day 1st of September
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Bible Study & Spirituality Class
There will be no class in September. However, since this month celebrates the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I would suggest reading the Old Testament story of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness, Numbers 21: 5-9, on your own and look for the foreshadowing of the Holy Cross. Here God illustrates the beautiful story of the cross. Instead of taking away the serpents in answer to their prayer, God provided a remedy in the form of a serpent. Just as God did not take away the penalty of sin [death] when Adam sinned, God provided a remedy in Jesus Christ who died in our place to pay for our sins on the cross. Do you look to Jesus by faith? The study of God’s word is central to the life and mission of our parish church of St. John the Evangelist. The Holy Scriptures and continued exposure to God’s word will change your life. ~ Father Tim
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We must speak to them with our hands by giving, before we try to speak to them with our lips. ~ S. Peter Claver, Confessor, feast day 9th of September
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St. John September Ordo Kalendar
Wednesday, the 2nd of September at 5:45 PM, Evening Prayer
Sunday, the 6th of September at 10:30 AM, Trinity XIII
Wed. the 9th of Sept. at 4:30 PM, Vestry Meeting, 5:45 PM, Evening Prayer
Sunday, the 13th of September at 10:30 AM, Trinity XIV
Wednesday, the 16th of September at 5:45 PM, Evening Prayer
Sunday, the 20th of September at 10:30 AM, Trinity XV
Wednesday, the 23rd of September at 5:45 PM, Evening Prayer
Sunday, the 27th of September at 10:30 AM, Trinity XVI
Wednesday, the 30th of September at 5:45 PM, Evening Prayer
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It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and good people who have learned the great secret of life. They have found a joy and wisdom which is a thousand times better than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are Christians. . . and I am one of them. ~ S. Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr, feast day the 16th day of September
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September Birthdays & Anniversaries
Joanna & Jim Barnett – Anniversary – September 5
Robert Kleven – Birthday – September 12
Terry Mitchell Centers – September 13
Micheal Fraser – Birthday – September 26
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We cannot live in a world that is not our own, in a world that is interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a home. Part of the terror is to take back our own listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light. ~ S. Hildegard, Virgin, feast day the 17th of September
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One canon reduced to writing by God himself, two testaments, three creeds, four general councils, five centuries, and the series of Fathers in that period – the centuries that is, before Constantine, and two after, determine the boundary of our faith. ~ Bl. Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop and Confessor, feast day the 25th of September
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Every Sunday morning an old man walked several blocks to the church in his neighborhood. He was deaf, so he couldn’t hear the sermon, the organ, or the choir and congregation singing. “Why do you spend your Sundays in that church when you can’t hear a word?” a neighbor asked. “I want people around here to know which side I’m on,” he replied. How about you? Do your neighbors know which side you’re on each Sunday morning?
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The seeking of Jesus Christ, and the quest for chivalry combined, lead directly to one place only: Anglican-Catholicism. Courage, honor, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help and defend the weak and the poor. Welcome to the Anglican Catholic Church. ~ Father Timothy Butler