The Virus

Fr. Dale Matson

Many of our coping mechanisms and distractions have been taken away like Churches, parks, theaters, fitness centers etc. Lots of safer outdoor places have been closed. We are under a form of "house arrest" and physically isolated from our own families. I am glad for the internet that offers a more balanced view of our situation and a means of keeping our church family together. We are live-streaming our services. People are rethinking bricks and mortar institutions. I think the pagans are more bothered by this than Christians based on the comments on First Things. Faith is a balm. I am seeing less quarreling between Protestants and Catholics also. Only time will tell if the current measures taken to combat the virus are draconian. As a 75-year-old, I am optimistic and not fearful but I have lived through much. We are having to endure both the problem and the solutions to the problem. I am mourning my missing freedoms. I especially want to hug my family again.

Prayer

Lord forgive the very way we live our lives. Especially our self-centered focus. Please hear my prayers for others. I pray for the ill, the dying, those who lost jobs and those who face the social isolation alone. Thank you for my wife, my constant companion who endures my many quirks. Please give us a sense of peace about all of these things beyond our control. In the end You are in control. Help us to focus on You. I pray for those who rule over us that they would have good council and make decisions that would make a difference in our lives. Help us to learn our lessons from this. May the Lord bless and keep you all. Amen

Dale+

The Rite of Reconciliation – “Absolution”

Bishop Eric Menees

My dear friends, I hope and pray that you are all doing well, looking after yourselves, your families, friends, and neighbors.

In our Bishop’s Note we are going through the 2019 BCP and the Rite of Reconciliation.  Last week we examined the counsel, direction, and comfort given by the priest. This week we cover the core of the Rite of Reconciliation, the absolution where we’re given reconciliation with God.

The Priest then declares

Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given power to his Church to absolve all sinners who truly repent and believe in him, of his great mercy forgive you all your offenses; and by his authority committed to me, I absolve you from all your sins: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

or

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who in his great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all those who sincerely repent and with true faith turn to him, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and bring you to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lord has put away all your sins.

                Penitent           Thanks be to God.

As mentioned previously, this isn’t the priest as an individual forgiving sin. The church has been given the ability to forgive sins by Jesus Christ himself.  Think of his words on the Day of Resurrection to the disciples in the Upper Room: “Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (John 20:21-23) The church has been given the ministry of reconciliation to the priests and bishops, and this is the point where they exercise that ministry. How powerful it is to hear those words spoken by a priest in Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church – “The Lord has put away all your sins.”

This is one of the parts of our services I love but is so often ignored. So many Anglicans refuse to go to reconciliation because they directly ask God themselves for the forgiveness of their sins and they see this as an “either/or proposition” rather than “both/and.” God does forgive sins we lay before him in prayer, but there’s a lot to be said about having the priest absolve you of your sins. When you’re doing this alone with God, it can often feel like all the action is done by you, this service shows that’s not the case. For reconciliation we need to come to God not only in faith but in a sense of repentance, however the action in the sacrament isn’t ours, it’s his. Faith and repentance are needed prior to the absolution, but the absolution is done by God through a priest or bishop. This sacrament serves as a reminder that God is in charge. We don’t achieve reconciliation through our own efforts, we could never merit it on our own, it’s given by God and declared to us.

Also, it’s important that we have someone there to declare that absolution. There’s a reason God sent his Son into the world in the flesh rather than just speaking through the prophets. It’s entirely different when you have someone speaking in person, in the flesh.

I hope all of you in our current Lenten season are able to see God’s mercy and love more and more in your lives!

The Rite of Reconciliation – “Counsel, Direction & Comfort”

Bishop Eric Menees

My dear friends, I hope and pray that you are all doing well, looking after yourselves, your families, friends and neighbors.

In our Bishop’s Note we are going through the 2019 BCP and the Rite of Reconciliation.  Last week we examined the confession of the penitent in the rite. This week we cover a very simple but profound rubric or direction in the service.

Here the Priest may offer counsel, direction, and comfort.

This sounds like a very simple direction but it reflects the purpose and history of reconciliation going back to the life of Jesus.

The ability to forgive sins was given to the church by Jesus Christ after his resurrection when Jesus met in the upper room, breathed on the apostles, and told them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (John 20:22-23) Jesus didn’t give this ability to the apostles as individuals, he passed this on to the church as a whole. In the early church penitents would confess their sins to the whole congregation and people would be reconciled to both God and their neighbors in the sight of all their fellow believers. Over time private confession with a priest replaced that communal confession and the church gave the ministry of reconciliation to the priests and bishops. In a way, priests hearing the confession still represent the entire church to the penitent today. It’s in this position and in their position as a spiritual father that the priest or bishop hearing the confession offers counsel, direction, and comfort.

This is one of the most important reasons to me for Christians to go to priests for reconciliation rather than simply confessing their sins to God in prayer. As I have received this sacrament I’ve often found the sins I’m the most concerned about aren’t the ones I should be concerned about. It’s incredibly helpful to have a priest confessor to offer advice as to how I can avoid the sin in the future as well as offering me comfort, reminding me that as worrisome as the sin may be when the absolution is declared it is truly forgiven by God and a weight is lifted off my shoulders.

I think Christians hear about confession and picture this as the point where the priest gives the penitent their penance, a prayer or some other action to do as part of their forgiveness. Some may picture the priest telling the penitent to “say 5 Hail Mary’s and 3 Our Fathers,” but that’s not what’s done in Anglicanism. In addition to the advice and counsel some form of penance may be given, but it’s not given as some sort of punishment, it’s given as an action that is spiritually beneficial for the penitent. Many priests will give the penitent a psalm from the BCP to read like Psalm 51. Again, not as a punishment but rather because the psalm can be used to reflect on God’s mercy in prayer.

I hope all of you in our current Lenten season are able to see God’s mercy and love more and more in your lives!

Litany in Times of the Coronavirus

Written by Fr. Michael Kurth & Modified by Bp. Eric Menees

God the Father,
Have mercy on us.

God the Son,
Have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit,
Have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us.

Almighty God, creator of the universe, Lord and judge of us all; You are the great physician, who gives sight to the blind and restores the palsied limbs of the lame. We cry out to you to rid the earth of this contagious virus by your mighty hand cast it into darkness and guide us in the light of your saving Grace.                           Lord, hear our prayer.

For all who are anxious and uncertain in the midst of this outbreak of COVID-19. As the sorrows of our heart and mind increase, we beseech you to save us from all trouble and fear. Cast away all works of darkness. Be our rock, a castle to keep us safe. For the Lord is our stronghold and sure defense, and he will be our Savior.  Lord, hear our prayer.

For all who have died: receive them into the arms of your mercy, grant them eternal peace, and surround those who mourn with your healing grace.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For those directly infected with the virus: help them recover in good health and restore them in body, mind and spirit.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For those at high risk of infection, especially the elderly, those with underlying illnesses, the marginalized, and the poor: keep them healthy and free from all sickness.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For those in quarantine, the shut-in, and the infirmed: help them find peace, keep them in good health, and renew their mind and spirit.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For all hospitals, doctors, nurses, and staff: protect them as they minister to the sick, relieve all stress, and provide the resources and space to meet the needs of all the infirmed.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For first responders: guard them from all harm, and grant them strength and courage as they respond to all calls for help.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For service industry workers and those forced to work as their community shuts down: keep them healthy, bestow the resources to best care for themselves and their families, and assure them in times of financial and medical anxiety.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For those experiencing financial loss and uncertainty of resources: have mercy on them, alleviate any fear, and provide for them daily bread and wage. 
Lord, hear our prayer.

For the leaders of this nation and the world: help them make sound and safe decisions to best secure the future of our planet. 
Lord, hear our prayer.

For all schools, students, educators, administrators and school staff: please keep them healthy and of good cheer; as schools close, feed those who will go hungry without guaranteed meals and shelter all students have no place to live.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For all scientists, physcians and those working to find a cure: inspire them towards your truth, and help them discover and disseminate a vaccine and cure.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For all media and journalists: protect them from all harm in their reporting, and move them to be a vector of truth and certainty, and never fear or panic.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For all churches: embolden them to be beacons of Christ’s hope and love, and help us to gather however and wherever we can – be it in person or online – to give you praise.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For the leaders of our church: help them minister to their flock; fortify them to be faithful pastors, to persevere in prayer, and to build up the family of God in new and creative ways.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For the young: spare them from harm and fear, and keep them a joyful sign of your love and light.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For all parents: build in them strength and fortitude for the time ahead, and give them the words and witness to be wise counselors and compassionate caregivers.
Lord, hear our prayer.

For calm amidst the storm: as the waves toss our boat and we wonder “do you not care?”, remind us to not be afraid, that with you all things are possible, and that even the wind and sea obey you.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Stir up in us a spirit of compassion and tenacity for the time ahead.
Amen.

Move us to check-in with loved ones at high risk of infection and those in quarantine.
Amen.

Ease our fear and anxiety, that we may share our resources rather than hoard them, and extend a helping hand to those in need.
Amen.

Inspire us to share the Good News of your love and hope.
Amen.   

All this we ask through your son Jesus Christ our Lord: healer of the sick, ruler of the tempestuous sea, and Savior of the world. 
Amen. 

Officiant: Lord, have mercy.
People: Christ, have mercy.
ALL: Lord, have mercy.

Bishop’s Note – The Confession

Bishop Eric Menees

Last week in the Bishop’s Note we began an examination of the Rite of Reconciliation of Penitents with the opening petition of the penitent and the priest’s prayer for the penitent that he or she may “truly and humbly confess” their sins. Today we examine the actual form of the confession. When I was 17 and a freshman in college I made my first confession. I had made an appointment with Fr. Woodfield, the assistant at All Saints, and went through the exercise that he’d given me to prepare. He had given me the St. Augustine’s Prayer Book which uses the seven deadly sins as a tool to help penitents examine their consciences. I arrived prepared but nervous as I didn’t know exactly how this rite would work. Would we go into a little confessional? Would he simply say, “OK name your sins etc. etc.”? I was pleased that the format of the rite was straight forward and logical.

1.     The confession I made was to God, His Church and to the priest as an agent of God and His Church. 2.    I took responsibility for my sins, no one forced me, it was through my own volition. 3.    I acknowledged that the sins committed were all by my thoughts, my words, and my deeds. It is not only our actions that can be sinful but our thoughts. Jesus, of course, tells us this directly, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Mt. 5:27-28) 4.    A sin can result from both our action and our inaction. If, for example, we witness abuse or something obviously wrong then we should act to sound the alarm. Non-action in the face of an obvious wrong is a sin. 5.    I was then asked to pour out my heart to God for those things which troubled my conscience. 6.    Following the examination of conscience I asked forgiveness for those things I could not remember, I stated my contrition, and I petitioned God to have mercy upon me. 7.    I, as the penitent, professed my intention to amend my life. 8.   Lastly, having confessed to God, His Church and the priest, I asked Fr. Woodfield for his counsel, direction and absolution.

“I confess to Almighty God, to his Church, and to you, that I have sinned by my own fault in thought, word, and deed, in things done and left undone; especially ­­­_________________. For these and all other sins that I cannot now remember, I am truly sorry. I pray God to have mercy on me. I firmly intend amendment of life, and I humbly beg forgiveness of God and his Church, and ask you for counsel, direction, and absolution.”  I pray you all a very blessed week!

THE SUPPLICATION

For use in the Litany in place of the Versicle and Collect which follows the Lord’s Prayer; or at the end of Morning or Evening Prayer; or as a separate devotion. The Supplication is especially appropriate in times of war, or of great anxiety, or of disaster.

O Lord, arise and help us;

And deliver us for your Name’s sake.

O God, we have heard with our ears, and our forebears have declared to us, the noble works that you did in their days, and in the time before them.

O Lord, arise and help us;

And deliver us for your Name’s sake.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

O Lord, arise and help us;

And deliver us for your Name’s sake.

From our enemies defend us, O Christ;

Graciously behold our afflictions.

With pity behold the sorrows of our hearts;

Mercifully forgive the sins of your people.

With favor hear our prayers;

O Son of David, have mercy upon us.

Be pleased to hear us, O Christ;

Graciously hear us, O Christ; graciously hear us, O Lord Christ.

The Officiant prays

Let us pray.

Look mercifully, O Father, on our infirmities; and, for the glory of your Name, rescue us from all those evils we now endure; and grant that in all our troubles we may put our whole trust and confidence in your mercy, serving you in holiness and purity of life, to your honor and glory; through our only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Bishop’s Note – The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Bishop Eric Menees

We are in the first full week of Lent and so it seems appropriate, having completed our examination of the Service of Baptism, to undertake an examination of the short but very powerful Rite for the Reconciliation of a Penitent – aka confession.

James, the brother of our Lord, tells us: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16)

Why is confession healing? Because when we address our disobedience and our shame, in lifting them before the Lord in the presence of a “righteous” man, it allows for God’s grace and healing to come through.

One of the most important things to do is to prepare to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. To help with this I recommend going through the examination of conscience found in the Saint Augustine Prayer Book (https://www.dioceseofsanjoaquin.net/uploads/1/9/3/7/19374831/selfexamination.pdf). It lists a lot of our common sins and helps us to think more about what we need to confess before God.

The sacrament of reconciliation takes place in a private place where one cannot be easily overheard. The confession occurs with a priest or bishop who is bound by the seal of the confessional, meaning that he cannot repeat to anyone save God what was said in confession, or even that a particular penitent made his confession, without the penitent’s specific permission. In addition, the priest should wear his stole marking the sacramental nature of the rite. Lastly, whenever possible the form of confession should follow the rite as laid out in the Book of Common Prayer.

Note that the rite begins with the Penitent’s declaration that he is a sinner in need of God’s Grace. “Bless me, for I have sinned.” This is followed by the priest’s prayer for the penitent asking God to grant the humility to be open and honest with himself, God and his confessor.

If you’d like to learn more about preparation for confession the following article by Fr. Edward Bouverie Pusey can be found on the diocesan website.

https://www.dioceseofsanjoaquin.net/news--events/hints-for-a-first-confession

I pray you all a blessed week ahead.

Temptations

Homily Lent 1A 2020

Fr. Dale Matson

In our Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus suffered three major temptations in his encounter with Satan in the Desert. 3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."  4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" Temptation 1: To use his Godly powers for himself. Jesus was hungry because of forty days of fasting and Satan challenged him to turn the stones to bread. Here Jesus is tempted through his physical desires.

5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, [It was given to Satan by Adam] and I can give it to anyone I want to. [which is another Satanic lie. Satan doesn’t want to give anything away] 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours." 8Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" Temptation 2: Satan then offered Jesus dominion over the world if Jesus would bow down to Satan and Jesus refused saying that he would worship and serve only God. Here Jesus is tempted through his human need to have power over others.

9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written:

”‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;11they will lift you up in their hands,so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"  12Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Temptation 3: Here Jesus is tempted by his human need for personal pride.

I would also note that in all these temptations Satan would have controlled God if Jesus had acted on any one of them. And that is the real struggle on a cosmic level.  When we sin, we don’t just sin against God, we become allies with Satan. Each time Jesus was tempted there was a cosmic struggle between good and evil and we saw Jesus defeat Satan.

The monastics have taken these temptations of Christ very seriously for they know they are engaged in a cosmic struggle between good and evil.  On a personal level they make vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience in response to these temptations of Christ.  The monastic’s guide their entire vocational life addressing the struggle against the physical desires (poverty), personal power (obedience) and personal pride (chastity).

Now let’s look at the most tragic episode in the history of humankind and use our understanding of the three temptations of Jesus to understand what happened to Adam and Eve.

3 Now the serpent was craftier than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. I see the temptations for Eve as similar to those for Christ in the wilderness.  Physical desire, Power over others and Pride. These are all ego needs.  "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom". The birth of the ego is the beginning of self-consciousness and the loss of innocence. It brings with it a separation from God. It is in being born again that we are remade in the Image of Christ. We are no longer ego-centric, we are Christ centered.

Here you have the temptation addressing the physical needs [fruit], The need for Power [you will be like God] and the Pride [you will know good and evil], Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so, they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. It is in a larger scope an opportunity to view the cosmic struggle between Good and Evil, between God and Satan and on a smaller scale it is the battle within us.  With our baptismal vows, we have decided to join this battle on God’s side. “Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil?” “I do.” Do you renew your commitment to Jesus Christ?” “I do and with God’s grace I will follow him as my savior and Lord.”

Consider Lent as a time for introspection and self-examination.  Think of the areas Jesus, Adam and Eve and we too are tempted.  We are attacked through our physical needs, our need for power and our pride.  It has been said that the Psychiatrist's couch has replaced the confessional booth.  The problem with the Psychiatrist’s couch, where one expresses both false guilt and real guilt is that there is no acknowledgement of and absolution for the real guilt.  When we have repented and confessed our sins to God, God remembers them no more.  If you still feel guilty about a sin you have repented of and confessed, then it is not God reminding you of this sin.  Another name for Satan is the accuser and it is he that is bringing you the false guilt.  Real guilt is a psychological pain that drives us to act just as the pain of a burn causes us to act.  In both cases the pain is real and intended to warn us of a problem.  If we ignore the problem, we ignore it at an even greater peril.