You Are God's Temple

Fr. Dale Matson

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16)

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, which the Excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” (2 Cor. 4:7)

“And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice…” (BCP HE Rite I p. 336).

Perhaps my comments should be addressed first to clergy about self-care including diet and exercise because the clergy as a group are worse than the U.S. Population as a whole. There is a link between physical health and spiritual life. Taking care of the body God has given you demonstrates that you take your commitment to God seriously. Before ordination the candidate lays prostrate before the Bishop signifying with a prostrate body, a total commitment to God.

In this age of virtual experience, it is only too easy to lead a sedentary life but our bodies were not designed for this kind of life. Adam and Eve were put in the Garden of Eden to “Dress it and to keep it.” (Genesis 2:15) Our bodies are not machines and were designed to be active with internal mechanisms that respond to activity by making us more robust. If we do nothing, we will suffer from “lot rot”.

Developmental Psychology text book data on human aging was developed on a sedentary population showing a considerable loss of physical capacity as the cohort aged. It was accurate data gathered on a skewed sample. It does not have to be this way. Although we are no longer agrarian cultures who keep our bodies sound and fit through work, almost all have the opportunity for recreational activity. For those that do, exercise is a priority.  Even those with most mobility impairments can implement a modified exercise program.

Regular exercise can prevent or improve obesity, type II diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, back pain and osteoporosis. It can also help with psychological factors such as stress, anxiety and depression. There is also a social emotional component since group exercise tends to facilitate the formation of friendships. Additionally, there can be a meditative aspect to exercise. Much can be sorted out while swimming, bicycling, skiing, running or even weight training. Sweat comes from places a shower never reaches. Finally, there is a sense of self efficacy and discipline that comes with adopting and maintaining an exercise routine. One can even see personal progress when the rest of one’s life seems to be in the pits.

After I quit smoking over twenty five years ago I gained more than twenty pounds. Having transitioned from a blue color job to student and human services I needed to address the weight gain and attendant problems of hypertension, hypoglycemia and stress induced irregular heart rhythms.

I began a program of aerobic and isotonic exercise that I have maintained to this day. While I am heavier than I would like to be, my numbers are lower today than twenty five years ago. I have introduced more variety into my exercise program, which helps guard against overuse injuries. If you believe God is asking you to begin a program of exercise, I would check with your family physician and get an ok first. There are two resources that I have personally used and included in Wellness classes taught over a period of many years. Covert Baily has an excellent book with sophisticated techniques for the beginner called The Ultimate Fit or Fat, 2000. The other text is by aerobics guru Kenneth Cooper, Aerobics Program For Total Well-Being: Exercise, Diet , And Emotional Balance, 1985. Both books are still available and still some of the best readings on exercise.

“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Cor. 6:19).

Marathons

Fr. Dale Matson

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1, NASB).

I quit smoking in 1983 and gained twenty pounds within the next couple of months. Exercise can be an effective behavioral substitute for smoking and I began walking. My first mile took eighteen and a half minutes and I thought I was going to have a heart attack at the end. I began walking daily and decided on the goal of running for a mile. After this, it was a 5K then a 10K run. Making progress in one area of life can keep one optimistic even when other areas are less than satisfactory. As a side effect, my weight diminished. Eventually I ran (and walked) my first marathon in six hours twenty minutes at age 48. I finished last behind a lady who had to give up her moniker “Last place Grace”. I used a marathon training plan by Jeff Galloway.

Since that time I have run over one hundred marathons and ultra-marathons (for me, everything worth doing is worth overdoing). Because of occasional overuse injuries, I later learned to mix running with swimming and biking and have remained relatively injury free since adopting this method of training. I must also say that I am physically unremarkable and did not participate in school sports. I personally believe that completing a marathon as a runner or a “double century” as a cyclist is a breakthrough experience that can forever positively impact a person’s life.

Let me now discuss what can happen along the way. Either of these or similar goals requires dedication and discipline from the individual. These are goals arrived at only incrementally and over time, often in the company of individuals with which you will forge lifelong friendships. These are goals which require patience, persistence and focus. These are goals that require priority setting and boundary setting. Perhaps the most important thing these goals require is self-discipline or self-regulation. Along the way one gains a sense of self efficacy and respect for one’s own body. Food is seen as fuel not something to appease a mood. Sweat comes from places a shower never reaches and physical fatigue helps one sleep better.

If you find that your schedule is overwhelming and that you can’t seem to get closure on things, maybe it is a self-regulation issue and not the demands of your work. Goal setting and attainment require the skills one must acquire to complete a marathon. Time management and task accountability are problems I continue to see with professionals who even have masters and doctoral level preparation.  If you are a Christian and your life is still a chaotic mess, then maybe a marathon is in order. Run two and call me in the morning.

“Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air.” (1^st Corinthians 9:26, NASB).       

Hell

Fr. Dale Matson
05-22-2011

"We must not ask where hell is, but how we are to escape it." St. Chrysostom

The historic view of the major denominations is that Hell is the place of eternal torment. This position is softening and The Church of England Commission on Doctrine (1995) embraced an Annihilationist view. This is the foot in the door for eventual Universalism. The Book Of Common Prayer (1979) seems to have already adopted the Annihilationist view. "By hell, we mean eternal death in our rejection of God." (p.862).

In St. Paul’s 2nd letter to the Church in Corinth (Chapter 12), he stated that fourteen years earlier, he was given a glimpse of heaven. It had such a lasting effect on him he noted in his letter to the Philippian Church (Chapter 1) that he wanted to depart and be with Christ.

I gave my life to Christ when I was eight years old and remember asking God when I was about twelve to take me to heaven then if I would ever fall away. There was also a period of many years where I had fallen away and rejected Christ. I know that if I had died at that time, I would have gone to Hell. I am not an advocate of “once saved always saved”.

I think Christians who fall away do so gradually. Like an anorexic, they are unaware that they are spiritually starving while others can see it. When I came back to Christ and was baptized as an adult, I had a thirst for scripture like a man rescued from the desert has a thirst for water. After receiving a new Thompson Chain Link Reference Bible (KJV) for my Baptism, I had the opportunity to study God’s Word with zeal.

I had been fascinated by the book of Revelation since childhood. When I was a child, It was fearful reading. All of a sudden I had this idea that it would be me that would make sense of Revelation. I would decode the deeper mysteries. As I began to study Revelation it began to dawn on me that all of Revelation had already come to pass. All those who would go to Heaven were already there.

There is a qualitative difference between gradually pulling away from God and a sudden awareness that there is permanent gulf between me and God with no hope of crossing the chasm. I cannot describe how despondent, filled with despair, hopeless and alone I was at that moment. I was in Hell.

During the next few days, I thought about people like Billy Graham and my spiritual mentor Jim Bolling. Surely God would not allow people like that to be in Hell? My dear Christian mother was still living. I clung to John 3:16 for dear life. Eventually the passage, "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2, NASB) offered me comfort where there was none previously. And then the final passages from Romans 8 came to mind. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NASB). Like St. Paul’s glimpse of Heaven, God had given me a glimpse of what Hell was like. Hell is real and I don’t want to go there.

“And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.” (From the Creed of St. Athanasius).

Without Faith Works Is Dead

Fr. Dale Matson
05-20-2011

You are probably thinking, Fr. Dale, you must have meant to say, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” (James 2:17, NASB). Well, I did not intend to say that but it is true also.

I am actually more concerned that the contemporary church is replete with works but the works are devoid of faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6, NASB).

Faith requires an object and for Christians, this is Jesus the Christ. Historic Heresies are continually reintroduced into the church and are fashionable again today. The central issue of Christian faith hinges on the person of Christ, who for Christians is the object and center of their faith. Many heresies attempt to dehumanize Him on one side and strip Him of His divinity on the other. He came to reveal the Father and if we lose sight of Him, we lose sight of the Father also.

There is one work in particular that concerns me and that work is Justice. “What should we say, then? That the gentiles, although they were not looking for saving justice, found it, and this was the saving justice that comes of faith; while Israel, looking for saving justice by law-keeping, did not succeed in fulfilling the Law. And why? Because they were trying to find it in actions and not in faith, and so they stumbled over the stumbling-stone-“(Romans 9:30-32 NJB).

If our faith is not connected to Christ, we do not even understand justice. Justice is considered one of the four cardinal virtues of the church. Justice does not begin with what we believe our rights are. It begins with what the rights of God are and what God has declared that we deserve. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). God has determined that we deserve damnation in Hell for eternity. That is where justice begins for us and it is difficult to hear. A grace disconnected from this understanding of justice does not appreciate the mercy of God nor does it comprehend the atoning work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Justice first and foremost respects the rights of God; of what He is worthy to receive because He is God. We are to love Him before our neighbor or ourselves. Justice centered only on the rights of humans becomes relative, situational and confused.

“Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?’ And then will I profess unto them, ‘I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.’” (Matthew 7:22-23, NASB). Amen.

Naps

Fr. Dale Matson
05-07-2011

“For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.” (Psalm 127:2b)

For some reason, the need to sleep is viewed by many as a weakness. My grandchildren resist sleep until they are overtaken by it. The diagnosis for cranky children is that they are tired and the prescription is that they need a nap. My late father used to deny that he had fallen asleep reading the paper. “I was only resting my eyes.”

I am here to confess that in addition to 8 hours of sleep at night, I also take naps almost daily. There, I’ve said it and if you think I am weak then so be it. Those who claim that they never nap like to rub it in with a large dose of guilt. They exclaim, “I could never find the time to nap. My day is so busy.” I also arise at 4am in the morning and retire at 8pm in the evening. It has been this way for the last twenty five years or so. Friends and relatives so enjoy saying to Sharon, “Oh, it’s 8pm, Dale must simply be exhausted.” Wink, Wink.

When I tell others that I take naps and look forward to them, I get looks of puzzlement or pity or discomfort like I had just admitted to watching professional wrestling on a regular basis. These same people tell me that they only sleep about 5 or 6 hours a night and never nap. Well, I guess they are real grownups and don’t need that much sleep.

My naps tend to be of two kinds. The hard naps are about 45 minutes to an hour. These are the naps I awaken from and wonder what day it is. Someone who is closely related to me but will remain nameless has been known to take 3-4 hour naps on occasion. She rarely naps intentionally. My favorite nap is on Sunday afternoon following a sermon at two services. I’ve earned that nap and there is absolutely no prior guilt. (Some of our parishioners have chosen to nap during my sermons).

There is also a short nap that can be of 10-15 minutes duration. It is unbelievable how restorative these short naps can be. As an ultra-runner, I used to train a lot on the trails of Yosemite. During the drive home, the endorphins would combine with the fatigue to gradually overpower my sense of alertness. I could feel myself falling asleep. The Wawona Store parking lot was my short nap midpoint refuge. Following a mere 15 minute nap, the remaining 64 miles back to Fresno was easy.

Here is the point of my confession without contrition. Go ahead and take a nap and by His authority committed to me, I absolve you of your guilt.

“Sweet sleep that knits the ravell’d sleeves of care” (Macbeth)

The Church of Fresno

Fr. Dale Matson
05-03-2010

I seem to live a life of contrasts. Last weekend we were in San Francisco for the wedding of our youngest son. It is a beautiful city with world class views, top drawer hotels and great places to dine. The air is good in this white collar town but this is not about San Francisco.

This is my 20th year in Fresno, a city of half a million people. When I first arrived from the Midwest, two things were immediately apparent. Most of the homes had burglar alarms and graffiti was pervasive. Things seemed to turn around when an ecumenical group of clergy who named themselves, “The No Name Fellowship” gathered together to regularly pray for Fresno. There is also an annual clergy prayer summit. Some clergy even took up residence in some of the worst areas in the city. In the year 2,000 Fresno was named an “All American City.” Fresno is a city of faith. When so much is said about the post Christian society and Godless government, Fresno is a city of prayer. Fresno’s clergy and parishioners have gathered together regularly to pray for their city. It is a church city. It is the Church of Fresno.

I was at the annual memorial ceremony for fallen peace officers in Courthouse Park today. As a civilian member of our Fresno County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team, our twenty six blaze orange shirts stood out against the dress uniforms of other departments around the state of California. It was a small town event in a large California city.

It began with a helicopter fly over and a drum and bagpipe group that preceded the state and national flags. Our hands were on our hearts as the flags went by. A school choir sang the National Anthem, an Episcopal Hymn, “Author of Majesty, Love and Grace” and the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”. There were also two solos by peace officers, “To Make You Feel My Love” and “Believe”. Two Judges gave brief speeches honoring the families followed by the Roll Call of Fallen Officers. There was a prayer from the chaplain for the Sheriff’s Department who concluded with, “…. in the name of Jesus Christ”. Then “Amazing Grace”, a 21 gun salute and “Taps”. All of the participants, families and guests were invited to a buffet following the event.

This was not really a Memorial Ceremony. It was more of a church service, in the center of a city in the center of California. Our Mayor, Police Chief, and County Sheriff are Christians. They don’t make a big show of it but they don’t hide it either. Fresno is a city that is not ashamed of Christ. It is diverse as any California city but the churches here are attended by a great many of its citizens and respected by most of those who don’t attend.

This is where a mix of agrarian, blue collar and white collar Christianity still thrives alongside of each other and cynicism, postmodernism, and relativism have not taken root. Our Sikh volunteer officer Nick was at my right shoulder with his hand over his heart as our flag went by and his head was bowed as we prayed. Fresno is a place of compassion, mercy and hope. May God continue to bless His Church of Fresno. Amen

Alcatraz and Anchorites

Fr. Dale Matson

I had an opportunity to take a tour of Alcatraz this past weekend and realized that confinement is mainly a state of mind. As I walked through the cell blocks it dawned on me that prison life is a form of monasticism. There are the prisoners who take temporary vows and ones that take on permanent vows based on their past life and the strength of their convictions.

Alcatraz was a kind of monastery situated high on a rocky island surrounded by the San Francisco Bay, which is connected to the Pacific Ocean. There is a barrenness and bleakness to the main structure from which it was reputed that there was no escape. The wind was constant and the cold sea surrounding it eternally formed a moat that discouraged the prisoners from escaping. Even with the prisoners no longer there, I could sense the hopelessness and desperate effort to cling to their humanity in this place. Their names had become numbers.

I visited Mont Saint-Michel on the coast of France a few years ago and Alcatraz reminded me of it by its setting and structure. It too is an island fortress but intended to keep people out. There was a monastic community within these walls also and their warden was an abbot. They were a community of men who lived and died within the walls of Mont St. Michael. There was however a different sense about this place. As I walked around the drafty heights I could visualize monks occupied by the task of illuminating manuscripts, prayer and the daily office. Their life was routine, confined and dedicated to poverty chastity and obedience. Their life had purpose and meaning and their vocation sought after holiness. They took on new names in accord with their station.

In Alcatraz, the solitary confinement cells 9-14 in “D” Block were considered the harshest living conditions for those who refused to obey the rules of the order of prisoners. Their cells were carved out of the wall of the prison which forms the back of their cell. They were only allowed out of their cells for a weekly shower. Their vows were similar to the monks but imposed on them for a similar reason by the prison warden. The rules are for conversion of manners also. Those in solitary confinement lived the contemplative life with opportunity for visions. Robert “Birdman of Alcatraz" Stroud was probably the most famous of the unrepentant residents of D Block.

Anchorites lived in a cell formed from part of a monastery wall. The door to the cell was permanently sealed with bricks and they lived in this cell until they died. Their bodily waste was removed by a chamber pot and they were brought food and fed though a small opening in a common wall. My wife and I visited a church in Ireland that had a cell in the sanctuary wall for an anchorite. St. Julian of Norwich was an anchoress in the medieval period that led a contemplative life and experienced visions. An anchorite was considered a source of spiritual advice and counsel to abbots.


Some monastics eventually leave the order because they find the life too limiting. Some prisoners return to prison because they find freedom too confining. Each of us lives much of our daily life in a cell of similar dimensions without walls, sometimes with partitions. Are you in prison or are you free? “To know You is eternal life and to serve You is perfect freedom.” (Book of Common Prayer, from "A Collect for Peace” p. 99). Amen

Prescription Strength Jesus

Fr. Dale Matson
04-24-11

“The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. ‘He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come; see the place where He was lying. Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead’.” (Matthew 28:5-7a, NASB)

I am continually amazed at those who question the reality of what we as Anglican Christians believe and proclaim in our Eucharistic Prayer every Sunday. The Priest states, “Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith: and the Priest and People say, “Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again.”

Today we celebrate both a miracle and a mystery. The miracle and mystery of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of our Christian faith. Some have boldly denied the evidence and the fact that Christ arose from the dead. They still call themselves followers of Jesus but they are not Christians because by denying the reality of His resurrection, they deny the reality of His divinity. Their Jesus is a “placebo Jesus”. He is a lesser Jesus; a cheaper Jesus. Theology is not psychology and Jesus is not a placebo. Our faith in Christ is only as good as our faith that he was resurrected. If you don’t believe that He was resurrected, then your Jesus was a good man and a teacher but he is not who He himself claimed to be. “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. (John 2:19-21).

Others have tried to turn the resurrection of our Lord into a kind of subjective receptionist theology. They claim it doesn’t matter if He arose from the dead. It is only important that we believe that He did. That is pure unadulterated claptrap. That is not faith at all. That is subjectivist nonsense that makes the reality of whether Christ was resurrected or not subject to the individual. Christ arose from the dead whether people believe this or not. I would call that kind of thinking “Over the Counter Jesus” because it has about the same efficacy as over the counter medications. Over the counter medications do not have the power to heal but they cost a lot less to obtain.

Others have attempted to offer a “generic Jesus”. There is no generic equivalent; no generic substitute. He is original and unique. Accept no substitutes. Only He has efficacy and gives us life when we are dead. “For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:3-4).

Yes, prescription strength Jesus is costly. It will cost you all that you have and let us remember that we must run the race to the finish. Even prescription strength medication must be taken until it is used up. If you stop taking it because you feel better, you may be risking a reinfection worse than before. However, if we remain in Christ, we will be raised as He was raised. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Cor. 15:20). Amen

The False Shepherds Who Steal Our Faith

Fr. Dale Matson
04-15-11

If someone asked me what my most prized possession is, I would say that it is my faith in Jesus Christ. He is the pearl of great price for which I have gone and sold all that I have. Actually, it is really not my faith at all but God’s faith granted to me. If I were to lose this faith, life would have no meaning, for all that is and has meaning derives its existence and meaning from Him. I guard this faith as if my eternal life depended on it because it does depend on it.

Our faith is strengthened through Prayer, Word, Sacrament and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our faith is nurtured and strengthened by their testimony. When we hear the Word of God faithfully preached and continue in His Word, we proceed by our own sight less. Gathering together allows us to exhort and comfort one another.

When I was going through renewal in the 1980’s, I had a hunger for God’s Word. I became involved in a two year Bible Study series called “Crossways”. The following is a comment about their goal. “Crossways International is a non-profit ministry whose goal is to foster deeper, more meaningful Christian discipleship by cultivating biblical literacy.” I believe this series does accomplish their stated goal but there were occasional comments that caused me to ask a question that should be the litmus test of all we hear and see. “Does this increase my faith?” I can still remember a statement in the series, questioning what King David was really like. Scripture said that David was a man after God’s own heart. Why was the Crossways author questioning the authenticity of David?

We must always remain under the authority of Scripture. It is not for us to use Scripture to advance our own agenda or to explain Scripture in a way that justifies our own confusion or worse, unbelief. In our modern era, unbelief has become a badge of enlightened honor in the church, when it should be a cause for great concern. In addition to the Scriptures, we are also guided by the church fathers that came to an agreement in the early councils, from whom we have inherited the Creeds. The understanding of the early church fathers is an important source and Paul warns the Galatians, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!” (1:8). Ultimately, you are responsible for dressing and keeping the faith God has given you.

The churches today have many false shepherds who are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They begin with the same question posed by the serpent in the Garden of Eden. “Did God really say that?” Whether the false shepherds are intentionally or unintentionally leading their sheep astray, they are still a tool of Satan. Do not put yourself under their spiritual authority. Do not remain in their churches. It is called the Church of Christ. Anything that diminishes Him or your faith in Him is of Satan. God the Holy Spirit is the witness to the truth in Scripture. As a believer you have the discernment and understanding of the Word of God not available to unbelievers, even if that unbeliever is a scholar or a bishop in the church. Yes, biblical literacy is important but be discerning when involved in a Bible study series and about who is leading it. Those going through renewal are those most receptive to teaching but most vulnerable also. If the teaching, sermon, interpretation, conversation does not increase your faith, it should alarm you. Amen

Paul Washer

Fr. Dale Matson
04-11-11

To be enabled to form a clear, consistent, and comprehensive judgment of the truths revealed in the Scripture, is a great privilege; but they who possess it are exposed to the temptation of thinking too highly of themselves, and too meanly of others, especially of those who not only refuse to adopt their sentiments, but venture to oppose them.

John Newton, Anglican Priest 1762.

Paul Washer cannot be accused of thinking too highly of himself but he can be accused of thinking too meanly of others. He has stated that he suffers from depression and I believe it colors both his opinion of himself and the church.

There are some positive things about him and there is more to say in the positive. He is a man who has demonstrated in his life that he loves and fears God. He has the academic preparation of a pastor with an M.Div. He has served God faithfully for many years including being a missionary in Peru for ten years.

For me, Paul’s preaching is outstanding. There is no one that compares to him today. He preaches with the same conviction and power of Billy Graham of the 1950’s. He does not curry favor with anyone and is his own man speaking God’s words to a society in moral decline and a lukewarm church. I have many of his sermons bookmarked. By comparison, my homilies sound like I am dictating to a stone cutter.

I am not here to measure five point Calvinism against the Anglican theology of Richard Hooker. I do believe that Sola Scriptura without church tradition is a ship with a steering wheel and rudder but no keel. What I am concerned about is the degree of judgment and how much this permeates Paul Washer’s sermons. It is important to say that evidence of regeneration is an amended life. It is one thing to say that Christians should leave a church where the Gospel is not preached. It is quite another to overgeneralize with statements like, “The saddest place on the earth is the biblical south where everyone has just enough religion to send them straight to hell.”

My biggest concern is his assault on the Roman Catholic Church. He believes that a Christian can be in the Catholic Church but also believes that a Christian should not remain in the Catholic Church. “I tell people to come out.” Apparently Paul Washer also believes that the Catholic Church is a cult because he was surprised that the late Walter Martin “The Kingdom of the Cults” did not include the Catholic Church. He did not include them because they are a Christian Church.

There is a negativity that is not the judgment of God. It is the judgment of Paul Washer. I believe God the Holy Spirit is speaking to Paul Washer but the Holy Spirit is not saying, “I’ll take Leonard Ravenhill over twenty dead Calvinists.” Paul, we speak for the church and God will judge us for what we have said on His behalf. I am certainly not above criticism here either.

I hope I meet you someday. God bless you my brother Paul Washer. Amen

Elvis has left the Building

Fr. Dale Matson
03-29-11

In this week’s Gospel Passage (John 4:5-42) from the BCP lectionary, Jesus talks at length about the Spiritual realm. He talks about Himself as the water that quenches thirst permanently and brings eternal life. He also talks about doing the will of the Father as His food and the great harvest, not of crops but human souls. In the following passage however he talks about where and how God is to be worshiped.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21-24, NASB).

"Elvis has left the building!" is a phrase that was often used by public address announcers at the end of Elvis Presley concerts to signal that there would be no more Elvis that night. There would be no more encores, he was gone and finally the audience would leave. This phrase has come to mean in a more generic sense that the end has come or put another way, there is no point in staying. When God, Who is a Spirit, is not worshiped in spirit and truth and idolatry and immorality replace spiritual worship, God will not remain.

The prophet Ezekiel in Chapter eight is taken in the spirit to the temple in Jerusalem. There he is shown idolatry and sexual immorality that was being practiced. In spite of warnings and punishment of Judah by God, the once powerful Judah was reduced almost to the point of extinction and yet they continued to descend into immorality. Abominations were taking place in the temple of God. In Chapter 10:18, God’s Spirit left the temple. “Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim.” (NASB).

There is a modern parallel to this. As in Ezekiel’s day there is immorality and idolatry being practiced by a church that is turning its back on tradition and Scripture. How do we know this? We look to see what is being brought into the church. What is unholy is being called holy and blessed. It is bringing things into God’s house as in the days of Ezekiel. His church is being desecrated. False doctrines and pagan living are said to be holy and blessed. And what has God done? He may dwell in His people but His spirit has left these churches. God’s Shekinah glory dwelled in the temple and left the temple, gave life to the church on Pentecost and is leaving these false churches. And what is being removed? The Cross of Christ is being metaphorically and even physically removed because it is an offense. If these things happen in your church, then it is a sign that Elvis has left the building and it is time for you to leave also. Amen.

Good Works and Stewardship of Time

Fr. Dale Matson
03-25-11

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5:15-16, NASB).

I was born in 1944 and now am at the leading edge of the “Baby Boomers”. This is a huge population bump that, if not already, will soon be drawing Social Security. What I have noticed is a tendency for many of my contemporaries including my own relatives to focus primarily on themselves. I am reminded of the words of Jesus from a portion of the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (6:19-21, NASB).

For this generational cohort, the time is slipping away at an ever faster pace. Many have reasonably good health, adequate finances and an uncomplicated life of leisure. They have a great deal of discretionary time every week. For me the question of what I am doing with this time is answered every morning as I journal the previous day’s activities. The question for me every morning is, “Was I a good steward of the time I was given?” I am not a works righteousness type individual but do believe that Christians are called to do good works in response to God’s grace and blessings. Good works are the actions that say to a loving and gracious God, “Thank you dear God; I will invest the talents you have given me. I will be a good steward of the time you have given me.”

“I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor--it is the gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13, NASB).

Man was put on the earth to dress and keep the garden. That was his good works assigned to him by God. Because this work fulfilled a purpose the Creator had for man, it gave man’s life meaning. There is no unemployment in the Kingdom of God and our original assignment has not changed. “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10, NASB).

The good works done in faith on this earth have eternal value. More and more I understand that good works redeem the time I wasted in self-indulgent and self-destructive activities. I also fully understand the sacrificial, complete and atoning death of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus and am not saying that I need to add one more cup to His offering or His suffering. Mostly it is about awareness at this stage in my life that each day is a gift from God. It is also an impression that our good works are in giving ourselves to others in the form of a listening ear, an encouraging voice, a helping hand or an intercessory prayer.

“Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.” (Romans 13:11, NASB). Amen

The Ego and The Season of Lent

Fr. Dale Matson
03-14-11

In our readings for the first Sunday of Lent, Adam and Eve were in a state of innocence before their fall from grace. God had breathed His life into them after forming them from the earth. They did not have an identity apart from God. They knew themselves only as God knew them. The idea suggested by Satan followed by the act of disobedience led to their immediate loss of innocence and their sense of shame. They now had identities corrupted by sin that were estranged from God and a changed relationship with one another. Their shame was both an indication of a loss of innocence and the acquisition of self-awareness.

Self-awareness is an important developmental step in our fallen world but it is the result of sin. The rouge test can be used to demonstrate self-awareness at about eighteen months of age. If a child has rouge put on her face and is placed in front of a mirror, she will touch the rouge on her own face indicating that she recognizes herself as the person in the mirror. The cost of self-awareness however, is egocentricity. Children are egocentric to the point of narcissism. Their needs and wants are the only thing that matters. Our parents exchanged the rule of God in the garden for self-rule.

Hopefully, as we mature, we adopt a less egocentric lifestyle. Unfortunately, there are some who remain imprisoned in the narcissism of childhood. They are the folks diagnosed with organic or functional disorders. What the rest of us fail to realize is that even if we are not narcissistic, we are still self-centered and egocentric. We are still focused on and live in our own existential universe. We still see things subjectively through our own eyes and do what is right in our own mind.

What did our Lord Christ have to say about this? “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work’.” (John 4:34, NASB). “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner’.” (John 5:19, NASB). “"I and the Father are one." (John 10:30, NASB).

What is the point of these verses? I believe that they demonstrate that Christ who was fully human and divine was always conscious of His identity in relationship to the Father. Because He was without sin, he enjoyed the relationship with the Father that Adam and Eve lost for themselves and us. As Christians, Christ is revealed in us, is living in us and is being formed in us. As Christians, we are to live a crucified life. Lent is the time to put off the old self (Colossians 3:12), the egocentric self and to put on the new self (Ephesians 4:24). Our real and authentic self is hidden in Christ and “In Him we live and move and exist.” (Acts 17:28a, NASB). As we are transformed into Christ through the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, we shall again know ourselves as we are known. This is living the born again life with access to Christ who is the vine and the tree of life. Amen

The Physician

Fr. Dale Matson
03-09-11

“And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.” (Luke 5:31, NASB).

I was attempting to remove a tire from a bicycle rim last summer and noticed a strange pain in my groin area. Initially I didn’t have the telltale bulge of a hernia but after about a week it was obvious that resting would not solve the problem. I had two existing hernias for more than ten years that were higher and asymptomatic. This however was not only uncomfortable at the site but there was a referred pain that was so intense I had to dismount my bicycle and walk home about a week later. There were other symptoms such as stomach cramps that I experienced for months but failed to connect to my hernia. I could still swim with little discomfort but I could no longer run or ride.

My prior surgeries were for a broken nose and a tonsillectomy. Both occasions were as a child and the ether experience was so traumatic that I believe I had Post Traumatic Stress disorder from it. Additionally I had severe hemorrhaging one week following the tonsillectomy. I also had general anesthesia for arthroscopic knee surgery with equivocal results. Thus, my attitude about surgery and surgeons was less than positive.

After months of struggle and pain, I met with a surgeon to discuss my options which at this point were limited to surgery. He seemed to me to be a confident young man which is a great quality for someone who is a surgeon to possess and it instilled hope in me also. We scheduled surgery for early January. I also knew that there would be a period of convalescence following the surgery even if the surgery were successful and there was no post-operative infection.

I requested and received an epidural anesthetic which eliminated the need for general anesthesia which remains an area of fear for me. As the surgeon began preparation for the surgery, I told him that his profession was probably second only to clergy for intercessory prayers. I don’t recall his response.

So, what is the point of this? I believe there are folks reading this that need surgery but have avoided it because of fears of one sort or another. God has provided physicians for us as an intervention that is sometimes the only answer for disease or injury. I cannot describe the sense of brokenness, physical pain and psychological discouragement I experienced prior to my surgery and the sense of confidence that has returned since my surgery. Sometimes it is an issue of trust or fear that keeps us from making a necessary decision to even go to a medical professional. Sometimes it is a matter of admitting that there is a problem. Simply know that God has placed many professionals around us for our care. He works through them to care for us. Amen

Lose your Job? God Has Other Plans

Fr. Dale Matson
02-19-11

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work” (Exodus 20:9, NASB)

The late seventies in the Midwest were a difficult period with a deep recession not experienced in other areas of the U.S. I was a journeyman plumber, heavy equipment operator and soil tester. These were skills that I presumed would always be in demand. The general contractor I worked for usually laid us off in the winter because the severe cold of Wisconsin winters sent concrete-like frost deep into the ground. We had a saying in construction. “We eat steak in the summer and soup in the winter (maybe)”. Because of the recession, residential building nearly came to a standstill and I was not called back from layoff one spring. I had my family in our Ford Fiesta parked outside while I asked my boss for any job available including working in the lumber yard. He simply said there was no work and that I should look elsewhere. I was devastated and angry. Is this what being a new Christian is about God?

I had not finished my bachelor’s degree in the sixty's because I had been drafted out of college my senior year for the Army. The past winter during my final layoff I began a degree completion program and had completed a distance learning course in developmental psychology. When we returned home after my talk with my boss, there was an envelope in the mail box with my final paper and course grade. The writing on my paper from the professor said, “This is the finest paper I have ever read by an undergraduate.” It was an Epiphany for me. God was closing one door and opening another. I believe as it states in Romans, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (8:28, NASB). Another friend from church said to me when I informed him that I no longer had a job, “God must have other plans”.

I am not attempting to preach a prosperity gospel here but I believe that a life dedicated to God will be directed by God. At the time I believed God was quickening a past interest in psychology which was my initial major in college. It was a difficult major and I had convinced myself at the time that I did not have what it takes to become a psychologist. Following not being called back from layoff, I took a job as a psychiatric technician at the county hospital. It was an entry level position at less than one third of what I made in construction. It was starting over but so was my baptism as an adult two years earlier. There was some financial help for veterans but the GI Bill had expired for me. I set my heart on finishing what had been started and found myself to be older than many of my professors. I still had self doubts and the critical voice in my head had to be silenced with “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13, NASB).

I eventually wound up directing a graduate training program for returning educational professionals in School Psychology and School Counseling. They too were at a crossroads in their lives. How wonderful it was to hear each story and to welcome them into preparation for a new professional life. I was now a professor at a Christian university with a graduate school mission statement which included, “We are here to extend the Kingdom of God.” As soon as the program prospects understood that God had brought them by crisis to this crossroads, they too saw the unseen hand of God opening a new door and closing an old one. Amen

God Be In My Mouth And In My Speaking*

Fr. Dale Matson
2-03-11
(*From “God be in my mind and in my understanding”, p. 694, The Hymnal 1982)
I am totally committed to the idea that as Christians we are both asked and empowered to speak and in so doing, change the world in which we live. I immediately want to caution that this is not a “Name it and Claim it” theology that I am advocating. Biblical abundance is having enough (give us this day our daily bread). We are asked in our Lord’s Prayer to call down the Kingdom of God (thy kingdom come). When we pray, we ask that God’s will be done on earth (thy will be done). God said through the prophet Isaiah, “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11). What does this mean? It means that when we pray the words God gives us, our prayers will effect change. The words have efficacy. His words will accomplish something. Prayers have no shelf life. The intercessory prayers of parents have helped their children after the death of the parents. We reach back to intercede for those who have passed on “And we also bless thy holy Name for all thy servants departed this life in thy faith and fear beseeching thee to grant them continual growth in thy love and service.” (Prayers of the People, p. 330, BCP).

Calling things that are not as though they were, could be considered lying but in the context of faith it is a mustard seed sown from which an impossible situation can be changed. A miracle can occur because it is what God would have us say. Chronic unresolved circumstances are awaiting the prayer, “Thy will be done”. Words have the power to help others heal. Each of us can remember something said to us that changed at a minimum the way we saw things. I can still remember my late mother saying to me in the midst of a crisis, “Son, tomorrow will be a better day”. I can remember losing a job and a Christian friend saying to me, “God must have something better in mind for you”.

As Christians we are called to be salt and light and challenged to confront a culture that hates God and yet needs God desperately. As clergy we are reminded that we speak for the church but as Christians we are all called to speak for God. In some cases this requires us to reframe a complaint or rumination into speaking or praying the desired end result. This is how our Lord Prayed. We are God’s ambassadors from His Kingdom inviting the people of this world to come there.

What I have been attempting to say is that as Christians we can change our world starting with the words we speak. Our Lord is the Word of God made flesh and Scripture is the written Word of God. We are incarnational words of God. Paul called us living letters. By living holy and virtuous live our words have the power to give life to others. Our words have the power to pull down strongholds, encourage others and change the world around us. Bit by bit we call down the Kingdom of God to those who don’t know they need God.

“God be at mine end and at my departing” (Ibid). Amen

A Way Forward For Canterbury Anglicanism

Fr. Dale Matson
1-27-11
There is an old saying that poses the question, “Do great men make history or does history make great men”? It is time for a great man to say to God, “Here I am Lord, send me.” (Isaiah 6:8b). Great men are incarnational. They carry within themselves miraculous charisms that when applied to intractable situations provide unexpected remedies.

Canterbury Anglicanism and the Church of England are in crisis and need such a man. The Primates don’t wish for the historical See of Canterbury to fail even though it is inevitable that there will be schism within Anglicanism. The question will be then, “Will the See of Canterbury remain the focal point of 21st Century Anglicanism”? It can remain the center of Anglicanism but Canterbury must represent more than the historical roots of Anglicanism viewed through the blurred lens of contemporary culture. It must represent the heart of the faith also. This is what is missing. Canterbury needs a heart transplant. In order to do this it will depend on the willingness of a great man of God to say, “Enough”. He must be willing to be hated. He must be willing to die.

The current Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Church of England Rowan Williams has demonstrated that he does not reflect the mind of the communion and is no longer trusted by the Primates that represent the vast majority of Anglicans to defend their orthodoxy. The attendance at the Primates meeting only represents about one third the members of the Anglican Communion. This is essentially a vote of “No confidence” for Rowan Williams. Other leaders such as Pope Benedict XVI have seen the plight of disaffected Anglicans in England and offered refuge via the ordinariate. The danger to the established Church of England is not disestablishment which could untangle it from the politically correct secular government. The danger to the Church of England is that it could be banned because it would not be tolerated by an eventual majority Muslim population. Christianity in England must be robust enough to evangelize Muslims.

The next Archbishop of Canterbury must first heal the rift within his own Church of England. A politically correct appointment will only postpone the current decline but will eventually culminate in England no longer being a Christian nation and will not reconcile the absenting Primates. One need only read the press to see the anger toward the Church of England even by non-Muslims. Neither Christ nor pagans have patience for lukewarm Christianity.

For the sake of both a Christian England and Canterbury Anglicanism Rowan Williams should be asked to step down as the Archbishop of Canterbury. I believe the former Bishop of Rochester the Rt. Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali is the man that God has called to lead the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. He has credibility with the orthodox Primates, knows Islam from the inside, is respected by Pope Benedict and could be the transitional figure for a non-colonial Anglicanism. He has dual citizenship in Britain and Pakistan. His academic credentials are impeccable yet he communicates with uncomplicated clarity unlike Rowan Williams.

Canterbury Anglicanism can be saved and is worth saving. If it is not saved, the Anglican Communion will endure even after schism but England will not survive as a Christian nation. If God has spoken to Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, I pray that he would respond to this call. I have said these things with a heavy heart.

“Almighty God, you proclaim your truth in every age by many voices: Direct, in our time, we pray, those who speak where many listen and write what many read; that they may do their part in making the heart of this people wise, its mind sound and its will righteous; to the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (BCP, p. 827).

Activites of Daily Living

Fr. Dale Matson
01-14-2011
“ADLs are defined as the things we normally do...such as feeding ourselves, bathing, dressing, grooming, work, homemaking, and leisure. The ability or inability to perform ADLs can be used as a very practical measure of ability/disability in many disorders.” (MedicineNet.com).

While the Christian life is one of liberty as led by the Holy Spirit, it is also one that is conducted decently and in order. (1 Cor. 14:40, KJV). The passage is used most frequently when discussing the order of worship but it is primarily about the witness of worship. This can also be applied to life in general which is lived as worship. How do we offer witness to others by the way we conduct our lives? I am not just talking about the public witness of church attendance. Are we faithful in conducting our Christian ADL’s?

I do not believe that a Christian led by the Holy Spirit needs to live a hectic, undisciplined, under-productive life. It is contrary to the life that Christ has given us. “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10b, KJV).

The prayer closet part of the Christian’s life is conducted as the Christian ADL’s. Here are some ideas for the ADL’s. How do you begin your day?

I rise early before the other occupants of the house awaken and begin with a daily devotional. It sets the tone for how the rest of the day is conducted and there are numerous devotionals available to choose from. Following this I journal the previous day’s highlights and this also reminds me of things left undone. I include my dreams because God speaks to us in our dreams. My wife and I walk our dogs together and discuss our previous day and anticipated events of the current day. So much of remaining oriented requires a continual reorienting as we move through our day. I then exercise with various sport activities. As a part of my day, I make sure to connect with at least one friend and one relative. I don’t mind being the one who usually initiates the contact. Meals are a great reason to get together. I am retired so volunteer work is helpful to others and necessary for me however these ADL’s were a part of my life while employed. My email and blogs are modern ways I also stay in touch with others and attempt to affirm or encourage them. I also attempt to write on a topic that strikes me each day and re-frame a complaint into a statement of the desired end result.

What about travel? I take the same routine on the road with me. I have a travel journal that I can remove pages from and put them in my home journal. I take swimming goggles, bike helmets, running shoes etc. with me.

These are my ADL’s that regularize, standardize and organize an ordinary life. These are not measures of an especially Holy life. They are the measures of a normal Christian life that continues to sustain me and those who God brings me into contact with including those He brings to my remembrance. I hope others never feel that I don’t have time for them and that when I am with them; I am not paying attention because I am frantic to be somewhere else. “Come unto me, all [ye] that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28, KJV). Amen.

Catechesis as Exit Counseling for the ACNA

Fr. Dale Matson
01-06-2011
Even though our Diocese is out of TEC, we still have a lingering scent of TEC on us. There is still the idea that the former TEC pedigree was valid and in taking ourselves out of the Episcopal Church we have a fresh start. This is probably what the Israelites thought when they escaped from Egypt also. This pedigree was valid at one time but then there was no reason to leave was there. It ceased to be valid during the last generation. Those of us who came out need exit counseling in the form of Catechesis. We can no longer get away with identifying ourselves as “Not TEC”. I was in TEC for eleven years but came from fifteen years in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. (If you are Lutheran and don’t know which synod you belong to, you probably are not LCMS). The LCMS faced a similar crisis in the early 1970s over the place of Scripture in the life of the church.

The LCMS has maintained its conservative historical faith by strong leadership and parishioners who have been taught and understand what it is to be a Lutheran Christian. They understand well the Priesthood of all believers. Each parish has a board of education and it is a part of the Lutheran DNA to school their own children when possible at least to the eighth grade. What is different for them is that the conservatives remained and the liberals left.

Like any departure from a dysfunctional family those who leave must rediscover their identity. They must determine what part belongs to them and what part needs to be left behind. Part of the difficulty for us is that we still use the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. It is a TEC Prayer book and an uncomfortable reminder of where we came from. If Lex Orendi, Lex Credendi is a reality then our worship shapes our belief. The Anglican Church North America will need a prayer book to fashion a modern Anglican ethos connected to historical Anglicanism but distinct from the contemporary version of TEC. The Liturgy will be important and so will the Catechism. I believe that when a new catechism is developed it would be useful for all existing members to re-experience what it means to be a catechumen. Grace is free but discipleship is not cheap.

It is also important for parishioners to be familiarized with the constitution and canons of the new province of the ACNA because a change in ethos is being introduced. There is an increased emphasis on Evangelism because we believe Jesus Christ is the only way. There is a great emphasis on growth and church planting because we believe we have something to offer that the world desperately needs. There is call for an increase in the involvement and responsibility of the lay order. This is not the church you came from. We are not just removed from TEC, we are no longer Episcopalians. You can say that it is them who left Scripture and Tradition behind but we must say that we have left the name behind. Each of us has to ask ourselves, “What does that mean”?

Thomas Merton and Conversion of Manners

Fr. Dale Matson
12-30-2010
The three vows of the Benedictine Monks are obedience, stability, and conversion of manners. Poverty and chastity are included in conversion of manners. Having read many of Thomas Merton’s books, I have an admiration for him. He was spiritually brilliant and insightful. I am blessed to have known him through his books and have known a couple of other men who influenced me through their lives. Although they did not shine with his brightness and were not as articulate, they lived the life he discussed in his writings and remain an inspiration for me. I will discuss them further in a short while.

Why does one become a monastic? It is accepting the call of Christ to follow Him. The vows of the monastics are an attempt to live out the beatitudes listed by Christ in His Sermon on the Mount. “Therefore we can conclude that we come to the monastery to seek Christ—desiring that we may find Him and know Him, and thus come to live in Him and by Him.” (Thomas Merton, Basic Principles of Monastic Spirituality, 1996, Templegate Publishers, p.21).

“By conversion of manners we definitely consecrate our whole life to the service of God as monks, men who have turned their backs on the world, who have substituted the humility, chastity, poverty, renunciation of the cloister for the ambitions, comforts, pleasures, riches and self-satisfaction of the world.” (Ibid, p.86).

The two other men I knew were not monks or oblates by intention but they were monks in their unspoken permanent vow of conversion of manners. Merton stated, “The vow of conversatio morum is a vow to live in the Spirit”. It is aimed at spiritual virginity which is purity of heart. The point here is that the goal of monastic living is not seeking personal perfection. It is as Merton noted. “Christ is the center of monastic living. He is the source and the end. He is the way of the monk as well as his goal.”(Ibid, p.9).

There is no reason to think that the intentionality of monastic living is a less distracted search for the face of God than a life where one is married, raising a family, serving in a parish church, living a disciplined and virtuous life, working in a vocation that provides meaning and seeing sacredness in ordinary existence. These two men were what I would call deacon monks. They took the church into the streets and into the workplace. They were Christ for their families. They were contemplatives who were also active. They were courageous leaders of others and helped form Christ in the novices. Their hearts were pure and their speech was unguarded. It didn’t have to be guarded because they loved the people they spoke to. They only saw the good in others because their own hearts were pure. They brought out the best in others and gave them a hand up. They were innocent as doves and surprised at the moral failures in others. They were quick to forgive and easily brought to laughter. And why is this? It is because they had at a critical junction in their lives decided that Christ was the pearl of great price. He would be their head and they would live a life worthy of His unmerited grace to them. They were in holy orders and unaware of it. Their conversion of manners took place outside the walls of a monastery. Amen