News
Week of October 17-24, 2021
Blessings and Greetings in the name of Our Lord
The Scriptures for our coming weekend are Jeremiah 31: 7-9; Psalm 126; Hebrews 7: 23-28; and Mark 10: 46-52. The Jeremiah prophecy goes very well with the story of blind Bartimaeus in the gospel and the second reading continues to sojourn in the powerful, spiritual effects of Jesus' great high priesthood at the right hand of our heavenly Father.
I would like to recommend to all that us take time to quietly read from Mark 8:22 strait through to the gospel of this coming weekend ending with Mark 10: 52. Mark loves doublets, using them much like parenthesis. Think of them as sandwich bread and everything in between is meat. This section begins with Jesus healing a blind man, but it requires a second touch and then the whole section ends with the healing of blind Bartimaeus. In between are very blind disciples. A commentary alerted me to this fact: that the "meat" of this whole section is Jesus teaching "discipleship school". Every section takes us deeper into how to be a disciple of the Lord. What complicates it is that the disciples (much like us) just don't get all that is entailed in being a disciple. As you would read this whole section, let's ask the Holy Spirit to help us GET WHAT HE IS TEACHING, in such a way as to put it into practice.
Chapel Schedule this week
Tuesday and Thursday noon Eucharist (October 19 and 21)
Saturday 5 pm Eucharist also streamed and archived on the Fraternity website
Also, after the noon Eucharist on Thursday is our usual monthly formation time with Shannon, our postulant.
SAYINGS OF THE SAINTS
"Let us work with a new love in service of the poor, looking for the most destitute and abandoned among them. Let us recognize that before God, they are our Lords and masters, and we are unworthy to render them our small services." --St. Vincent de Paul (This saying reminds and encourages me as we do support ROOM AT THE IN (the outreach to the homeless in our city), as well as the ministries of St Francis House, Loaves and Fishes, the works of LOVE COLUMBIA, et cetera.
St Joseph of Leonissa (in Naples in the 1600's) said this: "Every Christian must be a living book wherein one can read the teaching of the gospel". (This saying is similar to the one ascribed to St. Francis: "Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.")
Well, that does it for me. Love to all and God bless each of our process of being disciples in the challenge of Jesus' Way of the Cross.
Love, Fr. John ofp
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CHECK OUT THIS NEWS FEATURE ABOUT US:
http://columbiafavs.com/2014/02/15/christian-traditions-converge-charismatic-episcopal-church/
