Spirit of the Eagle – August 2018
Spirit of the Eagle
St. John the Evangelist ACC
Spiritual Tidbits & Rector’s Reflections for August 2018 from Father Tim
August has arrived and within the Ordo Kalendar we find the Transfiguration of Christ (6th), the Holy Name of Jesus (7th), the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (15th), Saint Bartholomew (24th), and as one might expect for this month Saint Augustine of Hippo (28th). The rest and relaxation of summer vacation time is just about over. In his book Confessions, Saint Augustine wrote, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” If we are not careful our summer vacations can leave us more tired and restless than before we took them. Sometimes we “run ourselves ragged” for earthly pursuits. Thankfully this can never happen with our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ: Come unto me all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you (St. Matthew xi: 28). If we go for months without a break in our regular schedule of labor we begin feeling the need for a little worldly rest and refreshment. If we go for extended lengths without spending holy time on holy days with our Savior we should begin feeling the need for His rest and refreshment. Thus the need for worldly rest should pale in comparison with our desire for the rest offered by Christ. He is always there waiting for us. Saint Augustine writes, “You never go away from us, yet we have difficulty in returning to You. Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back. Kindle and seize us. Be our fire and our sweetness. Let us love. Let us run.” Let us make time to run to Jesus, and I pray you find His rest in abundance this August. ~ Father Tim
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Belatedly I loved thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new, belatedly I loved thee. For see, thou wast within and I was without, and I sought thee out there. Unlovely, I rushed heedlessly among the lovely things thou hast made. Thou wast with me, but I was not with thee. These things kept me far from thee; even though they were not at all unless they were in thee. Thou didst call and cry aloud, and didst force open my deafness. Thou didst gleam and shine, and didst chase away my blindness. Thou didst breathe fragrant odors and I drew in my breath; and now I pant for thee. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for thy peace. ~ St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
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Small window and restoration will continue throughout this year. We also still have a little plastering and painting we need to complete inside the Church Porch and Narthex. I hope to add some new items inside the glass display case in the Parish Hall soon. We will continue (in a small way) recreating the old St. John Church Book Stall where you will find copies of Christian books, St. John bookmarkers, and other interesting items. Stop by soon and peruse the items already available for use! ~ Father Tim
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August Spirituality Class
In August we will be continuing our transitional class with both Spirituality and Bible Study through the summer. The class in August will cover The Johannine Prologue (John 1). The study of God’s word is central to the life and mission of our parish church of St. John the Evangelist. Please join us after Holy Mass on the 19th of August for an engaging, dynamic, and informative exploration of the Holy Scriptures. All are welcome, but be warned: continued exposure to God’s word will change your life.
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Why doth my Saviour weep
At sight of Sion’s bowers?
Shows it not fair from yonder steep,
Her gorgeous crown of towers?
Mark well His holy pains:
’Tis not in pride or scorn,
That Israel’s King with sorrow stains
His own triumphal morn.
~ John Keble, The Christian Year, Tenth Sunday After Trinity
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Writing it down now in cold blood it does not seem anything, but I am sure it was everything — a liberal education, a discovery that all men are pretty much the same, that even the grossest sin, the direst poverty, has not the power of annihilating true manhood — above all the lesson that true worth consists not in what a man has, but what a man is; and perhaps they just guessed at the higher lesson that union with God is not only the power of a perfect cleansing, but the power of a renewed life, which renders him who possesses it true and beautiful. ~ Fr. Robert Radclyffe Dolling, Ten Years in a Portsmouth Slum
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I look forward, not to what lies ahead of me in this life and will surely pass away, but to my eternal goal. I am intent upon this one purpose, not distracted by other aims, and with this goal in view I press on, eager for the prize, God’s heavenly summons. Then I shall listen to the sound of Your praises and gaze at Your beauty ever present, never future, never past. But now my years are but sighs. You, O Lord, are my only solace. You, my Father, are eternal. But I am divided between time gone by and time to come, and its course is a mystery to me. My thoughts, the intimate life of my soul, are torn this way and that in the havoc of change. And so it will be until I am purified and melted by the fire of Your love and fused into one with You. ~ St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
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St. John August Ordo Kalendar
Sunday, the 5th of August, we celebrate Trinity X, Coffee Hour after Holy Mass
Sunday, the 12th of August, we celebrate Trinity XI
Sunday, the 19th of August, we celebrate Trinity XII, Bible Study after Holy Mass
Sunday, the 26th of August, we celebrate the Trinity XIII
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August Birthdays & Anniversaries
Caroline Schmerge – Birthday – August 28
Janet Butler – Birthday – August 28
Savannah Butler – Birthday – August 29
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I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries. Even so then at the present time also there is a remnant. ~ Jeremiah 23:3; Romans 11:5