Spirit of the Eagle – October 2018
Spirit of the Eagle
St. John the Evangelist ACC
Spiritual Tidbits & Rector’s Reflections for October 2018 from Father Tim
October and the Fall season has arrived. At Saint John’s several of our parishioners have been hastily working with contractors to prepare our church for the coming Winter season. Many of the repairs were long overdue and completion was imperative before the harsh weather ahead. For projects like this the present Fall season is a beautiful time to prepare, and the actual improvements to our place of worship will be beautiful as well. Winter will arrive, the church will be prepared and secured, and the new life of the following Spring season will only enhance the beauty of the church renovations. So goes church maintenance, so goes life as well. Remember the words of Saint Paul to the Church of Corinth, “behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Yes one day in the future the harsh season of death awaits us all, and now is our time to prepare. There truly is no time like the present. We can make each “present” day a beautiful day, a day to prepare our character, and allow Christ to beautify our souls with grace. And as we one day draw our last breath of crisp Fall air, we will be prepared and secured, and the renewed life of the following eternal Spring will only enhance the beauty of our resurrected bodies. I pray that your Fall season will be beautiful, all your preparations fulfilled, and that you receive a steady fragrance of the fresh air from the eternal Spring with no end. ~ Father Tim
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Beholding this Being, the Conductor of all existence, the self-intent that ever gives and never takes, resting rapt in the vision and possession of so lofty a loveliness, what beauty can the soul then lack? For this, the beauty supreme, the absolute and primal, fashions its lovers to beauty and makes them also worthy of love. And for this the sternest and uttermost combat is set before these souls; all our labour is for this, lest we be left without part in this noblest vision, which to attain is to be blessed in the blissful sight, which to fail of is to fail utterly. ~ Evelyn Underhill, The Essentials of Mysticism, Plotinus I. 6.7
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Small window restoration will wrapping up this month if all goes as planned. We will be painting most (if not all) of the exterior trim as well. The plastering and painting inside the Church Porch and Narthex is scheduled to be completed as well. I have samples of some Saint John window clings and vinyl stickers I will be presenting to the Vestry this month. If approved I will order a small quantity for parishioners who would like to use their car windows to advertise our parish. They are in the shape of a shield and a little over 3 x 3 inches in size. I will include them inside the glass display case in the Parish Hall. We will continue (in a small way) recreating the old St. John Church Book Stall where you will find copies of Christian books, Saint John bookmarkers (a good item to give to friends), and other interesting items. Stop by soon and peruse the items already available for use! ~ Father Tim
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October Spirituality Class
In October we will be continuing our transitional class with both Spirituality and Bible Study. The class in October will cover At home with Martha and Mary. 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 21st of October 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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For in prosperity a man is often puffed up with pride, whereas tribulations chasten and humble him through suffering and sorrow. In the midst of prosperity the mind is elated, and in prosperity a man forgets himself; in hardship he is forced to reflect on himself, even though he be unwilling. In prosperity a man often destroys the good he has done; amidst difficulties he often repairs what he long since did in the way of wickedness. ~ Blessed Alfred the Great, K.C., feast day, 26th of October
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Would you like to commemorate a special occasion? Honor a special person or remember a deceased loved one AND help out your parish? Would you like to mark a special day in your life? Please consider donating money to the Altar Guild for the flowers used for our at Holy Communion. Beautiful flowers glorify God and beautify His holy altar where we gather to receive the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, and deepen our sense of community as we join together with fellow parishioners.
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And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by, But we in it shall be remembered- We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now-a-bed Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day. From this day to the ending of the world, The only true praise of a sermon is some evil left [abandoned], or some good done, upon the hearing of it. ~ Henry V of England, speech given (according to William Shakespeare’s text) on Ss. Crispin & Crispinian Mm. feast day, the morning of the 25th of October, 1415, before the Battle of Agincourt.
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Within the normal experience of the ordinary Christian, love should give two things to prayer; ardour and beauty. In his prayer, as it were, man swings a censer before the altar of the Universe. He may put into the thurible all his thoughts and dreams, all his will and energy. But unless the fire of love is communicated to that incense, nothing will happen; there will be no fragrance and no ascending smoke. ~ Evelyn Underhill, The Essentials of Mysticism
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St. John October Ordo Kalendar
Sunday, the 7th of October, we celebrate Trinity XIX, Vestry meeting after Holy Mass
Sunday, the 14th of October, we celebrate Trinity XX, Coffee Hour
Sunday, the 21st of October, we celebrate Trinity XXI, Bible Study after Holy Mass
Sunday, the 28th of October, we celebrate the Christ the King
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October Birthdays & Anniversaries
Roger Blackburn – Birthday – October 1
Michael Griswold – Birthday – October 13
Joyce Murray – Birthday – October 14
Elsie Fowler – Birthday – October 16
Virginia Jackson – Birthday – October 16
Katie Craft – Birthday – October 17
Liz Robbins – Birthday – October 19
Leslie Shelton – Birthday – October 24
Eileen & Rick Hanson – Anniversary – October 31
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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