November 2021
Spirit of the Eagle
St. John the Evangelist ACC
Spiritual Tidbits & Rector’s Reflections for
November 2021 from Father Tim
November begins with All Saints’ Day. All Saints is one of the major festivals of the Holy Church. It is also an ancient festival. There is a surviving homily from around the year 270 A.D. by St. Gregory the Wonder-Worker, the apostle of Pontus, for a festival called All Martyrs. Unfortunately it does not name the day of the year of this celebration. Approximately 100 years later (360 A.D.?) the East Syrian Church in Edessa observed a festival of All Martyrs on the 13th of May. We know this from a hymn of St. Ephrem Syrus. During the same time period St. John Chrysostom refers to a similar feast at Antioch on the Sunday after Pentecost. Around 608 A.D. Boniface IV obtained permission from the Emperor Phocas to take over the famous Pantheon in Rome (it had been closed for about 200 years) and use it for Christian worship. On the 13th of May he dedicated the building to St. Mary and All Martyrs. Sometime around the year 750 A.D. Gregory III dedicated a chapel of ‘All Saints’ in St. Peter’s, and the date of this event is thought to have been the 1st day of November. And thus this is the day that was kept as the feast of All Saints in England, or All Hallows, in the latter part of the eight century, as well as in some churches of France, Germany, and Ireland. However, many authorities believe the festival on the 1st of November actually originated in Ireland, and that from Ireland it spread to England, and then to the Continent, and lastly to Rome. What is known for sure is that Gregory the IV urged , in a letter to the Holy Roman Emperor, Louis the Pious, that the 1st of November should be used for the festival throughout his dominions. The year was 835 A.D., and since that date the 1st of November supplanted the older observance on the 13th of May. In Scripture the word ‘saints’ is used for all the people of God who have been sanctified of the Spirit. The word does not refer to a special class of distinguished believers with a higher than average character based on man’s observance. It was only after the Church began to develop the ‘cult of the martyrs’ that a distinction between a saint and less well-known Christians was made. Thankfully our Book of Common Prayer ‘propers’ for All Saints’ Day are intended as a commemoration of ‘all faithful departed souls’. I hope your November is filled with the memories of the saint’s that influenced your life. ~ Father Tim
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Is there someone you know who has not been sanctified by the Spirit? Do they think sainthood is beyond their grasp? November is a beautiful month to invite someone into the Holy Church to experience the deliverance ‘from the dominion of darkness’. Invite a lost or seeking soul into the presence of Christ the King, His kingdom, and His church family. ~ Father Tim
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Year of grace 1654, Monday 23 November, feast of St. Clement…from about half past ten at night to about half an hour after midnight, FIRE. God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of philosophers and scholars. Certitude, heartfelt joy, peace. God of Jesus Christ. God of Jesus Christ. “My God and your God.”… Joy, Joy, Joy, tears of joy… Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. May I never be separated from Him. ~ Blaise Pascal
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Did you know?
Did you know that Saint John’s will be a Bronze Sponsor this year at the Holly Hill Child & Family Solutions Gala in Covington? Did you know that in October we made another charitable contribution to the Northern KY Salvation Army? Did you know we are very close to having the Rectory completed? Did you know that Heritage Window Solutions have now ordered new (and beautiful) glass storm windows for nine of our stained glass windows?
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St. John November Ordo Kalendar
Wednesday, the 3rd of November at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Sunday, the 7th of November at 10:30 AM, Trinity XXIII
Wednesday, the 10th of November at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Sunday, the 14th of November at 10:30 AM, Trinity XXIV
Wednesday, the 17th of November at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Sun., the 21st of November at 10:30 AM, Sun. Next Before Advent, Annual Meeting
Wednesday, the 24th of November at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Sunday, the 28th of November at 10:30 AM, Advent I
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I do not know your gods. Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, is my God. If you take my answer as an offense, cut off my tongue. Every part of my body is ready to suffer when God calls for this sacrifice. ~ S. Theodore, Martyr, feast day 9th of November
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Lord, if your people need me, I will not refuse the work. Your will be done. ~ S. Martin, Bishop & Confessor, feast day 11th of November
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November Birthdays & Anniversaries
David Langdon – Birthday – November 4th
Elsie Sams – Birthday – November 10th
Brian & Sarah Miller – Anniversary – November 11th
John & Helena (Lennie) Fisher – Anniversary – November 13th
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“… Learn, as if to live forever; live, as if to die tomorrow.” ~ S. Edmund Rich, Bishop & Confessor, feast day the 16th of November
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As in heaven Your will is punctually performed, so may it be done on earth by all creatures, particularly in me and by me. ~ S. Elisabeth of Hungary, Queen & Widow, feast day the 19th of November
“Saved Alone” was the message that Horatio Spafford received from his wife after the ship sank that was taking her and their four children to England in November, 1873. After reuniting with his grieving wife at sea, the boat came near the area where his children had drowned. It is speculated that at that time he wrote the words (contained in his famous hymn) that vividly described his own grief and faith: “When sorrows like sea billows roll – Whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul” ~ Phyllis LaPeau
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Annual Meeting & Advent
Just a friendly reminder that our Annual Meeting will be held after Mass on the 21st of November. Also the 28th of November is the first Sunday of Advent! So here is a suggestion for November. Start looking for a book of daily readings for Advent. I have three on my shelf I have enjoyed over the past years. My favorite currently is Love Came Down, Anglican Readings for Advent and Christmas, by Christopher L. Webber. Behold, He Comes, Meditations on the Incarnation, by Benedict Groeshel, C.F.R. is also good. And you can’t go wrong with Advent with St. Francis, Daily Reflections, compiled by Diane M. Houdek. The study of God’s word is central to the life and mission of our parish church of St. John the Evangelist. The Holy Scriptures and continued exposure to God’s word in daily reading will change your life. ~ Father Tim
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It is better to say one Our Father fervently and devoutly than a thousand with no devotion and full of distraction. ~ S. Edmund, King & Martyr, feast day the 20th of November
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It is not your outward appearance that you should beautify, but your soul, adorning it with good works. ~ S. Clement, Bishop & Martyr, feast day the 23rd of November
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The seeking of Jesus Christ, and the quest for chivalry combined, lead directly to one place only: Anglican-Catholicism. Courage, honor, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help and defend the weak and the poor. Welcome to the Anglican Catholic Church. ~ Father Timothy Butler