Spirit of the Eagle – October 2020
Spirit of the Eagle
St. John the Evangelist ACC
Spiritual Tidbits & Rector’s Reflections for
October 2020 from Father Tim
October and Fall 2020 have arrived with beautiful weather. Covid still lingers (or threatens – depending on who you listen to) and with Election Day looming the political machines are producing everything but Saints. This month the secular world celebrates (with unmeasurable vigor) the night of ‘Halloween’ on the 31st. I suspect the participants biggest challenge will be finding covid masks to complement the costume. Social distancing? In many cases not likely. Halloween, a contraction of All Hallows’ Eve (31st), is the evening before All Saints’ (or All Hallows’) Day. The celebration marks the day before the Western Christian feast of All Saints and initiates the season of Allhallowtide, which lasts three days and concludes with All Souls’ Day on the 2nd of November. In much of Europe and most of North America, observance of Halloween is now largely (and sadly) nonreligious. Along with the Trinity Sundays the Ordo Kalendar contains three other major Church feasts, St. Luke (18th), Christ the King (25th), and SS. Simon and Jude (28th). October, with all its fall colors canvasing the landscape, is a beautiful time of year. And if you take time to notice while inside Saint John’s, the sun strikes the stained glass at a different angle, and gives a more aesthetic beauty to the scenes contained within the glass itself, and increases the beauty of the nave, chancel, and sanctuary without. The same goes with each of us. As we allow the grace of Christ sanctify us, we become more beautiful within, and we better reflect His image onto all those around us. I suspect all of us will partake in the secular Halloween in some small manner, but let’s also take time to honor All Saints before us who allowed the life of Christ to shine through them, illuminating the world with holy beauty. I pray your October reflects Christ upon all you meet. ~ Father Tim
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Is there someone in your life who does not know the Source of Beauty? Do they measure beauty only by the world’s faulty standard? October is the month of Christ the King. It is a perfect time to speak with a lost soul about Holy Beauty, invite them to attend Saint John’s with you, and be immersed in the Divine Light from above. This October could redefine beauty to someone you cherish. ~ Father Tim
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Among adults there are few saved because of sins of the flesh. With the exception of those who die in childhood, most men will be damned. ~ S. Remigius, Bishop and Confessor (apparently a Saint who pulled no punches), feast day 1st of October
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Bible Study & Spirituality Class
There will be no class in October. So here is a suggestion to tide you over. John Wesley, Anglican priest, loved this time of year. In a journal entry from November 1, 1767, Wesley calls All Saints day “a festival I truly love.” On the same day in 1788, he writes, “I always find this a comfortable day.” The following year he calls it “a day that I peculiarly love.” And, why not love a day that celebrates the lives of the children of God? On All Saints Day, Anglican Catholics remember all children of God who have passed through the veil. October is a perfect time to raise our awareness of the importance of love and mercy in our lives. Start by reading and studying the Beatitudes (St. Matthew, chapter 5). Conclude by reading the Apostles Creed with particular contemplation on the ‘communion of saints’. 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 will change your life. ~ Father Tim
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It pleases Him to create great Saints, who may be compared with the lilies or the rose; but He has also created little ones, who must be content to be daisies or violets, nestling at His feet to delight His eyes when He should choose to look at them. The happier they are to be as He wills, the more perfect they are. ~ S. Teresa of Lisieux, Virgin, feast day 2nd of October
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St. John October Ordo Kalendar
Sunday, the 4th of October at 10:30 AM, Trinity XVII
Wednesday, the 7th of October at 5:45 PM, Evening Prayer
Sunday, the 11th of October at 10:30 AM, Trinity XVIII
Wednesday, the 14th of October at 5:45 PM, Evening Prayer
Sunday, the 18th of October at 10:30 AM, St. Luke, EV., M.
Wed., the 21st of Oct. at 4:30 PM Vestry Meeting, at 5:45 PM, Evening Prayer
Sunday, the 25th of October at 10:30 AM, Christ the King
Wednesday, the 28th of October at 5:45 PM, Evening Prayer
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While the world changes, the cross stands firm. ~ S. Bruno, Confessor, feast day the 6th day of October
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October Birthdays & Anniversaries
Jean Marie Centers – Birthday – October 8
Michael Griswold – Birthday – October 13
Elsie Fowler – Birthday – October 16
Virginia Jackson – Birthday – October 16
Katie Craft – Birthday – October 17
Leslie Shelton – Birthday – October 24
Rick & Eileen Hanson – Anniversary – October 31
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The world would have peace if only men of politics would follow the Gospels. ~ S. Brigit of Sweden, Queen, Widow, (a better truth for this month has never been spoken) feast day the 8th of October
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This is how the present life of man on Earth, King, appears to me in comparison with that time which is unknown to us. You are sitting feasting with your ealdormen and thegns in winter time. The fire is burning on the hearth in the middle of the hall and all inside is warm, while outside the wintry storms of rain and snow are raging – and a sparrow flies swiftly through the hall. It enters in at one door and quickly flies out through the other. For the few moments it is inside, the storm and wintry tempest cannot touch it, but after the briefest moment of calm, it flits from your sight, out of the wintry storm and into it again. So this life of man appears but for a moment. What follows or, indeed, what went before, we know not at all. ~ St. Paulinus of York, Bishop and Confessor, feast day the 10th of October, speaking in Northumbria
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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