SPRING A.D.

2017

VOL. 59 NO. 1

St. Georges
Texas City, Texas
Member of the Parish Partner Plan
 SPRING 2017

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 SPRING A.D. 2017

VOL. 59 NO. 1

St. Georges
Texas City, Texas
Member of the Parish Partner Plan
 Published quarterly by the Society for Promoting and Encouraging
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2
 Reflecting the words and work of the
faithful throughout the Anglican
Communion for more than fifty years.

connecting gathering telling

For fifty-nine years, The Anglican Digest (TAD) has been the
leading quarterly publication serving the Anglican Communion.
From its inception, TADs mission has been to reflect the words
and work of the faithful throughout the Anglican Communion.
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our heritage is Prayer Book Catholic, and is open to the needs
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3
 6 Compunction and Repentance
10 Not My Fault
12 Guilt
16 Love Undoes Us
19 Repentance
23 Joy From Ashes
25 A TAD Literary
28 Conversion: Healing the Sin-Sick Soul
39 Transformative Repentance
43 God Forgives Even Turkeys
48 Temptation and Salt
48 Overwhelmed and Properly Alarmed
55 Necrology

The cover photographs for this issue are of St. Georges

Episcopal Church, Texas City, Texas. In the 16 years St.
Georges has been a member of our Parish Partner Plan,
parishioners have established a strong history of supporting
TAD, and we are pleased to recognize it now. You can see
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4 anglicandigest.org
 From the Editors
It has been suggested that, for Anglicans and Episcopalians,
the only sin for which there must be repentance and contrition
is that of being guilty of poor taste. On the other hand, one of
the justifications for the new Prayer Book in 1979 was that the
older versions, stretching back to the Reformation, placed too
much emphasis on sin.
Be that as it may, the Gospels begin with the haunting sound
of the Baptist calling the crowds assembled on Jordans bank to
turn from their sins and return to walking with God.
Johns cousin, Jesus, takes up the theme and annoys the reli-
gious leadership by exposing their hypocrisy. So pointed was
his message that even the crowds eventually turned on him.
He died that we might be forgiven: he died to make us good.
So wrote Mrs. Alexander in her childrens hymn, There is a
Green Hill Far Away.
It is our hope that the theme of this edition will spur our read-
ers towards a holy Lent. We encourage you to share your TAD
with your friends. We value your support.

He who has not felt what sin is in the Old Testament knows
little what grace is in the New. He who has not trembled in
Moses, and wept in David, and wondered in Isaiah, will
rejoice little in Matthew, rest little in John.
R. W. Barbour, Thoughts

spring 2017 5
connecting

Compunction rience of compunction, that

and Repentance pricking of conscience that is
the first signal we have become
The Rev. Dr. Pamela Dolan aware of our sin. Compunction
From that time Jesus began to is usually followed more or less
proclaim, Repent, for the king- swiftly by contrition, sorrow
dom of heaven has come near. for our sins. Without aware-
(Matthew 4:17) ness and sorrow, either for par-
ticular sins or for our general
Most sermons I have heard state of sinfulness, there is lit-
on the topic of repentance tle to motivate us to repent and
emphasize the idea of turn- change our behavior.
ing, either turning back to the
Lord or turning away from sin It may be that we dont talk
and going in a new direction. much about compunction and
I have preached such sermons contrition because they bring
myself. But there is another up the awkward subject of
aspect of repentance that I doguilt. Congregations today are
not hear mentioned much in more tolerant of a priest who
church and it might be time todabbles in heresy than one who
lays a guilt trip on people. (I
reclaim the language that helps
answer a simple question: exaggerate, but not by much.)
If turning (or taking a new We are told that religion that
path or amendment of life) is makes people feel bad is why
the primary consequence of the church is dying. I would ar-
repentance, then what is its gue that religion that does not
cause? address the underlying causes
of those bad feelings has no
The early church had an an- reason to survive.
swer, one that is rarely dis-
cussed these days: the expe- The real problem with guilt
6 anglicandigest.org
gathering
is not that it makes us un-
comfortable sometimes we
need to feel uncomfortable,
maybe even wretched! After
all, even boring, respectable,
middle-class Episcopalians are
capable of some pretty awful
things. You dont have to be
an axe murderer to be guilty
of sins ranging from gossip to
blasphemy to covetousness.
The real problem with guilt,
rather, is that its just a feel-
ing an uncomfortable feel-
ing, but one that may or may
not cause a person to change
her behavior. Consider how
we talk about the experience
of this emotional state: people
wallow in guilt, they are eat-
en up by guilt sometimes
they allow themselves to be
consumed by it for years or a
lifetime. Guilt can paralyze us.
Guilt can become an unhealthy
excuse for self-loathing, rather
than a goad to amendment of
life.
Compunction is something
different altogether. One does
telling
not wallow in compunction.
The Latin root of the word
means to severely prick, sting,
or even pierce think of the
word puncture, which shares
the same root and those
who experience it are, as a rule,
moved to action. Sometimes I
think of guilt as a muddy bog
and compunction as a stinging
nettle. Neither one is enjoy-
able, but its easy to get stuck in
one while the other moves you
forward.
It is time to reclaim compunc-
tion as a spiritual gift. We are
so allergic to guilt, so resistant
to facing our own shadow side.
If we learn to recognize com-
punction when it happens,
we can use it as a tool in dis-
cernment. It is diagnostic, in a
sense. It cuts through the haze
of our distractedness and busy-
ness and our many defensive
numbing mechanisms. But it
comes and goes rather quickly,
at least in my experience, so we
may need to train our souls to
recognize it for what it is.
spring 2017 7
connecting
Repentance isnt likely to hap-
pen just because we read a
passage about John the Bap-
tist crying in the wilderness,
or hear a nice sermon about
that passage. We need to hear
Johns voice, Jesuss voice, the
prophets voices, for ourselves.
In this era that so hungers and
thirsts for authenticity, it seems
clear that we demand to feel
something if we are ever going
to do something. Compunc-
tion feels like a slap in the face
or a sharp kick in the shins. It
hurts, but its pain is fleeting as
long as we move on from there
to contrition, repentance, and
amendment of life.
As I mentioned in passing
before, the early church was
much more conversant with
these internal steps on the
road to amendment of life: first
compunction, then contrition,
and finally repentance. And
they believed that compunc-
tion was not only necessary
but also beautiful, a kind of One imagines a monk, en-
poignant experience that com- gaged in contemplative read-
8 anglicandigest.org
bined the painful awareness
of sin with the sweetness of
knowing that Gods mercy and
forgiveness were even greater
than our failings.
For centuries the church
taught that the surest sign of
compunction was weeping. No
less a figure than St. Jerome
counseled that the duty of
a monk is not to teach but to
weep, either for himself or for
the world. This fits with the
notion of monks as praying
and doing penance for the sins
that were committed outside
the monastery. Abba Isaac, a
figure in John Cassians Con-
ferences, asserted that tears are
the purest form of prayer. To
him, it is the mind that pours
forth prayers, almost with vio-
lence, as a spring pours forth
water. In this image the pen-
itent becomes a kind of living
fountain, gushing with tears
and prayers.
gathering telling

ing, who is suddenly struck sins committed on our be-

with feelings of compunction.
As his eyes fill with tears, the
words on the page become
blurry and indistinct, but the
physical book no longer mat-
ters because its message has
been interiorized. The monk
becomes what he reads. The
gap between Word and the one
to whom the Word is spoken is
narrowed to nothingness.
Repentance for the sins we
commit personally and the
half by unjust systems beats
at the heart of the Christian
life. Without it, our worship
is mere show and our profes-
sions of faith empty of mean-
ing. Compunction can be that
pricking of conscience that
moves us into prompt and sin-
cere repentance, and goads us
on to make amends, to direct
our efforts in a new direction,
and to draw ever closer to holi-
ness of life.

Here is quite the most beautiful writing on

discipleship I know.
JUSTIN WELBY
Archbishop of Canterbury

Williams ushers us more deeply into our

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WALTER BRUEGGEMANN

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spring 2017 9
connecting
Not My Fault
The Rev. Jordan Hylden
As soon as it was morning, the
chief priests held a consultation
with the elders and scribes and
the whole council. They bound
Jesus, led him away, and hand-
ed him over to Pilate. Pilate
asked him, Are you the King
of the Jews? He answered him,
You say so. Then the chief
priests accused him of many
things. Pilate asked him again,
Have you no answer? See
how many charges they bring
against you. But Jesus made
no further reply, so that Pilate
was amazed.
Now at the festival he used to
release a prisoner for them,
anyone for whom they asked.
Now a man called Barabbas
was in prison with the rebels
who had committed murder
during the insurrection. So
the crowd came and began to
ask Pilate to do for them ac-
cording to his custom. Then he
10 anglicandigest.org
answered them, Do you want
me to release for you the King
of the Jews? For he realized
that it was out of jealousy that
the chief priests had handed
him over. But the chief priests
stirred up the crowd to have
him release Barabbas for them
instead. Pilate spoke to them
again, Then what do you wish
me to do with the man you call
the King of the Jews? They
shouted back, Crucify him!
Pilate asked them, Why, what
evil has he done? But they
shouted all the more, Crucify
him! So Pilate, wishing to sat-
isfy the crowd, released Barab-
bas for them; and after flogging
Jesus, he handed him over to be
crucified. (Mark 15:1-15)
Pilate was amazed. The chief
priests had accused Jesus of
many things, terrible things,
lies, half-truths, slanders, cru-
elties, but Jesus had no answer.
What kind of person gives no
defense, has nothing at all to
say for himself? A guilty man
who has nothing to say? Pilate
gathering
had seen that before, but he
knew that Jesus was innocent.
Or perhaps a broken man
who has nothing left? Pilate
had seen that before too, but
this one wasnt like that. His
eyes were too clear, his head
too erect, his voice too sure.
What was this? Why not say
something on your behalf
didnt he know his fate? But
of course he did. He wasnt
a madman. Pilate had seen
them, too.
Who was this man?
Whoever he was, he was not
the man the crowd had been
looking for. Hosanna! Bless-
ed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord! Hadnt
that been their cry not a week
before? But now they had
changed their tune. Crucify
him! Crucify him! They pre-
ferred Barabbas. At least he
had done something against
Pilate and the Caesar he stood
for, spilled some blood, made
someone pay. Jesus was not
telling
that kind of king. He was not
the kind of man who would
do what it takes to get results.
He was a despicable pretend-
er. Give us Barabbas!
By any means necessary
thats what you have to un-
derstand. The crowd knew it;
its only common sense. This
is how things get done in the
real world. Pretending other-
wise is just pathetic, a fantasy.
The Romans know it, thats
why theyre on top. Theyre
not afraid to do what it takes.
You cant be afraid to get your
hands dirty. Its not our fault
that this is how it is. Anyhow
the Romans started it, the bas-
tards. Why should we stand
around and take it anymore?
Pilate wished to satisfy the
crowd. It was not his fault,
so he said to himself. What
can one do? This bloodthirsty
rabble, these hoi polloi, the
pax Romana was too good for
them. He washed his hands of
this. He was not responsible,
spring 2017 11
connecting

not really. The people want GUILT

floggings, blood, and revenge
so let them have it. Better The Rev. Travis Frank, AOP
that one man die to keep the
peace than we have a revolu- For the fifth time in as many
tion on our hands. weeks, she sat in the Rectors
office, tissue in hand, weep-
It is their fault, not mine. ing and frustrated with her-
self. Worry creased her face,
It is Caesars fault, not ours. she struggled with sins that,
once confessed, only haunt-
It is Jesuss fault. It is all his ed her again when she failed
fault. It must be his fault. to overcome them time and
again. Most were issues of her
It is not my fault. It is NOT conscience; the magnitude of
MY FAULT! the act or failure to act seemed
minuscule in the sight of the
But Jesus made no further re- Priest, but she took them so
ply. seriously, and he wanted to
show compassion and support
QQQ as she suffered what had been
for her, a dark night of the
A n c i en t Evan gelical Future Confe rence soul. Now, in this session that
revisited the same sins and
M edie Va l omissions, the same guilt and
self-hatred for failing God, he
Wis d Om was as frustrated as she was. He
50 0 YEARS A F T E R
THE REFORM AT IO N
had heard about such people
from his mentor, and thought
web b ercen ter.tsm .e du/ AEF C 2 017
Ju n e 8- 9 | Trin ity S ch ool for Minis tr y that maybe she suffered not so
Advertisement much form great sin, but scru-
12 anglicandigest.org
gathering
pulosity. Time and again and
she had allowed her feelings
of guilt and shame to paralyze
her. So, in mid-sentence, as
she described yet another fail-
ing on her part, he slammed
his open hand on his desk and
said Damn it woman, Jesus
died for you, what more do
you want from him? She sat
in stunned silence. After sev-
eral moments, she thanked
him, and left.
And then theres the rest of us,
who struggle with doubt or
shame when we hear of some
tragic event in the world with
a great loss of life or watch a
commercial about neglected
animals in horrible condi-
tions. When at worship, we
kneel during the confession
and hear about how we have
sinned in our thoughts and
think to ourselves, Ha! These
people have no idea.
In our words Like that
hateful remark I made to that
kid who bumped my car.
telling
And deeds I need to apolo-
gize to Gene soon.
By what we have done, and
worse, failed to do Lord, you
know I lied to avoid helping
those people.
Not loved our neighbors
Some neighbors, they let that
dog drag my trash everywhere.
Lord, I am sorry for not let-
ting you be there in the mo-
ments of my daily life, I want to
walk in your way, but you bet-
ter leave a foot print to lead me,
or I will get so lost, again.
And on it goes. But, concern-
ing confession, let me say
that it is not that we take sin
so lightly, but rather, that we
take Gods grace so seriously.
We can rejoice in such wonder
filled moments of grace and
mercy. When I first attended
the Episcopal Church, I went
solely to hear the words of ab-
solution: Almighty God have
mercy on you, forgive you all
your sins How many times
had I been told of my failings,
spring 2017 13
connecting
my sinfulness and my distance
from God? This was Good
News just to know that I
was forgiven. I knew all too
well what I had done and had
not done, so why be hounded
about it? Thats what I expe-
rienced week by week in my
former faith community, so is
it any wonder that when I was
told how much I was forgiven,
how much I was loved, how
much God cared for the out-
cast, the forsaken, the forgot-
ten and the invisible, I know
I had found a home of fellow
strugglers.
I served as Chaplain to the
Department of Correction at
one time, a very difficult and
often spiritually corrosive job.
While there, I encountered
a young man named Rich-
ard who had just returned to
prison, this time with two life
sentences, for kidnapping and
sexual assault. I visited him
in the segregated unit along
with the other 84 inmates and
he asked me to get a copy of
14 anglicandigest.org
the Satanic Bible for him. We
attempt to accommodate the
religious demands of the in-
mates, and as I researched the
issue, I discovered that the
state did not recognize Satan-
ism as a religion and more,
when he had entered the pris-
on system, when asked his re-
ligious preference he had writ-
ten Babtist. I told him on my
next visit my findings, and he
was enraged that I would deny
his request. But I think what
upset him the most was using
his own words against him.
He soon changed his religious
preference to Satanist, in
his official record. This strug-
gle went on some time, and
the Senior Chaplain told me
to watch out, or I would get
into some legal issues over the
matter. I told him dont know
why, but I think this guy is sal-
vageable Not long after this,
I again was visiting in that area
during chow time. I turned to
find that I was face to face with
Richard. I said You think you
cant be good, so youre going
gathering
to be bad, but it doesnt work
that way. He glared at me
with hateful eyes and walked
off. Inmates have a lot of time
to think, and they are prone
to doing a lot of it. About a
month later, Richard came to
my office. He said Chaplain, I
want you to give me a real Bi-
ble, and I want to give God an-
other chance. Those are pow-
erful words, they are words of
self-discovery and relational
in that, from his perspective,
God had failed to answer
prayers or come through in his
life before, so it was time to try
and trust God again. This was
grace at work in a dark place,
and when the light of Gods
grace breaks through, it is no
small event in such a broken
man.
Oh, and the woman who suf-
fered from guilt; somehow
that conversation helped break
the cycle of guilt and shame.
Maybe the power of the cross
became a reality, maybe she
awoke to the depth of Gods
telling
sacrifice in Christ. Who
knows? I like to think she just
loved herself for the first time,
and then she allowed the love
of God to take root and grow
like never before Grace is
like that just a shadow on
the wall, until grace enters in
and the shadow is turned to
a mirror and reflects God at
work in us.
QQQ
I believe in the indefectability
of the Church, not its infallibili-
ty. By that I mean the scripture
is plain that the Church is Gods
creation, not ours. It rests on his
promise that the gates of hell will
not prevail against it. He did not
promise that we would not suffer.
I have the utmost confidence that
in his time, not mine, in his ways,
not mine; he will take us where
we need to be. We simply need to
repent of our own sins and pray
for Gods will to be done. Many of
our responses to crisis spread the
disease because we believe every-
thing depends on us.
The Rt. Rev.
Edward L. Salmon, Jr.
spring 2017 15
connecting

LOVE UNDOES US for those who, being penitent,

put their trust in the saving
The Very Rev. Andrew C. work of Jesus Christ. You are
Pearson, Jr.
forgiven because of his death
When the Book of Common upon the cross and his resur-
Prayer was revised in 1979, rection from the dead.
something was lost in the ser-
vice of Morning Prayer. In the There was also something else
confession of sin, we lament- that was lost. When the priest
ed that there is no health in stood he declared: [God]
us and that we are miserable pardoneth and absolveth all
offenders. I suppose such those who truly repent, and
strong language was alienat- unfeignedly believe his holy
ing to the disco generation of Gospel, a word of comfort
1979. indeed for the miserable of-
fender.
But more than the confession,
the absolution pronounced But then the clergy would say,
by the clergy to the penitent Wherefore let us beseech
was abbreviated. It may have him to grant us true repen-
saved time, but the revision tance. Wait, if those who
excluded a timeless truth that truly repent are pardoned and
was the response, and relief, absolved, why would we then
to us miserable offenders. pray that the Lord grant us
true repentance?! Does this
Firstly, the absolution (you throw into question my for-
should look it up) had less to giveness?
do with the priest and more to
do with the person and work Certainly not! This is the ge-
of Jesus Christ. The priest was nius of Cranmer. Above all, he
pronouncing what was true was a pastor. He understood,
16 anglicandigest.org
gathering
not only the human condition
that we are all OS+ (original
sin positive), but he knew that
what burdened his conscience
burdened the conscience to
those whom he ministered to.
Repentance, biblically speak-
ing, and validated by the
human experience, is some-
thing that is given by the Holy
Spirit. Unless the Holy Spir-
it intervenes in our lives, we
will never turn to the Lord.
We need a heart transplant,
even a change in mind, be-
fore turning to the Lord Jesus.
We pray that the Lord would
grant us true repentance in
order that we might truly re-
pent and believe on the good
news of the person and work
of Jesus Christ.
When my oldest daughter was
about three years old I was giv-
ing her a bath. It had already
been a rough day and she had
an attitude problem. Bath
and bed was the order for the
evening and, God-willing and
telling
my daughter consenting, it
would go off without a hitch.
As expected, it didnt. She
willfully resisted every step of
the way. Even the things that
were to her benefit were met
with fits of tears.
It finally came to a head in
the bathtub when trying to
rinse her off, she stood in
the bath, and fists clenched,
she screamed, I dont love
you! I was devastated. No
one has ever had such power
to undo me. I had nothing
but one-way love for my girl
and not only did she reject
my love, she declared her ab-
sence of love for me. Now, I
realize this was a circumstan-
tial event, but I cannot think
of another moment when I
have been more wounded.
The tears that flowed from my
eyes were proportional to my
love for my daughter.
The tears increased their flow
when I realized that I am that
child in the bathtub who,
spring 2017 17
connecting
with fists clenched, says to
my heavenly Father, I dont
love you. I, like my daughter,
dont really mean it, but so of-
ten I try to resist him and go
my own way. The great dif-
ference between he and I is
that he is not undone; his love
for us is unrelenting, focused,
and cannot be thwarted. Even
in our defiance, he loves those
whom he has made his chil-
dren by adoption. We are his
sons and daughters, full stop.
Love has the power to change.
What the law demands of us,
the gospel tells us that it has
all been done on our behalf.
When we confess our sins,
when we repent, there is al-
ways a part of us that echoes
the father of the boy with a
mute spirit, Lord, I believe,
help me in my unbelief!
(Mark 9:24). If true repen-
tance requires us to get our act
together, we are left to wallow
in our own despair. The great
hymn writer, Joseph Hart, re-
minds us:
18 anglicandigest.org
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and broken by the fall;
If you tarry til youre better,
You will never come at all.
Not the righteous, not the
righteous;
Sinners Jesus came to call.
Let not conscience make you
linger,
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requires
Is to feel your need of Him.
This He gives you, this He
gives you,
Tis the Spirits rising beam.
Your forgiveness is not con-
tingent upon your turning to
Jesus in your own strength.
Your forgiveness is based
solely on the merits of Jesus
Christ, namely his shed blood
upon the cross. He is the one
who has left the 99 to seek
you out. He has gone to great
lengths to rescue you, even to
the point of his death, but be-
cause you are his child, even
his rebellious child, he seeks
you out.
gathering
When we have experienced
the love of Jesus, by the pow-
er of the Holy Spirit, in our
lives, it undoes us. Our fists
unclench, we see ourselves as
we are, miserable offenders
with no health in us, and we
receive his loving embrace.
Oh that the Lord Jesus would
grant us true repentance, by
the power of his Holy Spirit
and that we might ever turn
to him for forgiveness.
QQQ
Man is born broken. He lives by Repent!
mending. The grace of God is glue.
Eugene ONeill
QQQ
THE ORDER OF ST. ANDREW
A Religious Order of men and
women, both married and single,
not living in community.
For information contact:
The Father or Mother General
The Order of Saint Andrew
2 Creighton Lane
Scarborough, NY 10510
(914) 941-1265; 762-0398
http://www.osa-anglican.org
Advertisement
telling
REPENTANCE
The Rev. Christopher Arnold
The first word spoken by John
the Baptist: Repent! [Mat-
thew 3:2]
The first word spoken by Je-
sus at the start of his public
ministry: Repent! [Matthew
4:17]
The first word bellowed by
the street preacher who used
to stand in downtown Seattle:
I lived in Seattle for most of
my 20s. I wasnt a priest then.
I wasnt a Christian, even.
Well, Id been baptized, which
made me one, but I was hos-
tile to the whole Christian
project. Christianity was part
of the problem, I thought. It
was part of what made the
world a suspicious and hostile
place. And at the heart of the
problem was what I thought
was caught up in that word:
Repent.
spring 2017 19
connecting

The street preacher would might think Christians would

hang out in Westlake Park, have embraced it, found in it a
right in downtown Seattle. He kind of fathomless beauty.
had a sign, and a worn out old
Jesus begins his public min-
Bible, and a pretty clear mes-
istry with this order and this
sage. The sign called all sorts
proclamation: Repent, for
of people to repent. His mes-
the kingdom of heaven has
sage did, too. It seemed clear
come near [Matthew 4:17].
enough to me that repentance
These two go hand in hand.
must be about shame. It was
In Christs incarnation, the
not once a compelling mes-
kingdom of heaven has come
sage for me to hear, or for any
near. It is wherever he goes.
of my peers.
Where he stands, the king-
dom of heaven is in that
I did repent, in the end. Ill tell
you about that later. place. When he speaks, it is
the kingdom of heaven that
speaks through him. He is its
Repentance isnt a popu-
chief ambassador, its herald,
lar word, not even in our
and its representative. Edward
churches. It is of course scat-
Schillebeeckx called him the
tered throughout the Book of
primordial sacrament spe-
Common Prayer. Our liturgy
cifically because of this. We
doesnt avoid the word, and I
meet heaven in Christ. And
hope it continues to claim it
through his incarnation, the
after all, it is Biblical. The
kingdom of heaven begins in
reason it is the first word spo-
a new way to weave itself into
ken by both John and Jesus is
the shredded fabric of cre-
because it is, in a sense, the
ation.
starting point of the whole
Christian story. It is so cen- The kingdom of heaven has
tral, so important, that you come near, and that means

20 anglicandigest.org
gathering
that we must repent. Why
must we? Because while heav-
en has come near to us, were
not quite ready for us to enter
heaven. I know, I know for
some of you reading this, itll
sound dangerously close to
the sort of shame and judg-
ment of our street preacher.
Bear with me.
Heaven is a beautiful place,
we are told. If Isaiah was any-
where close to it, the wolf and
the lamb and the leopard and
the goat all dwell together in
peace [Isaiah 11:6]. Above
all, heaven is a place of peace
a place of healing, mercy,
and safety. Nobody in heaven
should have to know the ter-
rible things of this world; fear,
and threat, and violence, and
death have no place in heav-
en. Where Gods will is done
perfectly, there is no room for
harm or hurt.
And so, before we are fit for
heaven, we will have to stop
being quite so harmful and
hurtful. Were pretty good at
telling
those things now. We hurt
each other. We harm our-
selves. We do so intentionally
and far more often, I think
we do so unintentionally.
We do so out of habit, or out
of malicious glee, or because
we think that the ends justify
the means, or because we will
stop doing it just as soon as
the other person stops first.
There are always excuses and
reasons for the harm that we
do. But sooner or later we will
have to stop this addictive and
compulsive harm. Heaven has
no room for the violent, and
so we will have to unlearn our
violence if we are to belong
there.
Repentance, of course, is just
the first step of a long and
complicated process of chang-
ing our ways. When I repent,
I am setting aside the illu-
sion that I am the one who is
harmed, not the one who does
harm. When I repent, I admit
that I have the power to hurt
spring 2017 21
connecting

others, and, whether I meant relationship was on the rocks

to or not, Ive done it. When and I did not feel strong
I repent, I admit that Im of- enough to end it mercifully.
ten finding little ways to hurt I heard for the first time that
myself. All this harm wounds I was dust, and to dust I was
me as much as it wounds oth- going to return. I heard for
ers. All of it carries me away the first time the heartbreak-
from God, and when I repent ing beauty of Psalm 51 and it
I wish to change my course, occurred to me that that was
and grow closer to God again. indeed how I felt. I needed
help. I had no help. Maybe Je-
I repent often. I wish I had sus could help me.
fewer opportunities to feel
the remorse that leads me to In you, O Lord, is our help.
repent, but this too is a good
thing. Remorse, regret, guilt QQQ
these can all just be signs
of a healthy conscience, of the Only one petition in the Lords
moral voice of the Holy Spirit prayer has any condition at-
active in my heart whispering tached to it: it is the petition for
to me, Come on, Chris, you forgiveness.
know better William Temple,
Archbishop of Canterbury
I repent often, but it wasnt (1942-1944), Archbishop of
that street preacher who con- York (1929-1942)
vinced me. What convinced
me was sitting in the chapel QQQ
at St. Marks Cathedral, ear-
ly in the morning on an Ash Life is an adventure in forgive-
Wednesday, my heart break- ness.
ing because a four-year-long Norman Cousins

22 anglicandigest.org
gathering telling

Joy from Ashes that has not been hurt at some

point in their life, and there
The Very Rev. Kevin L. Morris is not a person in this world
that has not also hurt someone
Remember, o man, that dust else. Maybe we didnt do it in-
thou art, and unto dust shalt tentionally, but we did it none-
thou return. theless.

We hear these words every Things in this world break: our

Ash Wednesday as our fore-
heads are marked with ashes.
Most of the time we are pri-
marily preoccupied with or
disturbed by the second part
of that sentence: unto dust
shalt thou return. Very often
death scares us. We never like
to think of ourselves as mortal.
We dont like to look at death,
we dont like to talk about it,
but somewhere deep down it
worries or touches all of us.
We dont like to talk about sin
either. We want to imagine
that we are good people all
the time always doing the
right thing and always saying
the right thing but we know
better. There is not a person in You already are dust. God
this world, myself included, made you from the exact same
bodies break, and our hearts
break. Sin and death go hand-
in-hand because they are both
symptoms of our brokenness
as human beings. We sin and
we die. That is what we mean
when we say unto dust shalt
thou return: we break down.
We may not want to think
about it or talk about it, but
the truth is, deep down we al-
ready know it.
But that is only the second
part of the sentence that is said
when you are anointed with
ashes; we often skip right over
the first part and dont appre-
ciate its significance: Remem-
ber, that dust thou art.
spring 2017 23
connecting

stuff that is pressed into your remember that we worship

forehead: carbon. Everything a god who heals brokenness.
that you are, God made from When our Lord walked the
the most basic element. earth, he proclaimed that God
had anointed him to bind
I am going to suggest for you up the brokenhearted, to give
to do something a bit unusu- them a garland instead of ash-
al for Ash Wednesday. Before es, the oil of gladness instead
you think about your sins, of mourning. That is what Je-
think for a minute about ev- sus did in his ministry. That is
erything in your life that is what our God does: he raises
good. Think about everything up things that have been cast
that you like about yourself. down; he fixes things that have
Think about everything you been broken. He makes a hu-
love in the people in your life. man life out of the dust of the
Think about all of the joy and earth. He doesnt despise bro-
the happiness that you have ken and contrite hearts; he
known. Now, remember that builds them up. That is what
God made all of that from this our God can do if we will only
very dust: all that you are and give him the pieces.
all that I am; all the joy that
ever was, God made it from The ashes will be a reminder of
nothing: from dust. your mortality and sinfulness;
we need to be reminded of
Ash Wednesday does not such things. But let them also
have to be such a somber and be a reminder of what God has
dreadful day. We dont need done with ashes: he gives them
to lash ourselves with cords life. What does Christ do with
of manufactured guilt. We do our mortality and sinfulness?
need to acknowledge our bro- He gives us resurrection and
kenness, but then we need to forgiveness. We cannot sweep

24 anglicandigest.org
gathering
the dust of our lives under the
rug; we must gather it up and
give it to God.
We go to church on Ash
Wednesday to receive ashes,
but we would do well to con-
sider what ashes we already
have: what are the broken
pieces of our lives, what are
the pains, what are the sins,
what are the bits of dust that
we can give God? Give God
your ashes and know that
he can transform them into
something new and wonder-
ful. We know he can because
he has already made our lives,
and all the hope and joy that
they contain, out of such dust.
QQQ
Does it never come into your
mind to fear lest He should
demand of you why you had
not exercised towards your
brother a little of that mercy
which He, who is your Mas-
ter, so abundantly bestows on
you?
F. de la M. Fnelon
telling
A TAD Literary
Book Reviews
Emblem of Faith Untouched:
A Short Life of Thomas
Cranmer, by Leslie Williams
Understanding someone
who lives is another land or
culture isnt easy. Someone
has said that the English and
Americans are divided by a
common language; certainly
there are barriers of language,
nuance, and culture to take
into account, as well as psy-
chological issues, even if they
are tentative and in lay terms.
Jumping back centuries, even
when something like our own
language, nationality, and
culture obtains is a daunting
task.
For Episcopalians and An-
glicans, Thomas Cranmers
name has been instantly
recognizable for centuries.
Until 1979, our Prayer Books
were fundamentally Cran-
merian, and even today, af-
spring 2017 25
connecting
ter modern liturgical schol-
ars have expunged as much
of his shape of the liturgy as
they have his style, Rite 1, the
service of golfers, early risers,
and liturgical conservatives
hangs on. One finds some of
his collects in the Episcopal
Churchs Book of Common
Prayer, edited, amended,
sometimes assigned to weeks
for which they were not in-
tended.
But who was Thomas Cran-
mer? Most of us know he was
Archbishop of Canterbury
centuries ago, in the reign of
the English King Henry VIII,
a monarch given to matrimo-
ny. Our grandparents knew
he was burnt at the stake.
Scholars have probably read
and enjoyed Diarmaid Mac-
Cullochs Thomas Cranmer, A
Life. Now, Leslie Williams has
written a much more acces-
sible biography. In this book,
the quiet, shy scholar who
rose to the highest ecclesiasti-
cal post in Englands national
26 anglicandigest.org
church emerges as something
more than a shade, more than
a character to be claimed by
this or that contemporary
faction. The one unchanging
conviction of his life and
which indeed led to his death
was that the monarch ruled
by Divine Right and was an-
swerable to no one but God.
No one, even an ardent mon-
archist, believes such a thing
today, although it was a cen-
tral Anglican teaching in En-
gland, Ireland, Scotland, and
America until 1689.
Entering the mindset of a
person who believes that the
decisions the leader makes
are inspired by God is no easy
endeavour for twenty-first
century Americans. It does
help us grasp why a gentle,
shy, scholarly recluse could
have become the agent of a
ruthless tyrant, and enable
his execution of two wives,
the saintly Bishop Fisher and
Chancellor Thomas More,
and Cranmers own partner in
gathering
dissolving monasticism and
promoting Protestantism,
Thomas Cromwell, whom he
did nothing to try to save.
Nor was Cranmer merely
cowed by the oversized frame
and character of Henry VIII.
When Henry died, Cranmer
was grief-stricken. He grew
a beard as a sign of mourn-
ing, even though Henry had
resisted many of Cranmers
more radical reforms.
During the five years of the
boy king Edward VIs reign,
Cranmer was able to radically
overhaul the faith and wor-
ship of the English Church.
Prayers for the departed were
banned; the Eucharist became
a memorial meal; Predestina-
tion and Election became ac-
ceptable doctrine; the blessing
and distribution of ashes; and
the use of holy oil, holy water,
statues, crucifixes, and Mass
vestments were banned al-
though some of this only be-
came law with the new Prayer
Book of 1552, itself a revision
telling
of the first English Prayer
Book of 1549. However, by the
time the first Protestant litur-
gy was printed, 15-year-old
King Edward was dying. Poor
Cranmer was now to be ruled
by a Catholic Queen, his bitter
enemy. Cranmer had granted
the divorce which sent Marys
mother into internal exile,
and had described Mary as a
bastard. It was Bloody Mary
who sentenced Cranmer to
death for heresy.
This story is well told in this
biography. Perhaps more
space could have been given
to Cranmers abiding legacy,
the ideal of Common Prayer
expressed in terse beauty,
memorable and eternal. One
detects the authors sympathy
for evangelical Anglicanism.
Nevertheless this biography
should be read by all who
want to attempt a journey
back in time into the study of
a man who writes: Lighten
our darkness, we beseech thee
O Lord.....
spring 2017 27
connecting

CONVERSION: from which we suffer keeps

HEALING THE us from our true selves. Sin is
SIN-SICK SOUL separation. Sin is alienation.
Sin keeps us from one anoth-
The Rev. James C. Pappas III er. Sin breaks the bonds we
Sin is the profound sickness share with all of the created
of the human soul. Made in order. Sin teaches us to hate
the image of God divine, our very selves. And in all of
in fact, in our created purpose this, sin convinces us that we
we forsake our birthright are beyond the reach of Gods
and reject our inheritance. love, beyond the reach of the
And no matter the decisions one who makes us to be be-
we make about how we will loved.
do things right next time, it
is our greatest malady that Sin is our great addiction. It
time after time we find our- is the bottle we cannot put
selves choosing to walk alone, down once we have picked it
choosing to be that which we up. It is the needle each of us
were never meant to be. We all too readily sticks in his or
who were created to be in re- her own arm even as we curse
lationship choose separation; the control it has over us. Sin
we who were created to be causes us to forsake all others,
holy choose to be profane; we and even our own selves, in
who were created to be hope exchange for the false promis-
choose to dwell in despair. es it makes to us. And like any
other addiction, sins power
God has made each of us to over us can only be broken
be the very visible reflection when we admit that it is our
of the divine economy. We are illness and that we have been
made to love, to relate, to be living under its power. Only
as one. But this illness of sin when we own our sinfulness,
28 anglicandigest.org
gathering
only when we admit that the
evil of sin lies not in an ab-
stract tempter outside of our-
selves, but rather is rooted
deep within our own hearts,
only then can we find deliver-
ance from sins control.
Just as surely as sin is the sick-
ness of our souls, even more
surely is Gods forgiveness our
great saving balm. Though
it might seem that contin-
ued separation is deserved,
the natural consequence of
our sin, instead God, moved
by mercy, seeks us out and
chooses to disregard the bro-
ken ways we have chosen. The
God who made us to love and
to be loved is Love itself, and
God cannot help but continue
to love us no matter how far
we wander away.
Gods love, Gods mercy, Gods
forgiveness these things are
not just manifested in God
patiently waiting for our re-
turn. God does not wait for us
to hit bottom and then come
crawling back. God is even
telling
now seeking us out to take us
home: calling our names in
dark caverns, searching for us
in alleys and gutters, leaving
no dark corner unexamined
for fear we may be lying help-
less and beaten in its shadow.
God looks for us in places that
even death itself is afraid to
trod, because God is willing
to give Gods own self over
and over to have us back as
the beloved we were created
to be.
Gods forgiveness holds no
debt over our heads; Gods
mercy frees us from fear of
just desserts for our actions.
God seats us at a festive table
and clothes us again as hon-
ored heirs even before we can
acknowledge that we have
squandered our inheritance.
God comes out into the cold
to draw us into the warmth,
assuring us that we will al-
ways be loved, always have a
seat at the table, always be de-
sired by the great Lover of our
souls. Our God is even now
spring 2017 29
connecting

searching for each and every Conversion is changing our

one of us, looking for we who minds, unlearning things that
are still so far away, eagerly have served only to break us
desiring to take us back into apart. Conversion is going
our true home. back to where we started and
starting all over again. Con-
version is a way of living, a
God is seeking us out, em-
way of being, an openness to
bracing us, blessing us, show-
the call of the One who creat-
ering us with forgiveness. But
ed us and continuously seeks
even Gods forgiveness, even
us out. Conversion is the heart
Gods self-giving love cannot
of Christian life. We are not
completely restore the alien-
saved once and for all, born
ation of our sin. God will
again only once, with no fur-
bring us to the table even if
ther action required. We are
our hearts are still hardened,
instead saved over and over
but the food we find there will
and over, reborn again and
not fill us if we continue to
again and again, called time
deny the sickness that is in us.
after time after time back into
No, if we are to be restored to
relationship. We must turn
the inner wholeness for which
around every day, every hour,
we were created, if we are to
every minute, and turn away
be reunified with one anoth-
from the sickness and separa-
er and with creation and with
tion of sin toward the healing
the God from whom we have
power of the God who loves
broken away, then we must
us.
admit our sin and actually
accept forgiveness. We must Our God does not leave us
repent, we must be converted, to find our way home alone
we must turn back from walk- or expect our conversion to
ing alone and turn to walking be an act of moral strength
in relationship. on our part. That is why God
30 anglicandigest.org
gathering telling

welcomes us even before we through these lives which are

have recognized the divi-
sion we have caused. But in
the end, our conversion only
finds completeness when we,
in turn, welcome the God
who welcomes us, when we
make a place at the table for
the God who so eagerly wish-
es to be our guest as well.
When we come to know that
we are being converted, it
is then that we can live lives
overflowing with forgiveness
and self-giving. It is then that
we can show the love and
mercy that we have been-
shown. And then through us,
constantly turning back to the
God who made us, through
these lives constantly starting
over in our true humanity
then other people will be able
to see that God is reaching
out to them as well. Through
our lives of conversion, oth-
er people will come to know
that they themselves are sin-
ners and that there is a hope
for sinners and that God has
made each of us for so much
more than a life of sin. This is
how God goes about the work
of salvation, through the con-
version of one beloved life at
a time.

The Franciscan Order of the Divine Compassion

An Anglo-Catholic religious order of Third Order brothers and
sisters striving to proclaim the Good News of Christ through
penance and prayer. Our brothers and sisters minister in the
communities in which they live. For further information please
contact:
Br. Glen Weeks, OSF,
228 Old Glenwood Rd., West Falls, NY 14170.
e-mail minister-general@fodc.net
or call 716-652-6616
Advertisement

spring 2017 31
 ANGLICAN
BOOKSTORE

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gathering telling

BASIC INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

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Originally published in 1954 as Men with a
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BEING DISCIPLES: Essentials of the Christian Life
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In this companion to Being Christian (which covers baptism, the
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NIGHT COMES: Death, Imagination, and the Last Things

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spring 2017 33
connecting

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EMBLEM OF FAITH UNTOUCHED:

A Short Life of Thomas Cranmer
By Leslie Williams
Cranmer (14891556) was the first Anglican
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in the English Protestant Reformation. Few
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the stake. In this lively biography, Leslie Williams narrates Cran-
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34 anglicandigest.org
gathering telling

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spring 2017 35
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gathering telling

OPERATION

PASS
ALONG
S ince 1972, Operation Pass Along has shared more than 245,000 books,
tapes, vestments, and other items.

Pioneered by the late Wynne Swinson Hensel, Operation Pass Along is

a tangible extension of our mission of sharing the words and work of the
faithful throughout the Anglican Communion; it allows us to collect books
about the Church and usable vestments from those who no longer want or
need them and pass them along to those who do.

spring 2014
Requests for books from seminarians or other readers are filled from whatever
is on our shelves at no charge, other than for shipping and handling. When
we have funds available, books and vestments are reshipped at no charge to
churches and clergy in countries where access to those items is limited or too
costly.
Make a Donation:
If you have, or your parish has, books or vestments that are not being used,
you are encouraged to send them to:
The Anglican Digest
Operation Pass Along
805 County Road 102
Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705
The most economical way to send books is via the U.S. Postal Service, marked
Media Mail. We will send you a receipt for the number of books received.
If you wish to claim them as a charitable donation, you must put a value on
them; if you obtain a receipt from the post office, you may also claim the cost
of sending them to us.
To Submit a Request:
Requests for books may be sent to the same mailing address or submitted
via e-mail at OPERATIONPASSALONG@ANGLICANDIGEST.ORG or
telephone at 479-253-9701. When submitting requests, please be specific with
titles and authors. If we have the book(s) you seek, we will advise you of the
postage and handling charge and, upon receipt of your remittance, will mail
the book(s) to you. There is no charge for the book itself.
If we do not have the book when you submit your request, we will hold your
request for a year, and will notify you as above if and when a requested book
is received. If, at the end of a year, you have not heard from us and want us to
continue to watch for the book, you must resubmit your request.
Items come and go almost daily, so we do not attempt to catalog them, nor do
we maintain a printed list.
For more information, please call 479-253-9701 or email us
operationpassalong@anglicandigest.org
gathering
TRANSFORMATIVE
REPENTANCE
The Rev. Keith A. Voets
John Newton, the author of
the hymn Amazing Grace,
was born in 1725 and raised
by a Christian mother who
taught him the basics of the
faith and introduced him to
the transformative texts in
Holy Scripture. However,
he was only seven when his
mother died, and he was left
in his fathers care; by the age
of ten, he had begun a career
at sea, sailing with his father,
who was a captain in the Mer-
chant Navy. He grew into
adulthood at sea, joining the
Royal Navy when his father
retired. In 1744, he rebelled
against the discipline of the
Royal Navy and was arrested
for desertion.
Rather than spending time in
prison he convinced his supe-
riors to send him to work on
a slave ship, where he was so
disobedient that the captain
telling
refused to let him back on
board, and simply abandoned
him in West Africa. On his
way back to England, on a
ship his father had hired to
find him, Newton and the
rest of the ships crew found
themselves battered by a pow-
erful storm; it was during this
brush with death that he rein-
troduced himself to the Holy
Scriptures and the practice
of prayer. While he readily
admitted that his road back
to faithful Christianity was
long, continuing for years af-
ter this incident, it was at this
moment, when his life stood
between this world and the
next, that was key to his con-
version from a life away from
the darkness of the slave trade
and to a life full of the light of
Christ.
A few years after that stormy
trip back from Africa, New-
ton finally became con-
vinced that it was not possi-
ble to reconcile slavery with
a Christian world-view, and
spring 2017 39
connecting
he abandoned the slave trade
for good. He was eventually
ordained an Anglican priest,
and in 1788 published a pam-
phlet entitled Thoughts upon
the Slave Trade which shed
light on the horrid conditions
of the slave trade and the in-
humane conditions that the
slaves were forced to endure.
It was the first time that many
had heard first hand, the hor-
rors of what awaited the Afri-
can men, women and children
aboard the ships, and wound
up being key to the passage
of the British Slave Trade Act
of 1807, which abolished the
slave trade within the British
Empire.
What John Newton did what
so many of us try, and fail, to
do was to honestly repent of
his sins and changed his life
forever.
Repentance is not a dirty
word, not a word we should
fear or avoid. Repentance
is about honestly acknowl-
edging our sins and our bro-
40 anglicandigest.org
kenness, and then trying to
change our lives so that they
are more in line with the ex-
pectations that God has for
us.
Repentance is not about beat-
ing our chests or flagellating
ourselves with whips. Repen-
tance is the honest acknowl-
edgment of how we have
fallen short of Gods expec-
tations, and then engaging in
the work to amend our lives.
Repentance is something
that we should welcome. Re-
pentance is something we
should long for. Repentance is
something that we should do
continually, every day, every
hour, as we seek to do Gods
will in the world.
Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven has come near, pro-
claimed John the Baptist from
the wilderness. Calling the
world to repentance is a voca-
tion of the church but it is
not the vocation of the church
to make people feel guilty or
bad about themselves. It is
gathering
the vocation of the church to
call people into new life, into
acknowledgment that we are
unworthy by our own merits,
but made whole in Jesus. The
church has a vocation to call
people into a new way of be-
ing, into a life inspired and re-
newed by the Holy Spirit. It is
the vocation of the church to
make the grace of Jesus Christ
known to the world.
If we do not understand and
acknowledge our need to re-
pent, we cannot understand
grace. If we think we are be-
yond reproach, or think that
we can save ourselves, we do
not understand grace. God
sent his only son to save us
because human beings cannot
save themselves, and part of
the way we prepare to meet
the Son of God is through the
act and spiritual discipline of
repentance.
Again, repentance does not
need to be about feeling bad
or feeling guilty, but it is
telling
about acknowledging our sins
and promising to change our
ways to the best of our abili-
ty. It is about acknowledging
our brokenness and need for
grace. John Newton was able
to do that. He repented of
the sins he had committed
against God and Gods people
and transformed his life into
a perfect example of who and
what God calls us to be in this
world. And if the Holy Spirit
can take someone like John
Newton and convert him into
a messenger for peace and
reconciliation, the Holy Spirit
can do that to anyone.
During the mass when we
confess our sins and are
promised absolution by the
priest or bishop, we are mak-
ing a promise to amend our
lives and to transform our-
selves into a new creation. It
is not enough to simply ac-
knowledge that we have done
wrong, the next step is to
learn from our mistakes and
try a different and better way.
spring 2017 41
connecting
It is not enough to say that we
are sorry for lying if we dont
make a real effort to start tell-
ing the truth, even when it is
hard to do so.
It is not enough to say we are That is the good news we are
sorry for gossiping if we con- called to proclaim.
tinually speak unkindly of
our sisters and our brothers
behind their backs, and with-
out trying to keep our conver-
sation focused on things that
build up the body of Christ
rather than tear it down.
It is not enough to say that
we are sorry for not spending
enough time with God if we
continue to put God second
third and fourth and priori-
tize the unholy and ungodly
over the sacred.
Real repentance, requires that
we become something new.
And we can become some-
thing new.
That is the good news of grace.
42 anglicandigest.org
That is the good news of Jesus
Christ.
That is the good news of the
Gospel.
QQQ
Almighty and everlasting
God, who hatest nothing that
thou hast made, and dost
forgive the sins of all them
that are penitence; Create
and make in us new and
contrite hearts, that we wor-
thily lamenting our sins, and
acknowledging our wretch-
edness, may obtain of thee,
the God of all mercy, perfect
remissions and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ our
Lord.
Collect for
Ash Wednesday
QQQ
gathering
GOD FORGIVES
EVEN TURKEYS
The Rev. H. Elizabeth Back
Jesus tells a story I call the
Parable of the Two Turkeys,
or How Turkeys Say Im
Sorry. The reason I know
how to say Im sorry is be-
cause of my baby brother. I
adore him. But hes a rock
star. Well, more of a star than
a rock. Heres how it is with
him: When I was 22 years old,
I checked into a hotel room
with my baby brother, who
was then 13 years old. I go
to fill the ice bucket. When I
return to the room my broth-
er is gone. Hmmm. Maybe
he went to find our parents
room. Theres a knock on the
door. A hotel manager, quite
possibly my own age, sternly
tells me to stop spitting over
the balcony upon the arriving
guests. This will be your only
warning, he says and storms
off. Well! I gobble with in-
dignant exasperation. What
a little turkey!
telling
Those of you who are oldests
probably understand the sting
of this moment for me. Im a
do-gooder and a law-abider.
It has never occurred to me
ever to spit on anyone, let
alone for sport over a balcony
upon innocents. Those of you
who are baby brothers or sis-
ters may have a good chuckle
over my story. Thats your job,
to giggle at silly things while
us oldests take everything se-
riously. Which of us is the big-
ger turkey? Tell me, because I
dont know. I only know our
differences make the world go
round.
I know scholars like to have
fist fights about this historical
point, but I have a hunch that
Jesus is an older brother and
that he has a baby brother.
The parable he tells in Lukes
Gospel is what makes me sus-
picious.
First, look at the Pharisee,
a good guy. My hero. The
Pharisees were really good
spring 2017 43
connecting
guys in general, but this was a
super-omega-awesome
uber- Pharisee. He didnt
just give 10% of his whats ex-
pected, but 10% of everything.
He fasts twice a week, not just
once. He not only lives up
to but exceeds the demands
of the law. When he prays
I thank you, Lord, that you
made me like this and not like
that..., he forces the hearer to
ask Is it bragging if its true?
The Pharisees problem is not
that hes an arrogant, spiritual
show-off, but that he believes
his good behavior his big
pledge to the temple, his puri-
ty, and his rigorous adherence
to the Law are enough to
save the world. If only every-
one would do what he does,
maybe the world would be a
safer place.
But no amount of good deeds,
no matter the cost and no
matter the cause the Phar-
isees, or mine, or yours, or
all of them together times in-
44 anglicandigest.org
finity are going to save my
soul, much less the world. I
like this guy. If anybody could
save the world I should think
it would be him but its not.
And its sure not his turkey of
a little brother.
The second thing that makes
me suspicious that Jesus un-
derstands what its like to live
with a turkey is the tax col-
lector. That jerk. Imagine not
just an IRS agent, but a crook-
ed one colluding with a
foreign enemy, skimming ex-
tra taxes, and pocketing your
hard-earned dollars to spend
on licentiousness and de-
bauchery (or, as we say in my
generation, sex, drugs, and,
rock n roll). Or maybe he
just spit on people I dont
know. Regardless, he knows
he is one awesomely bad tax
collector.
He lingers at the back door of
the temple, possibly still hun-
gover, and certainly doesnt
participate in the liturgy. All
he can do is pound his own
gathering
chest and say, Oh Lord, have
mercy on me, a sinner. Now,
maybe you want to start lik-
ing this guy. Everybody likes
a rock star.
Come on! Keep in mind, he
doesnt even say he will repent.
Keep in mind, he doesnt say
he will give up his expensive
booze or his cheap compan-
ionship. Keep in mind that he
doesnt promise to stop cheat-
ing his own people and pay
them back. This tax collector
doesnt even have the decen-
cy to beg Gods forgiveness;
grammatically, he commands
God. And God, in an abso-
lutely shameless fashion, justi-
fies him. So not fair!
This parable does what par-
ables are supposed to do: It
turns us upside down and in-
side out, leaving us confused
and unsettled enough that the
Spirit just might be able to
slip an insight in through the
cracks of our hardened hearts
and minds.
telling
This parable is as much about
prayer as it is about two tur-
keys specifically, its about
how schmucks pray. Prayer
breaks down and breaks
through all of my saintliness
just as easily as my brothers
sinfulness. Those good deeds
and bad deeds and mediocre
deeds alike are all just as hol-
low as an empty tomb. When
confronted with my desper-
ate need for mercy, I have
no choice but to hand myself
over to Jesus and pray.
Centuries upon centuries
of Christians have followed
the lead of that tax collector
by reciting what is known as
The Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus
Christ, Son of God, have mercy
on me, a sinner. You can argue
that this prayer may not save
the world, but people who
participate in Gods salvation
plan pray it for the world. It is
as simple and honest and ef-
ficacious a prayer as I know,
because the plea for mercy is a
plea for Jesus to have compas-
spring 2017 45
connecting
sion, and compassion means
to suffer with. But Jesus goes
beyond that. He doesnt just
suffer with us, but suffers for
us, on our behalf. The one
who knew no sin becomes sin
on the cross. For us.
Im not scandalized by the
Pharisees arrogance or the tax
collectors avarice, but by how
expansive Gods embrace is.
He is friend of turkeys like the
Pharisee and turkeys like the
tax collector. Thank you God,
that your mercy is big enough
to gobble up my bossy big sis-
ter pride and my baby broth-
ers irresponsible antics all in
your grace and forgiveness.
I contacted my little brother:
By the way, I am going to tell
a story on you.
How humiliating is it? he
asked.
Hmm. For me, I still feel
ashamed for being repri-
manded for a crime I didnt
commit.
46 anglicandigest.org
The time you spit over the
balcony and the hotel manag-
er told ME to stop it.
Thats a great one, he replies,
We also threw a pizza off the
balcony.
What?! When?
When we ran out of spit.
Wait, who is we?!
Must have been a different
time. It was one of my friends
from church camp.
Is tossing stuff off of balco-
nies your signature?
I should have been a rock
star.
Lord, have mercy on us all.
As long as he doesnt con-
vert it into action, it does
not matter how much a
man thinks about his re-
pentance. C. S. Lewis
 GUEST
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cenic vistas from atop Grindstone Mountain and the
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connecting
TEMPTATION
AND SALT
The Rev. Leigh Silcox
The ninth chapter of the Gos-
pel of Mark can sometimes
seem a rather challenging one
to make sense of, between
references to salt losing its
saltiness and suggestions of
plucking out eyes and chop-
ping off hands, and those im-
mediately following Jesuss in-
structions to the disciples not
to stop someone from casting
out demons because he wasnt
following them. What are we
to make of this rather strange
succession of themes?
I think it helps to begin with
what I think is Jesuss central
point here: seek me, for when
I come to you in my power,
no false testimony, no false
heart, no false act, will be able
to speak evil of me. That is,
the truth of my life takes on
all testimonies both true and
false. My death on the Cross
48 anglicandigest.org
takes with it all false testimo-
nies. So my death and my res-
urrection change the world
so that you who were dead in
your false testimonies you
all
now have life with God
in me through the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, no false testimony
can prevail. And all testimo-
ny, whether false or true, will
be made by me to point to
me. So then no testimony has
the capacity to reveal to oth-
ers ones place before God but
Christs own. For this reason,
when one seeks to follow God
to do a deed of power in
Jesuss name will be able
to speak evil of him. This is
foremost because false testi-
mony cannot prevail where
God has changed reality so
that falseness (as if it could
exist eternally alongside the
truth) is blotted out; but sec-
ondly, because one who fol-
lows Christ simply cannot
help but be transformed by
him since he alone moves our
minds, bodies and souls to
him.
gathering
But here comes the chal-
lenge. No false testimony can
prevail. No one who follows
Christ will be able to speak
evil of him. And yet to us, to
Jesus own disciples, focused
as we all are on our own beliefs
shaped by the small portion
of the whole course of history
we live in or read about (even
if we happen to be historians
or futurists!), false testimony
sure would seem to prevail!
Stop your unfaithful living
we cry out to those who dont
follow us, I mean Jesus, oh, I
mean us! How dare you pro-
claim you follow Jesus Christ;
your testimony looks nothing
like mine, in fact, Im pretty
sure you believe the complete
opposite of what I do about
this thing we do in our lives
before God. We have a grand
history of this in our Church.
At the Reformation, debates
about how we are reconciled
to God i.e. how this whole Je-
sus God human sinner
things works, served as some
telling
fodder (amongst some other
things) not simply as the jus-
tification for separating from
one another, but actually, for
killing one another.
So too have I heard time and
time again from parishioners
in various parishes: this per-
son believes this, I am con-
taminated by her testimony
and I must therefore separate
from her. Or, this person is
not an authentic Christian, he
goes to church and then goes
out and does this or that, how
can he be following Jesus, I
will turn my back on him.
Or, how can they believe this
and then do that? And we try
to stop them. Sometimes, we
even throw up roadblocks for
them: we gossip about them
and spread rumors, we ex-
clude them from things, we
fail to go and ask them, what
is happening in your life, and
instead build up our own sce-
nario about why they act or
say or do the things they do,
and then we fail to pray for
spring 2017 49
connecting
them, we fail to engage them
as if they too are sinners
like us before God. For
surely if we do engage them,
their false testimony might
be admitted, it might prevail
right? We dare not risk allow-
ing it to prevail.
To be sure there is false testi-
mony that would seem to per-
sist we might look at history
and see hundreds of years of
false testimony, or we might
look at our neighbor and see
a false testimony. And yet in
Christ we know that it cannot
prevail ultimately. At best it
can obscure. But like Israels
false worship of idols, like Da-
vids affair with Bathsheba to
be visited upon his son Sol-
omon and his people Israel,
like Judas and Ananias and
Sapphira struck down in their
deception and betrayal, even
murder these too serve as tes-
timony, as false ways to live in
light of Christs overcoming
this false testimony, this be-
trayal, even deserved death.
50 anglicandigest.org
I dont mean to suggest that
all testimony is true as clearly
these examples demonstrate
it is not. Nor do I wish to sug-
gest that all acts, behavior,
teachings, decisions, should
simply be accepted because
we dont know how they will
ultimately be judged by God.
For we know that Moses
chastised his brother Aaron
and the Israelites for their
worship of the golden calf;
we know that Josiah called
all the people of Judah and
the inhabitants of Jerusa-
lem, priests, prophets and all
the people, small and great,
and read in their hearing
all the words of the book of
the covenant that had been
found in the house of the
Lord that he called them
out of their false ways of fol-
lowing God. And surely we
cannot but see in Christs own
interactions and most ul-
timately in his death, the
fact that false testimony
does exist. But as I said, his
resurrection means for us that
gathering
these false testimonies simply
do not prevail.
To be baptized into Christs
death and resurrection is to
have been salted with fire by
the Holy Spirit; to have re-
ceived the Holy Spirit as Isa-
iah received the burning coal
from the altar that atoned for
his sin, is to be made an in-
strument (or in this case, a
condiment); a type of season-
ing that might entice others
to share in the food or suste-
nance of Gods own life. But if
in fact we spend our lives try-
ing to stop those with whom
we dont agree from testifying
to God, without first engaging
them directly; without seek-
ing peace with one another
so that we might understand
from where their testimony or
our perceived sense that they
are testifying falsely comes
from; then how can we ever
know whether it might be that
God has granted them a gift of
testimony beyond our limited
perceptual framework?
telling
In other words, how can
we presume to have, at first
glance, Gods own knowledge
of anothers saltiness, when
our ability to know is so very
limited? Does not our Scrip-
ture say that God created all
things? That we are all made
in Gods image? That we are
together, as a whole human
race fallen, that together, in
Christ we are redeemed? If so,
then to follow God, will mean
in following his life given to us
in Scripture, we may encoun-
ter people whom we dont
necessarily, at first glance,
wish to know. We may go to
figurative places in our be-
liefs, in our self-examination,
in our sense of safety, where
we do not wish to go. And we
might just find that Christ is
in precisely the place, with the
very person or people whom
we did not want to encoun-
ter or remain with. We might
find that what we think is
self-giving love for another, is
in fact self-serving protection
from loneliness or a sense of
spring 2017 51
connecting
helplessness. We might find
that those whom we reject for
one reason or another resem-
ble us so closely as to cause an
automatic withdrawal with-
out thought. It might be that
we place a stumbling block
before someone because we
see only falseness and arro-
gance where in fact, broken-
ness, pain, anxiety, hurt, and
fear reside. If any of you put a
stumbling block before one of
these little ones who believe
in me if any of you put a
stumbling block in front of
those who seek and struggle
to follow rightly because they
are frightened, because they
do not know how to receive
love and respond out of it; if
any of you put a stumbling
block in front of those who
are afraid to trust, or who are
worn out in offering, or who
are seeking in ways that of-
fend because they have never
learned they are loved, or who
believe they are testifying to
the truth because they have
sought God in ways that are
52 anglicandigest.org
not our own, with frailty and
finitude unique to them, if you
put a stumbling block in front
of them, if you cut them off,
if you do not seek their wel-
fare, their good, to support,
to guide, to build up then
shame on you; shame on you.
It would be better if a mill-
stone were hung around your
neck and you were thrown
into the sea.
It would be better to cut off
a part of your body than to
stumble in testifying to your
brother and sister out of the
love you have received in
Christ. To challenge a broth-
ers or sisters testimony of
life? Absolutely. But to discard
the life and testimony of one
who tries to follow God, is to
both to miss the grace of God
at work in all things and in so
doing, to lose the salt of grace
that we receive as we seek and
experience God in things oth-
er than our own lives. That
is, we lose our saltiness when
we forsake Gods work in and
gathering telling

through the little ones who And in this way, Christ is pro-
may seek and follow quite claimed in every way, wheth-
differently, or even in broken er out of false motives or true
ways. (Phil 1:18); and in this, let us
all take courage, engage one
Let us then live by the salt of another with humility, and
Christs Spirit at work within rejoice. Amen.
us. Let us learn to share our
lives with one another without
Now repentance is no fun
the strong barriers we erect
at all. It is something much
with those who do not follow
harder than merely eating
as we do. Let us learn to trust
humble pie. It means un-
that Gods grace is larger than
learning all the self-con-
our own personal capacity to
ceit and self-will that we
receive it, and seek it out in
have been training our-
others. Let us learn to engage
selves into for thousands of
one another even in correc-
years. It means undergoing
tion, with patience borne of
a kind of death. In fact, it
trust that God is reconciling
needs a good man to re-
all things, including you and
pent. And heres the catch.
I, to himself. For whoever
Only a bad person needs to
is not against us is for us. To
repent: only a good person
be against Christ, one would
can repent perfectly. The
have to know Christ, and if
worse you are the more you
one knows Christ, one will
need it and the less you can
not, soon afterward, be able
do it. The only person who
to speak evil against him.
could do it perfectly would
For in this is love: not that we
be a perfect person and
loved God but that he loved
he would not need it.
us and sent his Son to be the
C. S. Lewis
atoning sacrifice for our sins.

spring 2017 53
connecting
If You Love Me
The Rev. Joseph B. Howard
If you love me
do not look away
use your gifted eyes
to welcome the world
through tears
In beauty. In pain.
If you love me
do not hide your face
from need. from pain.
from me.
use your face to know
and be known
If you love me
do not close your lips
but use your mouth and
loose your tongue
to encourage
to shape love loudly
If you love me
do not remain with
folded hands
but apply your hands to work
that heals
that lifts
the one who has fallen,
Pull the listing boat ashore
54 anglicandigest.org
If you love me
do not walk away
but plant your feet and
stand
against injustice
and walk
to where youre needed
If you love me
you will meet me
when you do these things
and loving your neighbor
you love me
Do not look away
If you love me
QQQ
To forgive our enemies, yet
hope that God will punish
them, is not to forgive enough.
To forgive them ourselves, and
not to pray God to forgive
them, is a partial piece of char-
ity. Forgive thine enemies to-
tally, and without any reserve
that however God will revenge
thee.
Sir Thomas Browne
gathering
NECROLOGY
The Rt. Rev. Harry Wool-
ston Shipps, 90, of Savannah,
GA. He served as an officer in
the U.S. Merchant Marines,
then the U.S. Navy. A graduate
of the School of Theology of
The University of the South, he
was ordained to the priesthood
in 1959, and served parishes
in Savannah and Augusta, GA,
before being elected bishop
coadjutor of the Diocese of
Georgia. He was consecrated
in 1984, and became the di-
ocesan the following year. He
served on the board of trustees
of The University of the South,
was active in the civil rights
movement, and was a member
of the Georgia Council on Hu-
man Relations, the NAACP,
and Episcopal Society for Cul-
tural and Racial Unity; he was
also a chaplain of the Order of
St. John of Jerusalem, member
of the Compass Rose Society
telling
of the Anglican Communion,
an associate of the Order of
the Holy Cross, and a member
of the U.S. Naval Institute and
the Navy League of the Unit-
ed States. In retirement, he
served the Diocese of Dallas,
TX, as assisting bishop, on the
staff of St. Pauls, Savannah,
and, every May for 10 years,
as chaplain of the House of the
Redeemer in New York City.
The Rev. John Samuel
Ruef, 89, of Chatham, VA. A
graduate of Seabury-Western
Theological Seminary, he was
ordained to the priesthood in
1951. He served parishes in
Park Forest, IL, and Chatham,
Mt. Airy, Peytonsburg, Hali-
fax, and South Boston, VA, as
well as being chaplain and reli-
gion teacher at Chatham Hall,
professor of New Testament at
the Berkeley Divinity School,
spring 2017 55
connecting
canon for the Diocese of West-
ern New York, and dean and
president of Nashotah House
Theological Seminary.
The Rev. Alpha Gillett
Bechtel, 95, of Yucaipa, CA.
After first being ordained as a
Methodist minister and serv-
ing parishes in Arizona, he was
ordained an Episcopal deacon,
and then priest, in 1953. He
served in parishes and as a col-
lege chaplain in San Bernardi-
no, Gualala, Claremont, San
Diego, and Los Angeles, CA.
The Rev. Harlan A. Bemis,
77, of Candler, NC. He spent
some years as a Franciscan Fri-
ar in the UK, where he began
working as a counselor, later
training as an analyst at the
Jung Institute in Switzerland
before working as an analyst,
and later supervisor, for the
Jung Institute of New York. He
served as the Chaplin for the
Episcopal Seamans Service,
was ordained to the diaconate
56 anglicandigest.org
and priesthood in 1973, then
served as an interim priest in
many locations before serving
in Wisconsin, and then North
Carolina.
The Rev. John Tol
Broome, Sr., 84, of Greens-
boro, NC. A graduate of The
University of the South and
Virginia Theological Semi-
nary, he served parishes in
Belhaven, Farmville, Beaufort,
and Greensboro, NC, and Col-
lege Park, MD.
The Rev. Walter Donald
Carlson, 82, of Somerset, NJ.
A graduate of General Theo-
logical Seminary, he was or-
dained to the priesthood in
1967, and served parishes in
Pittsfield, MA, and Pompton
Lakes, Bayonne, Belvidere,
and Fair Lawn, NJ. In retire-
ment, he continued to serve as
a supply priest, as well as being
an administrator at the Au-
drey Cohen College for Hu-
man Services and Education.
gathering
The Rev. Charles Alexan-
der Carter III, 78, of Philadel-
phia, PA. A graduate of Van-
derbilt University and what
is now Episcopal Divinity
School, he served parishes in
Nashville and Memphis, TN;
Jacksonville, FL; New York
City; and Chestnut Hill, PA.
The Rev. George Manton
Chaplin, 93, of Newport, RI.
A veteran of the U.S. Army
Airforce during World War II,
he spent 28 years in business
before retiring and graduat-
ing from Episcopal Divinity
School; following his ordina-
tion, he served St. Marks in
Warren, RI, for 20 years, then,
in retirement, at the Church of
Holy Cross in Middletown, RI.
The Rev. Kendrick H.
Child, 73, of New London,
NH. A graduate of Yale Di-
vinity School, he was ordained
to the priesthood in 1969, he
served parishes in Lisbon Falls
and Derry, NH, and Malden
telling
and Lawrence, MA, in addi-
tion to spending 19 years as
the Development Director at
Boston University School of
Theology.
The Rev. John Pierpont
Cobb, 93, of Cincinnati, OH.
He served as an ambulance
driver during World War II,
then joined the US Navy as a
hospital corpsman. He spent
many years in business before
graduating from the Church
Divinity School of the Pacif-
ic. He was ordained to the
diaconate in 1961, and to the
priesthood in 1962, and served
as the rector of St. Marks, in
Dayton, OH, for 32 years.
The Rev. Paul Coleman
Cochran, 74, of Lexington,
KY. A graduate of General
Theological Seminary, he was
ordained to the priesthood in
1970. He served parishes in
New York City and Long Is-
land, NY, and San Antonio,
TX.
spring 2017 57
connecting
The Rev. William Bill
Marsden Cowans, 84, of Reno,
NV. After four years in the US
Navy, he graduated from San
Diego State and Church Di-
vinity School of the Pacific. He
was ordained to the priesthood
in 1961, and served parishes
in Palo Alto, Rodeo, Crockett,
and Sunnyvale, CA.
The Rev. S. George Doc
Dirghalli, 89, of Syracuse,
NY. A US Navy veteran who
served in the South Pacific
during World War II, he was
a graduate of The Episcopal
Divinity School at Harvard
University. He was ordained
in 1964, and served Calvary
Episcopal Church in Syracuse,
NY, from 1968 until his retire-
ment in 1988.
The Rev. Charles Carroll
Eads, 92, of Arubutus, MD.
A graduate of Virginia Theo-
logical Seminary, he was or-
dained in 1946. Although he
had hoped to be a military
chaplain, he was instead as-
58 anglicandigest.org
signed to serve three parishes
in Harford County, MD
Holy Cross, Christ Church,
and a chapel in Hickory which
closed a year later. After 48
years, he retired at age 70 as
the longest-serving priest in
the Diocese of Maryland.
The Rev. Norman Henry
Victor Elliott, 97, of Anchor-
age, AK. A native of Plym-
outh, England, he grew up in
Detroit, MI. He served as a
commissioned officer during
World War II before graduat-
ing from Virginia Theologi-
cal Seminary. Though he had
planned to be a missionary
in the Philippines, he was in-
stead sent to Alaska. After his
ordination, served parishes in
Fairbanks, Ketchikan and An-
chorage, AK.
The Rev. Martha Lee For-
isha, 62, of San Antonio, TX.
After some years as a pediatric
and labor and delivery nurse,
she graduated from the Semi-
nary of the Southwest. She was
gathering telling

ordained to the priesthood in ming, Colorado, Arizona and

1993, and served for 10 years Texas.
at Trinity Church in Seneca
Falls, NY. The Rev. Richard P. Jen-
nings, 89, of East Lansing, MI.
The Rev. Reginald R. A veteran of the US Navy, he
Gunn, 75, of Tiger, GA. A served in World War II before
graduate of Seabury West- graduating from the Univer-
ern Theological Seminary, he sity of Michigan and Virginia
served parishes in Cochran, Theological Seminary. He was
Douglas, Albany, Savannah ordained to the priesthood in
and Americus, GA, and Baton 1954. He served various par-
Rouge, LA. ishes and served as a chaplain
in the US Air Force before
The Rev. Kempton Brew- leaving ministry and becom-
ster Hastings, 55, of Abing- ing a professor in the English
ton, PA. A graduate of Union Department at Lake Superi-
Theological Seminary, he was or State University while also
ordained in 1990. He served serving as a supply priest.
parishes in Toms River and
Lakewood, NJ, before spend- The Rev. Roland Man-
ing 22 years as rector of St. ning Jones, 84, of Greensboro,
Annes Episcopal Church in NC. A graduate of the Univer-
Abington, PA. sity of Maryland, he served in
the US Air Force before grad-
The Rev. Donald Royce uating from Virginia Theolog-
Hickman, 75, of Livingston, ical Seminary. Following ordi-
TX. A graduate of Virginia nation, he served parishes in
Theological Seminary, he was Accokeek and Silver Springs,
ordained in 1973. He served MD; Greensboro, NC; and
parishes in Oklahoma, Wyo- New Canaan, CT.

spring 2017 59
connecting
The Rev. William Harri-
son Low, 88, of Canton, CT.
A veteran of the US Navy, he
spent a number of years in
business before graduating
from Berkeley Divinity School
at Yale. He was ordained to
the diaconate and priesthood
in 1965. He served parishes
in New Hampshire and East
Hartford and Simsbury, CT,
before retiring for the first
time in 1993; after three years,
he became part-time chap-
lain and teacher at South Kent
School, where he served until
2013.
The Rev. Richard Evard
Lundberg, 91, of Arlington
Heights, IL. A former Navy
pilot, he was initially called to
serve as a missionary for the
Ute Indians of Uintah County,
UT. He later served as a juve-
nile judge, chaplain of a fed-
eral correctional institution,
chaplain of two volunteer fire
departments, and chaplain
for several hospitals. He was
Rector Emeritus of St. Simons
60 anglicandigest.org
Episcopal Church, in Arling-
ton Heights. He also served as
a supply priest in retirement.
The Rev. James Edward
More, 91, of Emmett, ID. After
two years in the Naval Con-
struction Battalion (The Sea-
bees), he spent a number of
years as an insurance and real
estate agent. After graduat-
ing from Virginia Theological
Seminary, he served parish-
es in Wyoming, Arizona, and
Idaho.
The Rev. Anthony Grant
Morris, 91, of Troy, NY. Born
in Mansfield, England, he
served as Lieutenant in the
British Rifle Brigade during
World War II, and served in
North Africa, Greece, and
Palestine. A graduate of Har-
vard Divinity School, he was
ordained to the priesthood in
1959. He served parishes in
Dupreee, SD, and Troy and
Albany, NY, in addition to
operating the family farm in
Melrose.
gathering
The Rev. Brian J.P. Mur-
dock, 62, of Vineyard Haven,
MA. A graduate of General
Seminary, he served parishes
in Charlestown, Hopkinton,
West Roxbury, and Marthas
Vinyard, MA; directed recov-
ery programs; was an Adjunct
Professor in Sociology, Psy-
chology, and Group Dynam-
ics at Bunker Hill Community
College; worked for a homeless
veterans program; and worked
as Street Priest for Common
Cathedral in Boston, where
he bore a ministry of presence
on the Boston Common to
un-housed and poor people
to help sustain their hope and
dignity.
The Rev. William Russell
Michael Newby, 66, of Jop-
lin, MO. Former director of
the Deaf Education Program
at Woodhaven Learning Cen-
ter, he later graduated from
Nashotah House Theological
Seminary. He served parish-
es in Milwaukee, WI; Shreve-
port, LA; South Bend, IN; Fort
telling
Worth, TX; and Neosho and
Joplin, MO.
The Rev. Canon A. Rob-
ert Rizner, 89, of Sevierville,
TN. A graduate of Gener-
al Theological Seminary, he
served parishes in Homestead,
Miami, and Orlando, FL, as
well as serving as a supply
priest and interim rector at
multiple parishes in East Ten-
nessee.
The Rev. William Car-
rol Shirey, 87, of Estes Park,
CO. He enlisted in the Okla-
homa National Guard and
served in Korea, later receiv-
ing a commission as a Sec-
ond Lieutenant. After earning
a law degree, he graduated
from Seabury-Western Semi-
nary and was ordained to the
diaconate and priesthood in
1964. He continued to serve
with the Oklahoma Army Na-
tional Guard, retiring as a Col-
onel, and spent several years as
the State Chaplain. In retire-
ment, he assisted parishes
spring 2017 61
connecting

in Estes Park, CO, and Pauls The Rev. Gordon Kevin

Valley, OK. Taylor, 77, of Whittier, CA.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, he
The Rev. Gertrude Trud- studied theology at Trinity
ie Gaston Smither, 79, of College, Dublin, then joined
Houston, TX. Ordained to the Anglican order of the Soci-
the diaconate in 1990, and the ety of St Francis (SSF), whose
priesthood in 1991, she served friars take vows of poverty,
multiple parishes in Texas, chastity and obedience. He
she launched the Episcopal served as guest master at the
chaplaincy program for the friary in Alnmouth, Northum-
Diocese of Dallas, and served berland, then as guardian of a
as Chaplain of the William friary near the Falls Road in
Temple Foundation, Chap- Belfast, during the Troubles.
lain of Galveston UT Medical After spending a sabbatical
Branch, and President of St. helping a friend with a par-
Vincents Episcopal House. ish in California, he resigned
The Rev. William Henry from the SSF and became an
Strain, 88, of Boynton Beach, Episcopal priest, serving par-
FL. A veteran of the Army Air ishes in Los Angeles County.
Force, and a graduate of Gen-
eral Theological Seminary, he
served as Vicar of St. Michaels
Episcopal Church in Wayne, May they rest in peace,
NJ, and for 25 years as Rector and rise in glory.
of Calvary Episcopal Church
in Summit, NJ, as well as serv-
ing as a police chaplain. After
his retirement, he actively par-
ticipated as a volunteer priest
in the Church of Ireland.

62 anglicandigest.org
 connecting

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