Epiphany III 2010
Wednesday: St. John Chrysostom, Evening Prayer 5:45, Low Mass 6pm, and Bible study 6:45 on the Gospel of St. John (picking up at John 3:27).
Please note that there will be no services next Wednesday after this, Wednesday Feb 3rd. Your Vicar will be meeting with the +Archbishop at St. Thomas’ in San Francisco that day. Everyone is invited to join the folks at St. Thomas’ for Mass and Bible study starting at 5:45 p.m.
Next Sunday January 31st, Septuagesima, Morning Prayer at 9:30am; Choral Mass at 11am.
Thank you so much to everyone who has responded with your pledges.
Reflections: It is ironic that in 40+years of counseling and ministry the most common complaint I hear, when people are being really honest about themselves, is that they judge themselves unworthy and are afraid to approach God. They get past the barrier of self absorption and trying to rebuild self esteem and then confront a deeper truth. We have this delusion that we could be clean and sweet and pure enough to approach God on our own. I’ll tell you a secret about human psychology and the human soul. Are you ready for it?? We have no essential worth of self except that we bear the image of our Creator. The only source of our worth is God. No amount of good works or good intentions will ever qualify us to approach God on our own merits. The Kingdom of Heaven is not a meritocracy. We are loved and valued by God as our Heavenly Father … our ABBA. He loves us as His children; as unique and special each and every one.
To disregard that beautiful Truth is very perilous. Our particular difficulty is that we live in such a materialistic culture, that belief in the Unseen realm is regarded as goofy or neurotic or dangerous. But to deny our Heavenly Father’s love is downright crazy.
The sins we hold against ourselves block our approach to the Savior. We’ve been washed clean by God and we won’t accept the momentous truth of it. We can’t believe Jesus wants to ease and relieve us. This is why there is such deep wisdom and common sense in our approach to Him through the Liturgy. He gives us prayers and forms and assurances. And finally He brings us to the point where we truly can say:
“We are not worthy, but you Lord will speak the Word and we shall be healed.”
And it’s true. Praise be to Jesus Christ!