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The Rev'd James M. Hairston

The Rev'd James M. Hairston

Category Archives: Saints and Feast Days

Lenten Surprises

06 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by Fr. JM Hairston in Pop Culture-Society, Saints and Feast Days, The Liturgical Year

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14

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness, and was tempted as we are, yet without sin: give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to your Spirit; and, as you know our weakness, so may we know your power to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

 – Collect for Lent I, Common Worship.

We are in our first official week of Lent 2017. This year for Lent, in addition to the traditional rituals (praying, fasting, etc), I’m participating in Lent Madness. It is a tournament of saints in which the winner is crowned with the “Golden Halo.” The winning participant not only learns about saints that are often looked over in the Church, but will have bragging rights in their local church should they be successful. I’ve completed my bracket and I’m doing pretty good. Suffered 1 early loss, but it happens.

lentmadness2017

However, I was able to learn about a man who impacted the Church and the southern part of the United States. That man is Bishop Henry Beard Delany.

delany_henry

Bp. Delany is the second Black Bishop in the Episcopal Church. He served as Suffragan in the Diocese of North Carolina (1918-1928). He also served as Chaplain at the historical St. Augustine’s College (now university) in North Carolina. He was instrumental in retaining Blacks in the Episcopal Church despite the segregationist posture the Church took post-American Civil War and during Jim Crow.

In all honesty, I am very much conflicted with Bishop Delany. On the one hand, he provided a refuge for Black Episcopalians by being instrumental in the creation of separate Black churches, religious facilities and ecclesiastical structure while remaining a member of the Episcopal Church. However, some of his contemporaries took the bold step and left the Episcopal Church and joined other communions, primarily the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, in order to model that Blacks should not be treated as second class citizens within their own religious communities.

It is the same situation that occurred between Bishop Richard Allen and Fr. Absalom Jones after their departure from the Methodist Church. Bishop Allen went on to establish the A.M.E. Church, the nation’s first denomination to be founded by people of African descent. Fr. Jones went on to establish the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Pennsylvania, and became the Episcopal Church’s (and the nation’s) first ever Black priest in 1804.*

I encourage you to use this Lenten season to reflect, pray, and grow in your relationship with God. Fasting is great but it’s not enough. Often enough, learning about the lives of those before us can inspire us to dive deeper in our spiritual lives.

– JMH+

*Fr. Augustus Tolton of the Roman Catholic Church was ordained a priest in 1886. Bishop James Healy, of the Roman Catholic Church was ordained in 1854, and self identified as Irish-American despite being biracial.

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Mother Teresa Becomes Saint Teresa

04 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by Fr. JM Hairston in Inspirational Christians, Saints and Feast Days

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Dear Jesus, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others.

 – Prayer of Mother Teresa

The first time I heard of Mother Teresa was the result of a punchline. I’m sure many of you have heard it before:

“Oh, you think you are a goody-two-shoes, huh? Who do you think you are, Mother Teresa?”

I had no idea who the, now, Saint Teresa was, but I knew she was someone who was deemed good, almost perfect. As time went on, I would see images of this little Albanian-Indian woman praying for those who were sick, impoverished, whom the scriptures would refer to as “the least of these”, worldwide. I would see images of people moved to uncontrollable tears while in her presence. It had a deep impact on me. I would dig deeper and find out what it meant for her to be a “Mother” and a nun. My Baptist upbringing did give me a good foundation to start from, with our cultural use of the term “Mother” in regards to an elderly woman who has had a tremendous impact on the local church community. Mother Teresa had an enormous impact on the world as a whole. She was often referred to as the “living saint.”

However; as to be expected in our increasingly anti-religious, Western society; there were critics afoot. People who could not stand having someone, an unabashedly religious person, who was deemed “saintly” revered worldwide. So, the critics started digging for dirt, and when you dig for dirt, you are bound to find some mess.

Critics of St.Teresa address primarily two issues, financial transparency and proselytizing of patients. In 1994, questions arose regarding the fact that her charity raises “millions of dollars” however her facilities are not in the best condition and her patients did not receive the best health care, according to western standards (including medication, treatment and the like). Also, that some of the money in which her charity received, may have been dirty (from dictators, embezzlers, mobsters, etc).

Prominent self-described “anti theist” Christopher Hitchens has been critical of the above, but his main critique is St. Teresa’s unabashedly Catholic message. He exposed Mother Teresa and her sisters baptizing dying patients (with or without their knowledge), her conservative stances (anti-abortion, anti-contraception, etc) and her embrace of suffering being a measure and test of faith.

Some Indian historians/authors, such as Chitrita Banerji, Aroup Chatterjee and Vijay Prashad have stated that St. Teresa is the representation of European paternalism on people of color in developing nations. There are accusations that she desired fame and the spread of the Catholic faith more than the health and well-being of the people of Calcutta. That in actuality, the city of Calcutta, its image, has been sullied. That its reputation is synonymous with being poor and destitute while St. Teresa is revered as a saintly woman.

All of these criticisms are warranted, however, I do wonder about the intent of those yielding the critiques. It is one thing if the criticism is done in a manner that is highlighting the flawed nature of humanity. As Congregationalist minister/theologian Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III refers to this as prophetic contradiction;  a person who has a prophet voice or calling, while also being flawed. If this is the intent, then I understand. However, it is an another thing when intent of the criticism is to besmirch the name or reputation of the subject. It is as if to say that their contributions and achievements are invalid because of their past mistakes. It seems to me that in our Western context, that seems to be the order of day.

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St. Anselem of Canterbury

20 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by Fr. JM Hairston in Saints and Feast Days

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Almighty God, you raised up your servant Anselm to teach the Church of his day to understand its faith in your eternal Being, perfect justice, and saving mercy: Provide your Church in every age with devout and learned scholars and teachers, that we may be able to give a reason for the hope that is in us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 – Lesser Feasts and Fasts, 2006


REFLECTION

St. Anselm served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 – 1109 AD. He was a Benedictine monk, then abbot, and ultimately elevated to the rank of Archbishop. He was a reluctant to accept the appointment, as he was very introspective and did not have political aspirations. He was also involved (directly and/or indirectly) with the Investiture Controversy of the 11th and 12th centuries. His primary concern was serving the people of England, not advancing his clerical-political career.

It seems that I was destined to have a relationship, if only a passing one, with St. Anselm. I recall in high school, being pressed by one of the school administrators to attend “St. A’s” in New Hampshire “because its a good, small, Catholic school.” Despite me not being Roman Catholic, the Benedictines could not compete with the Jesuits, so I did not attend St. Anselm College.

Fast forward a couple of years, I am now an Anglican, reading about the lineage of the Archbishops of Canterbury. I stumble upon the name of St. Anselm. In the end, it kind of comes full circle for me.

St. Anselm represents what is needed in Christ’s Church;  clergy who are concerned with the souls of those who placed in their care. What I see now is a growing clergy body composed of careerists. His Holiness Pope Francis addressed this very thing early in his pontificate. This is something that affects all the church, not just non denominational, Pentecostal churches. The constant chase for purple shirts and titles is leaving those who need spiritual nourishment behind. Hopefully, we can address this before it’s too late.

 – JMH+

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Feast of St. Patrick

17 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by Fr. JM Hairston in Saints and Feast Days

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Almighty God, in your providence you chose your servant Patrick to be the apostle of the Irish people, to bring those who were wandering in darkness and error to the true light and knowledge of you: Grant us so to walk in that light that we may come at last to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 – Lesser Feasts and Fasts, 2006

REFLECTION

St. Patrick’s Day is one of interest to me. I was quite ignorant of the impact His Grace (he is a Bishop) had on society as a whole. Perhaps its because I live in Boston where he is sometimes reduced to a mere color and baby clover. It was when I was presented with the prospect of being ordained (Anglican priesthood) on his feast day*, I decided to do a little more research on him. He was quite the remarkable man.

He is British by birth, NOT Irish. He is the son of a deacon and grandson of a priest.** He was kidnapped by Irish pirates and forced into slave labor at the age of sixteen. Six years later, he fled back to Britain. According to his writings, the six years of captivity, in a foreign land, lead to him converting (in an authentic way) to Christianity. While in Britain, he studied for the priesthood and was ordained. He then felt God calling him to return to Ireland and preach to the masses. He did this and would become Bishop of Ireland, and ultimately the Patron Saint of Ireland.

St. Patrick is interesting because, in many ways, he found Jesus in jail. This is something that does happen. Although many who are ignorant of this believe that one can’t grow closer to God in the midst of captivity, St. Patrick does. The act of returning to the place of his captivity, to preach to those whose souls are held captive by sin is nothing short of admirable.

In the National Guard Armory where my headquarters is located, there is a very large (probably 6 feet in height, 3 feet in width) painting of St. Patrick hanging on a wall of the drill shed. Everyone who walks in stops and admires it. It’s quite a sight! I believe it’s the only armory in Massachusetts to have something like that in it. It’s there because of its historical value. It was placed there by soldiers of the community years ago. It’s a direct connection to the past. Many people have tried to get it removed (screaming anti-religious rhetoric)  but to no avail. It is a mainstay. It is a relic of the not only the immediate past, but the distant past, of that young man, who decided to serve something bigger than himself.

* Alas, I was ordained on the 16th. 😦
** At that point, there was only one CHRISTIAN Church where priests could get married and have children.

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Pressures on the Priest (3 MARCH 2015)

03 Tuesday Mar 2015

Posted by Fr. JM Hairston in Saints and Feast Days

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Frs. John and Charles Wesley

Frs. John and Charles Wesley

Lord God, who didst inspire thy servants John and Charles Wesley with burning zeal for the sanctification of souls, and didst endow them with eloquence in speech and song: Kindle in thy Church, we beseech thee, such fervor, that those whose faith has cooled may be warmed, and that those who have not known thy Christ may turn to him and be saved; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 – Collect for the Feast of John and Charles Wesley, Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2006.


REFLECTION

Fathers John and Charles Wesley are interesting to say the least. They are fine examples of priests who strove to grow closer to God and empower others to do the same. This is made evident by their desire to build a community of believers in the Church of England that adhered to a strict interpretation of the Book of Common Prayer. If the Wesleys were alive today, they would be accused of being “fundamentalists” in the most negative of senses.

The conflict between the brothers (John’s ordaining of American “elders” against the wishes of Church authorities in England, and his brother Charles) is what ultimately lead to the founding of the Methodist denomination. I’ve often wondered about John’s action, was it just or not?

On one hand, he is a representative of the Church of England in the New World. He took the same ordination vows that I would take some 300+ years later: that we would adhere to the instruction of our Bishops. It is clear that John Wesley did not.

On the other hand, John Wesley has several communities of believers, those who need pastoral care and support. It is more than he or his brother Charles could handle. If the Church of England were to send more priests to the New World, that would have solved the problem. However, that did not to seem to be the case. The only feasible solution would have been to enlist lay leaders as “elders” to provide pastoral oversight in their absence.

I struggle with this story because I understand both the duty to the Church Universal and the duty to the local parish. However, I must admit, that I place a little more stock on the Church Universal than the local church. This may be shocking considering that I come from a Baptist background where local church autonomy is the law of the land. Even then, I agreed with that concept in principal. I believe the needs of the local congregation are important, but they are not important than the authority of the Universal Church.

I believe that this is what happening with the church today. We have priests who are succumbing to the pressures of the congregation and are violating the authority, history, tradition and scriptural interpretation of the Universal Church. This violation leads to the extreme liberal and conservative wings of the Church which leaves out a large segment of our society being un-churched. This segment are those, like myself, who don’t view the world in only black and white but rather some shades of grey. There are some issues that are black and white, but there are many that are grey.

With that said, I understand the situation in which John Wesley was in. However, I also understand the situation that Charles Wesley was in. In the end the priest must seek guidance from God, his clergy superiors, his colleagues and parishioners that have his and the congregations best interest at heart. Doing this and above all, trusting in God, will he avoid falling to the pressure of one segment of the church that alienates another.

 – FR. JMH

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Maundy Thursday 2014

17 Thursday Apr 2014

Posted by Fr. JM Hairston in Saints and Feast Days, The Church, The Liturgical Year

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Tags

Church Year, Liturgy

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“ALMIGHTY Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, did institute the Sacrament of his Body and Blood; Mercifully grant that we may thankfully receive the same in remembrance of him, who in these holy mysteries giveth us a pledge of life eternal; the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.”

 – Collect for Maundy Thursday, 1979 Book of Common Prayer


 

REFLECTION

Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday as my Roman Catholic brethren call it) is the day of the maundy (foot washing) and the Last Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ, before the crucifixion and resurrection. Some churches practice one or the other and sometimes both rituals on this day.

I remember the first time I participated in the foot washing ritual. I was a student at Boston College participating in a service trip to Mexico. We spent a long day working on a house for a family. The Jesuit priest, who was our trip leader, began to explain what the foot washing ritual was. My colleagues were all Roman Catholic and were well aware. I was a Baptist at the time and had no clue. I knew the scripture reference, but was confused as to the nature of the ritual.

When the priest brought out the large bowl, I decided to make sure I sat next to an attractive woman, in order to wash her feet. I was 20-years-old at the time and preferred my foot washing experience to be enhanced by pretty, manicured, feminine feet. Yes, this is quite shallow, and in many ways, I was a shallow Christian at the time.

When large bowl made its rounds, I began to get a little nervous of having a woman wash my feet. It felt a little too intimate. I remembered that the only person who had touched my feet was my mom when I was child. She would tickle my feet. The time came, and I took off my shoe and my sock. I placed my foot into the bowl and felt the lukewarm water. I then felt the hand of the young lady grab my heel and with her other hand, scoop the water onto the top of my foot.

I immediately felt, as much as I could, the feeling that the disciples felt; uncomfortable, and unworthy. I started to picture Jesus washing my feet. I wanted to jerk my foot back because of these feelings, but I endured. I started to reflect on what just happened, then I remembered, it was my turn to wash feet.

As I grabbed the bowl and turned to face the next woman, I still had those feelings of uncomfortableness, confusion and worthlessness. I decided that I was going to clean this woman’s foot as best as I could, because of the feelings that I experienced. I gently grabbed her heel, and with my free hand, I scooped water onto her foot several times. I took my time in drying her foot. A small part of me wondered if she thought I had some sort of foot fetish. But I think she knew I was genuine. I remember when the foot washing ritual ended, and the we concluded with the Eucharist, I thanked God for the opportunity to participate in such a powerful ritual.

Since that moment, I participated in various foot washing ceremonies. Some of the ceremonies corresponded with Maundy Thursday (in the historical churches), and others did not (free churches, during revivals and such). Each and every time I think about the type of servant leader that Jesus of Nazareth was. How He, as the Lord, decided to psychically take care of his brothers, his flock. I can only hope and pray, that I can show a fraction of the level of love and care for my brothers and my flock.

 – Fr. JMH

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Holy Week 2014

14 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by Fr. JM Hairston in Inspirational Christians, Saints and Feast Days, The Church, The Liturgical Year

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Tags

Church Year, Liturgy

Image

Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the
human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to
take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross,
giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant
that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share
in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.”

 – Collect for Palm Sunday. Book of Common Prayer, 1979

_____________________________________________________________

REFLECTION

Yesterday was Palm Sunday. The sermon I preached (located in the media section) addressed some of the generational gaps in our society and how Christians from different generations interpret Holy Week or Passiontide. In the end, the purpose of Holy is for us, as Christians, to not only celebrate Easter, but to also remember the happiness that was Palm Sunday, the sadness that was Maundy Thursday, and the sorrowful despair that was Good Friday. All too often we skip Holy Week and jump straight to Easter. We sometimes regulate Easter to mean the bunny and eggs. It is to the point where some Christians do not refer to Christ’s rising again as Easter, but rather “Resurrection Sunday.” I find this to be sad.

It is sad because we, as Christians, have allowed someone else to determine who we are. I had a conversation with a Jewish colleague of mine. He is preparing for the Passover Seder this evening. He was lamenting on the attitudes of some of his Jewish congregants. He relayed the following story to me:

I (my buddy) asked him (his colleague) when he travels, because he flies everywhere, does he go into the cockpit and speak to the captain of the plane? He says no. I then say, ‘Oh, you mean you don’t go into the cockpit, look around the area, inspect everything, question the pilot to make sure he know what he is doing?’ He starts looking at me confused. I then say ‘So you assume he know what he’s doing, right? Because he is the pilot? You trust him enough not to ask any questions, but you don’t trust the minister, the priest or the rabbi about matters of God? Matter of fact, you don’t trust God about matters of life? You sit there and say ‘Oh, I need proof, I need to see it for myself’ when it comes to God and matters of God, but you don’t need proof from the captain, who is flying this plane, with your life in him hands?’ This is the problem with all our religions, its man made chaos because man does not want to serve God, they want God to serve them, and what they want. They see God as their servant. They ignore the fact that they have an obligation to serve God.

 

After my buddy finished, I began to think about associates I know who do the same thing. They take God and mold Him to their own instruments. I recently heard a story of a guy (new or rededicated Christian, no denomination specified) telling his friend, that God didn’t call said friend to their current occupation because it wasn’t confirmed by “a pastor”, despite the fact that the friend spoke to me, a priest. The guy did not know the difference or rather similarities between a pastor and a priest. I suspect that the guy just wanted to use his false sense of righteousness to spiritually beat up and bully his friend by telling him that he is less than. This is sickening. This is what is harming the Christian Church.

On the flip-side, we have those Christians who are afraid to stand up and defend the faith because they are afraid of hurting someone’s (usually one who can care less of the faith) feelings. They will downplay the fact that the sins that Christ died for, are the same sins that we commit day in and day out. They will not address the fact that we are no better than St. Peter, who denied Christ three times. All of this will be negated because of the fear of being called judgmental by someone who has their own agenda against the church.

During Holy Week, I urge you to fight the temptation to use God as your personal instrument of destruction. I know it may seemed a little far fetched but it is the reality of the situation. During Holy Week, many people who do not attend church throughout the year show up to services, much to the chagrin to the faithful that attend weekly. This can cause a sense of anger and even resentment from the faithful. I urge you to show love to them, especially since they rarely attend church for whatever reason. Show them the same love, that God the Father showed to us this time, over 2000 years ago.

I also urge you to hold steadfast to the faith. Do not condone the ungodly behavior of friends and loved ones, or allow the watering down of scripture just to not appear judgmental. In the end, you are doing them a disservice by allowing them to live a life that is contrary to what God wants.

 – JMH+

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Fr. Absalom Jones, Priest, 1818 (13 FEB)

13 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by Fr. JM Hairston in Inspirational Christians, Saints and Feast Days

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Fr. Absalom Jones

Fr. Absalom Jones

Set us free, heavenly Father, from every bond of prejudice and fear; that, honoring the steadfast courage of your servant Absalom Jones, we may show forth in our lives the reconciling love and true freedom of the children of God, which you have given us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.   Amen.

 – Collect from Lesser Feasts and Fasts, 2003

REFLECTION

I first heard of Fr. Jones a few years ago during the beginning stages of my journey on the Canterbury Trail. I began researching the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and read about Bishop Richard Allen. This research then lead me to Fr. Absalom Jones. Fr. Jones’ story is an amazing one. Being born a slave, then obtaining his freedom, earning an income so he can buy his wife’s freedom is an amazing feat.

Fr. Jones, along with Bishop Allen were initially Methodist ministers in Pennsylvania at St. George’s Methodist Church. When I visited the church, the following story was relayed to me:

The church was segregated. Allen and Jones were the pastors of the Black congregation and held services at a different time slot. If there was a joint service between the Black and White congregations, the Blacks would sit in the balcony. One day, while the church was empty except for the church secretary, Jones and Allen both walked down the isle and prayed at the altar. The content of their prayer is speculated but some suggest that it was due to the racism that they were facing at that time and their next steps as clergy caring for the flock entrusted to them. In the midst of their prayer, the church secretary came running down the isle demanding them not to pray at the altar and “ordering” them never to to do, even if the church is empty. That was the end of both Jones’ and Allen’s affiliation with the Methodist Church.

I’m not sure how true this account is. I’m inclined to believe it more so due to the source, a Philadelphian church historian. Regardless, the rest is history. Richard Allen went on to establish the AME Church. Fr. Absalom Jones went on to find the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. Afterwards, he and his congregation join the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States (The Episcopal Church). St. Thomas was the first Black church in Philedelphia.

Fr. Jones is an inspiration to many Black priests, ministers, and elders. A new colleague of mine who is Episcopalian (and preached a really good sermon on Fr. Jones last Sunday night) and I may have differences of theological opinion, but the one thing we do agree on, is the place of Fr. Jones in the history of Black clergy. Fr. Jones should be a inspiration to all clergy for his resolve, his determination, his desire for unity, and his steadfast faith.

 – Fr. JMH

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Phillips Brooks, Bishop (23 JAN)

23 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by Fr. JM Hairston in Saints and Feast Days

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Untitled3

O everlasting God, who didst reveal truth to thy servant Phillips Brooks, and didst so form and mold his mind and heart that he was able to mediate that truth with grace and power: Grant, we pray, that all whom thou dost call to preach the Gospel may steep themselves in thy Word, and conform their lives to thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

– Collect from Lesser Feasts and Fasts, 2006

Phillips Brooks was an American clergyman and author. During the American Civil War he upheld the cause of the North and opposed slavery, and his sermon on the death of Abraham Lincoln was an eloquent expression of the character of both men. In 1869 he became rector of Trinity Church, Boston; today, his statue is located on the left exterior of the church.

“{My only ambition}”, Brooks once wrote “is to be a parish priest and, though not much of one, would as a college president be still less”.
He briefly served as Bishop of Massachusetts in the Episcopal Church during the early 1890s. In the Episcopal liturgical calendar he is remembered on January 23. He is known for being the lyricist of “O Little Town of Bethlehem”.

– Adapted from wikipedia.org


REFLECTION

I first heard of Phillips Brooks as a child. My family lived around the corner from a school named after the clergyman. I recall wondering why was this school so close to my house, more elaborate than the one I had to travel twice the distance to attend? The school has since been converted into low income housing. As I began my secondary education in one of the better Boston Public high schools, Snowden International School at Copley, I would walk pass the following statue:

Untitled2

With my adolescent/teenage eyes, I noticed the figure in the foreground (being Brooks) proclaiming something and the figure in the background, unknown to me at the time, watching. I would give the statue a cursory glance (completely ignoring the text at the base) and assumed it was honouring someone from the Enlightenment period. I assumed it was some bourgeois statesman proclaiming the pursuit of knowledge and a faith in God that justified owning African slaves. I assumed this because of the emphasis of the Enlightenment in my history and literature courses at the time and the figures who were lauded as American icons who, more often than not, believed in God, and owned African slaves. It wasn’t until one evening, years later, I sat in front of the statue to take a closer look:

Untitled1

I realized that Phillips Brooks was a clergyman and he guided his actions by the words of Christ, as illustrated in the statue. I was amazed that this display would be in public. The act of preaching and allowing Christ to guide the words is something that is becoming a rarity. I find that the temptation to preach to the congregation’s taste is strong. I see some of my colleagues across all religious lines either fight or submit to this temptation. I have faced this temptation as a Baptist minister in the past, and now as an Anglican Priest. This statue to me is a reminder to allow the hand of God to guide me, despite who may be happy or upset. I have a framed picture of the statue in my office and I visit the statue periodically to remind myself of God’s presence.

 – JMH+

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The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (1 JAN 14)

01 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by Fr. JM Hairston in Saints and Feast Days, The Liturgical Year

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Tags

Circumcision, Holy Name, Jesus

The Circumcision of Jesus

The Circumcision of Jesus

Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

 – Collect for The Holy Name of Our Lord; Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2003


REFLECTION

This feast day is interesting due to its significance. The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus is a day that has multiple instances of significance. The first is that it is the day in which the child that Mary delivered and Joseph protected and cared for is now officially given the name of Jesus. The second is that the child would undergo circumcision as well. Both of these acts would occur eight days after the child was born, per Jewish ritual outlines in the Book of Leviticus.

Originally this day was celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church and removed it in 1969. Pope John Paul II restored the feast in 2001. In the Anglican Church, the feast was originally called The Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus. However, in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, it was renamed to the current title.

This feast day is a remembrance of another step in the life of Jesus. It reminds us that Jesus is a Jewish child with Jewish parents and grows up to be a Jewish man. He is the Messiah, the Saviour. We, at times, over look the childhood of Jesus because of the lack of source material. However, considering the lack of information, we should cherish the information that we have.

 – JMH+

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