A Reflection from the Bishop

Aloha ke Akua:

Over the past few weeks, I have been pondering again the nature of virtue in the Christian life, and how the Christan ought to speak and act to have the "good life." I have again been studying Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and, especially, the Gospel and Epistles of John every morning (and most evenings before going to sleep).

We live in a time of the celebration of falsehood, the habitual engagement in name-calling and the denial of basic human dignity. It is an age of instant information - factually true or false. For the Christian, ours is a trying time.

If political life is to regain its dignity, a proper appreciation of the eminence of the ruler's task and of the lofty human qualities required for it must be revived in the mind of the public. This means the very opposite of a totalitarian glorification of power. It implies rather that an arduous and unremitting effort of education should impart to the people an incontrovertible ideal image of the requirements a man must meet if he is to exercise authority. It should, for example, be perfectly clear and self-evident to the simplest kind of thinking that wherever prudence and justice are lacking, there can be no fitness for the proper exercise of power. In Aristotle's Politics, as well as in the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas, these two cardinal virtues are called the virtues characteristic of sovereigns and rulers. Yet according to the moral doctrine of the West the prudent man is certainly not merely a 'tactician' able to steer an affair successfully to its conclusion. Prudence implies the kind of objectivity that lets itself be determined by reality, by insight into the facts. He is prudent who can listen in silence, who can take advice so as to gain a more precise, clear, and complete knowledge of the facts. If such a standard were applied, it would probably mean that even without formally rejecting him - in fact before there were any discussion about him - a rash, brash person, motivated by emotion or craving for power, would eo ipso be excluded from running for  office, as manifestly unfit to realize the justice of rulers, iustitia distributiva . For exercising this justice means, on the one hand, taking the common good into consideration and, on the other, respecting at the same time the dignity of the individual and giving him what is his due.

The Four Cardinal Virtues

(University of Notre Dame Press, 1966), page 92.

Piefer was a German philosopher well grounded in the thought of Thomas Aquinas who wrote in clear language, and identified the enduring relevance of the tradition of wisdom and virtue-based ethics.

While in this section on justice, Piefer is reflecting on the virtues characteristic of the "good" ruler, I suggest that we must be aware of Leo Tolstoy's warning: "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." As we engage these difficult times, we must each hold to the classic virtues of fortitude, temperance, justice and prudence. It seems to me that prudence tempered with humility will be very important. As we are reminded in the Epistle of James:

Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to grow angry. This is because an angry person doesn't produce God's righteousness. Therefore, with humility, set aside all moral filth and the growth of wickedness, and welcome the word planted deep inside you--the very word that is able to save you.... If those who claim devotion to God don't control what they say, they mislead themselves. Their devotion is worthless. True devotion, the kind that is pure and faultless before God the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their difficulties and to keep the world from contaminating us.

James 1:19-21, 26-27

Our vocation as the followers of Jesus Christ in the coming days will be to speak truth with love, humility and prudence while seeking justice.

Aloha ma o Iesu Kristo, ko mākou Haku,

+Bob

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Deadline to Register is TODAY, February 24!

Annual Chrism Mass and Clergy Education Day

The annual Chrism Mass and Clergy Education Day will be taking place on Saturday, March 4, 2017. Registration opens at 8:30 AM, with the Chrism Mass at St. Paul's Episcopal Church at 9:00 AM, followed by a Clergy Education Day in The Cathedral of St. Andrew's Von Holt Room at 10:30 AM. The class is expected to last until 3:00 PM. 

We are all in need of spiritual renewal and revival, and this year's Clergy Education Day topic is "Developing Your Spiritual Language." Sister Barbara Jean ("BJ") Brown, founder of Anamchara Fellowship, a new monastic style of Religious Life (following a Celtic model) leads this mini-retreat. She is also the Director of The Interfaith Resource Center, a theological lending library that serves all faith traditions in Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

For more information and to register, click HERE. If you have any questions, please e-mail the Rev. Cn. Sandy Alexander.

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There will be a Celebration of New Ministry at St. Nicholas Episcopal Church in Kapolei, on Saturday, February 25, 2017, beginning at 10:00 AM. Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick will be the Celebrant and preacher for his appointment of the Rev. Ernesto "JaR" Pasalo, who has been with St. Nick's since July. The service will take place on the diocesan land across from Kapolei Elementary School (91-1119 Kama'aha Loop) where Sunday services are held. Clergy are invited to vest. There will be a reception following the service.

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On Sunday, February 26, 2017, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church on Maui will end their year-long sesquicentennial events with a special Homecoming Sunday celebration and luau. Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick will be on hand to celebrate at the service which begins at 9:00 AM.

The service will feature songs and readings from the 1910 service to dedicate the new church building. Church youth will be participating as lay readers and also performing a hula.

One of the highlights of the day will be opening a time capsule from the corner stone of the present structure built in 1910, that replaced the original wooden structure. It is a mystery as to what might be in the capsule, a bluestone box donated by the Baldwin family, although some historical records hint that it may contain a gavel.

A grand luau with live music and delicious food will follow, and the Rector, Fr. Craig Vance, invites all who have ever had connections with the church to "come home" as well as those who would just like to celebrate with them.

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church is located at 2140 Main Street in Wailuku. For more information, contact the church office at  (808) 244-4656.

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Funeral Announcement: Ronald M. Nakatsuji

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Christ Church Sesquicentennial Celebration: 

Heritage Weekend Honoring the Past

Christ Church Episcopal in Kealakekua on the Big Island of Hawai`i, invite all to their sesquicentennial celebration, a Heritage Weekend Honoring the Past, on March 4 and 5, 2017. They have lined up a number of events that include a play, exhibits and a guest speaker, "honoring the gifts and sacrifices of those who came before us in this specific place." 

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Register Now!

ECW Annual "Quiet Day" Coming Up

The Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese will be holding their annual Quiet Day Retreat on Saturday, March 11, 2017, at the St. Anthony Retreat Center, Fr. Damien House, in Honolulu. The theme for this year's retreat is "Grow in Grace" led by Fr. Moki Hino. A full day of activities is planned including Holy Eucharist before lunch and hands-on craft for Spring.  

The cost is $20 per person and includes lunch. To register, download the form HERE and RSVP by March 1.  If you have any questions, contact Louise Aloy at (808) 264-9830 or e-mail, or Laurie Lee at (808) 779-7968 or e-mail.

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Centering Prayer: A Road to Radical Optimism

What is centering prayer? How does centering prayer help us live in the spirit of radical optimism? Why is this such a radical idea? 

On Saturday, March 18, 2017, from 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Br. Jim Vorndran will introduce and review the basics of centering prayer at Holy Innocents Episcopal Church in Lahaina, Maui. There will be two periods of centering prayer during the program. Together we will sit in stillness. Together we will discern the importance of living in the spirit of radical optimism.

Jim Vorndran is a Marianist brother who has practiced and taught centering prayer for 40+ years. He was trained by Thomas Keating, Basil Pennington and William Meninger, at the Trappist monastery in Spencer, Mass. Jim moved from Maui 4 years ago and is currently living in the Marianist retirement center in Cupertino, CA. where he is also teaching and volunteering at VISTA Center for the blind and visually impaired.

Brown bag lunch, snacks and drinks provided. Calabash donations. For more information and to register e-mail Paula Baldwin.

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Reserve Your Camp Mokule`ia Summer Weekend Now!

Did you know that there are prime summer dates set aside in advance at Camp Mokule`ia for Episcopal families and churches to reserve? This year's dates for space in the Lodge or Campgrounds are Friday, June 30 to Sunday, July 2 (the weekend before the 4th of July), and also during the week, Monday, July 3 to Friday, July 7. The deadline to make reservations is March 15, 2017. After that date, space is open to the public. Please call the camp at (808) 637-6241 or go to their website at www.campmokuleia.com and put in a reservation request. Hurry! Make your summer reservations now before space is gone!

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Coming in May

Stewardship University: Stewardship & Beyond

This year's annual Stewardship University will take place on Friday May 5 (clergy only) and Saturday, May 6 (clergy and lay), at the Parish of St. Clement's Parish Hall in Honolulu. Registration begins at 9:30 AM and the class ends at 4:00 PM on both days.

This year's theme is "How Clergy and Lay Leaders Can Create Stronger Congregations." Over the past few decades, the culture in which we live has become increasingly indifferent to religious expression. Religious leaders who garner public attention often preach a gospel of exclusion, rather than all souls being God's children.  The result is that ministry in any form, for clergy and lay leaders alike, is exponentially more difficult than in years past.

Save the Date!

Called to Transformation
ABCD Facilitator Formation Workshop 2017

Leading the workshop are Sean McConnell, Director of Engagement for Episcopal Relief & Development  and the Rev. Shannon Kelly, Officer for Young Adult and Campus Ministries for The Episcopal Church and a member of the Presiding Bishop's staff. 

For more information and to register, click HERE. If you have any questions, e-mail the Rev. Cn. Alexander Graham.

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