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Frontliners
I remember reading an article ten years or so ago in which an American originated multinational management consultancy firm was referred to as “the Jesuits of the capitalist world”. The label stuck in my imagination. The Jesuits were founded in 1540, largely in response to the rise of Protestantism, and at the same time as the emergence of capitalism. The Jesuits were not long founded before they had established a strong network of missions around the world and had thus developed a character international in outlook and with a developed awareness of how the world works. Like the management consultancy firm dubbed “the Jesuits of the capitalist world” the religious order has always put a premium on education --- it takes 10-15 years to train a Jesuit.
Consultancy firms aside, I have long admired Jesuits. As a graduate student, on a university site where all of the major Roman Catholic religious orders had halls of study, I naturally tended towards the Jesuits’ Campion Hall and made good friends there. I think I admired their balance of conformity and freedom--- the point of being in a religious community is to share all things in common and yet---the Jesuits seemed to have achieved that goal while also preserving what looked from the outside to me as a healthy dose of individual autonomy.
I was deeply moved this month to attend a program offered by the Jacksonville Symphony in remembrance of the Holocaust and the genocide of six million Jewish people. I reflected too that February 2nd is the day of commemoration for Alfred Delp (1907-1945), the Jesuit priest who was executed by the Nazis on that day in 1945. Delp is often compared to Dietrich Bonhoeffer both for his witness of discipleship and in his death. Delp’s writings from prison are a rich mine for meditation on Christian discipleship. (Some 152 members of the Society of Jesus perished during the Holocaust between 1939 and 1945.)
Pope Francis and the publication of his autobiography this month, Hope: The Autobiography, also put me in mind of the Jesuits. Pope Francis is the first Jesuit to have been elected pope. Pope Francis said he had initially joined the Society of Jesus in the 1950s because he was "attracted to its position on . . . the front lines of the church."
Indeed, early on in his pontificate, Pope Francis framed the Church and her mission in the world as ministering on the front lines:
“I see clearly that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. . . Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds…. And you have to start from the ground up.”
Pope Francis struck a similar note of clarity and urgency in his February 11th letter addressed to the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States. There, in response to a recent public discussion of the question of what constitutes the ‘ordo amoris’ or ‘right ordering’ of love in our relations and responsibilities to others, Francis turned the question upside down. Grabbing it from its more typically medieval and scholastic framework, he empowered it with a New Testament urgency and vitality, i.e. asking ‘And who is my neighbor?’ (Luke 10.29). Simply and directly:
". . .the true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the 'Good Samaritan,' that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception."
Our moment in history requires us to reaffirm:
“. . . not only our faith in a God who is always close, incarnate, migrant and refugee, but also the infinite and transcendent dignity of every human person."
In physical vulnerability battling three types of respiratory infection, Francis is yet a true Jesuit, a true ‘frontliner’.
Epiphany-tide and pre-Lenten blessings.
Yours, Douglas
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IS this a fast, to keep
The larder lean?
And clean
From fat of veals and sheep?
Is it to quit the dish
Of flesh, yet still
To fill
The platter high with fish ?
Is it to fast an hour,
Or ragg’d to go,
Or show
A downcast look and sour ?
No; ‘tis a fast to dole
Thy sheaf of wheat,
And meat,
Unto the hungry soul.
It is to fast from strife,
From old debate
And hate;
To circumcise thy life.
To show a heart grief-rent;
To starve thy sin,
Not bin;
And that’s to keep thy Lent.
by Robert Herrick (1591–1674)
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A Reflection by Owene Courtney,
St. John's Cathedral
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Candlemas and The Presentation: February 2 | |
--- An illustration by Dinah Roe Kendall | |
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The celebration of the Incarnation continues until February 2 in many Christian traditions, because on that day we remember Mary and Joseph's Presentation of their child in the temple. This feast day is the continuation of our "reflection on the Great Mystery of God in Christ as an infant," as Malcolm Guite says.
This feast is also known as Candlemas because it is a custom to light a central candle and bring it to the altar to represent the Christ-light, and also on the occasion of this feast to bless all the 'lights' or candles in the church, praying that all who saw that outward and visible light would remember also and be blessed by the inner light of Christ 'who lightens everyone who comes into the world.
In her book Allegories of Heaven, Dinah Roe Kendall illustrates many of the stories of the New Testament and accompanies them with text from Eugene Peterson's The Message translation of scripture. Here is her interpretation of the Presentation in which you will see the elders Simeon and Anna reacting to their discovery of the Christ Child "for whom all were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem." And below is the story as told in The Message.
You might ponder who you might have been in that scene if you'd been in the temple that day? What would your first thoughts be? Would your life have been changed and how? and, how do you feel about the modern interpretation of the scene?
Luke 2:25-38 The Message
25-32 In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God:
God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation; it’s now out in the open for everyone to see: A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel.
33-35 Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother,
This child marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel, A figure misunderstood and contradicted—the pain of a sword-thrust through you—But the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are.
36-38 Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.
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Kristen Munroe and Marcy Sanders
Lay Preachers in training
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. . . and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent? Romans 10.15
Sixteen lay men and women in the Episcopal Diocese of Florida are enrolled in a course of training for Licensed Lay Preachers designed and led by the Bishop’s Institute and in conjunction with the curriculum offered by the Episcopal Preaching Foundation (EPF). The class gathers one Saturday a month over the course of a year and meets at St John’s Cathedral, Jacksonville. Some members have prior experience of preaching in their church or mission and others are discerning a new venture in ministry.
Two members have kindly agreed to share their thoughts and insights about the course: Kristen Munroe and Marcy Sanders. Kristen’s testimony here, and Marcy’s follows.
Kristen Munroe
Kris Munroe is a lifelong member of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Jacksonville. She is married to Earl Munroe, Jr., and together they have a blended family of three wonderful children: Cristopher (24), MacKenzie (16), and Madison (15). At St. Philip’s, Kris has served in various capacities over the years and is currently the Youth Director. Additionally, she is active in the Episcopal Church Women (ECW), the Building & Grounds Committee, and the Finance Committee. She is particularly passionate about her work on the Communications and Technology Committee. She designed and maintains the church’s website, assists in developing the monthly newsletter, coordinates church announcements, and manages their livestream ministry. Faith has always been a driving force in Kris’s life, and she is deeply committed to serving her church community in ways that uplift, connect, and inspire others.
1. What attracted you to the Licensed Lay Ministry (LLM) Lay Preacher course?
Kris: I was drawn to the LLM Lay Preaching course because I had already been engaged in public speaking and felt called to refine and deepen this aspect of my ministry. I have had the privilege of delivering homilies at St. Philip’s and at Church of the Mediator in Micanopy, Florida. I have also spoken multiple times at the Created for a Purpose summer camp for young girls and served as the retreat leader and speaker for the ECW Spring Retreat following the pandemic. Each of these experiences has brought me great joy, and I see this course as a way to further develop my ability to proclaim God’s Word with clarity, confidence, and impact. It has already provided me with valuable frameworks for structuring homilies and has deepened my understanding of how to engage both scripture and the congregation in meaningful ways.
2. We have divided the course into three main sections. In the first section, we were introduced to the purpose of the sermon and some of the components of the planning and delivery of a sermon, e.g. Biblical exegesis, finding a theme, how the scripture casts light on our contemporary situation and challenges, and the role of the congregation in hearing the sermon, etc. What did you learn from these first sessions that impressed you and that you have valued in particular?
Kris: Whenever I prepare for a speech or homily, I begin with the scripture. However, this course has given me a more structured and effective approach to biblical exegesis. I have learned how to delve deeper into scripture, uncovering historical and theological contexts that enhance the message I am called to deliver. Additionally, I have gained a greater appreciation for the role of the congregation in receiving the sermon. Preaching is not just about delivering words; it’s about creating a space for transformation, where scripture speaks into our lives today.
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Rector's Picks: February Books | |
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Alysia-Lara Ayonrinde and others. Wild Bright Hope: Reflections on Faith-- The Big Church Read Lent Book 2025 (Paperback). Pre-order for February 18, 2025.
This is the SPCK Lent book for 2025 and the lead reflective essay is by Alysia-Lara Avonrinde, the Schools Project Lead for the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Reconciliation Ministry.
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Diane M. Houdek. Lent with St Francis: Daily Reflections Paperback – February 3, 2017. | |
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Mark Toups. The Ascension Lenten Companion: Year C Paperback – January 4, 2022.
A daily Lenten resource with a word, a scripture passage, a short meditation and a prayer to support you through the Lenten journey.
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Ann Widdecombe. Sackcloth and Ashes: The Bloomsbury Lent Book 2014 Paperback –January 2014.
What is our modern concept of penance? Is it giving up chocolates for Lent or is it a lasting state of the awareness of sin? Is it public or private? Is it punishment or greater closeness to God? Is it always a response to personal sin or can an individual do penance for others' sins, or for the world? . . . Penance in art, penance in literature, penance in history, penance in the Bible are all examined in an important and thoughtful meditation on the concept of penance in the 21st Century.--- Amazon review.
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N.T. Wright. Lent for Everyone: Luke, Year C- A Daily Devotional Paperback – October 25, 2012. | |
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Nir Arielli. The Dead Sea: A 10,000 Year History Hardcover – January 28, 2025.
The Dead Sea is a place of many contradictions. . . The protagonists in its story are not only Jews and Arabs, but also Greeks, Nabataeans, Romans, Crusaders and Mamluks. Today it has become a tourist hotspot, but its drying basin is increasingly under threat.
---Amazon review.
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Gregory Boyle, S.J. Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion Paperback – February 22, 2011.
Here is the witness and testimony of another Jesuit priest on the frontlines--- for several decades the director of Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program in Los Angeles, the gang capital of the world. Looking forward to his latest book, Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times scheduled for October 21, 2025.
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Pope Francis. Hope: The Autobiography Hardcover – January 14, 2025.
Hope is the first autobiography in history ever to be published by a Pope.
—Amazon review.
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Hetta Howes. Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women
Hardcover – December 10, 2024.
Hetta Howes charts the lives and times of four medieval women writers—Marie de France, a
poet; Julian of Norwich, a mystic and anchoress; Christine de Pizan, a widow and court writer;
and Margery Kempe, mystic and wife.
"A history of medieval women’s lives as told through the prism of four exceptional individuals. .
. . throughout, the tensions of medieval womanhood strain and stretch—eroticism and purity, sexuality and motherhood, silence and speech."
—The New York Times
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Rose Hudson-Wilkin. Girl from Montego Bay: The Autobiography of Britain's First Black Woman Bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin Hardcover – March 11, 2025. Release day March 11, 2025. Pre-order.
'The late South African president Nelson Mandela once famously declared, "It always seems impossible until it is done."
His words could easily have been applied to the life of Rose Hudson-Wilkin... there is a genuine exuberance in her narration that is both contagious and inspiring.'
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The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, sometime Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church
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Volker Leppin. Francis of Assisi: The Life of a Restless Saint Hardcover – January 28, 2025.
Volker Leppin is Horace Tracey Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology at Yale Divinity School.
“Elegant. . . Leppin reminds us that the church’s saints still retain a powerful grip on our hearts and minds.”
—Nadya Williams, Christianity Today
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Duncan Minshull. Beneath My Feet: Writers on Walking Paperback – March 31, 2020.
“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness.” —Søren Kierkegaard
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Richard Rohr. The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage Hardcover – March 4, 2025.
How do we live compassionately in a time of violence and despair? What can we do with our private disappointments and the anger we feel in such an unjust world? In his most personal book
yet, Richard Rohr turns to the writings of the Jewish prophets, revealing how some of the lesser-read books of the Bible offer us a crucial path forward today. --- Amazon review.
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Marcy Sanders,
Lay Preacher in training
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. . . and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent? Romans 10.15
Marcy Sanders loves living in Tallahassee on a compound with some of her family. She finds it good to live in a place where there is a lot of love and support, and where her niece’s dog comes to visit twice a day.
Marcy attends St. John's Episcopal Church in Tallahassee and has served on the vestry. She is a Stephen Minister; a licensed lay pastoral care minister; and serves on the property commission. She is the parliamentarian for the Fr. David Henry Brooks Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians (U.B.E.)
1. What attracted you to the Licensed Lay Ministry (LLM) Lay Preacher course?
Marcy: I am attracted to the course because I wanted to learn to construct sermons and preach in the Anglican tradition. I have preached a few times in the Episcopal Church (TEC) and many times in other faith traditions, but to be able to deliver a sermon in the Episcopal Church as laity and honoring the liturgy struck a chord with me.
2. We have divided the course into three main sections. In the first section, we were introduced to the purpose of the sermon and some of the components of the planning and delivery of a sermon, e.g. Biblical exegesis, finding a theme, how the scripture casts light on our contemporary situation and challenges, and the role of the congregation in hearing the sermon, etc. What did you learn from these first sessions that impressed you and that you have valued in particular?
Marcy: There are a few things that impressed me about the first part of the course: 1. That there is a place for laity to preach in the Episcopal Church about everyday life. 2. As the Rev. Tom Long said in one of his lessons that it has taken TEC over 40 years to live into the catechism of laity as ministers of the church. I think it is important to embrace this reality as we look toward the future to “invite, welcome, and connect” people to our tradition and expand the reach of the church. 3. I have enjoyed being able to connect with and learn from priests in our Diocese that augment the curriculum from the Episcopal Preaching Foundation (EPF) beautifully.
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Thomas Aquinas was once asked to name the chief end or benefit of the sacrament of Holy Communion. To which he replied, “Growth in charity.”
That would strike me as the right answer concerning the chief end or benefit of our Lenten fast and pilgrimage: “Growth in charity.”
The traditional Collect for the Sunday called Quinquagesima (the Sunday next before Lent) in the 1928, and earlier, Prayer Books, expresses this sentiment beautifully, drawing on St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians:
O LORD, who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth: Send thy Holy Ghost and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
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ASH WEDNESDAY
As the cold loses its grip on us and the days turn to Spring, soon it will be Ash Wednesday and the 40 days of Lent. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent in the Christian calendar, a period of reflection, fasting, and preparation leading up to Easter. We Episcopalians observe it along with Roman Catholics, the Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, and many Methodists. Ash Wednesday serves both as a solemn reminder of human mortality and as a commencement of the penitential season.
The origin of Ash Wednesday can be traced back to the early Church in the fourth century. While there are historical accounts of Christians observing a period of penance and fasting before Easter, the specific practice of marking the forehead with ashes was first formalized in the seventh century. The ashes are typically obtained by burning the palms from the previous Palm Sunday, symbolizing the cyclical nature of life and the triumph over sin and death through Christ.
The use of ashes in religious ceremonies dates to ancient times. In the Old Testament, ashes symbolize mourning and repentance. For instance, Job covered himself in ashes after his suffering, and the Israelites often used ashes as a sign of penitence before God. This scriptural precedent laid the foundation for the Christian custom of using ashes to invoke humility and recognition of human frailty.
Ash Wednesday also reminds us that our time in this life is short. As our priest or minister applies the ashes in the sign of the cross on each person's forehead, they recite these words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust, you shall return," echoing Genesis 3:19.
This phrase serves as a poignant reminder of our mortality and the promise of Jesus in John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. The imposition of ashes emphasizes the themes of repentance and humility, compelling us to confront our flaws and seek reconciliation with our Savior, who holds the keys to eternal life.
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St. John's Cathedral Bookstore Book Club:
March 3 and April 7
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St. John's Cathedral Event:
The Art of Discernment
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Date: Saturday, March 22
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral
Cost: $25 (includes lunch)
What if the key to a deeper, more connected faith life isn’t found in a sermon or a book, but in a small group of people helping each other discern God’s will in their lives?
Join St. John's Cathedral for a transformative one-day workshop on The Art of Discernment, featuring the Rev. Christopher Martin, rector of St. Paul’s, San Rafael, CA, and author of The Restoration Project. Christopher will explore how small groups not only cultivate deep faith, foster authentic relationships, and strengthen church communities, they help us live out God’s will in our daily and weekly lives.
He will be joined by the Very Rev. Kate Moorehead Carroll, dean of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, and the Rev. Douglas Dupree of the Bishop’s Institute, Diocese of Florida, for engaging discussions on the power of small groups in discipleship, spiritual formation and discernment.
The Restoration Project by Christopher Martin and The Vital Signs of Faith by Kate Moorehead Carroll provide valuable insights for this workshop. The books are available in the St. John’s Cathedral Bookstore and Gift Shop.
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