Electronic Offerings

A Saint in Our Midst: Fred Rogers

This past week on All Saints' Sunday, I offered the following sermon at the 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist, and several people have asked to read it. Here it is in its entirety.

“Give us grace to follow your blessed saints….” On this All Saints' Sunday, we remember the saints of God throughout history. And we especially remember those saints right here in our midst, those who may go unnoticed in our world. Many of you have heard me quote theologian Frederick Buechner before – I’m a fan of his book “Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC.” Buechner shares his own wonderful imagery of the saints.  He writes, “In his holy flirtation with the world, God occasionally drops a handkerchief. These handkerchiefs are called saints.” These are the handkerchiefs that clean up the messiness of our lives and the world, the tears, the spills, the sweat, the illnesses, the broken hearts, the loneliness. Saints are those blessed ones who work for reconciliation in the world and who, as Jesus preaches in the Beatitudes that we hear this morning in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, those who heal the division and hatred of the world, those who feed the hungry, those who console others. Jesus says, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you; offer the other cheek, give the shirt off your back, give to the beggar. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” And in these words of reconciliation we are given the definition of a saint. 

Saints are all around us in our everyday lives, some great some small, some arrogant some humble, some famous some anonymous. One of those saints who dedicated his life to the task of reconciliation and who entered our everyday lives on the small screen in our homes across the nation for more than 30 years was Fred Rogers. Mr. Rogers: an icon of children’s television in the United States, from 1968 to 2001 he used the medium of television to reconcile us, to bring us back – back to ourselves, back to our neighbors, and back to God. An ordained Presbyterian minister, Fred Rogers, knew too well the dangers of a world where television and mass media were used to corrupt, to separate, to divide, and to disconnect us from beloved community. His biggest fear was that our children would become so disconnected that they would lose their way, they might fall into sin, and become subject to evil and death. 

His message was simple yet steadfast….no child would be excluded from the neighborhood. No separation, no disconnection, no exclusion. In the eyes of God – every single child was honored and respected and worthy. “Every child needs a sense of worth,” he would say. “There are three ways to ultimate success,” he would say. “The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.” Fred Rogers taught us kindness, and compassion, and empathy, and love. Love of Neighbor, the Golden Rule, like no one had ever done before, every day in our living rooms. He brought the true gift of tenderhearted reconciliation to this nation, the likes of which might never be seen again.

Now, here’s the irony in all of this, the mockery of the efforts of his life’s work of reconciliation. In the end, as he neared his death in 2001 – he was criticized for his message by some in the media. If you’ve seen the documentary from 2018 about his life entitled “Won’t you be my neighbor?,” you know this. One media critic said, “Mr. Rogers has given birth to a narcissistic society because he told every kid that they were important. He told everyone they are special. They don’t have to do anything to earn being special. That’s what’s wrong with our country, that’s what’s wrong with children today. All these kids are waking up today and they’re realizing, wait a minute, Mr. Rogers lied to me, I’m not special.”

But to those critics, on this day, as we celebrate the saints of our time, I say NOT SO. Fred Roger’s message is in fact at the very heart of the achievements of humanity, and at the very heart of the arc of history, both Biblical and secular. The Great Commandment, love of neighbor and of God, self-worth and the worth of others, is a universal teaching that has brought us back from the brink of destruction across the ages. We cannot tell our children enough how worthy they are, how special they are, how loved they are, in our eyes and in the eyes of God. 

“It takes a village,” as they say. It takes a village of saints, and this Cathedral community is that village…. Trinity is a place of reconciliation, where saints of all kinds work for the betterment of this community each and every day. We are an integral part of this neighborhood, where the pillars of what Fred Rogers believed in – kindness, compassion, empathy, and love – guide us to do incredibly important work for those in need, for those who have died, for those who mourn, and for those who hunger. And Trinity Cathedral needs us to be those saints who do the work, offering our time, talent, and treasure. And this year, perhaps more than ever, during this time of change and transition and transformation of the Cathedral, Trinity needs our strong financial support, mine and yours, through strong, generous pledges for 2024.

So as we honor the work of the saints this day in this place and across the whole Church, we are reconciled, we are forgiven, and we are given “new hearts, new spirits, new eyes to see, and new ears to hear.” Barriers will crumble, suspicions will disappear, hatred will cease, and our divisions will be healed. May we be saints who are the reconcilers in this world, with the words of Fred Rogers to guide us, “Thank you for whatever you do, wherever you are, to bring joy and light and hope and faith and pardon and love to your neighbor and to yourself.” Amen.

Many blessings,

Father Jason

The Very Reverend Jason Roberson

Cathedral Provost

Your 2024 Pledge for Trinity Cathedral

Trinity Cathedral Health and Wellness Ministry

Immerse yourself in a truly rejuvenating and spiritual experience. All levels welcome! $20 (including mats and parking). Entry at the North Door (16th Street). To assure a prompt start, if at all possible please do sign up beforehand using this link. 

Sunday

8 am Holy Eucharist

10 am Choral Eucharist

12:15 pm Santa Eucaristía

Monday

6:15 pm Yoga in the Cathedral

Wednesday

12:10 pm Bilingual Holy Eucharist with Special Prayers for Healing

Thursday

6:00 pm Fitness Class

If you would like to include someone on the Prayer List or add an anniversary or birthday for special prayers, please call the Cathedral office at 305-456-8851, use the 'Contact Us' link on our website, or send an email ... 

office@trinitymiami.org

Also, please let us know when names can be removed from the list.

Birthdays

Gilles Prod'Homme

Anita Damnavits

Ann Berger

Gary Snider

William Haralson

The Reverend Canon Licia Affer

Anniversaries

Stephen and Joan Lutton - Wedding Anniversary

The Very Reverend Jason Roberson - Ordination Anniversary

In Memoriam

Bob Gibeling

Jeannett Slesnick

Milton Gerrell

Dr. M. Minnette Massey

Joan Ewald

Sylvie Pierce

Morning and Evening Online Reflection

Begin and end your weekday with online reflections. Reflections feature prayers, readings from Holy Scripture, and contemplative music and are led by clergy from National Cathedral in the morning and from Canterbury Cathedral in the evening. In addition, daily Choral Evensong song by the Canterbury Cathedral Choir is available online. Select the applicable link below for access.

What areas of your life need extra attention and preparation?



Bulletin Insert in full...

Applications are open for two grant opportunities offered annually by The Episcopal Church—Constable Fund grants, which focus on religious education, and Roanridge Trust grants, which support leadership development in small towns and rural communities. 

Bulletin Insert in full...

Cathedral Office Hours

 Monday – Thursday 9:00am until 3:00pm

 In case of pastoral emergency, please call 786-682-5354.

 Email: office@trinitymiami.org

Cathedral Visits

The Cathedral doors are open Monday - Friday from 9:00 - 1:00 for visits and for prayer.



Visit us at trinitymiami.org