16 October 08

THURSDAY AFTER THE TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

16 OCTOBER 08

LECTIONARY READINGS

Morning Prayer: Psalm 10; 2 Kings 9:17-28; 2 Timothy 3

Evening Prayer: Psalm 16, 17; Ecclesiastes 9:11-end; St. Matthew 23:13-23

REFLECTION

Dear friends in Christ:

You and I have been called to be like Jesus, Who was sent into the world by God our Father to be the very tangible presence of God in the world. The world at the time of Jesus was a violent place full of suffering people who lived under the oppression of the powerful few. Yet, as God, Jesus came into the world in the most humble way and lived a very humble life, a very ordinary life that was not unlike that lived by the overwhelming majority of people in the world. At the same time, Jesus was the all powerful God of the universe. He came into our world, into our lives, to show us how to live and to show us the most amazing mercy, love and grace of the God who so desires to know each of us personally.

You and I are called into the very same humble ministry of building relationships, and reconciling persons and the world to our Lord Jesus Christ. You and I, as members of this family we call the Church of the Resurrection, are called into this powerful form of ministry by following the example our Lord has given to us. None of us are exempt from this calling, though our form of ministry may look different and be exercised in various ways. It is important we see the Church as the hub of our very lives, and that each of us are like spokes going out into various cultural contexts of our communities and neighbourhoods.

In the weeks and months ahead, as we begin to act on various ways of reaching out into our neighbourhoods, I ask you to remember the ministries of Church of the Resurrection in our daily prayers. Soak the life of our parish in daily prayers, and ask for the profound guidance of the Holy Spirit in the life of our parish. May each of us trust the Lord by stepping out in faith!!!

Fr. Greg

THE COLLECT FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

Grant, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind; through Jesus christ our Lord. Amen.

SAINT OF THE DAY

St. Hedwig, Widow (1174-1243)

Hedwig was a daughter of the Duke of Croatia and Dalmatia, and sister to the mother of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. She was born in Bavaria, about the year 1174, and at the age of twelve was given in marriage to Henry, the Duke of Poland, who was himself at that time only eighteen years old. And she was a true helpmate to him all his life, especially in the governance of Poland, and in the many troubles which came to him thereby. God gave them seven children, of whom only one survived Hedwig's own death, namely, Gertrude, who had become a nun of the Cistercian Abbey of Trebnitz, and finally the abbess thereof. Hedwig and her husband, soon after their marriage, founded this great Abbey, using the whole of her dowry for the purpose. It was the first convent for women in that region, and had a school for girls, and other institutions connected with it. Afterwards they founded houses of Augustinian Canons, of Franciscan and Dominican friars, of Cistercian monks, and of other religoius ; for they were anxious to propagate the true religion, and to give to their subjects the blessings of a wider Christian culture. After the birth of their seventh child, Henry and Hedwig took a vow of perpetual continence, in token whereof Henry never afterwards shaved, and so came to be known as Henry the Hairy. And Hedwig clothed herself in a plain, grey garb, and spent most of her time in long retreats at the Abbey of Trebnitz. But when Henry was wounded in a battle, she hastened to his side, and nursed him to health ; and when later he was taken prisoner by the Duke Conrad, she secured his release and arranged marriages between two of her granchildren and the sons of Conrad, whereby the war came to an end. The death of her husband soon followed, and then the deathh of all her children except Gertrude ; but Hedwig his her grief and sought comfort in God, that she might comfort her children's families. She was known not only for munificent charity to the poor, but also for her loving and intimate care of them. Once she spent ten weeks, patiently teaching a stupid peasant woman the Lord's Prayer. She shought out the most menial tasks and did them with royal courtesy. In October of 1243, she was taken ill, and died famous for good works. In 1267 she was canonized, and is venerated as the Patroness of Silesia.

THE COLLECT FOR ST. HEDWIG

O God, who didst teach thy blessed Saint Hedwig, forsaking the pomps and vanities of this life, to follow thee steadfastly in the lowly bearing of thy Cross : mercifully grant that, by her merits and example, we may learn to trample under foot the contemptible pleasures of this world, and cleaving steadfastly to thy Cross to overcome all things that are contrary to our salvation. Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.