Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost: Proper 17: What Comes from the Heart?

Today's Scripture Readings

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 (NRSV)
 

Moses said: So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the LORD your God with which I am charging you.

You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!" For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?

But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children.

Psalm 15 (BCP., p.599)


James 1:17-27 (NRSV)

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act-they will be blessed in their doing.

If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 (NRSV)

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?" He said to them, "Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

'This people honors me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me;

in vain do they worship me,

teaching human precepts as doctrines.'

You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition."

Then he called the crowd again and said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."

Blog Reflection

I have had many times during my life in which I found myself in a place of confusion about what was going on inside of me.  No time was more confusing for me than when I was in the process of moving from my Protestant Evangelical way of thinking/believing and practicing to become a Roman Catholic.  The Late Father Ralph D. Tetrault would often listen to me as I struggled with this and that.  At one point I was talking to him about something that was very deep in my heart.  As I tried to explain it, Fr. Tetrault said to me, "No! No!  Only God knows what is truly in your heart.  I cannot tell you what is there.  No one else can tell you what is there.  Only God knows what is in your heart.  You must learn above all else to trust what God is doing within your heart."  These words have proven to be true on many, many occasions.

In our worship of God, there is the tendency for us to pay so much attention to whether our rituals are just right, and movements are what they should be; so that we can justify ignoring what is going on in the heart.  I write this blog post full of guilt of any number of times I have done so.  "Did I bless myself during the the Sanctus at "Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord.."?  All the while, the One I pronounce blessed with my lips is drawing me closer to God's Self through God's Holy Essence from within.  God does not require that I be someone I am not, nor someone other than who God has made me.  God only asks me to do what Saint Benedict wrote in the beginning of the Prologue to The Rule.  "Listen my child. Incline the ears of your heart."

We also need to give those questioning Jesus about what His Disciples are doing a little slack.  They have been following a particular set of rituals for as long as they could remember.  Whether the ritual is just that, or flows from their hearts, it is a deep part of their worship of God.  Who are we to second guess them?  

Jesus is saying to us, what James is telling us in our Second Reading today.  If we think our rituals are ends in and of themselves, and do not allow the grace of God to transform us, and through us transform the world around us; we are the ones who limit what God can do. 

The Christian Religion is chock full of Christians who pay God lip service.  We certainly do not need to be telling other religious traditions such as Judaism and Islam to turn to Christianity for a more redeeming faith.  If Christians continue to present our Faith as if it is nothing more than a wealthy enterprise of political agendas and the marginalization of others; what makes the Faith so attractive to anyone else?  

While so many Christians are so determined to make abortion, gay marriage the infallibility of the Bible and winning elections as the only reason as to why our Faith means anything; Christians are allowing ourselves to miss many important things that are far more damaging.  Frank Powell wrote a very compelling blog post entitled 9 Sins the Church is Okay With.   Those sins Powell focuses on are fear, worry, gluttony, apathy, flattery, comfort, consumerism, patriotism and lying.  These certainly fall under the category of things that come from within.  They suggest that we are not satisfied with trusting in God to feed our hungry souls.  This alone makes our meditating on Jesus as the Bread of Life over these past five weeks very important. 

Jesus challenges us to worship God from our hearts and allow the love and mercy of God to flow out and in.  As we gather as worshiping Christian communities, we do not do so alone.  We do them with other Christians near and far.  We celebrate the life of Jesus in Word and Sacrament from within our often wounded and weary hearts; longing for God to refresh, bless and re-energize us for the work of hospitality, healing and reconciliation with our neighbors and families.  We receive from God as we engage in worship, prayer and celebration; the confirmation of God's love in our hearts and the mission to speak to the lonely, the prejudiced, the oppressed and the hurting.  We are given direction to listen intentionally to the stories others tell of how they are searching for and finding God in those places where it is so difficult for us to see God and listen to the Spirit.  We discover that we are not walking the course alone, but with the help of others that are going our way.  Trying to follow the Way of Jesus to learn compassion for the suffering, the poor, the sick and those who are thirsting just to be included in the Church and society.

May our worship of God bring us clarity to what God is saying within our hearts, so that we may together serve Christ in others who are different from ourselves.

Amen.


Prayers

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good
things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in
us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth
in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.  (Proper 17.  The Book of Common Prayer, p. 233).

O Almighty God, who pours out on all who desire it the
spirit of grace and of supplication: Deliver us, when we draw
near to you, from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind,
that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections we may
worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.  (Prayer Before Worship.  The Book of Common Prayer, p. 833).

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the
earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those
who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people
everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the
nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh;
and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 100).

The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple: Humility, Prophecy, Obedience

Today's Scripture Readings

Malachi 3:1-4 (NRSV)

Thus says the Lord, See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight-- indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

Psalm 84 (BCP., p.707)


Hebrews 2:14-18 (NRSV)

Since God's children share flesh and blood, Jesus himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Luke 2:22-40 (NRSV)

When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

"Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles

and for glory to your people Israel."

And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed-- and a sword will pierce your own soul too."

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Blog Reflection

The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple has always been a significant one for me.  I was first introduced to this glorious Feast at Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1994.  The Benedictine Monks there observe The Presentation with an actual Candle Mass of lit candles as part of the celebration of the Eucharist.  The candles symbolize the Light of Christ that comes to the House of God in obedience, humility and prophesy.  The experience is similar to what many Christians will celebrate at the Great Vigil of Easter when the new Baptismal Candle enters the church.  The light that came into the world, brings with Him a new era.  The darkness of sin is extinguished by the Light that is Christ by His death and resurrection.   We celebrate the Light of Christ's Redemption in the Paschal Mystery, and participate in it, through the waters of Baptism.   Hence the commitment of Christians to live in that Light of the Easter event, because of God's grace through Christ

One of the meanings of the Presentation is to recognize that we are now between the Nativity at Christmas, and Ash Wednesday the beginning of Lent.   Here the two meanings of the coming of Christ as the Word made flesh, from the cradle to the cross find their crossover point.  

There are three main points about the Presentation of Christ in the temple that have meaning for our spiritual lives.  They are humility, obedience and prophecy.   Mary, Joseph and Jesus fulfill these by their humble submission to the law of Moses, and is confirmed through the Prophets Simeon and Anna.

In this 21st Century, the very idea of humility and obedience seem archaic, useless and things of the past.  However, the necessity of them could not be more real.

In humility, we acknowledge that we are not an entity unto ourselves.  Nor can we save ourselves without God's help.  Mary, Joseph and Jesus come to the Temple in humility, recognizing their humanity, and need for the God of their salvation.  We too, must return again and again to the God who has redeemed us in Christ, confess our sins, and accept God's mercy.   We cannot do this if we cling to a false sense of self.   Humility means we accept that God is God, and we are not.  Our true selves are found in Christ, who humbled Himself to the point of death on the Cross. (See Philippians 2:1-11).

Obedience says that we respond to God's mercy, by placing ourselves in God's hands, and serve others in the Name of Christ.  The humility of Jesus was such that the God who created us, became one like us in all things, yet did not sin, became a servant of all of us.  Even those of us who will not get up and wash our neighbors feet, or accept others who are different from ourselves.  The humility and obedience of Jesus, is our example of how to love one another, and be reminded that none of us are really above anyone else in any way.  We are all sinners, saved by God's grace.  In faith, our response needs to be one of obedience.

Lastly, is prophesy.  The Prophets Simeon and Anna greet Christ, recognizing that He is the hope that they have been awaiting.   As they both declare to have received the answer to their prayers, they also prepare Christ for the fulfillment of His life.   He has come to be the rise and fall of many.  He is the Light revealed to the nations, as God's perfect revelation of Self.   He has come to set free the marginalized, the oppressed and to give a sense of purpose to those who are left on the sidelines to fend for themselves.  Jesus has come as God's love embodied in the human person; living, serving and dying.   In God's revelation that there is no such thing as one so lost, that God is not concerned or reaching out for us.

These past couple of months and weeks, Christians have been called to a new era of humility, obedience and prophecy.  The momentous event of the ordination of the Rt. Libby Lane that continues the movement of women becoming more active in the ministry and leadership of the Church; suggests that God is calling us in humility, to be obedient and to be prophetic witnesses for an evolving faith.   

 

The violence that continues because of sexism, racism, heterosexism, gender discrimination; as well as those who are poor, sick, lonely, discouraged and/or live with mental illness; are symptoms of a deeper problem.  It is a problem of self acceptance, and a willingness to not only tolerate, but to accept and work towards living in peace with others who are different from ourselves.  It is a work we must give ourselves to in humility, and loving obedience as prophetic witnesses for a Christianity that is ever changing and continually renewing itself with each generation.

Humility, obedience and prophecy on this Presentation of Christ in the Temple, calls on us to see the Light of Christ in others around us.   To honor Christ's presence and to serve others in His Holy Name.  Without distinction, exception or excuse.   After all, which one of us is truly worthy of God's love in Christ?   Which one of us is so humble and obedient to not need God's grace to save us, so that we have the hope of everlasting life?    Therefore, who are we to withhold it from others?

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty and everliving God, we humbly pray that, as your
only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so
we may be presented to you with pure and clean hearts by
Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (The Book of Common Prayer, p.239).

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully
restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may
share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our
humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p.252).

Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (The Book of Common Prayer, p.260).

You Feed Them

Scriptural Basis

Matthew 14:13-21 (NRSV)

Now when Jesus heard (that John the Baptist had been killed), he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves."  Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Blog Reflection

The current economy is having a terrible toll on the rise of poverty.   More and more children are going to bed hungry in America. Families are finding it more difficult to pay for rent, medical care and food.  The gap between the richest people in America and the poorest continues to get even wider. 

People are not just hungry to feed their bodies.  People are hungry for hope.  People want more than just eat and be satisfied. People need to know love in their hearts and that God is never far from them.

It must have been difficult for Jesus to hear about the death of John the Baptist.  Jesus was trying very hard to get away and spend some time in solitude. As soon as people heard that Jesus was near by, everyone went to seek him out.  The people were hungry to be close to God. Close to God is exactly where Jesus was trying to go. 

In Jesus' wisdom, he reveals God to those who came to experience God's healing and transforming power.  But, there is something more that they need.  The people need to be fed. Jesus challenges the disciples to feed them, not send them away.  When the followers of Jesus brought to him all they had, the Goodness of God was shared with everyone who came to partake of all that God had. The hungry were fed.

Jesus whom Christians believe is God's perfect revelation of Self, showed God's love to be unconditional and all inclusive.  There was no one there who was not invited to share in the hospitality of God's generous grace.  People seeking just a glimpse of God's Goodness so that they may know that there is hope in an oppressive and painful world, found what they were looking for.

Episcopalians believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in Holy Communion.  When we gather to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord, we are fed with the Goodness of God that the five thousand experienced.  Everyone is invited to sup and receive the merciful and healing Presence of God.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people come seeking meaning and hope in their lives.  LGBTQ people experience a Church and society that is rejecting us on the basis of our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.  We come with the same hungry hearts.  We come because we know that God has created us as we are, and God wants to commune with us so that we may know God's love.  We come with our spouses, relationships, wounds from discrimination and violence.  We come to find God's transforming power to heal us from Biblical literalists and over reaching Church authoritarians. 

What a joy it is that The Episcopal Church has been opening it's doors and altars so that LGBTQ people can approach and receive the Presence of God in Holy Communion.

In addition, The Episcopal Church has recognized that LGBTQ people are among those living out the meaning of our Baptism to be a vital part of the Body of Christ.  To deny access to the Church and the Sacraments to LGBTQ people, is to fail to live up to the meaning of our Baptismal Covenant.

Jesus continues to call the Church through the Holy Spirit to become a more inclusive community so that every person can find room in God's family.   

As we seek God's will in our lives, we come to Jesus and ask: "What would you have us do?"   Jesus replies: "You feed them."


Prayers

Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your gift that your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 26, Book of Common Prayer, page 235).

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for Social Justice, book of Common Prayer, page 823).

James De Koven: The Issue of Rituals and the Heart

Scriptural Basis

Matthew 13:47-52 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

"Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

 Blog Reflection

When it comes to the matter of the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, I am more of a high church person.  Although I like more progressive theology and spirituality, I like the celebration of Mass with all the old hymns, sung responsorial Psalms, the full Liturgy of the Word (First Reading, Psalm, Second Reading, Gradual Hymn and Gospel) as opposed to a shortened version of just a First Reading and Gospel Reading.

Ritual's pro side is that we are drawn into a sense of the Divine.   Being drawn out of ourselves and into something the is beyond ourselves helps us to create community with others and realize that what affects one of us, affects all of us.

On the con side of ritual it can also become so routine that we can do things without thinking about what we are doing.  Many who do not like the idea of ritual, often criticize a ritual they dislike, while not paying attention to rituals that they already practice.  Like taking a shower every day, or taking medication, watching a particular television program at a set time every day or week.  Whether we know it or not, like it or not, these are rituals.

James De Koven was a believer in preserving the ritual actions of the celebration of the Eucharist.  The Nashotah House that he was part of was heavily influenced by the principles of the Oxford Movement.  His positions caused him to be loose the consents to be consecrated as Bishop of Wisconsin in 1874 and Illinois in 1875. 

To the General Convention of 1874, De Koven expressed the religious conviction that underlay his Churchmanship: “You may take away from us, if you will, every external ceremony; you may take away altars, and super-altars, lights and incense and vestments; … and we will submit to you. But, gentlemen … to adore Christ’s Person in his Sacrament—that is the inalienable privilege of every Christian and Catholic heart. How we do it, the way we do it, the ceremonies with which we do it, are utterly, utterly, indifferent. The thing itself is what we plead for.” (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 282).

I named this blog post as "The Issue of Rituals and the Heart" because I do believe that there is a connection between the practices of our lives including our worship and the attitudes of our hearts.  When our Liturgical worship and Sacraments are exclusive of individuals based on our own prejudices, we show what is in our hearts in ways that perhaps we may not entirely understand.  We send messages that say something about what is in our minds and hearts in ways that are difficult to explain.  I think the point is not whether we understand or can explain these things, but do we understand that those things are there?

Because the opposite is also true.  When our Liturgical worship and the Sacraments are celebrated beautifully and inclusively it challenges those hearts and minds that are still struggling with our personal and private prejudices as the Holy Spirit speaks to us in the depths of our souls. People who once thought there was no place for them in our churches suddenly find a welcome that even we did not realize was there.

Remember the Holy Spirit does not like to leave us inside our comfortable Pandoras Boxes.   She likes to shake us up some times so that we will see what is within us and challenge us to move beyond where we are, so that the Holy Spirit can "guide us into all truth." 

I think that is why issues like inclusive language, the ordination of women Bishops, Priests and Deacons, as well as LGBTQ people shakes people us and causes many to become uncomfortable.   People do not like their comfort zones disturbed, so that they have to look at those dark places that need the Light of Jesus Christ to help make a difference in people's lives.

I think that is the meaning of Jesus' words that the reign of God is like a net with many different fish.  I also thing the same meaning is there in what is "new and what is old."

If my readers are like me, we all like things the way they used to be in a way.  We like what was old and what made us remember those special moments that gave us a sense of nostalgia.    But for LGBT people, once we come out and start to live our lives as individuals who are open about who we are and who we love, we tend to embrace a whole different sense of what was old and what is new.   Yet somehow what was before, and what is now is still a very real part of who we are.

I think what this commemoration of Jame De Koven challenges us to consider is to examine what is in our hearts as we celebrate our rituals.  Is our purpose to be open to the God who wants to work God the Holy Spirit's power of conversion in our lives, or is it to just find a comfort zone for our prejudices?

Whether our answer or struggle is with one or the other, there is no place in either of those where God's grace cannot meet us and help us to move forward for the benefit of ourselves and the Body of Christ.  God is always our willing and loving Parent who wants more than anything to be close to us in our celebrations and our struggles.   God is our Shepherd who will search us out and bring us from pastures that are dangerous into places that are well guarded by Christ the Good Shepherd.

This Lent as we make our way to Holy Week and Easter we can examine our hearts and minds and place them in the presence of God and ask for the Holy Spirit to help us know where, when and how to move our hearts, minds and attitudes.

Prayers

Almighty and everlasting God, the source and perfection of all virtues, you inspired your servant James De Koven to do what is right and to preach what is true: Grant that all ministers and stewards of your mysteries may impart to your faithful people, by word and example, the knowledge of your grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 283).

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, page 815).