Personal Reflections to those I love

Today, we experienced the first real snow of the year. The horses were skittish as I led them to pasture in the semi-darkness of a mid-December day. The terriers literally tumbled down the front steps in wild anticipation of what they might find. Cleo, the barn cat, observed their idiocy with an icy glare from her safe perch. Real winter is arguably my favorite time of the year. As it limits my activities, it gives me more time for real contemplation of what is truly important. Some wag once said that with age comes wisdom. I don’t know about that, but with it certainly comes stiffer knees and a changed outlook. Most of the cause’s célèbre which occupied my energy and activity in earlier days have been abandoned or repudiated by most of the people I know, and certainly by society at large. But I continue to mull them over in my mind, and am convinced that a goodly portion of them, some with minor modifications, are as true as ever. The Old Republic has passed, and the ideas of Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin are as unknown as those of Scipio, Cicero, and Tacitus. The stately commitment of the Old Empire to responsibility and order is reinterpreted as nothing but greed and oppression by a younger generation of scholars and students, if they know of it at all. Even those Churches that God used to form my spiritual habit and outlook have developed into things that Fr. Maier and the Venerable Bede would not recognize.

In spite of the painful realization that the values which have shaped my life are at best repudiated and at worst forgotten, I remain an optimist for the most part. I remember as an undergraduate, and later as a graduate student, studying in detail the fall of Roman Britain. It was a slow and gradual passing from that day in the Year of Our Lord 486 when the Emperor wrote that there were no troops available, and that “the cantons must take steps to defend themselves.” Within a few years, the great villas were no more. People who could not or would not return to Italy clustered in the walled towns, or were slowly driven back into the mountains of the west. These were the days of Arthur and Gildas and Patrick, days of great deeds in desperate times. And then one day it became evident that the children no longer spoke Latin, and that the stonecutters had lost their art, and the flowing lines of Latin verse had been largely replaced by the throbbing and guttural chant of the Saxon warrior. But in spite of it all, the faith survived, and many of the old manuscripts were preserved, and stories were told of great days and great men. Lives and generations passed, but the ideas were passed down faithfully from Father to Son, from Mother to daughter, from Abbot to Monk, from Bishop to Priest, and from Priest to People. And then, many years later, by God’s good grace, there was a Renaissance of piety and learning. The barbarian was converted, civilized, and gentled. The ideas bore fruit, and God rebuilt that which had been lost through the excess of human sinfulness. Then, He was as always faithful to those who were called by his Name, those who followed Him in faith and in obedience.

And so, at the beginning of 2010, I remain an optimist, and I pledge myself to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love. I pledge to pass on those ideas and things which are good and true and beautiful. I pledge to study and pray, to teach and preach, to faithfully administer the sacraments, and to maintain the values I have received from apostles and prophets, from liberators and defenders, from my fathers physical and spiritual. I will “work with my hands and study to be quiet,” that I might be a godly example among those to whom I am called. I will gently resist that which is contrary to God’s Word written, and love all those for whom Christ died. And that will, I think, be enough for one year.

May God bless us all in this coming New Year. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN+

To Christ, The True King,

Bill+

Reflections On A Wonderful Thanksgiving

1. Spending time with those you love is a bit of heaven on earth. Rebecca and I traveled with Tristan (home on leave from the Marines), and my mother to See Matthew and Ashley, Margaret and Jack in Wisconsin. We met Rebecca's parents there and shared memories, dreams, and time together. God has blessed us most richly, and I give him thanks.
2. Just when it seemed that I was almost alone as a traditionalist in the Episcopal Church, God brought me to Nashotah House www.nashotah.edu, a seminary of our Church. It is a wonderful place, and full of those ever so Anglican touches that first brought me to this demonination. Fr. Klukas' sermon, and the simple liturgies of Communion and prayer encouraged my heart and refreshed my soul. If you have a few extra dollars to donate to a cause, this is a good one.
3. Driving through Chicago has provided empirical data to support my contention and that of the Scriptures that man is fallen indeed! It never fails to amaze me how self-interest and anonymity can combine to make even decent people into rude and thoughtless barbarians. Lord have mercy on us all!
4. Ashley has introduced me to a wonderful website www.grooveshark.com, which allows the user to develop a playlist of music in an absolutely legal manner for home listening. It is like having my own radio station without commercials or morning hosts! Matthew learned about this wonderful place in Hebrew class, another reason for studying foreign languages.

There are, I'm sure, other reasons to be thankful, but this is enough for now.

Rector's Rambling: December 2009

Christmas joy is a wonderful thing. Several years ago, when Ashley graduated from high school, many of our friends at St. John’s took up a collection and bought her a Crosby bridle. She used it almost every day while she was in the equine program at Ohio State Wooster, and has treasured it ever since. This week, she called home and asked Rebecca to look at a saddle on e-bay. It was a beautiful Crosby with wool padding and dark German leather. She excitedly told about how it was out of production, and that it was a perfect match for the rest of her Crosby leather. As she spilled out her plans to pay for it, it became rather obvious that the timing of the sale was likely to be a problem. There were only 18 hours left until the auction was over. Rebecca asked me in hushed tones what I thought, and we did what most parents do, we agreed to enable a temporary asset transfer through a sale listing. As Rebecca said “Merry Christmas” to Ashley, I could hear my daughter on the other end of the line absolutely giddy with joy. She was as a little girl again.
As I reflected on the wonder of the joy a saddle could bring, I thought of other Christmases, when Tristan was in theatre, and Brad, and Matthew, and Chris, and now Stuart. My mind often wanders to them. Generally I cry and I breathe a simple prayer,” O God, give them strength and courage, watch over them and help them to do their duty.” I remembered my dad and how happy he always was to give to others, and I thought of one Christmas in particular when he bought toys and clothes for a poor family in our neighborhood. He crept onto their porch in the dead of night on Christmas Eve and left the wrapped boxes to be found the next morning. I don’t think he ever told anyone what he did, and I don’t know if he even knew that I had seen him that night. One year when I was in College, I took a job ringing bells with the Salvation Army in Chicago. We had initially been told that we would not be released in time to get home for Christmas day, but when that news changed, I grabbed my kit, jumped on the first train I could get for Muncie, and headed home. I called my cousin Carroll from the station, and he drove from Parker to pick me up. When I arrived home just before midnight on Christmas eve, I walked in and found my folks sitting at the table drinking coffee, looking like they had lost their last friend. It was a wonderful and unexpected reunion, and our joy was genuine that night.
There is something about the celebration of the birth of our Saviour that seems to deepen every emotion and to heighten every perception. Our depressions are more sinister, and our joys are more absolute. As our appreciation deepens for those we love, our longing for those from whom we are separated grows ever more painful. Perhaps it is fitting that in this time of our deepest and most passionate outpourings, when we are the most vulnerable in so many ways, that Jesus should come into our lives. “So God loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…,” and he is still giving him to us today. As the light of Christ comes into the world, might we all welcome him with joy beyond knowing, and might we receive this gift of God who loves us, and calls us all to himself.

Merry Christmas!
Bill+

Address at My Lodge Installation

I would like to thank my installing officers, Worshipful Brothers Wil Browning, Henry Hunt, Paul Scholl, and Frank Stuck, for agreeing to preside over our ceremonial this evening; Worshipful Brother Clark Brown for serving as our photographer, and Worshipful Brother Ed Jackson for delivering the introduction to Masonry oration to our guests. And my thanks to the Color Guard from Lancaster Commandery #2 Knight’s Templar for presenting the colors. To Kathy Heim for singing our National Anthem. To Julie Meenach, Alma Priddy, and Roseanna Bush for preparing and serving our reception. To my wife Rebecca for allowing me the time to be a Mason. To my parents, who taught me the value of our Fraternity from as far back as I can remember. And to all of you for coming to share this night with us, the officers and brethren of Lancaster Lodge #57 Free and Accepted Masons of the Grand Lodge of Ohio.
And I would like to thank the brothers of this lodge for the confidence you have placed in me by electing me to be the master of this lodge for the ensuing year. I pledge to all of you that I will do my very best to bear the responsibility of governance of this Lodge with a spirit of humility, and that I will strive to create an atmosphere wherein brotherly love, relief, and truth prevail. I shall do my very best to avoid any temptations to coercion, anger, strife, or any other vice which could become a threat to liberty, equality, or fraternity among us. It is said that we as Masons meet upon the level of equality, act by the plumb of uprightness, and part upon the square of virtue. I pledge to you my best efforts to accomplish these lofty goals together, as brothers and as equals.
Freemasonry originally attracted me because of its clear and unyielding commitment to the values which have built and maintained our culture: personal responsibility, personal liberty, and the worth of every man; judgement and value based on a man’s character and actions, and not on his birth, wealth, or worldly position; a willingness to respect the religion and political sentiments of others even when we disagree with them, and to work with them to build a better society; respect for Diety and a commitment to the belief that there is a common set of values enshrined in Natural Law which is self-evident to all good men; an understanding that we are responsible not only to God, but to each other; and finally, a deeply held conviction that The Great Architect of the Universe has created a world characterized by harmony and order and reason, which leads us to the inescapable conclusion that reasonable discourse and harmonious behaviour are always preferable to fanaticism and strife.
There are those who say that these principles, principles on which our western culture is built, are outdated and that the time has come for them to be radically reinterpreted, or even jettisoned and remembered only as relics of some idealized and misguided past. Men of the West, I would submit to you that this is neither the time nor the place for such foolish notions. More than ever, the world stands in need of the virtues taught and upheld by our ancient fraternity, and I thank you for the opportunity to lead in this holy work.