From Father Mead: On The Scriptures

My grandfather spent his life working as a lobsterman; one of his sons was a lobsterman, the other a fisherman.  I know that sound advice, a number of nets, traps, and locations of fertile fishing grounds were passed from father to sons.  They were given the tried and true methods of fishing. 

From Father Beddingfield: Facing Down Demons

There have been a lot of demons in church over the last few weeks.  The Gospel for Sunday, June 25 included the optional verses of Mark 5:1-20, the story of the Gerasene man possessed of demons.  In that story Jesus drives the demons out of the man and the demons flee into a herd of pigs.  The pigs then run over the side of a mountain and are drowned.  Demons appeared again in Wednesday’s Mass reading, but this time from Matthew.  In this version of the story there are two people possessed by demons,

From the Rector: Perspective

The children’s formation program known as the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is called that because young children respond more deeply to the parable of the Good Shepherd than to any other proclamation of scripture.  In the Catechesis, scripture is read to the children from the Bible and there are materials that children work with to illustrate the lesson.  The Good Shepherd material is shown when John 10 is read.  The children invariably do something with it that the adults don’t do.  And that’s what I want to tell you about.

From the Rector: Momentum at Saint Mary’s

Late last spring Sister Barbara Jean, superior of the Community of St. John Baptist, approached me about the possibility of her order having a home for two or three sisters at Saint Mary’s.  A conversation and period of discernment began.  Her order started in England but its first work in the United States was here in Manhattan.  The sisters’ motherhouse is now in Mendham, New Jersey, and they are well known to many in our parish community.  From the beginning of the conversation the Board of Trustees and I have been very excited.

From the Rector: Corpus Christi

In the high Middle Ages the Mass became a sacrifice and not a meal.  Looking back, it seems almost impossible that any Christian community could learn to experience the Mass primarily as something other than a sacred banquet – an action that necessarily implies eating and drinking.  But the Church in those days acquired what Peter and the others did not have in the Acts of the Apostles: silver, gold and political power.  As a consequence, the Church almost lost the Lord’s Supper.

From the Rector: Trinity Sunday

In New Testament communities and in the first centuries of the Christian era, Christians struggled for the right language to speak about God.  Around the year 200 AD, if I recall correctly, we have our first record of someone using the word “Trinity” to refer to God.  For all of the differences among those who call themselves Christians, confessing God as Trinity defines the Christian community at its broadest and most inclusive.

From the Rector: Pentecost

This Sunday we gather to celebrate “The Day of Pentecost,” the last day of the Easter Season.   Pentecost is one of the great ancient Hebrew pilgrimage feasts.  It was a “week of weeks” – “seven” weeks – connected to the cycle of harvests.  The Church began to use a period of fifty days to celebrate its central belief, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This earlier understanding of a fifty-day Eastertide began to break down as centuries passed.  This breakdown went so far that some formularies suggested that both Jesus and the Holy Spirit were entirely absent from the Christian community between the fortieth and fiftieth days after the first Easter.  One of the great accomplishments of the liturgical revisions of the last fifty years has been the recovery of the integrity of Eastertide.

From the Rector: Urban Christian Ministry

Often when I meet people they ask, “What kind of ministries does Saint Mary’s do?”  My answer is sometimes one they don’t expect.  I say simply, “We do church.”  They continue, “Do you have a soup kitchen, a clothing closet?”  I say, “No, we do church.”  And then I usually end up saying something like, “Our doors are open all day, every day of the week and we have at least five services – every day of the week.”

From the Rector: Anniversary & Ascension

This Sunday, May 21, the Right Reverend Richard F. Grein, XIV Bishop of New York, will celebrate and preach at the 11:00 AM Solemn Mass to celebrate his twenty-fifth anniversary of consecration to the episcopate.  I know I speak for the parish community when I say we are so honored by his presence on this occasion.

From Father Beddingfield: Living into Generosity

Almost every weekend people in Central Park are raising money.  At the end of April several of our parishioners participated in the Parkinson’s Unity Walk.  Last weekend others were a part of the Revlon Run/Walk for Women to fight women’s cancers.  Next Saturday is the Healthy Kidney Run, and on Sunday is the AIDS Walk/Run, in which a whole team from Saint Mary’s will be participating.  The various cycling, running, rowing, swimming and walking events continue through the summer, not to mention the CROP Walk for Hunger, the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and others in the fall.  How do we determine what to support?  What does faithful generosity look like? 

From the Rector:  Meaning and Discipline

I think it was during Eastertide before the beginning of the present war in Iraq that someone asked Father John Beddingfield whether we might have a special shrine and candle dedicated to prayers for peace.  His response included a remark about the paschal candle that was standing by the altar and reference to the prayers of the Mass and of the Offices.  Every service at Saint Mary’s, every Mass and every Office, Morning, Noon, and Evening, includes real prayers for peace, for justice and for the increase of the Kingdom of God.

From the Rector:  Easter Priorities

For the first time I can recall I recently have had some trouble remembering to add one or more “alleluias” to things during Mass – much to the delight of my colleagues.  I think it is fair to say that I’m pretty reliable and regular as a celebrant.  I’m not an automaton but my body, as it were, has a good liturgical memory both of word and gesture.  As I write on Thursday morning of the Second Week of Easter, I think I’m on track now.  No promises, but missing some of this stuff at weekday Masses and Offices has gotten my attention.

From the Rector:  Easter Graces

The Easter Triduum unfolded with many graces – as it always seems to.  The quiet and purposeful work during the day on Maundy Thursday gave way to the power of the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper.  The profound solemnity of the washing of feet and of the procession to the altar of repose set the evening apart from the rest of the year.  My only note for next year is to set out more chairs for the washing of feet – for the past seven years four have been enough.  I think next year there will need to be eight. 

From the Rector:  Easter Triduum

In every part of the world the Church will gather over the  Three Days to celebrate the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection.  As I write to you on Thursday morning in New York, quiet and not-so-quiet (organ tuning) final preparations are going forward here at the church.  Virtually all of the work has already been done.  If you are new to Saint Mary’s, you may not realize this parish community organizes its year around these Three Days.

From the Rector: Holy Week and Easter

I want to thank all who have already been working and will be working over the next week to make Holy Week at Saint Mary’s possible.  I want to thank volunteers and staff, along with members and friends near and far, whose prayers and gifts help make it all possible.  As is our custom, our doors are open daily and the ordinary and the great rites of the Church year are celebrated with an integrity and richness that reflects our commitment to Christ.  We take nothing for granted at Saint Mary’s when it comes to worship.  I hope this means we are growing into a people who take nothing for granted when it comes to love for all.  Love was in fact Christ’s greatest commandment to us who call him Lord.

From the Rector: Holy Week Primer

Holy Week is a rich layering of Christian tradition in which you and I can rejoice in so many ways.  During this time we try very hard to let the tradition of the Church speak clearly to us so that we can enter as individuals and as a community more deeply into the mystery of Christ.

From the Rector: Definitions

Broadly speaking, it is correct to say there are two basic theological approaches to Baptism in the New Testament.  One approach associates it with the death and resurrection of Jesus.  One associates it with new birth.  These approaches are complementary and neither approach by itself describes completely the mystery of Baptism.  What is going on in any our lives and in the lives of all people, baptized and unbaptized, is the work of the Holy Spirit. 

From the Rector:  An Exercise of Lent

Several years ago I was in Rome and I had one of those conversations that all of us have from time to time, a conversation that really did change the way I think about things.  I had just met a Roman Catholic pastor, from Philadelphia, I believe, but I don’t remember his name and we met only briefly.  We were each waiting for a mutual acquaintance, a liturgist, to return.  I think I was coming and the priest from Philadelphia was leaving.

From the Rector: Heavenly Father

Because of the leadership role of the presider, a celebrant’s voice often booms out at Saint Mary’s.  It’s a big building and some leadership is usually required to encourage participation and to make sure people hear.  I want to tell you about something that happened the last time I was celebrant for Solemn Mass.  Something happened that reminded me that my role in worship is to be a servant of the assembly.

From Father Beddingfield: Why all the Ashes?

I was lucky enough to be in one of Professor Frederick Shriver’s classes at General Seminary just before he retired.  Father Shriver is not one to keep his opinions to himself and I especially recall his thoughts about ashes.  “You know what I’d do if I were the rector of a church?” he asked our class.  “You know what I’d do?  I’ll tell you what I’d do.  At the end of the Ash Wednesday liturgy, I’d be at the back door with a big washrag.  As people left the church, I’d wipe the ashes off their forehead and remind them of the words of our Lord, “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them” (Matthew 6:1).