“Optimism is the true philosophers’ stone, which turns to gold
everything it touches.”
Jean Etienne
Chaponniere
Today is the feast day of Margaret of Scotland.
Born ca. 1045, Margaret was the grand-daughter of Edmund Ironside, king
of the English. After the Norman conquest in 1066, Margaret’s family
sought refuge in Scotland. The legend says that Margaret and her family
were shipwrecked on the coast of Scotland, and rescued by King Malcolm’s men.
Malcolm III was the successor to Macbeth. Malcolm and Margaret
fell in love. Until that time, she had intended to enter a convent,
where she could live her life in a devout and quiet manner. Instead, she
became Queen of Scotland, and in the process did much to reform both society
and the religious practices of the day. Margaret instituted Roman
practices in the church, and brought European fashions to the rather
rough-and-tumble court of Malcolm. More importantly, however, Margaret
had a heart for the poor, particularly those who were refugees. As an
exile herself, her compassion went so far as to pay the indenturement of many
an exile living in slavery. She also built schools, orphanages and
hospitals. She argued in favor of receiving Holy Communion frequently.
The following
devotion comes from Streams in the Desert, vol. 2. I thought I would
share it with you.
In 1093, her husband and son were killed by warring factions in
Scotland. Margaret died a few days later.
“One September,” recalls Rev. Hugh Macmillan, “in
an afternoon walk on the shore of Loch Awe, I saw an aspen tree that reminded
me of the burning bush of the desert. Its foliage was one blaze of
the most vivid scarlet. I never saw such a wonderful display of color.
The leaves were not dead like the usual sere leaves
of autumn; they were, on the contrary, quite fresh and full of life. I
drew nearer to see the cause of this strange transformation, why the bush
burned and was not consumed, and I found that the tree grew on a little mound,
from which the waters of a rill that existed only in rainy weather had washed
away the soil, leaving the roots to a large extent exposed. The conditions of
life were thus unfavorable; but instead of being made less beautiful, it
became more beautiful in consequence. The poverty of its soil had changed the
ordinary dull green of its leaves into the most brilliant red, as if each
separate leave were a flame in the heart of a furnace.
“A soft breeze of evening whispered through
the trembling, fiery tongues of the transfigured aspen, and in my awe-stricken
soul I heard the still small voice as of old from the burning bush, telling me
that thus it is with human life, from which the stream of circumstances washes
away all its worldly good thins in which it trusted, leaving its roots bare
and exposed. God’s breath kindles in it a beauty unknown before, which
no mere prosperous worldly condition could have developed; and the poverty and
sorrowfulness of its state, which worldly men pity, only make it glow with the
light of heaven, and its cross becomes its crown.”
Be thou a bright flame before me,
St.
Columba
Be thou a guiding star above me,
Be thou a smooth path before me,
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind
me,
Today – tonight – and forever.
An elderly
Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about
life...
He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me, it is a
terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
One wolf is evil -- he is
fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt,
resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and
ego.
The other is good---he is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing,
serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity,
truth, compassion and faith.
This same fight is going on inside you,
and inside every other person, too."
They thought about it for a minute
and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The
old Cherokee simply replied: "The one you feed".
(contributed by Doris
Bowen)
Plough deep in me, great Lord,
Heavenly husbandman, that my
being
May be a tilled field, the roots of grace
Spreading far and wide,
until Thou alone
Art seen in me, Thy beauty golden like
Summer harvest,
Thy fruitfulness as
Autumn
plenty.
Puritan
prayer
Debra’s Midweek Meditation
"Then the righteous
will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food,
or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a
stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it
that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the King will answer
them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who
are members of my family, you did it to me.’
Matthew 25:37-40
When did we feed you?
When did we comfort you?
When did we visit
you?
Every time we open our hearts to the unexpected in our midst, we honor
the Christ in that person and we delight the Christ in
us.
We have a story in Matthew of a new vision of the kingdom. The
kingdom will be inhabited by people who care for one another.
Kingdom
people will reach out in love to the lost, and the hungry and the
imprisoned.
Kingdom people will reach out with hearts as well as
hands.
Hands that cook and serve;
Hands that build;
Hands that soothe
and comfort;
Hands that open doors to visit those who cannot open the doors
themselves.
We have a kingdom built by
hands.
Our Hands.
The kingdom is very near us
and it is right
here.
Open your hands and embrace those that Jesus sends to you.
Do not
ask how they got there, simply rejoice that God has seen fit to make you a
participant in the building of the kingdom with your own beautiful
hands.
Blessings,
Debra
Holy Spirit of God,
who
prefers before all temples the upright heart and pure,
Instruct us in all
truth; what is dark, illumine,
What is low, raise and support,
What is
shallow, deepen;
That every chapter in our lives
May witness to our
power
And justify the ways of
God.
John
Milton
Daily Morning Prayer:
http://www.episcopalchurchingarrettcounty.org/morning_prayer.htm
This Week at St. James:
Friday: 3:15, 7:00 pm SJA 8th
grade play
Sunday: Sunday School Teacher’s meeting and lunch, 11:30
pm
Wednesday: SJA Grandparents’
DayAnnouncements:
Advent Quiet Day
Saturday December 10 from 9 a.m to noon. Debra Barton is our
retreat leader.
Thanksgiving Eucharist and
Blessing of the Hunt, at 10:00 Thanksgiving Day.
Advent Wreath making
event, Sunday November 27, 5-7. There is a modest fee for materials.
Dinner is provided. No artistic skills
required!
December 11 is Narnia day! We are planning to see
the movie at Regal Cinema in Hunt Valley at 1:00. You can purchase
tickets in advance by going to
https://www.movietickets.com/purchase.asp?perf_id=104317585
After the movie we return to the
church for dinner and activities for the family.
Prayers Etc.
Richard,
Mary Lee, Sally, David W., Pat B., Ellie,
Joe R., Bill L., Chris L., Kristin L.,
Katie H., Maria R., Kate B., Nancy S., Josh
& Lovisah,
Those in need of healing and
their families:
Paul & Fritz, JB, Chase & Sandy, The Paul Shelton
Family, Becky L, Debbie, Donald M.
Our seminarian Laura
and her husband Lyle.
Those who are deployed and their
families.In Closing:
Pax et Bonum,
We taste thee, O thou living bread,
And long to feast upon thee still;
We drink of Thee, the
fountainhead
And thirst our souls from thee to fill
St.
Bernard
Loree+
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