REFLECTIONS: LENT 2016
From Members of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
The Holy Tuna Can, Opened Up
I
hope you do not think my introduction is goofy.
I love this booklet as a manifestation of Divine love in our community-of-love-inChrist. It is deeply personal and deeply communal. A gem. But I do have a kooky
analogy that I love and want to use to demonstrate how I think of it.
I think we are all like cans of tuna fish, shiny and well packaged on the outside,
but the good stuff is on the inside where you cannot see it. This is a book about
the inside, the good stuff, the meat of God.
There is no objective experience of God. Experience only comes through
subjects, people like you and me. But when we take all of the personal
experience together, it points beyond us to a Being that is both transcendent and
so immanent that He/She/It is revealed through your friends. Beautiful.
Much better than the shiny, well-packaged outside.
Last time we did this I was presumptuous: I asked everyone to read it slowly,
day-by-day so it could be savored. As far as I can tell, no one did that and
everyone loved the reflections. So this time, have at it in the power of the Spirit.
I am not going to suggest how you use it. Read and pray upon this booklet and
you will be spiritually fed by your friends-in-Christ. Feast upon it all at once or
savor it day by day or some combination of the two.
Bon appétit.
Maranatha,
Peter+
February 10 • Ash Wednesday
“Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes
Readings: Psalm 95 Amos 5:6-15 Heb. 12:1-14 Luke 18:9-14
may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is
only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified
Savior. Amen.”
rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble
themselves will be exalted”. Luke 18:13-14
The season of Lent is an invitation to consider our own humility, repent for our
sinfulness and acknowledge our dependence on Him alone.
When I read this verse, my first reaction (other than asking Lynn Donahue for another
day!) was, Wow! That’s right up there with the rich man. Worst case, I can imagine “that
“Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the
rich guy” over in the corner trying to get that camel through the eye of the needle! But
sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we,
here, there isn’t even an impossible metaphor offered up; it’s pretty much up or down,
worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you,
all or nothing—even for the Pharisee who exhibited and indeed lived up to all the
the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
model behaviors and laws of the day. But humbling himself? Where would he or
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
one ever begin?
(Today’s Collect)
Perhaps at the “end” where maybe this verse begins with the tax collector going down
—Steve Wyckoff
to his home justified.
At the time I was contemplating this verse, I attended a burial service at St. Mark’s.
It was during the season of Advent, the new church year, our preparing to welcome
Christ into our world; the hustle and bustle of December. I was struck by the words of
the Commendation relative to this verse and the fast forward to Ash Wednesday and
the beginning of Lent:
“You only are immortal, the creator and maker of mankind; and we are mortal,
formed of the earth, and to earth shall we return. For so did you ordain when you
created me, saying, “You are dust and to dust you shall return.” All of us go down to
the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant. Acknowledge, we
humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of
your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest
of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light.”
On Ash Wednesday, as we begin the season of Lent and anticipate the Hope of the
Resurrection, the following prayer is offered prior to the imposition of ashes:
Photo: Window Ice, Megan Ferrell
February 11
February 12
Readings: Psalm 37:1-18 Hab. 3:1-10 (11-15) 16-18 Phil. 3:12-21 John 17:1-8
Readings: Psalm 95 Ezek. 18:1-4, 25-32 Phil. 4:1-9 John 17:9-19
Habakkuk confesses deep faith and trust that God is in our midst, even in times of
A Lenten Rose
extreme suffering, with a beautiful poem of praise,
Though the fig tree does not blossom,
though the produce of the olive fails,
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold,
and no fruit is on the vine;
and there is no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.
This is a faith that is not determined by the wayward winds of sorrow and grief, or the
moments of celebration when life is working out well. Life is difficult, life is joyful …
and God is with us, even when it doesn’t seem that way. I want that faith.
These cold February days, ever so slowly, gift us with a bit more light each day. I will
rejoice that the darkness is fading as the light beckons us to a new Spring, a new life,
and rebirth…inching toward the day we celebrate the Risen Christ. Emmanuel. God
with us. That will never change. Rejoice! Hallelujah!
—
­ Eileen Kennedy
Psalm 95: 1,2,6,7
“O come, let us sing to the Lord; let
us shout for joy to the Rock of our
salvation.
How do I praise the Lord?
Do I praise Him in melody, or in prayerful Words —
Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, English?
Will I hear His Voice?
Let us come into His presence with
thanksgiving; let us make a joyful
noise to Him with songs of praise!
What is the true song of the faithful that calls for the
Shepherd to come?
O come, let us worship and bow
down, let us kneel before the Lord,
our Maker.
It is the song of the devoted heart on
the bent knee of humility
For He is our God, and we are the
people of His pasture and the sheep
of His hand.
Oh, that today you would harken to
His Voice!”
Patience
Silence
Love
—Linda Andros
February 13
February 14
Readings: Readings: Psalm 30 Ezek. 39:21-29 Phil. 4:10-20 John 17:20-26
Readings: Psalm 63:1-8 (9-11) Deut. 8:1-10 1 Cor. 1:17-31 Mark 2:18-22
I am glad in God! Philippians 4:10
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? Corinthians 1:20
The Gospel calls us to see things differently. In order to
do so, we sometimes have to discover the new among the
In Corinthians 1, Paul tells us that God chose foolish things to shame the wise, and
old and familiar. This letter, the first to be written by a
weak things to shame the strong. I can’t imagine God shaming anyone, so I wonder
Christian in prison, has always been known as a letter of
whether Paul uses the word “shame” to mean something else, something more like
joy and rejoicing. One should also note that this is a document
“wake up” or “rouse.” Paul says that neither the scholar, nor the wise man, nor the
in which St. Paul addresses his followers in Philippi, not as an apostle
philosopher of Jesus’ age “knew him,” so that all the world’s wisdom was clueless
but as a fellow Christian. The letter can thus also be used as a blueprint
alongside the power of Christ and the wisdom of God.
outlining the essentials of a community—those elusive, intangible qualities of
a community which enable its members to
It’s curious how spiritual inquiry is often described as a “search for meaning,” as if any
truly become the body of Christ.
of what Jesus is talking about is hidden or esoteric, requiring a hard-core wisdom
quest. More likely, it’s so straightforward that I need to be roused from my “wisdom,”
Let us not follow the example of one-generational Christians
from my elaborately gilded positions and identifications, to be present to it. In
who feel that the past has nothing to offer them, by instead
Manhattan, Woody Allen advises an overly cerebral Diane Keaton to hang out with
re-examining this beautiful and uplifting letter.
stupid people sometimes so that she might learn something. I don’t think Jesus is
glorifying foolishness or weakness any more than Woody is playing to the dummies,
—
­ Martzi Eidelberg
but I do think that sometimes the more bricks you have, the larger the fortress you
can build. The question this opens for me is, What would it be to allow myself to be
roused, to wake up?
—Miki Porta­
February 15
Our private ego project must fail, we must be cast down to the earth, mouth in the
dust, stripped of all that gave us our bearings and sense of self-sufficiency. The luxuries
Readings: Psalm 41 Deut. 8:11-20 Heb. 2:11-18 John 2:1-12
that adorned our prison cell and led us to mistake it for home must be removed. We
must be dethroned, de-centered, reduced to nothing so that we can see clearly that
“It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many
God is the center. Then, and only then, can we take our place in the wedding feast, in
children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”
the cosmic dance, around the crucified and resurrected One, the Christ who is “pioneer
Hebrews 2:10
and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) So, my prayer for this Lent is to be humbled,
patient in trials and suffering, stripped of illusions and to be like him in Gethsemane
God is the power through whom all things exist and all things hold together. The
praying “not my will, but thine, be done.”
pattern of the universe is the revelation of God. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the
earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John
—
­ John Kennedy
12:24). And so it is with us. We are parts of a whole. We do not exist by ourselves and
we do not exist for ourselves, or as St. Paul put it “we do not live to ourselves, and we
do not die to ourselves.” (Romans 14:7) Yet how easily I forget and slip into blindness
and ignorance, my heart hardened by arrogance, pride and self-preoccupation. To live
a self-centered life based on personal gain is to live in delusion and falsehood. It is a
death spiral to spiritual bankruptcy. To live with myself as the center, the axis mundi
(cosmic axis, center of the world, world tree), around which people, events and the
world itself orbit around is plainly absurd upon a moment’s reflection, and yet that
is how I’ve lived far too much of my life. It is the unexamined assumption behind all
forms of greed, fear, conflict, and sin itself. And so Jesus, lifted up and nailed to a tree,
is presented as the true axis mundi, the real center, the revelation of how to live with
God in God’s world, for “the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” (Psalm 24:1) To be
raised to new life, to taste salvation, we must first die with Christ. We must deny
ourselves, we must suffer. There is no other way. Well, that’s a hard one.
Why is this so? I’ve asked myself this question many times, have struggled with it and
at times agonized over it. Is there some inherent merit in suffering? Does God give
us points for it because it shows how religious or pious we are? After all, that is what
many people seem to think Lent is about. No, I believe the truth is far more interesting
and ultimately inspiring than that. The self-centered way of being in the world is
stubborn and tenacious as hell, and we can get absolutely mired in it, mistaking it for
life, for reality. Indeed, many come to love this unreality and become hostile to those
who would threaten it. (Come to think of it, that’s what got Jesus killed.) And yet it is a
lie and to the degree that we are blinded by it we cannot see or know God. How then
can we be saved? How then can we be liberated from our exile, our bondage to sin?
Photo: Cyra Borsy
February 16
February 17
Readings: Psalm 45 Deut. 9:4-12 Heb. 3:1-11 John 2:13-22
Readings: Psalm 119:49-72 Deut. 9:13-21 Heb. 3:12-19 J ohn 2:23-3:15
Deuteronomy 9:13-21
My heart is stirring with a noble song;
let me recite what I have fashioned for the king; *
When I first read through this passage from Deuteronomy, I did not discern just why
my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer. Psalm 45
it is part of the Lenten lectionary—other than the notion that Lent is a perfect time to
reflect on how well we are adhering to the Ten Commandments and to re-double our
Most Sundays, I sing in the choir. After 11 years, it has become a spiritual discipline,
efforts to improve where we are falling short.
one that requires total concentration, regardless of how many times we have sung the
same piece of music. For me, it is a combination of meditation, prayer and vocalization
And then it struck me. Moses and God were both enraged by the sinful behavior
and sometimes, lip syncing.
of the Israelites while Moses was atop Mount Sinai receiving the two tablets of the
covenant and God was ready to destroy them all. Moses went away for forty days and
I have sung at times of where “my heart is stirring” and at times where my faith life
nights to fast and to seek God’s forgiveness for his people. And we know God relented.
was a desert, barren and dry, hence the lip syncing. But the words and the music have
always brought me back to deepen my faith, centering me in my faith. Each Sunday, in
And there, in this often-overlooked part of the Ten Commandments story, is the clue
our beautiful hymnal, I rediscover the promise of God’s love, songs of hope and songs
to why it makes sense in the context of Lent after all. The Gospel of Matthew tells us
of our brokenness repaired and the promise of our new life in Jesus Christ. And at
that after his baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he fasted
times, I can’t sing without tears of deep gratitude rolling down my cheeks.
for forty days and nights before being tempted by the devil. Although famished, Jesus
prevailed and Satan was dispatched.
As we sing the dark songs of Lent, and prepare our selves with prayer and fasting,
pay attention to the words that you sing during the services, see that even in song,
The forty days of Moses and Jesus are now our forty days—the traditional period
we prepare our hearts, our tongues singing songs “fashioned for the King.”
of Lent, when we review our own behaviors and ponder how both men underwent
severe wilderness deprivation on behalf of all humankind. Thus we enrich our Lenten
“The strife is o’er, the battle done,
journey beyond saying and we are moved yet again to thank God for His abiding love
the victory of life is won;
and forgiveness.
the song of triumph has begun…..
—Eloise Killeffer
Lord! by the stripes which wounded thee,
from death’s dread sting thy servants free,
that we may live and sing to thee.”
—Sara Lou Wolter
February 18
He shall defend thee, He shall defend thee
He shall defend thee under His wings!
Readings: Psalm 50 Deut. 9:23-10:5
Heb. 4:1-10 John 3:16-21
Be strong and He shall comfort thy heart, shall comfort thy heart,
And put thou thy trust, thy trust in the Lord,
This is the Day
One of the highlights of the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince Charles on April 9,
Put thou thy trust in the Lord, in the Lord!
This can be heard by Googling “This is the Day”, John Rutter
2011, was the performance of the stunning anthem that John Rutter composed
especially for the occasion. The anthem was originally sung by the choir of
—Weezie Reid
Westminster Abbey, and the Chapel Royal Choir. It was also sung by the St. Mark’s
Choir under the direction of Brian Paul Thomas at the wedding of our renowned
soprano, Mary Petro, to James Noonan, June 28, 2013. Singing it is a moving
experience. John Rutter makes use of Psalms 118, 148, 91, 121 and 27.
The words are beautiful.
This is the day, the day that the Lord hath made,
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day,the day that the Lord hath made,
We will rejoice and be glad in it, this is the day!
Oh praise the Lord of Heaven, Praise him in the heights,
Praise him all ye Angels of his, Praise him all ye Host!
Praise him Sun and Moon, Praise him all ye Stars of Light,
Let them praise the name of the Lord.
For He shall give his Angels, charge over thee,
To keep thee in all thy ways, to keep thee in all thy ways
To keep thee in all thy ways!
The Lord himself is thy keeper,
The Lord is thy defense upon thy right hand
So that the sun shall not burn thee by day
Neither the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil.
Yea, it is even He that shall keep thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in
From this time forth, from this time forth,
From this time forth, forever more!
He shall defend thee, He shall defend thee,
He shall defend thee under His wings.
Photo: Cyra Borsy
February 19
February 20
Readings: Psalm 95 Deut. 10:12-22 Heb. 4:11-16 John 3:22-36
Readings: Psalm 55 Deut. 11:18-28 Heb. 5:1-10 John 4:1-26
As Jesus traveled through Galilee, teaching and preaching of God’s kingdom.
As I reflected on the Gospel reading for today, what really stood out for me was how
They brought to Him all who were ill and possessed. By the laying of hands He healed them.
Jesus responded to the social, cultural, racial and religious differences that existed
Beatitudes
in the world, and the judgments and prejudices that were often spawned by the
attachments people formed with their particular way of doing things. He did not join
Upon seeing the size of the multitudes, our Lord went up onto the mount.
the fray and become embroiled in discussions or debates about who was right
Then His followers gathered all around Him, and Jesus began to recount.
or wrong, best or worst, blessed or cursed, etc. None of those concerns appeared
to be important to Jesus. It was as if he did not even see them. He was focused on
Blessed are those who are poor. The kingdom of heaven is theirs.
a greater Truth.
Blessed are they who now weep, the Lord will show them that He cares.
Blessed are those who are meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Jesus’s words and actions were clearly not determined by the social dictates or rules
Blest are they who justice seek, for they will be granted their worth.
regarding religious practices that were deemed by most to be important and powerful
Blessed are they full of mercy, they shall receive His forgiveness.
at the time. He paid no mind to the animosity that had existed for years between the
Blessed are those pure in heart, for they will become the Lord’s witness.
Jews and the Samarians because of unresolved disputes over their differences. On His
Blessed are they who make peace among men, the children of God shall they be.
way to Galilee, He chose to travel through Samaria instead of avoiding setting foot on
Blessed are those who are wronged for My sake, they’ll live with the Father and me.
that land as Jews usually did. During His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the
well, Jesus paid no attention to judgmental and prejudicial norms and customs. He
For you are the light of the world, like a city set up on a hill.
spoke face-to-face with the woman in public, which in itself was considered strictly
So let your light shine before all of mankind, that they see you doing God’s will.
taboo, and all the more outrageous because she was an unclean Samaritan. He even
drank from the same vessel that the woman used. The Samaritan woman was
—Steve Lamoreaux
uncomfortable and twice brought the inappropriateness of what was taking place
to Jesus’ attention. Jesus did not respond to her by examining the merits of her
concerns. Instead he pointed the woman to a higher truth—God’s truth. He said to
her that those who drink from the well would be thirsty again, but those who drink of
the living water that Jesus brings in the name of His Father will never be thirsty again.
Later Jesus told the woman that the particular place where people worshipped has no
bearing on their ability to worship. All that matters is that people worship in truth
and honesty.
What I have taken from these passages is that if I allow myself to get caught up in
judging others on the basis of how they differ from me, that will breed envy,
competition, divisiveness, self-centeredness, and ill will for myself and others. Also, I
may become so preoccupied and shortsighted that I miss all that is truly important.
That unsettling thought has prompted me to ask myself some serious questions. What
are my priorities? How am I using my time and energy? Am I serving a higher purpose,
or do I too often get side tracked by the less meaningful stuff of life? This reflection has
reminded me that I am more likely to find my way if I make it a habit to intentionally
look to God who guides me well when I let Him.
—Katie Roach
Photo: Megan Ferrell
February 21
ACROSS
1. English monk and scholar
Readings: Psalm 24 Jer. 1:1-10 1 Cor. 3:11-23 Mark 3:31—-4:9
3. Prophet who had wheels vision
4. King and confessor
7. *Architect who came to our rescue
8. Annunciator
11. *18th Rector, Hall man [or, “Hall” honoree]
12. Golgotha initials
13. *Our parish’s first warden, Revolutionary War hero
19. An Outline of the Faith
20. Sin city
21. *He deeded us a piece of his farm
23. Father of Faiths
25. Last book
28. Doubter
31. Jeanne d’___, maiden, warrior, martyr
35. An Episcopalian born and raised, Pope Paul VI canonized this first US born saint
37. Denier
38. *17th Rector, he gave up house so our parish could grow
40. First Bishop of Connecticut and in America
41. Birthplace
42. *With 37 ACROSS, 22nd Rector
43. ______ Dei, Lamb of God (Latin)
44. Prayer book writer
45. Miracle place
48. First book
49. Gospel writer
50. Retreat place
52. Gospel writer
Saints, Sanctity, and St. Mark’s
The intent of this exercise is not for the approval of Will Shortz for publication in his
New York Times page, but rather to pique the brilliant and inquiring minds of St Mark’s
parishioners. All words are in the categories that the title implies; there are no filler or
“crossword puzzle” words. Asterisks indicate clues specific to St. Mark’s. Answers will
be published in The Lion’s ROAR and be available on the St. Mark’s website.
53. Gospel writer
54. Sacrament for sinners
February 22
DOWN
1. First sacrament
2. Judge and High Priest, but bad dad
Readings: Psalm 56 Jer. 1:11-19 Rom. 1:1-15 John 4:27-42
3. Holiest of days
5. Anointed king
Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?­
6. Very old dude
—Psalm 56
7. Handmaid of the Lord
9. Spiritus Sanctus (English) [or often represented by a white dove in art]
The word Lent is from the Old English lencten, which means springtime. Part of my
10. One of the Seven Deadly Sins
experience of Lent is the weather. At the beginning of the season, trees are at their
14. Third son of first man
barest­—gray brushes against the sky. There might be deep snow or the remnants of it.
15. Gospel writer
Sometime in February the light changes. What is taken away every day is a little bit of
16. *Iconographic screen
darkness. The warmth of late afternoon light is given back. I wrote this poem listening
17. Sacred ground in New Canaan
to kids play on the first warm afternoon of the year.
18. What we ask to be delivered from
22. *An important goal of our parish
Spring comes in before
24. Thorn in Henry II’s side
nature’s burst, is coaxed in
26. A son of Noah
by kids on bicycles
27. Father of 14 DOWN
shouting into the evening hours,
29. Word God spake about father and mother
by birds in the warm bare branches
30. Mountain event
searching the straw-colored grass.
32. Wise man
The light tells you everything—
33. Where we do not want to be led
it is a wide eye, a return
34. First martyr
embrace of a most patient love,
36. Miracle man
eternal wanderer who sets his castles
37. Letters writer
before you, full of messages
39. Shortest verse
that can’t be understood by those
43. Teresa of _____, nun, mystic, writer
who only put two and two together
46. Grandmother of Jesus
while you are opening gifts
47. Law writer
the sweetest, saddest gifts.
51. One of the twelve tribes of Israel
And the smallest gestures under that light,
you catch them. Nature catches up
—Jim Bettridge
and by then that light is honey
in the throats of flowers.
—Gwen North Reiss
February 23
School; Lily was taken to church by Howard and attending Sunday School. One
Sunday, Howard suggested that we make it a family event.
Readings: Psalm 61 Jer. 2:1-13 Rom. 1:16-25 John 4:43-54
I was greeted warmly and handed a Bulletin—the “Order of Service.” But I felt
One of Herod’s officers, knowing that Jesus was back in Cana, walked 20 miles from
completely out of order. I didn’t know when to stand, when to kneel. There was a
Capernum to plead for a second miracle—for his son, at home, near death. “Unless
hymnal in front of me, but I didn’t know any of the hymns. When everyone from my
you see signs and wonders you will not believe,” Jesus said. The official begged, “Sir,
pew filed up to receive Communion, I sat alone.
come down before my little boy dies.” Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.”
Yet even in my discomfort, I noticed parents and children together, worshipping. Okay,
This official’s faith in Christ grew slowly. First he took a long journey to Cana. Then he
some of the kids were fidgeting and drawing on the Bulletin. But they were together—
called Jesus “Sir,” even though he held the legal authority. When his son was indeed
as a family. I wanted that to be us.
healed, he and his family became believers. This conversion required time and effort,
and most importantly, faith.
I kept coming back. After a childhood of pressure—of having to perform in skating,
in tennis, and in school—suddenly it all lifted. If Jesus died for us while proclaiming a
My conversion was similarly slow.
gospel of love and forgiveness, I needed to listen up.
1953: I was born at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston. Both of my parents were Jewish
But the Trinity? How could He be three things in one? I kept thinking of those nesting
children of immigrants from Lithuania and Hungary. As a child, I loved bagels with
Russian dolls. Open up the big one—God—and out pops Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
a schmear, sprinkled my vocabulary with words like mashugana and mensch, and
danced the hora with abandon.
In our year-long talks together, Reverend Jones smiled. “Just think of Jesus as the
messenger. The messenger that will help bring you closer to God.” I got that. I would
But I was completely in the dark about my religion. My parents didn’t join the
work on the Trinity later.
temple in New Rochelle; only occasionally did we celebrate Passover and Hanukah.
I felt most “in the dark” at Christmas, when we passed houses with Christmas trees
December 4, 1993: At age 40, I was baptized in a private ceremony at the back of St.
glowing inside. I ached to be a part of it, of something.
Mark’s. For the first time, I truly felt the love of God—and the Holy Spirit.
1986: Two years after marrying Howard Kelting, a lapsed Catholic, our daughter Lily
My mother was furious. My sisters felt betrayed. My aunt screamed at me, “You are no
was born. Howard found a friend from high school, who was now an Episcopal priest
longer part of this family.” (After a painful decade or so, we all made peace.)
on Long Island. I agreed to her baptism.
2015: Twenty-two years after my conversion, my children, now adults, return to St.
The next thing I knew, I was standing in our living room in East Hampton, holding
Mark’s at Christmas. How sweet it is looking out at them, sitting in the pews with
my little baby in one hand and The Book of Common Prayer in the other, mouthing
their father, Hindu husband, and fiancée in the candlelit service. I stand with the choir
strange words about Jesus Christ being my Lord and Savior. Three years later, our son
behind the altar screen, singing the Christmas carols and anthems with boundless joy.
Teddy was born on Christmas Eve, and baptized a few months later.
The trumpets blare. The timpani thunders. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is born.
1992: We moved to New Canaan. Teddy was in the second class at St. Mark’s Nursery
—Emily Kelting
February 24
February 25
Readings: Psalm 72 Jer. 3:6-18 Rom. 1:28—-2:11 John 5:1-18
Readings: Psalm 70 Jer. 4:9-10, 19-28 Rom. 2:12-24 John 5:19-29
Pilgrims in the Holy Land
When I read the passages assigned to me for this day, I cannot help but recall the
April, 2015
day I visited Masada­—a barren, desolate place in the Judean Desert of Israel which
overlooks the Dead Sea. I remember so well the starkness of the place: a flat mesa on
Our St. Mark’s Pilgrimage group of 24 looked over at the hills of Shepherds’ Field in
a mountaintop with sheer cliffs dropping up to 1300 feet on all sides. It was built as a
Bethlehem and imagined the lonely life of a shepherd with his sheep. Next we went
fortress and embellished by Herod the Great between 37 and 31 b.c. With cisterns to
down into a cave with rooms where families, perhaps, lived 2000 years ago...a typical
collect water, crops and fruit trees, palaces and an armory, it was a completely
shelter to be cool in the summer and warm and protected in the winter...then we
self-reliant fortress.
walked up to the Chapel of the Angels—small, round, an architecturally beautiful
chapel with holes in the dome to see the day sky and the night sky. We were peaceful.
Taken by siege from the Romans by a Jewish group called the Sicarii after the
We stood in a circle surrounding the most awe-inspiring table supported by four
Jewish Revolt in 66 a.d, this group held Masada for just three years. Depending on
magnificent bronze angels. Eileen Kennedy softly began to sing:
your interpretation of this story (there are no recorded versions), the Sicarii were
thought to be either a group of religiously persecuted Jews or an extremist Jewish
“WE ARE STANDING
splinter group. Sicarii means “dagger” in Hebrew, and they could easily have been
ON HOLY GROUND
considered terrorists in their day. In the end, the Romans built a very elaborate ramp to
AND WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE ANGELS ALL AROUND
retake the fortress, and as legend has it, the Sicarii determined that they would rather
LET US PRAISE
die than be taken into slavery by the Romans, and committed mass suicide.
JESUS NOW
WE ARE STANDING IN HIS PRESENCE ON HOLY GROUND. . .”
Whether persecuted or terrorist, these were people who were willing to die for what
they believed. Is that not what we struggle with today? People who are persecuted
We joined in and followed her tune three times, then surrendered with heartfelt tears.
and those willing to die for what they believe? History repeats itself, over and over.
Jesus was there.
It is in these times I am challenged by Jesus: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged”;
­—The Pilgrims
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of
your Father who is in heaven”; “Blessed
are you when others revile you and
persecute you and utter all kinds of evil
against you falsely on my account…Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great
in heaven …”
—Beth Ralston
February 26
February 27
Readings: Psalm 95 Jer. 5:1-9 Rom. 2:25-3:18 John 5:30-47
Readings: Psalm 75 Jer. 5:20-31 Rom. 3:19-31 John 7:1-13
On this day in 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from his exile on the island of Elba,
As I meditate upon this holy season, I am once again appalled at the wickedness and
regaining power for The Hundred Days. In 1935, Adolf Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe
cruelty of this world. It seems that the barbarians are trying to take over the world
to be reformed, violating the Treaty of Versailles in the run-up to World War II. More
again as they did in World War II and every other war. When I was a child growing up
recent events make this day in 2016 no less unsettled. On any given day, individuals
in London, we spent many years hiding in air raid shelters hoping not to get bombed.
and actions large and small make the world seem a turbulent and dangerous place.
It seemed endless and I wondered if Easter would ever come again. Now I see
But as Christians, we have been given another lens through which to view events. As
endless lines of refugees seeking shelter from the storm of ISIS and searching for some
the Psalmist notes in today’s reading, “the Lord is a great God, and a great King above
normalcy in their lives. How helpless and desolate they must feel and I am sure they
all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his
long for an Easter; a savior to let some light shine on their world to ease their sorrow.
also. The sea is his and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us
I am trying hard to meditate during this Lenten season, as I always do. Our busy lives
worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” Change and upheaval
prevent us from being as contemplative as we would like. Submerging myself in prayer
may appear to be the warp and woof of human history, but God is greater than all of
and music certainly helps me, but I long for a surcease from the troubles of this world.
them and is firmly—and eternally—in control. Like our Savior, Jesus Christ, may we
A couple of weeks ago, one of the readings talked of nations rising up against each
always retain a heavenly perspective.
other. And the Lord tells us not to be alarmed. This struck me very strongly and it is in
our nature to be alarmed. Are we at the end of history? I believe so. Is Armaggeddon
—
­ Drew Mayer
at hand? It certainly seems so when we see the destruction of part of the cradle of our
civilization. This Lenten season seems particularly meaningful. As we await that Holy
Light of Easter, I wonder if the Second Coming is at hand. There are many warning
signs. In our journey through the Bible we have been told to watch for it. In the reading
from Jeremiah it is said that man’s wickedness has upset the nature of things. Climate
change is everywhere. In today’s Psalm, the Lord says “I will cut off the horns of the
wicked and the horns of the righteous will be lifted up”. Is that too much to hope for in
these perilous times? Let us hope that through our prayers and longing, this Easter will
bring some hope for this broken world. This is the great promise of Easter and of every
Easter through the centuries. Marantha.
­—Vera “Molly” Russo
Photo: Silvermine River, Megan Ferrell
February 28
February 29
Readings: Psalm 93 Jer. 6:9-15 1 Cor. 6:12-20 Mark 5:1-20
Readings: Psalm 80 Jer. 7:1-15 Rom. 4:1-12 John 7:14-36
Ode to the Sea
In our reading from St. John’s gospel today, the crowd stumbles over the scandalous
The sea draws me in like a siren in an Odyssean dream;
particularity of the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. “Can it be that the authorities
Its song is soothing, mesmerizing, beguiling.
really know the Messiah?” they ask. “Yet we know where this man is from; but when the
Terrifying!
Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” The crowd knows where Jesus is
Behold God’s power and might!
from, namely that Jesus is from Nazareth, and this marks him as just one more ordinary
Robed in majesty.
human being. This is similar to other stories in the gospels where knowledge of Jesus’
particular background gets in the way of folks hearing the truth of his message and
The sea, Oh the sea, Oh the beautiful sea:
encountering the truth in his person, such as when Jesus goes back to his hometown
Unfathomable, powerful, nourishing;
and the crowd says, “Wait—why should we listen to this guy? Why is he anything
Our fragile, beautiful planet is fed,
special? Isn’t this Mary and Joseph’s boy?” (cf. Lk. 4, Mk. 6, and Mt. 13). Here in St. John’s
Sated.
gospel, Jesus responds to the crowd’s skepticism not by denying that he is from Nazareth,
I sing when I am one with the sea;
as they say, but by pointing them also toward his divine identity: “You know me, and you
It feeds my soul.
know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and
you do not know him. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” Jesus, here, is
I let its current carry me bobbing,
teaching the crowd about his missio or sending from the one he calls ‘Father.’
Buoyed up by the salty water, exultant;
An innocent babe in her mother’s arms,
Jesus, as one both human and God, is both from Nazareth and from the ‘Father,’ and
Cleansed.
there is no blunting the scandal of this identity. The incarnation of God takes place in
Carried off at any moment, drifting away,
a particular human being: a Jewish man from a poor family in Palestine, a backwater
Lost? But I am found.
province of the Roman Empire, in the 1st century CE. Of all the historical circumstances,
—
­ Susan Mleczko
all the walks of life in which God could have, presumably, chosen to incarnate himself,
God chose this one.
I think that we very often try our best to ignore one or the other side of Jesus’ identity in order to soften the scandal of the particularity of incarnation. If we focus only
on Jesus’ divine identity as the Son of God, we escape the demands made on us as
Christians by God’s preferential option for the poor in his incarnation. We can attempt
to enjoy the universal benefits of his life, passion, and resurrection without having
to come to terms with the message God is trying to get across to us by choosing this
time, this space, this social location as the site of his self-revelation. And if we focus
only on Jesus’ particular human identity, conceiving of Jesus simply as an exemplary
human being or sage, then we miss the cosmic ramifications implied by this particular
one being the incarnation of God. It is God with whom we have to do when we look
March 1
in the face of Jesus Christ. It is God who is revealed to us in the tired eyes and pierced
hands of this poor Palestinian Jew executed by the Romans.
Readings: Psalm 78:1-39 Jer. 7:21-34
“You know me, and you know where I am from,” Jesus says. May we be scandalized by
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.
this knowledge into holiness this Lent.
As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’”
Rom. 4:13-25 John 7:37-52
Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive;
—
­ Father Justin
Water.
Water is evocative. Who does not have a favorite place that is near water? An ocean, a
lake, a secret pond or stream? Just thinking of that place brings a sense of peace. But
we have also experienced the awful power of water, from Noah’s flood to Hurricane
Sandy. There is something in that dichotomy for me. This element that has the power
to bring life, nourish life, and cleanse, also has the power to torture, destroy, end life.
I feel God is like that. Almighty. Powerful. And yet, in our belief, he nourishes us with
gentle rivers of living water. In that living water there is peace.
—
­ Jill Sautkulis
“What it’s like when Jesus comes into the world.” ­—Catie Watkinson, Age 4
Photo: Water Reflection Series, Megan Ferrell
March 2
March 3
Readings: Psalm 119:97-120 Jer. 8:18—-9:6 Rom. 5:1-11 John 8:12-20
Readings: Psalm 83 Jer. 10:11-24 Rom. 5:12-21 John 8:21-32
If I am to imitate Jesus and be a light in this life, then I have to have joy in my heart and
When Father Peter first arrived at St. Mark’s, he told us that the most powerful prayer
live one moment at a time delighting in all of His Creations.
that he knew was the word “Maranatha,” meaning “Come Lord Jesus” in Aramaic.
Snow Geese
Peter asked us to meditate, using that prayer. This poem is the product of one of
Oh, to love what is lovely, and will not last!
my meditations at the time. (P.S. He was right.)
What a task
to ask
MARANATHA
of anything, or anyone,
Dear GOD, I just want to celebrate—
yet it is ours,
I’ve finally learned how to meditate!
and not by the century or the year, but by the hours.
Father Peter gave us special tips
One fall day I heard
Now “Maranatha” is on my lips.
above me, and above the sting of the wind, a sound
I did not know, and my look shot upward; it was
Oh, come Lord Jesus, come to me.
a flock of snow geese, winging it
For I long to embrace your divinity.
faster than the ones we usually see,
In ancient Aramaic I cry to thee,
and, being the color of snow, catching the sun
And You hear—You know my infirmities…
so they were, in part at least, golden. I
held my breath
I’ve tried to be holy, to no avail.
as we do
You know, my Lord, how often I’ve failed.
sometimes
But now there is hope, I can see the light—
to stop time
It’s dim right now, but it’s getting bright.
when something wonderful
has touched us…
I’m learning a whole new way to pray.
The geese
You have, I’ve found, quite a lot to say!
flew on,
Your Spirit descends on me like the dove,
I have never seen them again.
Teaching me how to live and love.
Maybe I will, someday, somewhere.
Maybe I won’t.
I thank you, Lord, for this beautiful way
It doesn’t matter.
To hear your voice as I go throughout my day.
What matters
Yes, “Maranatha” inspired this poem,
is that, when I saw them,
And “Maranatha” will lead me home.
I saw them
Amen.
as through the veil, secretly, joyfully, clearly. —Mary Oliver
—Yolanda Gruseke
­
—Jan Annunziato
March 4
March 5
Readings: Psalm 95 Jer. 11:1-8, 14-20 Rom. 6:1-11 John 8:33-47
Readings: Psalm 87 Jer. 13:1-11 Rom. 6:12-23 John 8:47-59
”Oh that today you would listen to His voice” —Psalm 95
My Lenten Ponderance
What does God sound like? How does one know it is not just the voices in one’s head,
voices internalized over the years, from the past and in the present all swirling around
in a dance? I do not think I have heard an audible voice of God before. I have known
others who say that they have. I have not ever written at the guidance of God and yet
again, I have met others who feel that they have. What I am coming to know, is that
I have felt what seem to be little nudges from God. He seems to come to me in the
form of refreshingly, clear thoughts or possibilities, offering a different understanding.
These nudges usually come after my initial knee-jerk reaction to a situation, almost
as a spontaneous alternative perspective for me to consider. I have learned that when
I’m asked to volunteer, that first impulse to “bolt” is MY thought and that the second
thought, “what would that be like to help out where I am asked” sounds more of the
way of the scriptures and is therefore worth listening to. It has been suggested to me
that to hear God, I might write or journal about the decision I need to make, journal as
a way to talk with God. Write a prayer or question to God and then write what comes
to my mind as a reply. Does what I “hear” sound like MY voice; Satan’s voice of evil; or
a voice of the scriptures? This, I have begun to believe is the nudge of God moving
in my heart; this, the sound of God’s voice. He seems to know me and that I don’t like
to be told what to do, but to get gentle nudges. Perhaps God speaks to us each as he
knows we are able to “hear”. It is then most certainly for us to make the effort to listen
for Him. Blessed listening to you this Lenten season. Maranatha.
—Lori Wyckoff
March 6
March 7
Readings: Psalm 66 Jer. 14:1-9, 17-22 Gal. 4:21-5:1
Readings: Psalm 89:1-18 Jer. 16:10-21 Rom. 7:1-12 John 6:1-15
Mark 8:11-21
“And being aware of it, Jesus said to them, ‘Why do you discuss the fact that you have no
March 7, 1943
bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do
This date is particularly meaningful for me. It is the day my older brother, Den, was
you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?”
born. Each year on this day, I call him to wish him well. After these calls, I always reflect
on that stunning day in the summer of 1963, when our family came incredibly close to
The reading for today comes from the middle of the eighth chapter in Mark. Jesus has
losing Den.
just fed the crowd of four thousand with seven loaves and several fish. The Pharisees
have just demanded Jesus show them a sign from heaven and Jesus replies “no sign
He and I were the second and third eldest of 12 children. As we grew up, our lives were
shall be given to this generation.” (Mark 8:12) Then, again in the boat with Jesus, the
quite typical of brothers who were relatively close together in age; we often fought
disciples are worried how they will get by with just one loaf of bread. “And do you not
like crazy, but we also did lots of fun things together. We were raised in an extremely
remember?”
loving home. We had wonderful childhoods, filled with all sorts of adventures.
During this Lenten season, I would like to take the time to try to remember. To
Then came that 1963 summer night in early July, when an unbelievable event took
remember that Jesus promises and delivers time and time again. He has promised to
place that shook our family to its core. At age 20, Den was critically injured in the
feed us, to provide our daily bread. He has shared with us His life and words. And yet
Stamford Railroad Yard, where he and two friends had gone for some mischief. He
with the tragedy, turmoil and seemingly endless events of unspeakable violence, I, like
had climbed on top of one commuter car, and had accidentally brushed against the
the Pharisees, kind of want a sign. Just a lightning bolt into one of the ISIS camps to
mechanism that delivers electrical power from the “hot wire” above the train. His body
remind the enemy and me who is really in charge here.
was subjected to 11,000 volts, and his clothing caught fire. His friends put out the fire
and then called for help. An ambulance took him to the Emergency Room in critical
But that lightning bolt has already struck and I think it happened on the cross. Jesus
condition, near death.
has already revealed himself to us. We need no further sign. We are the sign. We can be
the sign for the rest of the world.
My mom was called to the hospital at around 11:00, and my dad flew home that night
from Houston, where he was on a business trip. I arrived home myself around 11:30,
—
­ Laura Watt
after spending the evening with one of my friends. My younger sister heard my car
arrive, and called to me from her window, saying, “Jack, Denny’s been hurt very badly.”
At first, I could not accept what had happened. Our family had never experienced such
a horrific event. I kept asking myself, “How can this be???”
The doctors did not believe Den would survive long, and that he would be dead before
my father returned from Houston. But Den did survive that first night, then the first
week, then several months. The medical staff fought a continuous battle to keep his
Photo: Megan Ferrell
body “chemistry” balanced, after being so critically burned. I remember going to the
hospital every day with my mom and some friends to help the staff with Den as he
March 8
was lowered into the large “Hubbard” tank, filled with circulating water. This therapy
helped his burned body heal, but he hated it. His gaze was always intense, and he was
Readings: Psalm 97 Jer. 17:19-27 Rom. 7:13-25 John 6:16-27
wracked with pain. It was awful to experience.
Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life,
Finally, after two months, the doctors decided he would survive, and I went off to my
which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father set his seal.
freshman year at college. For the next three months, Den continued at the hospital,
John 6: 16-27
and then was released just prior to Christmas. It was truly a “Christmas Miracle” when
he finally came home.
What is the food that Christ said endures forever?
It is Christ.
Since his injury, Den’s attitude about life and about God has always been quite positive
It is the life He gave us by His crucifixion.
and serene. He has often told me he no longer fears death, because he had a “near
It is the hope that proceeds from His promise.
death” experience that first night in the Emergency Room, which he describes as his
We are comforted and assured by that promise.
“glowing light” experience.
We live in hope of being with Him in His eternal kingdom.
So March 7 is a very special day for me. I will always remember Den’s faith and
—
­ Jude Halleran
courage during those awful summer days in 1963. I cherish his presence with us today.
—Jack Donahue
Photo: Emily Kelting
“We had been learning stories from the Old Testament. Allison was asked to
imagine what it was like before Jesus came into the world and then as Jesus
came into the world. This is the picture she drew in response.”­
—Allison Yin, Age 6­­
March 9
March 10
Readings: Psalm 101 Jer. 18:1-11 Rom. 8:1-11 John 6:27-40
Readings: Psalm 73 Jer. 22:13-23 Rom. 8:12-27 John 6:41-51
God Smote My Peony
A Helping Hand
Last year my two sons and I planned a trip to Honolulu. Our purpose was to fulfill a
The white flower was perfection,
wish of my recently deceased wife: That her ashes be spread over the waters of Hawaii.
Beauty incarnate.
Before we departed, one of my sons received a call from a colleague now working in
And a storm of rain and gusty winds
Munich. The two had not been in contact with each other for more than four years.
Chopped it off in fit of anger,
Near the end of the call, my son mentioned our forthcoming trip to Honolulu. The man
God smote my Peony with a
replied that his wife was Hawaiian, that she would be there on business during our
Mighty hand.
visit, and she could help us arrange an authentic Hawaiian memorial ceremony.
It fell in a petal heap upon the stone.
The location for the ceremony was a beautiful private beach 25 miles from our hotel.
Now wet and browning,
When we left the hotel it began to rain very hard and the wind began to blow, and it
A mere shadow of itself, and
continued to do so until we were within five miles of the beach. Then, suddenly, the
As if to make amends,
rain stopped and the sky became clear. The lovely beach ceremony was conducted by
Jesus’ blood dropped all around.
a reverend and it included scripture readings and a blessing. We along with three local
The death was sanctified as others
rowers then boarded an outrigger canoe and headed into the bay. After we rowed for
Watched and nursed their wounds,
20 minutes into a difficult headwind, the water abruptly turned calm and a bright sun
Glad for their own imperfections.
—
­ Mimi Haik
appeared. With this as a sign, I began to slowly spread her ashes “over Hawai’i”, which
March 11
to the Hawaiian people means not only the land but the sea surrounding their islands.
We then rowed back to the beach.
Readings: Psalm 95 Jer. 23:1-8 Rom. 8:28-39 John 6:52-59
There are, of course, several possible explanations for this series of unusual
Yes! Come, sing joyfully! Make a cheerful noise unto the Lord!
happenings. However, my sons and I firmly believe the Helping Hand of the Lord is
the answer.
God knows us before we are born.
God is always with us.
Thank you Lord!
Nothing can separate us from God’s love.
—
­ Joe Elmlinger
Jesus chose provocative words at times. I think what he is saying is that the practice
of communion will mysteriously cement our relationship with him. Jesus/God will
dwell in us and we will dwell in him. He is also saying, it’s a mystery/miracle, but
nonetheless real.
Raise a joyful song to the Lord.
The Lord is a great God.
He made everything.
We are his people.
—Stephanie Johnson
“Creation”—Moxie Cooper, Age 5
March 12
March 13
Readings: Psalm 107:33-43 Jer. 23:9-15 Rom. 9:1-18 John 6:60-71
Readings: Psalm 118 Jer. 23:16-32 1 Cor. 9:19-27 Mark 8:31­-9:1
God is on the football field: Before the game, our team says the Lord’s Prayer together
Sunset and evening star,
in the locker room. But I don’t think God decides who will win or lose. I think God is
And one clear call for me!
a state of mind. You just have to believe. Usually I only say a prayer before the game.
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
I know my parents are praying that I don’t get a concussion. I’ve been playing football
When I put out to sea,
since I was 8 years old and it’s just grown on me. I play offensive guard on the high
school varsity team.
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
—Max Holmberg, age 15
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the great poet laureate of the Victorian age, penned Crossing
the Bar after a brief illness which made him contemplate his mortality. Tennyson,
who was 80 when he wrote these simple yet poignant verses, was reflecting on the
twilight or evening of his life as he traveled on a ferry to his home on England’s Isle of
Wight. The image of a sand bar represents the divide over which he must cross from
his earthly life into eternity in order to meet God (“my Pilot”). There is a calm longing
and assurance of a smooth crossing or transition that underlies the poem. And he asks
those he leaves behind not to grieve upon his death but to embrace their faith and
celebrate the poet’s ultimate voyage into heaven. I personally have loved this poem for
the tranquility of the anticipated passage to eternal life that the rhythms of the verses
Photo: After The Hurricane, Megan Ferrell
impart. There is a calm about the sea and its “boundless deep,” as well as the gentle
tide that ultimately will carry us all home to God. Tennyson died some three years after
March 14
writing Crossing the Bar and his instruction to printers of all his subsequent collected
works was that the poem be placed last. Tennyson had reached his final mooring and
Readings: Psalm 31 Jer. 24:1-10 Rom. 9:19-33 John 9:1-17
he left the poem for us to reflect on our own navigation to God.
Three Women of Summers Past
—Pat Norton
When I was a little girl, I spent a few weeks each summer at my grandparents’
bungalow at Rockaway Point. It was a magical place for kid—no cars, just wagons for
transportation, miles of beach, endless days with few rules and thousand-star nights
being lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves.
There were always other cousins and lots of family around and my grandmother spent
her days taking care of everyone. She was always busy, cooking impossibly good meals
on the funny old stove, doing wash on the back porch with an old wringer washing
machine and hanging it to dry in the sun and salt air, and doing a lot of ironing. I
noticed that Grandma was always humming as she pressed the creases out of the
sun-bleached sheets. When I asked her why, she said that she didn’t even realize she
was doing it. “I guess I’m just happy.”
Aunt Mary was always there, too. She was a Phys Ed teacher in “real life” but in
summer she was our Pied Piper. Her brimming toy closet was only surpassed by her
overflowing heart. She taught us all how to catch the waves, fly kites, build bonfires at
night, look for sand crabs in the tide pools. She organized block parties, costume
parades, horseshoe tournaments, square dances on the beach. She was never too
tired. She was never too busy. She was never without an enormous smile. She was joy.
The third woman was a little different. I didn’t even know her but I was obsessed with
her. The bungalow was a simple place, very different from my grandparents’ “real”
house. It was stocked with old stuff that could withstand beach life and being
abandoned for most of the year. Every day I ate lunch on one of the slightly chipped,
blue and white plates Grandma had, probably brought over from Germany by her
parents, and every day I insisted that I had my PB&J or bologna sandwich on my
“special” plate —the one with Joan of Arc burning at the stake on it. I think all
the plates had martyrs on them (quite a concept for a set of appetite-inducing
dinnerware!). But Joan was all mine. Her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes gazing
heaven-ward. The flames, the oh-so-mesmerizing flames, licking around her. But the
look on her face was one of complete acceptance and almost contentment.
March 15
Those carefree summer days are far behind me now. My grandmother, Aunt Mary
Readings: Psalm 120 Jer. 23:8-17 Rom. 10:1-13 John 9:18-41
and the Joan of Arc plate are all gone, too. As I try to make my way through life with
all its ups and downs, I hope I can channel the lessons of these three women: the
inner peace and appreciation of what is simple and good; the joy of giving to others
and daring to just be happy; and the courage to accept whatever comes my way. I’m
grateful to them all.
—Lynn Donahue
Artwork: Julia DeNey
Photo: Megan Ferrell
March 16
March 17
Readings: Psalm 119:145-176 Jer. 25:30-38 Rom. 10:14-21 John 10:1-18
Readings: Psalm 131 Jer. 26:1-16 Rom. 11:1-12 John 10:19-42
I used to go on an annual Lenten retreat with fellow parishioners at St. Luke-in-the-
I’ve spent much of my life in high gear. When I’m moving too fast, without thinking,
Fields, Manhattan. We went to an Episcopal nunnery, St. John the Baptist in Mendham,
without that all-important seven-second delay before I speak or act, I often say or do
New Jersey. Here is a Lenten “prescription” I learned there:
something I regret. When I ask for forgiveness of my sins, they are usually thoughtless
things I’ve done or said. What I try to focus on in prayer is finding inner peace in the
FAST from FEAST on
midst of inner or external chaos. The daily devotional book Jesus Calling has been a
discontentgratitude
great source of comfort to me. Here is a favorite passage from that book:
angerpatience
bitternessforgiveness
“Lie down in green pastures of Peace. Learn to unwind whenever possible, resting in
self-concern
the Presence of your Shepherd. This electronic age keeps My children “wired” much
compassion for others
discouragementhope
of the time, too tense to find Me in the midst of their moments. I built into your very
lazinesscommitment
being the need for rest. How twisted the world has become when people feel guilty
suspiciontruth
about meeting this basic need! How much time and energy they waste by being
guilt
always on the go, rather than taking time to seek My direction for their lives.
the mercy of God
—Mary Cross
I have called you to walk with Me down paths of Peace. Depend on Me more and more
and I will shower Peace on all your paths.”
Jesus loves me, this I know.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
—
­ Cynnie Thunem
Photo: Water Trees, Megan Ferrell
March 18
March 19
Readings: Psalm 95 Jer. 29:1, 4-13 Rom. 11:13-24 John 11:1-27 or 12:1-10
Readings: Psalm 137:1-6 (7-9) Jer. 31:27-34 Rom. 11:25-36
John 11:28-44 or 12:37-50
LIVE WITH INTENTION
WALK TO THE EDGE
I HAVE COME AS A LIGHT INTO THE WORLD, SO THAT EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN ME
SHOULD NOT REMAIN IN DARKNESS. I DO NOT JUDGE ANYONE WHO HEARS MY WORDS
LISTEN HARD
AND DOES NOT KEEP THEM, FOR I CAME NOT TO JUDGE THE WORLD, BUT TO SAVE THE
WORLD. John 12:46-47
PRACTICE WELLNESS
PLAY WITH ABANDON
LAUGH
CHOOSE WITH NO REGRET
CONTINUE TO LEARN
APPRECIATE YOUR FRIENDS
DO WHAT YOU LOVE
LIVE AS IF THIS IS ALL THERE IS
—Mary Anne Radmacher
With the joy and glory of God
—Grace Drugge
we can hope to travel on this path. . .
and praise Him evermore for these gifts.
Maranatha.
—Cathie Pike
March 20 • Palm Sunday
March 21
Readings: Psalm 24 Zech. 9:9-12 1 Tim. 6:12-16 Matt. 21:12-17
Readings: Psalm 51:1-18 (19-20) Jer. 12:1-16 Phil. 3:1-14 John 12:9-19
Palm Sunday Haiku
New members being welcomed in Fall 2015
The King rides the colt
on the multitude’s spread cloaks.
Palms auger the cross.
We are each on our own journey through this life but we are enriched by experiences
with others. Hopefully, when we both move on, we carry something meaningful with
us from the time we shared.
—
­ Jill Ernst
—Mary Anne Case
March 22
March 23
Readings: Psalm 6 Jer. 15:10-21 Phil. 3:15-21 John 12:20-26
Readings: Psalm 55 Jer. 17:5-10, 14-17 Phil. 4:1-13 John 12:27-36
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION
WITH THANKSGIVING LET YOUR REQUESTS BE KNOWN TO GOD. AND THE PEACE OF GOD,
WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS
IN CHRIST JESUS. Philippians 4: 6-8, 13
I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH HIM WHO STRENGTHENS ME.
Photo: Abstract Reflection 2, Megan Ferrell
—Heather Drugge
March 24 • Maundy Thursday
However this too has become more meaningful with the passage of time and a
deeper engagement with faith. To be the body of Christ is to do what Jesus did, to
Readings: Psalm 102 Jer. 20:7-11 1 Cor. 10:14-17; 11:27-32
John 17:1-11 (12-26)
follow him in his way of forgiveness, generosity and bringing joy to others. While we
may not be able to walk on water or multiply fish and loaves, we can do what Christ
commanded us to do. That is attainable, and in doing so are acting as members of
While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it
the body of Christ.
to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving
thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the
So, next time you take the Eucharist, remember: You are what you eat!
covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:26-28
Ryan Borsy
In the Eucharist, Christ is present in the bread and the wine and as we eat this meal,
He is becoming more and more a part of us. After receiving it 10,000 times, like St.
Julia DeNey
Nick Ranieri
Augustine, we might finally realize that “I am what I eat.” We grasp the love in the loaf
Katherine Sautkulis
and that love then dwells within us and we stand in the place of Jesus, of the Son, in
Katherine Schlegel
the outpouring love of God, receiving the love of the Father through the Spirit.
with John Kennedy
As lifelong churchgoers, the Eucharist has been a part of our lives from very early on.
We have memories of it from childhood that include, in Nick Ranieri’s case, dropping
a host on the ground! When Ryan Borsy was much younger, Cyra asked him if he liked
communion, to which he replied “I liked the cookie, I didn’t like the sauce.” For Julia
DeNey, it was a was a snack at the end of the service, a sort of “congratulations, you
made it through church!”
As time has passed, communion has taken on more significance for us. Paying closer
attention to the words of the liturgy, that this is Jesus’ body and blood, has led to a
deeper appreciation of how we are taking Him in by receiving the bread and wine.
Julia now looks forward to it not (just) as a snack but because of what it means. Some
of us have had experiences of being excluded from communion in Roman Catholic
settings, and that has made us value it all the more.
In the Eucharist, we are reminded that we are the body of Christ: “Those who eat my
flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” (John 6:56), “You are the body of
Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27). This is a reality that we have matured into over the years.
It may have started as something we heard in Sunday School, something that was
abstract and honestly didn’t mean much, to be memorized but not really lived out.
March 25 • Good Friday
March 26 • Holy Saturday
Readings: Psalm 95 1 Peter 1:10-20 John 19:38-4
Readings: Psalm 95
Each Sunday after we share the cup at holy communion we say together that the
What happens on Holy Saturday? The vigil of Easter will, of course, take place later this
eternal God, our heavenly Father, has “graciously accepted us as living members”
evening, but what’s going on in this quiet day between Good Friday and Easter? The
of His Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Wow—the almighty and everlasting creator of all
Nicene Creed says that Jesus “suffered death and was buried” before “on the third day
that is and ever has been and ever will be has by His grace welcomed us into a living
he rose again,” but the Apostles’ Creed—one of the oldest formularies of the church—
relationship with Himself, through Jesus. This is good news. And it is possible only
spells it out a little more: “He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was
because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross—the terrible and painful loneliness
buried. He descended to the dead.” Early Christians, we learn, celebrated Holy Saturday
of the cross, the sorrow and the darkness of this Friday we call “good”. It is indeed a
as the period when Jesus descended into Hell, where he took on the full consequences
paradox of our faith that we call this day Good Friday. Yet we do, and we remember
of humanity saying “No” to God. The consequence of saying “No” to God, of being
the terrible and the good. So with the psalmist, let us “make a joyful noise to the rock
separated from God, is simply that: being separated from God—and that’s what Hell is.
of our salvation”, for God is our rock and our faith is in Him. Let us be thankful for the
But the Creed says that Jesus, the Son of God, has descended even into Hell, and this
good news preached to us through God’s Holy Spirit—we have been blessed with
changes everything.
Job 19:21-27a
Heb. 4:1-16
Rom. 8:1-11
“things into which angels long to look”. Wow. Amen.
There are lots of particular ways we say “No” to God: stealing, murder, terrorism, and
—Eric Thunem
hatred were the ones on our minds. When we wrote this, we were right off the heels
of the shootings in San Bernardino, California, and we are still reeling from news of the
terrorist attacks in Paris. One of our dads used to live in Paris, near where the attacks
took place. What if he had been one of those killed? How would we have felt? One of
our moms was running in the Boston Marathon on the day of the shooting there in
2013. She barely missed the explosion, having finished just five minutes before. What if
she hadn’t made it?
In the face of such darkness, it is hard not to be overcome by hatred for those who
wrong us. Our anger isn’t necessarily our fault, but it’s hard to see how God can get
in there. Feeling hatred toward someone is hard to break, unless something happens
to us and them. When you hate somebody (or even when you just don’t like them),
you look for even more reasons to hate them, and you get locked in a cycle. Especially
when our hatred is prompted by acts that were, themselves, perpetrated out of hatred,
or that took life, escaping the cycle of hatred seems impossible. We all seem trapped in
the “No” humanity says to God.
Sometimes, though, forgiveness breaks through. Sometimes time heals us: we see
that the person who bullied us when we were a kid has changed for the better over
March 27 • Easter Day
the years, and that helps restore our relationship with them. Other times, forgiveness
seems to miraculously irrupt through hatred, like Jesus’ resurrection irrupts through
Readings: Psalm 150 John 1:1-18 Luke 24:13-35, or John 20:19-23
the power of death. One of us recalled watching a moving interview of a mother
whose son had been killed in a gang fight. Over time, she had forgiven the man who
murdered her son and had even come to love him as a son himself.
We look forward to, we hope for, a day on which all our brokenness will be healed in
this way, a day on which the human “No” will be overcome in Jesus’ “Yes.” Waiting on
Jesus in the silence of his tomb, contemplating his descent into Hell, shows us that we
can be on the dark side of life and still live in hope. Easter is coming.
Students of the Confirmation Class of 2016–17:
Landon Bachman, Leila Dann, Elizabeth DeMarino, Henry DiCapua,
Annika Holmberg, Tom Roscoe, Chuck Warren, and Crawford Wittmann,
with Father Justin
“This is a picture of what Easter means to me” —Julia Lamoreaux, Age 12
March 28
Words in sudden pants to nervous men.
They say again, trust us, who kept the faith,
Readings: Psalm 93 Jonah 2:1-9 Acts 2:14, 22-32 John 14:1-14
So our believing band rings out with one amen.
BLESSED BY GRACE
Onward, Christ’s folk, in bliss from that fell night.
A radiant angel compels their awe
With quickened steps approach the truth, God’s light.
The silent Marys blessed by grace
To stay the course of our Lord’s death,
­—Elizabeth T. Massey
Women strong, strong-willed in faith.
Grief of heart does not restrain their steps
Nor angel blaze sear their skin or blind them.
Love for their martyred prophet in his passion
Impels them to his new-hewn cave-like tomb
Where rises heaven’s gift from death’s dark womb.
The beams of the rude wood cross are shattered.
By the Spirit’s might the door-stone lifted,
Where the angel’s words of hope are scattered
Petals float across the garden. The women turn.
Return. Good news wets their veils with tears.
Disbelieving joy erupts from wrenching sorrow.
Jesus stands before them, his greeting clear.
They gasp. They fall. No specter this,
His feet of flesh wrapped in their hot arms,
Their burning faith bursting all restraints.
He’s Savior God in word and deed. Salaam.
Go, his resolve commands with sudden heat
Along the path. Your calling: to revive my flock,
Each frightened wayward sheep, disciples all.
Reach Peter first, forgiven, chosen rock.
Trust me, Christ says. They speak these pregnant
“What it’s like when Jesus comes into the world.”
—Hadley Miller, Age 4
March 29
March 30
Readings: Psalm 103 Isa. 30:18-21 Acts 2:36-41 (42-47) John 14:15-31
Readings: Psalm 97 Micah 7:7-15 Acts 3:1-10 John 15:1-11
This poem was written by my uncle, Ridgely Torrence, during the dark times of World
I was born in April in a snowstorm. At the time, I didn’t realize how close my birthday
War I. His faith remained strong throughout his lifetime, and is the basis for his work.
was to Easter. I never thought that I would end up celebrating my birthday on Easter
He was a poet, biographer, playwright and Poetry Editor of the New Republic
a few years later. I didn’t realize how much Easter meant to people but now it is very
from 1920 to 1933.
important to me.
EVENSONG
I love finding a basket filled with candy when I wake up Easter morning, but my
Beauty calls and gives no warning,
parents get upset because I get so hyper when I eat it all. But I know that is not the
Shadows rise and wander on the day.
real meaning of Easter.
In the twilight, in the quiet evening
We shall rise and smile and go away.
Easter is my favorite holiday because I feel close to God. I like going to the Easter
Over the flaming leaves
service because I am able to speak with God with happiness. Now that I am nearing
Freezes the sky.
confirmation, church is more meaningful.
It is the season grieves,
—Annika Holmberg, age 12
Not you, not I.
All our springtimes, all our summers,
We have kept the longing warm within.
Now we leave the after-comers
To attain the dreams we did not win.
O we have wakened here and had our birth,
And that’s the end of earth;
And we have toiled and smiled and kept the light,
And that’s the end of night.
—Ridgely Torrence (1873-1950)
­—Katharine T. Cerow
Photo: Tokeneke, Megan Ferrell
March 31
April 1
Readings: Psalm 146 Ezek. 37:1-14 Acts 3:11-26 John 15:12-27
Readings:
Psalm 136
Dan. 12:1-4, 13
Acts 4:1-12
John 16:1-15
PSALM 136 verses 3-6; 23, 24
ENDURANCE
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his mercy endures for ever.
Who only does great wonders......
Who by wisdom made the heavens.....
Who spread out the earth upon the waters......
Who remembered us in our low estate.....
And delivered us from our enemies,
for his mercy endures for ever.
God endured so now we can endure. HE gave us Jesus.
Thanks be to GOD!
—
­ Carole Buffett
Photo: Warmth of the Sun, Megan Ferrell
April 2
Jesus’ command to go and tell, experiencing the joy that these stories bring to us and
to the whole creation.
Readings:
Psalm 118:14-18 Acts 4:13-21
—The Reverend Dr. Martha Klein Larsen
Mark 16:9-15,20
I recently celebrated the first anniversary of my ministry here at St. Mark’s…March 1,
2015! It still feels like a miracle. I absolutely understand that you, the body of the risen
Christ at St. Mark’s, are a gift to me in so many ways and I thank the Lord each day.
After Judy Webb moved to Princeton and returned to St. Mark’s on one occasion, we
asked her if she missed us as much as we missed her. She replied, “There is no place
like St. Mark’s. Hasn’t anyone ever mentioned that?” It feels this way for me as well.
In this week of transition from the spiritual practice of Lent to the glory of living in the
power of the resurrection I am reminded of all the ways that I have experienced a new
creation in this place. I hear it when BP improvises a postlude after a memorial service:
the Easter promise explodes in song and my heart cannot help but be reborn. I am
inspired and moved when I see family members bringing their children to the baptismal
font with a glint in their eye. “This is my beloved child in whom I am well pleased.”
Through water the Lord begins us all over again. We are not the same; we are new. My
joy is increased each time we grapple with faith issues and our spiritual journeys at
Monday Morning Musings or Father Justin’s class. I am loved through these connections and Christ is in the midst of it all binding us to one another… forever.
In today’s gospel reading our risen Lord commands us, “Go into all the world and
proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” When we have good news going on in
our lives, it is easy and natural to share this with those around us. I enjoy telling friends
and family about the joy I experience at St. Mark’s and all the ways that God is at work
among us. To go and tell is a way for me to live into Jesus’ command to speak good
news. To go and tell is a way for me to celebrate that resurrection life of surprises and
unexpected outcomes. To go and tell is a way to remind myself of the story of God’s
power in daily life, a power that roots and grows and multiplies and forms you and me
and this whole community into a new creation. “I love to tell the story!”…the familiar
hymn proclaims.
As we move into the season of Easter and become more and more an Easter people,
we can share our Easter stories with one another and those around us. We can heed
Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the
whole creation.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and the individuals who contributed their work.
Cover photo and inside back cover photo: Anna Robinson (age 14)
Back cover photo: “On the road from the River Jordan”, Cyra Borsy
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
111 Oenoke Ridge
New Canaan, Connecticut 06840
www.stmarksnewcanaan.org