A Sad Anniversary

Thirty-eight years ago this coming week, the landscape of this nation was inexorably altered, and I would contend altered for the worst. I'm speaking of the the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in the Roe v. Wade decision.

Thanks to Roe v. Wade, we now live in a nation whose judiciary has ruled that a viable child (referred to a fetus in an Orwellian effort of dehumanization) may be forced from the sanctuary of the womb and fatally wounded to speed his or her demise. Thirty-eight years down the road, abortion is no longer the sad choice of a woman between a rock and a hard place, it is a divine right that is available at the taxpayer's dollar. Some in clerical collars have even gone on to insinuate that the act is "sacramental".

The reality of what abortion is was flung in our faces in all its visceral details this past week with the case of the Kermit Gosnell, who ran a shambles in Philadelphia. I absolutely refuse to use terms like "Doctor" or "Clinic" in the case of this man who has by all appearances, used the Hippocratic Oath as so much bum wipe. In his fetid butcher shop, children who could have easily been delivered and whisked off to a neonatal unit were callously dispatched by having their spinal cords severed from their brain stems. To add to the macabre sense of the operation, his facility was stocked with gristly trophies that attested to his handy work. Some of these were found in the same refrigerator used to store employee lunches.

Admittedly, this is the most horrific example of the holocaust that is abortion. Still, it doesn't erase the fact that each year, one million boys and girls enter American Abortion clinics alive and leave them as medical waste. Also, it doesn't mitigate the fact that in New York City, six out of ten minority pregnancies end in abortion.

As I write, I do not condemn those who have underwent this horrific procedure. There are a few exceptions to this, like the Australian couple who selfishly murdered their twin sons in-utero, for no better reason than the fact that they were "trying for a daughter".

I do condemn those who have sold this to women and young women. I condemn those who have framed abortion as a right envisioned by our founding fathers and mothers. I loudly condemn those spiritual leaders who are loudly lobbying and advocating this barbaric practice.

On the eve of the March for Life, I pray for the end of abortion in Virginia, America and the World. I pray for those who were duped into undergoing this procedure. I pray that they receive the spiritual and emotional healing at the hands of the Almighty.

Treachery

It's a frigid Saturday afternoon here in Suburbia Majora. Though the wind is blowing over a dusting of fresh-fallen snow, I'm inside listening to Vivaldi's "Gloria" and ruminating over the events of a very painful Friday afternoon where the acts of one individual reached their painful climax.

The good folks over at Merriam Webster define "Treachery" as:

"a violation of allegiance or of faith and confidence" or "an act of perfidy or treason"

Perhaps for the first time in my life, I and my family have been the victims of the treachery of another. This was no casual acquaintance; this was one whom my family had opened our home, our table, our purse, and our hearts to. We knew that the individual faced some profound psychological, personality and emotional challenges, but we loved and embraced her in spite of them. She was, for a number of years, a welcomed face. All of this abruptly changed in the late summer of 2010 when in a fever-brained fit, a false accusation was leveled by this individual. I'll spare you, the gentle reader the sordid details, but as a result of her lies, we now sit smarting and nursing our wounds all the while being several thousand dollars poorer for it.

My mind has run the full spectrum over the past twenty four hours. I don't want to hate her, nor see her come to a bad end, but I have to confess that those thoughts have been very powerful this morning. She has wounded my family through her lies and the desire for retribution and revenge are very strong and natural. Still, I find my self in conflict over those desires to see her suffer for the damage she's done. As a dad, I want to throttle her; as a Deacon, I want to look her in the eyes and say "Despite all that you've done, I forgive you." It is so infinitely easy to hate and and want to strike back in retaliation. It's a completely natural response when we've been wounded by another. Yet as the adopted offspring of the Almighty, we've been called to a new nature and a new response. Is this easy? I'd be either an outright liar or a pollyanna-ish fool if I said it was. God no! It is hard. Yet saints like Corrie Ten Boom have demonstrated to us that through the help of the Almighty, it is possible not to hate those who have wronged us.

So, with God's help, I say to this individual: "You've hurt and wounded me and my family. You've been a source of heartache and the cause for tears. And though every cell in by body would desire to curse you, I forgive you with the forgiveness that was given to me. With God's help, I will continue to forgive and ultimately forget your treachery. May God forgive you as well."

Flight 2011, You're cleared for Takeoff

It's truly amazing, but we've entered the second decade of the third millennium. Scary stuff in the fact that this is the Decade that the Catbird will turn fifty.... Truly an eeeek moment. Out of the gate on this New Year's weekend, I want to offer up my hopes/prayers for life in 2011. Specifically, prayers for the Nation, the Church, and this humble Deacon.

My hope and prayer for this Republic are simple and direct. I desire to see the United States of America return to her Constitutional roots. I want to see a strong, sufficient, and humble Republic that has rediscovered her first principles. I want to see a nation whose borders are secure, who welcomes and embraces those who lawfully enter, and repels those who wish to exploit her bounty or wish to do her harm. As the scion of immigrants, I fully grasp the rich diversity that a century and a half of lawful immigration has brought to this Republic. I want to see a nation that embraces fiscal responsibility and restraint. My prayer is that those who’ve been sent to Washington apprehend their responsibilities as elected representatives. I want to see individuals who won’t exceed their vested authority and wade off into extra-constitutional forays. I desire a President who will be an advocate, apologist and ambassador for his country, and not someone who snivels before tin-horn despots, apologizing for imagined grievances.

For my Church, I long to see a resurgent Anglicanism sweep across America. Though I’ve said it before from this blog, it bears repeating. It would be arrogant hubris to infer that Anglicanism is the only legitimate expression of Christianity in our world. But that being said, Anglicanism remains a faithful and trustworthy expression of the “Faith, once delivered”. Anglicanism landed on the sandy shores of the James River with our first settlers. It was the faith of the majority of our founding fathers. It was the faith of men like Wilberforce, who fought to end the evil practice of slavery. Far and away from the consumer-based practices of modern American Evangelicalism, Anglicanism is trans-testamental, connecting worshipers across time to the eternal. In a time when truth is personal and malleable, the Anglican expression offers a solid bridge between the temporal and eternal.

For this Deacon, well this is where it gets a little close.

I pray that I might become closer to the heart of the Almighty. I don’t want to be sanctimonious, or out of touch. I want to stand in His presence with a “short” account. I want to be able to look across the panorama of humanity and see Christ in every face I encounter. I pray that I might be able to reach out with the hands and heart of the Savior in all I do. I want to point folk away from the “hard knock” life, and towards the eternal, abundant life in our Savior.

Out of the Gate in 2011...

A Deacon's prayer for a new year.

Flight 2010 Reports the Runway in Sight

It’s a quiet morning in my quiet place, here in Suburbia Majora. The past hour has had all the right ingredients, a comfortable seat, a fast Mac Book, a Scotty, and John MacArthur on the radio. I can think of few better ways of finishing up a year that will conclude (on the east coast) in 14 hours and some change. So, ensconced in my comfy chair with my faithful Scotty, it’s a great time to think on the year that’s been.

Those who know me know that I can be a “sweaty-palmed” flier when the fragile bird starts rockin’ and rollin’ at thirty-three thousand feet. On those types of flights, there is nothing more comforting than feeling the landing gear lower and lock into place. Its that indication that the CRJ will soon be on the ground and approaching the gate. I’m feeling that same sense on December 31, 2010. Man, this has been a bumpy flight.

Nationally, (That is if we can still be considered a nation by its true definition), we’ve ended this year with a sigh of relief. Never in the Republic’s history, have we teetered so close to the edge of the abyss. We’ve faced danger from within and without, amassed a brain-exploding debt, and embraced the elements of societal erosion and decay. I have no time for conspiracies or wild-eyed conspiracy theorists. Yet, in light of the year that’s been, I’m forced to one of three conclusions.

Conclusion #1: we’re being ruled by a cabal of the most inexperienced, inept and unqualified individuals to squat in that fever swamp city on the Potomac. This parade of Marxists, and washed-up hippies have tried to force failed politico-economic theory down the throats of whom they see as the lumpen proletariat (that would be YOU citizen). It’s the working definition of insanity in motion. The governing theories that failed the “Great Society”, the Carter nightmare, 70 years of Soviet rule, North Korea, et al are being attempted once more in hopes of bringing “profound transformation” here in what has been the most blessed nation in the history of the world. To quote Cousin Sarah, “How’s that hopey-changey thing workin’ for ya?” This current administration has shown themselves to be, using one of their favorite phrases, profoundly intellectually incurious, in their understanding of the United States Constitution, fundamental economics and the historic American ethos.

The remedy for Conclusion #1 is simple; we take back our Republic. The left is already snarking “Take back our country from who?” OK Nancy, this has nothing to do with dermal concentrations of melanin and everything to do with worldview and experience. The current administration hasn’t put the bus in a ditch; they’ve about driven it off a cliff. They tried, and failed and need to be sent back to driver’s ed.

Conclusion #2: There may well be evil, craven men who are purposely working to see to the Destruction of our Republic. Consider just some of these facts for a moment. A sovereign state moves to outlaw a body of law (sharia) that flies in the face of the U.S. Constitution and the first amendment’s establishment clause. This move is challenged by an individual working on behalf of a foreign interest, and is struck down as “unconstitutional”. Another state moves to enforce existing U.S. law, only to be taken to court by an activist Justice Department. Elected officials are on record clearly flouting Constitutional constraints and abrogating their oaths of office. As if this weren’t enough, there appears almost to be a concerted cultural subversion of the American ethos. Faith, family, freedom, thrift, ingenuity, vision, and hope; all the facets of that jewel of American Exceptionalism have been under continual assault.

The remedy for Conclusion #2 is also simple. We investigate, and if there is a preponderance of evidence, convene a court to try this cabal for treason. I did say treason, a word that few have the gonads to utter in this post-modern, PC-addled world. If these Bradley Manning’s and their ilk are found guilty, they should face the historic penalty for this craven crime.

Conclusion #3: It is very possible, and conceivable that this nation has fallen under the Hand of Divine judgment. Think about it for a moment. This is a nation that was conceived and birthed by individuals who were thoroughly steeped in the Judeo-Christian Consensus. Christian, Jew, Theist, Deist alike was cognizant of the providential hand that appeared to rest upon the new nation. In-turn, there was a reverential respect. All of this began to come under assault in the last half century as God haters and other infidels, in their contempt for the Divine, declared war on the Almighty. Since then, they have waged a long war to systematically erase the presence and very memory of the Almighty from the American story. With God, cast into the dustbin of history, there would be no need for his laws and decrees. In this atheistic new world, life is cheapened, truth is irrelevant, and we become like those in the Book of Judges who "Did what seemed right in their own eyes." I believe that if we’ve been smote by the Almighty, their would be no doubt in anyone’s mind. It could well be a case however, of Him taking a step back, letting us stick our fingers in the light socket, and saying “How’s that hopey-changey thing working for ya’?”

Conclusion #3, though seemingly simple, is a much taller order. This will require individual introspection and soul searching, the kind of self-examination that Saint Paul spoke of. It will require both private and public acknowledgement of guilt against the Kingdom of God. It demands both private and public repentance, along with a turning from our wickedness and turning towards the face of God. In this, perhaps He will turn from His anger, show His mercy and heal our Republic.

May God save us from another 2010.

The Feast of the Holy Innocents, and Michael Vick

Today, our calendars mark the Feast of the Holy Innocents; a day that has captured my mind since I was six years old. This day, and my understanding of it has taken on an evolving understanding as I’ve grown into adulthood. Today, we remember those whose lives were prematurely snuffed out at the hands of cruel soldiers operating under the orders of a megalomaniacal puppet of Imperial Rome.

The second chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel provides us with a brief, chilling account of the events surrounding this feast day.

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

"A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."

Herod “the Great” clearly suffered from paranoid-schizophrenia, a particularly dangerous condition for a despot with the power of life or death. His wife Mariamne and three of his sons were executed under his orders. Though being one who professed to be a Jew, the historian Josephus recounts a decadent lifestyle that would have been completely scandalous to the observant Jew. So when in another fit of paranoia he ordered the slaughter of male infants in the vicinity of Bethlehem, it would hardly raise a blip radar. Herod was so consumed by the fact that few if any would mourn his passing, that he assembled a group of influential men at Jericho. Upon his death, these men would be slaughtered with the idea that expressions of grief and mourning might be seen as mourning for Herod. His son Archilaus refused to carry out the order.

When I first heard this Gospel account at age six, it was truly frightening. I had an incomprehensible image of soldiers descending on unsuspecting children and hurting them. I could only ask why. It would take some more time to begin to understand the greater magnitude. Growing to adulthood and becoming a parent with two little guys of my own, the focus seemed to turn from the little ones and onto Rachael and her neighbors. Rachael (as foretold by Jeremiah) was seized with a searing grief that no consolation could assuage. Mere moments ago, her little Matthias or Joseph was quietly playing at her feet as she perhaps kneaded the dough for the family bread. Or, maybe her little Jonah was following her home from the well. Now, in a horrific moment, he’s gone. She cries out to heaven as acid tears burn her cheeks.

This morning as I meditate over the Collect and appointed readings, my focus has been pulled back all the way to the Throne of the Almighty. We serve a God who is acquainted with our griefs and sorrows. What did He feel at that moment? What does he feel in the face of man’s abject inhumanity to man? Does his heart feel like my heart when I ponder acts of cold, wanton cruelty?

I know that Michael Vick’s name in the title may seem absolutely random if not a bit kooky. But, at least in my fever swamp brain, he fits into this.

Mr. Vick was tied to a dog fighting ring for which he was tried, convicted and punished. He served hard time for this and I pray that the lessons were learned and the debts paid.

There are many sports that guys and their dogs can participate in, but dog fighting doesn’t make the list. It is cruel at is very core and has no place in our society. What I don’t understand however, is how those who cry for the dogs in the dog fighting trade have absolutely no issue over the 3,100 prenatal infants whose lives were suddenly snuffed out today in what should have been a sanctuary… their mother’s womb. This really speaks to a societal cognitive dissonance

A Visit from Saint Nicholas

Merry Christmas! Let me say it again, only louder so the secularists and the pathetic PC crowd can hear me... Merry Christmas!!

In our western experience of Christmas, a particular 4th Century Bishop has become associated with December 25th, even though his feast has traditionally been observed on December 8th. Yes, I'm speaking of Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. To the curmudgeons, super saints and scrooges who want to see Saint Nicholas, St. Nick, Santa Claus, et al banished from the Christian expression of the Nativity of the Christ, I say Bollocks!! Those voices in American Evangelicalism who loudly proclaim that "Ol' St. Nick" draws attention away from the Christ of Christmas, know nothing of the man. History speaks of a man who was a mighty apologist for that "babe in the manger"... The incarnate Son of God.

This saint, famed throughout the entire world today, was the only son of his eminent and wealthy parents, Theophanes and Nona, citizens of Patara in Lycia. They dedicated to God the only son He gave them. St. Nicholas was instructed in the spiritual life by his uncle Nicholas, Bishop of Patara (see below), and became a monk at `New Sion', a monastery founded by his uncle. On the dealth of his parents, Nicholas distributed all the property he inherited to the poor and kept nothing back for himself. As a priest in Patara, he was known for his charitable works, fulfilling the Lord's words: `Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth' (Matt. 6:3). When he embraced a life of solitude and silence, thinking to live in that way until his death, a voice from on high came to him: `Nicholas, set about your work among the people if you desire to receive a crown from Me.' Immediately after that, by God's wondrous providence, he was chosen as archbishop of the city of Myra in Lycia. Merciful, wise and fearless, Nicholas was a true shepherd to his flock. He was cast into prison during the persecutions of Diocletian and Maximian, but even there continued to instruct the people in the Law of God. He was present at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325, and, in his zeal, struck Arius with his hand. For this act, he was removed from the Council and from his episcopal duties, until some of the chief hierarchs had a vision of our Lord Christ and His most holy Mother showing their sympathy with Nicholas.

Nicholas contributed to the Creed of Nicea, the genesis for the document which would become the Nicene Creed. This document stridently defended the eternal deity of Christ Jesus. A translation of that Creed reads:

We believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible; and in the one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father, only-begotten, that is, from the substance of the Father; God from God, Light from Light, Very God from Very God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father, through whom all things were made, both in heaven and in earth; who for us men and for our salvation came down and was incarnate, was made man, suffered, and rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, and is coming to judge the living and the dead; And in the Holy Spirit. And those who say: "There was a time when he was not", and: "Before he was begotten he was not", and: "He came into being from nothing", or those who pretend that the Son of God is "of another substance" [than the Father] or "created" or "alterable" or "mutable", the catholic and apostolic church places under a curse."

Hardly the words of one trying to obfuscate the "Christ of Christmas". Now, once more for effect... Merry Christmas!!

For a Compline in Advent...

In the Waning hours of Advent

Now, more than ever...