Diocese of New Jersey | Bishop Councell

Yesterday was the Third Sunday in Lent. We are now at the half-way mark on our Lenten pilgrimage. On the one hand it is hard to believe that we have come so far; but, on the other hand, the remaining half of this season seems as though it will take forever. I encountered that feeling during my brief pilgrimage in Spain while on sabbatical last fall. The distance of each segment on the Camino always took more time to walk than I expected. Each day was a struggle and seemed to required more stamina and determination than the day before. I often thought of the accounts of the travels of the American adventurers Lewis and Clark, where the most frequent words are these: We carried on.

It seems that, on any journey or venture that is worthwhile, part of the challenge is to face the feeling that it will last forever. One needs not to lose heart but to look through and beyond one's fatigue, frustration, boredom and discouragement and to keep one's "eyes on the prize." To fall into despair, to follow the many distractions, or to join others in a culture of complaint is to lose heart. But, as Paul wrote in II Corinthians 4, "Since by grace we have this ministry, we do not lose heart." We are pilgrims, not tourists. Do you know the difference between a tourist and a pilgrim? Pilgrims do not complain.

Yesterday was a sabbath day at this meeting of the House of Bishop. Apart from the Holy Eucharist, our schedule was open. I read and rested. Later, I took a long walk with Bishop Beckwith, of the Diocese of Newark, to Eagle Rock, on the grounds of Kanuga. Last night it was my joy to welcome the Reverend Canon Servio Moscoso, Vicar of San Jose, Elizabeth, who is here as one of three nominees for the Bishop of Ecuador Central. Today Canon Moscoso will take part in a 'walkabout' among the bishops so that they may get to know him and the other nominees. The House of Bishops will then take ballots to elect a new bishop, who is to be consecrated this summer. I ask you to remember in your prayers Canon Moscoso, his wife Angela, and their family, along with the other nominees and their families.

The homily at yesterday's Celebration of the Holy Eucharist was given by Brother Geoffrey, SSJE — one of our Chaplains. He drew attention to the color purple, the color worn by most bishops in this Church. He remarked on the fact that purple is, in fact, the royal color; the color that symbolized the power of the Empire. But he noted that it is also, paradoxically, the color of Lent: the season of self-denial and sacrifice. In the combination of those two, we have a reminder to the bishops that the color purple is the symbol of those who have received power to lead only in the name of the real Lord; and only in His way of sacrifice. By following Jesus we learn that purple is the servant's color. No wonder then that Gregory the Great — the sixth-century pope who sent Augustine and a band of monks to Britain; a mission that led to the founding of the Church of England — described himself as the "servant of the servants of God."

May all of the bishops lead and care for the Church in that spirit of service, so that the servants of God may be upheld in their ministry and sustained on their pilgrimage.

+GEC

Day 16 of Lent: Saturday, 14 March 2009

Canticle 14 A Song of Penitence Kyrie Pantokrator

O Lord and Ruler of the hosts of heaven, *
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
and of all their righteous offspring:

You made the heavens and the earth, *
with all their vast array.

All things quake with fear at your presence; *
they tremble because of your power.

But your merciful promise is beyond all measure; *
it surpasses all that our minds can fathom.

O Lord, you are full of compassion, *
long-suffering, and abounding in mercy.

You hold back your hand; *
you do not punish as we deserve.

In your great goodness, Lord,
you have promised forgiveness to sinners, *
that they may repent of their sin and be saved.

And now, O Lord, I bend the knee of my heart, *
and make my appeal, sure of your gracious goodness.

I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, *
and I know my wickedness only too well.

Therefore I make this prayer to you: *
Forgive me, Lord, forgive me.

Do not let me perish in my sin, *
nor condemn me to the depths of the earth.

For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent, *
and in me you will show forth your goodness.

Unworthy as I am, you will save me,
in accordance with your great mercy, *
and I will praise you without ceasing all the days of my life.

For all the powers of heaven sing your praises, *
and yours is the glory to ages of ages. Amen.

I love this Song of Penitence. It is sung by one whose heart is filled with love and gratitude, with praise and thanksgiving for God. It begins with a great, expansive acclamation of praise of God, our creator and redeemer and for His acts of love in heaven, on earth and among the people of God. It continues with an extravagant awe at the mercy and compassion of God — a love that, as we used to say, blows our minds ("... beyond all measure, it surpasses all that our minds can fathom. ") It goes on to offer thanks that God's promise of mercy is experienced in forgiveness extended to sinners.

Someone once said that we human beings have two great needs: to be held and to be held accountable. We need both. Notice the utter realism of this song: "You do not punish as we deserve." "[That sinners] may repent of their sin and be saved." The forgiveness being described is not cheap grace or a divine shrug. To write a song like this and to sing a song like this requires that we come face to face with the truth of our sinful and broken lives and with the truth of our Lord's forgiveness and healing love. It takes a broken heart to sing this song. It is not a ditty. It is not happy-clappy. Sin is serious business.

(I remember a fragment of a Paul Simon song: "Here I am, Lord, I'm knockin' at your place of business. I know I ain't got no business here. But you said if I ever got so low I was busted, you could be trusted." Yeah.)

And sin is my business. It is personal, not an abstraction. It is part of my story. But this prayer is motivated by the hope that it is not the end of my story. Notice that everything that follows is undergirded by tremendous confidence: "[I] make my appeal, sure of your gracious goodness." In that trust, our singer goes on in the second half of the Canticle to acknowledge his/her sin and wickedness and to ask for forgiveness. The singer even notes the worst that can happen: to perish in sin and to be condemned to the depths of the earth.

But listen to the singer lift up her voice and sing with greater and greater confidence and the recovery of joyous praise: "For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent, and in me you will show forth your goodness." Wow!

We sinners can sing our song because God is the God of those who need another chance! We put our trust in God, we make our appeal to God and hope for the forgiveness we need for life itself because we, who stumble and fall, are the people of God. God is the God of those who repent. God is the Lord of great mercy. God will save.

So, our song concludes as it began: with praise to our awesome God. We join our voices with all the powers of heaven. Imagine that: forgiven sinners have a place in the heavenly choir. It's not just for saints and angels. It's where we belong, by the grace of the God of those who repent. In fact, as Jesus said, there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous who have no need of repentance.

Ready? One, two, three, four: "O Lord and Ruler of the hosts of heaven ..."

+GEC

Day 15 of Lent: Friday, 13 March 2009

I arrived in Kanuga, an Episcopal Conference Center near Hendersonville, North Carolina. This is the site of the spring meeting of the House of Bishops, from now through next Wednesday, March 18th.

I arrived in advance of the opening of the meeting for a gathering of the "coaches" who participate in the "Living Our Vows" Peer Coaching program. Each newly consecrated bishop in The Episcopal Church (plus several new bishops from the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church of Ireland) is assigned a coach. The coach and new bishop work together and agree to a "covenant" that defines mutual expectations, hopes and commitments for the first three years of the new bishop's episcopate.

The Peer Coaching relationship is intended to offer support, to challenge and to empower the new bishop. The coach is not an expert, but a colleague. Because the coach is a colleague of the new bishop, this is a relationship that is based on a radical belief in the competence of the new bishop. The skills that are needed in order to serve as a coach include the following: faith, curiosity, listening, clarity and intuition.

I have not yet been assigned a new bishop to coach, but I love this approach and the possible applications in the Church. Three features of the coaching relationship struck me today as having wider application in the Church. First of all, I believe that our God has equipped every disciple with competence, courage, and gifts for ministry in the name of Jesus Christ. We all need a spiritual director or friend or coach, from time to time, who will help us to believe that our Lord believes in us. A spiritual coach will affirm us and our gifts for ministry.

Secondly, the coach is called to a humble role: not to solve problems but to be a prayerful partner who bears witness to Christ and celebrates God's action in the life of another. A coach is like John the Baptist, who said, "I must decrease so that He may increase." A coach does not cultivate dependency on herself or himself, but acclaims that God is at work and that God is to be trusted. A true spiritual friend or coach or director will get out of the way so that our Lord may be heard and known, loved and followed.

Thirdly, while the coach is not an expert, the coach should have a strong, healthy curiosity about God's action in another's life. Curiosity is a wonderful quality for discernment. It is not heavy-handed or manipulative. Rather, is a humble, honest and faithful effort to discern what God is up to in our lives. We all need a trusted friend who will be curious about our lives and ask honest questions that lead us to deeper union with our Lord.

In my life I have been abundantly blessed with spiritual friends who have also been wonderful coaches. Through them I have received the grace to believe that I have been called and gifted for ministry and that, no matter my mistakes and failings, God wants me to continue to trust Him and to grow into greater maturity in my life and ministry. Above all, they have helped me to accept the challenging truth of this invitation: "Behold the Lord beholding you and smiling."

May you know and love and follow the Lord, who smiles at you, beloved of God.

+GEC

Day 14 of Lent: Thursday, 12 March 2009

On Tuesday of this week I was privileged to visit twelve inmates on the maximum security unit at the Edna Mahan Women's Prison in Clinton. A little over a year ago the Reverend Deacon Johnine Byrer and lay members of The Church of the Holy Spirit in Lebanon began a special ministry of crocheting prayer shawls with this group of talented, enthusiastic, faithful and committed women. Their ministry is a source of dignity and joy for them because they are able to give to others. In the past year they have crocheted dozens of shawls, all of which are prayed over before are sent out. The hope is that the shawls will serve as a channel of God's love and healing power. Their involvement in this ministry is a source of great joy, delight and peace for themselves, knowing that God is using their gifts and talents to comfort others.

I was deeply moved by the inmates' faith, hope and love. Their joy in this ministry was tangible and their delight in their shawls was beautiful to behold. I am proud of Deacon Byrer and all those who participate in this ministry. I pray for more outreach to the incarcerated by members of this Diocese. Thirteen of the fourteen state prisons in New Jersey are located in this Diocese. Add to that number the county jails in each of the fourteen counties and we can see an expanding mission field. Contact Deacon Byrer and the recently formed Committee on Ministry with the Incarcerated if you are interested in serving in this field.

In his parable of the Last Judgement (found in Matthew 25), Jesus promises that one of the places where he can be found is in prison (see 25:36). That teaches us that prisons are sacred spaces where holy things happen. In fact there are many more mentions of prisoners than there are of bishops in the New Testament.

This bishop is always grateful for the opportunity to visit prisoners. I have been humbled by the faith I have witnessed among the incarcerated and, on each visit I have felt closer to Christ — just as he promised.

+GEC

Day 13 of Lent: Wednesday, 11 March 2009

One of the treasures of our liturgical tradition is the book known as Lesser Feasts and Fasts. The most recent edition is from 2006 — the year of the last General Convention, which is the body that authorizes texts for common prayer and worship in this Church. Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2006 is the resource for the Proper (the Collect, the Lessons, and the Preface) to be used on feast days. Also included is a brief sketch (hagiography) of the saint’s life.

In Lent we also turn to this volume for the Proper for weekdays. That is, each weekday in Lent has a Collect and Lessons to be used with one of the Proper Prefaces of Lent. Added to the Lessons appointed for Daily Morning and Evening Prayer (found in the Lectionary for the Daily Office in The Book of Common Prayer), there are no less than six passages, plus Psalms, provided for every one of the 40 days of this season. The devotional booklet, Forward Day by Day, lists the readings for each day of the entire year and provides a brief meditation; another Lenten resource.

Personally, I look forward each day in Lent to the proper Collect of the day. These are mostly lesser known prayers of our tradition, but each one is focused on one of the themes of the season: repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation; pilgrimage, temptation, discipline; renewal, hope, our baptismal identity and our anticipation of Easter joy. For me, praying the Collect for each day is somewhat like opening a window on an Advent Calendar. It strengthens me for the journey and encourages me to keep going forward, day by day.

Ultreya is a word in Spanish for “onward.” On a pilgrimage that I took in Spain late last year while on sabbatical, I walked a route that was marked with yellow arrows and with a shell, the symbol of baptism and of St. James. In addition, there were several points along the way where one saw the word, “ultreya.”

I am praying today that each of us on this journey will experience God’s call onward to holiness. The season is not about perfection but about holiness. We all fall down along the way. May we see that truth about ourselves with greater clarity. May we also see clearly our God’s amazing grace that enables us to get up again and again and again.

Let us pray.

O God, you so loved the world that you gave your only-begotten Son to reconcile earth with heaven: Grant that we, loving you above all things, may love our friends in you, and our enemies for your sake; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Collect for Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent.)

+GEC

Day 12 of Lent: Tuesday, 10 March 2009

I am having a grace-filled Lent. Not entirely successful, but graceful. I haven’t been able to avoid, altogether, the snacks and sweets from which I hoped to abstain, on Lenten weekdays. Sundays, being Sundays in Lent, are “little Easters,” so I might have a little slice of cake or a cookie at a parish reception. (Still, I should probably send out a customary that includes this appeal: “Do not feed the Bishop.”)

And I haven’t really gotten to the spiritual reading that I hoped to do this year: Accedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life, by Kathleen Norris; Home, by Marilynne Robinson. (Maybe that customary should include the invitation to ask, “How is it going with your Lenten reading, Bishop?”) I tell myself it’s early in the season.

So here I am failing at keeping my modest little Lenten rule. And yet, I am experiencing grace, all over the place, right here in New Jersey. I have had several encouraging conversations and exchanges of emails about the need that so many people are feeling for personal spiritual renewal. As I mentioned in an earlier Blog, that is the initiative that is set before us in our Right Onward Vision. That is why the theme of our recent Convention was, “Right Onward: Revive Us Again.”

I don’t know all of what people mean by personal renewal. I do know that none of our church programs or structures or outreach efforts or liturgical renewal or advocacy for justice and peace — none of them will be worthy of our Lord if they do not begin in and are not sustained by the love of God.

I have been greatly heartened that the several people with whom I have spoken or written are already praying for our Lord, in His mercy, to make New Jersey new. In the background of all these conversations is the refrain to a song that keeps running through my head: “You can have all this world. Give me Jesus.”

It’s important to think this through, but not talk it to death. It’s important to plan, but not wait for another gimmick or fad or program. We don’t need abstractions; we need Jesus. I have long treasured the comment that, at its core, Christianity is not a law to be obeyed or a lesson to be learned but a person to be loved and followed. His name is Jesus.

A favorite prayer (by Blessed Brother Charles de Foucauld, 1858 –1916) speaks of the kind of intimate communion and complete trust that I pray we all may, by grace, rediscover or find for the first time in this holy season.

Father, I abandon myself into your hands. Do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you. I am ready for all. I accept all. Let only your will be done in me and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this.

Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my soul. I offer it to you with all the love of my heart. For I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father. Amen.

+GEC

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