What is an Anglican

This presentation gives an outline of what it means to be an Anglican.

What is an anglican from frshawn

Bishop Morales' Advent Pastoral Letter

I thought that, rather than writing something myself this week, I would post the text of Bp. Morales' Advent Letter. Enjoy!

Advent 2013

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

Pax!

“Come thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.”  (Hymnal 1982, 66)

Advent, unlike any other season of the Church year, presents us with the already, but not yet nature of Christ’s Church. During this season, we take the time to look back on past victories, especially as we prepare to celebrate the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, as he came to live as one of us to offer himself as a sacrifice for the debt that we could not repay. But, also, especially at Advent, we look ahead to the final victory that will be won when Christ returns as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to claim that which belongs to Him.

As a diocese, it is good for us to take some time to look at where we have been over the past year, as we prepare for the year to come.

This has been a year of many victories, most notably the new ministry opportunities that have presented themselves to us. We received four new congregations at our Synod in October, which brings the number of congregations that are members of our Synod to 27. This is important as we look back, as there were 23 congregations in the diocese in 2008. We also have many congregations looking to go through the process to enter our synod in the next year. We now have congregations that stretch from southern Florida to northern Wisconsin, and from Nashville, Tennessee to Montrose, Colorado. This is no longer “little Quincy”. I am encouraged by the Spiritual growth that has come along with, or perhaps led to, the physical growth of the diocese.

Looking forward, I see further expansion of the Diocese of Quincy as we become even more diligent in our efforts to build the kingdom of God, by “preparing the way of the Lord”.

When we gathered in October I set the theme of the Synod as “building up the kingdom”.  I said in my address that I would like this theme to resound throughout the Diocese.  That in order to build up the kingdom the focus of our preaching, teaching and training must be the message of the kingdom of God as it was proclaimed by Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the good news.” (Mark 1:15)

While we will return to this imperative over and over again, at no time during the church year does it ring more true than during Advent. What does Christ mean by the coming of the Kingdom?  He means that finally the cries of the marginalized and despised by the world will be answered; finally, God’s justice for all the disinherited of the earth, the poor, the oppressed, the weak, the defenseless will be realized. But the kingdom of God was not just a message of hope for the poor and marginalized by learning that they were loved by God.  Christ came to liberate them from their misery.

Jesus exercises a liberating activity with his miracles and exorcisms.  They are none other than “a sign that the kingdom of God has come” (Mt 12, 28).  They are manifestations of the divinity of Christ. From the name of the season, they are Epiphanies.

Jesus promotes solidarity among men. He fights separation in society and as a counterpart, reaches out to those who have been marginalized by society: he speaks to them, eats with them, defends them and praises them.  He implements a new collective conscience of solidarity.

Jesus denounces every action, attitude or structure that maintains men divided. He condemns the rich who only seek their own comfort.  He calls the rich farmer “foolish” for selfishly rejoicing in the abundance of his crops.(Lk 12, 16-21)  He condemns the rich man who could not share with the needy (Lk 16, 19-31).  And in the name of the Father he calls “cursed” those who do not take care of the vital necessities of his neighbor (Mt 25, 41-45) ““How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! (Luke 18, 24) for “no one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.” (Mt 6, 24).  According to Jesus, the only way to make just the unjust riches is by giving it to the poor (Mt 19, 21: Mk 10, 21; Lk 18,22).

How can we as a Church, as a Diocese make present the Kingdom of God in the society in which we live? We must announce the Kingdom of God among men.  Like the Seventy, the people of God are heralds of the kingdom sent forth as lambs among wolves to proclaim the Good News. The Church constitutes on earth the seed and beginning of the kingdom. It must become a reality wherever God is reigning by means of His grace and His love.

How can we be an obstacle to the work of building up the kingdom?  By being static, not forward thinking and considering what church we are leaving for those who follow.  By being content with not doing anything.  By pretending that we have nothing else to do.  In thinking that others will do what is our own responsibility to do.  By breaking bonds of communication with each other.  By not resolving old animosities.  By blaming everything on someone else and not accepting our own sins and faults.  When we forget about the importance of the petition we make practically every day: “may your kingdom come”, kingdom of peace, justice, of life and truth, kingdom that will only be achieved by the hardworking.

We must be about the work that Christ has laid before us as we pray the prayer of the ancient Church, “Come, Lord Jesus, come!” As a diocese, we need to learn a lesson from those who design automobiles. As we drive we notice that cars have big windshields, but small rearview mirrors. We need to consider where we have been, that is important. But, our primary focus needs to be on where we are going. We must focus on moving forward with the work that Christ has placed before us, or we will surely crash, like a driver who spends too much time fixed on his rearview mirror.

My prayer this Advent is that this diocese will sing the hymn mentioned above with preparation and anxious expectation. That we will be constantly preparing for the kingdom of God to come, while being the incarnation of that kingdom in our world.

In Christ and Benedict,

+Bp. J. Alberto Morales, IX Bishop of Quincy

Christ the King Sunday

Below is the reflection that I wrote for soon-to-be subdeacon Ryan to read at the early service this past Sunday.

And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews." One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." 

 Luke (23:33-43)

As today is Christ the King Sunday, many would consider the Gospel selected something of a strange choice. Why would you select the crucifixion for the Sunday in the year where our focus is especially on Christ on his throne in heaven. The choice of Gospel is reminiscent of a scene from C.S. Lewis’, The Great Divorce.

The scene is in the outskirts of heaven – not quite to the Promised Land, and the presence of God – two bishops are having a conversation about the tragedy of the crucifixion, and how much good Jesus could have doe had his life not been “cut short”. In earthly terms, Jesus’ death on the cross at the young age of 33 is a tragedy, especially considering the promise that he showed as a young rabi.  We cannot fault these two bishops their fantasy about the great teacher Jesus might have become, had he been given a life of 60, 70, or even 80 years. Or, can we?

We must never forget that Jesus was born into this world to be the Christ – the Messiah – not to be a great teacher, preacher, or social activist.  We can never allow ourselves to forget that God loved the world so much that he gave his only son so that all that believe in him should not parish, but have everlasting life. Jesus sole purpose for taking human flesh was to open the gates of Heaven for us by paying the price for our sins.

If Jesus had been merely a man, his early death would have been a tragedy. He was a great teacher with a solid following, although many fell away, and one turned him over to be executed. He was a worker of miracles – the lame were healed, the sick were cured, the deaf could hear, the blind could see, and even the dead were raised. But, he was not just a man, he had another mission. He came into the world to save those whom he had made – us – from the punishment that they deserved – death. In this light, his crucifixion is far from tragic, it is his ultimate victory. When he cried out from the cross, “It is finished,” he is declaring victory over the enemy. So, let’s answer the question that the mockers asked on that fateful day.

“The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’" Why did he not call a legion of angels down from heaven to defeat those who were killing him? He could have stopped the whole process at any time, but at what cost. Jesus, the eternal Son of God knew exactly what he was doing. He had submitted his human will to the divine will he was, in the eternal sense, taking one for the team. He did not have to die, but he accepted the punishment that we deserved. By doing this, he won the victory for us, for all eternity. It is through this sacrifice that Jesus allows us to enter into his eternal kingdom. When he told the repentant thief, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise," he is not only making a promise to a single sinner on a single day, but he is promising all sinners – that would be everyone – that, if they accept him as their Lord and Savior, on the day that they leave this life, they will be with him in his kingdom.

Jesus’ death on the cross is tragic for the ruler of this world. Through this act of obedience, Satan is defeated once and for all. And that, we should celebrate. So, let us rejoice in our King, Jesus Christ who has won the victory.