“Face-time” with Jesus...

From the vicar…

My heart is still singing following Mass this morning at Bethany House!  What an amazing God we serve – a God who loves us, knows us each by name, and who is calling us to enter more deeply into his life of grace and mercy!

I went back to Bethany House this evening to pray Evening Prayer and to sit quietly in the Presence of Jesus (his Sacramental Presence in the Tabernacle).  I was amazed, as I always am, at the sense of peace I find in entering Bethany House and the Chapel of Saints Mary and Martha.

As the Lord spoke to me through his word and in my heart, I couldn’t help but wonder how many people pass Bethany House each day, not knowing what they’re passing.  Yes, the sign is out front.  Yes, the cross sits atop the roof.  But do they know that Jesus is both spiritually and physically present (in the reserve Sacrament in the Tabernacle) in that little house?

I’m so thankful for what the Lord has given us in Bethany House.  I prayed a simple prayer tonight, as I let the Lord spill his love over me:

“Lord Jesus, call us – and your whole Church – out of our concerns, fears, and complacency.  Enable us to take the risks involved in following you without reserve.  Give us the grace to say ‘yes’ when you ask us to overcome our fear of the unknown or when you ask us to surrender something we have loved or when you lead us into the depths of other peoples’ problems.  Lord Jesus, strengthen us to become stronger disciples.”

If you haven’t begun making time for Eucharistic Adoration (quietly sitting with Jesus in the Chapel, listening to him, bearing your heart to him, praying the Daily Office or the Rosary), please consider doing so.  Yes, we can pray anywhere.  But Bethany House, the Chapel of Saints Mary and Martha, is an outpost of heaven (like every Church with a Tabernacle that houses the Blessed Sacrament).

“Face-time” with Jesus makes all the difference!  Spend some time with him.  You’ll love it – and you’ll love him more deeply – I can vouch for it!!

God bless you, brothers and sisters!

Father Todd

Prodigal Son Reminder...

Hello, friends!

Don’t forget to read the Preface and Introduction of Father Henri Nouwen’s “Return of the Prodigal Son” for Thursday evening’s Soup & Study!

The journal questions are in this week’s “Our Life Together” – there are still copies of the Preface/Introduction and “Our Life Together” in the narthex at Bethany House.

See you Thursday evening!

Father Todd

Rosary Prayer Group...

From the vicar...

Here are the devotions I wrote for tonight’s Rosary prayer group at Bethany House (in case you’d like to use them again).  They begin with the prayers for the virtues of faith, hope, and love.  Then come the five Sorrowful Mysteries (the agony in the garden, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, the carrying of the cross, and the crucifixion)...

For the Virtue of Faith: Lord Jesus, pour into us the gift of faith.  Deepen our trust in what you reveal about yourself.  Fill us with the knowledge of who you are.  Holy Mother, pray for us, that the beauty of your Son would fill every corner of our souls.

For the Virtue of Hope: Lord Jesus, help us to lean on you.  When we are weak and worried, teach us to look to you for our provision and victory.  Holy Mother, pray for us, that the sturdiness of your Son would fill every corner of our souls.

For the Virtue of Love: Lord Jesus, help us to love as you love.  Separate from us all desire to hold something back.  Teach us to love you and our neighbors with complete abandon.  Holy Mother, pray for us, that the passion of your Son would fill every corner of our souls.

The First Sorrowful Mystery – The Agony of our Lord Jesus in the Garden: Lord Jesus, you asked the disciples to stay awake with you, to be near you, to wait and watch with you.  They did not.  Too often, we fall prey to the same weakness in our walk with you.  We are distracted or we talk ourselves into following you with less passion and attentiveness.  We sit with you now.  We want to hear your voice.  Holy Mother, pray for us, that we may hear what the disciples missed.

The Second Sorrowful Mystery – The Scourging of our Lord Jesus at the Post: Lord Jesus, you were led like a lamb to the slaughter.  The Roman soldiers literally pulled your flesh from you as they whipped you.  We confess that we do the same when we allow our thoughts and words to become biting and hurtful.  Whether we speak them against you or our neighbors, they wound you most of all.  We see your eyes.  We see the pain.  We see the imploring call to forgive.  Holy Mother, pray for us, that we may surrender our hurts to the Lamb of God.

The Third Sorrowful Mystery – The Crowing of our Lord Jesus with Thorns: Lord Jesus, as the soldiers mocked you, they pierced your brow with thorns and covered you with a purple cloak.  We deeply suspect that their mocking was fueled by fear and anxiety – the fear and anxiety that rise up when our fallen nature comes into contact with your holiness.  Even though it was meant to demean you, your kingly nature shown through the blood and pain.  Silence our fears and doubts, King Jesus, and raise us up in your love.  Holy Mother, pray for us, that our hearts would render to your Son the homage due our King.

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery – The Carrying of the Cross by our Lord Jesus: Lord Jesus, in taking up the cross you opened your wounds; you felt the insult being added to the injury.  What we forget is that the weight of that cross was the weight of our sinfulness multiplied billions of times.  When you took that cross upon your shoulders, you took us upon your shoulders.  You carried us to Calvary, to show us what love could do.  In our hearts we feel shame, but we know your heart only felt love.  Holy Mother, pray for us, that our hearts and minds would fall silent before this miracle.

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery – The Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus: Lord Jesus, our astonishment at your love and friendship is pierced by the sound of the hammer striking the nails.  The cries of your agony make us want to stand far from you.  We want to forget about you, just like the disciples in the garden.  And even though we want to stand far off, we know that we cannot.  We struggle to come nearer to you.  We fight the images of our sins – the sins that are holding you to the cross and tearing life from you.  But we also know that you are setting us free.  You are building a bridge for us, that we might walk back to the Father and be filled with the Spirit.  Holy Mother, pray for us, that the agony we see will for ever change us.

God bless you!

Father Todd

God’s True Identity...

From the vicar...

Be careful, Church.  Contrary to popular sentiment, God is not what the movies or novels say.  Stories like “The Shack” are allegory and helpful, but they are NOT sacred Scripture.  God is who the Bible says he is.

God is not a little boy sharing a Twinkie or a homeless woman.  As Christians we seek to serve and love such persons as if they were Jesus, but we do not identify them as God.

This is an important distinction - we do not worship a fellow human being.  Let God’s Word - the Bible - be your touchstone for thinking on this issue.  Be careful what you believe and share, and where you get your information.

God’s identity is a matter of his self-revelation to us in sacred Scripture, not a matter of fanciful story-making that has no grounding in reality.  What we believe about God’s identity determines whether or not we are redeemed from sin and death.

Father Todd

New Beginnings Fashion Show...

Hey, Bethany House​ family and friends!

Don't forget this great opportunity to join New Beginnings - this coming Saturday (March 18) in Winchester!

Join us at the Fashion Show fundraiser for New Beginnings on Saturday at 11am.  Please join us.

Go to New Beginnings and give any donation and tell us the number of tickets to reserve for you.  We want you there!

Support life - help New Beginnings to help others.

Some Good News...

The exodus from the apostate Episcopal Church continues.

The large and evangelically vibrant Diocese of South Carolina (one of the original dioceses that formed the Episcopal Church in 1785 - following the separation from the Church of England after American independence was won from Great Britain) has voted to join the Anglican Church in North America!

You can read more here: Diocese of South Carolina to Join ACNA

Welcome home, brothers and sisters!!

A Lenten Thought...

From the vicar...

I hate to say this, but sometimes believers in Jesus can be the most self-absorbed people on the face of the earth.  Maybe this Lent should be about the Lord squeezing all the self-absorption out of us, making us ready to receive more of him?  Just a thought (after all, he was squeezed, abused, stricken, mocked, and crucified - just for love of us).

Father Todd