Entering into
the reality of Easter ... "In a few days it will
be Easter. As
we get ready for the feast, it is always worth asking how we enter into
its
reality. This is not just a contemporary question, but also one that
faced the
very first believers ... Mary’s grief and wrong assumptions
were not answered by an argument, but by a relationship, by that voice
that
knew her. You can't argue about whether or not Easter is true any more
than you
can argue about whether or not you can swim – you have to get into the
water. Except for the extraordinarily
small number of people who have overwhelming mystical experiences, the
only way
most of us find out if the risen Christ is not only alive but present
and
available is to try to live with him every day for fifty days, to
participate
in his life through prayer, acts of love, and participation in the life
of his
body the Church. Watch and listen for signs of a new reality; practice
assuming
that death does not rule. And listen for Jesus’ voice. At the Easter
celebration we debate nothing – we do invite people into community as we
go to
meet him." [Bishop Paul's column from the
April issue of Diocesan Life. Read
more here.
The Paschal Mystery –– In the dying is the rising ... "The Triduum celebrates a dynamic that God revealed in Jesus. It is, at once, the dynamic of divine life and the dynamic of human life. Jesus, in his divinity, reveals that God forsakes everything for us mortals; and, when all is finished, God remains glorious. The human Jesus reveals that when mortals like us forsake everything for the sake of God, we share in God’s glory. The mystery is the same, whether we consider Jesus as the divine mortal or as the human God. All of this goes entirely against the grain and defies logic. Death and life are opposites; they cannot be intertwined. Yet, the story of Jesus is that they are. Anyone who would be Jesus’ disciple must claim it as true, even if it seems impossible. [A reflection by Patrick Malloy, professor of liturgics at General Seminary and rector of Grace Allentown. Read it all here.]
Meet Christ in your dorm this week ... The Episcopal Church's Committee for Young Adult Ministry has prepared an online Stations of the Cross that's worth clicking through. It features "original artwork and meditations by young adults from around the church. [H/T to Torey Lightcap, reporting at Episcopal Cafe]
Presiding Bishop's
Easter Message ... Find it here.
Revenge
and Forgiveness ... Psychological research and brain
science might be reframing how we think of both. Explore ways to calm
the revenge instinct in ourselves. More
at Speaking of Faith.
Diocesan Training for Ministry ... Saturday, April 24, Wilkes-Barre. Find schecule, workshop descriptions and online registration here.
Simplify your life to reduce stress ... Stress is part of life, but it doesn't have to rule your life. Fight stress by simplyfying and decluttering your life and mind. Read more here. [H/T to Diana Marshall]
Dive In: A Day Exploring Baptism ... Saturday, May 8. St. Luke's Scranton. What does it mean to be baptized and to live a baptized life? How can you nurture your life in Christ? How can your congregation live more deeply into baptismal ministry? This day of Christian Formation will offer resources for parents, Christian educators, clergy, and anyone seeking a deeper life in Christ. More info here.
Far from heaven ... Resurrection—the
physical reality, not the metaphorical
interpretation—puts everything we imagine about heaven to the test. Lisa
Miller's
new book, Heaven: Our Enduring Fascination With the Afterlife,
argues that while 80 percent of Americans say they believe in heaven,
few of us have the slightest clue about what we mean. Read more in Newsweek.
Bishop Gene
Robinson joins DC think tank as senior fellow ... Announcement here.
Interview
here,
at the Center for American Progress. More
by Andrew Gerns at Episcopal Cafe.
What's Happening? ... Diocesan Events. Including, during April and May, Province III Youth Event, Christophany, Diocesan Training Day Creating a Culture of Peace, Dive-in A Day Exploring Baptism, Diocesan ECW Annual Meeting. (One correction: the June 29 Ordination will take place in Wilkes-Barre, at St. Stephen's Pro-Cathedral.)
Diocesan Life, April ... Download it here.
AARP TaxAide ... [From Marty Cottrell] This free service is for taxpayers of all ages filing individual PA income, Federal income, local earned income taxes and PA Property Tax and Rent Rebate applications. While we can do self-employed taxpayers who only file a schedule C-EZ, we do not do business returns, taxpayers with rental properties and several other complex tax categories. Find an AARP TaxAide site near you by calling 1-888-AARPNOW (1-888-227-7669) or visiting the AARP web page.
Chrism Mass Sermon ... At the Cathedral. By Bill Lewellis. Find it here.
Papal
resources for reporters ... Pope Benedict XVI is coming under
increasing scrutiny and intense criticism as revelations of sexual
abuse by clergy emerge across Europe. A few of the cases are connected
to his own tenure as Archbishop of Munich (1977-1982), while others
concern his long career as top doctrinal official at the Vatican. Where
will this lead? Read more.
As opening day approaches ... Via Bill Moyers, NYU president John Sexton's Baseball as a Road to God: A Reading List. This reading list serves as the syllabus for a seminar he leads by that name. [H/T to Helen Mosher reporting at Episcopal Cafe]
Applications for Gressle, Leonard Hall and Shannon Fund college scholarships are available for the 2010-2011 school year. The Leonard Hall Scholarship –– Download 10LeonardHall.pdf or Download 10LeonardHall.doc –– is designed for diocesan youth active in youth ministries. The Gressle Scholarship –– Download 10Gressle.pdf or Download 10Gressle.doc –– is for sons of clergy canonically resident in the diocese. The Shannon Fund Scholarship is for daughters of clergy resident in Pennsylvania. Priority is given to clergy families in the Diocese of Bethlehem. Shannon Fund applications may be obtained from Edna Rauco at Trinity Church, Pottsville (570-622-8720) or by email. Deadline for all Shannon Fund applications is April 30. Deadline for Leonard Hall and Gressle Scholarships, awarded in June, is May 15. Checks are mailed in August. If you cannot download the applications, please contact Archdeacon Howard Stringfellow or Ely Valentin for Leonard Hall and Gressle Scholarships at Diocesan House, 610-691-5655, ext. 222 or 1-800-358-5655.
Episcopal News
Service Weekly Bulletin Inserts ... [For Easter Sunday] Presiding
Bishop
Katharine Jefferts Schori calls on Episcopalians to stretch
their spiritual muscles in order to 'insist on resurrection everywhere
we turn' in her 2010 Easter message. Inserts available in English and
Spanish here.
Bakery ... The best place by far to post news or information about your parish is on the interactive list of the Diocese of Bethlehem (the House of Bread) called the Bakery. In order to post there, however, you have to be joined to the list. Join at the "Get Connected" page at the DioBeth website. Bakery has some 200 addresses. If you post something about your parish on Bakery, however, I will most likely include it also on the twice-weekly newSpin newsletter which goes to some 1,000 addresses. And Kat may pick it up for use in Diocesan Life.
Theology after
Google ... Eclectic Claremont School of Theology conference
analyzes the future of
American Christianity, which participants say must embrace technology to
survive. Just call them members of Church 2.0. More
here. H/T to Torey Lightcap, reporting at
Episcopal Cafe.
Finding information ... The Diobeth website and newSpin blog work hand in hand. If you can't find the info you seek at the website, please search at the newSpin blog.
For daily news, info and commentary, visit the newSpin blog, the Episcopal Cafe and Episcopal Life Online.
The Diocese of Bethlehem ... DioBethWebsite ... newSpin Blog ... DiobethKids ... Share the Bread ... Bakery (Get Connected) ... Audio ... Photos ... On Twitter ... On Facebook ... On YouTube ...
The Episcopal Church ... Website ... NewsLine ... News & Notices ... InfoLine ... Episcopal Life Online ... FastFacts ... Calendar ... I am Episcopalian ... Weekly Bulletin Inserts ... On Twitter ... On Facebook ... and on YouTube.
Find earlier issues of the newSpin newsletter here.
In Loving Memory of Adrienne Elizabeth (Bruchok) Selgrath. Born March 23, 1979. Raised, baptised, confirmed and married in the Cathedral Chruch of the Nativity. Died March 26, 2010. Buried in the Cathedral Church of the Nativity.
Posted by: Garry Bruchok | March 30, 2010 at 01:31 PM