Summer's Relentless Return

Today is the last day of school. My sister has three children, two boys and a girl, and she greets summer with bitter-sweet feelings. Summer returns relentlessly. It seems as if we just began the school year, then May comes around and the end of school year festivities begin. The children are free from school and they are at home looking for things to do. Sometimes summer can be an anxious time when we try to fill our children’s days with activities to keep them from boredom, but relax.

One of the readings for today is taken from Proverbs 22:6. It tells us:

Train children in the right way,
and when old, they will not stray.

I remember my summers as a child in West Texas. We had no organized activities. We simply spent the entire summer playing with friends in our back yard or the back yards of our friends. It was a wonderful, carefree time. Your summers may have been very much the same, and truth be told, we all didn’t turn out that badly. We were, in the words of Proverbs, trained in the right way. We learned to enjoy time together with friends. It was fellowship.

Many children will spend summer with us at St. George and St. Patrick’s summer program. What a time of fellowship! Seeing old friends and meeting new ones while enjoying time together as they grow in wisdom and grace. They are children trained in the right way who are learning to enjoy the fruits of fellowship.

So have fun and enjoy summer’s relentless return.

Peace,

Chester J. Makowski
Priest Intern
Sts. George & Patrick Episcopal Community

"My Name Is Earl"

One of today’s reading from the Lectionary for the Daily Office is taken from chapter 17 of the Book of Proverbs. Here are a few of the verses which particularly struck me this morning:

Those who mock the poor insult their Maker;

those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

Evil will not depart from the house of one who returns evil for good.

I don’t know if you are in the habit of watching television. Unfortunately, I am. One of the programs that my wife and I regularly watch is “My Name Is Earl.” Earl is a ner-do-well who is in and out of prison for petty crimes. One day he wins the lottery, and decides to begin a new life where he repays all of those people whom he has hurt over the years. He has robbed people, made fun of them and done things that hindered people from becoming what they could have been.

The verses from Proverbs in the Old Testament remind me of Earl, and his quest to right the wrongs he has done to others. But Earl is trying to right the wrongs because he perceives in it a reward for himself. He calls it “karma.” (It is a concept in Hinduism which explains causality through a system where beneficial effects are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful effects from past harmful actions, creating a system of actions and reactions throughout a person's reincarnated lives.) We might know it as “what goes around, comes around.”

Christianity is different though. Ideally, Christians do good not because they seek a reward for themselves, but out of love—out of love for God and their neighbor. Christians are called to do good even to those who do evil to them.

Praise the Lord!

The Psalm appointed for Morning Prayer today is Psalm 148. The Psalmist invites us to:

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!

Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!

Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!

Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created.

He established them for ever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!

Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and women alike, old and young together!

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.

He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord!

On this holiday, let us pause and give God praise for His wonderful creation. Just look around. One cannot but help to see the wonder and goodness of God in all that He made. On this day of rest, take a minute to see God's grandeur in the leaf of a tree, a blade of grass, a child playing in the backyard full of wonder and life, and in the face of an elderly person with years of wisdom.

While we take our rest, let us also remember all of those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice and given their lives in service to this nation and the world. Let us especially remember all of those currently serving the armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan this Memorial Day, and pray for their safe return home.

Peace,

Lift Up Your Eyes

One of the Psalms appointed for today's morning prayer is Psalm 123. The Psalmist writes, "I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."



In the midst of life's joys and sorrows, there is one constant if we dare to lift up our eyes. It is the Creator of all in whom live, move and have our being. Today, take the time to lift up your eyes and to see who sustains us in good times and in bad. It is the Lord.



Peace,



Chester J. Makowski

Priest Intern

Sts. George & Patrick Episcopal Community

Houston, Texas