Volume 3 Number 4
Fourth Quarter 2015
Contents
From the Editor............................................................................................ page 4 The Book Corner.......................................................................................... page 6 Checkpoint:................................................................................................... page 7 Faith, Light, Hope, Joy and Love................................................................ page 8 The Temple Scroll and the Reign of God................................................ page 10 Purgatory .................................................................................................... page 12 The Gift of Flowers..................................................................................... page 14 For the Misunderstood.............................................................................. page 16 Katholic Kitchens (Christmas Version).................................................. page 20 Christmas Trees.......................................................................................... page 25 Christmas Reflection................................................................................. page 27 Fourth Quarter Liturgical Calendar........................................................ page 35 Fourth Quarter Crossword Puzzle........................................................... page 38 Front Cover Image: .Mystical Nativity by Sandro Botticelli [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Back Cover Image: Heures de Charles VIII 036R Nativité by By Maître de Jacques de Besançon, fin XVe siècle [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Convergent Streams
The Rev. Fr. Kenneth Nelan, OPoc
Vol 3 No 4
The Rev. Father Bryan Wolf, OPoc
This publication is an outreach ministry serving the entire Independent Sacramental Movement, operated by the International Old Catholic Churches publishing office, the Office of Communications and Media Relations. Copyright 2012-2015 All rights reserved. Executive Editor: The Right Rev. Gregory Godsey, FESC
The Right Rev. Tom Shortell
Guest Writers: Rev. Deacon Dennis Klinzing, FESC/n The Rev. Fr. Tom Roberts The Rev. Fr. Rick Romero, OSF The Rev. Fr. Andrew Smith
Managing Editor: The Very Rev. David S. Jennings Contributing Editors: Brenda Eckels Burrows, aMGC 3
From the Editor The Right Rev. Gregory W. Godsey editor@convergentstreams.org
As 2015 draws to a close, I look back at all the amazing things that have happened both in my life spiritually and physically. It has been a year of ups and downs for sure! In the last edition I spoke about accepting the mantle of the office of the Presiding Bishop for the International Old Catholic Churches. It has certainly been an interesting ride since then. I am so very blessed to have so many fine men and women of God surrounding me during this transition. They have been supportive, patient and kind throughout this bumpy ride. Speaking of the International Old Catholic Churches, many of you may already be aware, but for those that aren’t I want to mention a few things that have been going on in our jurisdiction. The biggest news by far has come from the Diocese of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (which covers New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania). The Cathedral Church fo the Diocese, Saint Miriam, has purchased a rather large property that contains a former Lutheran church, preschool building, cemetery and several acres of land that will be used to build an even larger facility later this year and into next year. The entire project comes with a rather large price tag, however, the good people of Saint Miriam have stepped up to the plate and have given from their hearts to this project. You can see an interior picture on the next page.
to bring in and train good men and women of faith, our church implemented a 6 month discernment period on top of all the other requirements to help further weed out those who are looking for a quick ordination or those who are flighty. We have already seen some come and go due to this process, however, the number of quality applicants has grown. Over the next few months, we will be adding to our numbers in the church. Men and women who are already ordained and who are incardinating from other jurisdictions will begin to show up on our website. We are thrilled to have each and every one of them and hopefully they will take time to write something for Convergent Streams from time to time. Things are also looking good outside our jurisdiction. Father Rick Romero has continued releasing his Faces and Places videos on Universal Spirit Broadcasting Network after a brief pause. You will find his ad about the newest interviews in this quarter’s magazine. It is also good to have articles from our regular contributers and from some new faces. As always, if you want to write for Convergent Streams, we would be happy to hear from you. You can find more information on the web at http://www. convergentstreams.org. Blessings!
As part of our continued commitment 4
+Gregory
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The Bilingual Bishop The Right Rev. Tom Shortell uaccmex@gmail.com
The Book Corner A Review of Maurice Monette’s Confessions of a Gay Married Priest.
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his is the time in salvation history when faith and spirituality are beginning to reign over religiosity. Our society is experiencing a renewed spiritual awakening, a kairos, not only for those groups of people who have been marginalized and ostracized by institutionalized religion, but for many of the general faithful as well. People are re-evaluating, re-thinking and analyzing their religion, especially the Catholic Christian religion, perhaps for the first time. Maurice Monette describes this renewal and discovery through his own personal faith journey in his book, Confessions of a Gay Married Priest. Through a skillfully crafted literary style as diverse as his own faith journey, he brings an honest and clarifying simplicity to profound truths; truths that were learned through personal pain, isolation and loneliness. Mr. Monette succeeds in his goal, for this reader at least, of drawing the individual into a sacred space for personal reflection and meditation of one’s own spiritual adventure through life. As I read this spiritual memoir, I
was often times thrown back into my own memory of similar experiences and feelings. For anyone with the desire and courage to reconcile their identity with their faith and spirituality, this totally candid and personal memoir will give you those “Aha!” moments that will lead to your renewal and reconnection to the divine. In his one act play, The Angel That Troubled the Waters (1928), based on the Gospel of John 5:1-4, Thornton Wilder reminds us, “In Love’s service, only the wounded soldier can serve.” Maurice Monette emerged a triumphant soldier in the war to find spiritual coherence with his sexual identity. In Love’s service, he discloses his entire being so that the seeking reader may find truth, freedom, happiness, love, and peace. Don’t deprive yourself of this opportunity. (Although Confessions is available on Amazon, author Monette, who lives here in Mexico part time, is looking for a publisher and distributor. See http:// gaymarriedpriest.com/ Bishop Tom Shortell, OSFC, D.Min. is the Bishop Ordinary for Mexico for the United American Catholic Church.
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Guest Writer Brenda Eckels Burrows, aMGC brendaanneckels@gmail.com
Checkpoint: A Review Of The Book “Stranger At The Gate: To Be Gay And Christian In America”
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his brand new year of 2015 had barely time to develop the ability to totter around, when the United States, for better or worse, woke up one morning to discover that yet again the chaos of modern Presidential electioneering was about to descend upon the population. By suggestion, I was recommended Mel White’s 1994 autobiography, and in it I discovered both an incredible life journey of a Christian leader, family man, writer, and activist. As the winter ended and spring blossomed into summer, I also became aware that even though gay marriage was now legal throughout the nation, 21 years later Independent Catholic Churches, despite a long history of LGBTQ inclusiveness, still could learn many lessons from this book. Anyone who was Christian and aged13 to 70 in the late 1960’s, 1970’s, or even 1980’s probably knew Mel or at least his work. A cradle Evangelical Christian, he was born July 26, 1940, and even today, approaching 75, has an active Facebook,
active tag on Tumblr, and is still speaking and writing on faith, discrimination, and how sexuality, sexual identity, and gender are God given gifts. White was one of the legions of behind-the-scenes workers in the Evangelical Protestant movement through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. He was an active member of Youth For Christ, wrote film and television specials like the 1963-1964 Dream Island, shot in 16mm film, which was also his Master’s thesis. A large portion of his career was spent not just writing and producing films and TV shows, but also ghostwriting auto-biographies, speeches, and other materials for televangelists such as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Billy Graham. Stranger At The Gate recounts his story as a struggling, desperate-to-becured homosexual living as best he could with a brutal and forthright honesty that makes the glossy autobiographies of other nationally known clergy pale in comparison. He recounts the prayers, therapy, “ex-gay” movement. Shock (Continued on page 31) 7
Guest Writer The Rev. Father Andrew Smith sscyrilandmethodius@yahoo.com
Faith, Light, Hope, Joy and Love OUR “ADVENT MISSION”
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he spiritual joy that marks the Christian faith is that we are waiting for the coming of the Lord, and our entry into a life of eternal communion with God as well as our willingness to bear our share of the Christian work-load, to do our bit, in our time, to realize the goals of Jesus in our world. In these times of economic austerity and budget cuts that are endlessly debated, we often need to be reminded of the blessings in our lives, our reasons to be joyful. For example, the love we enjoy with our family and friends, the pleasure of meeting new people, of awakening some dormant talent, by taking a course of adult education; the solidarity we feel in our local community when people willingly help their neighbors with their needs; the consolation to be found in prayer. Many examples can be named, to illustrate God’s blessing in our lives: reasons to be joyful. Like the writer C.S. Lewis wrote, we too can be “surprised by joy,” and rediscover gladness and meaning in life.
Isaiah 61:10 is brimful of joy and hope. Israel radiates as a joyful bride coming to her bridegroom adorned for a lavish wedding. Paul’s words in 1Thessalonians continue the theme of hope and joy in a community that lives by the life of Christ. (1Thess. 5:16-24) The Gospel of John 1:6-8,19-28, pictures the work of John the Baptist, who came to witness to God’s light upon this earth. This is not joyousness without responsibility, it’s a joy that is found when people find and carry out their true mission in life. Isaiah speaks of one anointed and sent to bring good news to the oppressed – words that were adopted by Jesus to describe his own life’s purpose – just as they should also be made real in the life of every Christian. Those privileged to share in Jesus’ spiritual life must also share in his concerns and desires. We are called to “advent-mission”; to help the needy, to carry on “the project of Jesus” – the commitment he always showed to people on the margins- His “good news for the poor”. Those whose 8
lives are peaceful and prosperous should not to be afraid to let the pain of the needy come through to them and touch them. The sort of carefree joy that lets us shut our eyes to the seamier side of life, and “pass by on the other side,” is not the authentic joy announced in scripture. Care for our neglected neighbors may stand in a certain tension with our personal sense of joy, but the two can and should be blended into the lifestyle of anybody who wants to build their life on Jesus. We all ask questions because, at heart, we have an instinct for seeking and searching after truth. This is a life-long search. We can never get to the point in this life where we can say, ‘I now have the total truth.’ The gospel declares that God is truth — and God is always beyond us. We can never fully grasp God with our minds or our hearts. Yet we have to be faithful to the search for truth, even if along the way we find ourselves making painful discoveries that involve letting go of long-held and cherished convictions. We keep trying to come closer to the truth, the truth about our world, about each other, about ourselves as individuals, and about God. We keep questioning in the hope that our questioning will bring us closer to the truth. In our search for our own personal truth, two of the big questions that drives us are, ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Why am I doing what I am doing?’ We seek after our identity, in the broadest sense of that term, and we try to clarify for ourselves the ultimate purpose that drives all we do and say. How many of you, when you go out to a restaurant cross yourselves and say grace. Why not? Are you not as grateful for that meal as you are when you dine at home? Are you afraid to identify part of yourself? In John’s gospel, two
big questions are put to John the Baptist by the religious authorities, ‘Who are you?’ and ‘Why are you baptizing?’ In answer to the first question, John began by declaring who he was not. He was clear that he was not the Christ, the Messiah. John did not try to be more than he was. Later on in the gospel of John, using an image drawn from a wedding celebration, he would say of himself that he was not the bridegroom, only the friend of the bridegroom who rejoices at the bridegroom’s voice. John declares himself to be the voice crying in the wilderness; he is not the Word, only the voice; he is not the light, only the witness to the light. When John was asked why he was doing what he was doing, why he was baptizing, he declared that he baptized to make known the ‘one who stands among you, unknown to you.’ He did what he was doing to open people’s eyes to the person standing among them, to the Messiah who was in their midst without their realizing it. There was a great light shining among them that many were unaware of, and John had come to bear witness to that light. John did what he did because of who he was. Would it not then make sense to not hide who you are and why you do what you do? ‘Who are you?’ is a question we can answer at many different levels. We can simply give our name, or give or parents’ names; we can answer it by giving our professional qualifications, or by naming the role or the position we have in life. Yet, the deepest level, the most fundamental level, at which we can answer that question, is the spiritual level. Who am I at that deepest, most spiritual, level of my being? Who am I before God? Who is God calling me to be? Here, John the Baptist, the great Advent saint, can be of (Continued on page 29) 9
Guest Writer The Rev. Father Tom Roberts sacralkingship@yahoo.com
The Temple Scroll and the Reign of God
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he drama of the cosmic temple liturgy the purpose of which has not been understood by most Christian communities. Since temple scroll was originally was originally published in the Dead Sea Scrolls collection found in 1947. These liturgical texts often use dates and cosmic time sequences to show the action of Yahweh in His Temple which is in the realm of the Heavenly Spheres. The cycle begins on New Year’s Day and consists of 364 days in the solar year. The lunar was calculated at 354 days. The New Year begins with a priestly consecration which was a fixed calculation on a Wednesday. This practice followed Exodus 29:8 that celebrated the consecration of Aaron and his sons. (Ex 29 and Lev 8) After the consecration, on the next Sunday, the drama of Creation began to unfold. The glory of the sun was created on the fourth day. This coincides with the fact that the calendar was indeed solar and solar creative days were a part of the original temple cosmology.
“The fact that the biblical test demands that Passover be celebrated in the spring (requiring an adjustment of the lunar calendar to the solar year) and that the exodus be also commemorated during the agricultural fall festival (for which there is no historical basis at that time of the year) clearly indicates a close association between the two phases.” (p. 182, The Biblical and Historical Background of the Jewish Holy Days, Abraham P. Bloch, KTAV Publishing House, Inc, New York, 1978) Following the priestly consecrations there was a series of First Fruits Festivals. Leviticus 23 announces new barley and wheat festivals which were 50 days apart. The barley was the first crop to ripen. The scripture shows the Festival of First Fruits was to be celebrated after the Paschal sacrifice which was the day after the Sabbath, hashshabbat Leviticus 23:11-15. The Pharisees believed the word Sabbath meant “festival” so the day after the beginning of the Passover Festival was what was meant in this case. The Sadducees did not hold this position. 10
Now, the discovery of the Temple Scroll provides a third date which this scroll maintains is the Sunday after the Sunday designated by the Sadducees. The Pharisees would have begun the New Barley Festival even on a Monday in some cases and the Sadducean observation could fall as late as in the month of May. The wheat harvest was followed by the Oil Festivals which would picture the eschatological temple and the pouring out of the New Wine from the teachings of the Messiah. The Rabbis believed when the Messiah would return, He would provide bread and wine and teach us the true interpretation of Torah in the New World. The First Fruits Festival calculation coincide precisely with the ripening of the barley and the wheat harvests in ancient Israel. The barley ripens in the early spring. Grapes in the middle of the summer and the olives in late the summer towards autumn. Coupled with the Feast of Tabernacles was the Festival of Wood which lasted six days. (Lev 19:1) In the Book of Judges, chapter 9, verse 7-27, the verses include the Parable of the Trees. Verse ten states “Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ (NRSV) Didn’t Our Lord say to the fig tree near the temple mount, you shall bear no fruit? (Mat 21:18-21) The tree bore no fruit and as a symbolic result the Temple was destroyed in AD 70. The story in Judges 9:27 was the rebellion of Gaal son of Eded against Abimelech at the Shechem temple. The term hullulim contained in verse 27 may show the Wine Festival was also observed in the Shechem Temple. The Manual of Discipline (1QS 1:162:25) included a renewal of the covenant ceremony which would begin the cycle of renewal again. As Jacob Milgrom correctly observes; “According to the table, all Qumran’s
first-fruits festival fall on a Sunday. Here lies one of their lasting contributions. Bearing in mind that they observed the day of rest on the Sabbath, we see that they now rested also on Sunday.” (p. 129, The Temple in Antiquity – Ancient Records and Modern Perspectives, ed., Truman G. Madsen, Volume Nine in the Religious Studies Monograph Series, Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, 1984) Therefore, the Wave Sheaf Offering has a great deal of support for being observed on a Sunday which would coincide with the tradition of First Fruits also being offered on the first day of the week providing a fulfillment in Christ’s resurrection, (1 Cor 15:20, Acts 20:6, Mark 16:1-2, John 20:11-22) followed by the glorious latter reign which would pave the way for Our Lord to reign over his people. Coptic expositors who believe the resurrection was on Sunday interpret Mat 28:1-7 showing patristic history which states the resurrection occurred after the Sabbath just as the First Day has fully come which, in the Coptic liturgical tradition, was approximately 10 PM after the Sabbath was finished. This position still allows for the witnesses to arrive while it was yet dark and see the dawning of the morning and the fact that He was risen. The transition is also noted in the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice; “Christ also is seen during the church age (the New Pentecost – the re-giving of the Law through the Spirit (Acts 2:14) and the new harvest of Rev 14:14-20) through the anointed times of God’s Holy Day patterns which are revealed through the opening of the seals and through the blowing of the trumpets until the seventh trumpet, the final shofar, sounds and the kingdoms of this world become the (Continued on page 29) 11
The Constabulary Christian The Rev. Father Bryan Wolf frwolf@myiocc.org
Purgatory or, do you want fries with that?
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urgatory. There I’ve said it. Perhaps the most often misunderstood concept in all of Catholicism. It gets a lot of bad press. From outside the Catholic church, as well as from within. Many Catholics grew up with an image of Purgatory as a dark scary place, filled with constant screams for help and naked tortured souls bobbing up and down in pools of molten lava and fire like French fries in a fast food cooker. Scary. Upon death there is the accepted general belief among Christian faiths that our soul goes for judgment. It is then, based upon our deeds and behaviors in life, that we are destined for either heaven or hell. Those of us who are not saints, myself included but certainly not a cold blooded killer, wonder most where our eternal destiny lies. Fortunately, my Catholic faith teaches me of a transitional place called Purgatory. If I had remained a Methodist, as I was baptized and brought up by my mother, I would be holding my breath in those final moments. Purgatory is a place of purification. Not a scary realm where we are lost in the deep fryer. Though this concept may
be attributed to Saint Ambrose of Milan (c. 340 AD) who wrote, “there is a great baptism of fire at the gates of heaven through which all souls must pass.” And perhaps no doubt reinforced by yard stick wielding nuns. Saint Catherine of Genoa (14471510) was a Catholic mystic who wrote extensively on the role of confession and Purgatory. Following a mystical experience where she reports being led above the skies of Purgatory, she describes it as a place where “the soul willingly accepts the mercy of God, cooperating with Him in allowing His grace to remove sin and all obstacles between ourselves and His eternal love.” Saint Catherine believes “the soul has an awareness that there remains something which displeases God and does not deny Him.” So we can perhaps understand that Purgatory is first our first transitional state on our eternal journey home to God. Saint Therese Couderc (18051885), founder of the Catholic Order of the Sisters of the Cenacle, give an account before her death of a mystical experience she too had of Purgatory. She said she was “shown a place of 12
great mercy and comfort, where souls chanted in unending prayers and hymns. Supplicating to His Divine Majesty, a harmony of faith and hope and love ineffable.” Still there are those, most Protestant theologies and many doubting Thomas’, who deny or dispel the existence of Purgatory. I try and tell my Protestant friends that even unconsciously their own faiths acknowledge the existence, in the practice of saying prayers for the dead. If the soul had only two options, ascending upon death to heaven- no prayers would be needed for they would be embraced in the eternal mercy and love of God. Sadly the other, hell and damnation would be an eternal separation from God and no amount of prayers could spare or save that soul from that. So, I look forward to Purgatory. I confess there is within my soul secrets and sins that only the Holy Spirit can cleanse. Purge me of my faults, renew and refresh me within the mercy of God. Let us not be fearful of the mystical place of spiritual purification. Oh and yes, hold the fries please. Father Bryan Wolf is a priest in the International Old Catholic Churches and a police officer. He resides in New Jersey with his husband. He is an associate pastor at Saint Miriam in Philadelphia, PA.
Guidelines If you would like to submit an article or if you have a comment or complaint, you may send them to editor@ convergentstreams.org in Microsoft © Word format or Adobe © PDF format. You may also mail submissions, query letters or comments to Bishop Gregory Godsey, 118 Frances Drive, North Augusta, SC 29841, USA. All submissions will be considered, but no guarantee or promise is made that said submission will be published. The editorial staff of Convergent Streams reserves the right to publish, refuse to publish or hold for publishing at a later date any submission without explanation. if you require materials returned, please enclose SASE. For more on our submission guidelines, please visit us on the web at http://www.convergentstreams.org.
Advertising Advertising space can be purchased for ads that are considered relevant to members of the Old Catholic Church or Independent Sacramental Movement. Please contact Bishop Godsey at bishopgodsey@myiocc.org for more information. As always, for more information, you can visit our website at http://www. convergentstreams.org.
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Wandering Wisdom Rev. Father Kenneth Nelan, OPoc ken.nelan@sacredwandering.com
The Gift of Flowers (From the book in progress, “Where Flowers Grow” - All Rights Reserved)
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eing the typical active child growing up in sparsely populated Dana Point, California, I scampered through the boondocks at the end of our street at every possible moment, often ignoring any danger and seldom thinking how my actions might impact the area around me. Together with a local gang of kids, I would engage in day-long adventures of pirating, playing space-cowboys, or having shoot-outs at the O-K Coral, but when it was just my brother and I, pirating was the Spanish conquest; spacecowboys was the Mexican Revolutions; and the O-K Coral was Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. Of course back in those days a gang of kids meant something completely different than it does today. Back then Dana Point was still relatively pristine and unpopulated. The untouched area at the end of our block, where we used to play, was literally an oasis of sand dunes stretching for miles in all directions. Today the dunes are gone, replaced long ago with concrete jungles and asphalt rivers; old swimming holes were filled in to make way for community shopping centers and
retirement villages. Today, when one thinks of California, sand dunes are not at the forefront of one’s mind, yet despite human intervention California is and has remained a living desert full of surprises. One such surprise came during a particularly heavy rainy season in the latter half of the 1970’s. We had just returned to the United States after visiting friends and family back home in Mexico. As young children do, I set out to explore the neighborhood to make sure nothing had changed while we were gone. Rain be damned – I was going to have fun and before I could get halfway down the block I was already barefoot and stripped of everything except shirt and pants. It’s funny, but as I look back, I remember not caring about jackets or getting sick – I just wandered around having fun. Puddles became oceans and muddy depressions became quicksand. Wonders abound when a child wanders and my mind raced! It all depended on the mood at the moment. Aside from jackets and shoes, I also didn’t much care for hand washing before snacking on sunflower seeds – eating in the middle of a mud field was the same to me as dining in the finest of restaurants. Returning to the United States that 14
year was important because it meant we moved out of our family home in Mexico and were finally settling down in the United States. Of course we would go home to Mexico now and then to visit, but the United States, specifically our home in Dana Point, was now our permanent home. Prior to settling in the home my parents just bought we lived for a year in an apartment complex in the same neighborhood so for the nine or so months we lived there my brother and I fully familiarized ourselves with the area. But that special day, just as the rains let up and the sun shared its warmth with the world, I wandered down to the end of the block like I had done so many times before thinking only of the carefully dug watering hole made at the end of the previous season. My only want was to be floating in the middle of what would eventually become a great ocean ready for all sorts of great adventures. As I approached the top of the embankment, I stopped dead in my tracks and fought to catch my breath. There, stretched out as far as I could see (which in truth wasn’t that far), was the most incredible sight any child could imagine – giants! Before my eyes stood the most spectacular display of giant sunflowers, their faces smiling in my direction as if thanking me, though I hadn’t a clue as to why. Of course, as children often do, I had completely dismissed that I often feasted on sunflower seeds during my previous banquettes on the mud. I must have spilled (or was it thrown at my brother) most, if not all of my raw sunflower snacks in the area where now stood those incredible stalks.
myself I purposefully grew those magnificent giants and being the pridefilled child I was, I slayed (uprooted) several of the giants (largest sunflowers) and struggled all the way home with my booty. It again didn’t matter that I could barely see over my prize. NO! It only mattered now that I had to show off my accomplishments to what in my mind was my patiently waiting parents. My mother’s shrieks, in my mind, were trumpets of triumph. In reality she was mortified, not at the giants making their way through the front door, but that my prized treasures were dropping hunks of sandy mud all over the front entry of our new house. Remember, kids seldom pay any attention to life’s finer details. It was more important to me that I show off my booty than it was to wash the wet dirt from the roots of the sunflowers before presenting the golden riches to my parents. The entry, living room, and kitchen each had remnants of my accomplishments strewn about as if a modern artist had flung paint from his brush. And I was incredibly happy. One never knows what the rainy season will bring. Back then, and still today, surprises were always just around the corner. That usually meant having to be willing to see the splendor of a single blade of grass (which in the hands of a child can be transformed into a deftly wielded sword!) You never knew if you would come across a field of lemon grass, fox-tails, or giant sunflowers, and you never knew into what those things would transform. I haven’t thought about those days
At some point I must have convinced
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Guest Writer The Rev. Father Rick Romero, OSF rvromerosr@gmail.com
For the Misunderstood When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:20-22, NABRE)
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inistry is a dynamic response to the Holy Spirit’s call. Christian ministry is more than simply doing something ceremonial week-to-week. Rather, it is something that Christ does in us and through us and that we do in and through Christ. As Ministers of government act not on their own but on the authority of the officials who send them, so, too, we act not on our own but on the authority of God who calls us. Jesus said, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” (John 15:16, NABRE)
missionary hymn of the twentieth century. It was first published in 1954 after having been written sixteen years earlier by a Canadian school teacher, Margaret Clarkson. Miss Clarkson, who was born in 1915, was a teacher in a gold-mining camp in northern Ontario, Canada. It was a lonely life for this woman, but she also knew that this is where God wanted her to serve Him. In her memoirs, Miss Clarkson reminisced about the inspiration for the hymn. She wrote, “I was studying the Word one night and meditating on the loneliness of my situation and came in my reading to John 20, and the words ‘So send I you’. Because of a physical disability I knew that I could never go to the mission field, but God seemed to tell me that night that this was my mission field, and this was where He had sent me. I was then twentythree, in my third year of teaching. I had written and published verse all of my life, so it was natural to put my thoughts into verse.”
The lyrics of Miss Clarkson’s hymn resonated deeply within my heart during There is a cherished gospel hymn, both of my ordinations. In his book, “So Send I You” which has been labelled “Calling & Character” Dr. William by many church leaders as the finest Willimon offers this perspective about ordination, “In a most gracious way, God 16
has this way of taking the stuff of our character that we present at ordination, and using this, remaking and remolding that, using us for divine purpose.” After my first year of public ministry, I considered changing the title of the hymn to, “So Send I Pain.” I’m certain that many Christian ministers habitually scrutinize their saneness when taking “the calling.” During those flashes of uncertainty, the Holy Spirit stretches out to you and through the gift of prophecy, Spirit redeploys your calling. In the early spring of 2014, I had such a happenstance on Palm Sunday while traveling through Nashville, Tennessee. On Palm Sunday I was on location shooting video at “Walking in Faith International Worship Center” with Bishop Jewell Granberry. Bishop Granberry had invited me to attend her service while I was in Nashville. Later, I got together with Bishop Granberry after the service and conducted an interview for my USBN program, “Faces & Places.” The music for the worship hour was provided by the youth choirs and I had been transported into the glory of the Holy Spirit by way of their heartfelt singing. Bishop Granberry began her sermon backed-up with flowing phrases from a gospel organist who musically orchestrated an inspiring effect. And then there was a sudden shift in the moment when I heard Bishop Granberry pause, and then she focused her attention in my direction. “Ah . . .” (The organist suddenly ad libs a phrase as Bishop Granberry dwells for a moment about what she is about to disclose -The organ sharply crescendos and then fades,-Bishop Granberry begins her prophetic vision from her pulpit.) “. . . Romero . . . What you don’t
know about me is that I’m a prophet. And earlier when I asked you were you going to plant another church, you told me no. And so I left that alone, because you told me that this is your ministry. God says that you have another ministry and that you will plant another church. And that there will be people to be there when you do it. But in your heart you have a strong burden for people that have been misunderstood and that have been sort of thrown away. God says that you will plant a church that will be great because you will have support all around the country.” (The entire recording of Bishop Granberry’s prophecy and subsequent interview can be viewed at: Bishop Granberry Prophecy) At the following interview in her office, Bishop Granberry encapsulated her prophecy by saying, “So often, you connect with people that people don’t always quite understand. Sort of like the traffic patrol—you know--you direct people in the right direction.” Over the past sixteen months I’ve spent uncountable moments musing over her prophecy. Led by Spirit’s wisdom and an occasional kick in the head, I’m starting to see an impression as I have deliberated these questions: Who are the misunderstood people of Bishop Granberry’s prophecy? Perhaps it is those who are fellow pilgrims of the ISM family? For the past sixteen months I’ve undergone a wilderness experience assessing my ministry with Universal Spirit Broadcasting Network (USBN). During those months I’ve undergone a disastrous education embracing video editing for greenhorns. I’ve also studied the mysterious owner’s manual of my professional digital video camera and have realized the profundity of the adage (Continued on page 28) 17
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Katholic Kitchens (Christmas Version) Convergent Streams Staff and Readers staff@convergentstreams.org
Sopa de espinaca con codito (Also Called: Spinach soup with macaroni) Origin: Mexico INGREDIENTS • • • • • • • •
1/2 lb. spinach 1/4 lb. elbow macaroni 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 onion, minced 1/2 can (3 ozs.) tomato paste 6 cups beef broth or bouillon Salt and pepper 4 tablespoons butter (optional)
DIRECTIONS Boil spinach and macaroni separately, rinse and drain. Brown minced onions in oil and add tomato sauce. Stir and let simmer for 2 minutes. Add broth. Salt and pepper to taste Bring the mixture to a boil and add macaroni. Then add the spinach and simmer for 5 minutes. When ready to serve, add butter if desired and let simmer again for about 5 minutes. 1/2 lb. Spinach Details: Prep Time: 30 minutes Recipe Source: Festive Recipes and Festival Menus by Sula Benet, Abelard-Schuman Limited, 1970
Klauskerl (Also Called: St. Nicholas Doughman) Origin: Germany INGREDIENTS • • • •
1 package active dry, or cake, yeast 1/2 cup lukewarm water 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour 2 eggs, divided 20
• • • •
2 tablespoons sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup soft butter 1 cup warm milk
DIRECTIONS Dissolve yeast in water. Stir in 1/2 cup flour; mix thoroughly. Let rise in covered bowl. Sift 2-1/2 cups flour into bowl; make “well” in center; put dough in it. Add 1 egg, sugar, salt, butter, milk. Knead until dough starts to blister. Dust dough with flour; cover; let rise to double thickness. Punch to 1/4-inch thickness and cut pieces in shape of body, head, arms, legs. Assemble to form “St. Nicholas doughman” cover; let rise. Make face, using raisins, slivers of almond, currants, etc. Brush with milk, beaten egg. Bake at 375º F. until golden brown. Details Yield: 1 St. Nicholas Doughman Prep Time: 3 hours Recipe Source: The Catholic Cookbook, by William I. Kaufman, The Citadel Press, New York, 1965
Lussekatt (Also called: Swedish Santa Lucia Saffron buns) Origin: Sweden INGREDIENTS • • • • • • • • •
3 tablespoons butter 2 1/4 cups milk 2 teaspoons yeast 1 g saffron 1/2 teaspoon salt (1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs 6 cups white flour Egg and raisins for garnishing
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DIRECTIONS Set the oven to 450°F. Melt the butter. Add milk and warm in a microwave to lukewarm. Mix out yeast in some of the milk. Crush the saffron in a mortar and pestle, or dissolve it in the milk. Mix milk, yeast, saffron, salt, sugar and whisked egg (and raisins if used) with most of the flour. Work the dough until it lets go of the bowl, adding more flour if necessary. Spread some flour over the dough and cover it with a clean towel. Let it rise to double its size. Work the dough lightly on a floured surface. It should be a light, pliable and rather loose dough. Form wreaths or buns, for example s-shaped. Put them on a non-stick oven paper on an oven tray and let rise for 30-40 minutes. Brush with whisked egg and garnish with raisins on the rolled-up ends. Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Details Prep Time: 20-40 minutes Bake Time: 5-10 minutes Yields: Many. ;) Recipe Source: IKEA Recipe Card
Zupa Grzybowa (Also called: Mushroom Soup) Origin: Poland INGREDIENTS • ½ ounce dried mushrooms (oyster, porcini) • 2 large potatoes • 1 large carrot • 1 stalk celery • 1 bay leaf • 4 cups water • 1 teaspoon salt, divided • 2 tablespoons butter • 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced • 1 large onion, small diced • 2 tablespoons minced parsley • dash nutmeg • 1 cup sour cream 22
•
1 tablespoon lemon juice
DIRECTIONS Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and pour 1 cup hot water over them. Allow to sit 2-8 hours. Cut the carrot into small bite-sized pieces. Peel and dice the potato. Mince the celery. Combine in a large pot with the water, ½ teaspoon salt, and bay leaf. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer until potato and carrot are tender, about 15 minutes. It’s okay if the potatoes break up. They will thicken the soup. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute onion and mushrooms with remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Drain the soaked mushrooms, reserving the liquid, and chop coarsely. Add them to the pan along with the soaking liquid that has been strained to remove dirt and grit. Simmer the mushrooms and onions until liquid has absorbed fully. Add these to the vegetables and broth along with nutmeg and parsley and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream and lemon juice at the end. Details To make this recipe for a traditional fasting Wigilia, omit the sour cream Prep Time: ~15-30 minutes Yields: ~ 4 persons Recipe Source: Customs and Traditions from Many Lands, compiled by Wiltrud Hubbard, Private Publishing, n.d.
Spekulatuius (Gewürzspekulatius) (A type of spice cookie) Origin: Netherlands/Germany INGREDIENTS • • • • • • • •
1 cup butter 1 cup lard 2 cups brown sugar ½ cup of sour cream ½ tsp. Of baking soda 4 tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. nutmeg ½ tsp. ground cloves 23
• • • • • • •
¼ tsp. ground mace* 4 ½ cups flour (sifted) 1 cup ground almonds (optional) 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. ground cardamon 1 large egg 3 tbsp. Milk
*If you can’t find mace you can substitute it with nutmeg. DIRECTIONS Sift the dry ingredients together. Cream the butter, lard and brown sugar. Add the sour cream alternately with the sifted dry ingredients. Stir in the nuts and knead the dough into rolls. Wrap the rolls in wax paper and chill overnight in the refrigerator. Roll out the dough into a very thin layer and cut into various Christmas or Advent shapes. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 – 15 minutes or until evenly browned and crisp. Details Prep Time: ~15-30 minutes (not including the time to chill in the refrigerator). Yields: Many ;) Recipe Source: Customs and Traditions from Many Lands, compiled by Wiltrud Hubbard, Private Publishing, n.d.
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The Constabulary Christian The Rev. Father Bryan Wolf frwolf@myiocc.org
Christmas Trees
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here are many stories and folklore surrounding the history of Christmas trees. It is said that religious reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) while walking home from his church on Christmas Eve, paused to pray in the beauty of the winter’s moonlight. Looking skyward he was in awe of how the moonlight glistened on the snow dusted branches of the evergreen trees- like stars twinkling on the branch tips. Hoping to share with his congregation his inspired feeling, Luther brought an evergreen tree inside his church and adorned it with small candles. A reverent warming glow in the cold dimly lit sanctuary. Another story fells of an English missionary who worked to convert the pagans of Germany. Cutting down the large oak tree they worshiped, he used the timbers to build up a church. It is said that from the stump of the tree, an evergreen sprig appeared. It grew year after year and endured the cold winters. The pagans converted believing this missionary had graces granted by God. This missionary was Saint Boniface, who became the patron saint of Germany. The story retold during the Christmas season, the Christmas tree is said to recall their conversion to Christianity.
of my childhood, a simpler sign was accomplished by the Christmas tree- the arrival of the holiday itself! The giant tree at Rockefeller Center or better yetthe search for the perfect Christmas tree my mother would take my sister and I on. We would spend literally hours regardless of the weather, as my mother drove from tree lot to tree lot searching for the perfect tree. More often than not, frustration and stress would overwhelm us, climaxing in my scream of: “Pick one! I want to go home!” I am certain it is like this for most families. The search for the “perfect tree”. Only to get it home and discover- it is not “perfect”. We discover bare spots. There are broken branches. That perfect shape we envisioned on the tree lot, is now missing as we place it in the tree stand. The trunk seems twisted, not as straight as we had thought. It is leaning to much to the left? Or is it the right? Maybe it is our fault? Did we cut to much off the bottom, or perhaps the top? Does it look okay from where you’re standing? Turn it to the right, no- back to the left. At least we can position the bare spots toward the wall. Ultimately, the ritual is completed. With creative decorating- an overload of tinsel here and a placement of an
Thinking back upon the Christmases
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(Continued from page 25) ornament there, no one will ever notice. The Christmas tree is perfect. Family and friends compliment us on our selection. Carolers point through frosted windows. Where was such a perfect tree found? Did you ever stop to think, how much we are like Christmas trees? We’re meeting friends, going to a move or shopping, perhaps to school or a meeting- or just “out”. Maybe we are even going to church. We shower and spend a lot of time grooming in front of the mirror. We coordinate our nicest clothes. Does this shirt match these pants? Do these shoes go with this dress? Does this look okay? How about my hair? How do I look? Perfect?
God sees within us what we can be. So when you greet someone this Christmas season, remember we are not perfect trees- none of us. Offer compassion and charity. Offer an outstretched hand, an attentive ear, a shoulder to lean on or even just a smile to warm a soul on a winter’s day. That is what a Christmas tree does. It warms the soul. Father Bryan Wolf is a priest in the International Old Catholic Churches and a police officer. He resides in New Jersey with his husband. He is an associate pastor at Saint Miriam in Philadelphia, PA.
‘If you would know whether you have made a good confession, ask yourself if you have resolved to abandon your sins.’
For the most part, we really show to other people that which we choose to show them. One can only tell so much by looking at us. They have no insight into our personal problems or concerns. They cannot see our hurt, our longing or sadness. They cannot know our fears and faults, or our dreams and desires. Like Christmas trees, much can be hidden beneath the outward appearance. God though, sees us as Christmas trees in the rough. We are naked before him. God knows our deepest secrets within our hearts- our faults, our sins and the hopes we pray for. God can see our broken branches, our bare spots and our twisted trunk. And with all our imperfections, God continues to embrace us in His love and offer us His mercy. God accepts us as we are- how we are, where we are and who we are.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Like the Christmas tree we discovered on the tree lot, God knows our potential. 26
Christmas Reflection Rev. Father Andrew Smith sscyrilandmethodius@yahoo.com
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t Christmastime, we celebrate an event that is so incredible, it is almost hard to grasp. What God has done is almost incomprehensible; the mystery so big and so deep that its meaning and significance is lost on us. We do sort of have an excuse, with all the frenzy of shopping, decorating, baking- all the traditions that we hold dear, we often miss the true meaning of Christmas. We need to slow down and take a deep breath and savor the quiet stillness of the Nativity. St. Francis of Assisi is credited with the first staging of the Lord’s birth. It is from this that we get the scene of our crèche sets. St. Francis came from a privileged family. He tried to be what he was expected to be, but he soon realized that material things were getting between him and God. He went to great lengths to free himself and live the simple life. He felt that Christmas should be joyous and celebrated heartily. He purportedly once told his friars to smear the walls with meat. Typical Francis overstatement (also very messy) but it expresses how much joy he wanted the world to share in Christmas. However he also taught that Christmas should be simple, often saying that at Christmas, simplicity is given a place of honor, poverty is exalted and humility is commended. This is the story Francis wanted everyone to know and rejoice in. Within our rejoicing and revelry, there comes that time when suddenly
we are brought back to Bethlehem. We see a weary couple far from home, struggling to find a comfortable place to share the joy of the birth of their child. We see the familiar scene of the parents and the baby surrounded by shepherds and various animals huddled around a humble manger. This image is quiet, still and stark in its simplicity. We are drawn to the incredible and amazing silence leaving the hustle and bustle of all the revelry behind. There is comfort in the silence. We are able to listen to our hearts. We don’t want words, only silence; Christmas silence. Christmas silence is special; it not only tells us of love, it lets us be in love. God has entered the world to whisper to us that He loves us and in that same silence we realize how much we love Him. We come to know that we can love each other. Each Christmas reminds us that the gift of God’s love is here, we need only to unwrap it (if we wish) and share it with others. We cannot contain our joy, so we celebrate in crazy ways (hopefully not by smearing meat on the walls) but we still rush to our silent night hoping that it will never end; longing for the day that the gift of God’s powerful, unexplainable, awesome love is shared by all. Let us take a few moments in our hectic schedule to hear that still small voice of God in our hearts. Let us hear the deafening silence of the Nativity of our Lord. 27
For the Misunderstood (Continued from page 17) that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I’ve also reviewed my video library where I’ve recorded over 50 hours of raw video interviews with ISM clergy. I imagine Gloria Steinem may have synopsized a common theme of these interviews when she expressed, “Being misunderstood by people whose opinions you value is absolutely the most painful.” All through my interviews with ISM clergy I’ve heard many stories of being misunderstood by the church community of their childhood or at a time in later life. These heartrending experiences developed their spiritual and moral character into a better sense of the mission of their ministry. I’m reminded of what Baz Luhrmann (an ingenious movie producer/director from Australia) philosophized: “The ugly duckling is a misunderstood universal myth. It’s not about turning into a blonde Barbie doll or becoming what you dream of being; it’s about self-revelation, becoming who you are.” At this point, I have an impression of what Bishop Granberry was seeing in her prophecy regarding the church of the misunderstood. A secondary mission for USBN is producing and projecting the stories of ISM clergy who are, by the grace of God, living their calling to be servants of the people. In my interview with Bishop Erick Frank Martinez (Pastor of Iglesia Santa Barbara, located in South Miami, Florida) he recalled the painful years of his formation. During the interview Bishop Martinez electrified
me with his passion for the ISM when he asserted that the movement has a divine purpose. (The inspiring interview with Bishop Martinez of the Old Catholic Church in America can be viewed at: Bishop Erick Frank Martinez Interview) In assessing one’s ministry it is easy to hover over past failures. Often those failures were caused by being unappreciated, misjudged or misinterpreted. Dr. Willimon concludes his book with this thought: “Despair over my failures, moral and otherwise, is not permitted a pastor who knows John 20 by heart . . . The means of his work, for better or worse, is us. To be enlisted in that mission is a great burden, but on most days, a blessing as well. It is a great blessing to have one’s little life caught up in the great doxological crescendo named church, that song sung by the saints throughout the ages, so that we might sing it too today.” There is no one better to understand being misunderstood than the American Economist, Allan Greenspan, when he quipped, “If I turn out to be particularly clear, you’ve probably misunderstood what I’ve said.” God bless the Church of the Misunderstood. Rev. Father Rick Romero, OSF is an ordained priest with the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch, and a Brother with the Order of Servant Franciscans. Universal Spirit Broadcasting Network (USBN) is a chartered ministry with the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch, Most Rev. Mark Elliot Newman, OC, Presiding Bishop. www.UniversalSpiritNetwork.org
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Advent Mission (Continued from page 9) help to us. He articulates for us who each one of us is in virtue of our baptism, who God is calling us to be. No more than John the Baptist, we are certainly not the Messiah. We are not the light. We know only too well the areas of darkness in our lives and in our hearts. However, like John the Baptist, we are a witness to the Light. Even though we are all far from perfect, we are, nonetheless, called to be a witness to Christ. John the Baptist said, ‘there stands among you, unknown to you, the one who is coming after me.’ The Lord stands among all of us, but he remains unknown to many. Our calling is to make him known, to allow him to shine forth in our world through our lives. John spoke of himself as a voice crying in the wilderness. John used his voice to make known the light. We too are asked to use our voice to make Christ known. It does not mean that we stand in the main street and preach. Rather we use the gift of communication that we have; the gifts of speech and writing, to proclaim the person of Christ, his world view, his values and his attitudes. In what we communicate and how we communicate it, we allow the Lord to communicate through us. Who we are as witnesses to the light, as the voice for the Word, shapes how we live and explains why we live the way we do. The answer to the question, ‘Who are you?’ grounds the answer to the question, ‘Why are you doing what you are doing?’ Advent is a good time to reclaim our fundamental identity, our Christ identity. If Jesus is to be born anywhere today, it will be in each one of us. We must allow the Holy Spirit
to work within us and guide us as we follow the calling to live a Christ-like life. Be who you are meant to be, what God wants you to be. Do not think about what others may think. Live your convictions. Do not be afraid to demonstrate your faith publicly. You might just change a stranger’s life. What a gift that would be at this time of year; the gift of light, love and compassion. Fr. Andrew grew up in Appleton. WI. He studied Theology, Philosophy and Sociology at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, WI and completed his theological studies at Holy Redeemer Seminary of the UICC. Fr. Andrew was ordained to the diaconate in December of 2010 and to the Order of Presbyters in May of 2011. He currently serves as Pastor of SS Cyril and Methodius Old Catholic Church in Neenah, WI. Fr. Andrew enjoys cooking, reading and is an avid history buff.
Temple Scroll (Continued from page 11) Kingdoms of Our Lord. (Rev 11:5) At that time, creation shall break forth with a new song, an antitype of the Song of Moses (Rev 15:3), the Hallelujah Chorus. This is drawn from the Qumram caves of the Dead Sea found in the Sabbath Scroll, 4Q 400, the sixth and last manuscript, 4Q 405, which corresponds to Revelation 19:1-2, picturing the new creation.” (p. 14, Systematic Theology Addendum – The Law, Sabbath and Redemption, Tom Roberts, PhD, Church of God Publishing House, Meridian, Idaho, 2003 For example, 4Q 403 line 30 is when the Sabbath falls on the 16th day of the (Continued on page 30) 29
(Continued from page 29) second month. Line 32 deals with the glory of His Kingdom. In line 34, the title Kings of Kings is found (1 Tim 6:16, Rev 7:14, 9:16, 1 Enoch 9:4). 4 Qumram 405 deals with the term Head or Chief. Line 41 deals with the contrast of God’s temple in Heaven and the Temple of Solomon (1 Kings 7:15-22, 2 Chron 3:15-17, cf Ezek 40:49) and the Pillars of Heaven which depict pillars of smoke (Job 26:11, 1 Enoch 18:3-11). The word “abode” appears 4 Q 405 81 verse 2. Finally, line 45 pictures raiment and adornment used in descriptions of the heavenly realm. (p. 124-126, Liturgical Works, James R. Davila, William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2000) Can anyone miss this correlation to imagery contained in the Book of Revelation which even includes the architecture of the Heavenly Temple and the angels making announcements? (Rev 14:1-6) We often assume there was but one calendrical calculation used by the New Testament corpus of writers. Therefore, all of the authors would have had to have utilized similar lunar and solar calculations to end up exactly on the same events and eschatological fulfillments. There is simply no evidence of this practice. Just look at Christ’s own use of the Passover in Matthew 26:17-18 which was at least a day before Israel’s national Passover observance. This is not to mention the Apostle John’s statement that before the Festival of the Passover Jesus observed the feast and Our Lord’s arrest and trail took place during the season of the Passover which included the Days of Unleavened Bread as well as the Passover event itself. (John 13:1-30) The lengthening of these liturgical practices during the Season of the Passover was
due to the fact that 70 sacrifices had to be fulfilled on behalf of all nations and righteousness from the Messiah through the bread and the wine (John 6:22-40) were followed by Days of Unleavened Bread to fulfill Old Testament types and shadows. The Galilean Passover was fixed on a Thursday observation. The Qumran Passover from the Temple Scroll was always on a Wednesday. “If the interval between this April 10 new moon and the first visibility of the crescent moon at Jerusalem was a very long 3.19 days, as it could have been, or if it was shorter but was obscured the first night, the crescent was observed at sunset on Friday, April 13. With the observation of the crescent, the month of Nisan commenced at once and Nisan 1 should be dated in our JulianGregorian calendar as the Saturday, April 14, which followed at midnight. The fourteenth night thereafter, counting the evening of the crescent (inclusive reckoning), brought Jerusalem to the commencement of Nisan 14 at sunset on April 26, a Thursday. Thus April 27, the Passover day on which Jesus dies, was a Friday – Friday, Nisan 14, A.D. 31.” (p. 255, God and His Sanctuary, C. Mervyn Maxwell, Pacific Press Publishing Association, Mountain View, California, 1980) It should be noted that modern scholars such as Jonathan Goldstein and many other commentators such as Roy Blizzard have moved to the A.D. 30 date for Nisan 14. Modern recalculations do seem to support moving the date back one year. The debate is over the area of the Fertile Crescent and what calculations would be necessary for the proper adjustments, postponements and priestly proclamations which began 30
with the calculations of Adar II in Babylon to apply to the Diaspora. These Gospel events occurred in and around Bethlehem and Jerusalem and Our Lord came out of the region of Galilee where he began his ministry and where the Galilean Passover was observed. (Mat 4:15-16) The question still remains, how closely did the New Testament writers follow the Temple Scroll? The evidence seem to suggest they followed similar liturgical patterns for the redefinitions and types and shadows surrounding the Christ event and His future reign with his saints. These patternisms can be found in the structure in 4Q 400 to 4Q 405 ending with the visions of the Heavenly and earthly Sanctuary corresponding with the Kingdom of God where land is once again possessed by covenanters and ruled with the righteousness of God, his angels and emissaries. The New Testament writers seem, therefore, to converge in an eschatological fulfillment of these events which are passed and completed in Israel’s history and yet to be fulfilled in the future of God’s Creation. Tom Roberts holds a bachelor’s degree in theology from Triune Biblical University, a M.Th. from Covenant Bible College and Seminary, Federal Way, Washington as well as an M. Div. and Ph.D. in Theology from the Hellenic Orthodox University in Athens, Greece and a DD awarded by St Mark Seminary in Sharon, PA. He believes that his mission is to make biblical knowledge more widely known among the general public. Formerly, Tom has been a professional singer, a lay pastor and a D.J. He is currently an ordained Priest for Christ’s Catholic Church and Academic Dean of St Elias Seminary and Graduate School. Tom resides with his wife and son in Weiser, Idaho.
Checkpoint (Continued from page 7) treatments, and all the other failedbefore-they-began attempts he made to “turn himself straight”. He details how his ex-wife (worthy of an autobiography in her own right) struggled along with him, and supported his efforts to live with honesty and integrity. The couple had juggled filmmaking, Lydia’s career, and two small children while at the same time Mel had been “living on blind faith myself, trusting God for my healing from homosexuality” for over 15 years. Lydia, when Mel had finally been able to share his secret struggle with her, had asked “Mel, what do you want to to do about it?” Mel answered “I want to work it out...” to which she had responded “We’ll work it out together.” The couple divorced, but worked hard together, each of them dealing with the reality of their situation day to day. Mel details what “coming out” meant back in the days of anti-sodomy laws, lies about HIV/Aids being a “gay only” disease. It was a world where there were no Gay-Straight Alliances in schools, a tiny new group called PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), and in the Evangelical Christian world, rampant anti-homosexual discrimination. His book also tells of the triumph of becoming whole, honest, living with that integrity he had sought, and how God blessed him with partner Gary Nixon, grandchildren, and new opportunities as a writer and as a pastor. The personal journey of Rev. Dr. Mel (Continued on page 32) 31
(Continued from page 31) White is inspirational and worthy in it’s own right. What makes Strangers At The Gate even more important, however, is that it details how the Evangelical Christian Movement went from using Communism as a scapegoat to raise millions of dollars and influence our political system to using Gay and Lesbian Men and Women, (along with women of all orientations). His story, told from the inside, is like a Wiki-leaks surge of information about how Evangelical Christian Churches left behind large parts of the New Testament, purposely shouted particular bible verses while erasing others, and ultimately bred a new generation of people who to this day don’t know what Jesus really said about homosexuality. It will feel eerily familiar with a younger generation who has watched the sad affairs in American politics in particular over the past 12 years. It lays out with amazing clarity the way homosexuality was intentionally demonized by the Evangelical Christian Churches after the fall of communism for financial, not religious, reasons. Very few of those leaders come out even close to “not guilty” - and some of the “Reverends” he writes about literally made me sick to my stomach in the same way that Himmler and other WWII Nazi leaders do. It catalogs the sinful double standard that existed in the ministries of Falwell, Roberts, Graham, and others that happily used the skills and took the money of GLBTQ closeted members and workers – as long as they stayed that way, in the closet. The smashing of the separation of Church and State that first was seen in the Newt Gingrich etc led “Christian Coalition” that today is
raging in the Tea Party and Conservative sides of the GOP is laid bare. Woven into Mel’s life story is this other story of how a few white men, often very rich and powerful, decided to increase not just their coffers, but also to literally take over and direct laws like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” that rained misery upon the GLBTQ community. To humanity and Christianity’s good fortune, Mel’s book also provides a history lesson about those Christian Churches and organizations that remained committed to being consistent with the Bible, welcoming LGBTQ folk who had been cast out, hurt, maligned, and discriminated against by their birth spiritual homes and traditions. Although out of date, the appendix Gay/Lesbian Religious Organizations is worth looking at, and the appendix “Six Letters To The Religious Right” are, even today, great sources of bullet points for conversations with Christian Churches that are still discriminating against LGBTQ people in their pews, still hate mongering against them to raise money, and still trying to violate the constitution by meddling in politics. For Independent Catholic Churches, now is an ideal time to read (or re-read) Strangers At The Gate. ICC’s and other Independent Sacramental Movement communities and groups are facing – just as Rev. Dr. White did - “Time For Doing Justice!” The lessons from Mel’s book apply to more than just LGBTQ people. Parts of American life enshrined in the Constitution are still under fire. The rights of not just the LGBTQ community and women, but the black, disabled, elderly, poor are being trampled as never before. Both within our parishes and in our communities, across the nation, there still people “in the closet” - as gay, 32
as having a mental illness, or as homeless and more. They are crying out to God for the same thing Mel White was; the ability to live honest, open lives of integrity and to be accepted and welcomed in the churches and the nation they belong to. A final nugget of gold in the book is the section “A Few Ideas To Help You And Your Community”, a worthy starter kit for ISM communities who may be new to bringing social justice out of the sermons and into the streets (and their own pews). A new generation of Falwell style religious leaders are bent on putting their personal or denominational beliefs about orientation, gender, housing status, disabilities, income levels and more into the laws that govern Americans who may or may not have the same beliefs. Worse, there are Catholic denominations that seem to have developed Multiple Personality Disorder where one week their leaders welcome everyone while the following week the same leaders deliver sermons or tweets that slam shut the doors to LGBTQ being fully integrated in the denomination. Many of the tips in this section are just as relevant today as two decades ago. While there are still many LGBTQ people seeking the right spiritual home, and members of the ISM who can fill that longing need to be more vocal about where and who they are, there are now some straight people who feel like they have become the new “unwanted.” Even within the ISM, there are communities that have become unwelcoming to the person who needs to be able to pace back and forth, the autistic child who shouts out words, or the elder who can’t kneel, stand, sit well during a service. While every denomination has the right to keep its own dogmas, and many will remain conservative and closed to some groups,
even they are called to ensure that humans who are not eligible for membership in that denomination know the truth... “My Father’s has many rooms...” (NIV John 14:2 (c)biblegateway.com), and there are many Catholic Spiritual homes that would welcome them. In the effort to evangelize, to stand against the political intrigues of denominations more concerned with power than saving souls, Strangers At The Gate makes an excellent textbook to begin the work that must be done over the next year, and beyond. When not writing for Convergent Streams, Brenda blogs at brendaanneckels. wordpress.com, is chief cook and bottle washer at Tender Mercies Ministry, and runs a Facebook group called Not All Catholics Are Roman...But All Catholics Are One (NACAR for short). She is a passionate advocate for domestic violence prevention, mental health care, and vegetarian cooking. Disabled since 1993, she has had several careers in multiple fields. She is a Lay Franciscan religious, and an Old Catholic.
Did you know your church can buy ad space with Convergent Streams? It is affordable and supports the only Independent Sacramental Movement magazine. For more information, visit http://www.convergentstreams. org.
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The Gift of Flowers (Continued from page 15) for a very long time and it has been even longer since I’ve drawn upon the childhood images of giants and bounty, but every now and then I find myself strolling through memories of simpler times. Now and again I smile as I pause to remember how wonderful it is to see life through several sets of eyes: as a child filled with awe and wonder, as a person on a journey of discovery through life, and as an aged man reflecting on the lessons learned from the past.
The flowers, then, represent our lives. Cherish them – they’re fleeting and die far sooner than we’d like. The Very Rev. Kenneth Nelan, OPoc is the pastor of the Sacred Wandering Pastoral Center in Milwaukee Wisconsin. He is also the Servant General of the Order of Preachers, Old Catholic in the International Old Catholic Churches and Vicar General of the Diocese of Saint Catherine of Siena.
The Shell by The Very Rev. Kenneth Nelan
It may not seem like much – a field of sunflowers and a careless child, but there is one other thing about this story not many people think about: those giants were growing in a desert, not a typical growing area for sunflowers. Today, Californians can grow just about anything anywhere they choose, but back then we were limited by what grew naturally or by what fell out of an active boy’s pockets, and so we had to make due with what little existed in the natural landscapes.
This empty shell sits alone in silence wondering, “Who Am I,” but discovers only silence enveloping a once symphonic presence.
If flowers can grow in the strangest of places, then surely I can grow beyond any limitation in my life. In so doing, maybe I can allow myself to see the beauty of the lessons I have learned so long ago and apply those lessons to events yet to cross my path.
Who Am I does not matter anymore. All that mattes is that I Am at this moment, and that at this very minute, I exist. I can be nothing more, nor anything less than who and what I am at this very moment.
“Who Am I?” again surfaces, balancing moments of deep introspection with moments of complete emptiness. In the mirror stands the seeker, ever asking, “Who Am I?” but never responding – just watching and waiting for that moment of complete surrender and emptiness.
I am in cast in the shadow of the Divine. I am as It shall be and I will find myself.
To me, the flowers are a metaphor for the thoughts we share with those around us, and even those we hold for ourselves. They are the spurts of growth we meet daily; they are us as we wander through the sacred in our lives.
I Am. The Shell
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Fourth Quarter Liturgical Calendar Convergent Streams Staff staff@convergentstreams.org
October October 1, 2015 - Theresa of the Child Jesus, V October 2, 2015 - Guardian Angels October 3, 2015 - Saturday of the Twenty-Sixth Week of Ordinary Time October 4, 2015 - Francis of Assisi, Rel October 5, 2015 - Monday of the Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time October 6, 2015 - Bruno, P; Bl. Marie Rose Durocher, V October 7, 2015 - Our Lady of the Rosary October 8, 2015 - Thursday of the Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time October 9, 2015 - Denis, B & M, and companions, Mm; John Leonardi, P October 10, 2015 - Saturday of the Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time October 11, 2015 - Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time October 12, 2015 - Monday of the Twenty-Eighth Week of Ordinary Time October 13, 2015 - Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week of Ordinary Time October 14, 2015 - Callistus I, Po & M October 15, 2015 - Teresa of Avila, V & D October 16, 2015 - Hedwig, Rel; Margaret Mary Alacoque, V October 17, 2015 - Ignatius of Antioch, B & M October 18, 2015 - Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time October 19, 2015 - Isaac Jogues and John de Brebeuf, P, and companions, Mms October 20, 2015 - Paul of the Cross, P October 21, 2015 - Wednesday of the Twenty-Ninth Week of Ordinary Time October 22, 2015 - Thursday of the Twenty-Ninth Week of Ordinary Time October 23, 2015 - John of Capistrano, P October 24, 2015 - Anthony Claret, B October 25, 2015 - Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time October 26, 2015 - Monday of the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time October 27, 2015 - Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time October 28, 2015 - Simon and Jude, Ap October 29, 2015 - Thursday of the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time October 30, 2015 - Anniversary of Dedication of Consecrated Churches of the Franciscan Order October 31, 2015 - Alphonsus Rodriguez, Rel
November November November November November November
1, 2015 - All Saints 2, 2015 - All Souls 3, 2015 - Martin de Porres, Rel 4, 2015 - Charles Borromeo, B 5, 2015 - Thursday of the Thirty-First Week of Ordinary Time 35
November 6, 2015 - Friday of the Thirty-First Week of Ordinary Time November 7, 2015 - All Saints of the Order of Preachers November 8, 2015 - Thirty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time November 9, 2015 - Dedication of St. John Lateran November 10, 2015 - Leo the Great, Po & D (Old Catholic Memorial) George Alexander McGuire, B November 11, 2015 - Martin of Tours, B November 12, 2015 - Josaphat, B & M November 13, 2015 - Frances Xavier Cabrini, V November 14, 2015 - Nicholas Tavelic, P & M, & companions, M (FESC) November 15, 2015 - Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time November 16, 2015 - Margaret of Scotland; Gertrude, V November 17, 2015 - Elizabeth of Hungary, Rel November 18, 2015 - Dedication of Churches of Peter & Paul; Rose Philippine Duchesne, V November 19, 2015 - Thursday of the Thirty-Third Week of Ordinary Time November 20, 2015 - Friday of the Thirty-Third Week of Ordinary Time November 21, 2015 - Presentation of Mary November 22, 2015 - Christ the King November 23, 2015 - Clement I, Po & M; Columban, Ab; Bl. Miguel Pro, P & M November 24, 2015 - Andrew Dung-Lac, P & M, and companions, Mm; Memorial Commemoration of all the Deceased of the Seraphic Order November 25, 2015 - Catherine of Alexandria, V & M November 26, 2015 - Leonard of Port Maurice, P November 27, 2015 - Friday of the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time November 28, 2015 - James of the Marches, P November 29, 2015 - First Sunday of Advent November 30, 2015 - Andrew, Ap
December
December 1, 2015 - Alexander Briant, P & M December 2, 2015 - Wednesday of the First Week of Advent December 3, 2015 - Frances Xavier, P December 4, 2015 - John Damascene, P & D December 5, 2015 - Saturday of the First Week of Advent December 6, 2015 - Second Sunday of Advent December 7, 2015 - Ambrose, B & D December 8, 2015 - Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary December 9, 2015 - Bl. Juan Diego December 10, 2015 - Thursday of the Second Week of Advent December 11, 2015 - Damasus I, Po December 12, 2015 - Our Lady of Guadalupe December 13, 2015 - Third Sunday of Advent December 14, 2015 - John of the Cross, P & D December 15, 2015 - Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent December 16, 2015 - Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent 36
December 17, 2015 - Thursday of the Third Week of Advent December 18, 2015 - Friday of the Third Week of Advent December 19, 2015 - Saturday of the Third Week of Advent December 20, 2015 - Fourth Sunday of Advent December 21, 2015 - Peter Canisius, P & D December 22, 2015 - Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent December 23, 2015 - John of Kanty, P December 24, 2015 - Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent December 25, 2015 - Christmas December 26, 2015 - Stephen, M December 27, 2015 - Holy Family December 28, 2015 - Holy Innocents, Mm December 29, 2015 - Thomas Becket, B & M December 30, 2015 - Sixth day in the Octave of Christmas December 31, 2015 - Sylvester I, Po
Crossword Puzzle Hints Across
Down
3 Communion, breaking of the bread, Lord’s Supper, Sacrifice of the Mass, Holy Liturgy, Memorial Feast. 7 A word that means covenant or “sacred agreement between God and human persons.” 9 The geographical region under the leadership of a local bishop called an ordinary. 10 A holy nun who cared for dying persons with no place to go and founded the Missionaries of Charity. 13 Name to describe Catholic religious women dedicated to God with vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. 15 The power of the Holy Spirit, working through human authors, to compose the sacred books of scripture. 16 One of the names given to Jesus in the Bible; it means: “God is with us”. 17 The study of the Church.
1 God’s special gift given as we need it to live the Christian Life. 2 A word that means both Spirit and breath; a name for the third person of the Trinity. 4 A faithful summary of the faith of the Apostles; “The oldest Roman catechism.” 5 A gathering of all bishops of the world in order to make solemn decisions for the universal church. 6 A change of heart; the response of the heart, touched by grace to God’s mercy. 8 Matthew, Mark, and Luke; commonly believed to be derived from the same source; the word means “seeing with the same eye.” 10 Any form of active Christian service. 11 A special prayer in which the church, in the name of Jesus, asks that a person be withdrawn from the dominion of the devil. 12 Holy Communion received by dying persons to help them pass over to God in the afterlife. 14 A cup for the consecrated wine at the Eucharist.
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Fourth Quarter Crossword Puzzle Convergent Streams Staff staff@convergentstreams.org
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