Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles.
[October 28]
O ALMIGHTY God, who hast built thy Church upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the head cornerstone; Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their doctrine, that we may be made an holy temple acceptable unto thee; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ephesians ii. 17 & St. John xv. 17
Homilies
Almighty God, Captain of the Host, grant, we beseech thee, that through thy grace we might be ever vigilant to recognize thy sign, and hear thy calling; through thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, forever and ever. Amen
Ephesians 6: 10-18 Luke xii. 35
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
I commend the extracts from these histories: Lactantius and Eusebius. Lactantius wrote a few years after the Battle of Saxa Ruba. I recall that Lactantius was a member of the court and tutor to the children of Constantine. Eucebius was Constantine's court bishop, and wrote a biography after Constantine's death By tradition the Labarum was ordered to be carried before the Legions of Constantine after he had a vision, on 27 October 312, in the heavens of a "cross of light" and the Greek words TOUTO NIKA (conquer by this) and a subsequent encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ who told him to be at peace and conquer under his sign and to paint the sign on legionaires' shields.
Constantine directed that a spear be covered in gold with a crosspiece representing a cross, and that the image of the chi-rho, the first two Greek initials in the name Christ, be placed above the crosspiece encircled by a crown/wreath. A banner was to hang from the crosspiece bearing the words of Christ in gold on a purple (red) and gold cloth. Constantine had this Labarum carried before his legions as he defeated a much larger pagan force under another emperor (Maxentius) at Milvian Bridge on 28 October. He ordered his men to place the chi-rho on their shields and he wore it on his helmet. Later in Rome, on the Triumph Arch for this victory, he credited divine intervention for his overwhelming victory of a force four to ten times the size of his.
Constantine disbanded the infamous Praetorian Guard, which formed the significant part of Maxentius' force. It had been responsible for much intrigue, corruption, and imperial murders. He continued his policy begun in 306 in Gaul and Britain of lifting restrictions on Christianity as he occupied various portions of the Empire. In 323 when he had finally secured the entire Empire, he removed all restrictions and legalized the Christianity everywhere becoming its patron. Two years later he called the historic Council of Nicea where he moderated the discussion to try to bring unity to the Church.
Finis
Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity
Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
O GOD, our refuge and strength, who art the author of all godliness; Be ready, we beseech thee, to hear the devout prayers of thy Church; and grant that those things which we ask faithfully we may obtain effectually; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Bishop Gregory of Rome [604 AD] Compare Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help [Barbee and Zahl]. The petition reminds one of Jesus' promise, 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
Ecclesiates i., Philippians iii. 17, Psalm cxxvii, & St. Matthew xxii. 15
Homily of Augustine on Psalm CXXVII
WEEKLY BULLETIN
quotation
" O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold, Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old, And win with them the victor's crown of gold. Alleluia, Alleluia!
[Wm. How -- For All the Saints 1864]
calendarclick on the calendar link to see details
Alfred, King & Warrior - October 26th
Demetrius of Thessolonica - October 26th [Maximian 286-305]
In Hoc Signo Vinces & Saxa Ruba - October 27th
Simon and Jude, Apostles -- October 28th
Fidelis, Exantus, and Carpophorus - October 28th
Marcellus, Centurion - October 30th
Gaianus, Centurion of the Armageddon Chapel - October 31 [ca 225]
All Saints -- November 1st
Joannicus, Legionary, Religious Member, November 4th
news
bidding
Bid your prayers for the Christians who suffer persecution in the Orissa Kandhamal district of India in recent months.
NEWS STORY HERE http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7689215.stmcommentary
This Saturday, 1 November, is recognized by many as All Saints Day. The Ancient Church recognized the departed saints frequently in their litanies. When persecuted, the Christians of Rome would often gather in the catacombs and celebrate Communion in the presence of the remains of the brothers who "slept" there. Even today, Altars are built over the remains of a favored saint, or a relic is embedded in the Altar stone, or in a relic cloth placed upon it for the Great Thanksgiving. The quotation above is from the English hymn, For All the Saints. Note the Alleluias (Praise the Lord) at each stanza. We praise and worship God and not the creature, and remember that All Christians are saints. I much appreciate the following old bidding and commend it for prayer on All Saints Day:
Ye shall yield unto God most high praise and hearty thanks for the wonderful grace and virtue declared in all his saints, who have been the choice vessels of his grace and the lights of the world in their several generations; and pray unto God, that we may have grace to direct our lives after their good examples; that, this life ended, we may be made partakers with them of the glorious resurrection, and the life everlasting.[1928 BCP]
Augustine's homily today is on Psalm CXXVII. This is another Song of Degrees, and this is the only one titled "Solomon" I think it was scribed by Solomon because of its similarity to his Ecclesiastes (see the lesson one and the similarity in the theme of vanity with the psalm). Augustine wrote:
The Lord, therefore, buildeth the house, the Lord Jesus Christ buildeth His own house. Many toil in building: but, except He build, "their labour is but lost that build it." Who are they who toil in building it? All who preach the word of God in the Church, the ministers of God's mysteries. We are all running, we are all toiling, we are all building now; and before us others have run, toiled, and built: but "except the Lord build, their labour is but lost." Thus the Apostles seeing some fall bewailed these men, in that they had laboured in vain for them. [5516] We, therefore, speak without, He buildeth within. We can observe with what attention ye hear us; He alone who knoweth your thoughts, knoweth what ye think. He Himself buildeth, He Himself admonisheth, He Himself openeth the understanding, He Himself kindleth your understanding unto faith; nevertheless, we also toil like workmen; but, "except the Lord build," etc.
Those who ignore the standard of Holy Scripture and its meaning, as has been recognized by orthodox-catholic Christians since the beginning, and teach a "new thing" that compromises Christian standards to conform to secular social trends, do fool themselves and their cures. They build in vain. Their message is vain, and those who follow them do so in vain. All is vanity, and will blow away like chaff. However, those whose ministry is built on the Word of God, who place Christ first in all things, do build on a sound foundation; and those who follow them shall know the Salvation of Christ.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever[Is 40:8]
Finis
The Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity
Augustine on Psalm 124
LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Sacramentary of Bishop Gregory of Rome [604 AD] The Latin used the word familia, which points to the traditional Roman family that was the basic and most important element of society. It included all in the household, including slaves, and was headed by the pater familias who was responsible for the welfare of all. This concept of the household is the basis of the Gospel story today.
Psalm: 124, 124, 125, 136, 138; Philippians i. 3 & St. Matthew xviii. 21
Homily of Augustine on Psalm CXXIV
Homily of Augustine on Psalm CXXIV
Our help is in the name of the LORD
WEEKLY BULLETIN
quotation
Confronted with a cancer or a slum the Pantheist can say, "If you could only see it from the divine point of view, you would realize that this also is God." The Christian replies, "Don't talk... nonsense."
(Clive Staples) C. S. Lewis
Into The Wardrobe
I commend the article in the news section. I wonder if the Order of Centurions is experiencing some of the "fall out" from this movement to silence Christians. I hope this is not the case, but my hope runs thin these days. There are circumstances surrounding recent events enough to cause reason for concern.
This Sunday we hear the words of Augustine on Psalm 124. This psalm is another of the Songs of Degree. It speaks of the celebration of a victory and deliverance. The last verse, Our help is in the name of the LORD, reminds one of the 17th Chapter of 1st Samuel beginning at the 45th verse which is selected for today's Old Testament Lesson. David spoke to the Philistines saying that he comes at them "in the name of the Lord."
Augustine concludes his homily with this:
"..."Our help standeth in the Name of the Lord, who hath made heaven and earth" . For if this were not our help, the snare would not indeed remain for ever; but when the bird was once taken, it would be crushed. For this life will pass away; and they who shall have been taken in by its pleasures, and through these pleasures have offended God, will pass away with this life. For the snare will be broken; be ye assured of this: all the sweetness of this present life will no longer exist, when the lot assigned to it hath been fulfilled; but we must not be enthralled by it, so that when the net is broken, thou mayest then rejoice and say, "The snare is broken, and we are delivered." But lest thou think that thou canst do this of thy own strength, consider whose work thy deliverance is (for if thou art proud, thou fallest into the snare), and say, "Our help standeth in the Name of the Lord, who hath made heaven and earth.".
Augustine's stern warning is of the coming judgement is directed to those whose conduct offends God (those who have ears heed the warning). However, those who seek the help of the Lord Jesus, recognize that deliverance is of the Lord God, and not of man, and do all things in his blessed Name according to his commandments, shall know his love and mercy and the delight of his presence beyond this life, for he who made heaven and earth can do all things.
You may read all of Augustine's homily at the link above.
Finis
The Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity
Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
News of the Order and commentary appear after the Proper Collect, Epistle and Gospel
Grant, we beseech thee merciful Lord, to thy faithful people indulgence and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Sacramentary of Bishop Gelasius of Rome [494AD]. Cranmer in 1549 translated the Latin "indulgence" as the English "pardon". The call for "peace" in this collect has been ascribed to the fact that at the time, Rome was under heavy assault that threatened to break Pax Romana. This collect is used in the place of an absolution when the office is conducted by a layman. Dr. Peter Toon translated the original Latin as follows: "Be reconciled, we beseech thee, Lord, to thy faithful ones, and grant them bountifully indulgence and peace, that they may be cleansed from all offences, and at the same time do unto thee devoted service without distraction of mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity
Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
News of the Order and commentary appear after the Proper Collect, Epistle and Gospel
Grant, we beseech thee merciful Lord, to thy faithful people indulgence and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: Sacramentary of Bishop Gelasius of Rome [494AD]. Cranmer in 1549 translated the Latin "indulgence" as the English "pardon". The call for "peace" in this collect has been ascribed to the fact that at the time, Rome was under heavy assault that threatened to break Pax Romana. This collect is used in the place of an absolution when the office is conducted by a layman. Dr. Peter Toon translated the original Latin as follows: "Be reconciled, we beseech thee, Lord, to thy faithful ones, and grant them bountifully indulgence and peace, that they may be cleansed from all offences, and at the same time do unto thee devoted service without distraction of mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Isaiah lix. 15b, Psalms: 120, 121, 122 | 133, 134, 135, Ephesians vi. 10 & St. John iv. 46
Homily of Augustine on Psalm 133
BEHOLD, how good and joyful a thing it is,
for brethren to dwell together in unity!
WEEKLY BULLETIN
quotation
"Thus there are many brethren, who do not dwell together,
save in the body."
[Augustine, Homily on Psalm XXXIII ]
calendar
commentary
This day our featured psalm is 133. The subtitle says it is one of the "Songs of Degrees of David". The first verse sets the tone of this short psalm.
BEHOLD, how good and joyful a thing it is, for brethren to dwell together in unity!
One wonders what occasion may have prompted David to compose it. One suggestion is the assembly of all Israel in Hebron to crown David king [2Sa 5:1-5] which is the appointed Old Testament Lesson.
Unity is a good and pleasant thing. Some may have allegiance to an organization, such as a church, so that even if it departed from the historic traditions and faith, they would be loyal to it and seek to keep unity above all things. Others find unity is only acceptable in faith - and their loyalty is their belief.
Augustine wrote,
"And what is "together in unity"? They had, he [Luke] says, one mind and one heart God-wards"
To have one mind, we must have unity in essentials. What are these essentials? In a word, the Creed. The Order also salutes these essentials proffered by Praefectus Castrorum:
1. The Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1; John 20:28; Heb. 1:8-9), the Creator God Himself (Col. 1:16; compare Gen. 1:1); Who "laid the foundation of the earth" (Heb. 1:10-12 compare Psalms 102:24-27).
2. The Virgin Birth (Isaiah 7:14; Mt. 1:23; Luke 1:27).
3. The Blood Atonement (Acts 20:28; Ro. 3:25; Ro. 5:9; Eph. 1:7).
4. The Bodily Resurrection (Luke 24:36-46; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; 1 Cor. 15:14-15).
5. The Second Advent of Christ Jesus to set up God's Kingdom on Earth and in Eternity (Isa. 9:6,7)
6. The inerrancy of the scriptures themselves (Psalms 12:6-7; Ro. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20)....
Two heresies are causing division these days: modernism and postmodernism. The modern approach is a cold and rational one that demands scientific proof. It arose out of the Enlightenment period. In its extreme form, nothing is to be taken on faith. It has given rise to a critical examination of Scriptures with biblical scholars who deny the miraculous. Another emerging heresy is based on a "post-modern" frame of mind. It creates its own theologies often for who it perceives as the underdog. Post Modernism also denies that there can be any "Truth" in anything said or written, much less truth which was derived from the Bible. It embraces the New Age religions and denies Christ as the Savior. Both camps of these heretics murmur against the Word of God.
Listen, though, to what Augustine says to us,
For murmurers are admirably described in a certain passage of the Scriptures, "The heart of a fool is as the wheel of a cart." What is the meaning of "the heart of a fool is as the wheel of a cart"? It carries hay, and creaks. The wheel of a cart cannot cease from creaking. Thus there are many brethren, who do not dwell together, save in the body. But who are they who dwell together? They of whom it is said, "And they had one mind and one heart towards God."
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Postscript. An interesting sentence in this homily by Augustine mentions the feasts of the Nativity of Christ and of John Baptist falling by tradition on the Winter and Summer Solstice. He writes,
The ministry of man grew less and less, as was signified in John; the ministry of God in our Lord Jesus Christ increased, as was shown at their birth. The former was born, as the tradition of the Church shows, on the 24th of June, when the days begin to shorten. The Lord was born on the 25th of December, when the days begin to lengthen. Here John himself confessing, "He must increase, but I must decrease."
Finis
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
