The Rev. William Carl ThomasEpiscopalians and Roman Catholics:
Two churches separated by a common liturgy?
By The Reverend William Carl Thomas
(December 2009 issue of The Messenger)
(Also published in the Charleston, West Virginia Sunday Gazette-Mail on 12/13/09)

Two passionate articles in recent editions of the Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail offer little discussion about Gospel-based ministry and much hyperbole about the virtues of the polities of Roman Catholics and Episcopalians. How the retired Episcopal Priest and Roman Catholic Monsignor focused on whether or not unity could be achieved, reveals, to paraphrase George Bernard Shaw, "two churches separated by a common liturgy."

A liturgy is the language we speak when we gather in a group for corporate worship. These visible actions express what the group expects of the individual worshiper. Polity is that expression as practiced by the Church's members, and unity is hard to achieve even within a group that claims a common polity. For example, in 1991 I served the Episcopal church in Warren, Rhode Island. Warren is the smallest town in the smallest state yet had five Roman Catholic churches. These churches retained the language and traditions of various ethnic groups that immigrated to work in the factories. The Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service was held in the Irish heritage Roman Catholic Church. The preacher was the priest from the Italian heritage Roman Catholic Church. He opened his sermon saying, “The real miracle tonight is not that the Protestants and the Catholics are worshiping together, but that the Catholics who are Irish, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Polish have come to share in this liturgy of Thanksgiving!”

The word “episcopal” actually describes the organization of both the Roman Catholic Church and the Episcopal Church (which descends from the Church of England and is therefore “Anglican” in heritage). The Greek root of the word “episcopal” means “bishop.” A church with bishops is small “e” episcopal. While Episcopalians and Roman Catholics share a common liturgy, and we agree that a bishop is an instrument of unity, Episcopalians do not accept the Pope, who is the Bishop of Rome, as the overarching instrument from which Christian unity flows.

Unity is, indeed, hard to achieve even within a group that claims the same polity. The Episcopal Church has contended with God’s call to discern the role of ordained women as well as responding to the gift of sexuality. Bishops in the new United States chose the word “Episcopal” rather than “Anglican” in the post-Revolutionary War church, though they retained the Anglican identity. This identity encompasses a willingness to listen, explore, and celebrate the tension that comes from finding direction as mediated by Holy Scripture, Tradition, and Reason. The Anglican approach celebrates ambiguity. Consequently, an Anglican spirituality is very much a search for God in study and prayer influenced by God-given intellect. Unity strengthened by a diversity of opinion makes ambiguity and tension two sides of the same Episcopal coin.

The highly centralized Roman Catholic Church is not immune to tension. The “come home to Rome” call that stimulated the Sunday Gazette-Mail articles is confusing to Episcopalians who have been, since Vatican II in the early 1960’s, in conversation on ecumenical issues with Roman Catholic leaders appointed by the Pope. These leaders appear to have been excluded from the process that led the current Pope to approve a methodology of unity that recalls the more rigid Papal pronouncements on Anglicanism in 1896 and 1928.

Is there a Gospel-based middle ground (a very Anglican concept called the Via Media) by which Christian unity can be achieved? I believe the answer is yes. And the memory of the 1991 Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service in Warren gives a clue. By praying together with an attitude of thanksgiving we pastors found common ground to build trust. This trust reinforced a desire to share ministry. I remember one troubled person who came to my Episcopal church at 8:00 AM on Sunday to worship. Father Bert told me that at 10:00 AM she was a Roman Catholic. We shared her care as we did for others in that small town, mourned her death, and when she succumbed to her mental affliction jointly turned her over to the fullness of the love offered by the one God we both worshiped and served.

I now serve God at Saint Matthews Episcopal Church in Charleston. During the calling process in 2003, I noticed that the name of the church and the zip code for the church were a compelling reason to remember where the Gospel of Jesus Christ calls Christians to ministry. In Matthew 25:31-40 Jesus teaches liturgy – literally “the work of the people.” Jesus merges liturgy and ministry when he points to caring for those who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, sick, or prisoners. The passage ends “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

My hope is that Christian unity will be revealed as we share our gifts with those in need of God’s love. Perhaps we are better served with the organizational image of a jigsaw puzzle rather than a chessboard. Command and control is essential to chess with the goal of conquering the opponent. A jigsaw puzzle has many pieces with the goal of completing the puzzle. It takes a lot of work to bring the pieces together. When we share the work and celebrate the gifts of each participant, we make space for the creativity in which solutions to the most vexing problems can be revealed. Christian unity becomes a reality when we worry less about how we are organized for ministry and more about actually doing ministry. I hope we have the grace to understand why we differ. I celebrate how we are alike. And I pray that we can be two churches united in common service to the least of these who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, sick, prisoners or anyone in need of the love we have found in Jesus Christ.

Transcription of the Sermon preached on
Sunday, October 11, 2009
By The Reverend William Carl Thomas
10:30 AM
at Saint Matthews Episcopal Church, Charleston West Virginia.
Click here to hear the sermon.

The Paradox of Abundance

I believe that many of you gathered here are familiar with what is called the Serenity Prayer. Now, I know that many of you, upon hearing this prayer, will go, oh yes, I’ve heard this before and I think I’ve heard it in connection with somebody I know from, perhaps, Alcoholics Anonymous or one of the twelve step programs. The Serenity Prayer is simply this: “God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference.”

Now it’s interesting how this prayer has become part of our culture. A wonderful and grand theologian Reinhold Niebuhr is credited, perhaps, with originating this prayer and having it in a sermon in 1936. Although it may have earlier antecedents and whatever. But it did find its way into the common and collective wisdom of the twelve step programs. And you can see why, for it is very good prayer.

And as time went on, as is always the case with a good innovation somebody tries to help make it better. And so what one person did to make it better, a man perhaps William Spence in the early 1950's, added to the prayer what might be considered more of confessional statement. After you hear the Serenity Prayer and the Wisdom to know the difference: “Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardships as the pathway to peace, taking as He did this sinful world, as it is not as I would have it, trusting that He will make all things right, if I surrender to His will, so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever and ever in the next.” Now I note that as a more of confessional statement, because this person wove some thoughts into it, that I’m a tad bit uncomfortable with. I don’t like the idea, even though it underpins a little bit of the gospel that we heard, that if you just wait until the next life it will all be grand and glorious. Put up with the persecutions, the problems now. And the whole sense of being reasonably happy, I’m not sure Jesus came to make us happy. Came to reconcile us to God. And in that, perhaps, we will find contentment and fulfillment. And if that’s happiness that’s a good thing.

You can see “happy” kind of puts its foot into the world of advertising and all the things they’re trying to do to make you feel like things are good if only you had this or good if you only had that. I believe that the next life, as you know well, could be experienced now as we pray the Lord’s Prayer: Thy kingdom come, on earth, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. If we start to share now it’s amazing what can happen. We can have a sense of the fullness of heaven. That alone is a statement if you think about it, which introduces the notion of paradox. Paradox is one of those things where on the first surface some of the stuff you say sort of makes sense then when you get into it a little bit deeper you go, “wait a minute, it’s more that I head can handle, it’s spinning around.” So I’m going to throw at you the idea of the paradox of abundance. The paradox of abundance.

You see, as you begin to listen to the gospel that has been put forward to us today, you hear some rather strong teaching from Jesus. And for those of us who have fairly comfortable lives, it’s kind of tricky to hear this teaching from Jesus when this person who comes, obviously as the story unfolds, has some wealth. He says, “I’d like to follow you Jesus.” And in Jesus talking to him, finds out that this is somebody who has been on the pathway of faith. Knows the commandments, has integrated them into his life. Does, I would say, all the right things. And then, of course, as you probably heard the part which jumps right out at you, he was told, after he knelt down in front of Jesus etcetera, “Go and sell all your possessions. Give the money to the poor. Then you can come and follow me.” And you can see how some preachers just jump off on that and take off from there.

But I think that there is a paradox in here. Because there is a piece of information that is missing if that’s what jumped out at you or at me. Now I must give you a small bit of personal confession and you have to take this for what it’s worth. The first ten or eleven years of my professional life, my job was to try to make you happy. Or discontented enough that you would actually seek happiness by buying things you might not need cause I wrote advertising copy and sold advertising etcetera, etcetera, using all the communication skills I had learned. Then I went to seminary and I’ve spent the last 20 years and, perhaps, the rest of my life undoing all the damage I caused in the first ten years of my life. So just remember the source that’s speaking to you. Okay, and what’s coming next.

But entering into this sense of paradox, this paradox of abundance, there is some incredible good news. You see, the part that we sometimes forget to hear when this strong teaching comes before us, is that before Jesus says to the young man who has knelt before him, who wants to follow him. Who, if you will, in encumbered with all the things society has told is good to have, Jesus looked at him and loved him. The he told him what to do. You see, the paradox of abundance is borne up not of material things but out of relationships. And the relationship that God has for us in Jesus Christ, Jesus is pointing to that. Say it, if we have that love, we have more than we can ask or imagine. And with God, all things are possible. It’s pretty powerful when you begin to see this. And what he may have been telling the young man in that instance was “why don’t you get rid of some of the things that are keeping you, you the young man, from a relationship that’s rich and full. I want you to know how loved you are. But it’s going to take some struggle to figure it out.”

Imagine if that young man had been given a prayer like the one Reinhold Niebuhr wrote as he walked away. Imagine if he was walking away from Jesus with all his confusion, his bewilderment, his wonder at what was going to happen, and he started to hear these words in his head, and he started to take them into his heart, “God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference.” He would be on a pathway to beginning to understand what he might do with this charge that Jesus had given him.

Now, we can’t be divorced from this because, in the next week, two weeks, three weeks, you will get something in the mail from Saint Matthews that will prompt you to start wondering what it is you’re to do with the material wealth that you’ve been blessed with. Where did it come from and what should you do with it? Because you will be asked to contribute to the mission and ministry that we do in this church. And that’s not the first one you’re going to get because, one of the problems of having Harvey House gone, is at some point we’re going to ask you again to help us build something to help us continue the mission and ministry and the program. So think this as good basic training to get ready that one. Okay.

Now, here you are, you’re faced with that form, that pledge card. What do you do with it? Wouldn’t it be an interesting exercise, if before you filled it out (historically I give so much in the past), I’m going to take a few minutes in prayer, or maybe more, and maybe you say to yourself, “God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference.”

Now, there’s a test you can give yourself to see how well you’ve done in working this through. Listening carefully to God as you’ve prayed for wisdom and how you’re making this commitment. It needs a mirror. So you have to find a mirror. And the pledge card. And, of course, yourself. And what you simply do is this: You go stand in front of the mirror and you take your pledge card and you hold it, now that you’ve filled it out, in front of the mirror. Now, of course, the pledge card’s going to be reversed but you know what you wrote so you know the amount. You can’t run away from that. Now I want you to look at your face. If your face is like “Oh boy, what have I got myself into, I’m sad, I’m angry, I’m this.” You may have the wrong number on there. It may be too much. It may be too little. What you want to do is get a number on there, that when you look at it you can be smiling! As I hope that young man started to smile when he got what Jesus was saying to him. And he could come into the fullness of the love, the abundance of the paradox of love that was offered to him. That some love, that is offered to each and every one of us.

So this is kind of heavy, real stuff that we’re being presented with spiritually. Now, I want to lessen the load a little bit for just a second. You know how if you’ve ever seen TV shows like MASH or the movies where they’ve got high medical drama. And they use almost inappropriate humor to get through something tense. So I know it’s going to be a close moment with God, not unlike the close moment this young man had, when you prayerfully come to gripes with what it means to support the mission and ministry of this church to do God’s work in the world. So, perhaps, you can hear the way this author had some fun with this prayer. I just want to give you this. This is kind of fun to hear. “God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway; the good fortune to run into the ones I do; and the eyesight to tell the difference.”

You know, it’s kind of nice to know that God is pretty good at forgetting what we do. Because that’s part of the paradox of abundance. Can you just imagine the joy God must have when we actually get it? And we do it well! Oh, I just can’t imagine that. It’s just tremendous when that happens. And that’s the whole idea of looking in the mirror and being able to smile. Because if you are created in the image and likeness of God, maybe that’s what you’re seeing when you’re smiling over what’s been placed in front of you in that mirror.

Let me leave you with the Serenity Prayer one more time and the way one other author has worked with it: “God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference.”

And now from an unknown author: “God grant me the Serenity to accept the people I cannot change; Courage to change the one I can change; and Wisdom to know its me.”

All these words I offer in the Name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Transcription of the Sermon preached on
The Seventh Sunday of Easter: The Sunday after the Ascension
By The Reverend William Carl Thomas
May 24, 2009 – 10:30 AM
at Saint Matthews Episcopal Church, Charleston West Virginia.
Click here to hear the sermon.


As we listen carefully to the Acts of the Apostles lesson today, we are hearing a sense of what comes next. A way to engage in the question of what comes next. You see, here we have the eleven gathered amidst, perhaps, 120 or so, and they have just seen, in the last few days, Jesus ascend, leave them again on Ascension day, which was the fortieth day after Easter, when he bodily rose and left them and promised them the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. He had been with them since the Resurrection, those 40 days, he had been teaching with them, eating with them, walking with them. And now he has left them alone again, this sense of presence not being there bodily. But his presence is still fully there because they know him. And he has said to them I will send you the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to be with you to guide you in all things. Which is very much what he had said to Philip in that story from the Gospel according to John when he says to Philip, “Greater things than these you will do in my name because you will have the Holy Spirit and there will be so many more of you doing them.”

So here they are, trying to figure out what comes next. And Peter shows remarkable leadership. Peter does not simply stand there and say to them, “I know what comes next, and here’s what we’re going to do.” He says to them, “We need to be open to prayer. I have an idea of what we ought to be doing for what comes next, to prepare for this coming of the Holy Spirit, I think we ought to consider rounding out our number again. When Jesus was with us, we had twelve. We have eleven now. Perhaps we should go back and have twelve again.” And they concur. And they decide that it is appropriate for what comes next to have twelve.

And, again, Peter just doesn’t stand there and say, “And I know who it should be!” Peter says, “We need to place this before God in prayer. We need to place our hearts before God and God will guide us to who is the right one. And, in order to do that, we need some kind of a process.” He may not have used those exact words. But the way the scripture unfolds its as if he says here’s the approach we ought to do this, this sense of how we ought to move from one step to the next. And he says, “Perhaps the criteria ought to be those who have been with us since the beginning, since the baptism of John in the River Jordan, those who walked with us, perhaps one of the 70 who went out. But they have been with us all this time.”

And so, with that criteria, they choose two. They have one who was also known as Justus, Joseph Barsabbas and…Matthias. And so, with these two who met this criteria they go before God, and they say to the Lord, just before they do it they prayed, and they said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart, show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry. The one you have chosen, Lord, you know the place in our hearts.” And so, in that deep sense of prayer, they have an election, they cast lots. And they are guided by that process to Matthias. And Matthias is brought forward and made one of the twelve.

Now, it’s an interesting sidebar on Matthias. His name is only mentioned twice in scripture. Once when he’s brought forward as a possible candidate. And once when he is elected. After that there’s nothing else said about him. He doesn’t have anybody walking with him writing down all the stuff he did. You think about it. When Paul shows up and finally becomes an Apostle, he’s got folks writing about him and Paul was writing letters. We don’t know much about Matthias. He might have gone to Ethiopia and been an apostle there. There’s really not much known. The point is that he was a strong enough character that they remembered him and brought forth and said in order for us to be ready for what comes next we must have twelve. And the way they went about it: we must do it in the power of prayer, in relationship with God. And literally, it seems, the moment they brought Matthias in, they were ready for what comes next. What we will remember next Sunday on Pentecost: The descent of the Spirit, the tongues of fire dancing on their heads. The ability for them to speak and communicate in any tongues. And share the Good News of the Gospel to all the regions of the earth. They were ready for that in the power of the Holy Spirit which descended on them because they worked on process and what comes next.

At Saint Matthews, we are very much at that point of what comes next. At our annual meeting back in January, it was said and voted on that we ought to be building something. So what comes next on the grounds is a very major question. And our leader and our Senior Warden, Andrew Jordon, has brought forward a consultant and a visioning committee has formed. And what they’re doing with this consultant is to create a visionary dream of what might come next on our grounds. And from that 30 or 40 members of the congregation will be interviewed directly by Michael Davis the consultant. And everybody will have the chance to share their voice through questionnaires about what comes next in terms of how we are prepared to do ministry. Or as our mission statement says, “how we are equipping and enabling ourselves to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit.” So that is one of the parts of our puzzle…for how do we hear God in our midst of what comes next?

And we also have before us another part of process which the vestry has endorsed. There are three or four members of our vestry who will be circulating amongst the various ministries or activities of Saint Matthews and asking them some questions. Getting them ready for a very important day. This day will be Rally Day, September 13th. And it will be more than a day when we gather and celebrate the beginning, if you will, of Sunday School with a great picnic and a lot of fun out there. It will also be a day of a Ministry Fair. Where the various ministries and activities will have a chance to present to each and every one of you what it is that they’re doing. Because between now and then, they will be asking of themselves, under guidance from members of the vestry, “Why is it you are called to do the ministry that you do? Where is your prayer? What is it God is calling you to do?”

Imagine, if you will, our choir gathering together, pondering this. And saying, we’re to raise our voices, the talents God has given us, before God. And also to create sense of, for the lack of a better term, bottom or base or foundation for the rest of us to feel comfortable singing. Raising our voices in praise. So that is part of their mission. They might stand there in a booth and say, “Come join us in this holy fellowship of what we do.” There will be other ministries and activities that will come forward.

Now, think about this if process takes it’s way appropriately. And we’re doing this, if you will, in the sense of how Peter and the Apostles gathered in the beginning to discern the mind of God in their midst. We know basically what it costs to run the church. You all get the budget in the mail, or you see the figures, you know the baseline. And it’s usually thought of the we never have quite enough of to do what we want to do. We know basically what it costs for the light and the heat and other factors. But how do we go about figuring out where to put our priorities and to place our spending?

One of the hopes out of this process is that as the members of the vestry circulate amongst the ministries and activities, people will begin to say, “This is what we could do if we had this: these resources and people, or these resources and money.” And then, by October, we’ll tally them up. And, I’ll tell you the truth, we’ll probably have far more to spend than we have money to spend. So we’ll have to cut back on those dreams a little bit. Maybe work on percentages. But they’ll come out of prayer. And they’ll come out a desire of each and every one. And just maybe because, we are in the power of the Holy Spirit by the process we engage in, we will be blessed with more that we thought we could use that we could do what needs to be done.

So we might say that we’ve got $200,000 worth of incredible ideas but only $40,000 to spend. Who knows, when the word gets out about the great ideas we have, at least we might get it up to $60,000. And all that money can be dedicated to drawing people to Christ because we’re doing it in the power of the Holy Spirit, living fully into our mission statement.

I find it amazing how our mission statement reverberates what happened in scripture today. They were Christ-centered community. They had gathered together. Jesus had ascended. They were listening and ready in prayer. And they were crying out to get ready for what comes next by saying we need to equip and enable ourselves to minister in the power of what comes next: the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Which did come and we know is amongst us now. And they knew clearly why they were doing it: to draw people to Christ.

We have a wonderful and holy example before us. We have energetic leadership willing to work amongst us. And we have a God who loves us and gives us all that we need. All we need do is respond to that Holy Spirit with willing hearts and just follow the guidance of what we claim is our mission statement. For God truly does call us to be Christ-centered community, equipping and enabling ourselves to minster in the power of the Holy Spirit, so that people are drawn to Christ.

All these words I offer in the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Transcription of the sermon preached during
A Service of Repentance
by The Reverend William Carl Thomas
The First Sunday in Lent at 10:30 AM on Sunday, March 1, 2009
at Saint Matthews Episcopal Church, Charleston West Virginia.
Click here to hear the sermon.

Held in all parishes of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia in repentance for the long history of past wrongs resulting from the sin of racism, including the practice of slavery, segregation based on race, a system of racial discrimination and marginalization, and a culture of racial inequality. Learn more from the article below entitled "Confronting the Sin of Racism."

In his pastoral letter, which we just heard read, Bishop Klusmeyer wrote these words, “We strive to relate to one another, in all our diversities, in a new way that is blind to color, and freed from the limitations of our enculturated thinking. It is a day for all of us to practice seeing, more and more, the face of Christ Jesus, the very image of God, on each person we meet.”

I can only speak about me today. And I take the phrase, “encluturated thinking,” very much to heart. I have done whatever I can do in my life, especially as my awareness grew, to become especially aware of my encluturated thinking that puts me in a place that moves me away from persons of color or makes me fearful. I would like to think that some of my motivations for working most closely with African-American leaders in our community, both here and in past times in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, were borne of the purist of motivations. But I found a great strength for their willingness to accept me for who I am. And it was a joy to learn of them and their struggle.

But I am not freed of my enculturated thinking. And I’ll explain it to you as best I can in this simple image. I love to play the game, “What’s wrong with this picture?” For a number of years on the Friday newspaper, there was a magazine in there, and on the back page it had a what’s different in this picture section. There would be one picture. And then in another picture there would be eight or nine objects. And you had to figure out, perhaps, which one had a different color shoe, or sock, or was something moved. And it would be great fun to go through that and try to figure out quickly and try to do it in my mind without notes to see how well I could succeed. So I can claim that I have a bit of an eye for detail. I can see when something is out of place.

My enculturated thinking. I might be in a place where I might least expect to see a person of color. Perhaps two of them. Two men together walking down the street. And I have to be honest and claim that I have a tremor that goes through me when I see them for the first moment. And I have to work hard to fight it back to see there is no reason to have that thought! And yet it is so deeply enculturated and ingrained in me that I have to work at it again and again and again. So that I have it less and less to the point that perhaps, someday, I will be free of that bondage.

You can see how the culture seeps into me so easily.

But I have discovered that it is possible for me to change my behavior. There are other instances out there. I have seen women who are Muslim who wear scarves around their heads. And the last few years of enculturation has made anything to do with Islamic issues somewhat tremulous and tension building. But I read a little article written by Diana Butler Bass when her daughter said to her, “Mommy, tell me about that woman over there” who had this scarf around her head. And Diana had to think about it for a minute and work through all her own issues. And then she said to her daughter, “I know what that is. I know who she is. By the scarf she wears, she is a woman who loves God.”

And I have been learning slowly, that when I see that symbol place before me, that difference shown before me, I can say, “There is a woman who loves God.” And I can only do this if I appeal to God to open my eyes, my heart, and my mind.

I can only hope and pray that what we do today, that what I do today, liberates me all the more. That when something seems out of place, I can see there are happy and joyful people walking towards me. Perhaps I am to receive a blessing.

All these words I offer in the Name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Confronting the Sin of Racism
By The Reverend William Carl Thomas
(March 2009 issue of The Messenger)

The rubrics on page 446 in the Book of Common Prayer that explain The Reconciliation of a Penitent state: “Before giving absolution, the priest may assign to the penitent a psalm, prayer, or hymn to be said, or something to be done, as a sign of penitence and act of thanksgiving.” Of course, this instruction refers to private auricular confession rather than a corporate confession and apology such as the one Bishop Klusmeyer has directed the Diocese of West Virginia to offer on the First Sunday in Lent. However, the notion of amendment of life, which means changing how the penitent acts in the future regarding the sin confessed, is implicit in a corporate confession.

Bishop Klusmeyer directs the member congregations of the Diocese to participate in a liturgy of repentance for a long history of past wrongs resulting from the sin of racism, including the practice of slavery, segregation based on race, a system of racial discrimination and marginalization, and a culture of racial inequality. The Bishop writes in his Pastoral Letter, “I do not expect anyone to take upon themselves any sin of which they are not guilty as individuals.is about Corporate sin, not individual sin. This is about the Church in which we worship, and find Christ. This liturgy is a litany of repentance for the past and continued sin of the whole church, as an institution.It is a fact that our church tolerated slavery.is a fact that our church, until far too late, justified and excused segregation.We even had separate bishops suffragan, in many dioceses, for work with Black congregations.individuals, many of our clergy and lay members worked tirelessly and at great personal cost for the ideal of racial equality, and we acknowledge and honor their sacrifices. Yet, as a church, we have never actually repented of our complicity in the great wrongs that were being done; failing to stand against grave injustice constitutes complicity in that injustice, is time that, as a church, we acknowledge this failure.”

Our Bishop’s prayer “is that this will signal the beginning of the end of a process of raising awareness and acknowledgment of wrongdoing done on our behalf by our church.see the sacramental act of penance as a wonderfully freeing experience.On bended knee, we acknowledge before God and one another our corporate sin., we allow the burden of the aftermath of that guilt to fall from our collective shoulders.Going forth into the world, we strive to relate to one another, in all our diversities, in a new way that is blind to color and freed from the limitations our enculturated thinking.”

My sense is there is direct action individuals and communities can take that exhibit a commitment to amendment of life when it comes to living with the outcome of the past wrongs resulting from the sin of racism. On page two of this newsletter (click here) is information from my friend Mr. Kenneth L. Hale, the West Virginia President of the NAACP, on how you and I can let our legislators and Governor know that we support HB 2387. This legislation establishes in the state treasury a targeted minority economic development fund to address economic issues of minorities and minority communities. The complete language of HB2387 is also on page two (click here) and might change as the current legislative session continues.

My sensitivity to the positive impact on minorities that passage and signing of HB2387 is grounded in 16 months of weekly participation with a group of African-American pastors in Charleston. On February 27, 2008, thirty-three members of our parish met during Lent with members of the Charleston Black Ministerial Alliance. I know that we are all committed to, as the Baptismal Covenant states, “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” I pray you consider well the response you make to our Bishop’s passion for confronting the sin of racism.

The Spiritual Infra-Structure for Emotional and Mental “Muscle Memory”
By The Reverend William Carl Thomas
(February 2009 issue of The Messenger)

What do think allowed US Airways Flight 1549 to safely ditch without loss of life in New York’s Hudson River on Friday, January 16th? Do you imagine a miraculous hand of the almighty gently holding the underbelly of the plane and carefully placing the plane in the right spot in the river? A cynic of the “hand of the almighty position” would question why that hand did not bat the flock of geese away from the plane’s engines. You can see why this cynic might conclude that you have probably watched the movie “Angels in the Outfield” one too many times.

The more serious response to what happened to Flight 1549 is better centered on the pilot of the plane. And, as we carefully study the actions of Captain Chesley Sullenberger we can find guidance for how we might handle the difficult situations that life presents.

Capt. Sullenberger spent his whole life preparing his emotional and mental discipline in order to respond the problems of that day. He earned his pilot’s license at age 14, attended the Air Force Academy and became a fighter pilot. At some point in his adult life, Capt. Sullenberger learned to fly gilders. He was also involved as a professional investigator of airplane crashes. What continues to be remarkable in our age of instant fame is that Capt. Sullenberger has remained distant from the bright light that our 24 hour news cycles demand. While others might call him a hero, he knows that until all the facts come out, he is under investigation and will do nothing to affect the learning that will come from further in-depth study of the problem and his response. In short, he not only knew his profession, he was a disciplined student who made his profession his vocation. Capt. Sullenberger developed and maintained emotional and mental “muscle memory.”
I’ve read nothing about his spiritual life and, frankly, that’s not important to the point I want to make. Capt. Sullenberger may have said a short prayer when he ducked as the geese hit the nose of the plane and then extinguished the engines. His measured response (his emotional and mental muscle memory in action) was undergirded by a calm that let him realize his only option in a major metropolitan area was to ditch in the Hudson River. He chose a traveled spot near working ferries. He traversed his plane twice and made sure everyone was off before he entered the icy cold river waters.
What do you do to develop and maintain the emotional and mental “muscle memory” to help you handle difficulties such as the economic crisis we all currently face? I contend that a spiritual discipline which reflects core values and principles is the infra-structure for Christian “muscle memory.”

Lent will be upon us by the end of the month. I believe that the core values and principles of the Rule of St. Benedict are part of the Anglican/Episcopal DNA. Adherence to the grace filled discipline of this rule is an excellent way to develop a spiritual infra-structure that leads to the calm exercise of emotional and mental “muscle memory” in times of crises. At the very least, you’ll develop an appreciation for the Benedictine teaching of living this life with an attitude of thanksgiving. Such an attitude makes it possible to see the hand of the almighty in the skill of Capt. Sullenberger without demanding that he render similar judgment. This is the peace of God that passes all understanding. Something sure to confound any cynic.

Copies of John McQuiston’s translation of the Rule of St. Benedict will soon be available in the rear of the church. If you are drawn to engage this Rule, copies of St. Benedict’s Toolbox by Jane Tomaine are also available. And if you want to give up an hour’s sleep and add something to strengthen your spirit and build your “muscle memory,” you might come to the Wednesday morning Benedictine Study group that meets over a simple breakfast at 7:00 AM in Mathes Hall.

Giving Blood: The Most Basic Stewardship Statement
By The Reverend William Carl Thomas

Published in the May-June 2008 issue
of The Dayspring, news for and about the People of the Diocese of West Virginia
Father Bill serves a member of the Stewardship Commission of the Diocese of West Virginia, Click here to download a copy of this article in PDF format.

With the cost of gasoline at an all time high and the concept of going “green” high on the list of those concerned with the environment, many people are being coming sensitive to identifying renewable resources. The blood that flows through your body is one such renewable resource that, if shared regularly, is the most basic stewardship statement anyone can make.

Yes, giving blood is an act of stewardship. Especially when you accept the definition of stewardship as “the management of everything God has given you.” Perhaps you’ve heard the word stewardship used as a synonym for the fund-raising effort of the church every fall to get you to give some of your money. And, I’m sure that at one time or another you heard someone use the expression that “filling out their pledge card felt like giving blood.” If that expression is true, then filling out a pledge card should be relatively painless because the actual act of giving blood involves only a momentary sensation of “OH’” when the needle, yes the needle, is skillfully inserted into a well prepared vein.

When you commit to giving blood on a regular basis you truly do make the most basic stewardship statement anyone can make because:

When I gave blood last week, I was surprised when the attendant tallied my now full West Virginia donor card and told me that over the past five years I have given over three gallons of blood. Giving blood is something I know I can do and which I try to do about six times a year. As the steward of the body that God has given me, I am grateful that I able to give blood for the reasons noted in this brief article. If, for some reason, you think I sound highly altruistic in linking giving blood with stewardship, please let me give you one more very human reason why giving blood on a regular basis is part of my discipline. Every time I give a pint of blood I equate that with losing a pound. Maintaining my weight within a certain range is important to me and there are foods I do not usually eat except in the 24 to 48 hours after losing that pound. So, giving blood is also an excuse to have something that is both“off the diet” and very delicious as my body rebuilds. Saying thank you to God does have its rewards!

The following“Frequently Asked Questions” about giving blood are also posted at www.givelife2.org/donor/faq.asp#12:

Is donating blood safe?
Donating blood is a safe process. Needles and bags used to collect blood are used only once and then discarded, making spread of infection to the donor not possible.

Can I give if I have been turned down before?
Most reasons, for which donors are turned away from donating blood are temporary, not permanent. For example, one common reason for a deferral is low iron level in the blood, but iron levels fluctuate daily and are affected by what you eat. Call 1-800-GIVE LIFE to check the eligibility requirements to see if you may be eligible to donate. A "mini-physical" is given to all potential donors to ensure they are healthy enough to donate.

How often can one give blood?
Regulations in the United States allow people to donate whole blood once every 56 days. The waiting period between donations can be different for other blood components. For example, donating only platelets in a process called apheresis requires only a 3 day wait before a person can give again. Donating two units of red blood cells through a similar process doubles the waiting period to 112 days.

How do I know if I am eligible to donate blood?
You must be in good health, be at least 17 years old, and weigh at least 110 pounds. You will also need to pass physical and health history reviews prior to donating. There is no upper age limit on your ability to donate. Conditions that require a temporary deferral are pregnancy, travel to certain parts of the world, inoculations, some health conditions and certain medications. Call 1-800 GIVE LIFE to get answers to specific eligibility questions you may have. Eligibility requirements may also vary for some states and blood centers. Final eligibility is determined by medical professionals at the time of donation.

Are the health history questions and my test results confidential?
Yes. The health history will be conducted by a trained professional in an individual booth arranged to preserve confidentiality. Your answers will be kept confidential, except where required by law. If your blood tests positive to any of the administered standard tests, you will receive confidential notification. The Red Cross maintains strict confidentiality of all blood donor records.

What can I do if I am not eligible to donate?
While you may be unable to donate blood, there are other ways you can help. You can help organize a blood drive, recruit other suitable donors, or volunteer at fixed sites or mobile blood drives to help make donors' experience a positive one. Monetary donations are another way to help ensure that safe blood can be provided to those who are in need. Learn more about

How can I ensure a pleasant donation experience?
You'll want a good night's sleep the night before, and a good breakfast or lunch before your donation. Drink fluids like juice, milk, or soda ahead of time. Take your normal medications as prescribed. Ensure you have adequate iron level by making iron-rich foods part of your daily diet. These include red meat, poultry, fish, green leafy vegetables, iron-fortified cereals, nuts, raisins and prunes. During your donation, relax. After your donation, have some juice and cookies in the canteen. Then you can go about your daily activities, but avoid heavy lifting or strenuous exercise for the remainder of the day.

Should I give blood now or wait until I am called?
Under normal circumstances eligible donors are encouraged to donate as often as possible. Please call 1-800-GIVE LIFE or schedule an appointment online. During emergency circumstances please listen to media reports in your area and donate as requested.

How long does it take to donate blood?
The whole process takes about an hour. It starts with registration, a health history and a mini-physical. Then comes the actual donation, which usually takes less than 10-12 minutes. Afterward, you will be asked to spend a few minutes in the "canteen" where you can have a light refreshment before returning to your normal activities.

How much blood is taken — won't it make me weak?
A blood donation equals approximately one pint of blood. The average adult body has 10-12 pints. The vast majority of people will not feel any different because of the donation. A very small percentage may experience temporary dizziness, but some rest and fluids will help you feel better quickly. Your body will replace the lost fluid within 24 hours.

What will happen to my blood after I donate?
Each blood donation is assigned a unique computer barcode number, which will identify it throughout its path from the donor to a hospital patient. Immediately after the blood donation, the blood is placed in transport containers designed to keep it at a safe temperature until it reaches a Red Cross component laboratory. Samples of the blood donation are simultaneously sent to one of nine Red Cross National Testing Laboratories to be tested for transmissible diseases. In the component lab, the blood is separated into its components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma. The products are then placed in quarantined, temperature-controlled refrigeration units until the test results are received (usually 12-16 hours later) and the blood can be released for distribution or destroyed. From local distribution centers, the blood is transported to hospitals based on patient need. Hospital personnel then transfuse the blood or blood products to a patient in need.

Can I direct my blood donation to an individual?
Patients scheduled for surgery may be eligible to donate blood for themselves in the weeks before non-emergency surgery in a process known as autologous donation. If an autologous donation is not used, it is discarded. Family members and friends can also make directed donations. Directed donations are fully tested, so if they are not used by the intended patient, they can be released for use by other patients.

Can I direct my blood donation to the military?
The American Red Cross has created a strong operations network that helps us direct your blood donation to the areas of the country — or the world — where they are most needed. While you can't direct your donation to be specifically routed to military personnel, you can be sure that it will be sent to the areas of most critical need.