http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLPe0fHuZsc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, D.D.
IX Bishop of Texas
Sent from portable while out of office.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLPe0fHuZsc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, D.D.
IX Bishop of Texas
Sent from portable while out of office.
Clu: I did everything... everything you ever asked!
Kevin Flynn: I know you did.
Clu: I executed the plan!
Kevin Flynn: As you saw it...
Clu: You- You promised that we would change the world, together. You broke your promise...
Kevin Flynn: I know. I understand that now.
Clu: I took this system to it's maximum potential. I created the perfect system!
Kevin Flynn: I know you did.
Clu: I executed the plan!
Kevin Flynn: As you saw it...
Clu: You- You promised that we would change the world, together. You broke your promise...
Kevin Flynn: I know. I understand that now.
Clu: I took this system to it's maximum potential. I created the perfect system!
Kevin Flynn: The thing about perfection is that it's unknowable. It's impossible, but it's also right in front of us all the time. You wouldn't know that because I didn't when I created you. I'm sorry, Clu. I'm sorry...
A city involves a certain concentration of population brought together for various social, economic, and political reasons. But a city is more than this, just as it is more than its number of buildings, streets, and public places. The city is a powerful idea, a symbol of human society. The Roman concept of civitas, for example, stood for the city as well as for civilization. A city is a public symbol expressing and facing a society’s concept of itself.Pluralism and religious tolerance are modern ideas unfamiliar to the biblical witness. So it is that unlike what many scholars might suggest the America (and the West) of today is a context wholly unfamiliar to the context of Jesus and his disciples.
Medieval Jerusalem, Rome, Constantinople [were] a world in which Christianity found the symbolic basis for social life; worship was not confined to the neighborhood church. It was public; it acclaimed the society’s connectedness with the sacred; it made the streets and plazas sacred places in addition to the church and shrines, the city became church.In this first five centuries of Christianity’s missionary explosion they understood the city as a sacred place. In the empire of Christendom there was no non-sacred space.
Sunset to sunrise changes now,
For God creates the world anew;
On the redeemer’s thorn-crowned brow,
The Wonders of that dawn we view.
Although the sun withholds its light
Yet a more heav’nly lamp shines here;
And from the cross on Calv’ry’s height
Gleams of eternity appear.
Here in o’erwhelming final strife
The Lord of life has victory;
And sin is slain, and death brings life,
And earth inherits heaven’s key. (Triduum 1 [T1], 50)
In the presence of eyes
Which witnessed the slaughter,
Which saw the oppression
The heart could not bear,
And as witness the heart
That once taught compassion
Until days came to pass
That crushed human feeling,
I have taken an oath: To remember it all,
To remember, not once to forget!
Forget not one thing to the last generation
When degradation shall cease,
To the last, to its ending,
When the rod of instruction
Shall have come to conclusion.
An oath: Not in vain passed over the night of terror.
An oath: No morning shall see me at flesh pots again.
An oath: Lest from this we learned nothing. (T1, 101)
How shallow former shadows seem
beside this great reverse
As darkness swallows up the Light
of all the universe:
Creation shivers at the shock,
the Temple rends its veil,
A pallid stillness stifles time,
and nature’s motions fail.
This is no midday fantasy,
no flight o fevered brain.
With vengeance awful, grim and real,
chaos is come again:
The hands that formed us from the soil
are nailed upon the cross;
The Word that gave us life and breath
expires in utter loss.
Yet deep within this darkness lives
a Love so fierce and free
That arcs all voids and -- risk supreme! –
embraces agony.
Its perfect testament is etched
in iron, blood and wood;
With awe we glimpse its true import
and dare to call it good. (T1, 88)
“It is immensely easier to suffer in obedience to a human command than to suffer in the freedom of one’s own responsible deed. It is immensely easier to suffer with others than to suffer alone. It is immensely easier to suffer openly and honorably than apart and in shame. It is mmensely easier to suffer through commitment of the physical life than in the spirit. Christ suffered in freedom, alone, apart and in shame, in body and spirit…” (T1, 86)
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died he for me, who cause his pain?
For me, who him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
That though, my God, shouldst die for me?
‘Tis mystery all! The Immortal dies:
Who can explore his strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tires
To sound the depths of love divine.
‘Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
He left his Father’s throne above-
So free, so infinite his grace-
Emptied himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race.
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me! (T1, 115)
Lord God, your love has called us here
As we, by love, for love were made.
Your living likeness still we bear,
Though marred, dishonored, disobeyed.
We come, with all our heart and mind
Your call to hear, your love to find.
We come with self-inflicted pains
Of broken trust and chosen wrong,
Half-free, half-bound by inner chains,
By social forces swept along,
By powers and systems close confined
Yet seeking hope for humankind.
Lord god, in Christ you call our name
And then receive us as your own
Not through some merit, right or claim
But by your gracious love alone.
We strain to glimpse your mercy seat
And find you kneeling at our feet.
Then take the towel, and break the bread,
And humble us, and call us friends.
Suffer and serve till all are fed
And show how grandly love intends
to work till all creation sings,
To fill al worlds, to crown all things.
Lord God, in Christ you set us free
Your life to live, your joy to share.
Give us your Spirits liberty
To turn from guild and dull despair
And offer all that faith can do
While love is making all things new.
I love thee, Lord, but not because I hope for heav’n thereby, not yet for fear that loving not I might forever die, but for that thou dist all the world upon the cross embrace; for us dist bear the nails and spears, and manifold disgrace, and grief’s and torments numberless, and sweat of agony, e’en death itself; and all for one who was thine enemy.
Then, why, most loving, Jesus Christ,
Should I not love thee well,
Not for the sake of winning heav’n nor any fear of hell,
Not with the hope of gaining aught, not seeking a reward,
But as thyself has loved me, O ever loving Lord? (T1, 98)
1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest.
3Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.
5To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
6But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people.
7All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
8“Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver— let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”
9Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
10On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
11Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
12Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.
[Jesus words do] not express a loss of faith –certainly the soldiers who soon confess Jesus Son of God have seen no such loss – but it is instead a cry of pain in a circumstance 9unparalleled elsewhere in the narrative) in which God has not shown himself to be God. And yet the truth, apparent from what follows, is that God has not forsaken Jesus. The abandonment, although real, is not the final fact. God does finally vindicate his son. (ADM, 625)
14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;
15my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
16For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled;
17I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me;
18they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.
19But you, O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid!
20Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog!
19 You know the insults I receive,
and my shame and dishonour;
my foes are all known to you.
20 Insults have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none;
and for comforters, but I found none.
21 They gave me poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Come, and let us drink of that New River;
Not from barren rock divinely poured,
But the Fount of Life that is forever
From the Sepulchre of Chrsit the Lord.
All the world hath bright illumination –
Heav’n and earth and things beneath the earth:
‘Tis the Festival of all Creation:
…Yesterday with thee in burial lying.
Now today with Thee aris’n I rise;
Yesterday the partner of Thy dying,
With Thyself upraise me to the skies.
Are you God's friend and lover?
rejoice in this glorious feast of feasts!
Are you God's servant, knowing God's wishes?
be glad with your Master, share his rejoicing!
Are you worn down with the labor of fasting?
now is your payday!
Have you been working since early morning?
you will be paid fair and square.
Have you been here since the third hour?
you can be thankful, you will be pleased.
If you came at the sixth hour,
come up without fear, you will lose nothing.
Did you linger till the ninth hour?
come forward without hesitation.
Even if you came at the eleventh hour?
have no fear; it is not too late.
God is a generous employer,
treating the last to come as he treats the first arrival.
God gives to the one and gives to the other:
honours the deed and praises the intention.
Join, then, all of you, join in our Master's rejoicing.
You who were the first to come, you who came after,
come now and collect your wages.
Rich and poor, sing and dance together.
You that are hard on yourselves, you that are easy,
celebrate this day.
You that have fasted and you that have not,
make merry today.
The meal is ready: come and enjoy it.
The calf is a fat one: you will not go away hungry.
There's hospitality for all, and to spare. No more
apologizing for your poverty:
the kingdom belongs to us all.
No more bewailing your failings:
forgiveness has come from the grave.
No more fears of your dying:
the death of our Savior has freed us from fear.
Death played the Master: but he has mastered death
Isaiah knew this would happen, and he cried:
"Death was angered when it met you in the pit."
It was angered, for it was defeated.
It was angered, for it was mocked.
It was angered, for it was abolished.
It was angered, for it was overthrown.
It was angered, for it was bound in chains.
Death swallowed a body, and met God face to face.
It took earth and encountered heaven.
It took what is seen and fell upon the unseen.
O Death, where is your sting?
O Grave, where is your victory?
Glory and power to him for ever and ever!
"The other gospels mark Jesus' death with miraculous signs in the ambiance: The Temple curtain is torn; tombs open and bodies of the saints come forth; and an expression of faith is evoked from a Roman centurion. but the Fourth Gospel localizes the sign in the body of Jesus itself: When the side of Jesus is pierced, there comes forth blood and later. In 7:38-39 we heard: "From within him shall flow rivers of living water," with the explanation that the water symbolized the Spirit which would be given when Jesus had bee glorified. That is now fulfilled, but the admixture of blood to the water is the sign that Jesus has passed from this world to the Father and has been glorified. It is not impossible that the fourth evangelist intends here a reference not only to the gift of the Spirit but also to the two channels (baptism and the Eucharist) through which the Spirit had been communicated to the believers of his won community, with water signifying baptism, and blood the Eucharist." (RBJ, 930)
24For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.
25From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever!
27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
28For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.
29To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.
30Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord,
31and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
"In John's theology, now that Jesus has finished his work and is lifted up from the earth on the cross in death, he will draw all meant to him. If "It is finished" is a victory cry, the victory it heralds is that of obediently fulfilling the Father's will. It is similar to "It is done" of Rev. 16.17, uttered from the throne of God and of the Lamb when the seventh angel pours out the final bowl of God's wrath. What God has decreed has been accomplished." (RBJ, 931)
When Paul wrote his great resurrection chapter, I Corinthians 15, he didn’t end by saying, “So let’s celebrate the great future life that awaits us.” He ended by saying, “So get on with your work because you know that in the Lord it won’t go to waste.” When the final resurrection occurs, as the centerpiece of God’s new creation, we will discover that everything done in the present world in the power of Jesus’ own resurrection will be celebrated and included, appropriately transformed. (Surprised by Hope, 293ff)
23 Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. 25What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? 26Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Luke 23:46: Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.
St. Romanos the sixth century hymnist wrote these words:
O Heaven, be struck with horror;
Earth be plunged in chaos;
Do not dare, Sun, to behold
Your master on the cross,
Hanging there of his own will.
Let rock be shattered, for the rock of life
Is now wounded by nails….
In fact, let all creation shudder and groan
At the passion of the Creator.
Adam alone exults. (T1, 109)
16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’
15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba!* Father!’ 16it is that very Spirit bearing witness* with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
22We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Through the night of doubt and sorrow
Onward goes the pilgrim band,
Singing songs of expectation,
Marching to the promised land.
Clear before us through the darkness
Gleams and burns the guiding light;
Pilgrim clasps the hand of pilgrim
Stepping fearless through the night.
Onward, therefore, sisters, brothers;
Onward, with the cross our aid.
Bear its shame, and fight its battle
Till we rest beneath its shade.
Soon shall come the great awak’ning;
Soon the rending of the tomb!
Then the scatt’ring of all shadows.
And the end of toil and gloom.
Episcopal, Anglican, Lutheran Pastoral Letter issued
on 10th Anniversary Celebration of Full Communion
The Episcopal Church, Anglican Church of Canada,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
“We look forward to the development of fuller relationships
that will lead to a common mission, ministry, and witness in the world.”
[April 26, 2011] The leaders of the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have issued a Pastoral Letter for the May 1 celebration marking the 10th Anniversary of full communion.
“On the basis of Called to Common Mission and the Waterloo Declaration,” the letter states, “we look forward to the development of fuller relationships that will lead to a common mission, ministry, and witness in the world.”
Called to Common Mission, for full communion between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the similar Canadian document, the Waterloo Declaration, between the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, both took effect in 2001. The anniversary of this historic milestone will be celebrated on May 1 with the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church; Bishop Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; the Most Rev. Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada; and Bishop Susan Johnson, National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. On May 1, simultaneous celebrations will be held at 3 pm Eastern at St. Paul's Anglican Church, Fort Erie, Ontario and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Buffalo, NY (Diocese of Western New York). Bishop Johnson will preside at St. Paul’s Anglican and Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori will preach. Presiding Bishop Hanson will preside and Archbishop Hiltz will preach at Holy Trinity Lutheran.
The Pastoral Letter in full follows:
__________________________________________________________________
A Pastoral Letter On the Occasion of the 10th Anniversary Celebration of Full Communion: Anglican Church of Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Episcopal Church
May 1, 2011
Grace to you and peace.
Ten years ago, when Lutherans and Anglicans in Canada and in the United States embarked on journeys of full communion with one another, we pledged our commitment to unity in Christ for the sake of the mission of Christ’s church. On this anniversary, we rejoice and give thanks for those places of cooperation and ministry that our agreements have enabled. We are mindful that our commemorations in Buffalo and Fort Erie this day take place during the great Fifty Days of Easter. As the Resurrected Lord breathed his Spirit onto his disciples and commanded them to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, we continue to ask for God’s Holy Spirit to empower us continually to live together into that call.
We have chosen a place near the border between our countries to celebrate our historic agreements, to provide a unified witness to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus, to share our commitment for renewal in Christ’s Church and God’s creation, and to serve our neighbor in need.
As we continue this journey, we call upon our pastors, bishops, and denominational and congregational leaders to active engagement in God’s mission and an increase in their capacity for multiplying ministry in the world.
We recognize God’s call to serve and protect Earth in the face of unprecedented global threats to our air, land, and water. Principles of justice call us to live more sustainably as individuals and in community, and to work for systemic changes that support care for God’s creation and for our neighbors. We acknowledge that our economy is based upon a worldview that sees creation as “resource” rather than sacred, of intrinsic worth, and “very good.” As a result we often plunder creation, and the well-being of low-income and minority communities, as well as other-than-human communities, suffer. We call upon our congregations and institutions to advocate for and embody a more sustainable, compassionate economy. We also challenge our congregations and institutions to make choices and support policies to reduce our collective consumption of energy, thereby reducing the pollution and climate change that stems from the burning of fossil fuels. We call upon our four churches to work together in matters of environmental justice.
As people of faith, we have a strong tradition of helping our neighbor in need. These acts of charity are an integral expression of our faith and help meet the immediate needs of people living in poverty and those hit by disaster. Now is the time to work for justice as well, to advocate for more substantial long-term solutions that will create an anti-poverty agenda which we can all support. We will continue to encourage members of our congregations to meet immediate needs but also ask them to join together and pressure our governments to focus seriously on reducing poverty. We must continue to advocate for decent employment and to enhance our social safety net -- and to ensure that all have the opportunity to access both. Working together on matters of poverty and economic justice is an area where our four churches can forge an important common witness.
Meeting along the border of our countries, we are painfully aware of the issues of immigration and of people who lack lawful immigration status along other borders in the world. In our own context, we are mindful of those who have migrated to our countries to join their families, to work, or to seek refuge from persecution or violence. Countless families are separated by stringent immigration laws. As Christians, we are compelled by Christ’s life and teachings to welcome the stranger as neighbor, serving, as Christ did, those who are marginalized. In our national and international ministries with and for migrants and refugees, we continue to advocate for comprehensive immigration reform.
We acknowledge that almost all of us are immigrants ourselves: we live in nations built on land taken from others. Our churches have long involvement in mission and evangelism among First Peoples. Sadly we have an equally long history of marginalization and oppression, often through church-run boarding schools, whose main goals were assimilation and the eradication of First Peoples’ culture and heritage. As we atone for the past, we call upon our churches to continue processes of dialogue, healing, and reconciliation. Today, the definition of Evangelism and Mission has transformed into partnerships with First Peoples and their ministries walking side by side with Christ.
We are also aware that our own full communion arrangements reflect this border between our two countries: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Anglican Church in Canada are in full communion, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Church are in full communion. We ask our four churches to explore ways to formalize our relationships and deepen the partnerships between all four of our churches. On the basis of Called to Common Mission and the Waterloo Declaration, we look forward to the development of fuller relationships that will lead to a common mission, ministry, and witness in the world.
We put our trust and hope in Christ, who has led us thus far in these relationships. With boldness we venture now with a time of breaking new ground, planting more seeds, and tending them in the spirit of authentic partnership in the Gospel. With humility we offer all our labors to the Lord, hoping they take us and all our brothers and sisters in Christ towards a fuller realization of that unity for which he prays.
In the words of the Waterloo Declaration, “We rejoice in our Declaration as an expression of the visible unity of our churches in the one Body of Christ. We are ready to be co-workers with God in whatever tasks of mission serve the Gospel. We give glory to God for the gift of unity already ours in Christ, and we pray for the fuller realization of this gift in the entire church.”
In the words of Called to Common Mission, “We do not know to what new, recovered, or continuing tasks of mission this Concordat will lead our churches, but we give thanks to God for leading us to this point. We entrust ourselves to that leading in the future, confident that our full communion will be a witness to the gift and goal already present in Christ, ‘so that God may be all in all.’”
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Most Rev. Fred Hiltz
Archbishop and Primate
The Anglican Church of Canada
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
The Rev. Susan C. Johnson
National Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
The Episcopal Church
Office of Public Affairs
_________________________________________________________________
The Episcopal Church: www.episcopalchurch.org
Anglican Church of Canada: http://www.anglican.ca/
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: http://www.elca.org/
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada: http://www.elcic.ca/
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Buffalo, NY: http://www.holytrinitybuffalo.org/
St. Paul's Anglican Church, Fort Erie, Ontario: http://www.stpaulsfe.com/
Called to Common Mission: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/110055_111495_ENG_HTM.htm
The Waterloo Declaration:
http://www.elcic.ca/What-We-Believe/Waterloo-Declaration.cfm
# # # #
For more info contact:
Neva Rae Fox
Public Affairs Officer
The Episcopal Church
publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org
212-716-6080 Mobile: 917-478-5659
La Iglesia Episcopal
Oficina de Asuntos Públicos
Carta Pastoral Episcopal, Anglicana, Luterana publicada en el
10º Aniversario de la Celebración de la Comunión Plena
La Iglesia Episcopal, la Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá,
la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá, la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de América
“Esperamos con interés el desarrollo de relaciones más plenas
que conduzcan a una común misión, ministerio y testimonio en el mundo”
[26 de abril 2011] Los líderes de la Iglesia Episcopal, la Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá, la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá y la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Estados Unidos han publicado una Carta Pastoral para la celebración, el 1 de mayo, del 10 º aniversario de la comunión plena.
“Sobre la base de Llamados a la misión común y la Declaración de Waterloo”, dice la carta, “esperamos con interés el desarrollo de relaciones más plenas que conduzcan a una misión, ministerio y testimonio en común en el mundo”.
Llamados a la misión común, hacia una comunión plena entre la Iglesia Episcopal y la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de América, y su similar documento canadiense, la Declaración de Waterloo, entre la Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá y la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá, ambos entraron en vigor en 2001. El aniversario de este hito histórico se celebrará el 1 de mayo con la Rvdma. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Obispa Presidente y Primado de la Iglesia Episcopal, el Obispo Mark Hanson, Obispo Presidente de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de América, el Rvdmo Fred Hiltz, Primado de la Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá, y la Obispa Susan Johnson, Obispa Nacional de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá. El 1 de mayo, tendrán lugar celebraciones simultáneas a las tres de la tarde (tiempo del Este) en la iglesia anglicana de San Pablo, Fort Erie, Ontario y en la iglesia luterana de la Santísima Trinidad, Buffalo, NY (Diócesis del Oeste de Nueva York). El Obispo Johnson presidirá en la iglesia anglicana de San Pablo y predicará la Obispa Presidente Jefferts Schori. El Obispo Presidente Hanson presidirá y el arzobispo Hiltz predicará en la iglesia luterana de la Santísima Trinidad.
La Carta Pastoral en su totalidad se encuentra a continuación:
__________________________________________________________________
Carta Pastoral en Ocasión de la Celebración del 10 º Aniversario de Comunión Plena:
Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá, la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá, la Iglesia Evangélica Iglesia Luterana de América y la Iglesia Episcopal
1 de mayo 2011
Gracia y paz a ustedes.
Hace diez años, cuando los luteranos y los anglicanos de Canadá y de Estados Unidos nos embarcamos en viajes hacia la comunión plena, prometimos nuestro compromiso a la unidad en Cristo por el bien de la misión de la iglesia de Cristo. En este aniversario, nos alegramos y damos gracias por aquellos lugares de cooperación y ministerio que nuestros acuerdos han hecho posibles. Somos conscientes de que nuestras conmemoraciones en Buffalo y Fort Erie este día tienen lugar durante los gran cincuenta días de Pascua. Como el Señor Resucitado sopló su Espíritu sobre sus discípulos y les mandó a predicar el Evangelio hasta los confines de la tierra, continuamos pidiendo al Espíritu Santo de Dios que nos capacite continuamente para vivir juntos ese llamado.
Hemos escogido un lugar cerca de la frontera entre nuestros países para celebrar nuestros acuerdos históricos, para ofrecer un testimonio unificado de la gracia salvadora de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, para compartir nuestro compromiso de renovación en la Iglesia de Cristo y en la creación de Dios, y para servir a nuestro prójimo necesitado.
A medida que continuamos este viaje, hacemos un llamado a nuestros pastores, obispos y a los líderes de las denominaciones y de las congregaciones para que activen una participación en la misión de Dios y un aumento en su capacidad de multiplicar el ministerio en el mundo.
Reconocemos el llamado de Dios a servir y proteger a la Tierra en vista de las amenazas mundiales sin precedentes a nuestro aire, tierra y agua. Los principios de la justicia nos piden que vivamos de una manera más sostenible personalmente y en comunidad, y que trabajemos para lograr los cambios sistémicos que apoyen el cuidado de la creación de Dios y de nuestros vecinos. Reconocemos que nuestra economía se basa en una visión del mundo que ve la creación como un “recurso” en lugar de algo sagrado, de valor intrínseco y “muy bueno”. Como resultado, a menudo saqueamos la creación, y así sufre el bienestar de comunidades de bajos ingresos y de minorías, así como otras realidades más allá de las comunidades humanas. Pedimos a nuestras congregaciones e instituciones que promuevan y encarnen una economía más sostenible y compasiva. También desafiamos a nuestras congregaciones e instituciones a que tomen decisiones y apoyen normas para reducir nuestro consumo colectivo de energía, reduciendo así la contaminación y el cambio climático que se deriva de la quema de combustibles fósiles. Hacemos un llamado a nuestras cuatro iglesias a que trabajemos juntos en asuntos de justicia ambiental.
Como pueblo de fe, tenemos una fuerte tradición de ayudar a nuestro prójimo necesitado. Estas obras de caridad son una expresión integral de nuestra fe y ayudan a satisfacer las necesidades inmediatas de las personas que viven en la pobreza y a los afectados por desastres. Este es el momento de trabajar también por la justicia, para abogar por soluciones más substanciales a largo plazo, que creen un programa de lucha contra la pobreza que todos podamos apoyar. Vamos a seguir alentando a los miembros de nuestras congregaciones a que satisfagan las necesidades inmediatas, pero también les pedimos que se unan y presionen a nuestros gobiernos para que se centren seriamente en la reducción de la pobreza. Debemos continuar abogando por un empleo decente y por una mejora de nuestra red de seguridad social - y continuar garantizando que todos tengan la oportunidad de acceder a ambos. El trabajar juntos en cuestiones de pobreza y justicia económica es un área donde nuestras cuatro iglesias pueden forjar un testimonio común importante.
Al reunirnos en la frontera de nuestros países, somos dolorosamente conscientes de los problemas de la inmigración y de las personas que carecen de estatus legal de inmigración a lo largo de todas las fronteras del mundo. En nuestro propio contexto, somos conscientes de los que han emigrado a nuestros países a unirse con sus familias para trabajar o buscar refugio de la persecución o de la violencia. Innumerables familias están separadas por rigurosas leyes de inmigración. Como cristianos, estamos obligados por la vida y las enseñanzas de Cristo a acoger al extranjero como vecino, y a servir, como Cristo lo hizo, a los que están marginados. En nuestros ministerios nacionales e internacionales con y hacia los migrantes y refugiados, continuamos abogando por una reforma migratoria integral.
Somos conscientes de que casi todos nosotros somos inmigrantes: vivimos en naciones construidas en terrenos quitados a otros. Nuestras iglesias tienen larga participación en la misión y evangelización de los Pueblos Originarios. Lamentablemente también contamos con una larga historia de marginación y opresión, a menudo a través de internados administrados por la iglesia, cuyos objetivos principales fueron la asimilación y la erradicación de la cultura y patrimonio de los Pueblos Originarios. A medida que expiamos por el pasado, hacemos un llamado a nuestras iglesias a continuar los procesos de diálogo, sanación y reconciliación. Hoy en día, la definición de Evangelismo y Misión se ha transformado en alianzas con los Pueblos Originarios y con sus ministerios caminando juntos con Cristo.
También somos conscientes de que nuestros propios arreglos de comunión plena reflejan esta frontera entre nuestros dos países: La Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá y la Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá están en comunión plena, y la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de América y la Iglesia Episcopal están en comunión plena. Pedimos a nuestras cuatro iglesias que exploren la manera de formalizar nuestra relación y profundizar la colaboración entre nuestras cuatro iglesias. Sobre la base de Llamados a la misión común y la Declaración de Waterloo, esperamos con interés el desarrollo de relaciones más plenas que conduzcan a una misión, ministerio y testimonio en común en el mundo.
Colocamos nuestra confianza y esperanza en Cristo, que nos ha conducido hasta ahora en estas relaciones. Con audacia nos lanzamos ahora a una época de abrir nuevos caminos, de sembrar más semillas y atenderlas con el espíritu de una auténtica asociación en el Evangelio. Con humildad, le ofrecemos todo nuestro trabajo al Señor, en la esperanza de que nos lleve y a todos nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo hacia una realización más plena de esa unidad por la que él ora.
En las palabras de la Declaración de Waterloo: “Nos regocijamos en nuestra Declaración como una expresión de la unidad visible de nuestras iglesias en el único Cuerpo de Cristo. Estamos dispuestos a ser colaboradores con Dios en cualquier tarea misionera de servir al Evangelio. Damos gloria a Dios ya por el don de nuestra unidad en Cristo, y oramos por la realización más plena de este don en toda la iglesia”.
En las palabras de Llamados a la misión común: “No sabemos a qué nuevas, recuperadas o continuas tareas misioneras conducirá este Concordato a nuestras iglesias, pero damos gracias a Dios por guiarnos hasta este punto. Nos encomendamos a ese liderazgo para el futuro, confiando en que nuestra comunión plena sea testigo del don y objetivo ya presentes en Cristo, ´para que Dios sea todo en todos´”.
El Rvdmo. Mark S. Hanson
Obispo Presidente
La Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América
El Rvdmo. Fred Hiltz
Arzobispo y Primado
La Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá
La Rvdma. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Obispa Presidente y Primado
La Iglesia Episcopal
La Rvdma. Susan C. Johnson
Obispa Nacional
La Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en Canadá
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La Iglesia Episcopal: www.episcopalchurch.org
La Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá: http://www.anglican.ca/
La Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de América: http://www.elca.org/
La Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá: http://www.elcic.ca/
Iglesia Luterana de la Santísima Trinidad, Buffalo, NY: http://www.holytrinitybuffalo.org/
Iglesia Anglicana de San Pablo, Fort Erie, Ontario: http://www.stpaulsfe.com/
Llamados a la misión común: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/110055_111495_ENG_HTM.htm
La Declaración de Waterloo:
http://www.elcic.ca/What-We-Believe/Waterloo-Declaration.cfm
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Para ulterior información contacte a:
Neva Rae Fox
Oficial de Asuntos Públicos
La Iglesia Episcopal
publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org
212-716-6080 Móvil: 917-478-5659