Ember day in the Octave of Pentecost

 

 

Dear Fathers, Friends in Christ,

 

Mark 9:38-40

For whoever is not against us, is for us. (Mark 9:40)

 

 That there can be no middle ground in our relationship with the Lord is a point noted by Scripture commentators regarding this teaching of Jesus.

 

 We can adhere to the Gospel passed down from the Apostles and safeguarded by the teaching authority of the Church. Or, we can seek out false teachers who interpret the Gospel in ways that appeal to our biases, political ideologies, our pride, our obstinacy.

 

 Sadly, research shows that only a small minority of self-avowed Christians in the western cultures have truly surrendered to Christ, committing their lives to Him. The Church is stronger in other parts of the world, where persecution is rampant.

 

 Let us pray for the grace to be surrendered to our Saviour in spirit and in truth, and most of all in love, asking not so much that He help us realize our well-intentioned plans and desires, but that our plans and desires truly conform with His.

 

Father Ed Bakker,
Anglican Catholic Church / Original Province
Mission of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne
Launceston on Tasmania
Australia