David Roche and Grandpa's Roll Top Desk

David Roche

July 8,1948—December 24,2022

Jesus said 

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

The Scripture says;

I know that my Redeemer lives

and that at the last he will stand upon the earth.

After my awaking, he will raise me up;

and in my body I shall see God.

I myself shall see, and my eyes behold him

who is my friend and not a stranger.

So, then, whether we live or die,

we belong to God.

Let us pray

O God, we remember our loved one David. We thank you for giving him to us, his family and friends, to know and to love as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Messianic Banquet: Isaiah 25:6-9

On the mountain of the LORD of hosts God will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, for the LORD God has spoken. It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

The Christian Hope: John 14:1-6

Jesus said; if you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”

Grandpa’s Roll Top Desk

The most precious thing we have in life is each other. We are all devastated at the loss of David. I share many precious memories with you. On August 1, 1975 I became the rector of Christ Church in Hyde Park and Jackie Roche was the secretary. That’s the first precious thing we share. Your family and my family became acquainted from that day to this. That’s 47 years! When Jackie hugged you she held you so tight you knew what love is, pure unbridled affection. I miss her. 

And so it was that my grandmother wanted me to have my grandfather’s roll top desk. She figured I needed a good desk in my line of work. I had nobody to get it from Aunt Hummie’s house in Beverly to the rectory in Hyde Park. But Jackie knew someone with a truck who would be glad to help. That’s right, David Roche. 

I didn’t even know the man. But you do. Each one of you knows he is the kind of man who will give you the shirt of his back. And there he was, ready to help, bright and early one Saturday morning with a smile as broad and bright as a sunny day. There was something of the devil in his sense of humor and a twinkle in his eye. I found him delightful to be around. It took some doing to haul that heavy and awkward piece of furniture out of Hummie’s house and up to the second floor of the rectory. But David was there with me. He didn’t bat an eyelash, but was only too eager to help.

At some point during the day the subject of church came up. After all, I am a priest. David did serve the church in his younger years as an acolyte. But then the subject of his son Michael also came up and I understood. I spoke softly to him then and tried to find words of comfort. And here I am again today trying to find words of comfort. 

When death comes suddenly we are ill prepared to comprehend our loss or make much sense of it. So we do the only thing we know to do which is to gather with each other because the most precious gift we have is each other. 

You have hundreds of stories to tell, countless memories. Remember them. Share them, write them down if it helps. I’ve walked with many a family through the years at times like this. We always begin with our stories.

I began with the story of David Roche’s kindness to me in helping to move my grandfather’s roll top desk to the rectory. Because of that kindness and generosity of spirit, I have spent countless hours at that desk writing whatever words of comfort I could find for families I care about down through the years. That includes these very words I share with you to day.

That desk is the center of my prayer life as I search for some way of making sense of all the joys and sorrows of life down through the years.

Christmas seems like a cruel time to lose a loved one. My dad died at Christmas when I was 8 years old. And that was also cruel. Every time I hear a Christmas song, trim a tree gather with loved ones or say a prayer, whatever joy I have is always mingled with the tears of my sorrow.

Which brings me to my faith. Faith is a mystery to me. To understand it and come to terms with all that life and death brings to my faith is well beyond my pay grade. But for good or ill I am a priest. 

One reason I am a priest  is that along the way I have met so many wonderful people whose goodness and kindness have enriched my life and made the world a better place to life in. Jackie and Martin, David and Cindy, Christopher and Kim, Brian and Betsy and your precious children Brennan, Michael, Lily, Cara and Mary. And of course Debbie, Gaby and Megan we go a long, long way back together.

Some of you I know better than others. But you honor me in asking me to be here today. 

But there is another reason why I am a priest of the church. Please understand, as I wander this world I wonder about this God I love. After the loss of my dad at Christmas in 1953, I decided that the goodness and kindness of people like David exists only because of the goodness and kindness of God. Which is why I became a priest. And all I have is a hope and a prayer that there is an abundant answer to our faith in the resurrection and the life.

This is not an easy thing to believe but I will tell you where my mind went when I heard about David’s death. After the initial shock and devastation, I went to the desk that David and I lugged up the steps of the rectory so many years ago and I lit a candle and I shed a tear. I do this time and again not just because I am a priest but because I am a human being. And I care.

I prayed to the One who was born in a stable and asked him to remember David. The Holy Child is the love of God made flesh and blood and there is no finer example of that love for family than there is in David Roche. And I imagined him gathered to all those who have come before led by Jackie. I imagined Jackie welcoming him with such a hug as you cannot even begin to imagine. As I prayed I wondered suppose it is all true. Suppose there is Jackie and Martin and myriads more, suppose there is Michael too.

Scripture says that God will wipe away all the tears from our eyes. Today I am your priest. And the best I can do is offer you my love, my hope and my prayers. Today I offer you my faith. 

Because the most precious gift we have is each other. Amen.

The Prayers

God our Father,

Your power brings us to birth,

Your providence guides our lives,

and by Your command, we return to you at the end of our lives

We pray in hope for David and his family and friends,

and for all those gathered into your nearer presence.

may they rejoice in Your kingdom,

where all our tears are wiped away.

In the fullness of time unite us together again as one family,

to sing Your praise forever and ever.

Amen.

Almighty God we entrust David and all who are dear to us to your never failing care and love, both in this life and in the life that is to come knowing that you are doing for them better thing than we can ask or even care for. 

Our Father, who art in heaven,

  hallowed be thy Name,

  thy kingdom come,

  thy will be done,

  on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

  as we forgive those

  who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

  but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

  and the power, and the glory,

  for ever and ever.  Amen.

And now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of his son Jesus Christ, and may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be upon you and remain with you this day and forevermore. Amen. 

The Committal

Everyone the Father gives to me will come to me; I will never turn away anyone who believes in me.

He who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will also give new life to our mortal bodies through his indwelling Spirit.

My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; my body also shall rest in hope.

You will show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God David, and we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless him and keep him, the Lord make his face to shine upon him and be gracious to him, the Lord lift up his countenance upon him and give him peace. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

  hallowed be thy Name,

  thy kingdom come,

  thy will be done,

  on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

  as we forgive those

  who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

  but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

  and the power, and the glory,

  for ever and ever.  Amen.

Other prayers may be added.

Rest eternal grant to him, O Lord;
And let light perpetual shine upon him.

May his soul, and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Alleluia. Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant: Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Let us go forth in the name of Christ.
Thanks be to God.

Isn't this fun!

 Isn’t this fun!

He Qi "The Good Samaritan"

Two weeks ago I “retired” and celebrated 50 years of ordination. I did not put myself on the supply list and all I wanted was to take a few months off before deciding what else to do with my life. 

But then Edwin emailed me, and this is St. Mary’s, and my son David does go to church here, and I do know many of you, so how could I say; “No?”

Which brings me back to my priesthood and us to the question of the day; Eternal Life? I was confronted with that question early on in life because my dad died when I was eight years old. The whole question of life and death and what happens when a loved one dies was front and center even before I knew how to fully comprehend or process the enormity of that kind of loss or those kinds of questions.

Eventually, after more than a year of sadness and bewilderment I came to understand that the Silence I poured out my heart to in the night season was actually God, and Jesus and that that most beautiful Hagia Sophia; or the Holy Spirit as we call her liturgically. 

Then I read the Gospel and I discovered that Eternal Life has more to do with the here and now than the bye and bye. To be sure it involves both but Jesus consistently redirects us to the more immediate concerns of life and the living. 

When the lawyer in today’s Gospel questions Jesus about “eternal life” it is easy to think that he is talking about what he needs to do to make his way toward heaven. 

Jesus’ answer is the first and great commandment; The Shema: 

Hear O Israel “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.” In traditional Judaica that’s the sum and total of it.

But Jesus doesn’t leave it there. He adds “and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He lifts those words from Leviticus 19:18b. One half of one verse of all the hundreds of rules in the Levitical law code, but Jesus homes in on only one. 

Jesus puts our social responsibility on a par with our responsibility to God. We are not required to love one or the other. Jesus says we are required to love both. 

At the end of his life we face another shift in teaching. So important is our social responsibility that when he faced the final conflict, he make this law the New Commandment. 

Remember? At the Last Supper, after the foot washing, Jesus leaves them these words; “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” ~John 13:34,35.

Eternal Life then is; first and foremost about the here and now. Don’t wait until you’re dead to live the Way of Jesus. It won’t do you much good then. No, let’s get on with it and live it now! 

Sacramentally, eternal life begins in our Baptism and we feed on it in the Eucharist. You may have heard a priest or two say; “The Body of Christ keep you in Eternal Life.” Or “The Body of Christ; the Bread of Heaven”. Biblically in the Gospel and Sacramentally in the Eucharist Jesus teaches us Eternal Life begins now.

Secondly, Eternal Life is relational. The lawyer wanted to justify himself, which is to say that he wanted to establish his righteousness, and so pressed the question with Jesus; “And who is my neighbor?” In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus holds up a mirror to the soul of the lawyer to demonstrate how far from righteousness he was. On that treacherous road from Jerusalem down to Jericho a certain man fell into the hands of robbers, leaving him half dead. The story strikes close to home. The ones we’d expect to be righteous, the priest and the levite, passed by on the other side. But it was the theologically, politically, and socially marginalized Samaritan who stopped and ministered to the victim of violence. 

Jesus seems to be saying that this is Eternal Life; when you see someone suffering, in sorrow, in pain or in any other kind of need; stop what you were doing and tend to that first. If you claim to love God then show it by loving your neighbor. God does not measure righteousness by the labels we wear, God measures us by how we treat one another. 

Eternal Life is about our relationships to God and to one another. 

Thirdly, Eternal Life is prophetic. It is about Justice. What did Amos see in today’s first lesson? He saw God “setting a plumb line in the midst of the people.” In this particular historic context, God was measuring the household of Jeroboam, and found it wanting. In those days, the power brokers were eager to get past the Holy Day observances so that the fraudsters could get back to business. Corporate greed is nothing new. I love reading Amos. It has such a contemporary sound to it. 

From ancient times our faith tradition requires us to look out for the poor and the vulnerable. This fragment from the Psalmist today is a case in point. 

It sings; 

“Save the weak and the orphan; *
        defend the humble and needy;
Rescue the weak and the poor; *
        deliver them from the power of the wicked.”

This is how we are to organize our lives; around the the needs of the poor and the marginalized. Jesus goes even further than biblical norms to be inclusive of tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers and sinners of all sorts. 

Where do we draw the line? You know the answer to that question. We draw it over our hearts and souls (making the sign of the cross)

Which brings me back to my initial point; isn’t this fun! To live in Eternal Life is to live inside the Joy of Jesus. It is here and now. It is about our living relationships with God and each other and becoming be agents of God’s Justice. 

Jesus said; “I have come to bring you life in all of its abundance.” ~John 10:10. And “I have told you these things that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” ~John 15:11. “Go and do likewise”.

Thank you for embracing me on such short notice today. I pray the church in Baltimore and Fr Edwin and all the rest are having a grand time of it living inside Eternal Life. Knowing Edwin and the Episcopal Church as I do, I have every confidence they’e having a wonderful time sharing all that life has to offer! Let us do likewise this day in Eternal Life!

In the Name of God; the Most Holy, Undivided and Everlasting Trinity. Amen.

Below, the readings for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost and highlights of those words and phrases that speak to my hearts and soul. 

The Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

The Collect:

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Amos 7:7-17

This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.’” And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.” Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ “Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.” Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’”

Psalm 82

God takes his stand in the council of heaven; *
        he gives judgment in the midst of the gods:
“How long will you judge unjustly, *
        and show favor to the wicked?
Save the weak and the orphan; *
        defend the humble and needy;
Rescue the weak and the poor; *
        deliver them from the power of the wicked.
They do not know, neither do they understand;
   they go about in darkness; *
        all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Now I say to you, ‘You are gods, *
        and all of you children of the Most High;
Nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, *
        and fall like any prince.’”
Arise, O God, and rule the earth, *
        for you shall take all nations for your own.

Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

A Simple Parish Priest

Fr Paul Bresnahan preached the following sermon in observance of the 50th anniversary of his ordination. 

A Simple Parish Priest

That’s all I ever wanted to be. 

We called her “Ma”. After supper before bedtime, Bob and I would sit in her bedroom which was right off the kitchen. We’d listen to old time radio with her; Jack Benny, Fibber McGhee and Molly, George Burns and Gracie Allen and the like. She’d laugh from her toenails. She was so much fun to be with. She loved us. 

As her stories wound down, she’s take out her old, dog eared, binding busted Bible and read one of her favorite stories like the Call of Samuel which I read just a few moments ago. 

The story caught my attention. “The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.” That sure sounded like current events to me. Nobody ever said thing one about God in Somerville except Ma. Every night she told us about God from that sacred and holy book. These were the stories I loved. She told them by heart. 

She closed over the book, looked at me, her eyes sparkling with the twinkle of heaven; “Then the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ and he said, ‘Here I am!’ and ran to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call; go lie down again.’ So he went and lay down. 

The Lord called again, ‘Samuel!’ Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for did you call me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call, my son; go lie down again.’ 

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

To me this was like the Silence I cried myself asleep to every night after my father died. I wondered about my dad and whether I’d ever see him again. And this story seemed to suggest that God could call to my heart in the night season. It was as though the Silence I poured my heart out to night after night was not Empty Space. The Silence I spoke to at night was nothing less than God.

So I asked my grandmother;

“Ma, does this mean that God can call children to serve the church even now?”

My grandmother’s eyes danced with the joy of heaven and she said; “I wonder!” 

And that’s how it happened. The long journey to priesthood began. I was nine years old at the time. There was high school, college, and seminary. Then ordination and now all of a sudden, here I am 50 years later. 

This is all I ever wanted out of life: to love God and to love God’s people. And that’s what I did. That’s what I do.

Along the way, God kept insisting. “Oh, by the way. No there will be no exceptions.”

Outside every one of our churches there is a sign that says “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You.”

Does that really mean Everyone?

It so happened that while I was in Seminary there was a Civil Rights movement. God said; no exceptions. Black or white you are all one. At seminary there were also women and gay folks. And there were controversies about where all that fit into God’s salvation plan. Again the bottom line was; no exceptions. 

During every one of my fifty years I have worked for Civil Rights. Human Rights. No exceptions.

I remember my uncle speaking to me in that blue collar Boston way of his, dripping with sarcasm. He was not fond of the church’s tendency to play exclusion games against gays, Muslims, or Hindus and the like. He’d often say to me; 

“What makes you people think you’re right and the rest of the world is going to hell?” History showed that the church often played exclusion games. My uncle was gay and at that time gay folks were not welcome to ordination or anywhere else for that matter. Neither were women. All this irritated Al. This was all 50 years ago.

 All I had was an amorphous hope that God’s love extended to all without regard to all human categories of race, ethnicity, economic status or gender. 

One day my uncle said to me; “I don’t give a good blankety blank what your church thinks, I want to know what you think of me.”

“Geez All, you’re fine in my book.”

“If that’s the case kid, I want you to stand up for me in that blankety-blank church of yours someday.” 

I did that. 

Al, I hope you see that now. I did. I stood up for you.

I also stood up for the poor and the homeless. 

Jesus said “feed my sheep”.

I’ve always taken part literally. Whether it was a soup kitchen or a food pantry or both. I’ve always seen to it that we fed the poor.

And because we did that, we always saw the homeless. Particularly during my time in West Virginia, I became involved in an effort to build a homeless shelter. 

One of the two times during my ministry that I received death threats was because of my obedience to Jesus to tend to the poor. During the struggle to build a homeless shelter in West Virginia Cindy received a phone call one time from someone who said; “We’re going to kill your husband.”

In her best Boston accent she said; “Oh yeah, take a numbah. I want to kill him too sometimes.”

Is it any wonder that the harvest remains great and the laborers are few?

Discipleship can cost you. 

Nevertheless, I love it. Every minute of it. This is God’s work we do my friends. And God’s work deserves to be done well.

50 years ago I was given a number of tokens representing this ministry we share. Now I seek to present them to some special people in my life. 

When you come up to Communion please leave these gifts for ministry before God on this table from which I present them to you. 

Bob & Jim — this is Ma’s Bible — Let’s continue to tell our stories and God’s Story so that many may be drawn to the knowledge and love of God.

Cindy & David — this Celtic Cross comes from our Pilgrimage to Ireland. Thank you for helping to carry this cross throughout our family life.

Lynette & Daryl  — Stole — This stole is a sign of our priesthood. Jesus said “my yoke is easy, my burden light”. May he sustain us in every joy and every sorrow of our life especially when our burdens become too much for us to bear alone. 

Patty & Bruce — Book of Common Prayer — you know me to be a man of prayer. May we continue faithful in prayer in season and out of season. How precious our times of prayer with this book. 

Bruce & Betty — Bread & Wine — Jesus said; “Feed my sheep”. You have done that all your life for the church and her people. May this Bread and Wine sustain us unto our life’s end.

Deb & Diane — Water  — We are all Baptized one in Christ Jesus our Lord; Behold the Rainbow. I remember that day when you came to the Bean Supper at the church. It was the eve of Palm Sunday and nobody wanted to be the criminal for the reading of the Passion Narrative. I looked at you and said; “Will you be my criminal?” You weren’t even a member of the church but you said yes. When you walked into that church you knew you were home again. There is room in God’s heart for you. No exceptions. 

Angela Soto & Children — Oil of Unction — This holy oil represents Christ’s healing touch. In whatever language we say it may we always be one in Jesus. Este aceite sagrado representa el toque sanador de Cristo. En cualquier idioma que decimos que siempre seamos uno en Jesús

Drs. Janet & David — Hymnal — “Singing is praying twice” as St. Augustine said. Thank you for your sacrifice and generosity and and the gift of music today and  all through these many years. It is a blessing to serve along side you.

Kaylen & Luca — Incense — Thank you for your service at the altar of God. May this incense represent our prayers rising to God’s praise and and devotion in serving God’s people. It rejoices my heart to serve with you at the altar of God.

Bill & Phil — Flowers — Their flower shop was called “Beautiful Things”. It was their ministry to comfort the bereaved and shield the joyous. They provided flowers for our wedding day in 1979. They are dear, dear friends. They are going through a rough patch right now. I ask your prayers for Phil and Bill who cannot be here today. 

Which bring me to my mother. I have no desire to engage in controversy on this of all days. But I can hear her voice of sorrow and outrage rise from the grave today. It was during the war and he promised to respect her in the morning but when the rabbit died, he left her holding the bag. What happened then was illegal and dangerous. She could have died. I haven’t said this in a very long time, but “Mom, I love you and these flowers are for you this morning.” I’ll bring them over to Phil and Bill a little later on. But right now, they are for you. 

Cathy — Keys — It is time to hand back to you what you entrusted to me. Keep these doors open so that the inclusive arms of Jesus may extend to all. May God raise up another faithful servant who will continue God’s work with you in Word and Deed in this portion of God’s vineyard. 

John Parnell — Constitution & Canons — Fifty years ago the Diocese of Massachusetts and Bishop John Melville Burgess entrusted this ministry to me. Thank you for that trust. Cindy and I are ready for a break now, but God only knows what lies ahead. I have tried to retire 9 times. 

Whatever else God has in mind this I know. 

All I ever wanted was to be a simple parish priest. 

By the grace of God, this is who I am. 

In the Name of God; the Most Holy, Undivided, and Everlasting Trinity. Amen.

Fr Paul

The following readings are appointed for use on occasions of ministry. 

Collect of the Day

O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquillity the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were being cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-10: The Call of Samuel

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.

At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ and he said, ‘Here I am!’ and ran to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call; lie down again.’ So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, ‘Samuel!’ Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call, my son; lie down again.’ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” ’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’

The Epistle: Ephesians 4:11-16

The gifts are that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

The Gospel: Matthew 9:35-38: The Harvest Is Great, the Labourers Few

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’