Spam in the Comments and What I will do about it...

I am in the unenviable position of having to block anonymous comments from my blog entries at this point in time.

There are some folks who do not have the courage to identify themselves, giving them license--or so they think--to be offensive and demeaning.

Well...

I will brook no such activity on my blog.

If you want to comment you will need to register yourself on blogger.com and/or identify yourself with your real name, et al. You can always tell who the cowards are when they refuse to identify themselves and are blatantly crude in what they say about you, the writer, or someone you respect and has been elected to a place of authority and respect by bishops and lay people, legally and legitimately within the Church. This applies to all entries, church-related or not.

I suppose there will always be people who will act like spoiled children in their adult lives...and that is the real pity.

Catherine+

"The theory of relativity applies only to physics, not to ethics."
~~ Albert Einstein ~~

THE letter from ++Katharine to the Prodigals of Division

My dear brother:

I have seen reports of your letter to parishes in the Diocese of San Joaquin, which apparently urges delegates to your upcoming Diocesan Convention to take action to leave the Episcopal Church. I would ask you to confirm the accuracy of those reports. If true, you must be aware that such action would likely be seen as a violation of your ordination vows to "uphold the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this Church has received them." I must strongly urge you to consider the consequences of such action, not only for yourself but especially for all of the Episcopalians under your pastoral charge and care.

I certainly understand that you personally disagree with decisions by General Conventions over the past 30 and more years. You have, however, taken vows three times over that period to uphold the "doctrine, discipline, and worship of the Episcopal Church." If you now feel that you can no longer do so, the more honorable course would be to renounce your orders in this Church and seek a home elsewhere. Your public assertion that your duty is to violate those vows puts many, many people at hazard of profound spiritual violence. I urge you, as a pastor, to consider that hazard with the utmost gravity.

As you contemplate this action I would also remind you of the trust which you and I both hold for those who have come before and those who will come after us. None of us has received the property held by the Church today to use as we will. We have received it as stewards, for those who enjoy it today and those who will be blessed by the ministry its use will permit in the future. Our forebears did not build churches or give memorials with the intent that they be removed from the Episcopal Church. Nor did our forebears give liberally to fund endowments with the intent that they be consumed by litigation.

The Church will endure whatever decision you make in San Joaquin. The people who are its members, however, will suffer in the midst of this conflict, and probably suffer unnecessarily. Jesus calls us to take up our crosses daily, but not in the service of division and antagonism. He calls us to take up our crosses in his service of reconciling the world to God. Would that you might lead the people of San Joaquin toward decisions that build up the Body, that bring abundant life to those within and beyond our Church, that restore us to oneness.

I stand ready for conversation and reconciliation. May God bless your deliberation.

I remain

Your servant in Christ,

+Katharine

Giving Thanks

I give thanks to God for my best friend, an agnostic who has made time in her life to encourage and support me, spiritually, steadfastly and sincerely, who helped me build a rabbit run for my little orphans.

I am thankful for a wonderful friend in Tacoma, Washington who prays for me and encourages me, who loves wildlife [not "wild life!"], the outdoors and nature as much as I do, who understand how important our furry domesticated friends mean to us who live alone and endure loneliness but would prefer not to.

I give thanks for a womanly couple who have been strong allies in the fight for right in the workplace and who have had faith in me since our first introduction [and who appreciate animals, especially my rabbits] who also long for a spiritual home.

I give thanks for a licensed clinical social worker who I got to know from my church when I agreed to read to one of her hospice patients [and that in turn began a new friendship between she and I], and for her outrage at the lack of concern from our own parish members for my situation.

I give thanks for the Domestic Violence Coordinator at Rogue Valley Medical Center who has been a friend and support in trying to help me find work so I can support myself [and no, I did not require her professional services as a DVC; my Shih Tzu and rabbits are not abusive!], and who has made time to listen to my cares and concerns, who has made phone calls on my behalf to other clinics to try to find me a job.

I am thankful for my second oldest brother who works for Homeland Security at PDX who tries his best to help me from afar. It's more than my other two older siblings have ever done for me.

I am thankful for my dog and teenage rabbits, who love me without guile or conditions for their affection; they give my love and compassion a place to go...

Mostly I am thankful to God who gives me the roof over my head, the clothes that protect me, the food which feeds me, and books to nourish my mind. I am thankful for 8 year old moosehide slippers that are all worn out inside but enable me to pad around my home in warmth.

I am most grateful for the Son of God who died for me that I might live with the Holy Family in heaven, Father, Son and Holy Spirit--in all of Her motherly glory and wisdom.

I am thankful that I live in the freest nation on the planet, so I can live and worship in my own way, speak my mind and not walk my street in fear.

I
Am
Thankful...