Fr. Tony’s Letter to the Trinitarians
October 2021
Beloved,
I have another month of Sabbatical before my return to Trinity on November 1. I wanted to share with you a little of what how it’s going. I have been working as a full time caregiver for Elena, whose condition has continued to decline in the last two months. I so appreciate the blessing of being able to focus full time on her, and want to thank again the vestry, Deacon Meredith, the Rev. Mary Piper, and the discernment group that Meredith drew together for this kind and compassionate blessing of time. I also want to thank the Rev. A.J. Buckley for filling most of our supply needs, Parish Administrator Robin Weiss and Senior Warden Daniel Bunn for the huge amount of extra work they have put in during this time. All this, at a time of great stress due to Covid and our national divisions. It has not been easy for anyone.
At the Bishop’s request (and part of her new protocol for all clergy taking sabbaticals), I took a battery of psychological inventories and had three days of consultation with a group of psychiatrists and psychologists in Minnesota. This was a very helpful process for me and the results helped clarify for me areas where I am strong and those where I might be able to improve. Parallel to this, the Parish conducted a Mutual Ministry Review with the assistance of the Rev. Neysa Elgren, the Diocesan Canon to the Ordinary. It too points to specific areas where together we might improve.
I have also been working on my translation of the Bible from the ancient languages into contemporary English suited for public reading, The Ashland Bible. I have finished Genesis and should have finished Mark this next week. It has been an exciting project. Trying to find inclusive and expansive language, in cadences and register appropriate for reading aloud, and trying to remove off-putting artifices that have been introduced into the Bible by previous translations—this forces me to look at every verse in a completely new light. And this has given me a new perspective on the Bible as a whole.
One thing that is surprising to me is this: when you ask “what does the Bible teach about right and wrong,” it is very clear to me now that the heart of the Bible’s teaching is that compassion for and fairness to others is the main issue in pursuing right ways of behaving. This is abundantly clear in Genesis and in Jesus’ teaching. A trust in “God the All-Nurturing” (my translation of ‘El Shaddai,” traditionally rendered “God the Almighty”), the Abba or Father that Jesus told us was God, means that we too must be nurturers and kind parents toward each other.
I look forward to my return in November.
Grace and Peace. –Fr. Tony+
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