Friday, June 5, 2009

Today's Commemoration - St. Boniface


I wouldn't be aware of this saint, except for the fact that the local Roman Catholic parish is named after him. Which makes sense. A bunch of Irish RC's settled in Ruma, and their parish is named for St. Patrick. A bunch of German RC's settled in this town, and they chose the "Patrick" to the Germans (though Boniface wasn't German by birth).
At any rate, if you don't like reading, you can listen to my good friends, Rev. Richard Stuckwisch (who wasn't even half way done when he got to my number of kids) and Rev. Martin Noland (I get to see him again for Doxology in two weeks) on the previous incarnation of Issues, etc. (I was going to put this paragraph at the end of my post, but if you don't like reading, you would not have gotten there.)
Rev. Paul McCain reproduces this (from a Wiki, which explains the uneven writing style that sounded nothing like his polished writing. He is an editor after all.) If you want a brief summary, Aardvark Alley has this from a few years ago. He includes Scripture readings for this day, a collect, and a picture of a Boniface statue.
Pastor Weedon a few years back included this writing by Boniface, which is a must read if you are (or have been) discouraged to the point of giving up - whether Pastor or layperson. A good reminder, not only that you and I are not the first to face the evil we face, but also that no Scripture passage gives us the authority to give up. "Let us trust in him who has placed this burden upon us. What we ourselves cannot bear let us bear with the help of Christ. For he is all-powerful and he tells us: My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

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