He told us a bit about the art of fencing...


And everyone had a question or two!

Thank you for letting me share some of your prayer time.  I am very interested in the theme of Choir Camp this year: Heroes of God.  It has got me thinking:  what does it mean to be heroic?  We usually think of heroes in terms of action superheroes like Batman, Spiderman.  Or heroes in the world of sports: Michael Phelps or Gabby Douglas from the Olympics.  But heroes of God: that's a different kind of hero, isn't it?  What makes that kind of a hero?  Well, today's reading from the Gospel of Matthew gives a good idea of what makes a hero of God.  This passage is known as the Beatitudes, because Jesus tells us who are the 'blessed.'  The blessed in Jesus' definition are not the ones we might normally think of as heroic: the blessed for Jesus are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, those who hunger for justice, those who are merciful, those who are peacemakers.  These kinds of heroes of God are not perfect: they mourn, they might suffer, they might make mistakes.  But Jesus is telling us that those who are blessed, those who are closest to the love and care of God, are those who remain faithful to the call to love and serve God, and to serve one another in love.   
 
Sometimes being faithful to God, being a hero of God, requires us to be brave in the face of limitations, or in the face of our own fears.  Today's two saints, St. Hildegard of Bingen, and St. Francis Cabrini, both showed such bravery as to be called heroic. 
 
Hildegard of Bingen was an amazing woman.  She lived about 900 years ago, but we still feel her influence today.  She was a musician, a writer, a philosopher, a mystic, a Benedictine nun, a visionary.  She composed music, she wrote about philosophy and science.  She really went beyond what could normally be expected for a woman in the 1100s.  Pope Benedict has announced that he will name her a Doctor of the Church in October.  This is a very high honor; only a few people are named Doctors of the Church, and she will be only the fourth woman to be named a Doctor of the Church, joining St. Teresa of Avila, St. Therese of Lisieux, and St. Catherine of Siena.  
 
The other saint of today, St. Francis Cabrini, is much closer in time to us.  She lived from 1850 to 1917.  She was born in Italy and became a nun there.  She wanted to work as a missionary to China, but when she asked the pope if she could go to China, he told her he wanted her to go to America instead, to minister to Italian immigrants here.  She was very afraid of water and had a fear of drowning, but she sailed across the Atlantic Ocean more than 30 times to carry out her mission, a very brave thing to do!  She travelled all over the US, establishing convents, hospitals and orphanages. We have a very special connection to St. Francis Cabrini.  She established a hospital here, and when she was visiting Seattle, she worshipped right here at St. James Cathedral.  We actually have some of her relics buried her.  She also became an American citizen here in Seattle, and was the first American citizen to be named a saint
 
I know you have two more full days ahead of you.  I hope as you complete your choir camp, you will keep in mind just what it means to be a hero of God and these two great women heroes of God.  

ANGELS!


HOLY CHILDREN IN THE FIERY FURNACE!!


ADVISORS TO THE KING!!!


AND EVIL COUNSELORS!!!!