Author: Fr Henle

Sonnets to the Saints and Sacred Days

Collects from the Book of Common Prayer and
Inspirational Sonnets by George K. Johnson (1920-2007), member of Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

Saint Thomas the Apostle, December 21

THOMAS, SKEPTICAL APOSTLE
A Galilean Jew, Thomas was known
For questioning what e’er he held in doubt.
When risen Christ to him His wounds had shown,
A humbled Thomas hailed Him with a shout,
"My Lord and My God!" Thus the first was he
Of followers to laud Christ’s sovereign state.
Much legend tells how Thomas proved to be
To India’s throngs Christ’s foremost advocate.
Their "Christians of St. Thomas" still attest
Some seven Churches founded by their seer,
Converting thousands to our Lord confessed
‘Til slain in prayer by Brahmin soldier’s spear.
For Indians saved so widespread is his fame
Two postage stamps there issued bear his name.

Collect:  ALMIGHTY and everliving God, who, for the greater confirmation of the faith, didst suffer thy holy Apostle Thomas to be doubtful in thy Son’s resurrection; Grant us so perfectly, and without all doubt, to believe in thy Son Jesus Christ, that our faith in thy sight may never be reproved. Hear us, O Lord, through the same Jesus Christ, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and for evermore. Amen
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Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, December 26

Collect:  GRANT, O Lord, that, in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of thy truth, we may steadfastly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors by the example of thy first Martyr Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to thee, O blessed Jesus, who standest at the right hand of God to succour all those who suffer for thee. our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

STEPHEN, FIRST CHRISTIAN MARTYR
Young Stephen full of Holy Ghost, ordained
One of first seven deacons of Christ’s flock,
Did such "great wonders" that his foes complained,
A lie, that he did God and Moses mock.
Put speedily to trial, he spoke such truth
That none could contradict him, but then fired
Their wrath with vision of, forsooth,
Our Lord beside our Living God inspired.
Mobbed by the council, dragged into the street,
Stephen was cruelly stoned by them to death
While Saul of Tarsus watched his murder, mete
For "blasphemer" to pray his final breath.
Thus Stephen, once a new star blazing bright,
Was snuffed out in Sanhedrin’s fearful night.

Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, December 27

JOHN, BELOVED APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST
Beloved of Jesus, John was always there
At His defining moments; saw our Lord’s
Divine transfiguration; helped prepare
Jesus’ Last Supper where Gospel records
John close to Him, reclining on His chest;
Was present at the Cross on Calvary
Where dying Christ to him made last bequest:
His mother’s personal care John’s legacy.
A "pillar" of the early Church, John wrote
His Gospel and three holy letters’ scripts.
Whence Patmos sent, his visions did he note
In his self-prophesied Apocalypse.
Of love esteemed our Scripture’s foremost sage,
John died in Ephesus a ripe old age.

The Holy Innocents, December 28

HOLY INNOCENTS
Uneasy so was cruel King Herod’s crown
He slew his sons and wives for baleful views.
So, having heard that Wise Men asked if known
The whereabouts of Him born King of Jews,
He had them queried when this Child presaged
And where; then issued orders to condemn
To death each male child two and under aged
His troops could trace in all of Bethlehem.
Our Lord was saved to Egypt, but forlorn
Were countless families of this Holy Land
From whom their infants were so cruelly torn
By edict of mad Herod’s fearful hand.
Of babes a massacre by all abhorred,
Innocents martyred for our infant Lord.

The Circumcision of Christ, January 1

CIRCUMCISION OF JESUS
The child was circumcised on his eighth day,
Named Jesus as by angels well foretold;
‘Marked in the flesh’ to follow in the way
Of God’s covenant with Abraham of old.
‘Twas thus God pledged his Son to keep the Law
Of Moses as a mortal Israelite,
Though charged to elevate the Church he saw
From one of laws to one of “love’s pure light.”
This rite, too, was symbolic when it shed
For first time our Lord’s blood in sacrifice
As it so few years later would be bled
To His death to redeem us and suffice.
But Jesus named himself in epigram:
"Before Abraham was," he said, "I am."

The Confession of Saint Peter, January 18

CONFESSION OF PETER
When Jesus asked, "Whom say you that I am?"
Of His apostles, Simon at His prod
Confessed his faith completely without sham,
"Thou art the Christ, Son of the Living God."
Then Jesus blessed him; named him Peter, thus
The solid rock on which His Church would rise;
Gave him the keys to Heaven’s Kingdom plus
The power to bind or loose as earthly wise.
So Peter ranked as chief among those called
By Christ to preach His word for all to hear.
Untutored, bold and brash, he never stalled
In his pursuit of converts to adhere;
Denying Christ, rebuking Him, and yet
Most fervent follower Christ e’er had met.

Collect: ALMIGHTY Father, who didst inspire Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep thy Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and forever. Amen.

The Conversion of Saint Paul, January 25

THE CONVERSION OF PAUL
In Tarsus born a Roman citizen,
Reared in Jerusalem a Pharisee,
Saul for the high priests persecuted when
He e’er could find a Jesus devotee.
Damascus-bound to fiercely search for such,
Saul, thrown and blinded by celestial light,
Saw not again ‘til Ananias’ touch
That made him our Lord’s chosen acolyte.
"Apostle to the Gentiles" was his aim,
Which he fulfilled with ardor and with skill;
Three missionary journeys would he claim
With torments that another man would kill.
Baptized as Paul with Holy Spirit, he
Was foremost founder of Christianity.

Collect: O GOD, who, through the preaching of the blessed Apostle Saint Paul, hast caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world; Grant, we beseech thee, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show forth our thankfulness unto thee for the same, by following the holy doctrine which he taught; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sonnets to the Saints and Sacred Days

Collects from the Book of Common Prayer and
Inspirational Sonnets by George K. Johnson (1920-2007), member of Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

Saint Luke the Evangelist, October 18

Collect: ALMIGHTY God, who didst inspire thy servant Saint Luke the Physician, to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of thy Son; Manifest in thy Church the like power and love, to the healing of our bodies and our souls; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

LUKE, EVANGELIST AND NARRATOR
A Greek from Antioch (once pagan slave?),
"Beloved physician" to Apostle Paul,
Luke followed Paul up to his martyr’s grave,
Inspiring and informing Luke’s own call
To write his Gospel and his book of Acts.
His longest and oft-quoted Gospel shows
A just regard for women’s roles in facts
About our Savior’s life, e’en His repose
With feet awash in errant woman’s tears.
In Acts Luke gives us priceless history
Of those whose faith persisted despite fears
To spread to us God’s gift, Christianity.
In both his lengthy books, Luke’s prime motif:
God’s love for us through Christ demands belief!

Saint James, Bishop and Martyr, October 23

Collect: GRANT, we beseech thee, O God, that after the example of thy servant James the Just, brother of our Lord, thy Church may give itself continually to prayer and to the reconciliation of all who are at variance and enmity; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, on e God, now and for ever. Amen.
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JAMES THE JUST, BISHOP AND MARTYR
Not known as a disciple ‘til Christ rose,
This James, His "brother," quickly took the helm
To steer Christ’s infant Church where e’er it goes
In bringing to the world God’s saving realm.
Close friend of the Apostles, guiding them
As leader of their early Christian band,
When chosen Bishop of Jerusalem
James well presided with a righteous hand.
Paul sought out his approval more than once
As "pillar" of the Church to be conferred.
In his epistle, James all us confronts:
Be more than hearers; doers of the Word!
By Pharisees thrown from the Temple’s crest,
Then stoned and clubbed, James went to martyr’s rest.

Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles, October 28

Collect:  O ALMIGHTY God, who hast built thy Church upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the head corner-stone; Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their doctrine, that we may be made an holy temple acceptable unto thee; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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SIMON THE ZEALOUS
Obscurest of apostles, Simon’s zeal
Was said to be projected for our Lord
in unseen faithful tending to the weal
Of heathens he converted to His Word.
Frustrated patriot, lore says he threw
Himself into a missionary thrust
That took our hope in Jesus Christ anew
As far as Egypt. Turning back, he must
Have met Apostle Jude with whom he teamed
To preach the Way in Persia.  There, ‘tis said,
They angered local priests who promptly schemed
To see that these apostles soon were dead.
The scholars differ on how Simon died.
Some maintain sawed to death, some crucified

JUDE, APOSTLE AND EPISTLER
Jude spent much time in living down his name
Because it was by faithful oft confused
With that of traitor Judas, and for shame,
Since Jude, ‘tis said, was by our Lord well used.
A kin of Jesus, Jude by Him was sent
To heal the ailments of a Turkish king
Who, well again, was grateful and content
For Jude to urge his subjects and thus bring
Them also to salvation. Jude composed
A canonized epistle, his endeavor
To warn of false corruption, which he closed:
"Our Lord, before all time and now and ever."
Jude’s martyrdom was lengthy in its throes;
They tied him to a cross and shot arrows.

All Saints’ Day, November 1

Collect:  O ALMIGHTY God, who hast knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord; Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys which thou hast prepared for those who unfeignedly love thee; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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ALL SAINTS’ DAY
This Celtic New Year’s Day that we made ours
To celebrate the memory of our saints
Inspires us to recall their saintly hours
And live our lives more Godly without taints.
Our martyrs’ noble deaths we first observed
With solemn feast day early on, and then
Communion of our lives with saints who served,
Both known to us and lost beyond our ken.
This major feast time and baptismal day
We share our loving thoughts with saints who passed
From mortal toils to God’s gracious array
Of blessed joys in Heaven at the last.
For such a dearer presence with our Christ
Most willingly their lives they sacrificed.

Thanksgiving, fourth Thursday in November

Collect:  O MOST merciful Father, who hast blessed the labours of the husbandman in the returns of the fruits of the earth; We give thee humble and hearty thanks for this thy bounty; beseeching thee to continue thy loving-kindness to us, that our land may still yield her increase, to thy glory and our comfort; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

THANKSGIVING DAY
Autumnal harvest festivals are lore
That far predates our Pilgrims, but theirs wrought
True Christian thanks for such lifesaving store
Of yields from crops and game by natives taught.
Their harvest meal with native tutors shared
As bounty from that hardship year, their way
Of showing gratitude for their lives spared,
Is honored as our first Thanksgiving Day.
Such thankfulness is central to our faith.
We thank God for His grace, by Son redeemed,
So blest that we can shed our sins’ dark wraith;
So grateful to be by His love esteemed.
To offer God our thanks without delaying
Shows humbleness most basic to our praying.

Saint Andrew the Apostle, November 30

Collect:  ALMIGHTY God, who didst give such grace unto thy holy Apostle Saint Andrew, that he readily obeyed the calling of thy Son Jesus Christ, and followed him without delay; Grant unto us all, that we, being called by thy holy Word, may forthwith give up ourselves obediently to fulfill thy holy commandments; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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ANDREW, APOSTLE & FIRST MISSIONARY
Well-traveled messenger for Christ, he brought
Wild men and Greeks to Him, but yet another
For whom he is most known as having sought;
He first fetched Simon Peter, his own brother.
Tradition tells how Andrew preached Christ’s word
The lengths of Asia Minor and Dead Sea;
Was later hailed by Scots, so deeply stirred,
Their patron saint and they from England free.
In Greece, 'tis said, he brought a governor’s wife
To Christ, defied her mate’s condemning words
And asked, as cross on which to lose his life,
An X-shaped one as lesser than our Lord’s.
Saint Andrew’s cross, on which his life was mown,
Is blazoned still on flags o’er Scotland flown.

Sonnets to the Saints and Sacred Days

Collects from the Book of Common Prayer and
Inspirational Sonnets by George K. Johnson (1920-2007), member of Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

Saint Mary Magdalene, July 22

Collect:  Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene to health of body and mind, and called her to be a witness of his resurrection:  Mercifully grant that by thy grace we may be healed of all our infirmities and know thee in the power of his endless life; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, now and forever. Amen
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MARY MAGDALENE,
DISCIPLE TO THE DISCIPLES
"Don't touch me," Mary Magdalene was told
In this New Testament's most wrenching scene
As she reached to embrace Him who, of old,
Her true and caring guide had always been.
He cast out seven demons as her dross,
Restoring her to penitential grace.
In all four Gospels she was at His Cross,
Distraught to see Him die in such disgrace.
But now, not yet ascended as our Lord,
A risen Jesus bade her tell His few
He lived again!  With that most precious word,
She launched the news Christianity is true.
Disciple to disciples was her right
For having kept His vigil day and night.

Saint James the Apostle, July 25

Collect:  GRANT, O merciful God, that, as thine holy Apostle Saint James, leaving his father and all that he had, without delay was obedient unto the calling of thy Son Jesus Christ, and followed him; so we, forsaking all worldly and carnal affections, may be evermore ready to follow thy holy commandments; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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JAMES OF ZEBEDEE, A FAVORED APOSTLE
This James and brother John were aptly named
The "Sons of Thunder" by our Lord because,
In their ambitious zeal they would have flamed
A town rejecting Christ, who made them pause.
This James was one of three with sins yet rife
Most favored by our Lord, chosen by Him
To see Him bring a young girl back to life;
To hear His warning words of end times grim.
They viewed His sadness at Gethsemane,
And saw our Lord transfigured, robed in white.
Their mother asked the Lord if John and he
Might in his Kingdom share his left and right.
Christ promised only His own bitter cup.
James was the first apostle thus to sup.

The Transfiguration of our Lord, August 6

Collect:  O GOD, who on the mount didst reveal to chosen witnesses thine only-begotten Son wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistering; Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may be permitted to behold the King in his beauty, who with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen
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THE TRANSFIGURATION
Just Peter, James and John as favorites
Were led by Jesus to a mountain's crest
To witness Him transfigured as befits
The Son of God with Whom mankind is blest.
His face shone as the sun's own brilliant sphere,
His robe was dazzling white, brighter than snow,
And with Him stood both Moses and the seer
Elijah talking with Him, thus to show
The Law and prophets here fulfilled in One.
Apostles fell in fright when to their ears
Came God's voice saying, "...My beloved Son.
...Hear ye him."  So then Jesus eased their fears,
But warned them not to make this vision plain
To any others 'til He rose again. 

St. Bartholomew, the Apostle, August 24

Collect:  O ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who didst give to thine Apostle Bartholomew grace truly to believe and to preach thy Word; Grant, we beseech thee, unto thy Church, to love that Word which he believed, and both to preach and receive the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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ST. BARTHOLOMEW, THE APOSTLE
Believed to be Nathaniel, bookish friend
Whom Philip brought to Jesus: "Come and see,"
Converted when he learned our Lord had kenned
His coming still at rest beneath a tree.
Sixth of the twelve apostles to our Lord,
Mentioned just once in each synoptic book
But, honest Israelite true to his word,
He spread Good News where e'er his travels took.
Tradition says he preached Arabia wide
With text of Matthew's Gospel he did bring
In Hebrew, gaining converts in his stride;
He even brought to Christ Armenia's king.
And none would match the martyr's death he died,
Flayed first with tanners' knives, then crucified.

A Saint’s Day, August 29

DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
From desert wilds came fervent John to cry
For our repentance with God's Kingdom near;
Garbed raggedly in skins to prophecy
Salvation for us and to baptize here.
Ascetic zealot, he condemned all sin
Including ruler Herod's who'd eloped
With brother's wife and whose desire to win
John's least approval could not e'en be hoped.
Thus Herod jailed this saint to please his mate
Who wanted John slain, but which Herod barred.
She tricked him when her daughter asked a plate
With John's head on it as her just reward.
Bold harbinger of Christ, John lost his life
And severed head to Herod's vengeful wife.

Collect:  O Almighty God, who has called us to faith in thee, and hast compassed us about with so great a cloud of witnesses; Grant that we, encouraged by the good examples of thy Saints, and especially of thy servant Saint John Baptist, may persevere in running the race that is set before us, until at length, through thy mercy, we, with them, attain to thine eternal joy; through him who is the author and finisher of our faith, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, September 21

MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST
Born Levi, son of Alpheus, a Jew
Collecting Roman taxes on his kind,
This publican was wealthy but had few
Admirers, which facts Jesus had in mind
In calling him as Matthew (Yahweh's gift).
A sinner who knew sinners' ways, he gave
A feast for publicans at which to lift
Our Lord as He their souls could surely save.
He wrote his book in Hebrew from the texts
Of sermons made to fellow Jews to prove
Our Lord the true Messiah to their sects.
His Gospel's theme is God's redemptive love,
Beatitudes and Lord's Prayer each a fount
Of wisdom as is Sermon on the Mount.

Collect:  O Almighty God, who has called us to faith in thee, and hast compassed us about with so great a cloud of witnesses; Grant that we, encouraged by the good examples of thy Saints, and especially of thy servant Saint John Baptist, may persevere in running the race that is set before us, until at length, through thy mercy, we, with them, attain to thine eternal joy; through him who is the author and finisher of our faith, thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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Saint Michael and all Angels, September 29

SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS
Of seven archangels in sacred lore,
Saint Michael is the foremost, having cast
Fierce Satan down to Hell forevermore
To win the "war in heaven" at the last.
He is God's militant, but Gabriel
Is God's predictive voice while he who heals
Among God's archangels is Raphael.
These three outrank the rest with their appeals.
We give our thanks all angels sent to man
From God, personified and winged for flight,
Are blessed with special knowledge of His plan,
Conveying it to earth to set us right.
To each God sends an angel who defends
Us as for sinning ways we make amends.

Collect:  O EVERLASTING God, who hast ordained and constituted the services of Angels and men in a wonderful order; Mercifully grant that, as thy holy Angels always do thee service in heaven, so, by thy appointment, they may succour and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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