The Bishop's Note is a short weekly message from Bishop Eric Menees where he speaks about an area of Christian belief or practice in furtherance of our mission statement that "we will call and equip laity and clergy to bring people to, and disciple them in, a saving relationship with Jesus Christ." The Bishop's Note is currently going through the 2019 ACNA Book of Common Prayer. 

Blessing of the Grave
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Dear brothers and sisters,

I pray that this Bishop’s Note finds you safe and well this second week of Eastertide! This week we continue our discussion of the Burial Rite in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer. As we did last week, today we will continue to look at the Committal, this time focusing on the blessing of the grave.

Many people have false understandings of what a blessing is, with some in the world thinking blessed objects have some sort of holiness in and of themselves. A blessing like we have here doesn’t make the grave into an object of superstition, it sets apart the grave to be used by God. In this way, it’s similar to the way a bishop consecrates a church to set it apart as a space dedicated to the worship of God. In this case a grave is set apart as a place to await the resurrection.

That’s something that we should reflect on this Eastertide. Rather than seeing gravesites as morbid, we should see them as signs of hope. The people resting in those graves have died with a faith and hope in the same resurrection we’re celebrating this season. 

I hope you all have a blessed rest of Easter Week and a wonderful Second Sunday of Easter!
The grave may be blessed. The Priest may use the following prayer here, or before the liturgy of Committal, or at some other convenient time.

O God, whose blessed Son was laid in a tomb in the garden: Bless, we pray, this grave, set apart for the repose of your servant N., that he whose body is buried here may rest from his labors in peace and quietness, until the resurrection on the last day, when the New Jerusalem comes down, the dead are raised, and the righteous are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Calendar

April 17
Standing Committee Meeting

April 18
Bishop @ Holy Cross

April 20
Northern Deanery Clericus & Central Deanery Clericus

April 21
Southern Deanery Clericus

April 25
Good Shepherd Sunday
Bishop @ St. Mark

April 26
The Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist

April 28
​East/West Deanery Clericus
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