Lighting the candle and cutting the string

 

Two important words associated with Paschaltide.

Overcoming faith

Sermon for Low Sunday

Why are people 

losing their faith?

We know that 

the Christian religion 

is going through

a decline here in the West.

In Africa and India

it is growing so well.

What's happening here?

Why are our churches

becoming emptier and emptier?

[PAUSE]

We are witnessing

the effect of the powers

of Apathy, Apostasy 

and Complacency.

Don't care.

Can't care.

Won't care.

And where do these come from?

Ultimately,

these three bear witness

to doubt, disillusionment, 

and desire.

We are disillusioned

by the actions of people

who claim to speak for God

and yet who serve their own bellies.

Since we are disillusioned

by the sinful actions 

of Church members,

we doubt 

God's purpose

for our lives.

If we lose our sense of purpose,

then we desire our own way.

And behind

doubt,

desire

and disillusionment

is the Devil himself

whispering

in our ears

the same temptations that 

he whispers into the ears

of Our Lord Himself.

Apostasy, Apathy and

Complacency

are the fruits of

Doubt, Desire and Disillusionment,

and these are the weapons

used against us in the world.

These are the things 

each of us must overcome

in our lives

if we truly wish to 

endure to the end

and be saved.

And yet we already have the victory!

[PAUSE]

St John tells us

very clearly

that Faith is our victory.

Why?

Faith in God

holds fast to the truth

that we have already experienced

in our lives. 

It holds fast to 

the reality of God 

even when His reality is

obscured by cares and woes.

Faith is not a blind hope

that all will turn out well

in the end.

It is the trust in 

what we have already experienced,

the testimony of the experiences

of others,

and the evidence that

we have already seen.

This Faith is not faith in 

members of the Church.

Their sins, 

and ours,

will be judged

by the Bridegroom

of the Church.

Our Faith is not

in the morality of Society,

for Society twists the morals

it receives from the Church

into a mockery of the Good

to satisfy its own desires.

Our Faith is in 

the One Eternal and True God,

Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Faith in God comes to us

through hearing the Gospel

and believing it

and allowing it to grow.

Ultimately, 

we must face the temptation

to think that our faith is meaningless.

If you are here

facing doubt rather than Faith

then you are not alone.

The disciples too doubt.

They doubt the evidence

of the empty tomb.

They doubt the evidence

of the ever-faithful 

St Mary Magdalene.

They doubt the tales 

of those around that

He is risen.

They doubt,

and there He is

offering up His wounds 

for scrutiny,

eating and drinking

and bringing merriment

to the dumbfounded.

The doubt of the Disciples

is there for us

when we face doubt.

[PAUSE]

We have every reason to doubt.

There are so many scandals

and scoundrels 

in the Church.

There is much evil being done

supposedly in the Name of Christ.

There is so much enticement

to change your meaning

of what is good

and what is bad.

But the evil that surrounds

and even penetrates the Church

does not change the truth

of the Resurrection.

It does not change the truth of Christ.

That evil may try 

to change what He really says

to make us disillusioned

to make us doubt

and make us desire 

that which is not good for us.

Yet, we have Faith,

and this Faith protects us

from the Devil like a shield.

Any attempt

to change what the Church 

has always believed

is a deliberate attack 

on our spiritual health.

This means that we must struggle.

And when our faith is well rooted

within the Church,

we can win the struggle.

[PAUSE]

By faith, 

our ancestors did wonderful

things for the Kingdom of God.

By faith, 

so will you,

for, by faith,

you have victory

within your grasp.

A Resurrection of Unity

 

Why theology needs to be done properly and careful of its subject matter

The humiliation of resurrection

Sermon for the Sunday of the Resurrection

Together this Triduum,

we have been looking

at the humiliation

which Our Lord accepts 

in order to save us.

We are learning

that humiliation is

a return to being grounded.

We see Our Lord

ground Himself

to wash the dust off our feet

so that we can be exalted.

We see Our Lord

mocked, 

spat in,

slapped

and laughed at in His agony.

We see Our Lord

placed in the tomb

with the intention

of allowing Him 

to return to earth,

a final expression

from His lovers

that He was not no-one.

We have seen Our Lord

show us what humility is.

How then can the Resurrection

be an act of humility?

[PAUSE]

Surely the Resurrection

is the exact opposite

of humility.

Surely the Resurrection

says, "look at Me,

I've beaten Death!"

Surely the Resurrection

is an act of self-exaltation

a showing off

an "aren't I brilliant?"

Surely the Resurrection

is not an example

of having your feet on the ground.

[PAUSE]

It is when you realise

that the Resurrection

is for our benefit alone

and not for Our Lord's

that His humility

is shown even here.

In the Resurrection,

Our Lord's human nature

willingly submits

to His divine nature.

Human nature

goes to the grave.

Divine nature

cannot die.

After such brutal punishment,

human nature would see Death

as a release,

an end of pain

an chance of unlimited rest.

After His death,

Our Lord could simply

have returned to Heaven

and ruled from there.

That's not what He does.

He does not take up 

His crown.

He does not wear 

His robes of state

not carry His orb and sceptre.

He is not raised 

in a blaze of glory

in the sight of His persecutors

and executors.

His Resurrection is small.

It is intimate.

It is for those who love Him.

Yes, He has triumphed over death.

But His victory 

does not come

at the expense

of forcing people

to see Him as He is.

He would rather choose

a simple, quiet, joyful Resurrection

than a loud, brash 

incontrovertible statement

which forces people

to be a Christian.

His Resurrection is not for Him.

It is for us.

[PAUSE]

Our Lord's Resurrection

is grounded in truth.

Christ is God

but He does not cling to being God

out of love, respect, 

and to offer us Himself

as He really is.

This is humility.

There is no pretence.

There is no distortion of the Truth.

There is no ulterior motive.

In His Resurrection,

He offers us Eternal life

with what really is,

not what just appears to be.

[PAUSE]

One day,

we will see Him in glory.

And then, 

St John reminds us,

we shall be like Him

for we will see Him 

as He really is.

The dust of Death

 

Why the burial of Christ is a blessing for us.

Breaking the spirits

 

Why is the cross something Christians venerate?

Washing off the Dust.

 

Why the Lord washes our feet.

Clatter, Chaos and Crucifixion

 

Why is the end of Lauds so noisy during the Triduum?

Questions for Palm Sunday

As you listen to Our Lord's Passion today, think upon these questions.

Where in the narrative do you feel most uncomfortable? Where do you feel the most fear? Where do you feel the most grief? What do these answers say about you? How do you want to be saved?

Why is there a DUK?

The Anglican Catholic Diocese of the United Kingdom has existed for thirty years now. For such a small church which has seen much upheaval in those thirty years, it is an example of God’s grace that we are still here. But why are we here?

There have been several occasions now in which I have been asked why the Anglican Catholic Church needs a Diocese in the United Kingdom. I am often pointed to the existence of the Free Church of England, the Anglican Ordinariate and the Society of St Wilfred and St Hilda (hereafter known as The Society) within the Church of England.

With the greatest respect to the Free Church of England, their original existence came about as a protest against the growing Ritualism within the Church of England which developed into the Anglo-Catholic Movement. Since the Anglican Catholic Church shares its heritage with the Anglo-Catholics of the nineteenth century to the extent that, through following the Affirmation of St Louis, we hold to the authority of the Early Church of the First Millennium over the Protestant doctrine of the Book of Common Prayer, it would be somewhat of a discourtesy for us Anglican Catholics to insist that the FCE do the same. This obviously does not prevent any respect and openness to discussion between the ACC and the FCE but such a discussion would have to be mindful of the differences between the classical Anglican Formularies and the Affirmation of St Louis.

With the greatest respect to the members of the Anglican Ordinariate, the fact of the matter is that, insofar as they accept the doctrines of the Universal Jurisdiction of the Pope, his infallibility and the invalidity of Anglican Orders, they are de facto Roman Catholics who use a version of the Anglican Liturgy conformed to the Roman Catholic standards. While this may preserve the ethos of being Anglican, we believe that this hides the actual Romanism which, in the same way as the Eastern Orthodox Church, we cannot share. This is not to say that we cannot be congenial and respectful of our brothers and sisters who have taken advantage of the late Pope Benedict’s generous offer.

With the greatest respect to the Society, we simply cannot be in communion with the Church of England. First, in administering the sacraments, every priest must intend to do what the Church has always intended to do. Given that the Society is part of the Church of England and the Church of England intends to equate male and female priests contrary to Catholic teaching, by being in communion with the Church of England, any clergyman is accepting the intention of that Church as his own. Crossing his fingers and saying, “I’m intending to do what the Catholic Church has always done” isn’t enough because by remaining in communion with the CofE is tacitly affirming the CofE’s intention which is not Catholic. While this does not  render all sacraments invalid, it does render the CofE schismatic from the Catholic Church she was part of until she altered the sacraments. Until the Society does indeed leave the communion of the CofE, we cannot be in communion for then we would be suffering from the same defect of intention and acceptance of schismatic theology. Further, it is also important to know that in the recent vote in General Synod to approve the form of blessing of a couple of the same sex, Bishop Warner of Chichester voted for the approval while Bishop North abstained. The Bishops of the Society have issued the statement here. While the Synod stated clearly that marriage is between one man and one woman, the approval of blessing that which cannot be blessed again raises the question of whether the Society intends to do what the Catholic Church has always done or whether it intends to do what the CofE authorises. Of course, we aim to be on good terms with the Society and its members and wish them to have the space to flourish in the direction that the feel called. Given that we have been personae non gratae at the Shrine of Walsingham , it is clear that we need to learn to understand each other better.

Our Diocese has formed, like the rest of the ACC, in response to the alteration to the sacraments by the Church of England. Since then, we have discovered that we do have a robust expression of truly Catholic theology that has come about throughout our history and association with the Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. I hope soon to be publishing further material which demonstrates that theology, why we hold it, and why it is a natural expression of proper Anglican Catholicism in the British Isle. Do please check out The Meaning of Anglican Catholicism in which I begin charting this theology.

Nonetheless, the FCE, the Ordinariate and the Society have my prayers, fraternal greetings and good wishes as they follow the Way, Truth and Life.

Unveiling the Passion

 

Why do we veil the crosses, ikons and statues in Passiontide?

Continuing Levites

Sermon for Passion Sunday

Is the Old Testament priesthood

the same as the New Testament priesthood?

You've probably not even

thought about that.

Why would you?

 It's not exactly something that

crops up in our usual experience

of going to church.

We go to Church 

and worship with our priest

and we assume that

he is part of the New Testament

just like us.

There is a very clear priesthood

in the Old Testament,

indeed the Book of Leviticus

is a book about priesthood.

The tribe of Levi

in the Old Testament

is set apart from the other tribes.

Levites aren’t given

any land when they

cross the Jordan.

The Levites are told

that they are to

live in and amongst

the other tribes of Israel.

Wherever the tribes go,

there is always a presence

of the Levites,

these priests of the Old Testament.

Why was it that

the Levites were not

given any land?

Well you can see the answer.

Practically,

the Levite priests were present

in every community

so that they could offer

the sacrifices on behalf of the people

with whom they were living.

It's no different from

your parish priest

living in a Vicarage

in the local community.

So they could not be given

any land of their own

because they needed to be

in the community of others.

Already we begin to see

that there are some parallels

between Old Testament priesthood

and New Testament priesthood.

Old Testament

and New Testament are united

in Christ,

 and He is the reason

why the priesthoods are

essentially the same

but different in practice.

[PAUSE]

Our Lord Jesus Christ

is the High Priest

of the new covenant.

This doesn't mean

that the old covenant is worthless,

but rather it is fulfilled in Christ.

All covenants are sealed in blood.

While we cannot 

pour out our blood

to seal our covenant with God

and live,

we need another to do it for us.

In the Old Testament,

this is why 

the Israelites sacrifice animals.

The Old Testament priests

sacrifice and pour

the blood of the victim 

upon the altar.

This blood cleanses

the flesh of Israel

but, as our Lord shows us,

this is not enough 

to cleanse our souls.

We need better blood.

That blood is supplied

by Christ Himself 

up on the cross.

Jesus takes away our sins

upon the cross

not by becoming a sinner

in our place,

not by being punished

instead of us,

but by offering up Himself

as a sacrifice 

which takes away our sin.

The blood of bulls and goats

cannot free us from our sin

but the blood of Christ can

because it seals 

the covenant perfectly

So our Lord offers Himself

in that one perfect sacrifice

for all the sins of every human being

who has ever existed.

The blood of the animals

sacrificed upon the altar

in the Old Testament priesthood

is soon identified

with the blood of Christ

so that it can be a sacrifice

for the Israelites

completed upon the Cross.

For us of the New Testament,

we have no need

to slaughter animals any longer

because our Lord Jesus Christ

has given His life for us

and His blood is shed for us,

and is poured out

across time and space

to be available for us all.

This blood is now found

under the appearance of wine

in the Mass.

It is the same blood of eternity

which gives us life,

cleanses us from our sins

and begins to course

through our veins.

This is why

we offer the sacrifice

of the Mass.

It isn't that

we are sacrificing

our Lord Jesus Christ anew

– that would be heresy.

When we offer up

the sacrifice of the Mass,

 it is Christ Himself

through the Church

who unites us to

His one perfect sacrifice.

His sacrifice has a root in time,

namely at his crucifixion,

but it stretches throughout all ages

so that all may have opportunity

to receive the salvation promised.

We are united in Christ

at the Mass from its beginning

to its end.

This is why it is

the great sacrament

because what we see in time

is part of what is in Eternity.

The actions of

the priest in our sight

are fundamentally connected with

the actions of Christ

in His priesthood.

This is the character

of ordination

in which each priest

is given the grace

to be a reflection of Christ

in His priesthood.

[PAUSE]

This should give us

some great comfort.

The New Testament priesthood

is united with the Old Testament priesthood

through Christ,

and we can be assured that

we have communion

with all who receive

the body and blood of Christ

regardless of the century,

regardless of location.

The church is

a continuation

of the chosen people Israel.

We are united

through the blood of Christ.

This is why the priesthood

in the Old Testament

and the priesthood 

in the New Testament

marry up

and why priesthood is vital

for the lifeblood of the Church

to flow throughout all times and all places.

Our Lord Jesus Christ

as both priest and victim

gives us all His blood,

and in His blood,

His life.

We can be assured of this

and that

when we come up to the altar

to receive the Body and Blood of Christ

that is indeed

what we receive.

We are united with him

whether we feel that or not.

[PAUSE]

When we see

the priest of the Old Testament

we should think about

how their ministry continues

into the New

and how Our Lord Jesus Christ

fufills the old and continues it

into the new.

Let us therefore drink deeply

as we enter the last two weeks

of the earthly ministry of our Lord

and see His Eternal priesthood

complete one and begin another.

A reminder of the dangers of Kripkean Dogmatism

An extract from my upcoming text on Anglican Catholic Moral Theology:

"Kripkean Dogmatism is the state in which a dogma is held to be true to the extent that evidence to the contrary is automatically rejected and all evidence to the affirmative is assimilated. Kripkean Dogmatism may be shown to be inherently irrational as follows. Any dogma is founded on a particular body of evidence. If that particular body of evidence is complete, then one may rightly and justifiably hold to that dogma since there is no new evidence that can alter the decision. If, however, the body of evidence is incomplete, then the Kripkean Dogmatist is assuming the dogma to be certainly true based on the incomplete evidence that he has. There is, therefore, an absolute conclusion based upon non-absolute warrant and/or non-absolute data which leads to the acceptance only of evidence for the dogma and that produces an unsound argument. Hence, Kripkean Dogmatism is not a rational position."

This makes it all the more important to understand the reasons why we discard the bodies of evidence that we do. The Revisionist and Biblical Eisegete are prime examples of Kripkean Dogmatists in that they already have agenda external to the authority of the Catholic Principles. Individuals who claim absolute irrefutability thus are not using Reason rightly.

The binding of Benedict

 

How St Benedict and his rule are relevant for us today.

Why I am not a Universalist

I have recently updated and will continue to update my understanding on this issue. I have therefore made this post into a "page" which can be found on the sidebar or here.

Fattening up for a rest

Sermon for the fourth Sunday in Lent

Which day of Creation are we in?

You know 

that first chapter 

of Genesis. 

God creates the world 

in six days 

and rests on the seventh.

So which day are we in?

[PAUSE]

If you believe that 

this first chapter of Genesis 

means that the universe 

really was created 

in six periods of twenty-four hours, 

then the question seems silly 

as there are over a million days 

since the creation.

It's true that the universe 

could have been created in that way, 

but that's not really what 

the Biblical account of Creation is for, 

nor does the Bible say that 

it has to be that way.

Which day are we in?

You might say the seventh.

We don't see God 

active in the world, 

so He must be resting. 

No new animals 

are springing into being 

before our very eyes, 

are they?

In fact, 

we are seeing animals 

change and evolve all the time. 

From this point of view, 

Creation is still happening. 

Are we really in the sixth day?

[PAUSE]

And then there is evidence 

from the Lord Himself. 

Five barley loaves 

and two small fish.

Five thousand men, 

not counting women and children.

Twelve baskets of leftovers.

Do the maths!

We see God Himself 

create Woman from one single rib 

from the side of Man.

This is how we know 

that Jesus is God.

Only God can create, 

and here, in front of our very eyes, 

Our Lord doesn't bake bread -

He creates bread.

It's interesting to note 

that the Hebrew word for creating 

also means to make fat. 

When He creates, 

God makes things substantial. 

Our bodies are fleshed out 

by His act of creation.

You see this happening 

before your eyes 

as five loaves and two fish 

are fleshed out, 

made substantial, 

Forming a banquet 

to fatten the hungry multitude.

God, Our Lord Jesus Christ, 

is creating in front of 

five thousand men. 

This is indeed a miracle, 

but only one that 

can be performed by someone 

with a control over matter 

that is unparalleled.

So we must be in the sixth day.

[PAUSE]

This means that the seventh day i

s yet to come. 

The Eternal rest of God 

when Creation is complete, 

when Creation is perfect. 

Are you perfect? No?

Then you are still being created!

And God, being Love, 

does not insist on His own way. 

This means that 

you have a hand 

in your own creation. 

You can choose how you turn out. 

This is God's gift of free-will to us all!

Do you understand that?

You play an active part in your creation.

 What you choose to do 

will and does 

affect who you become. 

It means that someone 

can reject God's destiny for her 

by preferring her idea of perfection 

instead of His. 

That separates her from God 

because she prefers 

to err from His way.

And God says of those 

who err in their hearts 

and who do not know His ways 

that they shall not enter His rest.

[PAUSE]

In feeding us, 

God is fattening us up for His rest. 

He gives us His substance, 

our daily bread, 

so that when the sixth day is over, 

we are complete perfected in Him, 

and fitted for Heaven to live with Him there. 

Only then can 

we behold the face of God and live, 

truly live.

A little topical reading

I thoroughly recommend this, especially in the light of recent discussions as to what traditional Christianity teaches on this important matter.

Liturgy, St Benedict and Anglican Catholicism

 

Contrary to the thinking of some Anglican priests, Liturgy really does matter.

It's a shame about the light

Sermon for the third Sunday in Lent

From the beginning

there have always been

darkness and light.

Of course,

darkness is the absence of light

and so it really isn't a thing.

We only notice a hole

because there's something missing.

We only notice the dark

because the light is missing.

But nonetheless

darkness and light

have been part of man's existence

from his very beginning.

Even being born

we emerge from darkness into light.

The baby’s little eyes

are dazzled by a new sensation

which it has only been 

very dimly aware of

for the past nine months.

Suddenly that little baby

gets a flood

of dazzling, bewildering

and conflicting information.

No wonder she cries!

So begins her life.

Every day follows every night,

and every night follows every day.

Darkness and light

around us at all times.

So why is there darkness?

[PAUSE]

We see things

because there is a variation

in light, colour and shade.

We understand

the world around us

by the light that gets reflected

from objects into our eyes.

The light that gets reflected

has a lot of different

colours and hues.

So perhaps

there doesn't have

to be darkness at all.

Why is there darkness?

As you can imagine 

it all goes back to the Fall.

We ate the fruit

of the knowledge

of good and evil.

We opened our eyes to darkness,

and so what we see

in the world around us

is a reminder that there we are fallen.

The night is lovely,

but only because

there are the stars shining

and the moon shining

and the little lights

of the houses on 

the opposite side of the valley

shining in the night.

If it were true darkness

there would be nothing to see.

It is the light that

we are drawn to

not darkness

in which we hide

our fallenness

and brokenness

and our failure 

to resist temptation.

[PAUSE]

We see both Saint Paul

and Our Lord urging us 

into the light.

Our Lord does battle with darkness.

First He does battle

with the more obvious 

forces of darkness.

In casting out a demon,

He shows that He has 

complete mastery

over the strong powers 

of the Devil.

He casts out Beelzebub

by pure beams of His light.

But there are other agents of darkness

that are more difficult to get rid of.

This is the darkness 

in the hearts of men.

This is the darkness

that tries to be light

by claiming that 

what we see as light

is true darkness.

They say that 

Our Lord is in darkness

through their own light.

But that is a big problem 

with their thinking.

[PAUSE]

How do we get rid of darkness?

We don't chase the darkness

out of the room

before we turn the light on.

That doesn't make any sense.

In the same way,

we cannot get rid of evil

by chasing it out of a human being

and then putting the good in.

You can only get rid of darkness with light.

You can only get rid of evil with good.

So if Beelzebub is evil

he can only be removed

by what is good.

So to say that Jesus’ power

comes from Beelzebub

doesn't make sense.

How can  Beelzebub cast out by Beelzebub?

How can you chase

the dark out of the room

without turning the light on?

How can you chase 

the dark out of the room

by making it darker?

Of course,

it could be a trick!

Beelzebub could pretend

to cast out Beelzebub couldn't he?

But why?

To deceive more people?

To deceive people

by restoring their sight ,

giving them hope,

even sacrificing his life

in the cruellest,

most painful death on the cross?

It's a funny sort of devil

that wreaks havoc

by forgiving sins,

healing the sick

and offering us salvation.

No!

This is no trick.

Jesus is the purest light from heaven;

He is the True Light;

He is the Light of the World

and by Him

we see the truth

that we do not have

to live in the darkness 

of our fallen nature.

Saint Paul recognises this.

This is why he urges us

to be children of light

and to walk in that light.

He reminds us that

we must not have fellowship

with the unfruitful works of darkness

but rather reprove them.

He says that it should be

shameful for us even to think

about the works of darkness

because we are children of light.

In the light all 

our shameful deeds 

will be revealed.

It is those things that we do

that we want to remain hidden

that form our works of darkness.

St Paul lists some of these:

fornication,

uncleanness,

covetousness,

filthiness,

foolish-talking,

coarse laughter.

These old things which,

if people knew 

we were committing them,

we would blush 

and be ashamed.

But the Lord sees them

because He is the light

and it is revealed to Him:

the Dirty joke,

the snide comment,

the thoughts of anger and malice

which darken our minds.

Anything that we want to hide

will be found out by God.

Adam tries to hide his nakedness 

and God sees.

[PAUSE]

This sounds very unsettling.

Every day

we do something

that we are ashamed of

and would wish to hide

in the darkness in our souls.

Even in Lent,

when we try to be better people,

those darknesses are still there.

We can expose them in Confession

and be assured of God’s forgiveness.

That is a fine way

to get rid of those sins

that lie in the secrets of our hearts.

How to stop doing them?

That is another question.

[PAUSE]

We need not fear.

Saint Paul may urge us

to run for salvation.

However,

he wants us to walk in the light.

This is a marathon not a sprint.

It will take time for us

to throw out the darkness

by letting the light into our souls.

It is hard work

but in a funny way

Shame itself

is on our side here.

It is shame

that helps us see

the darkness that

we are doing

and it is shame

that brings our secret sins to light.

Shame arises not from the evil

but from the good.

The image of God in us

may be distorted

but it has not been rubbed out.

It is the light of God in us

that makes our darkness known

through shame.

So when we feel ashamed,

or we feel that we will 

not do something

for risk of being ashamed,

then that is the moment

to look at our intentions

and to bring them into

the light of Christ ourselves willingly

so that we may be forgiven 

and put right.

[PAUSE]

It is not the light that causes shame.

Our misdeeds cause shame.

We should not allow ourselves

to become confused into

trying to cast out 

darkness with darkness.

Nor should we try 

and shrug it off by saying,

"Everybody does it,

there's nothing to be ashamed of "

That is the Devil’s ploy.

Even if we are ashamed,

let us throw open

the windows of our soul

and let the sunlight of Christ shine in

and make us children of His light.

The soul and body of Aquinas

 

Why the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas is helpful in keeping things real.

Walking to the prison door

Sermon for the second Sunday in Lent

You been taking Lent seriously.

Not only have you been

fasting and praying

and giving alms,

you've also been

examining the way

that you live your life,

looking to conform better

to the way God wants us to live.

This is very commendable,

indeed this is the way

to work out your salvation

with fear and trembling

knowing that it is 

the Spirit of God working in you.

But is it all necessary?

Surely Jesus loves us

for who we are,

doesn't He?

[PAUSE]

We know that Jesus loves us.

The Cross is

by far

the most explicit assurance

we can have of

the love of God for His children.

For God sent not His Son

into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world

through Him

might be saved.

So surely that means

it doesn't matter what we do,

we just have to be ourselves.

We just need to let Jesus save us,

save us as we are.

This might be true

if we are saved by Faith alone.

The act of believing in Jesus

would be enough

to guarantee that

we are put right before God.

If this is true

then it doesn't matter what we do,

whether we sin

or whether we don't,

because at the end of it

just believing in the Lord Jesus Christ

will be enough to justify us before God,

and save us.

This is certainly 

something that we see 

in the modern church.

You've clearly heard that phrase

that Jesus accepts us as we are

for who we are.

Apparently Jesus “gets us.”

[PAUSE]

You can see why this

doesn't quite work

if we listen to 

the words of Saint Paul

to the Christians 

in Thessalonica.

He tells us that we need

to walk and please God.

Of course,

we have to believe God

before we can please God,

but that's not enough.

We do actually

have to please Him.

What does that mean?

[PAUSE]

What pleases God

is love.

God loves us,

so He wants us 

to progress to Him

using the free will

that He gives.

We have to progress in God

for that is what to love God

with all our heart, soul, mind

and strength means.

We have to want

true goodness in our lives.

We know that love is 

an action not a feeling.

It makes sense

therefore

that we do love.

We have to become perfect.

But how are we 

to become perfect in God?

How do we learn to do it?

[PAUSE]

Well, first we look to Christ.

This is where our justification begins.

It begins with faith in Christ

and is life long.

But here we are

2000 years distant

from the time when

Jesus is helping 

the Canaanite woman.

Notice that He is including her

in His offer of salvation

by giving health to her daughter.

Our Lord’s offer of salvation

is inclusive,

it is open to 

every single human being.

It is not enough

to believe the offer,

we need to take up that offer.

We are imprisoned

by Sin,

our own sin

and the sins of others.

Jesus has opened the door 

of Sin’s prison house,

but in order to be free,

we must walk out the door.

This means we have

to learn to walk and to walk

towards the door.

However we are fallen

and this means that

not only do we have to 

learn to walk again,

but we also have to 

learn to see again.

To learn to do these things

requires assistance.

We need the help of those

who are already on their feet

and stumbling towards the door

of the prison house.

The Apostles are the first

to be able to do this

by virtue of their 

eyewitness relationship

with Our Lord.

With the Apostles is built

the hospital in which each one of us

learns to walk and talk and see

and progress towards God.

This means that 

the Church herself

has to show 

every Christian how to live.

Every Christian needs

to live a life of holiness

in order that other people

 may know holiness.

This is exactly what the

Church in Thessalonica is doing

because Saint Paul says that

the Thessalonians 

have received of him

how we ought to walk 

and to please God.

He hopes they would 

abound more and more.

The Church of Thessalonica

is not a church which says

“Jesus accepts you for who you are,”

this is a church that says,

“Jesus offers you salvation:

keep his commandments

and receive it freely.”

[PAUSE]

A big deal is made

these days

about the Church needing

to be “inclusive.”

This is true.

The Church needs

to be able to accommodate

every single human being

no matter where they are

or what they have done

or who they believe themselves to be.

The Church must welcome

with open arms

those who wish to come

through the doors.

But the Church cannot

preach another Gospel

other than the one it has been given.

And this means it must preach

the Gospel that says “if ye love me,

keep my commandments.”

Progress in the Church,

progress in holiness,

is made by keeping

God’s commandments to love.

It means learning

to live a holy life.

It means we have to abstain

from fornication,

we have to possess

our vessel – our bodies –

in sanctification and honour

and not in the lusts of the flesh.

We have to live lives

that are holy

not like the people

who refuse God’s holiness

and live their lives outside the Church.

For God has not called us

unto uncleanness,

but unto holiness.

[PAUSE]

We live lives of holiness

when we seek out

good Christian living.

We begin with our faith

and see where it leads us.

It will lead us into loving God

and seeking our perfection in him.

It will lead us into seeing

our brothers and sisters around us

as people who deserve salvation

because of Christ's love for all of us.

This does not mean

that we browbeat our neighbour

or throw his sins in his face

in an air of

hypocritical moral superiority.

It means encouraging,

being gentle and accepting

the human condition is weak.

We do this best by setting

an example in our own lives

as do the Apostles and Saints.

It means living 

our lives in holiness

as best as we can

in order to show our

brothers and sisters

that it is possible to live

holy lives and live to love God.

It means showing the world

what to do with Sin

when we repent of ours fully

and forgive others freely.

God will always honour

our efforts to come close to Him

for that is what the Sacraments do,

draw us closer through His Grace.

[PAUSE]

Your Lent will always be a struggle.

That's not a bad thing.

Your struggle to be holy

will be strengthened by God’s Grace.

We no longer live

for ourselves in the Church,

we live for other people

and for their good,

and we live for 

the love of God.

Let us therefore walk 

all the more closely

towards the door of the prison

so that we can see 

the shining light of Christ

and be free.

The only way we can do this

is by showing others the way

to the door, too.

When God commands Evil?

 

How do we cope with God's command to destroy children?

The reason for temptation

Sermon for the first Sunday in Lent

Think now.

What was your last temptation?

How did it work?

In understanding the answers

to these questions,

perhaps we can get an idea

of how temptation affects us in this life.

Perhaps,

we can see more clearly

what we need to do

to progress away from sin

and towards God.

[PAUSE]

Let's look at

how Jesus is tempted

by the Devil.

In each case,

the Devil presents Jesus

with an action together with

some verses of Holy Scripture

which shows how that action

is a reasonable thing to do.

What do we see?

The first thing

that we must notice is that

the Devil always suggests

something that seems quite

reasonable and healthy for us.

He doesn't tell us

to poke out our own eyes

with a sharp stick,

for example.

The only way that

this might be attractive to us

is if we were taking the Lord’s words

to pluck out our eyes

and cut off our hands literally.

So you see,

essentially every possible action

that a human being can do

can be made to have

some Biblical support.

We can be tempted to adultery

because the Devil can use Holy Scripture

to show how adultery

might not apply in our case.

The Devil can tempt us to murder

by showing us verses from the Bible

that might suggest that

what we're doing is not really murder.

This is how the Devil operates.

Whatever action

he wants us to perform,

he can back it up with words

from Holy Scripture itself.

The Devil can use the words

of God Himself

to tempt us into ways

that separate us from God.

That's rather worrying, isn't it?

[PAUSE]

We can sort of see

how the World around us

struggles with Christianity sometimes.

The way the World expects us

to operate is according

to the World’s reading

of Holy Scripture.

 Let us be clear:

the words of Holy Scripture written down

mean nothing

unless they are accompanied

by the Church’s relationship

with Our Lord Jesus Christ.

We need the Holy Spirit

working through the Church

to guide us

into how to use the Bible

to justify our actions.

The moment we try to separate

the words of the Holy Scripture

from the mind of Christ,

Holy Scripture becomes

nothing more than any other book.

Without Christ,

the Holy Bible

is no different from

the telephone directory.

[PAUSE]

Of course

the Devil is trying

to tempt Jesus,

true Man and true God.

The Devil is trying

 to tempt God

to separate Himself from God.

That's the point!

All temptation is

to test our relationship with God.

Even God tempts us.

[PAUSE]

God tempts Abraham

to sacrifice his son Isaac.

That's the word that is used:

God tempts Abraham.

In this case,

God’s temptation

is to strengthen

Abraham's faith and to show him

how he puts God first

even before his well-beloved son.

It also reflects

the fact that

God Himself loves us

so much that

He will sacrifice His own well-beloved son.

God tempting Abraham

strengthens the relationship

between Man and God.

The Devil’s temptation

is to tempt man away from God

by using what is utterly reasonable

to make that separation.

[PAUSE]

If we are hungry

then it is reasonable for us to eat.

The Devil tempts Jesus 

in His hunger to eat.

He knows that Jesus

can easily turn stone into bread.

But Jesus knows that

to turn stone into bread

is contrary to how

His Father wants His creation to work.

The Devil takes Jesus

to the top of the temple.

If He wants people that

He is the son of God,

wouldn't it be a great idea

to throw Himself down

and let the angels lift him up?

Wouldn't that convince

everyone that

Jesus is the Son of God?

Wouldn’t that make

His message of salvation

more believable?

Isn't it a good idea?

We'll, no!

This turns Jesus

into a showman 

and His Father into 

a performing monkey

ready to catch His daredevil Son.

It shows God no respect.

It shows His Divine plan

for our salvation no respect.

It shows humanity

no respect.

The Devil then tempts Jesus

with another reasonable idea.

Wouldn't it be easier for Him 

to worship the Devil?

After all, 

worshipping the Devil

would be far less hassle,

especially if the Devil gives

Jesus control of all things.

And it is very tempting!

Surely control of all things

means an easy, happy life, 

doesn't it?

It is reasonable,

but it is not right,

it is not part of

God’s great and intricate plan

for saving humanity from sin and death.

Jesus says no.

Only God is in control of all things,

not the Devil.

Jesus knows that

He must do His Father’s bidding.

He must go to the Cross.

[PAUSE]

Every temptation from the Devil

seeks to tear us away from God.

Each temptation

seeks to make 

a mockery of God

and Man

and our salvation in Him.

This is why we must be

very quick to pray

whenever we are faced

with temptation.

Saint Paul says that

we will always be given

a way out of temptation

if we look for it.

In order to find that way out

we need to find God first.

We need to strengthen

our relationship with God.

Saint John tells us that

we must test the spirits

that seek to influence us.

Test them against what?

We must test the spirits against

what is written in the Bible

what the Church Fathers teach

and only then what is reasonable.

We test the spirits

by bringing them with us

into the Church,

into the Mind of Christ.

We can only

overcome temptation

by Grace

and that means

we need the active presence of God

in our decision-making.

Too often

the World goes with

whatever is reasonable,

whatever makes sense,

whatever seems fair honest just equitable

to make its decisions.

It does so blindly,

separated from God,

mocking Him 

in its sightlessness.

It is our job, then,

to live those lives of repentance

turning from

Sin, the World and the Devil

toward God.

Repentance is

always a positive thing

because in repenting

we are turning to God.

[PAUSE]

We will always be tempted

with whatever seems reasonable,

but it is only in the Mind of Christ

that we see what is truly reasonable.

Whatever is not

bringing us closer to God

is separating us from him.

Let us therefore not allow

that which just seems reasonable

to lead us into sin.

Does that sound reasonable to you?

Revivification and Revival

I notice that there is talk of a revival at Asbury University in the US. It rather takes me back to my university days. 

At that time, the Anglicans (as I was back then in my youthful naiveté) were set together with the Free Church Christians. The communion "service" took turns at being ASB Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, "Celtic" et c. I can't say I was ever comfortable - back then I couldn't say why - but it certainly made me think about my faith and I cannot reject my time in that situation outright, though I would never wish to go through that again.

I remember very clearly that we were encouraged to experience God rather than follow the traditional worship that I was used to in my days as a choirboy. Even back then, a diversity of belief was encouraged. It wasn't how you worshipped, it was that you worshipped.

I do remember feeling "strangely warmed" during my reluctant times when the Charismatics had their turn and, truth be told, I rather miss that sensation but now I am convinced that Experience is not a source of Catholic authority.

As I have written, Experience provides the hypotheses that one tests against the Catholic Principles of Scripture, Tradition and Reason. There are only three cords in the rope that binds the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church together - another ikon of the Trinity in the life of the Church. The Orthodox Church seeks to encourage everyone to the experience of God, but this experience is tightly reined by the Divine Liturgy and centuries-old practice in keeping with the mind of Christ.

To give Experience authority is to allow that which is extrinsic to the Church to influence the Church away from its direct connection to the mind of Christ. We cannot suspend lex orandi lex credendi on the basis of something that might not be of the Holy Ghost. Test the spirits, first, but test them against what? This is utterly vital to understanding what's going on in Asbury.

What is this revival? People suddenly driven by a spirit to go to Asbury and worship? We'll, we've seen this sort of thing before, especially in Wales. The question that those who experience the revival need to answer is how they have tested the spirit calling them to revival. 

This may be a spirit which tempts us to believe that worship and love are things to be felt rather than done. This is a spirit of pious prattling and "sacred" sloth. Remember the slave girl who followed St Paul around babbling pieties was possessed by a Pythonian spirit. That spirit was not of God but used by the Devil and the slave girl's owner to make a profit by divination and pagan superstition. For St Paul to tolerate it would have discredited his ministry.

The Welsh Revival is still felt today which, by the Gamaliel Principle, suggests that it was divinely motivated. Of course, now that the Church in Wales and the Methodists have capitulated to the zeitgeist the pews are emptying leaving behind the smugly self-righteous.

We do need a revival of the Christian Faith in this country. British Christian Spirituality used to be a force to be reckoned with but now, with fewer than half of the population declaring that they are Christian, the Faith seems relegated to a decreasing number of pockets of resistance to the dominant (and not entirely Godly) powers and dominions that are influencing our lives.

I rather think that a revival will be more along the lines of the recognition of the Prodigal Son to the depravity and degradation of the pig-sty and to the home he once knew. One day, English Cathedrals will be stripped of their helter-skelters, golf courses and paper doves, the High Altar cleared and dressed, and the sanctuary re-sanctified by holy and godly bishops intent on proclaiming the Faith once delivered to the Saints. Then will people remember the glory of true worship and that this worship will colour their conversation with Almighty God for the rest of their lives.

For those of us in the Remnant, we must keep offering our worship excellently even if it makes us feel lousy, for whenever worship is hard, then it is most truly offered.

Approaching Meribah in Lent

 

How do we cope with bitterness?

On Breaking Communion

I note that Anglican Communion is finally showing the same sorts of signs of breaking up as after the Congress of St Louis. Following the changes to the sacraments, the emerging body (which was originally called the Anglican Church in North America, of all things) stated that it was no longer in communion with those Anglican provinces who accepted the alterations to the sacraments but with those that did not.

In principle, then, the Continuing Churches were still in communion with the CofE until the CofE voted to alter the sacraments in 1992. It seems to me that, at this point in breaking with the primus inter pares, the ACC has not pursued communion even with those provinces in the Anglican Communion who have remained orthodox. I don't seem to be able to find a formal statement other than that recorded in the Affirmation of St Louis that communion between orthodox provinces and the churches of the Affirmation should be maintained. Given the lack of interest from the Anglican Communion towards Continuing Anglicanism, I rather think that the relationship between orthodox Anglican churches both in the Communion and in the Continuum has lapsed rather than broken completely. Of course, as a johnny-come-lately to the ACC, I cannot claim that this is the case and I hope those of longer standing would correct me on the issue.

It would make sense though if the new ACNA would follow a similar trajectory. The old ACNA broke up over churchmanship with the Old High Protestants moving into the UECNA and the Anglo-Catholics into the APCK and what we now know as the G3. The fact that the G3 is a reunion of splits subsequent to the initial shows that reunion between bodies is possible and, speaking personally, mandatory.

Given that there are bodies that predate the Continuum, such as the Orthodox Anglican Church (OAC), possess a history and a continuity and integrity which should be respected, I would hope that other realignments are possible. This is why I regard the REC, the OAC and such like as Continuing Churches even though they have different origins. What needs to be examined, however, is whether communion has actually been broken. Could an OAC priest receive communion in a UECNA parish, for example? It would seem that they could. What may not happen, however, is the mutual recognition of authority of bishops and synods. A canon passed in the OAC is not binding on the UECNA, and vice versa.

This latter point is the key to an organic unity: a canon proposed in the ACC would require the relevant approval from the APA and the ACA. The concordat of Communicatio in Sacris allows for the transferability of clergy: each clergyman in the G3 is considered regular as well as valid and licit.

For the ACC, the orders of the Anglican Communion suffer from a dubiousness on the grounds of the altered sacrament. Alter a sacrament in its matter or intention and it becomes invalid. Any clergyman who comes to the ACC from the CofE is ordained sub conditione in order to remove this doubt and confer a more robust regularity. Any clergyman who values the Catholic nature of the sacraments will appreciate the necessity of doing so.

In the case of the GSFA declaring broken communion with the CofE, it is interesting to note that their impediment is not along the lines of sacramental ontology as in the case of the Congress of St Louis, nor along the strength of interpretive framework such as the rôle of the classical Anglican Formularies in the case of the REC or OAC, but rather of morals. The CofE states that it has not changed its doctrine on what marriage is but is recognising the "holiness" of same-sex partnerships.

As far as I know the UECNA and APCK are still Communicatio in Sacris with the ACC, though the UECNA has rather distanced itself from the rest since it places the Formularies over the Affirmation. I think this is a rather recent development in the 45 year history of the Continuum.

Ut unum sint is Our Lord's prayer for His Church. That is something we should strive for with the Grace of God. I believe wholeheartedly in the integrity of Anglican Catholic doctrine which is exemplified within the G3 and, very probably, further. If that unity is to be achieved then humility and charity must be paramount. Failures must be recognised, the modern malaise of "being offended" exorcised and forgiveness freely and humbly available. 

We should be most wary of pretence and pretentiousness. There are too many episcopi vagantes whose position is down to having been "offended" by their original jurisdiction and now claim to have a greater validity than where they have come from. Clandestine motives and political machinations have no place in a Church that is completely devoted to the Truth.

I pray that we may all be one because that is what my Lord and Master exhorts me to pray. May the Lord unite us in His Spirit for His service.

Wanning to know what Love is

Sermon for Quinquagesima

If you’re of a certain age,

you might remember

the rock group Foreigner singing,

“I wanna know what love is.”

You might wonder

whether they ever found out

but have you?

Do you know what love is?

Do you wanna know what love is?

[PAUSE]

A lot of people believe

that they can't really say

what they mean by love.

Why?

For many people,

love is something so personal

that they cannot express it fully.

They cannot say what love is,

because of all the feelings

it arouses in them.

Great poets and playwrights

try to capture 

how love works 

by helping us know

what they think 

true love feels like.

Perhaps this is part of the problem,

love arouses in us

such powerful emotions

that often we seem

to identify love with those emotions.

Love becomes feelings.

For many people today,

love is an emotion,

intense feelings,

a roller-coaster of experiences

that tug at the heart strings,

and make us lose

any sense of rhyme and reason.

But it isn't.

And you know that.

[PAUSE]

For us Christians,

we know that God is love.

And God is not feelings.

This might be

a bit difficult for us

to get a handle on,

because God is clearly beyond

any thought that we could possibly have.

But we do know

things about God,

however imperfectly.

We see through a glass darkly,

but we still see.

God is love.

God is good.

God is perfect.

We know these things

for our Lord Jesus Christ

tells us these very things.

So what does it mean to love

if God is love?

To love someone must mean

to desire to bring God

into the life of the person we love.

Indeed,

this is where we can 

say something

of what love is.

Love is the will

for the perfection

of our beloved in God.

To love someone means

that, with the most burning intensity

you want nothing but their good,

for God is good.

To love someone means

you want them to be perfect,

for God is perfect.

What we have to realise

is that it is not our perfection

that we want to someone else to have.

It is not our good that

we want someone to have.

 It is God Himself that

we want someone to have.

This is why love

cannot be an emotion,

nor something so personal to us

that it cannot be communicated to another.

If we cannot communicate love

then how can it be love?

A love that cannot be expressed,

is an infatuation,

an obsession for our beloved

that only involves our imaginings,

and thereby lies 

the great tragedies

of mankind.

 Love is an action.

It is nothing less

than participating in God himself

and bringing him

into the lives of our family and friends

and all those whom we desire and love

and hope for their best.

But love is not a force.

[PAUSE]

St Paul tells us very clearly

that love is patient and kind

and does not seek its own.

Love endures and puts up

with all manner of things.

It never forces itself upon anyone.

The person whom we love truly

will always be free from our control.

If we truly love them

we must let them 

be free to love us back

or to reject us completely and utterly 

of their own free will.

But love is not an action

that can be separated from God.

We can speak so many languages.

We can think so many deep thoughts.

We can even sacrifice all we have.

But these aren't love.

Unless we want nothing less

than our beloved finding

perfection and joy in God,

all our actions are useless,

all our actions are meaningless.

Actions that do not will the good

of our beloved are not love.

[PAUSE]

We live in an age

where we have to fight against

the idea that love is

just a feeling albeit powerful.

It is precisely this idea

that love is just a feeling

that is destroying relationships

between human beings.

When our society

removes God from 

the substance of love

all that is left 

is what we see around us - 

love is some indescribable feeling

that nobody really knows

but everyone demands to possess.

We cannot truly love our neighbour

if we water down the good

that we are supposed

to want for our beloved.

We are imperfect little beings,

we are sinners

and we cannot expect to live out

the fullness of love in our lifetime

especially without God.

So we cannot expect to get love right.

That is the point,

for we are striving for

our own perfection in God.

Our perfection isn’t in

this world –

it is in God.

That is what God wants for us.

Clearly, God loves us.

Every day,

we need to struggle

for our perfection in God

for love of Him

and for the perfection of others in God.

Love means a struggle –

a struggle to become perfect

even as our Heavenly Father is perfect.

[PAUSE]

This Lent

we need to sit down and,

in our prayers,

look at how

we are loving our neighbour

as ourselves.

We need to look at how

we are loving the Lord our God,

how we are trying to be perfect in Him.

The more we can bring

the true love into the world,

the more we can re establish

good relationships 

between human beings

and with God.

[PAUSE]

Love really is 

our burning desire

for the good and perfection 

of the Beloved

found only in God.

Did you really wanna know what love is?

The Lie of Hatred and the Hatred of Lies

 

Why understanding Hatred is crucial in our society.

Going to seed

Sermon for Sexagesima

Did you spot it?

The seed is the word of God.

But we know Who the Word of God is –  

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

So if we reread this parable

knowing that what is being sown

is not just the words of the gospel,

but Christ Himself,

doesn't His parable suddenly take on

a subtly different meaning?

[PAUSE]

We remember Our Lord’s words,

“Except a corn of wheat

fall into the ground and die,

it abideth alone:

but if it die,

it bringeth forth much fruit.”

We know that He refers

to Himself here.

He cannot fulfil

His mission of Salvation,

without dying and rising again.

We also know that Our Lord

refers to Himself

as the true vine

and that we are the branches.

All the way through His ministry,

there is an idea that

in some way Jesus is a seed

that requires growing.

But surely Jesus doesn't have to grow?

His humanity says that he must:

how can he become a man

from a baby without growing?

We too have to grow in order to become perfect.

We have to grow

in order that

we may be who 

God wants us to be.

So we look at this 

parable of the sower again.

We see God the Father

sowing His Word into the world.

And happens to our Lord in this world?

First this the seed falls by the wayside

where it is trodden down

and the fowls of the air devour it.

And our Lord tells us that

this is they who hear and

the Devil takes away the word

out of their hearts

lest they should believe and be saved.

These are the people

who do not love the Lord their God

with all their heart.

There is nowhere for the word of God

to begin grow within them.

Then there are those

who are like the seed

that falls upon the rock

which grows up

but withers

because it has no root.

How can Jesus wither?

He says they on the rock

are they which

when they hear

receive the word with joy

and these have no root

which for a while believe

and in time of temptation fall away.

These are they

which neither love the Lord

with all their soul

nor their mind

for they do not truly want

the Word of God

to become part of who they are

in their innermost being.

And then there are those

who are like the seed

that falls among thorns

which when the seed grows

it is choked up.

Our Lord says these are they

which when they have heard

go forth and are choked with cares

and riches and pleasures of this life

and bring no fruit to perfection.

These are they who do not

love the Lord their God

with all their strength

And so we see that

Christ does grow.

He wants to grow within us

for Christ is love,

and we are to love the Lord our God

with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

It is the seed of love

that must grow within us to bear fruit

because God is love

and for God to grow in us

means that we become like him,

and because we become like him

we have the potential for learning

and living in eternity with him.

To fail to love the Lord God

with all our heart, soul, mind and strength

means that we fail to grow

that eternal presence.

We do not fit ourselves for eternity.

We can look at another parable

in which our Lord compares the world

to the wheat and the tares.

The wheat is gathered up at the end

and the tares are gathered up at the end.

The wheat bears fruit of eternity,

the tares bear no fruit,

are consigned to the fire

and burnt away.

The key to Our Lord’s life

 and work is His Love for us.

And this is no secret.

For His love for us is our good,

 it is what we strive for,

it is our happiness,

it is our purpose,

it is our joy.

[PAUSE]

Our perfection lies

in our capacity

to love and to grow in love.

We do this through

the grace of Christ

Who is the Sacrament of Sacraments.

For Jesus Christ

truly is the outward sign

of the invisible God.

It is His image that we must bear.

We are born with that image

blotted and blemished,

but through grace

and through a life of devotion and love

those blemishes and blots are wiped away.

Then we resemble more truly

Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then we become part of the vine.

Then the seed that is Christ Himself

grows in us

having died for our sins,

He raises Himself in us.

Simple Logic

Given that this question seems to have come up again, I would like to at least express what I believe to be a simple orthodox position. It might not convince everyone, but it is a position which is held in the spirit of charitable enquiry.

1) Empirical Fact: Every human being requires two gametes in order to gestate and come to birth: a sperm and an ovum.

2) Definition: The provider of the sperm is called the father of the child.

3) Definition: The provider of the ovum is called the mother of the child.

4) Empirical Fact: The gestation of the child occurs in the womb of the one who provided the ovum who then proceeds to give birth to the child.

5) Lemma: The mother gives birth to the child.

Proof 

Follows directly from (3) and (4).

6) Lemma: Jesus is fully human

Proof 

"The Word was made flesh" plus the Nicene Creed.

7) Lemma: Jesus is male in His human nature.

Proof 

This follows from St Luke ii.21ff, in which Mary and Joseph follow the Mosaic Law for presenting a first born son. The New Testament is unequivocal in referring to Jesus as a man, as are even the apocryphal gospels.

8) Lemma: Joseph is not the father of Jesus. 

Proof

The Gospel narratives of the infancy of the Lord are in concordance.

9) Lemma: Jesus is the Son of God.

Proof 

The Nicene Creed among other things.

10) Lemma: Mary is the mother of Jesus

Proof

See the infancy narratives of the Gospel plus the Council of Ephesus in which Our Lady is proved to have the title Theotokos.

11) Lemma: Jesus had a biological father

Proof

From (6), Jesus is fully human.

From (1), Jesus required two gametes for His gestation.

From (10) Mary is Jesus' Mother.

From (3) Mary did not provide the sperm.

 Therefore someone else provided the sperm.

From (2) this someone else would be the father of Jesus.

12) Lemma: The Divine Person who begat Jesus is properly termed Father and thus is rightly referred to in male terms.

Proof

From (11) Jesus had a biological father.

From (8), this was not Joseph.

From (10), this was not Mary.

From (9), this biological father was God.

Excursus 

Objection: The Holy Ghost is fully God and is described with the feminine gender.

Reply to objection

Both the Hebrew and the Greek words for "spirit" are grammatically feminine. The Greek word for table (trapeza) is also feminine. It is conceivable that by allowing his small children to rest their toy tea set upon his back, a father can be a table. Thus grammatical gender is not determinative of the identity of the person to which it refers.

It is therefore possible for the Holy Ghost to be referred to in male terms of identity despite being grammatically feminine.

Since the Father and the Son are to be referred to in male terms of identity, both being fully God, the Holy Spirit too, being fully God, should be referred to in male terms.

Unity for a divided Church? The dilemma for the Church of England

 Where do these divisive issues really come from?