Respect and disenfranchisement

 

A few thoughts on those who, for whatever reason, find themselves unchurched.

How to bear punishment

Sermon for the second Sunday after Easter

What do they say?

They say that 

they can't believe in a god

who abuses his own son.

They say there is 

something wrong

with a god

that would punish his son

for our sins.

If God talks so much

about forgiveness,

why doesn't He just forgive us

rather than allow

Our Lord Jesus

to go through the agonies

of crucifixion

in punishment of our sins?

[PAUSE]

Some people get the idea

that Jesus is punished 

instead of us 

through the words of St Peter

when he says

that Jesus

"bare our sins in His own body

on the tree" of the Cross.

Some people say 

that the prophet Isaiah

sees the death of Jesus

as being wounded

for our transgressions,

bruised for our iniquities,

bearing our chastisement

and healing us by his wounds.

This certainly sounds 

as if God were whipping Jesus

because of our disobedience.

But the Church has a rule

and that rule is

we must the Old Testament

in the light of the New.

St Peter knows Jesus

so well.

Does he say that Jesus

is punished instead of us?

Does Jesus really bear

our sins in His own body 

on the tree?

[PAUSE]

Well, he does and he doesn't.

The word St Peter uses

is not "bear" as in simply carry.

He uses a stronger word

which means to lift up

or hold aloft.

It's the same word 

that is used

to describe how Jesus

brings Peter, James and John

up to the mountain

of His transfiguration.

It is the same word

that describes how

Jesus ascends into Heaven.

It is the same word

that describes how 

priests offer up sacrifices.

Jesus doesn't just

bear our sins in His own body

on the tree,

He offers them up to God

as a priest

making a sacrifice of

atonement

on the altar of the Cross,

through His own blood.

This is why the Cross is a triumph,

this is why Our Lord's

"it is finished!"

is a cry of success

that the sacrifice has been made

through His blood

allowing us to be reconciled

with God.

Once we understand this,

we understand Isaiah's words

as meaning something deeper,

something more profound

than someone else being punished

for our own wrong-doing.

This is not a God

Who distances Himself from sinners.

This is not a God 

Who is as enslaved to the law

as to ensure that 

must exact every penny

from every transgression

or the universe will fall to bits.

This is a God 

Who looks every sinner

full in the face

and opens the way back

wherever that sinner may be.

The Good Shepherd

lays down His life

as the sacrifice

on behalf of the sheep

in His care.

[PAUSE]

The extraordinary thing is

that the Sacrifice of the Cross

is the reason why 

the Hebrews have a whole system

of sacrifices

before the Incarnation.

The sin-offerings

of the Jewish Priests

are so that those born before Jesus

can take part in His Sacrifice.

His Sacrifice completes theirs

and His Sacrifice

is brought to us

in the Sacrifice of the Mass.

The Cross may take place 

at one point in our History

but it spreads both forwards

and backwards in Time

so that all God's people

receive the benefit of

Our Lord's atoning sacrifice.

[PAUSE]

And we are to be like Our Lord.

We have the ability

to offer up in our suffering

a sacrifice to God

on behalf of all 

who are suffering 

as we are.

Yes, we must humbly accept

the consequences of our sins.

These consequences

are son's punishment.

But this punishment

ends with our death

and our resurrection

in Christ.

But we can bear

in our sufferings

our illnesses

and life's injustices

the sickness of the world

and through our participation

in the sacrifice of Christ

we bring His life 

into a dying world.

That is how a Christian

is to bear punishment.

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.