O Virgo Virginum

 

Why O Virgo Virginum invites us to a deeper appreciation of the Incarnation than comes from Holy Scripture.

Confronting the Inevitable IV

Sermon for the fourth Sunday in Advent

God holds on.

For those of us

who are looking 

forward to the possibility 

of seeing God

this fact should give us

the greatest joy

as we walk on this

rather damaged planet.

What we have

witnessed in these days

of the Four Last Things

is that all things 

are rooted in the

very being of God Himself. 

[PAUSE]

We have seen

how the death that God offers us

is bound up

with His Eternal life

and the extermination of evil.

We have seen how

His judgement of us

is rooted in our desire

to become like Him

and free us from 

the prison of Sin.

We have seen how

the love of God holds on

even to those who reject Him

so that there might

still be some happiness 

even for those who hate Him

and ignore Him,

and live out their Eternity

without ever knowing Him

or those people 

who love Him.

It stands to reason that,

whatever Heaven is like,

it is bound up in the perfect being

of God Himself

made visible to us.

We are shown

the New Heaven

and the New Earth 

coming down from God

adorned as a bride for her bridegroom.

What are these like?

Clearly we will recognise them.

Heaven itself may not

be much different 

from the way we live now:

we shall rise with our bodies,

though they will be transformed 

like Christ's glorious body.

But there will be no more pain

nor sorrow 

for the former things 

will have passed away.

But what remains

we shall recognise 

but see more clearly

as the dark glass is removed

and the veil lifted.

But we will recognise Christ.

If we have spent our lives

trying to know Him

trying to turn to Him

away from the deceits

of this world,

then we shall know Him

for this is what the Christian life is.

We are put on the path to Christ

at Baptism 

and we learn to grow in faith

through works of love

because the more we truly love

the more truly will we know God.

And the more we love

the more we become like Him.

This is all very basic Christianity.

It's a message that you hear

again and again.

As we approach Christmas 

for the umpteenth time

and see the baby in the manger

and the Virgin Mother

and the noble protector 

of Mother and Child

who dedicates himself to chastity

even as does the Mother,

as we see them there

we see ourselves

gazing at the reality of God

born with us,

born among us,

born in us.

We see Him 

growing in us

for our salvation,

the restoration of out health

the healing of 

our bodies,

our souls, 

our lives,

our pasts,

our weakness,

our shame,

our sadness.

[PAUSE]

Do not for one moment 

think that we will know

what Heaven will be like.

Whatever awaits us 

will be beyond our comprehension.

But joy is guaranteed:

it is a wedding feast after all

and no-one can mourn

when the Bridegroom 

is with them. 

Until the day

we find ourselves

at that feast

whole, complete 

and happy

all we can do is pray 

with the children:

"be near me, Lord Jesus,

I ask Thee to stay

close by me forever 

and love me, I pray.

Bless all Thy dear children

in Thy tender care

and fit us for Heaven 

to live with Thee there."

O Sapiential 2024

 

Reflecting on the words of the Ancient Liturgy.

Confronting the Inevitable III

Sermon for the third Sunday in Advent 

The one you love

stands on the edge of an abyss,

over the edge,

utter darkness,

oblivion,

nothingness,

annihilation.

The one you love

cries out 

cursing existence,

cursing pain,

cursing you,

cursing life.

And then

the one you love 

walks off the edge of the abyss.

And yet,

in one movement of instinct

you dive

and grab your loved one's arm

holding tight,

preventing descent

into non-existence.

You have saved 

the one you love.

But your loved one 

cries in agony,

repeating the curses

rejecting your love 

rejecting your life.

Do you let go?

[PAUSE]

Surely it's selfish of you

to hold on.

Just because you love 

doesn't mean 

you should force 

someone to accept

your love 

by stopping them 

from making their choice.

But you will 

prevent your child

from sticking wet fingers

in an electric socket

even if 

your child really wants to do it.

And live

is the will 

for the complete happiness

of the other.

And someone who exists

is happier 

than someone who doesn't.

Ah,

but then a voice from the pit

says,

"someone who exists 

is unhappier 

than someone who doesn't."

But unhappiness,

is like darkness,

like evil,

like a hole.

That which does not exist

cannot possess

any happiness

just like it cannot possess light

nor can it possess 

any good.

Your loved one exists

and is happier now

than a plunge into the darkness

would achieve.

Happy memories 

still remain,

memories of love,

of excitement,

joy and fun,

these still remain.

By holding on,

your loved one 

is happier 

even if they are kicking

and screaming 

and swearing at you 

to let go.

They still have something 

to remind them

of the ecstasy 

of living.

It is your love 

that causes their pain 

but without your love

they would not be happy

in any respect.

[PAUSE]

You are God's loved one.

Just like everyone else.

Just like the saints.

Just like your family.

Just like the man over the road.

Just like the Muslim family 

down the street.

Just like Richard Dawkins.

Just like Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Just like Bonhoeffer and Hitler.

Every human being 

is God's loved one.

And God holds on.

Some of us reject Him 

and try to scrub out

His image from us.

Some of us

will prefer the idol

that we have made 

and pretend is God.

And when we see ourselves 

reflected against Christ

and choose to depart 

from His presence

thinking that

we can jump into the abyss,

God holds on.

God holds on

in perfect love,

holds on trying to give

the true happiness

that is being rejected

giving His grace 

which is ignored

or spat upon.

For some,

this is Hell,

but Hell isn't filled 

with everything unpleasant.

If anything,

Hell is life as we know it

but without any

awareness of God

without awareness

of His light,

His love,

His warmth,

His riches,

His kindness,

His joy in living.

God gives those 

who hate Him

what they want -

Life staring into the nothingness 

that is the absence of God.

For where God is not

there is only nothing,

and it is into that nothing

that the haters of God leap

and God holds on.

But God holds on

for Eternity 

because the life 

of the loved one

He is holding onto

is eternal too

and cannot change,

for change 

requires Time

and there is no time in eternity.

And no matter 

how much

we kick and scream,

God holds on.

God always holds on.

Anglican Catholicism, Sex and Family

 How do Anglican Catholics approach questions of sexuality?

Confronting the Inevitable II

Sermon for the second Sunday in Advent 

We know how

to respond when

someone tells us,

"Jesus says 

we mustn't judge others."

We know that

this is not what He says.

He does say,

"Judge not lest ye be judged,"

and then goes on

to say that 

we shall be judged

using the same method

that we use to judge others.

It means that those who judge

based on hatred 

will receive the same judgement 

and they receive that judgement 

because

they have rejected 

God's justice.

But we are not exempt!

We will be judged

by the same means

as we judge others.

And our judgement 

is as inevitable 

as our death.

We shall stand before God

as The Judge

and we shall be judged.

But judged for what?

What is this judgement?

[PAUSE]

We tend to have 

a very legal point of view

of judgement 

but,

at the heart of it,

there is a decision

about right and wrong,

what should be 

and how things 

are not how they should be.

At the back of our minds,

however,

when we say, "judgement"

we think,

"crime and punishment."

Always in our mind

if someone does something wrong

they must be punished,

fined,

imprisoned,

even executed!

Is sin really like that?

We are born in sin, true.

We are born 

separated from God

unable to perceive 

His presence,

His love,

His grace,

even though we always

have them near us.

Baptism is our 

first point of justification,

an opening of our eyes

to the brilliance of God.

And then we grow

in our justification 

through Faith

working in Love.

We are guilty of sin

when we perform an act

that separates us from God

and dulls our senses to Him.

A sin causes us

to deviate from our life's goal

- God!

And this is where 

judgement comes in.

[PAUSE]

After death comes judgement.

The light of God 

shines on us

and shows us who we are.

And it also shows us

who we are supposed to be.

We are supposed to be 

like Christ.

And our judgement 

centres 

on how much

we are like Him.

He is the standard 

against which we are judged

but not to our punishment,

but rather 

to our reconciliation.

And here

we see why 

we cannot earn our way

into Heaven

for how can we become like

someone we do not know?

How can we become like God 

without God's active presence 

growing in us?

And we call God's active presence 

in us

Grace.

[PAUSE]

In living lives

receiving God's grace

and co-operating with that grace,

we grow more like Him.

When we die

and appear before God

who we are

will be apparent to all.

Everyone will be able to see

how much we are like Christ

how much we bear

a family resemblance to Him

and to each other.

We shall see those on the right

who look like Christ,

and those on the left

who thought that 

doing things that they deemed

good 

but we're not good

would get them into Heaven.

These on the left

justify themselves 

and live up 

to a false image of Christ.

They are idolaters

and proud of their idolatry.

And when we see them,

and we see that they bear

no resemblance to Christ

then will we hear the Lord say,

"I never knew you."

[PAUSE]

It is here that 

we find ourselves 

in a process of perfection 

where the image of Christ that we bear

is cleansed and made whole

so that we reflect Him perfectly.

And those who have rejected Him,

rejected His rule,

His judgement,

His love 

His life

His grace

will depart on the left

into the outer darkness.

[PAUSE]

Perfect justice 

is no law court:

it is Christ Himself.

And as we journey 

to Bethlehem to meet Him,

to watch His birth,

to watch Him grow,

to watch Him live,

so do we ourselves

find ourselves born from above,

grow in His image

and live His life in us

so that when we die

we shall be like Him

for we shall see Him 

as He is.

Laughter and the Devil

 

1) How should we laugh?

2) Why everyone who does not believe what we believe is not satanic.