What is the Gospel?

 

Why it matters what we think the Gospel is.

Vintage labourers

Sermon for Septuagesima

What is the Kingdom of Heaven like?

Our Lord gives us

the parable of the

Workers in the Vineyard

to describe the 

Kingdom of Heaven.

But does this mean 

that we work ourselves 

into Heaven?

If we are the labourers 

waiting around for work

to receive our wages,

then perhaps Pelagius is right:

we can earn our place

in the Kingdom of Heaven.

[PAUSE]

it's worth trying to

see what prompts

Our Lord to speak this parables.

First, we see that he is

surrounded by people

giving Him their children to bless.

We see a rich young man

ask Him about the 

Kingdom of Heaven

only to be told that 

he must give up all that he has.

And St Peter reminds Our Lord

that the disciples have given up

so much to be with Him.

The Lord tells him

that whatever he gives up

in order to walk with Him

will be given back 

many times over

in the Kingdom of Heaven.

And this is where we come in.

[PAUSE]

Our Lord shows us

that our life with Him

will be hard work.

Labouring in a vineyard

is painful and tiring,

with lots of digging,

pruning

and harvesting.

And yet it is work

that is worth doing:

people are willing to wait

even to the eleventh hour -

the last hour -

to work for God,

especially when the wages

are a Roman Soldier's 

daily wage -

very generous.

This wage is given

regardless of when

we begin the hard work

of being a Christian.

It is not something that we earn

but rather something that 

we are offered, 

right at the beginning

when Our Lord says, 

"follow me."

It is an expression 

of the generosity of God

in recognising our situation.

[PAUSE]

Our salvation,

Our ability even to enter

the Kingdom of Heaven

can only be entered

through the cross of Christ.

But once inside

then we are given so much.

Our judgement is 

not just a judgement of our sins

but also a judgement of 

what we have given up

to be with Christ.

What we have lost 

will be restored plenteously.

Those who look at what 

others get and complain

miss the whole point.

Their hearts are not set on Christ

 but see their worth as being

superior to others

because they have worked longer.

It's not how long you have laboured,

it's that you have laboured.

It's because you come to Christ

in your own circumstances,

working out your faith 

with the Holy Ghost working

with you and in you.

We go through labours

because we love Christ

and the world does not.

We struggle within

our own selves

to love the Lord our God

with all our heart and soul

and mind and strength,

and our neighbours 

as ourselves.

And God meets our struggles

and matches them

with both justice and generosity

as individuals

regardless of what others

may think of that generosity. 

[PAUSE]

We have so much work to do

and the Lord is clear

that this is hard labour

to walk the Christian life

but He promises us that

it will be more than worth it.

We should not despair

of the mercy of God.

Neither should we despair 

of his generosity. 

He loves us

and that is so much more

than we can desire or deserve.

Conflicted with Scholastica

 

How a fraternal disagreement shows us how to love.

Taring the Church apart

Sermon for the fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Our Lord speaks two parables

in succession.

First He tells us

that the Kingdom of God

is like the sower

sowing seed 

which falls on different types

of soil.

Then He tells us

that the Kingdom of God

is like a man sowing seed

whose field is corrupted

by his enemy sowing tares.

The same question occurs

in both parables:

Where are we?

[PAUSE]

If we are the seed,

then we have no choice

as to which soil we fall in,

nor have we any choice

as to whether

we are wheat or tare.

It doesn't matter

how much we reach out to God,

if we were sown a tare,

then a tare we will always be,

destined for the fire. 

But Our Lord came to us

with a human will and a divine will,

which means our ability

to choose 

and to shape our paths in this world,

is something 

that is part of what it is 

to be human.

We are not sown as wheat or tares.

We are sown as we are,

created by God from the dust of the earth

lovable even in our sinfulness

redeemable by His grace

and sanctifiable by the image of Him

Who creates us

and who gives us a hand 

in our own creation

to become who we are meant to be

in Him,

or,

if we choose, 

apart from Him.

[PAUSE]

The Kingdom of God 

is within us.

Jesus doesn't say

that the Kingdom of God

is within each one of us

as individuals, 

but rather among us 

as His Church.

The ground in which

the Sower sows the seed

of His Gospel 

is His Church.

We, collectively,

as a Church

are the soil.

Even soil 

from the rocky ground

can be transplanted 

into the good soil.

Even the soil

choked by thorns and thistles 

can be weeded

and made good.

Even the hardness of paths

can be broken

to release the good soil underneath

to receive the seed.

[PAUSE]

And, into the Church,

the enemy sows his weeds.

And we only know that they are weeds 

when they come to fruition. 

This is how we have spotted

the great heresies. 

Our Lord tells us

that we shall know

those who distort His message

by the fruit of their words:

words which cause division,

words which cause sin,

words which condone sin,

words which mask

the image of God in other people

which spread hatred,

resentment,

grudgebearing,

greed, gluttony and lust. 

But we will not be able

to root them out,

not without harming 

the good work of the Church. 

And it is God that will root out

the wheat and the tares.

His angels will cut out

all that is sown in hatred

leaving that which is truly Good.

We can be sure of that, 

especially when scandals rock the Church. 

[PAUSE]

We have to remember 

that the Church cannot be

deflected from 

the right teaching of God,

nor the preaching of His true Gospel. 

That's the good seed

sown from the beginning.

When we are rocked

by the failures 

of bishops, priests and deacons 

or the deliberate leading astray

by charismatic individuals,

of failures of pastoral care 

or even,

Lord preserve us,

of the abuse of innocents

by the clergy,

we must cling to the teaching

of Christ

that He has sown good seed

in His Church

and it is growing.

This can be very difficult to see, 

but thes these are the words of Christ

and Christ is always true.

When we commit ourselves 

to a Church that contains tares

we commit ourselves to a Church 

that contains Christ nonetheless. 

He says that,

if we endure to the end, 

then we shall be saved. 

[PAUSE]

When we see nothing 

but tares around us,

perhaps it is we who are being called

to grow the good seed

no matter how daunting the task.

Even in our smallness

our faith can grow

the greatest of all trees.

My tuppence on Fr Calvin Robinson

I have tried to hold my peace on this latest media circus given that my own life is very turbulent at the moment and that everything that needs to be said has been said.

So where do I stand?

Well, to be frank, I don't stand anywhere because it's none of my business. However high a profile this whole affair possesses, it is still a Diocesan affair between a priest and his ordinary.  Were this the Diocese of the United Kingdom, I might have been consulted in my role as secretary to the Board of Ministry and Education. But it isn't.  This is the Diocese of the Midwest who is receiving the pastoral oversight of Bishop Patrick Fodor as Episcopal Visitor. As I am not privy to the details of the situation, I do not have the right to question the actions of Bishop Fodor or Archbishop Haverland. Yes, they might have made a mistake and yes, they might not have made a mistake. My default position as a member of the ACC is to assume that they, as my superiors, have made the correct decision and to question no further: it has nothing to do with me. 

Of course, some might accuse me of being a coward and a wimp for not standing up for what is right. If I have no knowledge of the facts then I can have no knowledge of the truth: that stands to reason. I applaud Fr Robinson's courage in asking the difficult questions that do require an answer. As one who believes firmly in the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of the family, I am glad for loud voices thar will identify the need for the preservation of that sanctity. But, as a Benedictine, the virtue of obedience to one's superiors is necessary in maintaining the good order and strength of the Church.

But, as I say, I have no real opinion about this.

What I do have an opinion about is the furore this has caused with a lot of unpleasant and hateful comments being made from the same position of ignorance as my own - though I have to say I do know the difference between defrocking (which Fr Robinson has not reveived) and the revocation of a licence (which he has). It is possible that he may receive his licence back again and my hope is that conversations with the relevant bodies will prove fruitful and godly for everyone.

However, my Diocese has been on the receiving end of many unpleasant comments even though we have had absolutely no irons in this fire. The venom, sneering, sarcasm, and the hopes for our demise in flames and anguish have been very draining. While he was in this country, Fr Robinson chose not to approach us, nor to contact us, nor visit us. One can speculate on why our little Diocese did not appeal to him. He left the Nordic Catholic Church for the ACC in the Diocese of the Midwest. Why we in the Diocese of the United Kingdom are being punished for the revocation of a priest's licence who has never engaged with us seems hardly fair.

We are under no illusion that we are a small presence in this country. Our work is small-scale to reflect our size but we do our best to serve our parishes and to bring the love of Christ to our communities, preaching the Gospel in word and sacrament. We know the divisive nature of politics and, while there are different political views among the clergy, we know that unity is far more important and preserving the good order of our church. We are all non-stipendiary and our work lives impact on what we can offer. Our focus must be on our parishes, on pastoral support and Christian education.

I will not be publishing comments about Fr Robinson on our website, either affirmative or critical. This is not because we have something to hide, but to reflect the fact that this is not an issue of this Diocese but that we are merely reporting official statements. I hope that people will be more considerate in their comments in future. We Benedictines are often reminded that "in much speaking, thou canst not avoid sin." It is better to keep silence about matters in which one has no involvement. I should take my own advice.

Healthcare and St Blaisius

 

Why Christians should invest in medical science.

Patient Purity

Sermon for the feast of the Purification of Our Lady

What good is she doing

lurking around the temple

all that time.

For eighty-four years

since she lost 

her husband of seven years,

Anna has spent her life

just serving the temple.

Why did she not marry again?

Why did she not have kids?

Why has she not been 

more productive 

serving the community

rather than shutting herself away

for eighty-four years

waiting for the Messiah?

[PAUSE]

This is a criticism

often levelled against

the enclosed monastic orders

who shut themselves from the world.

Surely,

a life dedicated

to helping the poor,

the infirm and elderly,

teaching children in the Faith,

surely these are better

than pottering around 

a monastery,

praying all the time

and clearing up spent candles.

Eighty-four years wasted!

[PAUSE]

And then Our Lady 

enters the temple

with St Joseph and,

in her arms,

a little boy.

A little boy

to be presented to the Lord

as holy

in accordance with the Jewish law.

And a mother 

to be purified

from the hardship 

of labour

and ready to return

to Society.

But it's all the wrong way round!

It's all backwards.

[PAUSE]

What is purer

than a virgin mother?

What is holier

than God Incarnate?

The world around 

doesn't see this.

They do not recognise the child.

They do not recognise the mother.

But Anna and Simeon do.

All their lives,

they have waited for God.

They have immersed themselves completely 

in the presence and worship 

of God.

It is they who have spend decades

purifying themselves

by being in the presence 

of the Most High 

in acts of service

and dedication 

and in their purity

they see God.

And that Holy Child,

God Incarnate,

honours their service

and holds them up 

as examples when He preaches,

"Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God."

To the world 

Anna seems to have wasted her life.

But she sees God.

To the world,

the hermits

and the enclosed monks and nuns

have performed nothing useful 

for this world.

But they strive to see God.

And in striving to see God,

they shine with His light

into the dark world.

Their example and prayer

encourages those

whose calling is to go out

into the world,

feeding the poor,

clothing the naked

and liberating the captive.

And when those who go out

are wearied by the hardship 

of toiling in the world,

they seek those who see God

and from whom the light of God shines,

so that they may return to their calling

bearing that light again

and being purified themselves.

[PAUSE]

The holiness of the Child

consecrates the old priest.

The purity of the Virgin

purifies the temple.

It's all backwards,

but in Christ

the Law is fulfilled

and the Temple sanctified

so that Salvation 

can be seen by all who desire it.

[PAUSE]

Purity requires patience

even in the face of a world

that seeks to destroy that purity

with the business of day-to-day demands,

requirements,

duties and directives.

As long as we are willing

to immerse ourselves 

in the prayer life of the Church 

and support our monastic orders,

we will find that purity 

is the fruit of our patience,

and that waiting for God

is time well spent indeed.