When Jesus goes clunk

 

The importance of  looking behind the story to find the truth.

Blogday 2024: objectifying ikons

It is hard for me to believe that this is the 19th Blogday for O Cuniculi. This year has been a very turbulent year and I have wondered whether I should have to tell the rabbits to cease looking for my Latin dictionary.

As I write, the winds outside my home are high and I can see the detritus of dead leaves and paper from the recycling bin that's blown open dancing across the sky. It seems to reflect well the wind that is billowing around me. 

The temptation is for me to shut down and disengage. That's not a bad thing in itself: a retreat is necessary so one can take a good look at oneself when the only voices to be heard are those within you and that of God. 

It is important to recognise that the voices in your head are not God's voice - at least very seldom does He speak like that. But in my experience, the Divine voice does not use a voice in my head and this makes sense. God's language is so deep and powerful. Just think! He just needs to speak a word and the thing comes into being. The Divine Word leaps down from Heaven in more than just a communication of language but in a communication of existence. 

When we use words there is always a level of unintelligibility since your subjective experience is necessarily different from mine, but there is still some precision possible. You and I can use the same language to program a computer, or to do mathematics even if we disagree about the syllables and sounds. 

The trick there is that there is something objective that exists independently of our senses but is communicated to us by those senses. Even if we doubt what we see, we don't doubt that we see. Even if we lack the power of sight or hearing, there is always something to sense. Scepticism can only go so far before it becomes incoherent; in many cases, it is not that far.

The rejection of the objective means the worship of the subjective. That sounds like a strong word to use but I think it justified. If there is nothing externally objective then it is the sensations in themselves that determine our value judgements, rather than what exists exterior to our sensation. To disengage fully.and permanently risks this plunge into subjective-induced scepticism and its terminus in solipsism.

St Benedict says that the best kind of monk is the cenobite - those who live in a community with a rule. The Rule is an expression of God's moral objectivity expressed through the Abbot and senior brothers, and to which every monk subscribes. Only after preparation in the monastery - a preparation against solipsism - can a monk become an anchorite or hermit.

Hermitage which raises the subjective self above what exists exterior hears the voice of God in their heads but allows the authority of this voice to become coloured by feelings. Feelings are subjective facts, not objective facts and stem from internal sources as well as external and, for this reason, cannot be an authority either for political decision making or as a means of determining God's revelation to us. The risk of offence cannot be a reason to change the law, especially when others' lives and livelihoods may be at risk. A  Christianity based on the premise that feeling loved is the only sign of being loved is not a Christianity with a cross. The reality of Christianity is repentance - recognising and turning towards God - and the pain of repentance arises from accepting the objective rule of Christ over subjective experience. When the subjective loses to the objective, it plays the wounded victim unless it is given its true created worth by being sacrificed upon the cross that we each must not only bear but, further, venerate.

For me, as the wind blows ever stronger, it is the ikon that grounds me in reality. I have often said, mainly to my friends, that Anglican Catholicism done properly is what the Church of England would have been had it not only accepted the Seventh Oecumenical Council of Nicaea II but embraced it wholeheartedly. For then, the objective reality of the Incarnation would be utterly rooted in our experience of Church,  colouring and informing our subjective selves. Also, the objective reality of the saints would also prevent us from being truly alone and utterly lonely which is where the solipsists invariably find themselves - sometimes eternally.

Ikons are never written to be "aesthetically pleasing" and thus trigger the tyranny of personal taste, but rather to point to true beauty, the Light of Tabor, which can only be the True God. Only God is truly transcendent,  which is why His existence determines in itself what the other transcendentals are, such as Love, Goodness, Beauty, Knowledge, Power and Truth.

People ask why I write "ikon" rather than "icon". The answer is that the word "icon" is being used to describe people. We hear of "cinema icons" or an "iconic performance" and puts us in danger of the idol in which the ikon ceases to point to realities beyond itself and instead points to itself. To write ikon refers back to the eikon found in Holy Scripture and the Fathers and to the images which point to the Inage of the Invisible God - Jesus Christ Himself. This is why I cannot take seriously the objections of some Protestants that to bow the knee to an image is to worship it. If that is true then these Protestants have a very empty understanding of what worship is and the underlying sacrifice of the self that characterises the essence of worship. If the ikon points to a reality beyond it, then it is that reality to which the veneration is paid. To deny this is to deny the objective reality of the God to Whom the Apostles bear witness across the centuries. To deny the Seventh Council is to deny the Incarnation when He Who Is exterior to Creation bursts into it and human nature becomes venerable once more.

While I debate with myself whether O Cuniculi will continue after its twentieth year, central to this will be whether I can continue to speak about invisible truths in a way that is meaningful to a real audience. I pray that I can, but I do wonder whether I need to learn to write ikons rather than words.

God bless you, dear readers! I pray for every blessing upon you in 2025.

Ignorance of Becket

Sermon for the feast of St Thomas Becket

It may seem odd that,

in amidst the days of Christmas 

we should pause 

and honour a saint who,

these days,

is relatively obscure.

The fact is that,

from 1173 to 1537,

today was always 

an important feast for

the Church in England

and the feasts which fall

on this day 

are really rather more modern additions.

Why should we look back

and honour St Thomas Becket

so importantly?

[PAUSE]

Briefly, 

we remember that

this "turbulent priest"

Is murdered in Canterbury Cathedral

in a particularly gruesome manner.

But few people 

remember why.

They have some idea

that St Thomas is

a good friend of King Henry II

but opposes the King's policies

leading to the friends

falling out and,

subsequently, 

the King's rash call for 

St Thomas' death.

The reason mainly

is that King Henry 

sees the Church 

as a institution 

comprised of his 

lawful subjects

and so he believes 

appointing bishops and abbots

should be his responsibility. 

St Thomas disagrees,

saying that the Church 

is not a secular institution 

and that bishops and abbots

must be ministers of God first

before ministers of politics.

He thinks that

only the Church should

appoint bishops and abbots.

In a way,

both King Henry

and St Thomas are right:

Holy Scripture says that 

we must honour the king

but also that 

we must be in the world 

and not of it

preferring to serve God 

and not Mammon.

We have to live 

in a society where

not everyone believes

in Jesus

but we cannot

live in a way

that denies 

Jesus' authority

over His Church.

The situation is complicated

and the negotiations delicate

to the extent that 

both King Henry

and St Thomas

appeal to the Pope for judgement

on the issue.

When the King

has his son Henry crowned

as heir apparent in York 

by the Archbishop of York

and the bishops of London

and Salisbury,

he is showing disregard 

to the Church order

in which the Archbishop of Canterbury 

has the duty to crown kings and princes.

This sounds trivial

but Henry has allowed 

his disagreement with St Thomas

to disrupt the order of the country 

- a country which is still recovering 

from the war between 

Henry's predecessors:

Stephen and Mathilde.

In order to re-establish that order,

St Thomas is forced

to excommunicated the three bishops.

This is when King Henry

issues his outburst against 

St Thomas.

What neither King

nor Archbishop count on

is that four knights

completely misread the situation,

think they understand 

the right course of action

and murder St Thomas

in his own cathedral.

These knights

do not understand 

the situation fully.

They think it is a simple problem

and that a simple removal

of the Archbishop will 

solve the issue

once and for all..

St Thomas dies

defending the Church

as a Heavenly institution 

at the hands of 

those who are ignorant 

of the full facts.

[PAUSE]

Christopher Hitchens

is wrong about many things.

Especially, 

the idea that Religion

poisons everything.

It doesn't. 

Nor does politics poison everything,

though it's more poisonous

than "religion"

whatever that is.

It is ignorance that 

poisons everything,

especially acting 

without being in full possession 

of the facts,

or accepting that

we cannot possess 

all the facts.

This sort of ignorance

comes from pride -

the assumption 

that we know what's what

and therefore have

the right,

the authority,

and the duty to act.

The knights 

have none of these

and it demonstrates 

how one careless remark

from the King

in the ears of those

who assume they have it right

can destroy a life

and make a Martyr.

[PAUSE]

The same is true for us.

Especially when we think

that we can do

a better job

of running the country

than our politicians.

The same is true 

of our politicians 

when they think

they have a simple 

solution to 

Society's problems,

and are ignorant 

of the truth.

When a politician says

that we must lay aside

our religious belief

in order to make a decision 

that affects the lives

of everyone in the country, 

they display the ignorance 

of the fact

that we Christians believe

that God's rule of us all,

whether we like it or not,

tells us how to make that decision.

[PAUSE]

It is prideful ignorance 

that is the enemy 

driving a wedge

between Church and State.

We cannot solve that in others

but rather keep prayer going

for all.in authority

and fir all who desire authority.

We can solve it in ourselves,

first by admitting 

our ignorance of the full situation

and then by learning

as much as we can,

remembering that 

we do not necessarily 

have the right or access

to all the relevant information.

Where we are ignorant,

we must learn humility

and consider carefully 

how to vote,

how to protest the wrong decisions 

of government,

and how to accept prayerfully

the status quo

when there us nothing 

that we can do.

At all times,

our political decisions

must be rooted 

in our lives of prayer

and faith working in love.

That's what St Thomas does,

resigning his political office

of Lord Chancellor 

in order to accept the duty fully

as Archbishop of Canterbury. 

[PAUSE]

St Thomas shows us

that we must first

render to God

that which is God's

before rendering to Caesar

that which is Caesar.

The lives of people

are God's 

and therefore 

must be rendered

to Him

before rendering 

those aspects of our lives

that are under 

the Rule of the Government. 

That is the proper order

and the order for which

St Thomas Becket will pay

with his Earthly life

before being rewarded

with Eternal life 

in Heaven.

St Thomas Becket, 

pray for us and the United Kingdom.

A load of Christmas Bosch?

Sermon for the feast of the Nativity

Throughout Advent

we have been using images

from the work 

of Hieronymous Bosch

to illustrate 

the Four Last Things.

Bosch's work

is not for the delicate of spirit.

His depictions of Hell

and the debauchery

of the Garden of Earthly Delights

are known for their lurid nature

and terrifying imagery.

Bosch wants us to dread Hell

and he uses careful symbolism

to convey his message 

that bleak and tormented life 

without any awareness 

of the presence of God.

But today is not a day 

to think on that.

Today is the day

in which Bosch invites us

to consider the Nativity.

The trouble is

the Nativity he shows us

seems a bit strange.

[PAUSE]

The Nativity he paints

shows Our Lady looking very pious

and completely unaffected

by the labours of childbirth.

St Joseph looks over

with an air almost

of indifference 

as if he says,

"Oh that's nice.

Where's my tea?"

Behind them

is a rustic figure

who appears to be 

leering quite unpleasantly 

at the Holy Family.

And, in the foreground 

we see a cow

caught in what must be

a very early case

of photo bombing.

And what of the baby?

How does Bosch 

paint the Incarnate God?

He looks like a naked doll

that's been plonked 

into the manger,

not quite real,

a bit disproportionate,

a bit passive,

a bit bare.

Why should the Nativity

look.like this?

Where us the joy?

Apart from the man

leering at us from the back,

there is nothing to suggest

that Salvation has come to us.

[PAUSE]

But Bosch

is painting this 

for us

because he knows

we know the story.

What he has painted

is what the world sees

of Christmas. 

He paints to a Western world 

whose Christmas 

has become jaded

and commercial

and, let's be honest,

a bit boring

and very stressful.

We know Our Lady 

to be of the utmost piety

but our idea of piety

looks a bit off, 

indifferent and aloof.

We know St Joseph 

to have the greatest tender care

for a child who is not his

but that tender care

is not expressed 

by staring at a baby 

while wondering if we need

an antacid. 

We know 

that the shepherds

came to worship the child 

not to appear at the manger

and say 

"Hello Mum! 

Look where I am!"

We know Our Lord

to be born a real baby

with all that pertains to babies,

not some stiff naked thing

indifference to His surroundings 

like His mother. 

And now we see

why God inspires Bosch 

to paint the Nativity like this.

God wants us

not to look at the picture.

He wants us to look

through the picture. 

[PAUSE]

Bosch paints

what the world expects of Christmas 

not what Christmas is in truth.

All the things that disturb us

about this painting of the Nativity

are precisely the challenges

we face with our own Christmases.

If we rise to these challenges,

we see a young woman,

exhausted by labour

cradling and swaddling

a child whom she knows

to be God Incarnate.

We see St Joseph, 

bemused and enthralled 

believing God,

believing his wife

believing the little newborn.

We the shepherds

driven by the light of angels

to see and understand 

the truth that Salvation 

has come into the world. 

And if our imagination 

is photo bombed by a cow

or anything else in our lives,

then we see that this Child 

has entered a world

in which His people

will be distracted

but the fact that 

these distractions exist

is testament 

to their Creator

- our Creator

- who lies cooing in a manger

looking for us

to realise that He loves us

this much.

This is the day

that the Lord has made.

We will rejoice and be glad in it

even if Bosch paints us otherwise. 

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.

Confronting the Inevitable I

Sermon for the first Sunday in Advent 

In his famous ghost story 

O Whistle and I'll come to you, My Lad

M. R James presents us

with a whistle 

inscribed with

Quis est iste qui venit?

- Who is this who is coming?

In blowing the whistle 

the question is answered 

to the terror of the one who blows it.

But this is a question 

that we all face:

what is this that is coming?

What do we have to face 

that is inevitable?

[PAUSE]

In these dark days of winter

and the season of Advent,

we Christians reflect

upon the four things that are 

coming for us:

Death, Judgement,

Heaven or Hell.

This may seem

to be uncomfortable 

or even morbid 

but it is the duty 

of each Christian

to stand up 

and face what is inevitable.

These four last things

are as inevitable for as

just as much 

as for anyone else.

We don't get to avoid them

just because we are Christian.

But,

it is because we are Christian 

that these things

should hold no terror for us.

How on earth 

can we stand up 

and face Death?

[PAUSE]

It is amazing 

that Christians who say

that they believe in life after death

often don't act as if they believe it.

There is a fear of pain,

of being incapacitated,

of loss of dignity and joy

but these cease with death

along with everything else

in this world.

But while Christians

should not fear death

this does not mean

that they hate life.

We are told to prefer

the life God offers us

to the life offered by

the world.

[PAUSE]

We live in a world 

in which life and death

can be decided by law,

voted upon by parliament.

We live in a world in which

we are "encouraged" 

to put aside our belief in God

in order to make "rational decisions"

regarding the life and death

of the unborn,

of the disabled,

of the mentally ill,

of those in pain

rather than seek their good

by giving them the proper care

that will give them 

a better quality of life

- a life determined by 

the One Who gives it.

The death that this world offers

is a denial of the dignity of life

a denial of the sovereignty of God

a denial of His ability to offer

meaning, hope, and dignity

even miracle,

in the most excruciating pain

- a pain that He suffers with us

and consecrates upon the Cross.

The death that this world offers

is a convenience,

a way of getting rid

of those who upset the system.

It is a death of disposal

and annihilation 

a rubbish bin for those 

who are broken

and in the way.

This is not 

the death that God offers us.

With God,

even Death can become a gift

but only if the life He gives us

that we live

is truly valued.

For with God,

death becomes a gateway,

a one-off event,

into a new life 

a life like the one we know

but lived in the presence of God.

If we choose life in Christ

and the death that God offers us

then Death itself 

is the death of our sin

our corruption,

our misery and pain.

[PAUSE]

We watch the King

enter into Jerusalem 

on a donkey.

We watch Him 

come to us

to offer us 

true, meaningful life,

no matter who we are,

no matter whether we are

in the womb,

or in the hospice.

Death may be coming 

but it's the Death 

that God gives us

so that we might be with Him

Eternally.