tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203182942024-03-27T23:54:01.491+00:00O cuniculi! Ubi lexicon Latinum posui?...it's round here somewhere.
Seriously, here's a disclaimer. On this blog, I draw my own interpretations, publish my own sermons, and ruminate on the state of the Church independently of any establishment to which I'm affiliated. There are statements contained herein which may be wrong. Please correct me so that I can learn from this.Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.comBlogger1709125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-72604752311563296292024-03-25T19:30:00.001+00:002024-03-25T19:30:00.146+00:00Holy Week 2024: Pushing back the Annunciation <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CHTq6fvQFpQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="CHTq6fvQFpQ"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>Why pushing back the Annunciation reminds us of the point of the suffering of Jesus Christ.</p>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-69525769192742028252024-03-24T00:00:00.000+00:002024-03-24T00:00:00.457+00:00Question for Palm SundayIn lieu of a sermon for Palm Sunday, I ask one question to consider in the Long Gospel:<div><br></div><div>Who do you think is busiest in today's Gospel?</div>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-74501070357505408872024-03-18T19:30:00.001+00:002024-03-18T19:30:00.269+00:00The pain of passionate love <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YSjndF_X6lA" width="320" youtube-src-id="YSjndF_X6lA"></iframe></div><br /> Is tragedy a necessary aspect of love?<p></p>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-30160603120513893102024-03-17T00:00:00.001+00:002024-03-17T11:49:37.348+00:00Anarchic Jesus or Archetype Jesus?<b>Sermon for the fifth Sunday in Lent known as Passion Sunday</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>The thing is,</div><div>the Jewish authorities</div><div>interrogating Jesus</div><div>are right.</div><div><br></div><div>God is One alone</div><div>and we must worship Him.</div><div><br></div><div>This is why they pick up stones</div><div>to throw at Jesus</div><div>when He declared,</div><div>"Before Abraham was,</div><div>I AM."</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus has just uttered</div><div>the name of God</div><div>revealed to Moses</div><div>- I AM -</div><div>and explicitly made Himself</div><div>equal with God.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the Law</div><div>this is blasphemy</div><div>and Jesus must die.</div><div><br></div><div>On this point,</div><div>they are well within their rights</div><div>- well, they would be,</div><div>if Jesus wasn't right as well.</div><div><br></div><div>The Jewish tradition</div><div>is being upheld here</div><div>both by Jesus</div><div>and by the Jews.</div><div><br></div><div>So what's gone wrong?</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>The answer is simple,</div><div>isn't it?</div><div><br></div><div>The Jewish authorities</div><div>simply don't believe Jesus.</div><div><br></div><div>Despite the miracles </div><div>and the teaching,</div><div>they cannot get over the fact</div><div>that Jesus is, </div><div>in their eyes,</div><div>transgressing the Jewish Law,</div><div>healing on the Sabbath,</div><div>eating food with unwashed hands,</div><div>dining with Samaritans,</div><div>Tax-Collectors and Prostitutes</div><div>and,</div><div>worst of all,</div><div>showing the authorities,</div><div>scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, lawyers</div><div>up for not being faithful</div><div>to the old Law with all it's traditions.</div><div><br></div><div>To them, </div><div>Jesus is an anarchist,</div><div>a rebel,</div><div>a Samaritan who rejects </div><div>orthodox teaching ,</div><div>who rejects authority.</div><div><br></div><div>He is a destabilising influence</div><div>and must die.</div><div><br></div><div>If He carries on</div><div>he will destroy the great Tradition</div><div>that links back to Moses,</div><div>Jacob, Isaac</div><div>and Old Father Abraham himself.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>The thing is,</div><div>if Jesus were just another prophet,</div><div>they'd be right.</div><div><br></div><div>You hear this said today.</div><div><br></div><div>"Jesus cares nothing about</div><div>Church Traditions."</div><div><br></div><div>"Jesus doesn't care about</div><div>how you say the Mass."</div><div><br></div><div>"Jesus doesn't care about</div><div>the teaching of the Church,</div><div>about properly ordained bishops</div><div>about marriage laws."</div><div><br></div><div>"Jesus puts love</div><div>above tradition."</div><div><br></div><div>Those who say such things</div><div>miss the point</div><div>just as much as </div><div>the Scribes and Pharisees</div><div>and for exactly the same reason.</div><div><br></div><div>They look at Jesus </div><div>only as a human being,</div><div>only as a reformer,</div><div>only as a revolutionary.</div><div><br></div><div>They see Jesus trashing</div><div>the stalls in the temple</div><div>and label Him a radical.</div><div><br></div><div>What they don't see</div><div>is the great I AM.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>"Before Abraham was,</div><div>I AM"</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord is not </div><div>the destroyer of Tradition</div><div>but the writer of it.</div><div><br></div><div>The Jewish Laws </div><div>are there for the glory of Israel</div><div>but leave God out of them</div><div>and they lose their meaning</div><div>strength and glory.</div><div><br></div><div>What we see in Jesus</div><div>is the Old Law perfected.</div><div><br></div><div>Yes, it is a law of Love</div><div>rather than legal obedience</div><div>but it is still ordered,</div><div>the traditions still carry their weight,</div><div>the sacraments still give grace</div><div>even after two thousand years,</div><div>because God is there in that grace,</div><div>in that teaching,</div><div>in the Church.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div><i>Ubi caritas et amor,</i></div><div><i>Deus ibi est.</i></div><div><br></div><div>Where Love and Charity are</div><div>God is there.</div><div><br></div><div>In the Church,</div><div>we rely on Tradition</div><div>to clarify Church teaching.</div><div><br></div><div>We have apostolic succession of bishops</div><div>because that's the way that </div><div>the means of God's active grace</div><div>is transmitted through the ages.</div><div><br></div><div>We have the meaning of God's Word</div><div>handed onto us from the beginning</div><div>through Scripture and Tradition</div><div>so that we might know the works of Love</div><div>and do them.</div><div><br></div><div>And today,</div><div>people say,</div><div>"you can change </div><div>the meaning of marriage</div><div>that you can change </div><div>who can becone priest</div><div>because Jesus was a radical</div><div>a reformer,</div><div>an anarchist.</div><div>He isn't bound by <b>your</b> traditions."</div><div><br></div><div>But they don't see</div><div>that Jesus gave the same Tradition</div><div>for us and for everyone</div><div>from the first to the last.</div><div><br></div><div><b>He</b> sets the definition of marriage.</div><div><b>He </b>chooses the priests.</div><div><b>He </b>starts the teaching office </div><div>of the Church.</div><div><b>He </b>defines law and order,</div><div>binding everyone to love,</div><div>i.e. to will the good perfection</div><div>of everyone in God.</div><div><br></div><div>He is no anarchist. </div><div>He is the archetype</div><div>- from the first, </div><div>the leading principle,</div><div>the Divine example</div><div>and blueprint of humanity.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus is Our Lord and God,</div><div>and He gives us a law</div><div>that shall never be changed.</div><div><br></div><div>The Scribes and Pharisees</div><div>are the anarchists.</div><div><br></div><div>Those who want to change</div><div>what Jesus gives us</div><div>are the anarchists.</div><div><br></div><div>They reject the authority</div><div>of Christ</div><div>and they will kill Him for it.</div><div><br></div><div>But by His blood</div><div>all that love Him on His terms</div><div>and not their terms</div><div>will receive nothing less</div><div>than the great I AM Himself.</div>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-26904403711124503622024-03-11T20:21:00.002+00:002024-03-11T20:21:37.976+00:00Gregorian Angles and Angels <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XX1kfDqolFg" width="320" youtube-src-id="XX1kfDqolFg"></iframe></div>Why being Anglican is all the richer for St Gregory (and others!)<p></p><p><br /></p><p>Of course, just to clarify, the Gregorian Canon is part of the reforms by Pope Gregory VII, not St Gregory the Great, though Gregory VII did take his regnal name in homage to Gregory the Great.</p>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-42351675839492240852024-03-10T00:00:00.000+00:002024-03-27T13:08:19.002+00:00Priesthood and multitudes<b>Sermon for the fourth Sunday in Lent</b><div><i><br></i></div><div>Oh! It's a marvellous miracle</div><div>and so simple to state.</div><div><br></div><div>So many fed</div><div>with so little bread!</div><div><br></div><div>But it's the depth of this miracle</div><div>that matters more.</div><div><br></div><div>This is the miracle </div><div>for the Church.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>First,</div><div>the Lord reminds us clearly:</div><div>Man does not live </div><div>by bread alone</div><div>but by every word</div><div>that proceedeth </div><div>out of the mouth of God.</div><div><br></div><div>We must also remember</div><div>that miracles happen</div><div>in order to back up Our Lord's teaching.</div><div><br></div><div>So Our Lord breaks bread</div><div>and gives it to His disciples</div><div>to give to the people</div><div>and the people are fed.</div><div><br></div><div>Man is not fed by bread alone...</div><div><br></div><div>So we see connection</div><div>between the disciples </div><div>giving out bread to the multitudes,</div><div>the bread growing</div><div>more and more plentiful</div><div>at the Creator's hands,</div><div>and the words of the Gospel</div><div>preached by so few</div><div>and yet nourishing the people</div><div>with the greatest hope</div><div>that the hunger of their souls</div><div>may be filled </div><div>by the Eternal Love of God.</div><div><br></div><div>The feeding of the multitudes</div><div>is the sign that backs up</div><div>the Church's duty</div><div>to feed people with the word of God.</div><div><br></div><div>But Jesus is the Word of God.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>"<b>I</b> am the bread of Life"</div><div><br></div><div>And we know that His body </div><div>is meat indeed,</div><div>and His blood is drink indeed.</div><div><br></div><div>The multitude is nourished</div><div>not just by food,</div><div>not just by the Gospel</div><div>but by the very Body of Christ.</div><div><br></div><div>Not the blood yet, </div><div>for His blood is to be shed</div><div>for the New Covenant</div><div>and that is ratified</div><div>upon the Cross.</div><div><br></div><div>It is why </div><div>we do not need to receive</div><div>the chalice in the Eucharist,</div><div>though we should be free</div><div>to do so.</div><div><br></div><div>But what we do see</div><div>is the disciples distributing</div><div>the Gospel </div><div>in word and Sacrament.</div><div><br></div><div>This is the business</div><div>of the Church.</div><div><br></div><div>This is the business</div><div>we need to mind.</div><div><br></div><div>The feeding of the multitudes</div><div>is precisely the </div><div>prophecy of the Christian priesthood</div><div>and the Christian sacraments</div><div>with all the grace of God </div><div>they convey.</div><div><br></div><div>This is the pattern</div><div>that Our Lord intended.</div><div><br></div><div>This is the Church</div><div>that Our Lord intended.</div><div><br></div><div>And this is our intention</div><div>to be faithful to this pattern</div><div>for the Church </div><div>that Christ has built.</div><div><br></div><div>We Christians</div><div>have a duty if business </div><div>to bring</div><div>the good news </div><div>to those who are</div><div>hungry and thirsty</div><div>for both Word and Sacrament.</div><div><br></div><div>There will be those</div><div>who receive it gratefully.</div><div><br></div><div>There will be those </div><div>who say, "hey! I want ketchup on that!"</div><div><br></div><div>There will be those</div><div>who smash it out of our hands</div><div>and spit on us.</div><div><br></div><div>But whatever they do</div><div>we will have tried to be faithful</div><div>because we are so grateful</div><div>for what we receive</div><div>that we want others </div><div>to receive it too.</div><div><br></div><div>We have received Christ Himself</div><div>in the words of the Gospel</div><div>and in the Sacrament of the Altar.</div><div><br></div><div>It's too good </div><div>not to share.</div>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-83214972523541386902024-03-04T20:34:00.002+00:002024-03-04T20:34:34.279+00:00An Anglican Catholic view of the Papacy <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cYhxeC7Qsy4" width="320" youtube-src-id="cYhxeC7Qsy4"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Intended to be a gentle and respectful reason for why Anglican Catholics do not accept the claims of the modern Papacy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Nonetheless, God bless the Pope and all in communion with him. And God bless all those who follow Orthodox belief and cannot be i...more</p>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-65607971847000673012024-03-03T00:00:00.001+00:002024-03-03T00:00:00.203+00:00The Devil's Dividend <b>Sermon for the third Sunday in Lent</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>According to Our Lord,</div><div>the gates of Hell </div><div>will not prevail against the Church.</div><div><br></div><div>Indeed, St John sees the Devil</div><div>and all his apostate host</div><div>flung into Eternal flames.</div><div><br></div><div>So the kingdom of Satan</div><div>must fall.</div><div><br></div><div>The Pharisees</div><div>must believe that, surely.</div><div><br></div><div>Yet, Our Lord says,</div><div>that if Satan is divided </div><div>against himself, </div><div>his kingdom cannot stand.</div><div><br></div><div>If we know</div><div>through Jesus</div><div>that the kingdom of Satan</div><div>cannot stand, </div><div>Is Satan really </div><div>divided against Satan?</div><div><br></div><div>Sounds complicated.</div><div><br></div><div>Why is that important?</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>The Pharisees accuse</div><div>Our Lord</div><div>of casting out demons</div><div>through Beelzebub.</div><div><br></div><div>If Satan is divided against Satan</div><div>then it is theoretically possible</div><div>that the Pharisees are right.</div><div><br></div><div>But if Satan is divided</div><div>against himself,</div><div>then how can the Pharisees</div><div>be sure</div><div>that they aren't</div><div>Casting out devils by Satan?</div><div><br></div><div>By saying thatJesus<br></div><div>casts out demons</div><div>by the prince of demons</div><div>the Pharisees have just</div><div>cast doubt on </div><div>their own ability</div><div>to cast out demons.</div><div><br></div><div>Their sons will judge the Pharisees</div><div>for blaspheming against them</div><div>as well as for </div><div>blaspheming against Jesus.</div><div><br></div><div>It is not the house of Satan</div><div>that is divided,</div><div>it is the Pharisees' houses.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>This is why blasphemy</div><div>against the Holy Ghost </div><div>shall not be forgiven.</div><div><br></div><div>If you cannot recognise</div><div>what good is</div><div>and decide that only </div><div>your decisions are good</div><div>then you have nowhere to go</div><div>but to yourself.</div><div><br></div><div>There can be no Kingdom of Heaven</div><div>other than your own self.</div><div><br></div><div>This is why division</div><div>is a serious business</div><div>on the Church.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>There is a difference</div><div>between a division in the Church</div><div>and a division from the Church.</div><div><br></div><div>The reasons for division</div><div>must be carefully considered.</div><div><br></div><div>Ultimately,</div><div>a division from the Church</div><div>must come from </div><div>a lack of love for God</div><div>and love for other people.</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord says</div><div>that whoever is not for Him</div><div>is against Him.</div><div><br></div><div>He also says that</div><div>whoever is not against Christ </div><div>is for Him.</div><div><br></div><div>There is no middle ground.</div><div><br></div><div>The Church is bound together</div><div>in Love, Goodness, </div><div>Truth and Beauty.</div><div><br></div><div>Where these are to be found</div><div>so is God.</div><div><br></div><div>There may be divisions</div><div>due to doctrine,</div><div>to authority</div><div>and to practice</div><div>but where true love is</div><div>Christ must be there Himself..</div><div><br></div><div>It means that it is not our business</div><div>to demonise any human being.</div><div><br></div><div>It is our business</div><div>to recognise where the Devil</div><div>is trying to work </div><div>in our lives</div><div>and then to ask the Holy Ghost</div><div>- the Finger of God -</div><div>to cast him out.</div><div><br></div><div>We must always be</div><div>more ready to accuse ourselves</div><div>of having a devil</div><div>than to accuse </div><div>another person.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>The Lord says,</div><div>"blessed are they that </div><div>hear the word of God, and keep it."</div><div><br></div><div>That is how</div><div>we can be sure that </div><div>we don't have a devil </div><div>and that we separate ourselves</div><div>from sin, the world and the devil</div><div>to stand in the </div><div>Indivisible House of God</div><div>forever.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-42047532501064293822024-02-26T20:56:00.001+00:002024-02-26T20:56:05.160+00:00Tea and cake? No thank you!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jJJ7mUpHlZk" width="320" youtube-src-id="jJJ7mUpHlZk"></iframe></div><p><br /></p>Why History needs to be studied with the mind of Christ.<p></p>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-33953449502757950202024-02-25T00:00:00.002+00:002024-02-26T07:15:04.662+00:00It's a dog's faith <b>Sermon for the second Sunday in Lent</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>Does this story disturb you?</div><div><br></div><div>A woman asks Jesus for help.</div><div><br></div><div>He says that</div><div>it is not right </div><div>to give the children's bread</div><div>to the dogs.</div><div><br></div><div>Of course,</div><div>she says that</div><div>even the dogs eat</div><div>of the crumbs </div><div>that fall from the table.</div><div><br></div><div>Only then</div><div>does Jesus</div><div>heal the daughter of this woman.</div><div><br></div><div>Surely it disturbs us</div><div>because</div><div>we don't expect Jesus</div><div>to be so, well, rude!</div><div><br></div><div>The Jesus we know</div><div>and love</div><div>would heal the daughter </div><div>immediately</div><div>with kind words.</div><div><br></div><div>But He doesn't.</div><div><br></div><div>He effectively calls her </div><div>a dog,</div><div>albeit a family pet</div><div>rather than</div><div>a wild dog.</div><div><br></div><div>What's gone wrong?</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>We're rather presented</div><div>with a Jesus</div><div>that does not always</div><div>behave the way</div><div>we expect Him to,</div><div>or that we want Him to.</div><div><br></div><div>This might cause us to doubt Him.</div><div><br></div><div>Many people leave </div><div>the Christian Faith</div><div>because they</div><div>cannot reconcile</div><div>the God of Love</div><div>with some of the actions</div><div>they believe He commits.</div><div><br></div><div>The old argument goes</div><div>that because there is Evil</div><div>God cannot be wholly good,</div><div>or He cannot be Almighty</div><div>or He cannot be all-knowing.</div><div><br></div><div>But this argument forgets</div><div>that we human beings</div><div>are not wholly good</div><div>are not Almighty</div><div>are not all-knowing.</div><div><br></div><div>It means that</div><div>we cannot know</div><div>the mind of God.</div><div><br></div><div>We weren't there</div><div>at the moment of Creation.</div><div><br></div><div>We didn't see His blueprints</div><div>for the Universe.</div><div><br></div><div>We didn't see Him</div><div>ponder over which </div><div>laws of physics to choose.</div><div><br></div><div>We don't know Him.</div><div><br></div><div>But God knows</div><div>we don't know Him.</div><div><br></div><div>It is because we can't know Him</div><div>that He bids us to have faith,</div><div>to trust Him</div><div>when we are terrified </div><div>to hold on to Him</div><div>when we are in the greatest pain,</div><div>to believe in Him</div><div>when we can't see where He has gone.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>We can't always know the reason why.</div><div><br></div><div>But look at this woman.</div><div><br></div><div>Look at what happens to her.</div><div><br></div><div>She has faith.</div><div><br></div><div>She doesn't lose </div><div>faith in Christ</div><div>or in His love</div><div>or in His power.</div><div><br></div><div>He calls her a dog</div><div>and <b>she stands her ground</b>.</div><div><br></div><div>She doesn't run away crying</div><div>her image of a nice Jesus</div><div>broken to bits.</div><div><br></div><div>She knows that this Man</div><div>can heal her daughter</div><div>and she trusts that He will.</div><div><br></div><div>She keeps faith</div><div>and answers Him</div><div>respectfully,</div><div>humbly,</div><div>and with the determination</div><div>that comes by faith in Him.</div><div><br></div><div>And then Jesus</div><div>shows her that He is faithful</div><div>and heals her daughter.</div><div><br></div><div>Actually,</div><div>He does more.</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus shows us that He is faithful</div><div><b>and</b> He shows that this woman</div><div>is faithful.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>We cannot expect</div><div>God to be exactly how </div><div>we want Him to be.</div><div><br></div><div>This is a sickness that has</div><div>invaded some parts of the Church.</div><div><br></div><div>To often,</div><div>we expect Jesus to </div><div>agree with us,</div><div>to be on our side of the argument</div><div>to be fighting for the causes</div><div>we support.</div><div><br></div><div>This is not Jesus.</div><div><br></div><div>This is a cardboard cutout</div><div>- not even an ikon.</div><div><br></div><div>If we are to grow in faith</div><div>then it will be in the hardships of life,</div><div>in the sadnesses, fears, </div><div>pains and sorrows,</div><div>the injustices and cruelty of life</div><div>that will cause that growth.</div><div><br></div><div>We cannot know God's purposes </div><div>but we can grow in faith</div><div>and believe that,</div><div>whatever is happening,</div><div>not only does He have a good reason for it</div><div>but we will become closer to Him</div><div>as a result.</div><div><br></div><div>This is part of our</div><div>business of repentance.</div><div><br></div><div>No-one said that </div><div>this would be easy</div><div>but perhaps we should </div><div>thank God for the fact that it is not easy.</div><div><br></div><div>For then we are </div><div>the greater in our faith</div><div>and deeper in our love.</div><div><br></div><div>God truly loves us:</div><div>He wants us to be perfect in Him,</div><div>even when we can't know </div><div>how to be perfect yet.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-74618044000330224802024-02-19T20:04:00.003+00:002024-02-19T20:04:13.012+00:00Doubt, Orthodoxy and the Quicunque Vult <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i0EWS5U7eG4" width="320" youtube-src-id="i0EWS5U7eG4"></iframe></div><p><br /></p>If the Creed speaks of damnation, what happens if I doubt?<p></p>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-60097327792668589942024-02-18T00:00:00.002+00:002024-02-26T07:15:36.085+00:00Distracting distractions <b>Sermon for the first Sunday of Lent</b><div><br></div><div>We know why the Lord </div><div>is tempted.</div><div><br></div><div>St Paul in his letter</div><div>to the Hebrews</div><div>says that Our Lord</div><div>is tempted</div><div>so that He can sympathise</div><div>with us </div><div>in our temptations.</div><div><br></div><div>But we are tempted</div><div>all of our lives</div><div>not just forty days and forty nights.</div><div><br></div><div>How can Our Lord</div><div>be tempted as we are</div><div>but without sin</div><div>if He only endures it</div><div>for forty days?</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>We know this isn't true.</div><div><br></div><div>St Peter </div><div>inadvertently tempts Jesus</div><div>by trying to prevent</div><div>His crucifixion.</div><div><br></div><div>And,</div><div>even in Gethsemane</div><div>the temptation for Our Lord</div><div> to give up</div><div>is enormous.</div><div><br></div><div>If Jesus is tempted</div><div>all throughout His Incarnation</div><div>as we are tempted,</div><div>what are these forty days </div><div>and forty nights of fasting</div><div>and praying for?</div><div><br></div><div>Let's be careful.</div><div><br></div><div>It is only after forty days and forty nights</div><div>that the Devil starts tempting Him</div><div>as far as we know.</div><div><br></div><div>It is because He is hungry </div><div>that the Devil starts </div><div>trying to get Him to turn</div><div>stones into bread.</div><div><br></div><div>The Devil believes</div><div>that Our Lord's hunger</div><div>that will be the weak point</div><div>in His dedication to </div><div>His business of doing</div><div>the will of His Father.</div><div><br></div><div>And that's his mistake.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord is taken into the desert</div><div>by the Holy Ghost</div><div>precisely for Him</div><div>to wrestle with temptation.</div><div><br></div><div>These forty days </div><div>are days of preparation</div><div>for hard work.</div><div><br></div><div>They always have been.</div><div><br></div><div>For forty days,</div><div>Noah was in the Ark</div><div>not sitting twiddling his thumbs</div><div>but preparing things </div><div>for the new life </div><div>after the flood.</div><div><br></div><div>For forty days,</div><div>Moses was up Mount Sinai</div><div>preparing to deliver</div><div>the law to the Israel.</div><div><br></div><div>For forty days,</div><div>the Ninevites fasted</div><div>in repentance</div><div>and were saved.</div><div><br></div><div>These forty days</div><div>are always a preparation</div><div>for battle, </div><div>for a new life,</div><div>for new business to do.</div><div><br></div><div>This is why</div><div>Our Lord remains with us</div><div>for forty days</div><div>after His resurrection</div><div>to prepare the Church</div><div>for the new mission.</div><div><br></div><div>Where the Devil makes his mistake</div><div>is that Our Lord fasts </div><div>forty days and forty nights</div><div><b>In order</b> to wrestle with temptation,</div><div>to meet it head on</div><div>rather than be surprised by it.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>Temptation often </div><div>takes us by surprise.</div><div><br></div><div>It preys upon us</div><div>at our weak spot</div><div>in order to catch us out </div><div>and distract us from our business</div><div>of repentance</div><div>and the search</div><div>for God's righteousness.</div><div><br></div><div>Not only does Jesus</div><div>identify with us in our temptation,</div><div>He shows us that the way to deal with it</div><div>is by prayer and fasting</div><div>in order to meet it head on,</div><div>to expose our weaknesses </div><div>to ourselves</div><div>and to immerse ourselves</div><div>in the things of the Holy Spirit</div><div>which war against </div><div>the spirit of the age</div><div>and the materialism </div><div>of the world around us.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>Lent helps us mean business</div><div>when we seek to turn our lives</div><div>to Christ and His Kingdom.</div><div><br></div><div>The Devil seeks to distract us</div><div>from this business.</div><div><br></div><div>If he can't win against Jesus,</div><div>then he cannot ultimately win</div><div>against hearts that are focussed</div><div>on the business of God.</div>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-26491898050183472132024-02-12T20:02:00.003+00:002024-02-12T20:02:46.314+00:00Anglican Catholicism and the priesthood of all believers <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1bVcAex4ntY" width="320" youtube-src-id="1bVcAex4ntY"></iframe></div>When is a Christian a priest?<p></p>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-23250449913855009832024-02-11T12:23:00.002+00:002024-02-12T15:56:38.687+00:00In praise of the JHPCU<b>Why I support the Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi Christian University</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>Last year I completed my doctoral studies in Theology and was elected a Fellow of this university and I find it a great honour to have been so.</div><div><br></div><div>Let me first start by giving some indication as to my ability to speak of educational institutes. As you will know from my pen-name, my first university education was at the University of Warwick in Mathematics. I am proud of my degrees there: I was taught well at an institution which was rated by the QS World University Rankings as 21st (2021) and 19th (2023) for the quality of Mathematics. To put that in perspective for my American readership, in the same year, Duke University was ranked 55th (2021) and 57th (2023) for Mathematics. I hope you will understand that I have some barometer by which I can judge the quality of education that I have received.</div><div><br></div><div>While I was at Warwick, I would often pass by pictures of the Mathematics Institute at its beginning. There was a particular photograph of the nascent Institute in 1965 of a collection of a few mathematicians, mainly from Cambridge, who were setting up that institute. The most notable was Professor Sir Christopher Zeeman but also Professor David Epstein whose images in hyperbolic geometry are still used today. I was taught by the latter since Sir Christopher was by then the master of an Oxbridge college. What stayed with me was that august institutions have small beginnings.</div><div><br></div><div>I can say the same of the Anglican Catholic Church: we received autonomy in 1978 and have grown as an institution to the body we have now, making our contribution to Church unity as one of the G3. </div><div><br></div><div>To be present at a birth is always a privilege. To be responsible in bringing something to birth is tense, fraught and yet truly wonderful.</div><div><br></div><div>And so to the JHPCU.</div><div><br></div><div>I became aware of the JHPCU through Professor Stewart Thompson who is now the principal of the Victoria College of Music. The VCM is an independent college which has the weight of a century in its work. It has its roots in Christianity - indeed, one of the modules it offered was that of Bible Reading. From the VCM, I found myself intrigued by the existence of the JHPCU.</div><div><br></div><div>Why JHP? Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi was a swiss pedagogue and committed Christian whose overriding thesis is that education should be a right, not a privilege. I am in full agreement of that for education is that which enables us to find a deeper language with which we can talk to, and talk about, God. The existence of God is written in all things and it is through education that we see that writing.</div><div><br></div><div>I resolved to study with them because I am involved in the Board of Ministry and Education in my diocese. We needed a training programme for our clergy and found that with the VCM but now had the opportunity to enhance that training with a university. If we wanted to use the JHPCU for our training then I needed to be trained by them. I also felt that such a project would help us as a diocese understand our identity as Anglican Catholics and give me an opportunity for my writing to be given a more rigorous scrutiny by proper academics. The tuition fees were very reasonable, as to be expected from an institution which seeks to provide a right rather than offer a privilege.</div><div><br></div><div>My supervisor was Professor Craig Paterson. Since coming to know him, I have been impressed by his significant credentials. I have his book on Analytic Thomism - a subject of serious academic weight - and found that he has worked with a luminary no less than Professor Elizabeth Anscombe. I know academics - I have been in the presence of such wonderful people such as Professor Jack Cohen and Professor Ian Stewart. I shook hands with Sir Roger Penrose and Professor Sir Michael Atiyah for whose great niece I would go on to administer public examinations. By this blatant name-dropping, again I hope I show that I know academics of quality, and so I was reassured that under Professor Paterson, I would receive sound supervision. And I did!</div><div><br></div><div>Paterson didn't let me get away with anything - no sloppy thinking allowed, nor the omission of full and complete references. The difference was that I received a better, more pastoral supervision filled with encouragement that, sadly, I did not receive at Warwick where my supervisor was not always available or ready to listen. I may have learned independence at Warwick but I did not learn confidence.</div><div><br></div><div>When finally I came to my viva, I was examined by Bishop Andrew Linley and The Venerable Peter Johnson - again certainly no intellectual lightweights. Again they took me to task to make sure that I produced works of quality. The fact that they passed me both for my masters and doctorate means that I met their standards. You may judge that for yourself as I have published my masters thesis as <b>The Meaning of Anglican Catholicism </b>and my doctoral thesis as <b>Anglican Catholic Moral Theology</b>, available from Lulu. Whether you agree with my conclusions or not, you will see the quality of education I have received and I am quite proud of my work.</div><div><br></div><div>Of course, the big difference is that Warwick is a very secular institution; the JHPCU is not. It is Christian and that informs the pastoral care. Neither is it a narrow institution: the JHPCU is involved in the Latimer Institute run by the UECNA which is of a decidedly Old High Protestant persuasion. Again, I might disagree with certain aspects of the theology of the UECNA, but I see in The Latimer Institute hard work being undertaken by the academics there and good on them - they ought to be proud of themselves!</div><div><br></div><div>From my point of view as a member of my diocesan board of ministry, education is not the be-all and end-all. My diocese is committed to spiritual formation as well as theological education as we want our priests to lead a balanced and rounded life of prayer and not just study. The JHPCU also sees spiritual development as something that can be informed by, but not subsumed in, theological education.</div><div><br></div><div>And so I am now a Fellow for the University. I don't receive a wage - none of us do because that is beside the point - so I cannot be accused of being in someone's pockets. I see myself like as of one of the few standing outside the farmhouse which housed Warwick's first mathematics institute. I have high hopes for the JHPCU's future and pray daily for its ministry in the world. It may be a new institution but the ACC is a new institution, too, and I believe that also has an important commission to fulfil.</div>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-9737405658960053312024-02-11T00:00:00.002+00:002024-02-11T00:00:00.196+00:00Good news! Crucifixion and Miracles!<b>Sermon for Quinquagesima</b><div><br></div><div>We've been trying</div><div>to mind our own business</div><div>in the run up</div><div>to Lent.</div><div><br></div><div>We've been learning</div><div>to leave others' business</div><div>to them</div><div>and concentrate on our business</div><div>which is sowing </div><div>the seed of the Gospel</div><div>into the hearts of men.</div><div><br></div><div>If our business</div><div>as Christians is </div><div>to bear witness to the Gospel</div><div>how do we do it?</div><div><br></div><div>Do we do what Our Lord does?</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>It seems we must,</div><div>but if we look</div><div>at what Our Lord</div><div>says and does with His disciples</div><div>we run into some </div><div>uncomfortable truths.</div><div><br></div><div>First,</div><div>Our Lord speaks about </div><div>what will happen to Him.</div><div><br></div><div>He speaks of the consequences</div><div>of telling human beings </div><div>the Gospel,</div><div>that repentance</div><div>from a life of Sin</div><div>by turning to Him</div><div>will bring everlasting joy</div><div>and salvation.</div><div><br></div><div>These consequences</div><div>are derision</div><div>and persecution</div><div>and crucifixion.</div><div><br></div><div>That's not a comforting thought</div><div>about preaching good news.</div><div><br></div><div>The second uncomfortable truth</div><div>is that after speaking about</div><div>the reality of persecution,</div><div>Our Lord casually,</div><div>effortlessly</div><div>and freely</div><div>gives a man back his sight.</div><div><br></div><div>Crucifixion and miracles,</div><div>is that what we have to do</div><div>to preach the Gospel properly?</div><div><br></div><div>No wonder many Christians</div><div>don't bother</div><div>or preach a socially acceptable "Gospel"</div><div>that doesn't result in either</div><div>crucifixion or miracles.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>If we feel like this</div><div>perhaps</div><div>we're looking at things</div><div>in The wrong way.</div><div><br></div><div>The fact is</div><div>we are not Jesus.</div><div><br></div><div>We are meant to be like Him.</div><div><br></div><div>That is true.</div><div><br></div><div>But we can only truly be like Him</div><div>when we see Him.as He really is.</div><div><br></div><div>That takes work.</div><div><br></div><div>And that's our business.</div><div><br></div><div>Our business is that </div><div>of repentance</div><div>and repentance is hard,</div><div>painful and sometimes</div><div>seemingly impossible.</div><div><br></div><div>We remember, though,</div><div>that repentance is not</div><div>a negative thing,</div><div>it is not without joy</div><div>it is not without laughter</div><div>it is not without enjoying</div><div>the good things of life.</div><div><br></div><div>But it is serious.</div><div>Deadly serious </div><div><br></div><div>Repentance is always</div><div>about turning to face Christ</div><div>and daring to look Him </div><div>straight in the eye</div><div>having committed</div><div>the sins that we have</div><div>and yet seeing</div><div>ourselves reflected in those eyes</div><div>as people of light.</div><div><br></div><div>In those Divine human eyes</div><div>we may see our shame</div><div>where we fall short,</div><div>but we see also love,</div><div>the will of God for our perfection</div><div>- our perfection in God.</div><div><br></div><div>Our business</div><div>is repentance</div><div>and, by repenting</div><div>and living active lives</div><div>of repentance,</div><div>Our Lord's light </div><div>will shine in us.</div><div><br></div><div>That doesn't mean</div><div>we live ostentatiously</div><div>flaunting our good deeds.</div><div><br></div><div>Our good deeds will flow</div><div>from our choice to repent</div><div>In honesty and truth,</div><div>and our choice </div><div>to make our lives perfect</div><div>in Christ.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>And when we do suffer</div><div>or are in grievous pain</div><div>because we repent</div><div>then we know that </div><div>our repentance is working</div><div>and making visible </div><div>God's reality in our lives</div><div>and in our world</div><div>darkened by sin.</div><div><br></div><div>And, should God decide</div><div>to work a miracle</div><div>through us,</div><div>then that is His decision</div><div>and nothing to do with us,</div><div>but rather</div><div>allow ourselves to wonder</div><div>at the wonderful works of God</div><div>in gratitude at His desire</div><div>to work with us.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>Preaching the Gospel</div><div>is a life of repentance</div><div>in which we strive</div><div>to see Christ </div><div>in all we do or see.</div><div><br></div><div>This is because salvation</div><div>is a process</div><div>in which we participate actively</div><div>and not a one-off event.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>And so we begin Lent</div><div>looking at what our own business is,</div><div>and minding it,</div><div>and seeking Christ out</div><div>from the clutter of our lives.</div><div><br></div><div>God bless you this Lent.</div>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-33875578206535222752024-02-05T19:45:00.001+00:002024-02-05T19:45:06.849+00:00Ugliness and Agatha<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O3sg-yVmXIY" width="320" youtube-src-id="O3sg-yVmXIY"></iframe></div>Why St Agatha looks like the Church.<p></p>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-63052912508650082762024-02-04T00:00:00.000+00:002024-02-04T00:00:00.513+00:00Sow, sow, sow your crop...<b>Sermon for Sexagesima</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>Who is the parable for?</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord preaches </div><div>about the Sower </div><div>sowing the word of God </div><div>and the fate of each of the seed, </div><div>but who is the parable for?</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE] </div><div><br></div><div>We know that it can't be</div><div>for everyone.</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord Himself</div><div>says that parables</div><div>are only for those </div><div>who have ears to hear.</div><div><br></div><div>But, clearly the disciples</div><div>have ears to hear</div><div>which is why Jesus</div><div>explains the parable.</div><div><br></div><div>Except.</div><div><br></div><div>Except, who is the Sower?</div><div><br></div><div>Who is sowing </div><div>the word of God?</div><div><br></div><div>Does Jesus say?</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>In each of the gospels of</div><div>St Matthew,</div><div>St Mark </div><div>and St Luke,</div><div>we are not told who the Sower is.</div><div><br></div><div>Isn't it God?</div><div><br></div><div>Well, no.</div><div><br></div><div>For God would know </div><div>where to sow for a good crop.</div><div><br></div><div>God doesn't waste things.</div><div><br></div><div>If He knows the number</div><div>of stars, sparrows</div><div>and hairs on your head,</div><div>then we know</div><div>that everything works for good</div><div>for those who love God.</div><div><br></div><div>If God were the Sower,</div><div>would He allow the devil </div><div>to take the word of salvation</div><div>from the hearts of men?</div><div><br></div><div>God is not the Sower.</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus is not the Sower.</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus is talking</div><div>to the sowers of His word.</div><div><br></div><div>This parable</div><div>is for the disciples</div><div>because it is their calling</div><div>to serve God by preaching the Gospel.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord explains</div><div>the pitfalls of preaching.</div><div><br></div><div>We cannot expect</div><div>our preaching always to be effective.</div><div><br></div><div>Sometimes</div><div>before anyone can hear the Gospel,</div><div>the Devil gets in the way.</div><div><br></div><div>So we must preach again</div><div>to those by the wayside.</div><div><br></div><div>Sometimes</div><div>the Gospel goes a little way in</div><div>but the rocky hearts of men</div><div>can stop it from growing.</div><div><br></div><div>So we must preach again</div><div>to those in rocky ground.</div><div><br></div><div>Sometimes</div><div>the Gospel goes in and starts growing</div><div>but the world around</div><div>distracts and disorders</div><div>so that a person doesn't</div><div>fully come to faith.</div><div><br></div><div>So we must preach again</div><div>to those in briars and thistles and weeds.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>It is our duty </div><div>to keep preaching</div><div>because we don't know</div><div>where the word of God </div><div>is ending up.</div><div><br></div><div>We can't see</div><div>the birds, </div><div>the rocks,</div><div>the thistles,</div><div>or even the fertile soil.</div><div><br></div><div>But we can be sure</div><div>that one seed </div><div>in the good soil</div><div>will grow and produce</div><div>more than we know.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>it is at the end of Time</div><div>that the harvest will be reckoned</div><div>the sheaves bundled</div><div>the tares and weeds and thistles </div><div>burned away.</div><div><br></div><div>Until then,</div><div>we must mind our own business</div><div>and</div><div>sow, sow, sow </div><div>even in tears and sorrow</div><div>because we will come </div><div>again in joy</div><div>bringing in a good harvest</div><div>and rejoicing </div><div>in the salvation</div><div>of all our brothers and sisters.</div><div><br></div>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-57323765294483042642024-01-29T19:50:00.004+00:002024-01-29T19:50:56.930+00:00Mere Anglicanism and Theosis<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1vauthwe0M" width="320" youtube-src-id="Y1vauthwe0M"></iframe></div>What possibly went wrong at the ACNA conference.<p></p>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-68160965765706962252024-01-28T00:00:00.000+00:002024-01-28T00:00:00.254+00:00Mind your own business!<b>Sermon for Septuagesima </b><div><b><br></b></div><div>People who worked</div><div>for one hour</div><div>are paid the same fair days wages</div><div>as those who worked</div><div>a twelve hour day.</div><div><br></div><div>Why does it sound unfair?</div><div><br></div><div>We know it isn't unfair</div><div>because Our Lord</div><div>uses this parable to tell us </div><div>something about ourselves.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>The person who seems</div><div>to come in for the most criticism</div><div>is the Employer</div><div>who justifies himself</div><div>by saying that he has a right</div><div>to do with his money </div><div>as he pleases.</div><div><br></div><div>You agree with that, yes?</div><div><br></div><div>You can do what you like</div><div>with your own possessions.</div><div><br></div><div>But then...</div><div><br></div><div>How do you feel </div><div>about that statistic</div><div>that a handful of people</div><div>control the majority</div><div>of the wealth in the world?</div><div><br></div><div>Aren't they allowed </div><div>to hoard their money</div><div>and use it for their own purposes</div><div>which may,</div><div>or may not, </div><div>be godly?</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>Some of us are very good</div><div>at deciding what</div><div>other people should do</div><div>with their money.</div><div><br></div><div>When we see</div><div>a rich man pass by a collecting tin</div><div>without putting something in,</div><div>we grumble something about</div><div>camels passing through eyes of needles.</div><div><br></div><div>When we see </div><div>a rich man put something into</div><div>that collecting tin,</div><div>we grumble that he's making a show</div><div>of his wealth</div><div>in false generosity.</div><div><br></div><div>The rich man can't win.</div><div><br></div><div>But we don't want him to, do we?</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>There are two things</div><div>that Our Lord teaches us </div><div>about money and possessions.</div><div><br></div><div>The first is</div><div>that we should render unto Caesar</div><div>that which is Caesar's</div><div>and unto God</div><div>that which is God's.</div><div><br></div><div>Material things</div><div>matter most for those</div><div>who are materially minded.</div><div><br></div><div>Bills must be paid.</div><div>Tax must be paid.</div><div>Debts must be paid.</div><div><br></div><div>This is true for all of us.</div><div><br></div><div>While they may be</div><div>important</div><div>they are not what defines</div><div>our relationship with God.</div><div><br></div><div>God's claim</div><div>on our lives</div><div>is greater than</div><div>Barclay's Bank's claim</div><div>on our overdraft.</div><div><br></div><div>This leads to Our Lord's second point.</div><div><br></div><div>Those who have been given much</div><div>will be expected to show much interest</div><div>on God's investment.</div><div><br></div><div>God wants us </div><div>to bear good fruit</div><div>and has given us the means </div><div>to grow it.</div><div><br></div><div>He will not expect growth</div><div>from where He has not given.</div><div><br></div><div>So the rich man</div><div>will always find himself</div><div>required to give an account</div><div>of what he is doing for his wealth.</div><div><br></div><div>But this account</div><div>will not be rendered to us,</div><div>but to God.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>Those who labour all day</div><div>receive the agreed generous daily wage,</div><div>but their eyes</div><div>are on other people's</div><div>wages.</div><div><br></div><div>Their outrage </div><div>comes from envy</div><div>and pride in their assumption</div><div>that their time is worth more</div><div>in their own eyes</div><div>than was agreed.</div><div><br></div><div>Notice also</div><div>that the Employer himself</div><div>is making use</div><div>of what he has.</div><div><br></div><div>He may earn more money</div><div>as a result,</div><div>but so do his employees.</div><div><br></div><div>The wealth is not </div><div>buried in a field,</div><div>mattress</div><div>or investment fund.</div><div><br></div><div>It is being used </div><div>and everyone benefits.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>It might sicken us</div><div>to see celebrities</div><div>living the high life</div><div>in yachts,</div><div>drinking champagne</div><div>and eating Ferrero Richer,</div><div>but that money is going somewhere.</div><div><br></div><div>It is being rendered unto Caesar.</div><div><br></div><div>What concerns us </div><div>as Christians</div><div>is what is being rendered to God.</div><div><br></div><div>In that sense,</div><div>that's the rich man's problem</div><div>and not ours.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>We should not allow</div><div>other people's use of their wealth</div><div>to distract us</div><div>from using what we have</div><div>to the glory of God.</div><div><br></div><div>We should not allow</div><div>other people's expenditure</div><div>to tempt us to judge</div><div>another person</div><div>in a way that will judge us</div><div>in the same way.</div><div><br></div><div>It is what we do</div><div>with the wealth that </div><div><b>we</b> have been given</div><div>that matters more </div><div>to us eternally</div><div>than other people's business.</div>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-52126602763269476332024-01-23T10:45:00.004+00:002024-01-23T10:45:53.400+00:00Filioque, St Vincent of Lérins and Ecumenism <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eDHHo-4AA8A" width="320" youtube-src-id="eDHHo-4AA8A"></iframe></div><br /> Why the Vincentian Canon is of more value to the Catholic Church than we think.<p></p>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-29569433379444520652024-01-21T00:00:00.000+00:002024-01-21T00:00:00.145+00:00Miracles under a bushel<b>Sermon for the third Sunday after Epiphany</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>Just think.</div><div><br></div><div>Something wonderful</div><div>happens to you,</div><div>something life-giving,</div><div>something that changes </div><div>your pain into joy.</div><div><br></div><div>What do you do next?</div><div><br></div><div>But then?</div><div><br></div><div>What do you do</div><div>after you receive</div><div>something truly wonderful?</div><div><br></div><div>Do you not want </div><div>to tell someone?</div><div><br></div><div>Do you not want</div><div>to scream in utter happiness</div><div>that you have </div><div>received something marvellous?</div><div><br></div><div>And then</div><div>Jesus says, </div><div>"Sshh! Don't tell anyone!"</div><div><br></div><div>What do you do?</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>There are several times</div><div>when Our Lord </div><div>tells people that He heals</div><div>not to tell anyone</div><div>what has happened to them.</div><div><br></div><div>In this case,</div><div>Our Lord tells the leper</div><div>not to say what has happened</div><div>but concentrate </div><div>on fulfilling the Jewish Law</div><div>and present himself at the temple.</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord</div><div>is effectively telling</div><div>the man He heals</div><div>to give thanks to God first</div><div>as a matter of priority.</div><div><br></div><div>But why can't the man</div><div>tell people on the way?</div><div><br></div><div>It is because</div><div>two men whose sight is restored </div><div>blab to all Capernaum </div><div>that Jesus can't go into a house</div><div>and teach</div><div>but must teach outside the city.</div><div><br></div><div>But surely,</div><div>people need to see the miracles!</div><div><br></div><div>Why?</div><div><br></div><div>Well,</div><div>more people will come </div><div>to Jesus and be healed.</div><div><br></div><div>Yes,</div><div>but when would </div><div>He be able to teach us</div><div>if He is busy healing everyone.</div><div><br></div><div>This is important,</div><div>if you think about it.</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord comes</div><div>with the Good News</div><div>of our salvation</div><div>at His hands.</div><div><br></div><div>His message is about </div><div>Eternal life.</div><div><br></div><div>Where is the leper now?</div><div><br></div><div>Where are those blabbing blind men now?</div><div><br></div><div>All those whom Jesus heals</div><div>still die.</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord is clear,</div><div>Miracles follow the Message</div><div>not the other way around.</div><div><br></div><div>He does not need </div><div>His miracles to be</div><div>seen by all and sundry.</div><div><br></div><div>If He did,</div><div>then His appearances</div><div>would be more like</div><div>a musical extravaganza</div><div>with fireworks</div><div>and people falling over</div><div>"slain in the spirit."</div><div><br></div><div>That's not what we get.</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord heals people</div><div>as individuals</div><div>for their sake</div><div>and for the small group </div><div>of witnesses around,</div><div>not for the sake</div><div>of making a spectacle of Himself.</div><div><br></div><div>To those who demand </div><div>miracles from Him,</div><div>He will show</div><div>only His bloodstained body</div><div>dangling lifelessly</div><div>upon the Cross.</div><div><br></div><div>Even His Resurrection</div><div>is intimate,</div><div>reserved only for</div><div>those who love Him.</div><div><br></div><div>The miracles are not the message.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord is not</div><div>hiding His Light </div><div>under a bushel.</div><div><br></div><div>If He did,</div><div>then we would never </div><div>hear His word.</div><div><br></div><div>Even His Father speaks</div><div>in a still, small voice.</div><div><br></div><div>God needs no megaphone</div><div>on a street corner,</div><div>just those whom He calls</div><div>to preach His Gospel</div><div>by living that Gospel</div><div>and showing the love</div><div>of that Gospel.</div><div><br></div><div>We don't need to </div><div>perform miracles</div><div>like St Peter or St John,</div><div>we just speak the Truth</div><div>and, perhaps, something wonderful</div><div>will follow.</div><div><br></div><div>It is the miracles</div><div>that we hide under a bushel,</div><div>not the message.</div>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-78578486902430905802024-01-15T21:00:00.004+00:002024-01-15T21:00:28.368+00:00Anglican Catholicism and Women's Ministry <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1GM5le5YsG0" width="320" youtube-src-id="1GM5le5YsG0"></iframe></div><br /> Is the Anglican Catholic Church really anti-women?<p></p>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-75635141183555336422024-01-14T00:00:00.000+00:002024-01-14T00:00:00.139+00:00Water, Wine and Incarnation <b>Sermon for the second Sunday after Epiphany</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>You do pay attention</div><div>in the Mass, </div><div>don't you?</div><div><br></div><div>Of course you do.</div><div><br></div><div>You notice that </div><div>the priest first puts </div><div>wine in the chalice.</div><div><br></div><div>Then he blesses </div><div>the water</div><div>before he puts it</div><div>in the wine.</div><div><br></div><div>Indeed,</div><div>the Mass isn't valid</div><div>if he forgets</div><div>to add the water to the wine.</div><div><br></div><div>Why?</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>There are two reasons.</div><div><br></div><div>You might think </div><div>about the blood and water</div><div>that pours from</div><div>the wound in Christ's side.</div><div><br></div><div>That is the historical reason.</div><div><br></div><div>The link between</div><div>the sacrifice of the Crucifixion</div><div>and the sacrifice of the Mass.</div><div><br></div><div>The Mass is a participation</div><div>in the single perfect sacrifice</div><div>of the Cross.</div><div><br></div><div>Adding water to the wine</div><div>makes that participation</div><div>real, true and clear.</div><div><br></div><div>But there is a spiritual reason too.</div><div><br></div><div>And it's to do </div><div>with the water jars at Cana.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>It seems odd</div><div>that we add water to wine</div><div>when wine is</div><div>mostly water anyway.</div><div><br></div><div>But lots of things</div><div>on this planet</div><div>are mostly water.</div><div><br></div><div>Indeed,</div><div>it is said that we human beings</div><div>are more than </div><div>two-thirds water.</div><div><br></div><div>So when we drink water,</div><div>it's like the adding</div><div>of water to wine.</div><div><br></div><div>And this is deliberate.</div><div><br></div><div>We see, </div><div>in adding water to wine</div><div>the truth that we say</div><div>in the Athanasian Creed.</div><div><br></div><div>When Jesus becomes Incarnate,</div><div>He doesn't convert His Divine Nature</div><div>into Human Nature</div><div>but takes our Nature into His.</div><div><br></div><div>He takes the water </div><div>of our Humanity</div><div>into the wine of His Divinity.</div><div><br></div><div>Our Human nature</div><div>sits in Christ</div><div>like the water </div><div>sits in wine.</div><div><br></div><div>This is how</div><div>the sacrifice of the Mass</div><div>brings us into </div><div>communion with God</div><div>because we take</div><div>the true substance of God</div><div>into our selves.</div><div><br></div><div>Of course, </div><div>that's a bit like </div><div>adding wine to water.</div><div><br></div><div>But this communion</div><div>here and now</div><div>points to our salvation</div><div>in Christ when He performs</div><div>the miracle of Cana again,</div><div>this time changing</div><div>the water of our Humanity</div><div>into the wine of His Divinity</div><div>within us.</div><div><br></div><div>While St Paul may be</div><div>thinking of St Timothy's</div><div>physical health</div><div>when he bids him</div><div>take a little wine for his stomach,</div><div>he is also pointing us</div><div>to the health-giving benefit of wine</div><div>as an image of the life-giving benefit</div><div>of the Blood of Christ</div><div>under the figure of wine.</div><div><br></div><div>The Chalice </div><div>contains</div><div>not just a taste of salvation</div><div>It is the promise</div><div>- the New Covenant -</div><div>of salvation to Eternity.</div><div><br></div><div>This is the same promise</div><div>that Our Lord shows</div><div>at the wedding in Cana.</div><div><br></div><div>He may say to His mother</div><div>that His hour has not yet come</div><div>but instead</div><div>He promises what will happen</div><div>at the hour</div><div>- the hour of Crucifixion -</div><div>by showing us our salvation</div><div>in His blood</div><div>and the taking up</div><div>of our Humanity</div><div>into God.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>When you look into the chalice,</div><div>you might catch a glimpse</div><div>of your face</div><div>reflected on the surface</div><div>of the Consecrated Wine.</div><div><br></div><div>This is no accident</div><div>for you see yourself</div><div>looking back at you</div><div>from Eternity.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-46561084174878594022024-01-09T07:43:00.004+00:002024-01-09T07:43:45.320+00:00Prayerful substance <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pO23Rp7nS38" width="320" youtube-src-id="pO23Rp7nS38"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>How should we pray to God?</p>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20318294.post-18196590677577371542024-01-07T00:00:00.000+00:002024-01-07T00:00:00.144+00:00Renewing from the library<b>Sermon for the first Sunday after Epiphany</b><div><b><br></b></div><div>When was the last time</div><div>you ever borrowed a book</div><div>from the library?</div><div><br></div><div>Perhaps you remember</div><div>being given a date</div><div>by which</div><div>you had to return the book.</div><div><br></div><div>But what if you hadn't finished it</div><div>by that date?</div><div><br></div><div>Well, then you'd pop along </div><div>to the library and ask </div><div>to renew it.</div><div><br></div><div>Then you'd be given</div><div>a new date</div><div>by which to return the book.</div><div><br></div><div>Your borrowing</div><div>of the book has been </div><div>reset.</div><div><br></div><div>Is this what St Paul means</div><div>when he tells us </div><div>to renew our minds?</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>The idea of renewal</div><div>that St Paul is using</div><div>is a return to an</div><div>uncorrupted state.</div><div><br></div><div>We see that our sins</div><div>leave a mark on how we think</div><div>and how we think </div><div>can lead us into sin.</div><div><br></div><div>As far as our thinking goes,</div><div>we have a vicious cycle</div><div>- quite literally -</div><div>sin begets a vice</div><div>and vice weakens our mind,</div><div>our mind cannot resist temptation</div><div>so we sin.</div><div><br></div><div>That first sin of Adam</div><div>kick starts the whole cycle:</div><div>we sin because Adam sinned</div><div>and weakened us</div><div>to sin further.</div><div><br></div><div>The corruption of our mind is clear,</div><div>and we cannot truly know</div><div>what is good while our minds</div><div>are in a fallen state.</div><div><br></div><div>But just how do we renew it?</div><div><br></div><div>We need to go back to the library.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>St Paul tells us </div><div>that he speaks through Grace</div><div>- God's active presence working in us.</div><div><br></div><div>Our first grace of justification</div><div>occurs at our Baptism</div><div>when we are cleansed from sin</div><div>and incorporated</div><div>into Holy Church.</div><div><br></div><div>This is our first renewal.</div><div><br></div><div>But what then?</div><div><br></div><div>What about our sin after Baptism?</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord sanctifies </div><div>the waters of Baptism</div><div>to make them </div><div>not just waters of repentance</div><div>but waters of life itself.</div><div><br></div><div>When we confess our sins</div><div>and repent of them</div><div>then the fountain of grace</div><div>that pours within us is made clean</div><div>and we return to "factory settings".</div><div><br></div><div>Renewing our minds</div><div>doesn't mean that we reject tradition</div><div>and the teaching of Holy Scripture</div><div>and the Fathers.</div><div><br></div><div>It doesn't mean that we need </div><div>to make new doctrines</div><div>for the present age.</div><div><br></div><div>To renew </div><div>means to go back,</div><div>back to the fountain,</div><div>back to the library of Faith, </div><div>back to those whose teaching</div><div>we need to refamiliarise</div><div>our minds.</div><div><br></div><div>We go back,</div><div>through the grace of God</div><div>given to us in our Baptism</div><div>and turn our minds</div><div>to Him</div><div>actively</div><div>wholeheartedly</div><div>and uncompromisingly.</div><div><br></div><div>The beauty of our Faith</div><div>is that God ALWAYS</div><div>gives us space to repent</div><div>no matter what we have done.</div><div><br></div><div>The opportunity to renew</div><div>and be renewed is always there </div><div>for us to grasp</div><div>in the sacraments</div><div>especially the Sacrament of Confession</div><div>which is there for our comfort</div><div>not our damnation</div><div>or judgement.</div><div><br></div><div>But we really must</div><div>want to be renewed</div><div>and take It seriously.</div><div><br></div><div>[PAUSE]</div><div><br></div><div>One day,</div><div>time will run out</div><div>when we will be renewed</div><div>no longer.</div><div><br></div><div>Our borrowed time will be finished</div><div>and we must return our books</div><div>to the library.</div><div><br></div><div>Our Lord, </div><div>however, </div><div>will make all things new in Him</div><div>and,</div><div>if we choose,</div><div>we can accept our final renewal</div><div>and enter into that new life</div><div>complete, whole and perfect.</div><div><br></div><div>And we won't have any fine to pay, either.</div>Warwickensishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01310450226153796760noreply@blogger.com0