Another Day, Another Chrism

Fresh back from Perth, today I headed off to Portsmouth for our own Regional Chrism. Bishop Keith was in good form, and there was a real sense that this was a very special day; for it might well be our last such celebration together before a parting of friends. Bishop Keith ended his address with this as his theme, reminding us how the Archbishop of Westminster had spoken warmly of the parochial priestly ministry of John Henry Newman - most of which ministry he exercised as an Anglican, at the University Church in Oxford and then at Littlemore.

This Regional Chrism revolves around three dioceses, Winchester, Guildford and Portsmouth. Until 1927 they were all part of the one ancient diocese of Winchester, and some of us hope that late development might one day be reversed. Today was Portsmouth's turn to host us, in their little Cathedral Church of St Thomas of Canterbury. Four dozen clergy gathered round our Bishop, supported by a nave full of lay people from across the region - many from overseas - for the Isle of Wight is part of Portsmouth Diocese.

The three dioceses have often had bishops representing them at the Richborough Chrism. Today, though, Portsmouth awaits its new Bishop, so the Dean was there to greet us in his stead. With him were an Archdeacon from Winchester (the Diocesan having lost two suffragans in the past year and so being too busy to be with us), and Bishop Ian of Dorking from Guildford Diocese.

It was an especially happy occasion for me; many of those present were old friends, from my time as PEV for the Region, but there were also many new and younger friends present. The singing was supported by the men of the Cathedral Choir, Fr Gary Waddington was there as priest MC to ensure everything ran smoothly, and a good time was had by all. Afterwards Jane and I took friends to see some of the sights of Old Portsmouth - Ferries were buzzing in and out of the harbour, there was plenty of sail around, the sun shone and the breeze blew. Altogether a refreshing and uplifting occasion for us all.

Now Bishop Keith is gearing himself up for the next two similar events. He was in the Midlands yesterday, on Monday it will be Chelmsford and on Tuesday, Canterbury. The seriousness with which people in our parishes value this event, and turn out to support their parish priests, will be part of the Anglican Patrimony which we look forward to sharing in a wider communion and fellowship. May it be soon!

[I discover there is an account of a Chrism Mass of Bishop Andrew's. which included many Welsh participants: http://allgassandgaiters.blogspot.com/ ]

Scottish Chrism

Lady Day would not be the first choice for a Mass of the Chrism. Still, needs must, so the Monastery of Kinnoull in Perth was the setting for this Scots event. Forward in Faith Scotland have tried for years, ever since the ordination of women to the priesthood began north of the border, to gain some sort of extended episcopal care. It has been consistently denied by the bishops who have insisted that they provide all the care that is needed. This time, though, I informed the Primus that FiF Scotland had invited me to celebrate the Chrism for them in a Catholic Monastery. I did not ask his permission, since a visiting minister in good standing in the Church of England can always be invited to celebrate Holy Communion. Moreover the Scots Church is not a territorial one, and neither the Bishop of Brechin nor the Primus has any authority over chapels of the Roman Catholic Church. Nevertheless, the good Primus gave his 'permission', which was neither sought nor required, which was good of him. He added that he was "unhappy about what is being proposed and will wish to review the situation further". I trust he and his fellow bishops will do so, for if they look at the Lambeth decisions of 98, and the report of the Eames Commission, he will know that in the Anglican Communion those opposed to women's ordination have an honoured place, and that proper provision has been made for them in many parts of the Communion.


The Cardinal and the local Catholic Bishop (of Dunkeld) gave us their blessing.

But that is quite enough of how we came to be there. It was something of a challenge to preach at the Chrism on one of the great Feasts of the Christian Year. I attach my efforts, so that you can see how I tried to fulfil the brief.

THE OIL OF GLADNESS

For mourning robe the oil of gladness: God has anointed you with the oil of gladness above other kings (from Isaiah 6.8 and Ps 45.8)

What an extraordinary conjunction we celebrate today; the Mass of the Chrism – Lady Day. In normal circumstances it would not happen; but things are not normal for us in our church either here in Scotland or in England. For all that, the good Lord provides; and what he has provided for us today is this wonderful phrase, the Oil of Gladness. It is there in the reading from Isaiah – to give those who mourn for ashes, a garland, for mourning robe the Oil of Gladness; that same phrase was in the psalm for the Office of Readings for today, the Annunciation of Our Lord. The Holy Spirit of God anointed Jesus at his Baptism; he also comes to anoint Mary at the Annunciation: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow”.

The oil of gladness: looking back over these last years as a bishop, celebrating the Chrism has been a time of great blessing, a time when we priests have grown more aware of the joy of being servants of Christ, sharers of the oil of gladness. That gladness spreads out like a great oil slick of blessing, beyond this celebration and into our parishes.

Confirmations for instance: once such solemn affairs, even dull; a bishop back in those days could preach in all seriousness about how he remembered only that the bishop who had confirmed him had dirty boots. Well, so he might, but that is hardly a topic to raise the hearts of the candidates, and we want them to have more significant memories. Today, the laying on of hands and the anointing become a more special moment. No longer just the hands on the heads of two people at a time, get up, don’t forget to bow, don’t let the veil slip, back to your places. Now, those being confirmed are reminded whose they are: ‘Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. John, Christ has called you by name. Maria, Christ has called you by name … and made you his own. Confirm, Lord your servant John …. and peace be with you’.

This is the Lord’s doing, the Lord who knows his own by name: and his spirit is poured on them. As their name is spoken they look up, no longer just waiting heads bowed for those heavy hands. “Look up, for your salvation draws near”. The oil of gladness is for them. We are still learning, and still a bit timid about it all, feeling our way into the sacraments. But just as some are finding a renewal of baptism through discretely and warily dipping each infant as the prayer book tells us to do, immersing them instead of dribbling a little water on their heads, so maybe we shall get around to pouring Chrism on the heads until it runs down to the hem of their clothing. When Anointing happens in Scripture, it is a thorough-going event, a celebration, a time of gladness.

So it is very good when lay-people can join their bishop and their clergy on this day. Chrism is not a priest’s preserve, but it is a priestly preservative. That is to say, when we are anointed with the oil of Chrism in our baptism and our confirmation, we are admitted into the priesthood of all believers, much as the priest or bishop is set apart into their holy order through the laying on of hands and anointing. Only when we value the ordained priesthood properly can we properly value the priesthood of all believers. Yet too often when people speak of the priesthood all believers they are really asserting the priesthood of no believers. We must reclaim that phrase for the Catholic Church. The priest’s task is to do God’s work among God’s people, so that we can all of us do his work in the world. Forgiveness, for instance. We are forgiven, and know we are forgiven through God’s words which the priest declares … by his authority committed to me I absolve you from all your sins: then, forgiven, we are able to forgive others. And this is a joyful ministry, an out-working of the oil of gladness.

Unless we knew what it was to be forgiven we would forget that a mark of a Christian is to be a forgiver. The skills of a priest, his priest-craft, are not to make him more important; they are used to help us all become more proficient in the craft of the carpenter of Nazareth. He alone shows us how to live; and how to suffer, and how to die. The priest is set apart with the oil of Chrism to become more proficient at passing on that knowledge, not just by word but by example; and to do it gladly.

When Moses took his seventy chosen companions up the mountain to meet God face to face, and receive the gift of prophecy, there were two left behind in the camp. There they started prophesying, and some were scandalised and asked Moses to stop them. “Are you jealous for my sake?” Moses asked. “Would that all God’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them!” [Num 11.27]. That prayer was answered by Jesus in the Church. The Spirit of God is not reserved to a clerical caste. He is for all God’s people, and his gift is lived out in a thousand different ways. The priest as minister of baptism, and the bishop as minister of confirmation, are simply assisting as God pours out his Spirit on the whole Body of Christ, the Church.

One last word of anointing, which is for us all: Saint John writes in his first letter, ‘Little children’, ‘Little children you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things’. What us? Yes indeed, we do. But not as individuals; he doesn’t write, ‘My child’, but ‘Little children’ - us, all, led as Jesus promised into all the truth. That is the result of the outpouring of the Spirit. That is what today’s ceremony is about; that through us all, the Spirit of God may have free flow in the Church, assisted but never restricted by the sacraments of grace. The oil of gladness is for us all, for his entire people, the Body of Christ: for we have an anointing from the Holy One - with this wonderful oil of gladness.

Incidentally, Kinnoull would be a wonderful place for a Retreat. They are most welcoming (the Sister who provided refreshments was as pressing as Mrs Doyle in 'Father Ted' - Oh, go on now, Father, have just a little more cake': you can see more about them at http://www.kinnoullmonastery.org/

You can read more about the event at The Anglo Catholic blog (listed on the right)

Now is the Favourable Time

Dr Pusey preached on Sacramental Confession. It had almost disappeared from the church of his day. When someone eventually asked him to hear their confession, he decided he must first make his own confession. That practice, of teaching and encouraging Anglicans to use sacramental confession, grew and flourished in our churches - despite vitriolic attacks by Protestants. Those fathers who threatened to horsewhip priests who dared hear their daughters confessions; I wonder now if they were seeking to protect their daughters, or themselves?

The best advice I ever had from a confessor, as I was about to move to another post, was that if and when I found a confessor who was helpful, I should not be dissuaded by time or distance. This was a first call on a priest's time. So for a while I would cross the York Moors from Hull (in the Prayer Book's telling phrase) to 'open my grief'.

Now I come across priests who have given up on regular confession, saying how they've not got anyone near who will help them. Then if there is no-one near, we must find someone further away. Yesterday I made another visit to London, to a priest who has helped me in the past. A day return to London on the train is not exactly cheap - but I can usually find other things, other people to see, on the back of my appointment with the Box - and in any case, for me it is absolutely essential as I prepare to celebrate a Chrism Mass, and help lead a congregation through Holy Week. Without this sacramental support I would feel even more of a fraud than I generally do.

All this is meant to be by way of encouragement. We have a very short time left between now and Easter, and this is the best possible time for self-examination and an unburdening of our souls. Of all the words we hear in the Confessional, among the most encouraging is "and pray for me, a sinner". Priests are helped into penitence themselves by those who use them as their confessors. So, if you have been putting it off, delay no longer. The Office of Readings this morning began with "Behold now is the favourable time: this is the day of salvation". So it is. If we are serious about the Ordinariate, then our use of this Sacrament of Forgiveness is a vital part of our Patrimony.

The Visit of the Holy Father

How good that it is now confirmed, and that Pope Benedict will be here in Britain later this year. Yet so much of the comment in the media and the blogosphere is about the sexual abuse of children.



Now let's be quite clear, Our Lord gives his sternest warnings to those who harm any of his little ones - 'whoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it were better for him if a great millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea'. Priests who abuse anyone in their pastoral care should at once be removed from office; and that happens now, certainly in England, in both the Catholic and Anglican Churches. It was not always so. Both our Churches, at one time, put their emphasis on redemption of the abuser, rather than care for the abused. We have learned our lesson, but meanwhile many innocent children have suffered, and we all need forgiveness for this.



There are, of course, dangers of great injustices in our present attitude. The moment accusations are made against a priest (or a schoolteacher, or a doctor) that person is suspended and the police begin their investigations. If, as happens all too often, the accusations are found to be groundless, the accused may be reinstated; but he may not. There are priests who have been told that since they are in freehold post they cannot be removed; but the bishop will never appoint them to any other position. Others without the freehold have simply been dismissed. The police may say there are no grounds for a prosecution; but the diocesan authorities choose to 'play it safe'. Even if a person is reinstated and his or her record has no black mark, the damage is done. They will still be regarded by many with suspicion since "There's no smoke without fire". Yet they might have been targetted simply because a group of children did not like them, or thought they could make money from false accusations.



Ours is a highly sexualised society. Even young children who once could not reach top-shelf publications can and do easily discover pornography on the internet. The State's answer is to sexualise them even further, by education which goes far beyond the mere 'facts of life', and which takes an excessively liberal approach to all manner of sexual deviancy. Newspapers are ready to accuse the Pope saying he failed to remove a suspected paedophile. They want a sensational story, so they will press their charges even if he had no responsibility for the person concerned, but was Archbishop of another diocese. Yet these same publications pander to our desire for titillation, with advertisements which leave little to the imagination, and print stories full of salacious detail.



But all of us, priests and laypeople, bishops and press pundits, TV producers and absent fathers, have a resonsibility for our children. Government legislates against teachers, forbidding them from consoling hurt children with a hug - then berates them when a child with asthma is not given the proper treatment. Prisoners attack fellow inmates whom they suspect of being child abusers. All of us want to be holier than someone. If it can be 'holier than the Pope', then how self-satisfied we shall be!



We must return to the Gospels. There among the most heinous sins are those of pride and self-satisfaction. "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" is the best prayer for all of us. We who call ourselves Christians should all be praying for Pope Benedict just now. His is an impossibly heavy burden. If people expect more of us than we can deliver, how must it be for him?

Here and There

Mercifully quiet day today; the sun is shining, and I'm taking Jane, my wife, out for lunch. She is very pleased with the Mothering Sunday cards from our two offspring. This is the lull before the storm. Somehow in the coming week there are four more sermons to prepare for Holy Week and Easter in Florence (the first is already in the bag) , and one for a Chrism Mass in Scotland. I have put this morning's 8 am mini-bijou-sermonette on 'The Anglo-Catholic' blog - thought the Americans ought to know that some of us, sometimes, use the Prayer Book - or something approximating to it. Today that meant trying to expound St Paul's take on Galatians 4 - from which, of course, we derived Mothering Sunday (aka "Mother's Day" and all that).

Cynthia, who read that first lesson this morning, was called on at a moment's notice - and she had the wrong glasses. Yet she read it most beautifully - but you would expect no less from a gal who was educated by the Wantage Sisters.



There is something we have lost in the present system of three-year readings. The Prayer Book's unchanging Sunday cycle means that you really have to dig into the readings when you preach, and you have to resort to the Epistles as well as the Gospels. That can mean too little Old Testament; but since today Paul is expounding one of the great stories from Genesis, I tried to go with him. Refreshment Sunday is another of today's titles; and for me it was refreshing to try to get to grips with Paul's thought. I hope it was for the congregation, too.

St Thomas the Apostle, Parish Church of Lymington

Bred in a handbag!

Our clock predates the French Revolution by some decades. If the Revolutionaries had had their way, it would have been made redundant. As it is, their ideas about time lasted less than ten years. The French tried again in the late 19th Century, but were persuaded of the folly of their ways. Not only had they wanted the year to begin on a significant Revolutionary date (which happened to be September 22nd, the autumn equinox) but they also tried dividing months of thirty days into weeks of ten days; and since working men could not be persuaded of the benefits of working nine days non-stop, they had to insert a mid-week break also.






So many foolish but entirely rational notions those revolutionaries held. As, for instance, the value of dividing everything into ten. I was fortunate in being born into a pre-decimal England. So I learned that everything does not have to be worked out to the base 10. Pounds, Shilllings and Pence involved learning about adding and subtracting with a base 20 (of shilllings in the pound) and 12 (of pence in the shilling) and of 4 (the farthings in a penny). I can still usually beat the machine at the checkout when it comes to totting up a bill, simply because we had to learn the principles of maths (or math, as our Colonial cousins will call it).




One of the disasters of the decimal system was reported yet again in today's papers. A child died because of an overdose.... it was given just ten times the required amount of medication. So common are such mistakes that you would suppose that the medical profession would want to revert to the older system of weights and measures, but like so many people they have been lured into decimals because they were "New".



Interestingly, digital watches do not seem to have become as accepted as the ones with hands and dials. Dials like our Grandfather Clock's enable you to envisage how time has elapsed, how much time you have left, how long before your next appointment, without juggling numbers (and hoping you get the decimal point in the right place). You can SEE the time.




Dear Lady Bracknell was right in this, as in so many things. 'To be born, or at any rate bred, in a hand-bag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that reminds one of the worst excesses of the French Revolution'. How very true! And equally one is reminded of those excesses whenever the Government gets itself wound up over greengrocers selling produce by the pound, or proposing yet again to put our road signs into Kilometers.

Had we started with digital watches, and then invented ones with a dial, no doubt we would have seen the advantage of NOT relying on the mathematics of those who can only count with their fingers. Of course, all this might be just the result of my getting old - but I think not. The French were eventually ridiculed for their attempts to divide circles into four hundred degrees. When the world is a wiser place we shall perhaps give up degrees Kelvin or Reaumur or Celsius for Fahrenheit, and realise that it is much easier to envisage measures which relate to the human body (the foot... the fathom... the inch) rather than the Procrustean nonsense of making everything divide by ten.



Perhaps, too, we shall realise that dull modern liturgies are also the result of the logic and pedantry of the Philosophes. They thought by wrecking the Calendar they would undermine the Church. Perhaps we should fight back and seek to abolish the metric system; for if you give them an inch, you can be sure they will take 1.33333 Kilometres.

May I suggest?

May I suggest you take a look now and again at The Anglo-Catholic? I've had one reader ask if I might repost items here which appear on that other blog, but I hope for now the link to 'The Anglo -Catholic' will be enough. What has astounded me in the week or so that I have been contributing to it is the sheer number of comments in produces. Perhaps I should have steered clear of liturgical matters - I dared suggest that maybe we do not always have to use "Thee" and "Thou" when addressing the Almighty, and it was as though I had shouted an obscenity during an investitute at the Palace. I was just trying to help our former colonial brethren to understand why it is that many of us are rather less wedded to the BCP and its derivatives than they are.

In an inspired moment (as it seemed to me) I realised that they were usually FORBIDDEN to use the old forms, so naturally the Prayer Book became a banner of revolt; whereas here it is THE legal form of worship. If an incumbent and his PCC cannot agree, then the fall-back position is BCP (I suspect not all PCCs know that!) They think using the (American version) of the 1662 book is a symbol of Orthodoxy; we, on the other hand, usually think it is horribly Erastian and un-Catholic. If you want to see the furious responses, have a look at two recent Posts of mine at The Anglo-Catholic called "More Patrimony" and "Patrimonial".

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The illustrations are from the Title Pages of Prayer Books I own; an early 18th C copy of 1662, the deposited book of 1927, and the pseudo-Baroque frontispiece from the Anglican Use Catholic Book of Divine Worship of 2003. The Angels at the top look suspiciously like cribs from Durer, the rest I think is pastiche. But maybe you know better?