A teenager comes home late, has a fight with his {apparently drunken} mother.

Later, as said Mom-of-the-year sleeps on her couch, Teen Boy shoots MOTY five times in the head with a bow & arrow. { according to the facts presented in the trial documents I found online}

He was convicted of the crime, but in 1999 was given a new trial,based on the defense’s supposition that evidence was withheld during the original trial.

According to the defense, the boy suffered from extreme ” battered-child syndrome.”

The State let this boy { now a man} free .The state does not see him as a threat to society, but would you want to have this guy as your neighbor ? I sure would not want to live next door to such a person–as people usually learn nothing honorable while incarcerated.

My question is: although the state has forgiven { & even rationalized his crime} should society forgive hm? Can someone { anyone , really} with the proven capacity to turn o deadly violence be allowed another chance? Inasmuch as I want to belive that anyone can turn his or her life around regardless of circumstances I find ex-cons with records of violent crimes heinous.

Does this make me a bad person? I am open-minded–but violence ” turns my stomach”.

I’ve acted in ways that were for sure questionable–but I am not violent. We all make bad choices, but most people’s bad choices do not result in the intentional taking of another human life.

I know that only God can forgive our sins—but I tend to want to categorize sins into what the Roman Church calls ” Mortal ” and Venial Sins. Is it up to us to distribute forgiveness. No it is not– God alone has the power to judge ALL of our sins.

Also, are some civil crimes too horrific to be forgiven by the Church’s Sacrament of Rconciliation? { clergy friends please share your thoughts on this topic} If a convicted rapist or murderer moved next-door to YOU, how would you treat him or her?

Last Sunday I was in Chicago on an end-of-summer vacation and had the opportunity to attend the Solemn High Mass at Church of the Ascension, a traditional Anglo-catholic parish in the heart of the city that is known for its high church, “smells and bells” style of liturgy. It was a wonderful experience, and it reminded me that deep down inside, a good high church liturgy is when I find myself in closest communion with the divine. Using ones senses of sight and sound and smell adds to the transcendental moment and makes worship much more meaningful for me, but I have always thought myself to be a bit of an anomaly when compared to those in my generation of younger.

The average age of the congregation at most Anglo-catholic parishes where I have been a parishioner or have visited is in the 60s and I felt that this may be a style of worship that might be “dying out” among young adults and youth in the Church. I was surprised and delighted, however, to see quite a few younger families, young adults, and children at Ascension this weekend. I have read some articles and blog entries stating that more “traditional” elements of worship resonate with younger folks, but is was the first time I had seen this for myself. Needless to say, I felt very glad to see this.

But this doesn't mean that more does not need to be done. Anglo-catholic and high church parishes need to do more marketing to attract parishioners in diverse groups ethnically and culturally. We need to find new ways to connect people to the Gospel message through this rich and spiritually rewarding liturgy. We need to realize that substance matters in Church, but experience and spiritual transcendence matters too. And high church parishes need to be open to accepting new members, new ways of thinking, and yes, new liturgical styles that preserve the spirituality and transcendence, but bring more people to Christ in the Church. I'm not advocating replacing solemn high mass with a praise band, but there are many ways “traditional” and “ancient” liturgy can be lived out on Sunday morning and in our daily lives.

But we would love to have your thoughts and feedback. We are working very hard (special thanks to Joshua Watson) to have a large archive of resources on the website so please take a look, we have links to 200+ FREE Google and Kindle Books. A lot of them were published before there were copyright laws, but come on the best people to read are dead! 

Along with books we have podcasts, articles, and websites of various topics. This is only the beginning, there will be an on going process of uploading more content to the site for the free access of people looking to live out the fullness of the faith. IF you have suggestion of articles, books, podcasts, blogs, websites, etc please contact us. 

In my first post [here] I basically just told our family’s birth story from my perspective.  Now I want to simply offer some reflections on home births in general from this experience.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I reflect on our home birth is how little “medical” intervention there was in this birth.   The majority of the time Que labored was done quietly alone in our room.  There were times people made sure she was doing well.  There were things like blood pressure that needed to be monitored.  But there were no machines needing to be hooked up, consequently no bloody beeping noises.  No intravenous therapy.  No forced fasts.   To be honest it was rather uneventful compared to our other births.    Up until the actual pushing there really was no need for anyone to be around Que unless she wanted them to be there.

Of course this was also reflected in the price tag for our birth.   I have seen the bills for our previous births and all three of them, though paid by medicaid, were over $10,000.00.   The average price for a home birth is $3500.00, but even an “expensive” home birth is a lot cheaper than going to a hospital.    It is rather intuitive I think.  Just compare a local doctor visit to an emergency room visit.  The price is extraordinarily different.    And with all of the current debates about healthcare reform and discussions about the rising cost of medical care, here at least seems to be a very pragmatic option to offer mothers which could save them a lot of unneeded medical intervention and a lot of wasted money.     So the question at least in the state of Georgia is not whether the state will be paying for births, which is completely covered for everyone through medicaid, but whether the state might consider another option for mothers which would be beneficial for everyone including taxpayers.   This of course would include re-writing laws to make midwifery a more viable option within this state as well as providing legal protection for intentional home births.   If women can give births in cars and hospitals (which seem to be the only acceptable places for women to give birth), I think the traditional home should be an option as well.

Another thing that stood out to me was how “normal” this birth seemed to be.   There was no rushing to find baby sitters. There was no need to  prepare bags for nights away from our home.   We did not have to worry about our dog.   To be honest with the exception of Que sequestering herself in our room most of the time, the day Rowan was born was like any other day.   I woke up fed the kids, made sure they had their naps, and by the evening we were all resting in our home with our new addition.   Don’t get me wrong Que and I were tired, but least we were able to sleep in our own beds instead of uncomfortable hospital gurneys.

A great thing for us was the ability to have our religion play a big part in the delivery.  There were icons placed around our room.  A statute of our Lady was present.  We had our relics, rosaries, and pray beads with us.  Not to mention our small home altar, which is right now in our room, and little Rowan was blessed in front of it right after he umbilical cord was cut .   Those things are with us throughout other events in our lives, it seems like those things ought to be there at the birth of one of our children.   Likewise, if I was not a priest, a priest could have easily been called to the home latter that day for the blessings of the Church without having to worry about visitor hours and how many people were in the room.   All of those things made this delivery seem not only normal, but sacred, as participating in the creation of life ought to be.

Finally on the positive side, this was a family affair.    We did have a lot of people in our home, but our children were able to be there and able to see their new sibling almost immediately.   They were not cranky and tired tucked away in a waiting room for an undetermined amount of time.  No one needed a call to bring them up to the hospital.  There were no hospital regulations to keep some of them out.  It was a beautiful thing to have our family around and everyone seemed to benefit from it.   Now of course I am not the one to make the final decision there are a lot of factors to take into consideration with home births, but when (God-willing) we have other children I would  love to have them in our home.   It just seems to make sense.   Of course, there was the matter of “clean up” after the birth which was not the most pleasant thing.  But the mid-wives took care of most of it.   I only had to drain the pool and discard the pool “cover.”    The positives clearly outweigh the negatives.   The question left then is what would we have done about emergencies?   And the answer to that question is we would have rushed to the hospital, like any emergency.   Hospitals are not horrible.  They are a necessary part of healthcare system.  But that would be in the case of an emergencies and pregnancy in and of itself is not an emergency.    With all things considered this was a great experience and I can only hope that other families will have this option in the future.

After a few days of reflecting on the birth of Rowan, I decided that it would be a good thing to offer my thoughts on my family’s first home birth. First off giving birth is never an easy venture for a mother to go through, so I cannot say that the actual birth itself was easier. However, I am always amazed at my wife’s strength and long-suffering when it comes to pregnancy and birth. This time was no different.

We were two weeks late and there was a lot of anxiety in the extended family about why we were not “doing” anything. Truth be told, I was anxious but I knew I could trust my wife. I had been with her through three other births. Likewise, I knew that she was a doula and though it was hard to feel helpless, I was not as concerned because I trusted her to know what to do even if that was to do nothing. This of course did not flow to the rest of family and essentially that led me to a conversation black out, where I decided that I personally was not going to take any calls from our extended family until the baby was born. Boundaries are important and learning how to restrict people from over burdening your family is one of the best lessons any family can learn.

It was August 7th when finally things started to really pick up. By early afternoon we knew that things were starting to progress but we were not sure that they were going to continue. I started to do a few things I knew needed to get done. During the kids quiet time I took a nap, because the potential was there for a long night. After quiet time and naps were out of the way I got the kid’s rooms cleaned up. Then we ate some dinner. Afterwards the kids got ready for bed. With the kids in bed I started cleaning up the house for our potential visitors.

It was early into the night that Que called her doulas. With things progressing throughout the night, the midwives and photographer were called. With two doulas, three midwives, and my wife preferring to labor alone there was not a lot for me to do but learn patience, practice hospitality, and nap in between major events. It was early in the morning of August 8th around 2:30am that Que asked me to start filling up the birth pool and contact her mother. At 3:30am the birth pool was filled up half way and I text Que’s mom to let her know that things were progressing. With that done I continued to wait down stairs. Even though I was tired I could not sleep, because our other three children were all born at 4:00am and I was not sure that our fourth one was going to be different. But 4:00am came and left, Que’s mother joined us, and Que continued to labor on. With things mellowing out and the kids soon to be waking up I took one more nap. 6:00am rolled around and our kids started waking up and so I got up and fixed them breakfast. The rest of the morning was filled up taking care of the kids and periodically checking up on Que. Around lunch time Que started to talk about breaking her water. So I fed the kids and our guests and got the boys into quiet time.

It was right after lunch that Que decided it was time to move this pregnancy along and so I warmed up the birth pool with more hot water. When the pool was ready Que’s mother brought up our eldest daughter and the mid-wife broke Que’s water. With the water broken it was only a matter of time and so I put on my cassock, a crucifix, and grabbed my Manuel for Anglo-Catholic Devotion. Normally a priest is called shortly after the birth of a child to give thanks over the mother and child, but being the father and husband I decided to prepare before hand so I could pray during the birth, and then right after the birth bless them both. Of course you don’t have to be a priest to pray during the pregnancy and I would encourage more Catholic husbands and fathers to offer these prayers on behalf of their wives and children. After the water was broken it wasn’t long until she started having stronger contractions. At about 1:30pm she entered the birth pool and I entered into a time of prayer. Over the next thirty minutes or so Que was pushing and I was praying. She was saying some words which cannot be repeated here and I was praying the Jesus Prayer and the Litany to Our Lady of Walsingham.

After 3-4 four contractions, Que pushed out little Rowan Declan Brown at 2:03pm. She not only pushed him out on her own, she caught little Rowan and pull him up out of the water.  Que worked to clean the baby up while Nevaeh and I watched little Rowan as he was getting acclimated to his new world. Around 2:20pm I cut the umbilical chord, which I have done for all of my children. Que then started to get ready to move into the bed and I took Rowan Declan and blessed him with the sign of the cross. And around 2:45pm Que and the baby were in the bed and around 3:00pm those gathered in the room assisted in blessing Que and giving thanks to God for the safe delivery. After everything calmed down a bit, I brought our two boys up to meet their new brother and our family settled into the evening with our new addition to the family.

On this day (7 August) is commemorated in the Kalendar of the Anglican churches John Mason Neale, priest in the Church of England, co-founder of the Cambridge Camden Society and the Society of St. Margaret, and hymn-writer.

Does your parish church (if built after the year 1600) contain a chancel? Side aisles? Is it cruciform in shape? Does it contain chairs or open-access pews (as opposed to boxes)?  Is there a high altar with candles, and perhaps a cross?  Is there an aumbry for the Reserved Sacrament? Does the exterior of the building include a tower?

And do you sing O Come, O Come Emmanuel during Advent, Good Christian Men, Rejoice during Christmas, All Glory, Laud, and Honour on Palm Sunday, and To Thee Before the Close of Day at Evensong or Compline?

For all these things, we can thank the thought, work, creativity, and devotion of John Mason Neale.

Grant, O God, that in all time of our testing we may know thy presence and obey thy will; that, following the example of thy servant John Mason Neale, we may with integrity and courage accomplish what thou givest us to do, and endure what thou givest us to bear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Bishop Ackerman is my hero.  he speaks with the sort of deep wisdom, clarity and consistancy which is so desperately needed in our age; and provides a critique of the modern world that is neither reactionary nor , but is gentle, pastoral, and more focused on removing the log from our own eye than prying the speck from the eyes of our neighbor.

+ Ackerman is calling us to a new oxford movement.  the anglican church, he says, has lost its mind.  not primarily in the sense of going crazy, although that is an outcome, but in the sense of losing touch with its essential core.  he calls this a kind of “neo-Mormonism” — the belief that the only history that is important is history measured from the last few decades.

bishops like Ackermen and movements like FiFNA get a lot of flack, and i have to wonder why.  maybe things used to be different.  but i suppose the position has simply been characterized as irrelevant and people have stopped paying attention.  but we ignore calls like this one to our own peril.

ritualism and charismatic phenomenon like faith-healing are often considered to occupy opposite ends of the spectrum.  this is of course inaccurate: sacramentality and healing are intimately related, as evidenced by the fact that so many churches these days offer healing masses.

here, Dearmer writes almost like a pentecostal.  yet he penned these words only a few years after the azuza street revival began, and he seems to have no awareness of that phenomenon half a world away.

THERE are signs of revival in Christendom, This revival has about it an air of spontaneity that is very remarkable. It has not sprung from the clergy, nor has it originated in the Universities.  Rather it would seem as if the average man, who as often as not has not belonged to any religious body is finding his way by himself because of some voice within him. There is an Epiphany preparing; and from all quarters of the world the quiet tramp of many feet is heard; the tramp of men and women, walking through the darkness with some decision towards a centre where heaven and earth, they think, are met together.

They have no quarrel with orthodox Christianity; for the era of negations and protestations has passed away. But neither have they any allegiance- Indeed, they are a little impatient about dogma. And this is not to be wondered at: dogma to them means disputation about words, and the waving about of phrases. We cannot blame them for condemning it, if it has been presented thus to them as a superficies ; and we are bound to admit that this superficial treatment of religious truth this barren orthodoxy which is the most dangerous of heresies has been a characteristic of the age from which we are emerging. Perhaps it was the inevitable result of a custom that required every minister of religion to be a perennial fountain of eloquence, and every place of worship to provide from three to six discourses a week. Religion has been beaten rather thin.

this prompts me to wonder if charismatic spirituality is in fact a kind of incipient sacramentalism, or vice versa.

here’s another link to the book: Dearmer’s Body and Soul: an Enquiry into the Effect of Religion upon Health.

Charlotte Elliott

Opening Voluntary: Chorale Prelude on WOODWORTH – Rick Parks (b. 1938)

At the Communion: Voluntary in C – Benjamin Cross (1796-1857)

Closing Voluntary: A Fuge or Voluntary – William Selby (1738-1798)

Hymn Spotlight – “Just as I Am”

The author of “Just as I Am,” Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871), came from a family of Anglican clerics and was decidedly from the Evangelical or Low Church persuasion of that church, referring to the Anglo-Catholic Oxford movement as the “Pusey-ite errors.”  She was, unfortunately, in nearly-continuous ill-health during most of her life and, as she was often unable to attend any services, cultivated a personal, introspective religious piety.  Due likely to her sympathies for others in similar difficulties, Charlotte published in 1834 the first edition of The Invalid’s Hymn Book, which was later revised and re-published and eventually contained 112 of her own hymns.  Of her hymns, none is perhaps so well known as “Just as I Am.” Due to its popularity, there is a certain mythology that grew up around the story of the writing of this hymn, but it appears to have been written as a composition to be sold to assist her brother’s efforts to start a school where, at nominal cost, the daughters of poor clergymen might be educated. Thus, the hymn initially appeared in print with the note, “Sold for the benefit of St. Margaret’s Hall, Brighton.”  Her brother’s gratitude for her work was reflected in his later comment that, “In the course of a long ministry, I hope I have been permitted to see some fruit of my labors; but I feel far more has been done by a single hymn of my sister’s.” Percy Dearmer related that this hymn was of particular comfort to the daughter of the poet, William Wordsworth, on her deathbed.  That daughter’s husband wrote to Dearmer, “I do not think that Mr. Wordsworth could bear to have it repeated in his presence, but he is not the less sensible of the solace that it gave his one and matchless daughter.”  The tune WOODWORTH was first paired with the text in 1860 by William B. Bradbury (1816-1868) and was his own composition.  It has been a lasting association for over 150 years.

Perhaps most famous for her penning of the perennial Christmas favourite, In the Bleak Midwinter, Christina Rossetti was born in London in 1830 into a literary-artistic family that included her brothers Dante Gabriel (painter and poet), William (writer), and sister Maria (Writer). She became an early champion of the Oxford Movement in the Church of England. Her religious and devotional life influenced not only her writings but also her personal affairs (she rejected one engagement and two further marriage offers, all on religious grounds: she could bring herself to marry neither Roman Catholics nor agnostics) and her devotion to charity work (advocacy for anti-animal cruelty and abolition of American slavery, and support of and work with refuge homes for former prostitues).

Under the (let us NOT forget) Trial-Use collection-expansion of ECUSA’s Lesser Feasts and Fasts, the unfortunately-named Holy Women, Holy Men, we find a commemoration for April 27 that not only seems Meet and Right, but also includes a Collect which (1) is actually a Collect, and (2) is not only Decently Writ, but also puts the focus where it is due¹:

O God, whom heaven cannot hold, who didst inspire Christina Rossetti to express the mystery of the Incarnation through her poetry: Help us to follow her example in giving our hearts to Christ, who is love; and who is alive and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting.  Amen.

Rossetti served as the model for a number of her brother Dante Gabriel’s paintings, including this one of the Annunciation.

I HAVE no wit, no words, no tears;

My heart within me like a stone

Is numb’d too much for hopes or fears;

Look right, look left, I dwell alone;

I lift mine eyes, but dimm’d with grief

No everlasting hills I see;

My life is in the falling leaf:

O Jesus, quicken me.

 

My life is like a faded leaf,

My harvest dwindled to a husk:

Truly my life is void and brief

And tedious in the barren dusk;

My life is like a frozen thing,

No bud nor greenness can I see:

Yet rise it shall–the sap of Spring;

O Jesus, rise in me.

 

My life is like a broken bowl,

A broken bowl that cannot hold

One drop of water for my soul

Or cordial in the searching cold;

Cast in the fire the perish’d thing;

Melt and remould it, till it be

A royal cup for Him, my King:

O Jesus, drink of me.

 (A Better Resurrection, 1862)

1. i.e., it is a prayer to God, not a hagiography-in-miniature of the person in question.  It acknowledges the commemorated’s “holiness” as flowing from God, and invokes God’s aid in similarly inspiring us to that selfsame holiness.

calling on all Anglicans to come together to enhance the Church’s mission and ministry. Through applying the principles of unity, diversity, freedom and respect, we can positively affirm what we believe is best for the Church of England and for its role at the heart of our society.

It doesn’t take very long to work out that this is an Anglo-Catholic initiative (or at least, this is an initiative being pushed by Anglo-Catholics), Jonathan Baker, Bishop of Ebbsfleet, has written a piece for the campaign and one of the pages has a letter from the catholic bishops to The Times.  At first glance this new campaign seems like a very good idea. But I am concerned by Better Together’s charter.

Concerned specifically by the section titled “respect”:

We believe that respect for the ordination of women as priests and bishops is fundamental to how we together shape a common future for our Church.

Respect for the ordination of women as priests? I can respect the women who come to the church for ordination but I cannot respect what they do not have. Let’s think about this further for a moment, it is impossible for a woman to be admitted to the sacred priesthood and to hold the view that it is possible and desirable is heretical yet Better Together claims to respect the ordination of women priests? Imagine if we were to swap the heresy of women’s ordination for another heresy, say Arianism, I cannot imagine the Fathers, Athanasius, Hilary and so on respecting Arius or the Eusebii in their heresy. Loving them yes, but not respecting their Arianism. So what is Better Together doing?

The Church Mouse tweeted that Better Together signals a 3-way split in Anglo-Catholicism’s reaction to Women Bishops 1) Go elsewhere, 2) stay and fight, 3) stay and make peace. It seems to me, and I think this is what the Mouse was insinuating, that Better Together is option 3, an acceptance that the Church of England has women priests, will have women Bishops and so pushes the goal of recalling the Church of England back to its catholic roots far into the distance, the acceptance that women will be priests for some time and that, leading from that, the parishes in which they minister will lack the sacraments for some time (or at least not be assured of the sacraments for some time).

If we had to sum Better Together up it would probably be: “We respect you, we want to stay, please let us.” Which reminds me of some words Fr Geoffrey Kirk wrote in January’s New Directions:

So it has come to this: a movement which once embraced a vocation to reassert and affirm the Catholic nature of the Church of England, to defend its orders as those of the Universal Church, and so to progress the unity of Christendom, is reduced to horse-trading for its very existence, arguing in favour of what it most bitterly opposes in order to eke out a ghetto existence in the home it once supposed to be its own.

This route means accepting being just another party, the catholic party, in a church with evangelical and liberal parties but how can the Catholic whole be a part of something else?

Some members of the Society of the Holy Cross (SSC) are getting behind this campaign. Whatever happened to “no surrender”?

*One more thing, which bright spark decided to call this campaign by the same name as the campaign against Scottish independence?

Today the bishops & deputies will convene in Indianapolis, Indiana for the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church. There is a whole list of resolutions that the Church as a whole must consider this year & some seem to be more ” hot-button” issues than most .

My big concern is the resolution put forth by someone in Oregon that the Holy Communion be totally open to all persons regardless of baptismal status.{ i.e unbaptized persons may receive the Body & Blood of our LORD if they so desire.}

As progressive as I am regarding the Church & social issues, when he subject turns to liturgy I am very traditional. Let me say ‘on record’ that if General Convention votes to change the canons to completely open Holy Communion to unbaptized persons I will be sad.

However, my strong feelings about this liturgical & theological matter will NOT cause me to abandon our Church. The Church is composed of imperfect people & we must allow our leaders to make mistakes without acting on cowardice & running away from our family of faith. If GC votes to open Holy Communion to unbaptized persons, I will quietly live with that change. I will never agree with such a radical change to my understanding of our Baptismal Covenant but I can live wth it.

While I vehemently disagree with the logic behind this resolution, I can see where the people who wish to pass it are coming from. I, too, hope & pray for an inclusive Church. But being a Christian requires some sort of statement of faith & when an unbaptized adult wishes to become a Christian I believe that baptism in necessary for a full membership in the Church.

Inasmuch as I hate to admit it: I hope that the delegates to GC77 vote to uphold our Canons as they are regarding baptism & reception of Holy Communion. There are many reasons why I feel this way.

I do not understand why someone who has never professed belief that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed God’s only begotten Son wish to partake in our sacrament? My mother is Jewish & she has absolutely no desire to come to the altar for even a blessing by the priest on the rare occasions she attends Mass with me.

I do not understand why a non-Christian would want to actively participate in something that is so central to our identities as Christ-followers. My theology of the Eucharist stems from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ last Supper with His disciples { and yes, I * am* aware that the Last Supper was a Jewish Passover meal.}

At that particular time & place, Scripture tells us :
” Then He took a cup & after giving thanks He said ‘ Take this & divide it among ourselves, for I tell you that from now on I will not drink from the vine until the Kindom of God comes. Then He took a loaf of bread & when He had given thanks, broke it & gave to them saying ‘This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance o Me.’”. { Luke 22:17-19}

To Christians, the elements presented for a blessing at the altar become more than the sum of their parts. To us, partaking in Holy Communion is done to remember what Jesus did for s so many years ago. It is a visceral reminder that WE are Christ’s Body on Earth. While we pry that ALL may come to know about Our LORD, in my opinion baptism is something that one must prepare one’s heart & mind. Our Baptism seals us as Christ’s own forever–thing we do an ever remove us from the family of Christ one we’ve received the Christian rite of initiation at Baptism.

I am not saying that we should discourage seekers from coming to church. Quite the opposite: if a seeker comes to one of our parishes & is so moved by the Celebration of The Eucharist, he or she has an option to ask the resident priest to tell him or her more about what it means to BE a member of Christ’s Body { a Christian}

St Paul’s first letter to the people of Corinth is my favorite epistle for several reasons. Chapel 12 & 12 of this letter speak especially to me when I find myself in a myriad of situations.

This upcoming General convention has me thinking about the Church as one complete Body with our various member with different funtions. Without these functions, the Church cannot survive. We need each other. Like it or no, Christians are connected & we Anglican Christians are woven even tighter together by Tradition and Liturgy. To me, claiming my Anglican identity is more about how our Church worships than what her positions are on various controversial modern issues.

As an Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian, the ancient liturgy employed by Anglicans throughout the world is much mor an identifying factor than any resolution that may or may not arise from General Convention. Yet I am aware that some people feel otherwise–that the Church’s sociopolitical stances ar much more identifying than are our ancient sacramental heritage. A priest whom I admire taught me that our Anglican identity is a ” three-legged stool of SCRIpTURE, TRADTION & REASON. Amen.

In chapter 12, Paul writes to the Church :
“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” {1 Corinth 12:26}

The bottom line is: Christians need to put aside our petty differences of opinion & get to work bringing healing to the sick, food to the hungry clothing & shelter to the naked and homeless , ect.

The Kingdom of God on earth is diverse. Humans tend to prefer fellowship & worship with those whose sociopolitical ideas agree with theirs. Arguing over theology and/or ” morality” among people in the Church is nothing new.

Each one of us Christ-followers comes to faith from different backgrounds. Variants such as when & where we were born can radically affect a person’s views of everything, including the Church. I come from a VERY progressive home that saw next to no organized religion. Mom is wha she calls a ” secular Jew” & Dad is a fallen away { but baptized & confirmed } Roman Catholic.

Yes, in the world of Harry Potter I would be considered a ” Muggle” & of that mixed heritage I am proud.

My younger brother & I were taught to respect ALL faith paths & cultures, even though we came of age in a very backwards-thinking part of the nation. There were no other Jewish children in my high school class and my brother{ who attended a different high school in the city} had only one Jewish friend.

When I went away to college for the first time, I was introduced to the fact that som people are homosexual. This puzzled me{ and still does, if I’m honest about such things} but since I grew up in a home that accepts people’s differences it is easy for me to embrace my GLBT friends & family members. My brother married a lovely bi-racial woman whom I am proud to have in my family. Racism & heterosexism were not issues in my family of origin & for that I am grateful to my parents. This has not been easy for yours truly a uber progressive { Note that I say PROGRESSIVE, not liberal}

In the 14 years that I’ve lived on the Gulf Coast, I’ve met some fabulous people with opposite sociopolitical views than those with which I wa raised. As I’ve grown in faith, I’ve learned to accept them & where they came from in their walk with Christ. It has not been easy— as I do not understand many of the view of my more socially static frinds. But, by the grace of God, I am learnig to appreciate from where their ideas come—even though I totally do not agree with them.

On Saturday I attended the Ordination to The Sacred Order of the Priesthood of a friend of mine. She served as ” lay rector” of my Cursillio weekend back in April , 2009 & quickly became one of the mot Spirit-filled women I know. Although contact between S & I has been somewhat sporadic while she attended General Seminary in New York City, I’ve always prayed for her { as I do for ALL those seeking ordination} & we exchanged some e-mails during her time at the seminary.

My Cursillio weekend played a huge part in my identity as an Anglican Christian, so it was especially poignant for me to attend my former lay rector’s ordination. several friends from ” my” Cursillio weekend were also there *and* the preacher was none other than the priest who was my rector when I first came to Small Parish. :O) Although she & her husband { who is also an Episcopal priest} have moved to a different Diocese, I am still in contact with them & it was totally a bonus to see them at the ordination.

Although I’ve attended an ordination to the Vocational Diaconate before { Convention, 2011} this was my first experience at any sort of ordination into the priesthood.

I was baptized into the Presbyterian church & during all my years in that denomination I never had an opportunity to attend one of their ordinations. Of course, Calvinist-based denominations hold an entirely different liturgical & theological approach to Holy Orders, but it still would have been inspiring to attend anyhow if I’d had a chance to do so.

The Mass was VERY high-Church {And I LOVED it! In my opinion, the more ” smells, bells & fire” used in a Mass, the more awe-inspiring.} Our Bishop presided & when my friend knelt at the altar in front of the Bishop & he said the Words of Consecration, I actually shed a tear{ and trust me, I am not prone to tears during Mass at all.}

The church is a set of historic lakefront buildings nestled in the centre of a small Southern town in Northwest Florida. According to literature provided by the church, this building was consecrated as a church in 1896 & has undergone several renovations through the years. It is a small-in-numbers parish, with only 67 souls listed on their register. But I know that, God-willing, my friend will be a good & faithful shepherd to these people t this place & at this point in time.

Alleluia. Amen.

Ahhh…sounds wondrful!

I know this post may come across as a bit over the top, but I am convinced that for a long time in the Church there has been somewhat of a culture against Anglo-Catholicism. Of course, that is a very general statement, but I stand by it.

It is impossible to count the amount of times I have heard numerous people mutter under their breath, or more audibly pass judgement because an Anglican priest has introduced themselves as ‘Father ‘ or because someone dare to bow and cross themselves at the Sanctus. Although these things aren’t the unique domain of the Anglo-Catholic, more often than not, it is Anglo-Catholics who make use of these, and numerous other so called ‘add-ons.’

The irony in this ‘discrimination’ is that while it seems to be Anglo-Catholics who have to constantly justify our actions, beliefs and understandings, the same isn’t true for those of our church from the more evangelical side. An eye is not batted nor a second glance taken when an Evangelical Priest introduces themselves as a ‘Pastor,’ or insists on everyone holding hands and praying as the Spirit moves them…

Of course, like anything we do in this life, a lot depends on the intent and heart of the person in question. I don’t dispute that there are some ‘Anglo-Catholics’ who are essentially playing dress-ups, and don’t have the spirituality that should be the foundation behind everything we do, but at the same time, it seems more often than not to be the case, that even the slight mention of the word ‘Anglo-Catholic’ attracts scepticism, this needs to change.

The Affirming Catholicism About Us page gives a pretty good statement on the nature of the Anglo-Catholic tradition, it says; “A movement of inspiration and hope in the Anglican Communion, seeking to bring together and strengthen lay and ordained people who recognise the positive, inclusive and joyful currents in the Catholic tradition of Christianity. We are working to make the Catholic element within Anglicanism a positive force for the Gospel and a model for effective mission today.” That is a noble goal, and one all Anglo-Catholics should strive for…

• Eucharist being the central act of weekly worship
• The inclusion of confession in the Book of Common Prayer
• Holy Week liturgies in the Book of Common Prayer
• The inclusion of the Gloria and the Sharing of the Peace in Mass
• A focus on social justice

Fr. Hendrickson argues that, even though the Anglo-Catholics caused a great many reforms in the Anglican churches, and moved the whole of the Church to re-embrace ancient rites and practices and lead the way in areas of social justice, much still needs to be done in reforming the Church. He offers some new hallmarks of a “New Oxford Movement”, including:

• A focus on the adoration of God.
• A focus on careful preparation to receive the Sacraments.
• A heightened awareness of Healing and Confession.
• An understanding of the Real Presence in our life together.
• A renewed focus on the disciplines of daily prayer for all believers.
• A focus on devotion to Our Lady and all the Saints.
• A view of the Church as extending through time and across boundaries.
• A commitment to forming young people in devotion to Christ.
• A commitment to justice work grounded in the Incarnation.
• A commitment to fostering a renewed sense of Anglican identity.

Subsequently, a commenter added three additional points:

• Serious theological thinking and conversation grounded in the patristics.
• Spiritual formation at the core of parish identity and purpose.
• A priesthood understood as physicians of the soul whose work is to guide others to theosis.

He concludes with the following:

We offer, simply put, the sacred.  We offer the sense that God is calling us to be a holy and living sacrifice as we are brought into his redeeming love.  This happens in ways beyond understanding and can only be termed mystery.  We offer a sacred way of being that sees all of our lives as consecrated for God’s use so that our selves and souls and bodies are fed and we, in turn, go out into the world, rejoicing as we draw others to Christ.

As I read this post, I was reminded of what first drew me to the Episcopal Church. I found the sacred. I found God calling me through the Church to be a holy and living sacrifice as I am brought into his redeeming love. This is way beyond my understanding, and is truly mysterious. It is this mysterious, sacred way of being, consecrated for God’s use, that calls me to deeper involvement in the Church, and spurs me into action. As I pray each day, I offer myself up to God in the following prayer:

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated unto you; and then use us, we pray, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

I have been an Episcopalian for nearly 10 years, and recent developments in the Church have caused me a range of emotions from concern to distress to extreme sadness. I love this Church and the expression of Anglican faith, spirituality, and practice encapsulated in scripture, tradition, and reason. It pains me to see the Church pulled apart and a general malaise, both spiritually and organizationally, creep over the Church and it’s institutions. In these points, and in other ways, both imperceptible and grand, I feel that renewal of the Church is coming, and I welcome it. I look forward to this “renewal” of the Church, and God willing, he makes me an instrument of its fruition.

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

The summer brings all sorts of ethnic festivals to Cleveland, Ohio, and while I appreciate the food and the culture, I look forward to the opportunity to tour historic and interesting churches that I may never get a chance to visit and learn more about the traditions, liturgy, and community worshiping there. My interest in comparative religions, including other expressions of Christianity, combined with my awe in the ritual and beauty of Eastern Orthodox Christian rituals, sacred art, and practice, make the Orthodox Churches in the area a “must see” every summer.

This weekend brings the Tremont Greek Fest  an annual festival on the grounds of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, a traditionally working-class area where many new immigrants settled to work in the adjoining steel mills in the early 20th century. Besides a tight-knit community, what remains is an awesome array of churches and communities, from Eastern Orthodox to Roman Catholic to United Church of Christ. It’s odd, but one of the only faith communities that Tremont lacked was an Episcopal parish, but I digress.

Annunciation is the ‘mother church” of Eastern Orthodoxy in Cleveland and many Orthodox families trace their roots through this church. The sanctuary and church building is simply stunning, and has some of the best iconography in the area. I appreciate the wonder and meaning of Orthodox icons, not to mention their beauty, and hope to purchase one or two small icons at the festival this evening if I find what I am looking for. Eastern Orthodoxy has always held a fascination with me, and I find many of the same themes in the liturgy, tradition, and practice of the Anglican and Episcopal churches, especially those of a more High Church or Anglo-Catholic orientation.

Michael and I will be taking a church tour tonight and I plan on taking better pictures of the sanctuary and church building. More pictures from my visit last year can be found on my Flickr page: flic.kr/s/aHsjuLkVFn

I’ll eat some moussaka or dolmati for you all!

In among a load of theological points which I cannot agree with there was, to my surprise, a poignant anonymous quote from one woman priest about whether if the General Synod rejects the legislation in July she would leave the Church of England:

A ‘no’ vote means that I will be exiled and psalm 137 will become my song, how will I be able to continue, but how can I leave? ‘By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion… How can we sing the songs of the Lord in a foreign land?’ (page 16)

Poignant because if you change “A ‘no’ vote” to “A ‘yes’ vote” then you will discover the feelings of those of us who are opposed to the ordination and consecration of women, and some might even say that Psalm 137 has been our song ever since 1992. If only both sides were able to realise that our reactions to the possibility losing this vote are identical, we could work together to make sure that no-one is in exile, no-one pining for Zion.

That said, such a dialogue would need the pro-women’s ordination side of the debate to listen to us and there is little evidence of that happening in this document. On the doctrine of reception:

Some further comments clustered around the idea of ‘reception’, a concept that had been much talked about at the time of the previous vote on women priests. Had not the last 18 years provided ample evidence of the way in which women’s ministry has been ‘received’ by the majority of people both within and outside the Church? (page 9)

sadly the point of the doctrine of reception has been misunderstood, the doctrine of reception states that where some part of the Church is genuinely uncertain about the authenticity of the developement of a certain doctrine it must wait to see whether the rest of the  Church Catholic will receive the doctrine or reject it. So the fact that the majority of the C of E has received the doctrine is irrelevant to whether the doctrine is authentic or not because the C of E is but a small part of the Church Catholic.

On the Anglo-Catholic (and Roman-Catholic) idea that the Church does not have the authority to ordain women as priests:

“One person struggled with the idea that the Church of England was not competent to make a decision in this matter: “The Church of England has always made decisions…If people believe that the Church of England is not capable of spiritual discernment and godly decision making… why would they want to be members of it?” ” (page 9)

I wonder whether the anonymous questioner believes that the Church of England could declare that Jesus is not God. I am willing to bet that they too would become an impossibilist. This is the gravity of the situation, the claim that the Church could create validly ordained women is as absurd to us as the idea that the Church could declare that Jesus is not God.

The author protests that the fears of those of us opposed, that under the present draft legislation we would not have an “honoured place” in the church, are unfounded and quotes women priests who value a broad-church (p 17-18). But we find these protests to be hollow when we consider the diminishing place of Anglo-Catholics in the Church of England and how when Martin Warner was announced as the next Bishop of Chichester WATCH complained that they’d hoped for a bishop who would ordain women (“The message this gives to the wider Church of England is that it still acceptable for women to be seen as a problem that some people feel they need to be protected from rather than a gift to the Church. “).

 What exactly is an “honoured place”? An honoured place is one where we can live the Catholic faith, with bishops and priests whose sacraments we are sure of. But this is exactly what our opponents seek to deny us.

In sharp contrast to the charitable language of the first chapter, the second chapter contained some fairly shocking, somewhat insulting, accusations:

When we set our faces against sexism in the Church we do so not just for the sake of a few women who ought to have the opportunity to fulfil their vocation as bishops but for the sake of the victims of the many ugly and sickening stories which regularly appear in our media- of female abortion and infanticide, genital mutilation, forced marriage and honour killing, of pornography, rape, domestic violence and blatant discrimination in the workplace. Of course we wish to distance ourselves from these crimes which we wholeheartedly condemn. Yet because of our own continuing ambivalence towards female human nature and long defended discriminatory behaviour we are also implicated. (p 27-28)

So those campaigning against the “sexism” in the Church, campaigning for the ordination and consecration of women, are standing up for the victims of this very long list of crimes. And I suppose, logically, we who oppose the ordination and consecration of women must be (in the eyes of the author) implicated in these crimes. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a more offensive suggestion.

Another author seems to agree :

I also hope that the Church of England will face up to its historical treatment of professional women ministers and offer us an adequate, sensitive pastoral response. Many years ago I reflected on such treatment as the equivalent of a spiritual ‘gang-bang’- rape is a nasty and invidious act and I believe that there are many women in ministry who still bear the scars of abuse and psychological violence, perpetuated individually and institutionally. (p 41)

This report confirms that, overall, those who campaign for the consecration of women are not capable of listening to the arguments of those of us opposed nor are they capable of rational argument, so they must resort to insults. Which leaves me wondering why I want to be in a church with such people. It is a great sadness that those few are capable of being compassionate towards us are lumped in with those who are deaf and rude.

I wrote about Rogationtide a couple of weeks ago addressing the question “Why don’t Christians celebrate Earth Day?” Well I’m taking up the same topic today, as we are now in the midst of Rogationtide.

The observance of Rogation Days started yesterday with an addition to the end of the regular Sunday service. After the Dismissal, the altar party did not proceed to the sacristy as they usually do.  Instead, they followed the verger, congregation in tow, out the doors of the church and down to Riverside Park, all the while singing All Things Bright and Beautiful. It was our version of beating the bounds.

The Beating of the Bounds started in the fifth century, in Vienne, to ask God for protection from volcanic eruptions. Apparently Gaul was beset with volcanoes at the time. Processions took place at which time prayers for protection would be offered up to God. The custom caught on and, with a little tweaking, spread throughout Christendom. By the year 747, Rogation Days were being celebrated in England. Many holidays, including Rogationtide, were suppressed by Henry VIII, but “the perambulation of the parish at Rogationtide” was reinstated by his daughter, Elizabeth I. This custom had a practical (secular) import as well as a spiritual one. Beating the bounds of the parish defines its limits, determining such practical matters as who may rightly be buried in the churchyard and who should be tithing to whom. It was a way of marking out property, and it was often the job of children to accompany the priest, parish clerk, and Lord Mayor on these rounds so that those who would live the longest would be able to remember from year to year just where the markers of the parish were located.

The bounds of our parish apparently go right down 87th Street to the park. When we got to the park, we read a selection from the Gospel of Saint Matthew:

25 Therfore I say vnto you, Take no thought for your life, what yee shall eate, or what ye shall drinke, nor yet for your body, what yee shall put on: Is not the life more then meate? and the body then raiment? 26 Behold the foules of the aire: for they sow not, neither do they reape, nor gather into barnes, yet your heauenly father feedeth them. Are yee not much better then they? 27 Which of you by taking thought, can adde one cubite vnto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lillies of the field, how they grow: they toile not, neither doe they spinne. 29 And yet I say vnto you, that euen Solomon in all his glory, was not arayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grasse of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the ouen: shall he not much more clothe you, O yee of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eate? or, what shall we drinke? or wherewithall shall wee be clothed? 32 (For after all these things doe the Gentiles seeke:) for your heauenly father knoweth that ye haue neede of all these things. 33 But seeke ye first the kingdome of God, and his righteousnesse, and all these things shalbe added vnto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of it selfe: sufficient vnto the day is the euill thereof.

After the reading, we said a prayer that we might always have our eyes opened to behold the gracious hand of the Lord in all His works; the park and people were asperged and censed; and we returned to the church singing All Creatures of Our God and King. (I wish I could find a beautiful or inspired, even ironic version of this hymn.) The service ended back at the church with the litany, the Lord’s Prayer, and this prayer:

Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth: We humbly pray that thy gracious providence may give and preserve to our use the harvest of the land and seas, and may prosper all who labour to gather them, that we, who constantly receive good things from thy hand may always give thee thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God forever and ever. Amen.

One may say that seems all well and good, but it still has the faintest odor of popery and superstition, and that superstition may be connected to Paganism. As far as the possibility of Paganism goes I don’t really see a problem there. One of the wonderful things about Christianity is its ability to acculturate traditions, imbuing them with grace. Simply because there may be an older custom, religion, or superstition at the root of what is now a Christian tradition does not make it any less Christian. Popery however…

I was raised in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. I now consider myself an Evangelical Catholic, and I worship at an Anglo-Catholic church. Although I find the Episcopal, or Anglican, church to be closer in practice and doctrine to the Lutheran church in which I grew up than any Lutheran church I’ve attended regularly in the last 20 years, I do find myself questioning some of their traditional practices. I ask myself what would have been the customs of the church of the Augsburg Confession. Well, Luther specifically addresses the question of Rogationtide goings on in one of his letters of counsel to George Buchholzer on December 4, 1539:

With respect to what troubles you – whether a cope or alb is to be worn in the procession during Rogation week and on Saint Mark’s Day, and whether a procession around the churchyard is to be held with a pure responsory on Sundays and with the Salve festa dies on Easter without, however, carrying the Sacrament about – this is my advice: If your lord, the margrave and elector, etc. [Joachim II, Elector of Brandenburg], permits the gospel of Jesus Christ to be preached with purity and power and without human additions and the two sacraments of Baptism an the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ to be administered and offered according to their institution, if he is willing to abolish the invocation of saints (as if they were mediators, intercessors, and deliverers) and the carrying about of the Sacrament in procession, and if he is willing to discontinue daily Masses, vigils, and Masses for the dead and the consecration of water, salt, and herbs and allow only pure responsories and hymns, Latin and German, in procession, go along in God’s name and carry a silver or gold cross and wear a cope or alb of velvet, silk, or linen. And if one cope or alb is not enough for your lord, the elector, wear three of them, as the high priest Aaron did when he put on three vestments, one on top of the other and all of them beautiful and attractive [cf. Lev. 8:7] (after which ecclesiastical vestments were called ornata in the papacy).

Moreover, if His Grace is not satisfied that you go about singing and ringing bells in procession only once, go about seven times, as Joshua compassed the city of Jericho seven times with the Children of Israel, making a great shout and blowing trumpets [Joshua 6:4,5,16]. If your lord, the margrave, desires it, let His grace leap and dance at the head of the procession with harps, drums, cymbals, and bells, as David danced before the Ark of the Lord when it was carried into the city of Jerusalem [II Sam. 6:14,15]. I am fully satisfied, for none of these things (as long as no abuse is connected with them) adds anything to the gospel or detracts from it. Only do not let such things be regarded as necessary for salvation and thus bind the consciences of men. How I would rejoice and thank God if I could persuade the pope and the papists of this! If the pope gave me the freedom to go about and preach and only commanded me (with a dispensation) to hitch on a pair of trousers, I should be glad to do him the favor of wearing them.

As concerns the elevation of the Sacrament in the Mass, this is an optional ceremony and no danger can come to the Christian faith as a result of it, provided nothing else is added. Accordingly you may lift up the Sacrament in God’s name as long as it is desired.

We had ample cause to abolish the elevation here in Wittenberg, and perhaps you do not have such cause in Berlin. Nor shall we restore the ceremony unless some urgent reason requires us to do so, for it is an optional thing and a human exercise rather than a divine commandment. Only what God commands is necessary; the rest is free.

Granted, Luther is being a bit sarcastic here.  But he’s not being anti-tradition.  Luther’s all in favor of Rogationtide processions (what a relief!), but with this important caveat: that the Gospel is preserved; the sacraments are maintained; and there are no false doctrines creeping in around the edges.  Luther’s litmus test for the validity or value of any tradition is not whether or not we like it or whether or not it’s expedient: it’s whether or not the tradition supports the Gospel and sacraments.

Why then are so many traditions being set aside when so many so clearly support the Gospel and the sacraments? Why does the Lutheran church look like this:

or this:

When did we become Baptist?

With its long inheritance of profound theological thought, Catholicism challenges us to turn our mind as well as our heart to Christ. In face of the various kinds of fundamentalism on offer today our experience is that God speaks to us through reason as well as through tradition and scripture. Whatever our intellectual capacity, and whatever our place in life, we are all called to integrate our reason and our belief and to be able to give an account of that belief to those around us.

Catholic tradition is not an unchanging body of teachings and attitudes which we are supposed to adopt wholesale. That would simply be an alternative form of fundamentalism. John Newman, speaking of tradition itself, remarked, ‘to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often’. At the same time, we would be foolish and faithless to change at random, or simply to follow the spirit of the age.

Catholic tradition is rooted and fed by the inheritance of the past, in order that it may grow and adapt to new knowledge and experience, testing the compatibility of the new in the light of the old. Affirming Catholics welcome the ordination of women because we see it, not as a radical denial of tradition, but as a legitimate development within the tradition. Far from undermining the Church’s traditional understanding of priestly ministry, the priestly ministry of women deepens and enriches it. In the same way, many Affirming Catholics affirm the grace of God in faithful same-sex relationships and believe that this understanding represents a proper extension of, not a threat to, the Christian theology of marriage.

In keeping with this position, we encourage developments in Catholic liturgy which combine intelligibility and accessibility with the depth and mystery which have been its traditional hallmarks. We want to explore new ways of teaching the faith. We want to promote Bible study which takes on board the insights of biblical scholarship and seeks to close the gap between academic theology and parish teaching. We want to explore new possibilities of unity with other denominations, both Catholic and Protestant, and to be more daring in transcending ancient divisions. We believe that in all these contemporary issues, as in those of the past and in those yet to come, a genuinely Catholic approach avoids both a congealed traditionalism, opposed to all change, and a rootless liberalism, which embraces any change uncritically.

This is, for me, a satisfying statement of a modern Anglo-Catholicism, and one that more or less describes where I now find myself. I admire and have learned from both liberal Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, but for various reasons cannot wholly embrace either. The Anglo-Catholicism presented above seems to split the difference.

Another mediating vision of Catholic Christianity that I have often returned to is that presented by Derek Olson in “An Anglican Moderate”:

I am an Anglican moderate. What does this mean? Chiefly it means these things:
• I fit neither of the extremes in the current debates
• I hold to a literal interpretation of the creeds and place great importance on the sacraments
• I believe that the Anglican Way is a distinctive way of being Christian organically derived from the monastic tradition of the Church rooted in a proper balance of liturgical formation and an embrace of critical reasoning as chief means of growing into the Mind of Christ.

Derek goes on to say this about finding a middle way:

Some Anglo-Catholics (and other Catholics) attempt to simply ignore these happenings [the Enlightenment, modernity, post-modernity] as if they had never taken place but in doing so they succumb to an odd form of antiquarianism itself made possible by these developments. I have come to believe that to attempt to live the life of faith and to carry on the doctrine and discipline of the church as if these things had not occurred is to live a fantasy. Now, in no way should we capitulate to these developments and fall into the error of liberal Protestantism. Rather, we must discern a path in accord with the classic teachings in light of our new surroundings and a radically different world from the one our spiritual fathers inhabited and envisioned.

As I see it, we hold to the words of the Scriptures and the Fathers for they are the things that have formed us in the past. However, just as important is to see these teachings for what they are—not simply a set of dicta set down for all times but a reflection on the method, the logic of faithful Christian living. The words of the Gospels, the letters of Paul, and the writings of the Fathers show us faithful Christian minds wrestling with how to live the Gospel in their day. We can do no better than to follow in their footsteps. Critical reasoning formed according to the Mind of Christ is inherent in them all. As a preliminary to what can only be a much longer and more involved discussion suffice it to say that in Vincentian terms the limits of the body of doctrine are the creeds and the words and works of Jesus and the principle at the heart of the body is the twofold love of God and neighbor.

”Faithful Christian minds wrestling with how to live the Gospel in their day.” That’s the thing.

However – despite the ribbing – I do think it’s a pretty decent analogy: moving into the fullness of Catholic Communion, away from the fringes and the partiality of that unique bond between the baptised and the Church, and coming into the full splendour of the unbroken Catholic tradition, with all the rich cultural, liturgical and theological patrimony which that involves.

Last week the Catholic League published the complete special edition of the Messenger, a journal which was released to celebrate the announcement and development of the Personal Ordinariate. It is full of great articles, all of which can now be read freely here. Copies are free to a good home, so if you want a hard copy you can still get them from the Catholic League directly.

Amongst the excellent pieces (some critical, some full of hope – this was before January 2011), is the sermon given by a good friend and mentor on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the foundation of Pusey House, Oxford. The title of the sermon is The Sinews of Behemoth, taken from Job 40:17 (The sinews of Behemoth’s testicles are tightly constricted), and I apologise to anyone who’s already familiar with the content.

With his typical amusing tone and wit (“Which leads me inexorably back to Behemoth’s testicles…”) the preacher negotiates the history of the Anglo-Catholic movement which found space to flourish to fantastically in many of those Oxford institutions: St Stephen’s House, Pusey House, the Cowley Dads, the All Saints’ Sisters of the Poor, and Fairacres.

Read the whole piece. It is, though, the rather stark challenge of the final paragraph which I tentatively reproduce here – as much to confirm my own sense of what the whole Ordinariate-Project is about, as challenge those who might be reading from another shore:

Pope S. Gregory the Great in his great commentary on the book of Job known to us as the Moralia, took this verse [Ed: The sinews of Behemoth's testicles are tightly constricted] as a type of the perplexed conscience – the constriction of the sinews being the sign of the entangled nature of the moral choices which confront us. You do not need me to tell you that Catholic Anglicans are in a place of acute perplexity at this time. Our mission, the mission of this House and of all those who have served the Movement since its inception, is founded on a confidence that we have an authentic ecclesial mandate grounded in Scripture and Tradition, and sacramental assurance in the ministrations which arise from that mandate. We must be frank when we admit that the great majority of the Churches who name themselves catholic in faith, order and practice have always seen this in us as more a matter of assertion than fact. But for us it has not seemed to be a house built on sand. S. Gregory tells us that if we are hemmed in and held captive, then the best rule is to jump off where the wall is lowest – the shortest fall makes for the softest landing. If we are not to be entirely strangled by our perplexity we are going to have to learn to jump, because the basis on which we have carried out our mission in recent years – the doctrine of a Church of England with two integrities – is coming to an end. Blessed Pius IX told Dr Pusey that he was like a bell summoning people to church but never entering it himself; might we not hope for a better future in a larger room for Pusey House?

Might we not hope for a better future for the whole Anglo-Catholic project? Is not the wall at an unprecedented low point? Is not the landing as soft as we could ever, really, hope? I believe so. Pope Pius IX’s analogy of Pusey is as sad as it is amusing – do we truly want that for ourselves? I suspect not. As someone said just before I was received – the future’s bright; the future’s yellow and white.

K is for Karnataka, where we traveled to last fall and discovered…

…cow parking in Bangalore…

…Bangalore’s colorful markets…

…potato haulers…

…places of worship…

…and crap on the menu: (see my post previous post about this)

My kids were shocked!

And since this is random and silly, onto something more serious. The King’s Highway. I stole the following blog from my husband’s site (Bishop Leo Michael’s Episcoblog). He’s also blogging the A to Z Challenge. Thanks Dear!

The Kings Highway by Bishop Leo Michael: As I completed several hundreds of miles on the highway. New shoots and blossoms on branches still wearing a wintry look appeared along landscapes transitioning into spring. This reminded me of Isaiah 35: 1The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 2It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God. 8And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. 9No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:10And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Highways wind through fertile plains, majestic mountains, green valleys, through peaks and troughs. However, highways also have rumble strips and narrow shoulders. There are rules to follow and at times you run into occasional work zones where you have to slow down. A reminder of St. John the Baptist’s clarion cry for every heart to prepare for the coming of the Lord: The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (Mark 1:3)

The destination of the King’s Highway is Heaven. A life lived according to the Gospel is a requirement to be a disciple of Christ. Our everyday choices determine our destination: Heaven or Hell. Life with or without God.

Along the King’s Highway, we meet people of all sorts and conditions. Isaiah calls us to: 3Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 4Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. 5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. 7And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

We who are privileged to ride on the Kings Highway sometimes take detours and lose our way. If we veer from the King’s Highway, Jesus tells us in the parable of the wedding banquet, the King will fill the table with others from all over the highways and byways. We may not find a room there.

Along the highway when we get low on gas, we dread running out of fuel. We look for the nearest gas station and wonder how far our remaining gas will take us. When we run out of grace on the King’s highway, we can easily fill ourselves as the Grace of God is always available plenteously, only if we desire it. Unlike the gas, God’s grace need not be purchased, for it has been bought by the precious blood of the Son of God.

For those who wonder what Anglicanism is, read the King’s Highway:

In the words of Canon Patric Comerford in his essay on Anglo-Catholicsm, “Archdeacon George Dundas Carleton (1877-ca 1961), from Dublin, was educated at Benson’s school in Rathmines and at TCD, where he was auditor of the College Theological Society. An early tutor at Kelham Theological College (1902-1914), Carelton was involved in a dispute that almost split the Kelham community. As a missionary in South Africa (1915-1923), he was Warden of Modderpoort Theological College (1918-1923) and Archdeacon of Modderpoort (1922-1923). After leaving the Kelham Fathers, he played a key role in organising the 1923 Anglo-Catholic Congress and for a year worked as the Anglo-Catholic Congress Missioner (1923-1924), when he published The King’s Highway: a simple statement of Catholic belief and duty (1924, republished in 1973 by Canterbury press in the series of Classics of Anglo-Catholic Devotion), before working briefly for SPG (1925) and then going into parish ministry in the Diocese of London (1926-1948).”

***

And just because there are so many other great blogs out there:

Another world traveler, Jarm Del Boccio’s blog, Making the Write Connections, has some great travel pictures today.

And on the Quirky Creative blog, Beth blogs about six things she’s learned from Kids

Tomorrow, I hope I’m not to lazy about something lovely for L.