Diocese of the Holy Cross Joins FACA

This is hot off the press: (from the DHC website)

" On February 26, the DHC Standing Committee met and voted unanimously to apply for membership in the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas. The Federation is now comprised of the Anglican Province of America (APA), the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC), the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA), the Anglican Church in America (ACA), and the Episcopal Missionary Church (EMC), totaling some 450 parishes. The Episcopal Visitor is Archbishop Gregory Venables of the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of the Americas. Two Federation members, the APA and the REC, have a 'Covenant Union of Anglican Churches in Concordat' with the Church of the Province of Nigeria and the Most Rev. Peter J. Akinola.

The purpose of the Federation is the common cause of the Gospel and the furtherance of cooperation, communication, support, discipline and accountability among the various jurisdictions, each of which retains its sovereignty. The Federation is linked with Forward in Faith through mutual membership in Common Cause."

It is a great joy to have DHC as members of FACA. May God bless us as we seek to work together for the Kingdom of God, and bring the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

Baptismal Regeneration

One the questions I am most often asked by evangelicals is whether or not a child who is baptized is "saved". I always answer in the affirmative, of course, but then go on to mention how the scriptures speak of us as saved, being saved, and that we will be (or hope to be) saved. Then we usually get into a discussion of salvation is more of a process, with baptism as the beginning of it, rather than a one-time event that is followed by sanctification. And then, of course, a million other related issues come up. These are always very interesting discussions, and we always go away from them with much to think about.

I have never been able to figure out why some Christians object to baptismal regeneration. Usually they have two objections. First, they seem to think it is "too much grace"; God is nice, and good... but not that nice and good. God is powerful, and can perform great and marvelous acts, but He would never use water and some words to effect a change in a person's heart! It is amazing how we limit God. Why would God not use physical things to save us? Oh, wait a minute, He did - His only begotton Son dying on a cross... that was physical. So, this objection is usually pretty easily dealt with based on simple reasoning alone, and when it is coupled with scriptural and patristic evidence people usually become more open to it.

Second, many people get completely distracted by this business of "making a personal decision for Jesus." How can an infant chose to "accept" Jesus? Faith and repentence are necessary for baptism, but in infant baptism in the catholic tradition godparents (or parents) make those vows on behalf of the child. Later in confirmation, faith is confirmed, as the child ratifies the promises made in his name and vows to follow Christ as his Lord and Savior. I like to think of it in terms of money, or a trust fund. Imagine that you have a little baby, and Bill Gates comes to you and says he wants to give the baby a million dollars, but the child has to accept the gift - meaning, understand the need of money, the value of the gift, and so on. What parent would not want his child to have that gift? None. Rather, he would say to Bill Gates, "I am speaking on behalf of my child... YES, he wants and needs that gift. Give it to him, and I will oversee it on his behalf. When he comes of age he can do with it as he pleases, but if I train him right I am sure he will be a good steward of that gift." So Gates gives him the gift, and it is a real gift that is truly the baby's. I am sure that this happens in real life all the time (maybe not with Bill Gates and a complete stranger, but certainly with trust funds, and so on). So why is it so impossible for some to imagine in the spiritual realm?

The Drama of Benediction

For the first time in about seven years I will miss Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament during Lent. I suppose I'll survive... maybe I can go to a local Roman parish to one of their services (they still do Benediction pretty nicely in most cases). We don't have Benediction at St. Mark's. We also do not have Stations of the Cross yet, as we are waiting to find the perfect set to match the new church (I am told they used to have them in the old church).

I love the drama and beauty of this service, especially when coupled with choral evensong. The priest, decked out in a gorgeous cope, places the luna in the monstrance, and turns it so it is facing the people. He and the other sacred ministers kneel in prayer before the sacrament. It is censed, and hymns are sung. Then prayers are chanted, and finally the benediction - the blessing of the people with the Body of Christ - is done. That is the most dramatic part. The priest ascends the altar, takes the monstrance and makes the sign of the cross with it over the people, blessing them with the Body of Christ. The bells are rung thrice, and it is censed with incense while the blessing is going on. The monstrance is then put back on the altar, and the preist returns to kneel at the step. Then are said the Divine Praises, a Psalm, and sometimes a Marian antiphon is sung.... it is a beautiful, holy, and reverent service of devotion to Our Lord. I strongly encourage anyone who not gone to Benediction before to find a parish in your area that has this service and go to it. It is especially nice on a Sunday evening, because, assuming you have already made your communion that day and follow the traditional rule of communion once a day, you are given another opportunity to get close to the Lord again, and adore Him and receive His blessing in the Blessed Sacrament.

To me, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is an indispensible part of being an Anglican. Some would think that you have to believe in the doctrine of Transubstantiation to practice this, but I disagree. All that is required is a belief in the Real Presence. Anglican theologian E.L Mascall agrees (Corpus Christi, p.172), as does E.J. Bicknell (39 Articles, p.405). But I suppose the question with many people is the value of this devotion. While it may be permissable, and theologically justifiable, it does not serve any real purpose. I would certainly grant that it might appeal more to people of a one particular mindset than to people of another. Count me as the type to whom it really appeals. Maybe its the artist in me.

Only WE Have Valid Orders

A while back I was invited by my Presbyterian father to join him on one of his "credentials committee" meetings for his presbytery (their equivalent to a diocese). At this meeting they were interviewing a guy was transferring in from another presbytery (diocese). It was more of a formality than anything, as this guy was already ordained in their denomination. But nonetheless they used the occasion to get into several intense and fascinating theological discussions. I was just listening and kept my mouth shut since I was a "guest".

The thing that I found so interesting was that they started talking about a hypothetical situation: that if a Roman Catholic priest wanted to join their church and be a minister how he would have to be absolutely ordained, because they do not recognize Roman Catholic ministers as being truly ordained (because they preach a false gospel in this church's mind)! I don't know why I was thinking about this again recently, but it's very interesting. It goes to show that most churches do not recognize ministers from another church. If those guys were to become RC or Anglican they'd have to be reordained, and maybe even if they were to become something else (like Lutheran). If I was to join them, or the Lutherans I would probably have to be re-ordained. It's just the way it is. I think that it is far more common for churches to not recognize ministers from another communion/denomination rather than the other way around.

Sometimes we Anglicans get all bent out of shape because Rome doesn't officially recognize our orders. But we forget that other people don't recognize ours either, and that we don't recognize other groups' orders, and that they don't recognize ours or Rome's! It's just the way it is.

Dangers and Difficulties

I am very fortunate to have a vocation that I love - being a priest. Most people hate what they do, or at least that is what an old Sulpician spiritual director once told me. If you do what you love, then fall on your knees and thank the living God, because there are millions of other out there who would love to be in your shoes!

But doing what you love does not come without dangers and difficulties. For example, one of the major dangers that comes with doing what you love is that you do not always take the right amount of leisure time. For me, it is very tempting to go home and continue working on church things, and read theology all night long. But doing that leads to burnout. No matter what you do, if you do it all the time, you will suffer from burnout. A priest needs other hobbies and activities - and a wife - to help prevent burnout.

One of the major difficulties that I face on a weekly basis as a continuing Anglican priest is the appalling lack of educational resources to do my job - specifically educational resources for young children. At my parish we have used some material from the Anglican Church of Canada, which was pretty nice. Other priests have suggested various items from TEC, or from other denominations. The trouble with a lot of that stuff, though, is that it doesn't exactly fit our situation. It is designed for use with another liturgy (not the 1928 BCP and the Missal), and sometimes has pictures of priestesses, and girl altarboys. The Kalendar is different, the language of the prayers are different, and - even worse - when you buy them you are supporting a heterodox organization (e.g. TEC). Besides children's stuff, there are allso a great many other resources that we are lacking. The problem is that the various continuing churches spent so long simply trying to survive (survive outside pressure and severe in-fighting) that there simply wasn't a lot of time to devote to developing educational materials and other much-needed resources.

So what I do in the meantime is make my own signs and art for educational purposes. Currently I am making a series of posters on the church year (the real church year - e.g. with the Pre-Lenten season, the Trinity season, etc.). They are based on My Book of the Church's Year by Enid Chadwick, who decorated the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in England. I also have some other projects in mind that will be for use with children in a traditional Anglican and anglo-catholic setting. I hope to make some of this stuff available for purchase down the road.

There is so much need... new books need to be written on various topics in theology, spirituality, and the Christian life. I know that many priests out there have written books for use in their parishes. Maybe one day they will publish them or make them available for wider use. Until we all start sharing resources by making what we have developed available to a wider audience, then each one of us will be constantly reinventing the wheel and using up valuable time. The good news about this is that it is a "good problem". It means that we are growing, which is a good problem to have!

Emerging Church Redux

A while back I wrote something about the so-called "emerging church" movement. In retrospect, I see that it was kind of a mean-spirited article, so for that I apologize. Well recently, the rector of St. Mark's gave me a copy of the latest issue of Christianity Today, which contains an article about this movement by one of its leaders and theologians. Also, my parents went to one of their church's denominational meetings a few weeks back, where a teaching elder spoke about this movement. We spoke at length about his presentation over the phone one evening. So now I find myself compelled to blog about it once again, but hopefully in a nicer and more charitable way.

I want to focus on one important aspect of this movement, namely its rejection of systematic theologies. The movement loves ideas and theologies, but it doesn't believe in an airtight system or statement of faith, or a system that possibly "gets it all right". It doesn't have a systematic theology or theologian that characterizes it (e.g. Calvin, Aquinas, etc.). God revealed a story, not a theology. He reveals Himself through events, not propositions. According to McKnight, "...all theology [is] a conversation about the Truth who is God in Christ through the Spirit, and about God's story of redemption at work in the church." In other words, it is an ongoing dialogue, not a "set in stone for all time" system. It says, "This is what I believe, but I could be wrong: What do you think? Let's talk." (quotes from CT article) What people believe is not as important as how they live.

While I would certainly agree that systematic theologies, and theology in general, as a meta-language, is limited, and does not provide an Olympian view of God or the universe, and while I also would agree that God reveals Himself primarily through events rather than propositions (Moltmann), I would disagree that grand systems and systematic theologies are entirely irrelevent today, which is what some in these groups seem to suggest. It really depends a lot on the person. One of the great errors of our day is to assume that everyone approaches various phenomena in the same way that we do. Quite simply, there are still many people out there that still find grand, unifying narratives to be extremely helpful in sorting out the stories of the bible and the tradition of the Church. Yes, even today in this postmodern world!

And besides that, I would say that it is impossible to avoid forming at least a basic systematic theology. It is human nature to look for unifying themes in things, and to systematize disparate phenomena. We see this in something as simple as looking for pictures in clouds and stars. It is human nature to search for order, or to create order, out of disorder. Besides that, grand systems and basic, set assumptions are still used in this postmodern world in a multitude of other fields, so why would they be less important or irrelevent to people in their quest of knowing God? McKnight says that "truth" is important to emerging Christians and churches, and that they believe Jesus is the truth, and that the Bible is truth, the question is what does that mean? Why is Jesus the truth? What does it mean when it says no one comes to the Father except through Him? Asking all of these questions invariably leads to a theology that works together as a system. Not a perfect system, but a rational system nonetheless.

The problem lies more, I think, with how these systematic theologies have been appropriated in recent years, with certain people making them out to be systems that give an Olympian view of the universe. No theology is that way, though. And while some people do not find long systematic theologies and rational, unifying systems to be spiritually helpful, jettisoning them altogether, or downplaying dogma, is not the answer. In fact, I believe that in the long run, elevating "dialogue" over dogma will be extremely damaging to people spiritually. The two must always be held in a creative tension, which is not easy. Yes, Christianity is journey, and living in truth is a journey, but there is also "truth". The ancient Church, as decentralized and multicultural as that was, saw dogmatic truthes as being very important (e.g. the Christological controversies and the Creeds). What we believe is as important as what we do, and the two overlap and influence each other.

So many movements in the Church are reactionary. They suffer from breaking radically with the past, and denouncing it completely rather than growing from it. We see this in the catholic world with regard to the "hated" Middle Ages. The Middle Ages and everything Medieval seems to have been the whipping boy of the 20th century (and they're not putting down their whips yet!). This movement has a whipping boy too, and it is modernity. But I would be careful about rejecting all that modernity had to offer, especially unifying systems.

The Anglican Eucharist in Ecumenical Perspective

Recently I read The Anglican Eucharist in Ecumenical Perspective: Doctrine and Rite from Cranmer to Seabury, by Edward Echlin, SJ. It was written in 1968, back, I guess, when there was still hope for some sort of a reunion between Anglicans and Roman Catholics. The book is a study of the development of the Anglican Eucharistic rite – specifically the canon of the mass – from the 1549 BCP to the American BCP of 1789. Fr. Echlin concludes that with the 1789 American BCP, all doctrinal requirements of the Roman Church with regard to the mass were fulfilled, and that the Anglican rite – in its American incarnation, anyway – has the right form, and so is a valid mass. He believes that the Eucharistic theology of each tradition has been steadily converging over the centuries, and at the end of the book he makes the radical suggestion that Roman priests should make use of the Anglican rite, and that Anglicans use the Roman rite as a way to show the unity in Eucharistic doctrine that the churches share. He also advocates concelebration of the Holy Eucharist as a further show of unity. Needless to say, the optimism of the late 1960’s gushes out of this book.

I’m sorry to say that I don’t think he really succeeds (much as I want him to) in doing what he set out to do, primarily because he doesn’t explain what the Roman Catholic position is, or what constitutes a valid Eucharist in that tradition. Presumably a valid Roman Eucharist has something to do with sacrifice and Real Presence, as he examines in great detail what a number of Anglican divines thought about those particular topics. But he doesn’t address the issue of Transubstantiation, which is kind of the “main thing”. The only time he addresses that doctrine is with regard to Real Presence, and all but one of the Anglican divines he looks at outright reject Transubstantiation. He also says in the introduction that, in his mind, Roman Catholic Eucharistic thought has been slowly moving closer to the Anglican, just as the Anglican has been moving closer to that of the Romans, but again, he doesn’t really explain how this is the case.

The main value of the book is that it briefly and succinctly examines the theology of Eucharistic sacrifice and Real Presence of a number of important Anglican divines (e.g. Cranmer, Laud, Cosin, Wren, Johnson, Deacon, White, Seabury, Brett, Smith, Forbes, etc.). While they all nitpick and disagree about things like the role of Holy Spirit, whether or not an invocation and oblation is necessary, the nature of the sacrifice, and so on, the one thing that they all seem to agree on is their complete repudiation of the doctrine of transubstantiation. Only John Cosin has a somewhat open mind towards it, when he states that while it is certainly possible through God’s omnipotence, “…none would believe that He would do it as long as it appears to our senses that the substance of the bread still remains whole and entire.” I would agree with Cosin. I personally have no objections to Transubstantiation rightly understood, but I do not subscribe to it. It is best to let mysteries be mysteries.

One of the things that reading this book made me think about that is rather timely is how Samuel Seabury and the American Church used the Scottish non-Juror’s Eucharistic canon of 1764. This was part of a deal that Seabury struck with the Scots for consecrating him when the English bishops would not. In some recent issues of Mandate, Peter Toon suggests that the 1662 BCP Eucharistic rite should be used as the new standard of Anglican liturgies from here on out. His reasons are that it is the most widely used version, and because it is more biblical, with the emphasis on the Lord’s Supper being on the Words of Institution. I think that it would be a betrayal of the Non-Juror bishops to do such a thing here in the United States. If we truly are continuing Anglicans, then we are continuing the work and ministry of the Episcopal Church, and part that includes honoring such commitments that were made by our forefathers. Seabury, interestingly enough, said of the 1662 canon: “To confess the truth, I hardly consider the form to be used as strictly amounting to a consecration.” I don’t know if I would say that myself, but I do believe that we have a strong obligation to continue using the traditional American canon.

St. Andrew's Academy, Lake Almanor, CA

Classical education has been a big trend in Christian schooling in recent years. Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, and others have founded classical schools and classical home school alliances to provide children with a quality education based on time-proven classical and medieval models. Traditional Anglicans are also involved in this movement. Recently I had the great pleasure of interviewing the Rev. Brian Foos, founder and headmaster of St. Andrew’s Academy, a K-12 classical school located in Lake Almanor, CA. He told me all about the amazing things that St. Andrew’s is doing in California and beyond.


St. Andrew’s Academy is in its seventh year as a full time day school. Founded by Fr. Foos, and his wife, it was originally a supplemental program for home schooling parents. Education had been Fr. Foos’ passion and vocation since graduating from college with a degree in English literature and composition, though at the time he was neither ordained nor Anglican. It was while teaching at a small, private school that he learned about and became interested in the classical approach to education. Immediately he began applying those principles in his classroom. Parental concern over whether or not children should read Homer’s Odyssey (because of the violence it contained) lead to Brian writing and presenting a paper defending the arts and the study of the classics for Christians. A colleague who attended the presentation later told Brian that he agreed with everything he said. The two became fast friends, and it was this man who introduced Brian to Anglicanism. So for Fr. Brian, the journey into classical education and Anglicanism were parallel journeys. Later, Brian attended Cranmer House Theological Seminary, and was ordered deacon and priest. Now, in addition to his responsibilities as headmaster, Fr. Foos pastors two APA parishes: Christ the Redeemer Church (Greenville, CA) and St. Thomas Becket Church (Lake Almanor, CA).

Fr. Foos explains that St. Andrew’s Academy is much more than a “movement” school. While “movements” come and go, St. Andrew’s Academy is simply doing what the Church has always done. St. Andrew’s promotes and passes on, not an ideology, but a way of life. Daily life at the school revolves around prayer, study, and work – which is also the school’s motto. Central to the mission of the school is the idea that study must be done in the context of prayer and worship. When separated from worship, study and learning leads to arrogance and pride, but when combined with godly worship, it leads to humility and service to God and man. Nowhere is this approach more evident than in the daily offices of choral matins and evensong services that the school holds. Each student, as well as faculty and staff, participates in these services. They chant the psalms and canticles in Anglican chant and plainsong from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, thus preserving a great musical tradition. Part of the school from the beginning, the choir is now becoming well known in the Lake Almanor region. They are regularly asked to sing at local churches and venues, and recently sang a series of concerts with the Susanville Symphony Orchestra with over 200 people in attendance at each performance. Last year they sang all of the liturgical music for the APA provincial synod in Indiana, including some very difficult polyphonic pieces.


The curriculum of school is typical of classical schools, with children reading the great classics of western literature, and studying logic, Greek, and Latin. Some faculty members help in writing curriculum, and recently one of their first graduates has come back to teach at the school. St. Andrew’s has a travel program as well, and has taken trips to the British Isles and the East Coast. Plans are in the works for a trip to Italy. Fr. Foos believes that because education is incarnational, real world experiences and travel are an important part of the learning, and forming the whole person. The students come from all sorts of Christian backgrounds: Baptist, non-denominational, Nazarene, Anglican, Roman Catholic, and more. But the ethos and character of the school is thoroughly Anglican.

The biggest need of the school right now is money… money for scholarships, operating expenses, and expansion expenses. The school would like to buy 50 acres of land on which to set up permanent shop (they currently meet in an office park). Indeed, Father Foos hopes that one day St. Andrew’s Academy will be able to become a private boarding school, and for that to happen they need land. God has a definite plan for St. Andrew’s. Each year for the past couple years they have begun the year with a deficit, but the Lord has always provided the funding when they needed it. Prominent individuals, such as Dr. John David Seel, Dr. James Taylor, and General Josiah Bunting, serve on the school’s national advisory board. It is things like that which help confirm that the Lord’s blessing is upon this work.



Right now, I want everyone out there to look at the St. Andrew’s Academy website. Look at the site, and e-mail Fr. Foos if you want to find out more information about this great school and the work they are doing. Order the fantastic CD “A Hearty Rejoicing: Choral Evensong at St. Andrew’s Academy” directly from the school ($15.00) so you can hear for yourself some of they are doing. But more important, won’t you consider helping them meet their financial goals? Won’t you consider sending an offering to the school to help them preserve and hand on our classical Anglican heritage? Thanks be to God, they have gotten very far, and made some significant ground, but they need help to keep going, to expand, and to take it to the next level. Won’t you help? I know that Fr. Foos and his associates would be more than happy to talk to anyone who is interested in finding out more about this great work.

In recent years, it seems like the world has ruined the Church and its institutions and traditions in many ways. Well, Fr. Foos hopes that St. Andrew’s will help ruin the children for the world. Won’t you help them in this great endeavor?

Episcopal Missionary Church joins FACA

The Episcopal Missionary Church has recently voted to join the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas (FACA). According to the articles, the federation has five tasks:

(1) Furthering mutual understanding of its member Provinces, Jurisdictions and Ministries with a view to eventual union when and if deemed practical;

(2) Propagating the truths of the gospel as articulated and practiced in the historic Anglican way;

(3) Taking appropriate public and private steps in common causes in order to speak with one voice and act in concert for the welfare and witness of member Provinces, Jurisdictions and parishes;

(4) Pursuing a communal and charitable relationship with the world-wide Anglican Communion; and

(5) Planting mission parishes in the Americas

I think I speak for all the other members (if I may) in saying that we are thrilled to be working with our brothers and sisters in Christ in the EMC through the federation for the greater glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ in this spiritually destitute world. May the Lord continue to bring about goodwill, unity, and charity among all orthodox Anglicans both here and abroad.

I Asked For Wonder

That is the title of a great book I got for Christmas from my in-laws. It is a spiritual anthology from the writings of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who is one my favorite spiritual writers. When I was in seminary one of my systematics professors would often begin his classes by reading a selection from this book, which is how I found out about Heschel.

He is best described as a Jewish mystic. This particular book is a collection of sayings culled from his full length books on such topics as God, prayer, humanity, sabbath, bible, mystical awe, and more. Here are a few:

On God and Metaphors:
"Only words that would not be trite in the presence of a dying man, only ideas that would not pale in the face of the rising sun or in the midst of a violent earthquake: 'God is One' or: 'Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts...' may be used as metaphors in speaking of God."

Prayer:
"To pray is to know how to stand still and to dwell upon a word."

Sabbath:
"Judaism teaches us to be attached to holiness in time, to be attached to sacred events, to learn how to consecrate sanctuaries that emerge from the magnificent stream of a year. The sabbaths are our great cathedrals; and our Holy of Holies is a shrine that neither the Romans nor the Germans were able to burn; a shrine that even apostasy cannot easily obliterate: the Day of Atonement."

Religion:
"Religion is not 'what man does with his solitariness.' Religion is what man does with the presence of God."

Man:
"Man is a messenger who forgot the message"

"Man's sin is in his failure to live what he is. being master of the earth, man forgets that he is servant of God."

The Bible:
"The Bible is primarily not man's vision of God, but God's vision of man. The bible is not man's theology, but God's anthropology."

There are many more more quotes, with some of them being quite long, but this gives you an idea of the way he thinks and writes. I would highly recommend his works, and especially this little book, for anyone interested in spirituality and mysticism.

A Bear's Life

Sorry for the lack of posts in recent weeks. No, nothing bad has happened. Yes, everything is great. What have I been up to? Just hibernating! Now I am back.

I am working on a profile about St. Andrew's Academy, an classical Christian school in California which I hope to post very soon. I have also read some interesting books recently that I will comment on. And I have had a few funny experiences that I will relate to you all as well.

Merry Christmas

Everyone have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Can I brag about my anglo-catholic wife for a minute?

My beautiful wife came to Anglicanism through yours truly from a rather liberal Mennonite background. During our dating relationship and short year and a quarter of marriage it has been a joy to see her embrace and grow in the catholic faith in its Anglican expression. She now does it all... beats her chest, genuflects, makes the sign of the cross in all the right places, and she can explain the faith and worship to non-Anglican friends very well. On our very first date I spent a fair amount of time telling her about the Blessed Virgin Mary, and what she has meant to me in my life, and I think honoring Our Lady, and committing our relationship to her, and to her Son, of course, has brought much of this about. She's said and done a number of things that just warm my heart especially, and really make me smile. Here are a few:

When we were looking at wedding gifts after our honeymoon there was a big, huge, crusty old book in bag to us from my aunt. As we were opening the bag to see what it was Valerie said, "Maybe it's a missal!" (Turns out it was just an heirloom family old bible - which is also nice.)

We were watching something on TV the other day, and it showed an Episcopalian "womanpriest" talking about something, and Valerie goes, "Ewww, yuck." Then she changed the channel.

Recently a fellow choir member was loudly complaining about having to sing something that, in his mind, smacked of Marian devotion. So when Valerie comes home she says, "Why be Anglican at all if you do not believe that saints pray for you, or if you do not pray to them yourself?"

Indeed, I struck gold when I met and married Valerie!

Confessions

The greatest part about being a priest is being with people and families at the critical moments of their lives, and bringing the sacramental presence of Christ to bear on whatever situation they are in. Whether it is offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, or annointing the sick for healing, it is a great blessing to be a shepherd of souls, and to continue the earthly ministry of Christ and His Church until He comes again.

Hearing confessions has been one of the most incredible experiences of God's grace and mercy. Many confessions I have heard have been a first confession, or from someone who hasn't been in years. It has been great to recommend the sacrament, and teach people about its necessity and place in the Christian life. I have found that most people do not mind making their confession at all. They may not go a lot, or maybe have never even been before, but when you ask them if they want to confess anything privately, and explain to them how it works and what it is all about, they gladly make their confession, and then are overwhelmed at the reconciling love they experience as they encounter Jesus in this beautiful sacrament. I firmly believe in the importance of regular confession in the Christian life.

I don't know how regularly other priests hear confessions (and I do not think priests should hear confessions if they are not regular penitents themselves), but if you do not, and would like to minister to people in this way, I would just make sure you ask people. Like a lot of other things in life, you have to ask people if they want to do it. They might say no, or have nothing to confess at that time, but at least you gave them the opportunity, and they know the offer is always there. But we have to ask. When you sense a moment coming on, where they are pouring their hearts out, why not gently recommend that it be done in the context of the confessional? It is like sales: you can have agreat presentation and product and so on, but if you never get to that point and ask, "Okay, so will you sign the contract?" You might miss out on a lot of sales. I do not like "sales" analogies very much, but it gets my point across. There is so much that we do not have simply because we do not ask.

More Plugs...

In my effort to promote everything traditional and continuing Anglican I have a few new plugs to make everyone aware of:

Great new blog by an APCK Deacon - Words Like Stone

A fantastic new journal of Anglican life and worship - Earth & Altar

And finally, please vote for The Continuum as "best new Anglican blog" over at the Anglican Blog Awards. Continuum is run by Albion Land, Poetreader, Fr. Matthew Kirby, and Fr. Robert Hart. They hosted some lively, but edifying discussions in the past, and will continue to do so in the future.

Prayer Book Catholics

I have a lot of friends who are Presbyterian/Calvinist, and one of the things that they talk about and debate in their circles is the “regulative principle” in worship. Those who adhere to this principle believe that the only things that may be included in the public worship of the Lord are things that are explicitly stated in scripture. This debate goes back to the Reformers themselves, who disagreed on the subject. Now, I have tried, on numerous occasions, to get people who believe in this principle to draw up a sample worship “bulletin” so I can see exactly what the ideal “Reformed” worship service on a typical Sunday would look like. It sounds interesting in theory, but what does it look like in real life? What does it boil down to on a Sunday morning? Well, I have never gotten a sample bulletin/worship service… probably because it cannot be done. The bible, after all, is not a liturgical manual. It’s a paper theory. It doesn’t work out in real life.

Related to this is the problem of so-called “Prayer Book Catholicism” (Note: I speak of this topic in relation to the 1928 American BCP and “liturgy”). Fellow traditional and continuing Anglican bloggers get on their high horse from time to time and denounce anglo-catholic “innovations”, such as the use of the missal, certain vestment styles (showing they care more about clothing and fashion than any anglo-catholic), and more, as being not truly Anglican, or Rome-aping. But when you ask those who adhere to this principle what the Church Year would look like in an authentic “Prayer Book Catholic” parish, you get nothing. Dead silence. Is a Pascal Candle used? Is there an Exsultet? Is there a mass of the pre-sanctified on Good Friday? Are there Stations of the Cross? Is there a form for private confession of sins to a priest and a form for absolution? Are there lessons and carols in Advent? Is a priest vested in a chasuble at his ordination, if so, at what point? The list could go on and on. And the question is: where do we find any of these things in the BCP? Nowhere. Some of them aren’t even addressed in the anti-Ritual Notes book “The Parson’s Handbook”. But I’ll bet a lot, if not most, so-called “Prayer Book Catholics” would not object for one minute to these things. Like those who advocate the regulative principle, when you ask for specific details from the people who advocate this view there is no response. Why? Because Prayer Book Catholicism (in terms of liturgics, anyway) is a myth and a fantasy. If they want to use those things they undermine their position. It doesn’t quite work out in real life.

On page vii of the 1928 BCP there is a note that says that the bishop is allowed to authorize certain “forms” that are not in the BCP. This is good, because the 1928 BCP is too stripped down for solo contemporary use. Even the most low church REC parishes I have attended have always added things to the BCP (usually some sort of adlibbed exhortation after the people have received communion and are still kneeling at the altar rail, but also other things). Personally, I am glad that there is no such thing as a liturgical “prayer book catholic”, because not only do I like the Stations of the Cross and Benediction, but I also like Advent Lessons and Carols, the Blessing of the Hounds, and many other English traditions that Anglican parishes do throughout the year that are not in the BCP. And if the Eucharistic liturgy must be supplemented, I would much rather it be supplemented with the use of the missal’s minor propers, which are mostly Psalms, and if not, are very ancient prayers used during the time of the undivided church (see “The Mass of the Roman Rite” by Jungmann, the authoritative commentary on the development of the Roman mass) than a prayer made up on the spot by the priest. So, to the “prayer book catholics” out there: go ahead and add things to your liturgy and to your Church Year, but realize that in doing so you are right there with us anglo-catholics!

The Lord Be With You, HON.

I am from Baltimore, and after years of denial I finally have the courage to admit that I have a Baltimore accent. It's not awful, but it's there. It is difficult to describe the Baltimore accent, but if you rent a classic John Waters movie like Pink Flamingos you will get an idea of what it is like.

So, my constant struggle is to say mass in such a way that my accent doesn't take over and make the whole thing a terrible mess. This involves careful enunciation, such as making sure I say the "D's" at the end of "and" in just the right way, and so on. But then you can spend so much time focusing on pronunciation that you mispronounce various words... you sort of overcompensate. Or even worse, some men do "fake" English accents, or sound like James Earl Jones when they say mass. There is a balance to be maintained. The key is to say it just right, which is easier said than done.

Some people out there might think that worrying about how to pronounce words, and where to pause in the canon and other prayers, is a waste of time. But we have such a great treasure in the Anglican liturgy that we must, I think, be very careful with such things. It would be like having a great old classic car that is in great shape, but is just a dirty mess... covered in mud, and full of empty candy wrappers inside. I hate it when our liturgy is rushed through, and words are not pronounced correctly, and everything is sloppy. With the Roman Mass it is one thing, or with Rite II, but with the 1928 BCP it just doesn't make sense. Why butcher the pronunciations, and rush through everything when it is written in this beautiful, poetic language? It would be like going to a Shakespeare play and hearing the actors rush through everything. Moreover, I think rushing and mispronouncing actually makes the mass harder to understand.

I can't axe my Baltimore accent completely, but I can at least work on controlling it so it doesn't rear its ugly head at the wrong time - namely at the altar!

Lessons from Television

One of the shows my wife and I love to watch is A Haunting, which is on the Discovery Channel on Thursday nights. This show has reenactments of various true hauntings and demon possessions/activities, mostly in America, but sometimes in other countries too. They interview the actual people involved, and do the whole thing in a really nice way. It is pretty creepy.

I have learned a few things from watching this show, and thought I'd share them with you all:

1) If there is a ghost in your house it always thinks the house belongs to it and wants you out.

2) Don't try to get the house blessed because it only quiets things down for about one month and makes the ghosts more angry and annoyed.

3) Don't call a Wiccan practicioner to come and help you because that also only makes the ghosts more angry and annoyed.

4) Don't presume a Catholic priest can help you, because half the time they are just as scared as you and don't stick around to help.

5) Don't waste time and money on hiring a psychic, because in the end they never do anything except affirm that you are not crazy, and that these things are indeed happening in your house (well, duh).

6) Burning sage leaves does nothing to get rid of ghosts.

7) Basically you just have to move and eat the loss!

Love After Love

A very dear friend gave me this poem by Derrick Walcott a few years ago for my birthday, and recently I redisovered it in my desk drawer. It meant so much to me when she gave it to me. Now, I share with you all. Notice the "eucharistic" imagery.

Love After Love
By Derrick Walcott

The Time will come
When with elation,
You will greet yourself arriving
At your own door, in your own mirror,
And each will smile at the other's welcome,

And say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
To itself, to the stranger who has loved you

All your life, whom you ignored
For another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

The photographs, the desperate notes,
Peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

Once and Future Priest

This past Sunday Rev. Al Kimel of Pontifications was ordained as a priest of the Roman Catholic Church. I, for one, am happy for him and wish him a long and fruitful ministry in the Roman Church. It is a hard thing to leave behind the security of a ministry in one church and enter another church with the possibility of not being ordained in that new church. How does one make a living? How do you put food on the table for the family? It is all very risky, and one cannot help but admire someone like him who lives according to his conscience despite the difficulties that it can bring.

So on that note, I want to take this time to pay tribute to other priests who left ECUSA long before people like Al Kimel did. I want to remember the men who left to join the American Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Catholic Church, the APCK, and other continuing churches, who never received any recognition from anyone. These men were faithful to God and to their consciences. They were faithful catholics who understood the nature of the church as a communio, and that they could not be in communion with "womenpriests" and the bishops who ordained them. And they were faithful Anglicans, who recognized the catholicity of the English Reformation and the Book of Common Prayer, and who sought to preserve the great Anglican tradition. These men gave up rectories, secure livings, and pensions long before Gene Robinson, Barbara Harris, and all of the other yahoos came along, and long before these more recent people have. They saw the writing on the wall back in the late 60's. They were prophets, and like the prophets of old, they were often laughed at, and scorned by everyone else. But in the end, they were right... ECUSA ended up exactly where they said it would. Maybe one of the reasons continuing Anglicans are so maligned by others sometimes is because we were right about these things all along. And if these men were right about that, then maybe they were also right about the catholicity of Anglicanism, and how Anglicans always have been, and always will be a branch of Christ's one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We would do well to listen to their witness. May the sacrifice that these brave men made for the Kingdom of God never be forgotten. Who knows how their lives and ministries have borne fruit, and will continue to bear fruit for the glory of Jesus Christ until He comes again.