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.

Strategic Planning and Continuing Anglicans

A friend who goes to my old parish is big into the importance of strategic planning. He has been using his expertise and training in that area to help the parish develop and hone its vision and mission, and to plan for the future for the glory of God. After working with him briefly on that, and doing some of my own thinking and reflection on the subject, I am more and more convinced that not only parishes, but also dioceses and provinces, need to take strategic planning more seriously. It is very simple: if there is no plan for anything - nothing will happen. Put another way, if you aim at nothing you will hit it. Making a strategic plan is saying: "This is where we want to be in X years, and this is how we are going to get there." Any serious business would have a plan, and let's face it: the church has a lot in common with a business.

I think one of the reasons continuing Anglicans have been so ineffective, maligned, and marginalized over the years is because of a lack of strategic planning and vision on the part of the leadership. Lofty but vague ideas such as "preserving orthodoxy" or "standing for tradition" are not good enough to serve as a strategic plan. A plan is more precise than that, and includes specific actions to be taken. Plans that need to be made, or concerns that need to be addressed with a plan, include: standards for parish catechesis; church planting and missions; ministrial credentialing; ecumenism and inter-church relations; development of educational and other resources (publications, etc.); fundraising; and the list could go on forever.

One of the things that mitigates against developing such strategies is a misunderstanding of our heirarchical form of church government. It is often wrongly assumed that a top-down form of government means that the bishop and the standing committee has to do everything, and have their hands in everything. When a diocese or province is small, that model works fairly well, and is probably essential. But as the church grows, those peoples' work loads soon become maxed out, so any further growth becomes impossible. Then things begin to grind to a halt, and no more progress is made. Establishing new committees to oversee particular initiatives, such as an education committee that would develop diocesan catechetical standards and resources, is a way to relieve the bishop and the standing committee from unneccesary work, and a way to make better use of our existing human resources. It is also a way to get more people (especially the laity) invovled in the church. Many hands make light work. This in no way undermines our biblical model of church government, but rather enriches it, and helps make us more faithful to St. Paul's teaching of the Church as a "body". The bishop, as chief pastor of the diocese, can be the figurehead, cheerleader, and facilitator of such a process.

I would like to see the bishops and standing committees of all continuing Anglican provinces develop a strategic five-year plan and vision for their Church so as to make better use of their time and resources, and to advance the Kingdom of God and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is ultimately a question of stewardship - how are we going to spend our time and money? Are we going to get the most out of it, or very little out of it? A plan would help us be more effective. It would also help us focus on ministering to people instead of squabbling with each other.

Consecrations Performed by Bishops Outside of the Offical Anglican Communion

In his book A Guide to the Sacraments, John MacQuarrrie makes this comment in one of his chapters on ordination:

"Even in quite recent times, individuals who have at some time received episcopal ordination (or consecration) but who are not acting in the name of any church or with the consent of any church authority have ordained (or gone through the motions of ordaining) deacons, presbyters, and even other bishops. Whether their actions are valid must be considered doubtful, though I have said a number of times in the course of this book that the action of the Holy Spirit cannot be limited to what is permitted by ecclesiastical laws." (pp.200-201)

He seems to be condemning episcopi vagantes, or "wandering bishops", who were not part of established churches, and who sometimes ordained and consecrated men without flocks. But his remarks could possibly be construed as condemning Anglicans like we continuers, and others who had to take "extreme" measures to preserve and continue the orthodox faith. I do not want to put words in his mouth, but the thought did cross my mind.

All of this was in the back of my mind while doing research recently on Samuel Seabury for a talk I had to give at the local Scottish Society. I came across this insightful passage in the newly published Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer:

"There he met with an obstacle: the establishment of the established church, and specifically the oath of allegience required of every new bishop. Seabury, no longer a British subject, could hardly take such an oath. The English bishops, though not unsympathetic, could not dispense with it on their own. The government, for largely political reasons, declined to cooperate. So it was that in November 1784 the service at which Dr. Seabury became Bishop Seabury took place in Aberdeen and the ordaining prelates were Nonjuring Scots, who themselves were not bound to the Anglican establishment." (pp.172-173; my emphasis)

The lesson here is that being outside of the "official Anglican establishment" doesn't necessarily unchurch anyone.

Look, a new jurisdiction! (and more blogs)

Raise that total number of continuing Anglican jurisdictions to 80! I just saw a CD in the record store by John Mayer called "Continuum". Since it has the word "continuum" it must be another one of those pesty "continuing Anglican" jurisdictions! Quick, alert VOL and Anglicans Online! And a google search on "continuum" reveals video games, and many other things that are also probably continuing Anglican jurisdictions!

Please note, I am being sarcastic here. This just goes to show you that not everything that says "continuing" or "continuum" is legitimate. On that note, I want to highlight four new blogs that have recently come to my attention:

Ecclesia Anglicana Continua - by the Very Rev'd Erich Zwingert, SSC (APA priest)
John One Five - by the Rev'd David Baumann, SSC (FiFNa priest)
Apology of Miscellanies - by Mr. Andrew Presler (APA postulant)
Apologetics Galore - by Mr. David H (APA layman)

The first one is especially helpful in light of recent discussion as to what is a legitmate "continuing" Anglican church. What a joy it is to see how alive and well traditional Anglicanism is! On "Apologetics Galore" there are some great pictures of the new building of St. Barnabas (APA) in Georgia. I look forward to seeing what these gentleman have to say about things, and encourgae everyone else to do the same.

Current Reading

After being interrupted by a million things, I have finally finished reading A Guide to the Sacraments by John MacQuarrie. I would not recommend this book as an introduction to the sacraments or to sacramental theology as it is not very detailed, but I do think that it would be good for someone immersed in a Ludwig Ott/Francis Hall approach to the sacraments to read, as it discusses them on more of broad, conceptual and philosophical level in the context of postmodernity. Like a lot of MacQuarrie's works, it is mind-expanding and quite thought-provoking. The older books like Hall and Ott have their place - one must know and master the traditional formulations and ideas - but they are unsuitable in and of themselves in today's postmodern situation.

My reading schedule, incidently, consists of short reads and long reads read concurrently. The sacraments book was a quick read, as it is short (200 pages) and the topic is familiar to me. My "long read" has been "Jesus and the Victory of God" by N.T. Wright. I plan on getting a few more short reads in while reading this long one.

So, my next "short read" is actually going to be a re-read: Creative Fidelity by Francis Sullivan, SJ. This book is required reading at many US Catholic seminaries. I had to read it as part of my Fundamental Theology class. The author was a professor at the Gregorian University (where many future bishops and theologians of the Church go) for many years. It is about how to weigh and interpret the documents of the magesterium. This book is so important because it shows that nothing can escape the need for interpretation and reinterpretation, not even papal documents. It discusses what dogma is; what magesterium in its various forms is; how to identify defined dogmas in papal documents; the disagreements Catholic theologians have on what these defined dogmas are and how the number of them has shrunk over the years; and it gives examples of interpretation in action. It is a very well-written and fascinating book that should be read by every Catholic and Anglican.

One of the most interesting parts about it is the afterward, where Sullivan (who, to my knowledge, is considered a centrist/conservative theologian) addresses Ordinatio Sacerdotalis by JPII, which is about the ordination of women. Sullivan does the "Catholic fudge" and says that the magesterium has not spoken infallibly on the issue, and that CDF's 11/18/1995 statement saying it has been infallibly taught, and that it is part of the Deposit of Faith is wrong. Hmmmmm. Fascinating. Then he writes: "The changes in church doctrine that have actually taken place in the course of history show that a tradition could hold firm until advances in human knowledge or culture obliged the church to look at the question in a new light. Through honest reexamination of its tradition in this new light, the church has sometimes come to see that the reasons for holding to its previous position were not decisive after all." (pp. 181-184)

Yikes.

Happy Birthday

November 7th was the two-year anniversary of this blog. I wish to thank everyone who reads and comments. You all have taught me a lot. Blogs are a lot of work to maintain - a monster that must constantly be fed. In that sense blogging is somewhat annoying. But all of the people that you "meet", and the interesting discussions that you have make it worthwhile. I like to think that this blog, those who comment, and those blogs which I link to, contribute something to peace, unity, and goodwill amongst traditional and continuing Anglicans.

When I first began this blog it was intended to be annonymous - a way for me to "vent". But as people began reading this thing (much to my surprise, I might add; I remember how shocked I was when I saw that someone had made a comment!), and then people figured out it was me, rather than shutting it down I decided to keep it going and tried to expand it some so as to increase the visibility of "continuing Anglicans" on the web. Prior to this blog there were no "continuing Anglican" blogs that I am aware of (please correct me if I am wrong), save for "Wanna Be Anglican", which, strictly speaking, was REC, and so predates the continuing movement. Now there are a number of good continuing blogs, a continuing Anglican blog ring (special thanks goes to Continuing Home for starting that), as well as more REC blogs. All of this shows that traditional Anglicanism is alive and well, and has successfully begun to move into the 21st century. May we traditional Anglicans go into this new century with a spirit of ministry and evangelism, and with our peculiar gifts and tradition, bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to a world that so desperately needs it. Blessings to all.

J. Gordon Anderson+

What are the 53?

People are fond of talking about the numerous "continuing churches". Just yesterday I read an article on VOL that mentions the "53 continuing churches". I would love to see a list of these. Anglicans Online has a "not in the communion" list, but I don't think it adds up to 53 different jurisdictions (e.g. the "No Way APA" site, which they have in that list, is not a jurisdiction, but an opinion site). The Wikipedia entry on continuing Anglicanism lists some jurisdictions too, but they do not add up to "53". So I don't know where people get this bizarre number from. Honestly, I think much of it is an attempt to discredit the legitimate jurisdictions out there which hold to catholic faith and order (traditional BCPs, a male-only priesthood, authority of the scriptures, etc.).

True, anyone can here in America, or just about anywhere else, can start his own church, hierarchy, etc. And it can be done in the context of any tradition. But that does not mean that all of these churches are "equal", or legitimate. If people are confused about "continuing" Anglicanism, and which jurisdictions are legitimate, they should look at the links in the "not in the communion" list. They will see that half of them are dead, some are "two parish - ten bishop" jurisdictions, and so on. In short, it is very easy to figure out which jurisdictions are legitimate. The legitimate ones have a fair number of established parishes, clear cut rules and laws, organization, and institutions. They are committed to evangelism and ecumenism. So, don't believe the hype. As my former spiritual director put it, "There are 'continuing churches' and then there are continuing churches." I think most people recognize this, and can see this, but still, it bears mentioning.

Take thou authority...

Recently I had the pleasure of attending the ordination of the Rev'd Tracy Smith to the sacred order of priests in the APA. The beautiful liturgy was held at St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church in Delray Beach, Florida. You can see pictures on their website. This was the first time I have participated in the "holy huddle", or "laying on of hands", where all the priests present join the bishop in laying hands on the ordinand.

Priests ordained in the APA are of course ordained using the ordinal from 1928 BCP. In addition to what is in the ordinal, the following is added by the bishop:

As the stole is turned priest-wise, the bishop says:
"Take thou the yoke of the Lord, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light."

As the priest is vested in the chasuble, the bishop says:
"Receive this preistly garment which symbolizes charity; for God is well able to give thee an increase of charity and a perfect work."

As the priests hands are annointed and wrapped, and the instruments are presented, the bishop says:
"Take thou authority to offer sacrifice to God, and to celebrate Mass for both the quick and the dead. In the Name of the Lord."

I believe all of this comes originally from the old Sarum pontifical, and was adapted for modern use in the Anglican Service Book. It goes without saying, that excluding these elements from an ordination in no way invalidates the rite, or makes that person less of a catholic priest. Still, I am glad that we have this custom in the APA, as it does away with any misconceptions about what is going on at an ordination.

"The Monastery" - Great New TV Series

There is a great new program on Sunday nights on The Learning Channel called “The Monastery”. It is about five men who are at a crossroads in their lives who go to the Monastery of Christ in the Desert to live with the Benedictine monks there for forty days and forty nights. They are supposed to be looking for clarity, purpose, and meaning in life. The first episode was last night. One guy, an ex- Hollywood screenwriter, has been in recovery for 30 years; another is a 23-year old combat-wounded vet from Iraq; there’s a guy who is a former Satanist that came to know the Lord and now wants to be an Episcopal priest; there’s an ex-gang member who now helps kids get off the street in Massachusetts; and there’s a paramedic/ex-Marine. They are all at varying stages in their spirituality. Some believe in God, some do not. Two are lapsed Catholics, and two are “nothing”.

It is fascinating to see how they adjust to monastic life. They live just as the monks do and swear obedience to the abbot while there. The strict routine is very hard for them – even the ex-Marines. They cannot deal with the silence and stillness very well, either. One guy – the veteran – admits that he can’t sit still for more than two minutes, so obviously he has a hard time with the services. I wonder how their lives will change, if at all, after the forty days are up? The most interesting thing to me was seeing the incredible stupidity and arrogance of the two ex-Marines (no offence to anyone out there serving, or who has served, in the armed forces). The one guy is just a kid with no education, so his idiotic ramblings are to be expected. The older one (who now serves as a paramedic, and witnesses lots of death and violence that he is trying to come to grips with) is bitterly cynical about everyone and everything. All he does is insult everyone, and make sarcastic remarks every few minutes. They are constantly challenging the rules of the community in small ways, prompting the monks to have meetings with them, and get them back into line. All in all it is quite interesting, and I highly recommend it.

The thing about this new series that makes it near and dear to me, though, is that I took a weeklong retreat at this monastery back in 2000 when I was in seminary. Many of the people on the show I met – the abbot, Prior Christian, Brother Andre, Father Joseph (he was just visiting the monastery for the first time when I was there, actually) etc. In fact, I still support the monastery when they send out their letters asking for financial help. That period when I visited the monastery was a very difficult time in my life. I was alienated from everyone and everything, abandoned by all but a few friends, and to a large extent by my family, who didn’t want me to be in seminary preparing for the priesthood. I was an outsider at the seminary, and an outsider at work. My girlfriend dumped me at a bar a few months earlier. I was dirt poor… so poor I could barely afford to eat and buy the most basic supplies I needed to get by (I was so poor I had to sometimes steal rolls of toilet paper form work because I couldn’t afford to buy any!). Top all of that off with living alone, and having to read and write papers all the time for seminary, and you have the recipe for serious and major funk. My life had become like a Hank Williams song. So it was under those circumstances that I decided to take a cleansing pilgrimage/roadtrip/retreat to Christ in the Desert. I drove with friend from Baltimore to Abiquiu New Mexico in my old beat-up 1986 Buick century sedan (the radio didn’t work, neither did the dashlights, so we sang songs to each other on the trip out and back). I chain-smoked to occupy the time. On the way out, we swung through Oklahoma City to see the destruction from and memorial of the infamous bombing. When we finally arrived at the monastery we were warmly received by the brothers. There was no direction or guided retreat from the brothers, and guests were not required to go to the services. You literally just make reservations, and show up, and then you’re on your own. We were, however, required to help do work around the grounds. In my week there, in addition to cleaning, I dug a trench and laid some electrical conduit, and helped pour the foundation for their refectory. And of course you have to eat with the monks since it takes an hour to drive out to the main road, and another hour or so to get anywhere near civilization. The atmosphere at the monastry was beautiful and serene. There was no electricity, no noise allowed… no nothing. Just God, and the chanting of the Psalms and prayers ascending up through the canyon to Him in the vastness of the sky. The liturgies were beautiful – in fact, that was where I first learned to read chant notation. The long road trip out and back; the solemn prayers, chants, and liturgy; the hot sun and dry desert; the cold nights; the hard physical labor; eating joint meals in silence with the brothers; and the quiet and lack of technology cleansed and healed me. It made me see that somehow God was bigger than all of my problems, and that His love was like a vast ocean washing over me, and through me. My life was changed by going there; I hope that happens with these guys on the cable TV show. When I returned home from the monastery, the troubles in church and life were only just beginning, and I went through another dark night of the soul. But I am convinced that had I not been to Christ in the Desert I would not have survived that difficult time to come.

Bad Vicar Video

Go to Remnant Anglican and check out this hilarious video from YouTube. It wouldn't be so funny if it weren't true! As one comment noted, it makes fun of obnoxious, angry, stand-offish priests, and also loosy-goosy new-ager/"spiritual" people.

Biretta Tip: Jeffrey Baus

ACA Votes to Join FACA

The Anglican Church in America voted recently to join the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas. Read about it here. Soon, by the grace of almighty God, the corporate disunity of the continuum will be a thing of the past. Thanks be to God.

On a slightly related subject, the bishops of the APA and REC have issued a wonderful pastoral letter on unity in the Church. The official title is: True Unity by the Cross of Christ For the Spread of the Gospel. I invite you all to read it here. My own bishop, the Most. Rev. Walter Grundorf had this to say about it on the APA wesbite:

Feast of St. Michael and All Angels
September 29, 2006

To: Clergy and Leadership of the Anglican Province of America
From: Bishops of the REC/APA

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Enclosed for you to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest is the recent Pastoral Letter issued jointly by the Bishops of the Reformed Episcopal Church and the Anglican Province of America. I hope that you will not only carefully read and consider this letter yourself, but will share it with your parishes. It is critical that those of us who call ourselves Traditional or Classical Anglicans come together for the cause of the Gospel and take seriously our Lord's words about being one. Our Lord did not offer unity as a suggestion, but as part and parcel of the Gospel. We must logically begin with unity among fellow Traditional Anglicans with whom we share much in common. Overcoming fear in dealing with other Anglicans seems to be the most difficult part of this process. We must work our way through our unfortunate experiences of past failed unions, trusting in the healing of the Holy Spirit to move us on in the power of Christ's Love (II Tim. 2:7).

We are in the midst of a battle for the heart and soul of Anglicanism as we have received it. There is much heartbreak and confusion among so many who are disillusioned by the established church and are looking for safe harbor. People who are searching are further confused by the plethora of churches on the internet that claim to be Anglican. How does one choose when all continuing churches appear to be the same?

By forging relationships with legitimate Anglican bodies, we hope that those who are in searach of a faithful jurisdiction will find us. I pray that the Lord will lay it upon all of our hearts to consider well the responsibiity we have in attaining unity among our fellow orthodox Anglican breothers and sisters. May we find in the Cross of our Lord Jesus that perfect unity.

Faithfully yours,

(Signed)+Walter H. Grundorf

The Most Rev. Walter H. Grundorf, D.D. Bishop of the Diocese of the Eastern US, Presiding Bishop APA

Jesus Christ - The Exemplar of the Sacraments

I am reading John MacQuarrie's fun little book A Guide to the Sacraments, and in it he makes an interesting point on how Jesus Christ is not only the author and minister of the sacraments, but is also the exemplar of them. That is to say, he posseses annd exemplifies the grace which they bring about in whoever receives them.

Building on the work of Kenan Osbourne, he comes up with a chart to show what he means:

The Baptized One/Baptism - Jesus - Faith
The Confirmed One/Confirmation - Jesus - Perserverence
The Really Present One/Eucharist - Jesus - Self-Giving
The Reconciler/Penance - Jesus - Penitence
The Priest/Orders - Jesus - Service
The Lover/Marriage - Jesus - Love
The Healer/Unction - Jesus - Wholeness

In reference to baptism, for example, MacQuarrie writes: "Just as Jesus understood his own baptism as that solemn moment when he must embark on the high mission to which the Father had called him, fortified by the Holy Spirit that now rested upon him, so one who receives Christian baptism is called to follow in the way of Jesus and receives the same spirit"

Regarding penance, we understand that, as representative man, the new Adam, Jesus is the reconciled. He writes: "If we try to get away from our all-too-individualistic ways of thinking and see Jesus Christ in solidarity with the whole of humanity, then it will not seem strange to us that even as he justifies the whole race by realizing God's intention of humanity, so he also takes the sins of the race upon himself and repents of them."

One gets the idea of where MacQuarrie would go with the rest of the sacraments. This is just an amazing concept to me - Christ being not only the author and minister, but also the exemplar of the sacraments. So obvious, but something I had never even thought of or heard articulated before.