The Jerusalem Declaration - 2008
The Affirmation of Saint Louis - 1977
The GAFCON Jerusalem Declaration dogmatically affirms: the Canonical Scriptures, the first four Ecumenical Councils and the three Catholic Creeds, a novel doctrinal authority and necessity for the XXXIX Articles of Religion, the 1662 English Prayer Book as locally adapted, the threefold Apostolic Ministry and the Anglican Ordinal, and the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
It does not affirm: the Ecumenical Councils of Constantinople II (AD 553), Constantinople III (AD 680) and Nicea II (AD 787), the explicit role of Holy and Apostolic Tradition, the 1928 American and 1962 Canadian Prayer Books, the male character of the Apostolic Ministry and especially of the priesthood and episcopate, the dominical Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist and the ecclesiastical Sacraments of Confirmation, Penance, and Unction, and the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.
In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit: We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, have met in the land of Jesus’ birth. We express our loyalty as disciples to the King of kings, the Lord Jesus. We joyfully embrace his command to proclaim the reality of his kingdom which he first announced in this land. The gospel of the kingdom is the good news of salvation, liberation and transformation for all. In light of the above, we agree to chart a way forward together that promotes and protects the biblical gospel and mission to the world, solemnly declaring the following tenets of orthodoxy which underpin our Anglican identity.
We affirm that the Church of our fathers, sustained by the most Holy Trinity, lives yet, and that we, being moved by the Holy Spirit to walk only in that way, are determined to continue in the Catholic Faith, Apostolic Order, Orthodox Worship and Evangelical Witness of the traditional Anglican Church, doing all things necessary for the continuance of the same. We are upheld and strengthened in this determination by the knowledge that many provinces and dioceses of the Anglican Communion have continued steadfast in the same Faith, Order, Worship and Witness, and that they continue to confine ordination to the priesthood and the episcopate to males. We rejoice in these facts and we affirm our solidarity with these provinces and dioceses.
1. We rejoice in the gospel of God through which we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because God first loved us, we love him and as believers bring forth fruits of love, ongoing repentance, lively hope and thanksgiving to God in all things.
In the firm conviction that "we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ," and that "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved," and acknowledging our duty to proclaim Christ's saving Truth to all peoples, nations and tongues, we declare our intention to hold fast the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Faith of God. We acknowledge that rule of faith laid down by St. Vincent of Lerins: "Let us hold that which has been believed everywhere, always and by all, for that is truly and properly Catholic."
2. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God written and to contain all things necessary for salvation. The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.
The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the authentic record of God's revelation of Himself, His saving activity, and moral demands - a revelation valid for all men and all time.
3. We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
The Nicene Creed is the authoritative summary of the chief articles of the Christian Faith, together with the "Apostles' Creed, and that known as the Creed of St. Athanasius to be "thoroughly received and believed" in the sense they have had always in the Catholic Church. The received Tradition of the Church and its teachings are set forth by "the ancient catholic bishops and doctors," and especially defined by the Seven Ecumenical Councils of the undivided Church, to the exclusion of all errors, ancient and modern. We disclaim any right or competence to suppress, alter or amend any of the ancient Ecumenical Creeds and definitions of Faith, to set aside or depart from Holy Scripture, or to alter or deviate from the essential prerequisites of any Sacrament.
4. We uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today.
We repudiate all deviation of departure from the Faith, in whole or in part, and bear witness to these essential principles of evangelical Truth and apostolic Order: The Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, the Holy Eucharist, Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, Penance and Unction of the Sick, are objective and effective signs of the continued presence and saving activity of Christ our Lord among His people and His covenanted means for conveying His grace. In particular, we affirm the necessity of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist (where they may be had) -- Baptism as incorporating us into Christ with its completion in Confirmation as the "seal of the Holy Spirit", and the Eucharist as the sacrifice which unites us to the all-sufficient Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and the Sacrament in which He feeds us with His Body and Blood.
5. We gladly proclaim and submit to the unique and universal Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, humanity’s only Saviour from sin, judgement and hell, who lived the life we could not live and died the death that we deserve. By his atoning death and glorious resurrection, he secured the redemption of all who come to him in repentance and faith.
We recognize that man, as inheritor of original sin, is "very far gone from original righteousness," and as a rebel against God's authority is liable to His righteous judgment. We recognize, too, that God loves His children and particularly has shown it forth in the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that man cannot be saved by any effort of his own, but by the Grace of God, through repentance and acceptance of God's forgiveness.
6. We rejoice in our Anglican sacramental and liturgical heritage as an expression of the gospel, and we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer, to be translated and locally adapted for each culture.
In the continuing Anglican Church, the Book of Common Prayer is and remains one work in two editions: The Canadian Book of 1962 and the American Book of 1928. Each is fully and equally authoritative. No other standard for worship exists. For liturgical use, only the Book of Common Prayer and service books conforming to and incorporating it shall be used.
7. We recognise that God has called and gifted bishops, priests and deacons in historic succession to equip all the people of God for their ministry in the world. We uphold the classic Anglican Ordinal as an authoritative standard of clerical orders.
The Holy Orders of bishops, priests and deacons are the perpetuation of Christ's gift of apostolic ministry to His Church, asserting the necessity of a bishop of apostolic succession or priest ordained by such as the celebrant of the Eucharist - these Orders consisting exclusively of men in accordance with Christ's Will and institution as evidenced by the Scriptures, and the universal practice of the Catholic Church. The ancient office and ministry of Deaconesses is a lay vocation for women, affirming the need for proper encouragement of that office. Bishops are Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds and Teachers, as well as their duty (together with other clergy and the laity) to guard and defend the purity and integrity of the Church's Faith and Moral Teaching. In affirming these principles, we recognize that all Anglican statements of faith and liturgical formulae must be interpreted in accordance with them.
8. We acknowledge God’s creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married.
The God-given sacramental bond in marriage between one man and one woman is God's loving provision for procreation and family life, and sexual activity is to be practiced only within the bonds of Holy Matrimony. We recognize also that, as keepers of God's will and truth for man, we can and ought to witness to that will and truth against all manifest evils, remembering that we are as servants in the world, but God's servants first.
9. We gladly accept the Great Commission of the risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, to seek those who do not know Christ and to baptise, teach and bring new believers to maturity.
We gather as people called by God to be faithful and obedient to Him. As the Royal Priestly People of God, the Church is called to be, in fact, the manifestation of Christ in and to the world. True religion is revealed to man by God. We cannot decide what is truth, but rather in obedience ought to receive, accept, cherish, defend and teach what God has given us. The Church is created by God, and is beyond the ultimate control of man. The Church is the Body of Christ at work in the world. She is the society of the baptized called out from the world: In it, but not of it. As Christ's faithful Bride, she is different from the world and must not be influenced by it.
10. We are mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation, to uphold and advocate justice in society, and to seek relief and empowerment of the poor and needy.
All people, individually and collectively, are responsible to their Creator for their acts, motives, thoughts and words, since "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ . . ." Every human being, from the time of his conception, is a creature and child of God, made in His image and likeness, an infinitely precious soul; and that the unjustifiable or inexcusable taking of life is always sinful. All people are bound by the dictates of the Natural Law and by the revealed Will of God, insofar as they can discern them. We believe, therefore, it is the duty of the Church and her members to bear witness to Christian Morality, to follow it in their lives, and to reject the false standards of the world.
11. We are committed to the unity of all those who know and love Christ and to building authentic ecumenical relationships. We recognise the orders and jurisdiction of those Anglicans who uphold orthodox faith and practice, and we encourage them to join us in this declaration.
We affirm our continued relations of communion with all faithful parts of the Anglican Communion. We declare our firm intention to seek and achieve full sacramental communion and visible unity with other Christians who "worship the Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity," and who hold the Catholic and Apostolic Faith in accordance with the foregoing principles. The continuing Anglicans remain in full communion with all other faithful parts of the Anglican Communion, and should actively seek similar relations with all other Apostolic and Catholic Churches, provided that agreement in the essentials of Faith and Order first be reached. We recognize that the World Council of Churches, and many national and other Councils adhering to the World Council, are non-Apostolic, humanist and secular in purpose and practice, and that under such circumstances, we cannot be members of any of them. We also recognize that the Consultation of Church Union and all other such schemes, being non-Apostolic and non-Catholic in their present concept and form, are unacceptable to us, and that we cannot be associated with any of them.
12. We celebrate the God-given diversity among us which enriches our global fellowship, and we acknowledge freedom in secondary matters. We pledge to work together to seek the mind of Christ on issues that divide us.
WHEREFORE, with a firm trust in Divine Providence, and before Almighty God and all the company of heaven, we solemnly affirm, covenant and declare that we, lawful and faithful members of the Anglican and Episcopal Churches, shall now and hereafter continue and be the unified continuing Anglican Church in North America, in true and valid succession thereto.
13. We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord.
We affirm that the Anglican Church of Canada and the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, by their unlawful attempts to alter Faith, Order and Morality (especially in their General Synod of 1975 and General Convention of 1976), have departed from Christ's One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. We affirm that all former ecclesiastical governments, being fundamentally impaired by the schismatic acts of lawless Councils, are of no effect among us, and that we must now reorder such godly discipline as may strengthen us in the continuation of our common life and witness. We affirm that the claim of any such schismatic person or body to act against any Church member, clerical or lay, for his witness to the whole Faith is with no authority of Christ's true Church, and any such inhibition, deposition or discipline is without effect and is absolutely null and void.
14. We rejoice at the prospect of Jesus’ coming again in glory, and while we await this final event of history, we praise him for the way he builds up his church through his Spirit by miraculously changing lives.
In this gathering witness of Anglicans and Episcopalians, we continue to be what we are. We do nothing new. We form no new body, but continue as Anglicans and Episcopalians. NOW, THEREFORE, deeply aware of our duty to all who love and believe the Faith of our Fathers, of our duty to God, who alone shall judge what we do, we make this Affirmation. Before God, we claim our Anglican/Episcopal inheritance, and proclaim the same to the whole Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Altars and Images
Your sensus catholicus is absolutely correct and always inspiring; indeed, it is certainly not only permissible but laudatory to erect a shrine or altar in one's home for the purpose of Christian devotion, as such practice goes directly to the heart of orthodox Christian theology and spirituality and reinforces powerfully the reality and effect of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.
The God Who became Man dwells in us and in the Church by His Holy Spirit as in a temple, and certainly it is always and everywhere correct to consecrate our homes and dwelling places to Our Lord by the use of sacred Images and other sacramentals. The honour given to the Christian icon passes to its prototype, and the possession and veneration of icons communicate the fact and the graces of Incarnation of the Word of God - the God Who was once invisible became forever permanently visible in the Person of Our Lord, and thus the Holy Icons defend and teach, and what is more, confer in a mystical way, the mystery of the Eternal Son of God made Man. Icons and statues are actually necessary to orthodox Christian worship, for without them the Incarnation cannot be realised in a personal and tangible manner. The miracles and actions of Our Lord pass, upon His Ascension, into the Sacraments and sacramentals of the Church. If you have not had your home blessed by a priest, please consider that sacramental as a splendid way of offering your lives and your home to God in a profound way.
In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, a corner of the most prominent room of the home or the most comfortable and familiar area is set apart as an 'icon corner' in which icons of Christ, His Mother and Saints are set-up for private prayer, devotion and veneration. In the Roman Catholic tradition, statues and images of Christ, Our Lady and the Saints adorn most rooms of a devout person's home, and the crucifix is particularly used, being as it is the great Sign of Salvation. A actual small altar with an enshrined Image or Images on it is common in many RC places. Anglicans are free, in the natural spirit of liberty so cherished by us, to follow either path or to combine them. The Prayer Book and other Anglican formularies give no direction regarding such practice, nor do they prohibit or recommend any one course of action. You are free to do what you believe is most edifying for you and your family. Personally, we primarily collect and use icons of the Byzantine Orthodox tradition and sprinkle them around our home. Celtic crosses are popular too. We always keep a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham, the Patroness of the British Isles, in every room or section of the house. A crucifix is prominently displayed in each bedroom and office space. Please feel at liberty to choose those styles of Christian art that most appeal to you. The only objectionable or inappropriate images are those that do not accord with the Sacred Tradition of the Church or whose artistic value and merits are in question! The Orthodox tradition of the East prohibits, 1. images of Our Lady without the Christ Child, as they tend to separate the Holy Virgin from the reason for her exaltation, namely the Incarnation, and 2. images of God the Father, Who is invisible and for that reason cannot be depicted in an icon. Only icons of canonised Saints, recognised by the Church and honoured at her Altars, should be kept and venerated. If you have any questions about an image, please know you are always most welcome to ask.
The God Who became Man dwells in us and in the Church by His Holy Spirit as in a temple, and certainly it is always and everywhere correct to consecrate our homes and dwelling places to Our Lord by the use of sacred Images and other sacramentals. The honour given to the Christian icon passes to its prototype, and the possession and veneration of icons communicate the fact and the graces of Incarnation of the Word of God - the God Who was once invisible became forever permanently visible in the Person of Our Lord, and thus the Holy Icons defend and teach, and what is more, confer in a mystical way, the mystery of the Eternal Son of God made Man. Icons and statues are actually necessary to orthodox Christian worship, for without them the Incarnation cannot be realised in a personal and tangible manner. The miracles and actions of Our Lord pass, upon His Ascension, into the Sacraments and sacramentals of the Church. If you have not had your home blessed by a priest, please consider that sacramental as a splendid way of offering your lives and your home to God in a profound way.
In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, a corner of the most prominent room of the home or the most comfortable and familiar area is set apart as an 'icon corner' in which icons of Christ, His Mother and Saints are set-up for private prayer, devotion and veneration. In the Roman Catholic tradition, statues and images of Christ, Our Lady and the Saints adorn most rooms of a devout person's home, and the crucifix is particularly used, being as it is the great Sign of Salvation. A actual small altar with an enshrined Image or Images on it is common in many RC places. Anglicans are free, in the natural spirit of liberty so cherished by us, to follow either path or to combine them. The Prayer Book and other Anglican formularies give no direction regarding such practice, nor do they prohibit or recommend any one course of action. You are free to do what you believe is most edifying for you and your family. Personally, we primarily collect and use icons of the Byzantine Orthodox tradition and sprinkle them around our home. Celtic crosses are popular too. We always keep a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham, the Patroness of the British Isles, in every room or section of the house. A crucifix is prominently displayed in each bedroom and office space. Please feel at liberty to choose those styles of Christian art that most appeal to you. The only objectionable or inappropriate images are those that do not accord with the Sacred Tradition of the Church or whose artistic value and merits are in question! The Orthodox tradition of the East prohibits, 1. images of Our Lady without the Christ Child, as they tend to separate the Holy Virgin from the reason for her exaltation, namely the Incarnation, and 2. images of God the Father, Who is invisible and for that reason cannot be depicted in an icon. Only icons of canonised Saints, recognised by the Church and honoured at her Altars, should be kept and venerated. If you have any questions about an image, please know you are always most welcome to ask.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The Most Interesting News From GAFCON Thus Far...
From Ruth Gledhill of The Times: http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2008/06/archbishop-akin.html#more
'I also took the chance to ask Archbishop of Sydney Dr Peter Jensen, who is part of the Gafcon leadership team, if he hoped that one day the entire Anglican Communion would adopt lay presidency, or lay administration as he prefers to call it. He said the issue was not comparable to that of homosexuality because the question of administering communion is never addressed in the Bible, while homosexuality is. "It [lay administration] is a subject we have been talking about in our diocese for 30 years," he said. But he was aware there was "considerable disagreement" about it around the Communion, and to date his diocese had held back from engaging with it formally.'
The de facto head of GAFCON and the burgeoning neo-evangelical movement within the Anglican Communion does not believe that Our Lord constituted the Twelve Apostles priestly stewards of the New Testament at the Last Supper and in the Resurrection and uniquely commended to them and their successors in the episcopate-priesthood alone the commission and authority to celebrate Mystery of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, in spite of the perspicuous teaching of Scripture and primitive Tradition and the perennial instruction of the Book of Common Prayer. What can one say?
'I also took the chance to ask Archbishop of Sydney Dr Peter Jensen, who is part of the Gafcon leadership team, if he hoped that one day the entire Anglican Communion would adopt lay presidency, or lay administration as he prefers to call it. He said the issue was not comparable to that of homosexuality because the question of administering communion is never addressed in the Bible, while homosexuality is. "It [lay administration] is a subject we have been talking about in our diocese for 30 years," he said. But he was aware there was "considerable disagreement" about it around the Communion, and to date his diocese had held back from engaging with it formally.'
The de facto head of GAFCON and the burgeoning neo-evangelical movement within the Anglican Communion does not believe that Our Lord constituted the Twelve Apostles priestly stewards of the New Testament at the Last Supper and in the Resurrection and uniquely commended to them and their successors in the episcopate-priesthood alone the commission and authority to celebrate Mystery of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, in spite of the perspicuous teaching of Scripture and primitive Tradition and the perennial instruction of the Book of Common Prayer. What can one say?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
All Saints' Sisters of the Poor, Catonsville, Maryland
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/custom/modernlife/bal-retreat-flash,0,870865.flash
Anglo-Catholicism at its very best...
Anglo-Catholicism at its very best...
Monday, June 23, 2008
Theosis and The Way of A Pilgrim
Thank you for your note and your ideas and critiques concerning the admittedly esoteric and mystical theology of The Way of A Pilgrim. There are certainly aspects of the book and the mystical practices it endorses which easily puzzle and even befuddle Western Christians, given our penchant for a more carefully expressed and examined explication of the theology and practice of the Catholic Faith. Since the time of Saint Anselm of Canterbury and especially Saint Thomas Aquinas, we in the West have certainly preferred having theological and mystical concepts explored and articulated in a way that leaves Eastern Orthodox mysticism alien and somewhat frustrating to our deeply Western Christian ethos. And I assuredly agree that, given my own deep Westernisation, some of the expressions in The Way appear to me at least to be hyperbolic and loose-ended at best, and at worst, reckless and negligently sloppy.
Given those problems, one can understand how The Way is understandably interpreted in a Western context to smack of pantheism or panentheism. But given the strict doctrinal standards of orthodoxy in the Eastern Churches, I would purposely hesitate to attach such labels to the mystical and ascetical theology of the Orthodox. Orthodox dogmatic theology, the content of necessary and salvific doctrine, like Anglicanism's, is contained in the Liturgy and the consensus of the Fathers, which in turn interpret the Holy Scriptures: Scripture and Tradition fit hand-in-glove and support and interpret and fulfill each other. The Orthodox, like Anglicans, believe in the absolute primacy and infallibility of Scripture. So the seemingly wild expressions in The Way must be subject to both Scripture and the consensus patricum of the Undivided Church, and that even the Pilgrim should know quite well.
You offer the excellent and very observant question - What does the Pilgrim mean when he refers to the inner self, or entering into oneself? If such sentiments were gesticulated in a pagan or heathen context we should surely say he has fallen prey to the New Age movement or gnosticism. But he is an Orthodox Christian. The answer to the dilemma is found in the Eastern Orthodox doctrine of theosis or deification, divinisation, which emphasises the fact that God is Light and the Christian, regenerated by the Holy Ghost and infused with the divine life in Baptism and the Eucharist, is capable of participating in the life and light of God to such a degree that he may have a mystical vision and communion with the Light of God. Many of the great Eastern Fathers, including Saint Gregory Nazianzus (4th c.), Saint Maximus the Confessor (5th c.) and Saint Symeon the New Theologian (11th c.), directly and explicitly describe the Vision of Light they experienced through hesychasm and the Prayer of the Heart. II Saint Peter 1.4 is the locus classicus for this doctrine in the New Testament, 'we are partakers of the divine nature.' In the Old Testament the Fathers emphasise Psalm 82.1,6, which refers to the children of God as being like God Himself. 'ye are all gods and children of the Most High'.
Therefore the mystical tradition of the Eastern Churches does not intend to convey some gnostic self-centred new ageish assertion that man is a spark of the divine or a manifestation of a god-force or other such nonsense. Quite the opposite is intended - Orthodox anthropology sees the human person united to Jesus Christ as one who has been made by grace to become what God is by nature, or to use the Athanasian formula, 'God became Man so that man may become God.' Saint Gregory the Theologian writes along the same lines: 'The Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of men may become the sons of God.' The 'inner self 'or 'entering into oneself' to which the Pilgrim makes reference is the participation of the soul in the divine grace, and union of the human person with the Trinitarian Communion of the Godhead. The Pilgrim is not worshipping himself as some piece or part of God, nor is he trying to find a self-emanation of a god-force by self-meditation or self-contemplation. He moves into the heart in prayer because it is there, in his heart sanctified by the life-giving Trinity, where the miracle of the union of God and man in Christ is revealed in all of its power, grace and glory. God living in the heart is not merely metaphor; it is reality.
In theosis, man in Christ becomes truly, intrinsically and ontologically, and not only nominally, forensically or exteriorly, the Likeness of God, and shares in the energy and life of the Holy Trinity, although he does not share in or know the essence of God, which essence is inaccessible and unknowable. Or so says Saint Gregory Palamas! In Eastern Orthodoxy, grace is nothing short of God Himself graciously and gratuitously working is us to make us the full and complete Likeness to God in moral and spiritual virtue, in holiness, by Christ and the Holy Spirit. The Prayer of the Heart, in Orthodox theology, is permitted to look in the self and enter the self only, and strictly only, because the Holy Ghost lives there, Jesus Christ lives there, and has made the Christian the Temple and dwelling-place of the Trinity.
In theosis, what we Westerners usually call the process of sanctification, God conforms us more and more closely and intimately to Himself, and makes us really to share in His life, His grace, His holiness and His attributes, the most tangible of which is the Divine Light. The concept of God as Light is, of course, Scriptural and found as well in the Constantinopolitan Creed. In theosis, we enter into the energy and life of God, His Light, so that like Our Lord on the Mount of Tabor in His Transfiguration, and in the resplendent glory of His Resurrection and divinised Body, we are made to participate through our human nature in the glorified human nature of Jesus Christ. Theosis is our own transfiguration, the foretaste and preparation of our own resurrection and glorification in the Risen Lord, Who gives us His own Light and Life by the Holy Spirit.
The Fathers use the analogy of iron plunged into fire to describe what happens to us in theosis: although we remain completely and immutably human, we take on by grace the properties of God, Who causes us to partake of Him in such a mysterious and ineffable manner that we can be said to be entered indissolubly into His self-giving and self-offering existence of love. The iron remains iron but takes on the property of the fire; Christ in the Incarnation remained God but truly assumed human nature in every way; the Christian remains human but is caused by grace to share the life of God. Deification is the extension of the Incarnation and the purpose for which the Incarnation happened. 'Only that which is assumed is redeemed,' and thus man's whole nature is freed from sin and made incorruptible, immortal and like unto Christ, the Imago Christi, 'we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is' (I St John 3.1-2).
In the sixteenth century, the protestant revolt rejected the possibility that man could, by grace, interiorly, intrinsically and ontologically become one with God, a holy one, a Saint, a 'God by grace', and hence it developed a generally lop-sided view of justification by faith alone as being an alien and external righteousness legally imputed to the believer solely on the basis of his personal assent of faith (Luther) or predestination (Calvin). Vindication not transformation. Luther says that justified man is a dung heap covered in snow - his sins are only covered over, not washed away and replaced by divine life, and man is still inherently sinful, not healed, restored and recreated in nature. In all protestant systems, the idea that grace is objectively infused and imparted so as to make man objectively a genuine partaker of the divine nature is refuted in favour of the doctrine of total depravity and its concomitant view that justification is a matter of subjective faith alone, which changes one's legal status before God but does not divinise from within. We maintain, of course, that both elements of justification and sanctification are necessary, the objective and the subjective...
The Church Catholic has always held that righteousness and grace are not only imputed but really given, really infused into the body and soul, and man, once fallen and deprived of the divine life, is given the capacity to be renovated and renewed into the Image and Likeness of God. Image of God in creation and soul, Likeness to God in holiness and virtue. The Orthodox believe in this synergy of man and God and this transformation of human nature through Christ's assumption of human nature very strongly, and Anglicanism has always, on some level, followed their lead. We believe it too, and thus our doctrine of the Church and Sacraments as means of sanctifying grace.
In the end, I believe we do need to be very careful about expressions of mystical experience and communion with God, and we need to be very theologically and doctrinally precise with our language so as to avoid error or misunderstanding, but with those caveats offered, I do not believe in the instance of The Way we have any heretical or unbiblical perspective being presented. The context of the Eastern patristic and conciliar tradition is here all important. Rather, in language we Westerners find bizarre and even troubling, the Orthodox are expressing the ancient belief of the whole Catholic Church that those who are adopted as the children of God by grace and regeneration, and transformed inwardly by the Sacraments, are made to participate in God and to live the life of God in the communion of the Holy Trinity, which mystery both East and West call theosis or God-likeness.
My ability to elucidate these mysteries is very limited indeed and I appreciate your patience in bearing with me! Please feel free to send along your thoughts and comments. God bless you and keep you!
Given those problems, one can understand how The Way is understandably interpreted in a Western context to smack of pantheism or panentheism. But given the strict doctrinal standards of orthodoxy in the Eastern Churches, I would purposely hesitate to attach such labels to the mystical and ascetical theology of the Orthodox. Orthodox dogmatic theology, the content of necessary and salvific doctrine, like Anglicanism's, is contained in the Liturgy and the consensus of the Fathers, which in turn interpret the Holy Scriptures: Scripture and Tradition fit hand-in-glove and support and interpret and fulfill each other. The Orthodox, like Anglicans, believe in the absolute primacy and infallibility of Scripture. So the seemingly wild expressions in The Way must be subject to both Scripture and the consensus patricum of the Undivided Church, and that even the Pilgrim should know quite well.
You offer the excellent and very observant question - What does the Pilgrim mean when he refers to the inner self, or entering into oneself? If such sentiments were gesticulated in a pagan or heathen context we should surely say he has fallen prey to the New Age movement or gnosticism. But he is an Orthodox Christian. The answer to the dilemma is found in the Eastern Orthodox doctrine of theosis or deification, divinisation, which emphasises the fact that God is Light and the Christian, regenerated by the Holy Ghost and infused with the divine life in Baptism and the Eucharist, is capable of participating in the life and light of God to such a degree that he may have a mystical vision and communion with the Light of God. Many of the great Eastern Fathers, including Saint Gregory Nazianzus (4th c.), Saint Maximus the Confessor (5th c.) and Saint Symeon the New Theologian (11th c.), directly and explicitly describe the Vision of Light they experienced through hesychasm and the Prayer of the Heart. II Saint Peter 1.4 is the locus classicus for this doctrine in the New Testament, 'we are partakers of the divine nature.' In the Old Testament the Fathers emphasise Psalm 82.1,6, which refers to the children of God as being like God Himself. 'ye are all gods and children of the Most High'.
Therefore the mystical tradition of the Eastern Churches does not intend to convey some gnostic self-centred new ageish assertion that man is a spark of the divine or a manifestation of a god-force or other such nonsense. Quite the opposite is intended - Orthodox anthropology sees the human person united to Jesus Christ as one who has been made by grace to become what God is by nature, or to use the Athanasian formula, 'God became Man so that man may become God.' Saint Gregory the Theologian writes along the same lines: 'The Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of men may become the sons of God.' The 'inner self 'or 'entering into oneself' to which the Pilgrim makes reference is the participation of the soul in the divine grace, and union of the human person with the Trinitarian Communion of the Godhead. The Pilgrim is not worshipping himself as some piece or part of God, nor is he trying to find a self-emanation of a god-force by self-meditation or self-contemplation. He moves into the heart in prayer because it is there, in his heart sanctified by the life-giving Trinity, where the miracle of the union of God and man in Christ is revealed in all of its power, grace and glory. God living in the heart is not merely metaphor; it is reality.
In theosis, man in Christ becomes truly, intrinsically and ontologically, and not only nominally, forensically or exteriorly, the Likeness of God, and shares in the energy and life of the Holy Trinity, although he does not share in or know the essence of God, which essence is inaccessible and unknowable. Or so says Saint Gregory Palamas! In Eastern Orthodoxy, grace is nothing short of God Himself graciously and gratuitously working is us to make us the full and complete Likeness to God in moral and spiritual virtue, in holiness, by Christ and the Holy Spirit. The Prayer of the Heart, in Orthodox theology, is permitted to look in the self and enter the self only, and strictly only, because the Holy Ghost lives there, Jesus Christ lives there, and has made the Christian the Temple and dwelling-place of the Trinity.
In theosis, what we Westerners usually call the process of sanctification, God conforms us more and more closely and intimately to Himself, and makes us really to share in His life, His grace, His holiness and His attributes, the most tangible of which is the Divine Light. The concept of God as Light is, of course, Scriptural and found as well in the Constantinopolitan Creed. In theosis, we enter into the energy and life of God, His Light, so that like Our Lord on the Mount of Tabor in His Transfiguration, and in the resplendent glory of His Resurrection and divinised Body, we are made to participate through our human nature in the glorified human nature of Jesus Christ. Theosis is our own transfiguration, the foretaste and preparation of our own resurrection and glorification in the Risen Lord, Who gives us His own Light and Life by the Holy Spirit.
The Fathers use the analogy of iron plunged into fire to describe what happens to us in theosis: although we remain completely and immutably human, we take on by grace the properties of God, Who causes us to partake of Him in such a mysterious and ineffable manner that we can be said to be entered indissolubly into His self-giving and self-offering existence of love. The iron remains iron but takes on the property of the fire; Christ in the Incarnation remained God but truly assumed human nature in every way; the Christian remains human but is caused by grace to share the life of God. Deification is the extension of the Incarnation and the purpose for which the Incarnation happened. 'Only that which is assumed is redeemed,' and thus man's whole nature is freed from sin and made incorruptible, immortal and like unto Christ, the Imago Christi, 'we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is' (I St John 3.1-2).
In the sixteenth century, the protestant revolt rejected the possibility that man could, by grace, interiorly, intrinsically and ontologically become one with God, a holy one, a Saint, a 'God by grace', and hence it developed a generally lop-sided view of justification by faith alone as being an alien and external righteousness legally imputed to the believer solely on the basis of his personal assent of faith (Luther) or predestination (Calvin). Vindication not transformation. Luther says that justified man is a dung heap covered in snow - his sins are only covered over, not washed away and replaced by divine life, and man is still inherently sinful, not healed, restored and recreated in nature. In all protestant systems, the idea that grace is objectively infused and imparted so as to make man objectively a genuine partaker of the divine nature is refuted in favour of the doctrine of total depravity and its concomitant view that justification is a matter of subjective faith alone, which changes one's legal status before God but does not divinise from within. We maintain, of course, that both elements of justification and sanctification are necessary, the objective and the subjective...
The Church Catholic has always held that righteousness and grace are not only imputed but really given, really infused into the body and soul, and man, once fallen and deprived of the divine life, is given the capacity to be renovated and renewed into the Image and Likeness of God. Image of God in creation and soul, Likeness to God in holiness and virtue. The Orthodox believe in this synergy of man and God and this transformation of human nature through Christ's assumption of human nature very strongly, and Anglicanism has always, on some level, followed their lead. We believe it too, and thus our doctrine of the Church and Sacraments as means of sanctifying grace.
In the end, I believe we do need to be very careful about expressions of mystical experience and communion with God, and we need to be very theologically and doctrinally precise with our language so as to avoid error or misunderstanding, but with those caveats offered, I do not believe in the instance of The Way we have any heretical or unbiblical perspective being presented. The context of the Eastern patristic and conciliar tradition is here all important. Rather, in language we Westerners find bizarre and even troubling, the Orthodox are expressing the ancient belief of the whole Catholic Church that those who are adopted as the children of God by grace and regeneration, and transformed inwardly by the Sacraments, are made to participate in God and to live the life of God in the communion of the Holy Trinity, which mystery both East and West call theosis or God-likeness.
My ability to elucidate these mysteries is very limited indeed and I appreciate your patience in bearing with me! Please feel free to send along your thoughts and comments. God bless you and keep you!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
The Church of the Triune God: The Cyprus Agreed Statement
Finally online...
The Church of the Triune God: The Cyprus Agreed Statement
The publication of The Church of the Triune God: The Cyprus Agreed Statement concludes the third phase of the Anglican-Orthodox international theological dialogue. The Statement sets out significant material on the life of the Church which is timely and pertinent to many of the current debates within Anglicanism. It will be offered for consideration at the next Lambeth Conference in 2008.
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ministry/ecumenical/dialogues/orthodox/docs/pdf/The%20Church%20of%20the%20Triune%20God.pdf
The Church of the Triune God: The Cyprus Agreed Statement
The publication of The Church of the Triune God: The Cyprus Agreed Statement concludes the third phase of the Anglican-Orthodox international theological dialogue. The Statement sets out significant material on the life of the Church which is timely and pertinent to many of the current debates within Anglicanism. It will be offered for consideration at the next Lambeth Conference in 2008.
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ministry/ecumenical/dialogues/orthodox/docs/pdf/The%20Church%20of%20the%20Triune%20God.pdf
FIFNA: On Priestesses and the 1954 South African BCP
The Forward in Faith North America Assembly has called on the CCP to suspend the purported ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate pending a promised study of the problem in the Partnership and has also, rather curiously, endorsed the 1954 South African Book of Common Prayer and the 1929 Scottish BCP Canon of the Mass as FIFNA's official standard of worship as opposed to the more natural choice of the 1928 American or 1962 Canadian Prayer Books...
http://www.forwardinfaith.com/artman/publish/article_412.shtml
2008.2 Whereas the leaders of the Anglican Communion Network and the American Anglican Council have declared their commitment to conduct a substantial theological study on the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate, which has been subsequently reiterated as the intention of the Common Cause Partnership, Be it resolved that Forward in Faith North America calls upon the Common Cause Partnership to declare a moratorium on the ordination of women to the priesthood or episcopate pending the completion of the study.
2008.5A Resolution pursuant to the Articles of the Common Cause Partnership
Whereas Article 2, paragraph 1 of The Common Cause Partnership states that each Partner "accepts one of the historic Books of Common Prayer as the primary standard of worship"; Be it resolved that Forward in Faith, North America, accept as its primary standard of worship The Book of Common Prayer as set forth in 1954 for use in the Church of South Africa; But be it further resolved that, in observance of Bishop Seabury's promise to the bishops of the Episcopal Church in Scotland who consecrated him, the eucharistic prayer of the Scottish Liturgy, as set forth in that Church's Book of Common Prayer as approved in 1929 shall be used in place of the corresponding text in the South African book.
ALL glory and thanksgiving be to thee, Almighty God, our heavenly Father, for that thou of thy tender mercy didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption; who, by his own oblation of himself once offered, made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world; and did institute, and in his holy Gospel command us to continue, a perpetual memorial of that his precious death and sacrifice until his coming again.
For, in the night that he was betrayed, he took bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is my Body, which is given for you: Do this in remembrance of me. Likewise after supper he took the cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of this, for this is my Blood of the new testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins: Do this as oft as ye shall drink it in remembrance of me.
Wherefore, O Lord, and heavenly Father, according to the institution of thy dearly beloved Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, we thy humble servants do celebrate and make here before thy Divine Majesty, with these thy holy gifts, which we now offer unto thee, the memorial thy Son hath commanded us to make; having in remembrance his blessed passion, and precious death, his mighty resurrection, and glorious ascension; rendering unto thee most hearty thanks for the innumerable benefits procured unto us by the same, and looking for his coming again with power and great glory.
And we thine unworthy servants beseech thee, most merciful Father, to hear us, and to send thy Holy Spirit upon us and upon these thy gifts and creatures of bread and wine, that, being blessed and hallowed by his life-giving power, they may become the Body and Blood of thy most dearly beloved Son, to the end that all who shall receive the same may be sanctified both in body and soul, and preserved unto everlasting life.
And we earnestly desire thy fatherly goodness, mercifully to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, most humbly beseeching thee to grant, that by the merits and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in his blood, we and all thy whole Church may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of his passion.
And here we humbly offer and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee, beseeching thee that all we who shall be partakers of this Holy Communion may worthily receive the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ, and be fulfilled with thy grace and heavenly benediction, and made one body with him, that he may dwell in us and we in him.
And although we be unworthy, through our manifold sins, to offer unto thee any sacrifice; yet we beseech thee to accept this our bounden duty and service, not weighing our merits, but pardoning our offences, through Jesus Christ our Lord; by whom, and with whom, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory be unto thee, O Father Almighty, world without end. Amen.
http://www.forwardinfaith.com/artman/publish/article_412.shtml
2008.2 Whereas the leaders of the Anglican Communion Network and the American Anglican Council have declared their commitment to conduct a substantial theological study on the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate, which has been subsequently reiterated as the intention of the Common Cause Partnership, Be it resolved that Forward in Faith North America calls upon the Common Cause Partnership to declare a moratorium on the ordination of women to the priesthood or episcopate pending the completion of the study.
2008.5A Resolution pursuant to the Articles of the Common Cause Partnership
Whereas Article 2, paragraph 1 of The Common Cause Partnership states that each Partner "accepts one of the historic Books of Common Prayer as the primary standard of worship"; Be it resolved that Forward in Faith, North America, accept as its primary standard of worship The Book of Common Prayer as set forth in 1954 for use in the Church of South Africa; But be it further resolved that, in observance of Bishop Seabury's promise to the bishops of the Episcopal Church in Scotland who consecrated him, the eucharistic prayer of the Scottish Liturgy, as set forth in that Church's Book of Common Prayer as approved in 1929 shall be used in place of the corresponding text in the South African book.
ALL glory and thanksgiving be to thee, Almighty God, our heavenly Father, for that thou of thy tender mercy didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption; who, by his own oblation of himself once offered, made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world; and did institute, and in his holy Gospel command us to continue, a perpetual memorial of that his precious death and sacrifice until his coming again.
For, in the night that he was betrayed, he took bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is my Body, which is given for you: Do this in remembrance of me. Likewise after supper he took the cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of this, for this is my Blood of the new testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins: Do this as oft as ye shall drink it in remembrance of me.
Wherefore, O Lord, and heavenly Father, according to the institution of thy dearly beloved Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, we thy humble servants do celebrate and make here before thy Divine Majesty, with these thy holy gifts, which we now offer unto thee, the memorial thy Son hath commanded us to make; having in remembrance his blessed passion, and precious death, his mighty resurrection, and glorious ascension; rendering unto thee most hearty thanks for the innumerable benefits procured unto us by the same, and looking for his coming again with power and great glory.
And we thine unworthy servants beseech thee, most merciful Father, to hear us, and to send thy Holy Spirit upon us and upon these thy gifts and creatures of bread and wine, that, being blessed and hallowed by his life-giving power, they may become the Body and Blood of thy most dearly beloved Son, to the end that all who shall receive the same may be sanctified both in body and soul, and preserved unto everlasting life.
And we earnestly desire thy fatherly goodness, mercifully to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, most humbly beseeching thee to grant, that by the merits and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in his blood, we and all thy whole Church may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of his passion.
And here we humbly offer and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee, beseeching thee that all we who shall be partakers of this Holy Communion may worthily receive the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ, and be fulfilled with thy grace and heavenly benediction, and made one body with him, that he may dwell in us and we in him.
And although we be unworthy, through our manifold sins, to offer unto thee any sacrifice; yet we beseech thee to accept this our bounden duty and service, not weighing our merits, but pardoning our offences, through Jesus Christ our Lord; by whom, and with whom, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory be unto thee, O Father Almighty, world without end. Amen.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Board of Examining Chaplains Report to Synod 2008
What I've been up to lately...
To live in the midst of the world with no desire for all its pleasures;
To be a member of every family, yet belonging to one;
To share all sufferings;
To penetrate all secrets, to heal all wounds;
To daily go from men to God to offer Him their homage and petitions;
To return from God to men to bring them His pardon and hope;
To have a heart of fire for charity and a heart of bronze for chastity:
To bless and to be blest forever.
O God, what a life, and it is yours, O Priest of Jesus Christ!
Words of the famous Father JPH Lacordaire regarding the responsibility of the Board of Examining Chaplains, the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. With the truth of these profound words in mind, it continues to be my highest privilege to serve as Chairman of the Board and to present once again this year this report to the Diocesan Synod. I am deeply grateful to the Bishop for the confidence and trust he has placed in me by assigning me to this task, and I pray that I have in the past year discharged this weighty charge with fidelity and determination.
In September 2007 the Bishop graciously bestowed upon me a tremendous honour and responsibility in naming me the Canon Vocations Director of the Diocese. ‘What does a Vocations Director do?’ you may astutely ask. He serves as the official adviser and assistant to the Bishop for the formation and training of the future clergy of the Diocese of the Eastern United States. His principal role is to serve the Church in the process of attracting, cultivating, encouraging and forming vocations of men to the Sacred Order of Priests and the Sacred Order of Deacons and of women to the lay ministry of Deaconess. The ministry of the Canon Vocations Director includes the creation of projects and gatherings designed to promote an increase of vocations to the Ministry and to equip Church leaders, clergy and lay, for ministry and service. He serves as a facilitator for interest in vocations and a liaison for the Board of Examining Chaplains to the wider Church. The Canon Vocations Director, a ministry for building-up the spiritual lives of all the baptized, is available to the whole Diocese, both clergy and laity, to provide information and offer counsel to all interested in the formation process. His ministry is also that of a spiritual director, who is available to supply spiritual companionship, assistance and guidance to any who wish to explore or deepen their sense of vocation to Christian service of whatever kind or form. The Canon Vocations Director serves in a particular way the spiritual and personal needs of seminarians and their families and of those engaged in formation in the Diocese. Please pray for me as I persevere in this new aspect of my ministry.
At this time, I wish to thank the other Examining Chaplains of the Diocese, who sacrifice much of their personal time and energy in the crucial work of this august body. Working with them is the greatest privilege one could have in the Church, and I remain in awe of their knowledge of and commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have these Reverend Fathers to thank for the excellent standards now in place in our Diocese for the formation of Priests, Deacons and Deaconesses for the twenty-first century. I have never seen a finer group of dedicated and hard-working priests: Father David Eastes of the Central Florida Deanery; Dean Douglas King of Saint Paul’s Church, Melbourne, Florida; Dean Glenn Spencer of All Saints’ Church, Charlottesville, Virginia; Father Michael Ward of Saint Mark’s Church, Vero Beach, Florida; and Father Raymond Unterburger of Saint Alban’s Church, Joppa, Maryland, who joined the Board at last year’s Synod. Father Paul Blankinship remains on a leave of absence from the Board. Additionally, we are grateful for Deaconess Tina Jenkins, who has been assigned to assist us in Deaconess formation. It continues to be a joyful blessing for all the Examining Chaplains to serve the Church and Diocese in this ministry, and we again thank the Bishop for our appointment.
Since last Synod, 2 men were ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests, 1 man was ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons and 1 woman was set-apart for the lay ministry of Deaconess. The following men are now Priests forever after the Order of Melchizedek: Father Edward Moore of All Saints’ Church, Charlottesville, Virginia and Father David Chatel of Holy Spirit Church, Mobile, Alabama, who received ordination sub conditione to the Diaconate and Priesthood. Deborah Kidd of Saint George the Martyr Church, Simpsonville, South Carolina was set-apart as a Deaconess.
Currently and splendidly, there are 19 persons enrolled in the diocesan ministry process, from 5 in the beginning application mode to others who fall into different stages on the way to approval for Orders. We should be infinitely grateful to God for the ongoing increase of vocations in our Diocese. Let us continue to pray for a great harvest of vocations to the Sacred Ministry of the Holy Catholic Church and let us beseech the Lord for truly holy, good and godly Priests and Deacons.
At last year’s Synod we received approval from the Bishop and Diocesan Standing Committee to expand over time the current technology at our disposal for the creation of the Diocese of the Eastern United States House of Theological Studies, to begin as soon as possible. This virtual seminary will serve as a training institute for the Diocese in which the training process for ordinands will be formalised according to our own standards. A legal corporation will be created for the structure and organisation of the House, Dean Douglas King serving as administrator/president of the corporation. Once the formal incorporation and organisation of the House have been accomplished, we shall then formally produce the list of courses which we wish to make available on Webex and in print for the seminarians and clergy of the Diocese. We shall also assign instructors for each course: the content, policies, teachers and texts for the courses and the House in general will be determined by the consensus of the Examining Chaplains, which serves to supervise all aspects of the House under the authority of the Bishop.
The first instalment will focus on the formation of future Priests and Deacons in the particulars of the Anglican Tradition, a process of 'Anglicising' in which men will be taught the distinctives of our Anglican patrimony, liturgically, theologically, historically and pastorally. The later instalment will provide continuing education for the clergy of the Diocese. We anticipate a small fee for each student to cover our operating costs, tentatively $200-300 per student per course. We shall administer the House ourselves as the Board of Examining Chaplains and will report to the Bishop and Standing Committee on our activities. The Examining Chaplains will serve as the Board of Directors. The Bishop, of course, serves ex officio on our House Board. We shall administer the finances and bookkeeping of the Board as well. There will be no initial additional costs unless we expand the Webex system beyond its current parameters. We look forward to reporting next year that we have fully implemented the first stage of our plan!
We received at last year’s Synod approval for the official sponsorship of an Annual Seminarians' Support Sunday for the entire Diocese and designated for it, beginning in 2007, the Second Sunday in Advent, Bible Sunday, a most appropriate time of the year to solicit financial support for our men and women. Monies collected that day are sent from all parishes and missions to the Diocesan Treasurer for the Diocesan Seminarian Fund. The first such Sunday was successfully sponsored in 2007. As a result of your generosity and contributions, the total Diocesan Fund reached a high-point of just over $10,000 last year.
Over the past year, the Examining Chaplains have enjoyed the opportunity of working with a number of men and women in varying stages of formation. Father Ernest Pinto, Deacon of Saint Mary’s Church, Delray Beach, Florida continues his seminary formation through the Theological Certificate Programme of the Reformed Theological Seminary virtual campus. Michael Cawthon of Saint Michael the Archangel Church, Charlotte, North Carolina continues the Reformed Theological Seminary virtual campus Master of Arts in Religion programme. Deborah Gravatt of All Saints’ Church, Arden, North Carolina continues her master’s degree programme at Nashotah House Seminary in Wisconsin. Matthew Harlow of Saint Michael the Archangel Church, Charlotte, North Carolina attends the Reformed Theological Seminary virtual campus. Linda Moritz of Saint Mary’s Church, Delray Beach, Florida has reactivated her status as a candidate for the Deaconess ministry. Paul Owen of All Saints’ Church, Arden, North Carolina continues his assigned formation programme. Paul Rivard of Saint Barnabas’ Church, Dunwoody, Georgia, is a seminarian at Erskine Theological Seminary, Due West, South Carolina. Donald Sackett of Saint Alban’s Church, Joppa, Maryland, is a rising senior seminarian at Nashotah House Seminary. Arthur Walker of Saint Michael the Archangel Church, Charlotte, North Carolina is enrolled in the Master of Arts in Theology track through the Distance Learning programme of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.
At our official Synod meeting held Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 June here in Annapolis, we canonically examined Father LeRoy ‘Chris’ Gardner of Church of the Redeemer, Hilton Head, South Carolina for the Sacred Priesthood and we canonically examined Thomas Burr of Saint Paul’s Church, Crownsville, Maryland and Daniel Trout of Saint Alban’s Cathedral for the Sacred Order of Deacons. At this Synod we have submitted our reports concerning examinations to the Bishop and the Standing Committee for their consideration. One candidate for the Priesthood and two candidates for the Diaconate, all approved by the Board, have been presented to the Standing Committee for final approval for ordination at this Synod.
We also interviewed one man for postulancy for Holy Orders in the Diocese: David Keller of Saint Alban’s Cathedral and a transferred postulant from the Anglican Church in America. The Board has subsequently recommended him to the Bishop to begin the next stage of formation.
Father David Bottoms (Major, United States Army) of All Saints’ Church, Charlottesville, Virginia was ordained last week to the Sacred Order of Deacons by Bishop Peter Brewer on behalf of the Reformed Episcopal Church to serve as a chaplain in the Armed Forces. After his ordination to the Sacred Priesthood, he will, God willing, be transferred to our jurisdiction for service under the authority of our Diocese.
Richard Palmer of Saint Paul’s Church, Cincinnati, Ohio was interviewed at this Synod for recommendation by the Bishop’s Advisory Committee. The Committee has subsequently recommended him to the Examining Chaplains to begin the next stage of formation.
At our impending Autumn Meeting later this year, we look forward to having the opportunity to interview the following gentlemen for postulancy for Holy Orders: Mac Boney of All Saints’ Church, Wilmington, North Carolina and Scott Koszalinski of Saint Mary the Virgin Church, Delray Beach, Florida; Barry Messer of Saint Paul’s Church, Melbourne Florida and Leonard Vaughn of Saint Barnabas’ Church, Dunwoody, Georgia has entered the applicant stage of formation.
All Rectors and Vicars are reminded that they should have on file copies of the Diocesan Application for Ministry with its cover pages which provide the sequence of procedures for those contemplating a vocation to Holy Orders in this Church. These materials are available for you in an electronic format. Men who wish to offer themselves for the permanent Diaconate now have a specific programme in which to enter for that purpose. Men who wish to offer themselves for the Priesthood are now required to complete a master’s degree in theology before ordination.
On a personal note, please remember that all members of the Diocese and Province, clergy and lay, are most welcome to contact me at any time regarding any questions or comments concerning the Board of Examining Chaplains and our work. ‘Chad Jones University’ is always open and available for you. The ‘University’ has now officially relocated to Saint Barnabas’ Church in beautiful Dunwoody, Georgia and could be called Traditional Anglicanism’s UGA; please be well assured that the sign on the Curate’s door always says, ‘the Chairman is in,’ and I am at your continual disposal to provide whatever you may need from the Board for the formation and training of our future Priesthood.
Dear Bishop Grundorf, thank you for your loving and continual support of our work, and thank you, beloved members of the Synod, for your time and kind attention.
God bless you! Respectfully submitted: Canon Chandler Holder Jones, SSC, Chairman.
To live in the midst of the world with no desire for all its pleasures;
To be a member of every family, yet belonging to one;
To share all sufferings;
To penetrate all secrets, to heal all wounds;
To daily go from men to God to offer Him their homage and petitions;
To return from God to men to bring them His pardon and hope;
To have a heart of fire for charity and a heart of bronze for chastity:
To bless and to be blest forever.
O God, what a life, and it is yours, O Priest of Jesus Christ!
Words of the famous Father JPH Lacordaire regarding the responsibility of the Board of Examining Chaplains, the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. With the truth of these profound words in mind, it continues to be my highest privilege to serve as Chairman of the Board and to present once again this year this report to the Diocesan Synod. I am deeply grateful to the Bishop for the confidence and trust he has placed in me by assigning me to this task, and I pray that I have in the past year discharged this weighty charge with fidelity and determination.
In September 2007 the Bishop graciously bestowed upon me a tremendous honour and responsibility in naming me the Canon Vocations Director of the Diocese. ‘What does a Vocations Director do?’ you may astutely ask. He serves as the official adviser and assistant to the Bishop for the formation and training of the future clergy of the Diocese of the Eastern United States. His principal role is to serve the Church in the process of attracting, cultivating, encouraging and forming vocations of men to the Sacred Order of Priests and the Sacred Order of Deacons and of women to the lay ministry of Deaconess. The ministry of the Canon Vocations Director includes the creation of projects and gatherings designed to promote an increase of vocations to the Ministry and to equip Church leaders, clergy and lay, for ministry and service. He serves as a facilitator for interest in vocations and a liaison for the Board of Examining Chaplains to the wider Church. The Canon Vocations Director, a ministry for building-up the spiritual lives of all the baptized, is available to the whole Diocese, both clergy and laity, to provide information and offer counsel to all interested in the formation process. His ministry is also that of a spiritual director, who is available to supply spiritual companionship, assistance and guidance to any who wish to explore or deepen their sense of vocation to Christian service of whatever kind or form. The Canon Vocations Director serves in a particular way the spiritual and personal needs of seminarians and their families and of those engaged in formation in the Diocese. Please pray for me as I persevere in this new aspect of my ministry.
At this time, I wish to thank the other Examining Chaplains of the Diocese, who sacrifice much of their personal time and energy in the crucial work of this august body. Working with them is the greatest privilege one could have in the Church, and I remain in awe of their knowledge of and commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have these Reverend Fathers to thank for the excellent standards now in place in our Diocese for the formation of Priests, Deacons and Deaconesses for the twenty-first century. I have never seen a finer group of dedicated and hard-working priests: Father David Eastes of the Central Florida Deanery; Dean Douglas King of Saint Paul’s Church, Melbourne, Florida; Dean Glenn Spencer of All Saints’ Church, Charlottesville, Virginia; Father Michael Ward of Saint Mark’s Church, Vero Beach, Florida; and Father Raymond Unterburger of Saint Alban’s Church, Joppa, Maryland, who joined the Board at last year’s Synod. Father Paul Blankinship remains on a leave of absence from the Board. Additionally, we are grateful for Deaconess Tina Jenkins, who has been assigned to assist us in Deaconess formation. It continues to be a joyful blessing for all the Examining Chaplains to serve the Church and Diocese in this ministry, and we again thank the Bishop for our appointment.
Since last Synod, 2 men were ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests, 1 man was ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons and 1 woman was set-apart for the lay ministry of Deaconess. The following men are now Priests forever after the Order of Melchizedek: Father Edward Moore of All Saints’ Church, Charlottesville, Virginia and Father David Chatel of Holy Spirit Church, Mobile, Alabama, who received ordination sub conditione to the Diaconate and Priesthood. Deborah Kidd of Saint George the Martyr Church, Simpsonville, South Carolina was set-apart as a Deaconess.
Currently and splendidly, there are 19 persons enrolled in the diocesan ministry process, from 5 in the beginning application mode to others who fall into different stages on the way to approval for Orders. We should be infinitely grateful to God for the ongoing increase of vocations in our Diocese. Let us continue to pray for a great harvest of vocations to the Sacred Ministry of the Holy Catholic Church and let us beseech the Lord for truly holy, good and godly Priests and Deacons.
At last year’s Synod we received approval from the Bishop and Diocesan Standing Committee to expand over time the current technology at our disposal for the creation of the Diocese of the Eastern United States House of Theological Studies, to begin as soon as possible. This virtual seminary will serve as a training institute for the Diocese in which the training process for ordinands will be formalised according to our own standards. A legal corporation will be created for the structure and organisation of the House, Dean Douglas King serving as administrator/president of the corporation. Once the formal incorporation and organisation of the House have been accomplished, we shall then formally produce the list of courses which we wish to make available on Webex and in print for the seminarians and clergy of the Diocese. We shall also assign instructors for each course: the content, policies, teachers and texts for the courses and the House in general will be determined by the consensus of the Examining Chaplains, which serves to supervise all aspects of the House under the authority of the Bishop.
The first instalment will focus on the formation of future Priests and Deacons in the particulars of the Anglican Tradition, a process of 'Anglicising' in which men will be taught the distinctives of our Anglican patrimony, liturgically, theologically, historically and pastorally. The later instalment will provide continuing education for the clergy of the Diocese. We anticipate a small fee for each student to cover our operating costs, tentatively $200-300 per student per course. We shall administer the House ourselves as the Board of Examining Chaplains and will report to the Bishop and Standing Committee on our activities. The Examining Chaplains will serve as the Board of Directors. The Bishop, of course, serves ex officio on our House Board. We shall administer the finances and bookkeeping of the Board as well. There will be no initial additional costs unless we expand the Webex system beyond its current parameters. We look forward to reporting next year that we have fully implemented the first stage of our plan!
We received at last year’s Synod approval for the official sponsorship of an Annual Seminarians' Support Sunday for the entire Diocese and designated for it, beginning in 2007, the Second Sunday in Advent, Bible Sunday, a most appropriate time of the year to solicit financial support for our men and women. Monies collected that day are sent from all parishes and missions to the Diocesan Treasurer for the Diocesan Seminarian Fund. The first such Sunday was successfully sponsored in 2007. As a result of your generosity and contributions, the total Diocesan Fund reached a high-point of just over $10,000 last year.
Over the past year, the Examining Chaplains have enjoyed the opportunity of working with a number of men and women in varying stages of formation. Father Ernest Pinto, Deacon of Saint Mary’s Church, Delray Beach, Florida continues his seminary formation through the Theological Certificate Programme of the Reformed Theological Seminary virtual campus. Michael Cawthon of Saint Michael the Archangel Church, Charlotte, North Carolina continues the Reformed Theological Seminary virtual campus Master of Arts in Religion programme. Deborah Gravatt of All Saints’ Church, Arden, North Carolina continues her master’s degree programme at Nashotah House Seminary in Wisconsin. Matthew Harlow of Saint Michael the Archangel Church, Charlotte, North Carolina attends the Reformed Theological Seminary virtual campus. Linda Moritz of Saint Mary’s Church, Delray Beach, Florida has reactivated her status as a candidate for the Deaconess ministry. Paul Owen of All Saints’ Church, Arden, North Carolina continues his assigned formation programme. Paul Rivard of Saint Barnabas’ Church, Dunwoody, Georgia, is a seminarian at Erskine Theological Seminary, Due West, South Carolina. Donald Sackett of Saint Alban’s Church, Joppa, Maryland, is a rising senior seminarian at Nashotah House Seminary. Arthur Walker of Saint Michael the Archangel Church, Charlotte, North Carolina is enrolled in the Master of Arts in Theology track through the Distance Learning programme of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.
At our official Synod meeting held Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 June here in Annapolis, we canonically examined Father LeRoy ‘Chris’ Gardner of Church of the Redeemer, Hilton Head, South Carolina for the Sacred Priesthood and we canonically examined Thomas Burr of Saint Paul’s Church, Crownsville, Maryland and Daniel Trout of Saint Alban’s Cathedral for the Sacred Order of Deacons. At this Synod we have submitted our reports concerning examinations to the Bishop and the Standing Committee for their consideration. One candidate for the Priesthood and two candidates for the Diaconate, all approved by the Board, have been presented to the Standing Committee for final approval for ordination at this Synod.
We also interviewed one man for postulancy for Holy Orders in the Diocese: David Keller of Saint Alban’s Cathedral and a transferred postulant from the Anglican Church in America. The Board has subsequently recommended him to the Bishop to begin the next stage of formation.
Father David Bottoms (Major, United States Army) of All Saints’ Church, Charlottesville, Virginia was ordained last week to the Sacred Order of Deacons by Bishop Peter Brewer on behalf of the Reformed Episcopal Church to serve as a chaplain in the Armed Forces. After his ordination to the Sacred Priesthood, he will, God willing, be transferred to our jurisdiction for service under the authority of our Diocese.
Richard Palmer of Saint Paul’s Church, Cincinnati, Ohio was interviewed at this Synod for recommendation by the Bishop’s Advisory Committee. The Committee has subsequently recommended him to the Examining Chaplains to begin the next stage of formation.
At our impending Autumn Meeting later this year, we look forward to having the opportunity to interview the following gentlemen for postulancy for Holy Orders: Mac Boney of All Saints’ Church, Wilmington, North Carolina and Scott Koszalinski of Saint Mary the Virgin Church, Delray Beach, Florida; Barry Messer of Saint Paul’s Church, Melbourne Florida and Leonard Vaughn of Saint Barnabas’ Church, Dunwoody, Georgia has entered the applicant stage of formation.
All Rectors and Vicars are reminded that they should have on file copies of the Diocesan Application for Ministry with its cover pages which provide the sequence of procedures for those contemplating a vocation to Holy Orders in this Church. These materials are available for you in an electronic format. Men who wish to offer themselves for the permanent Diaconate now have a specific programme in which to enter for that purpose. Men who wish to offer themselves for the Priesthood are now required to complete a master’s degree in theology before ordination.
On a personal note, please remember that all members of the Diocese and Province, clergy and lay, are most welcome to contact me at any time regarding any questions or comments concerning the Board of Examining Chaplains and our work. ‘Chad Jones University’ is always open and available for you. The ‘University’ has now officially relocated to Saint Barnabas’ Church in beautiful Dunwoody, Georgia and could be called Traditional Anglicanism’s UGA; please be well assured that the sign on the Curate’s door always says, ‘the Chairman is in,’ and I am at your continual disposal to provide whatever you may need from the Board for the formation and training of our future Priesthood.
Dear Bishop Grundorf, thank you for your loving and continual support of our work, and thank you, beloved members of the Synod, for your time and kind attention.
God bless you! Respectfully submitted: Canon Chandler Holder Jones, SSC, Chairman.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
The Reverend Father Brandon Holder Jones
Thou art a Priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek!
Congratulations and blessings to Father Brandon Holder Jones, my identical twin brother, who, by the Imposition of Hands and the Invocation of the Holy Ghost, received the Sacred Order of Priests on Saturday 7 June 2008, at Saint Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. The ordaining prelate was His Excellency, the Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. Please pray for Father Brandon as he begins his new ministry. It so happens that the date of his First Holy Mass coincides with the anniversary of my ordination to the Sacred Order of Deacons, 8 June 1996, the Saturday in the Octave of Corpus Christi that year. What is most remarkable and providential, but certainly not coincidental, is that our anniversaries converge in a fascinating way: The anniversary of my First Mass is the anniversary of his ordination to the Diaconate; the anniversary of his First Mass is the anniversary of my ordination to the Diaconate. The Lord works in mysterious ways indeed.
It was an unutterable privilege to be present at Father Brad's Priestly Ordination and to be seated in the sanctuary for his first celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Let us pray that someday it may be possible for Anglican and Roman priests, restored to full communion with one another in the Faith of the Undivided Church of the First Millennium, to concelebrate the One Eucharist of the Lord and to communicate together in the One Mystery of the Altar. Let us also continue to pray fervently for a ever increasing co-operation and collaboration between the English Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches. Ut unum sint.
Congratulations and blessings to Father Brandon Holder Jones, my identical twin brother, who, by the Imposition of Hands and the Invocation of the Holy Ghost, received the Sacred Order of Priests on Saturday 7 June 2008, at Saint Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. The ordaining prelate was His Excellency, the Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. Please pray for Father Brandon as he begins his new ministry. It so happens that the date of his First Holy Mass coincides with the anniversary of my ordination to the Sacred Order of Deacons, 8 June 1996, the Saturday in the Octave of Corpus Christi that year. What is most remarkable and providential, but certainly not coincidental, is that our anniversaries converge in a fascinating way: The anniversary of my First Mass is the anniversary of his ordination to the Diaconate; the anniversary of his First Mass is the anniversary of my ordination to the Diaconate. The Lord works in mysterious ways indeed.
It was an unutterable privilege to be present at Father Brad's Priestly Ordination and to be seated in the sanctuary for his first celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Let us pray that someday it may be possible for Anglican and Roman priests, restored to full communion with one another in the Faith of the Undivided Church of the First Millennium, to concelebrate the One Eucharist of the Lord and to communicate together in the One Mystery of the Altar. Let us also continue to pray fervently for a ever increasing co-operation and collaboration between the English Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches. Ut unum sint.
The Dissolution of Institutional Episcopalianism: Defending the Indefensible
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8388
TEC Bishop John Howe writes:
Common Cause is a confederation of Anglican-style entities that are not recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and in my opinion, will not hold together. Their fatal flaw is their disagreement over the ordination of women. Common Cause cannot and will not recognize as valid the priesthood of Valerie Balius. It is not a Communion solution.
The characterisation/epithet of 'Anglican-style' for the bodies and organisations comprising the Common Cause Partnership is provocative and surprisingly dismissive. Is the Bishop calling CCP bodies vagantes? Many have thought that the Bishop of Central Florida was sympathetic to the CCP, but that is clearly no longer the case. What is clear is that he is a firm supporter of women's 'ordination' and perceives the CCP as a threat to the preservation or recognition of that innovation. Bishop Howe is, however, quite correct about the communion-dividing problem posed by the ordination of women, and indeed that obstacle does seem to be the potential origin and harbinger of a future break-up of the CCP. Unless the question of women's ordination is finally settled one way or the other to the satisfaction of all involved, it threatens to polarise and ultimately divide the CCP as it irrevocably split the Anglican Communion itself.
In leaving The Episcopal Church the options before you are to ally with a Bishop who is not recognized as such by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He alone defines who is and who is not "Anglican."
The Anglican Marian exiles of the sixteenth century, the British Catholic Church of the Non-Jurors, the faithful Anglican remnant during the English Commonwealth and Interregnum, the Anglicans of South India after 1947, the Continuing Churches past and present, and a fledgling American Episcopal Church after 1776 would all vehemently disagree with this sweeping over generalisation and assertion. It is flatly unhistorical and erects a disturbing precedent. The Archiepiscopate of Canterbury is not an Anglican Papacy, not has it ever attempted to define Anglicanism beyond what is canonically stipulated in the Church of England as allegiance to Catholic Faith and Order and the authority of the BCP, Ordinal and XXXIX Articles of Religion, and maintenance of communio in sacris with those Churches which have historically comprised the Anglican Communion. Bishops William Sancroft, Francis Turner, William Lloyd, William Thomas, John Lake, Thomas Cartwright, Thomas Ken, and even Robert Kilgour, Arthur Petrie, John Skinner and Samuel Seabury were all perfectly Anglican and orthodox, although they were certainly not always in communion with either the Church of England or the See of Canterbury.
It seems the apologia for TEC Institution has taken on a more desperate tone...
TEC Bishop John Howe writes:
Common Cause is a confederation of Anglican-style entities that are not recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and in my opinion, will not hold together. Their fatal flaw is their disagreement over the ordination of women. Common Cause cannot and will not recognize as valid the priesthood of Valerie Balius. It is not a Communion solution.
The characterisation/epithet of 'Anglican-style' for the bodies and organisations comprising the Common Cause Partnership is provocative and surprisingly dismissive. Is the Bishop calling CCP bodies vagantes? Many have thought that the Bishop of Central Florida was sympathetic to the CCP, but that is clearly no longer the case. What is clear is that he is a firm supporter of women's 'ordination' and perceives the CCP as a threat to the preservation or recognition of that innovation. Bishop Howe is, however, quite correct about the communion-dividing problem posed by the ordination of women, and indeed that obstacle does seem to be the potential origin and harbinger of a future break-up of the CCP. Unless the question of women's ordination is finally settled one way or the other to the satisfaction of all involved, it threatens to polarise and ultimately divide the CCP as it irrevocably split the Anglican Communion itself.
In leaving The Episcopal Church the options before you are to ally with a Bishop who is not recognized as such by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He alone defines who is and who is not "Anglican."
The Anglican Marian exiles of the sixteenth century, the British Catholic Church of the Non-Jurors, the faithful Anglican remnant during the English Commonwealth and Interregnum, the Anglicans of South India after 1947, the Continuing Churches past and present, and a fledgling American Episcopal Church after 1776 would all vehemently disagree with this sweeping over generalisation and assertion. It is flatly unhistorical and erects a disturbing precedent. The Archiepiscopate of Canterbury is not an Anglican Papacy, not has it ever attempted to define Anglicanism beyond what is canonically stipulated in the Church of England as allegiance to Catholic Faith and Order and the authority of the BCP, Ordinal and XXXIX Articles of Religion, and maintenance of communio in sacris with those Churches which have historically comprised the Anglican Communion. Bishops William Sancroft, Francis Turner, William Lloyd, William Thomas, John Lake, Thomas Cartwright, Thomas Ken, and even Robert Kilgour, Arthur Petrie, John Skinner and Samuel Seabury were all perfectly Anglican and orthodox, although they were certainly not always in communion with either the Church of England or the See of Canterbury.
It seems the apologia for TEC Institution has taken on a more desperate tone...
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Traditional Catholicism Preserved By Anglicans
http://thenewliturgicalmovement.blogspot.com/
See Saturday, May 24, 2008, Not Your Grandmother's--or Your Mother's--Eucharistic Hymn.
Leave it to the Anglicans indeed!
See Saturday, May 24, 2008, Not Your Grandmother's--or Your Mother's--Eucharistic Hymn.
Leave it to the Anglicans indeed!
Good Liturgical Words from Former Anglican Priest
'Actually, I was spiritually formed as a "High Anglican" more familiar with the rituals of the usus antiquior than many of my Catholic contemporaries and, upon becoming a [Roman] Catholic, the adjustment to popularized forms of the Novus Ordo, albeit not envisioned by the Fathers of Vatican II, was painful. Most of the Masses in my parish are Novus Ordo but they are celebrated in such a way that visitors often think they are "the old Mass."'
-Father George Rutler at http://thenewliturgicalmovement.blogspot.com/
-Father George Rutler at http://thenewliturgicalmovement.blogspot.com/
'Roman' Assyrians
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000286.shtml
http://www.kaldaya.net/2008/DailyNews/05/May12_08_E2_Unity.html
On Whitsunday 2008, three thousand former members of the Assyrian Church of the East and their Bishop, Mar Bawai Soro, were officially received into the Chaldean Rite in communion with the Bishop of Rome.
The Assyrian Church of the East has long enjoyed a positive and unique relationship with the Anglican Communion, which culminated in the Mission of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Assyrian Church at the turn of the twentieth century. Through the Mission, Anglicans assisted the Assyrian Church in the preservation of her liturgical texts and formularies and in the maintenance of her rich theological tradition and historic religious culture; the Assyrian or East Syrian Rite is one of the most ancient Christian expressions in the world. In 1910, the Assyrian Church proposed sacramental intercommunion with the Anglican Church, but the agreement was never formally ratified.
http://www.kaldaya.net/2008/DailyNews/05/May12_08_E2_Unity.html
On Whitsunday 2008, three thousand former members of the Assyrian Church of the East and their Bishop, Mar Bawai Soro, were officially received into the Chaldean Rite in communion with the Bishop of Rome.
The Assyrian Church of the East has long enjoyed a positive and unique relationship with the Anglican Communion, which culminated in the Mission of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Assyrian Church at the turn of the twentieth century. Through the Mission, Anglicans assisted the Assyrian Church in the preservation of her liturgical texts and formularies and in the maintenance of her rich theological tradition and historic religious culture; the Assyrian or East Syrian Rite is one of the most ancient Christian expressions in the world. In 1910, the Assyrian Church proposed sacramental intercommunion with the Anglican Church, but the agreement was never formally ratified.
Finding Grace Through The Sacraments
www.anglicanwayinstitute.org
A summer conference of the Anglican Way Institute, to be held at the Reformed Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion in Dallas, Texas 2 July to 6 July 2008. The registration deadline is 8 June...
A summer conference of the Anglican Way Institute, to be held at the Reformed Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion in Dallas, Texas 2 July to 6 July 2008. The registration deadline is 8 June...
175 Years of the Oxford Movement
http://www.oxfordmovement.org.uk/
A Day of Celebration and Prayer
On 14th July 1833 John Keble, scholar, priest and hymn writer, preached a sermon which was to start the Oxford Movement in the Church of England. It was to have an effect beyond his imagining. John Newman, Richard Hurrell Froude, and William Palmer, joined with Keble to publish a series of Tracts for the Times and were later joined by Edward Pusey.
On Monday 14th July 2008 you are warmly invited to join in an hour of silent prayer which is being held to mark the 175th anniversary of the Oxford Movement and of the Catholic Revival in the Church of England.
As we pray to God on 14th July, it is our aim not merely to commemorate the events of the past, but also to listen to God and to pray for His help to discern and carry out His will in our own generation.
We hope a nationwide hour of prayer might remind our congregations of things they already know but have pushed to the back of their minds, and perhaps introduce others to the insights and riches of the Catholic Revival.
The hour of silent prayer is sponsored by the principal Catholic societies and organisations of the Church of England, but we warmly invite all men and women of good will to join in.
As we give thanks for the Oxford Movement and the many blessings it brought to the Church of England, we seek above all to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our past, present and future, and to lift up our whole lives to him in love and faith.
A Day of Celebration and Prayer
On 14th July 1833 John Keble, scholar, priest and hymn writer, preached a sermon which was to start the Oxford Movement in the Church of England. It was to have an effect beyond his imagining. John Newman, Richard Hurrell Froude, and William Palmer, joined with Keble to publish a series of Tracts for the Times and were later joined by Edward Pusey.
On Monday 14th July 2008 you are warmly invited to join in an hour of silent prayer which is being held to mark the 175th anniversary of the Oxford Movement and of the Catholic Revival in the Church of England.
As we pray to God on 14th July, it is our aim not merely to commemorate the events of the past, but also to listen to God and to pray for His help to discern and carry out His will in our own generation.
We hope a nationwide hour of prayer might remind our congregations of things they already know but have pushed to the back of their minds, and perhaps introduce others to the insights and riches of the Catholic Revival.
The hour of silent prayer is sponsored by the principal Catholic societies and organisations of the Church of England, but we warmly invite all men and women of good will to join in.
As we give thanks for the Oxford Movement and the many blessings it brought to the Church of England, we seek above all to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our past, present and future, and to lift up our whole lives to him in love and faith.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Glorious Assumption
In honour of Our Lady in her month of May...
GLORIOUS ASSUMPTION
by Father John Macquarrie
In the expression, 'Glorious Assumption', the adjective and the noun go together, traditionally and inevitably. An assumption could not be any thing other than glorious, for it means a taking up from the drabness of earthly life into the unimaginable glory of the divine presence; on the other hand, there could be no greater glory manifested in any human person than that he or she should be so taken up. According to the Old Testament, Enoch and Elijah were both taken up to heaven at the end of their earthly lives as a mark of signal divine favour;' a late Jewish tradition spoke of an assumption of Moses, whose end is indeed veiled in some mystery in the Old Testament and who, before all the Old Testament heroes and prophets, might have been considered the most likely candidate for assumption.2 In the Christian Church, it is of course Mary whose assumption we celebrate, but it is worth remembering that the idea of an assumption was already there in the Jewish tradition, including the canonical scriptures. The idea in itself was certainly no innovation.
We should note the distinction between assumption and ascension. As I have already said, 'assumption' (analepsis) means 'taking up', that is to say, it is an act of God in the performance of which the person assumed remains passive. 'Ascension' (anabasis), on the other hand, means 'going up', which gives an active role to the person who so ascends. The only person who ascended to God, that is to say, went to the Father as of right, was the divine Son. As John's Gospel tells us, 'No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.'3 As we shall see, the assumption of the Blessed Virgin is dependent upon the ascension of Jesus Christ, and indeed, a corollary of it because of the clearing and glorification of our human nature through him.
Off and on, I have been thinking about the assumption for thirty-five years, and if I may be allowed to do so, I think I shall expound the doctrine by tracing the stages in my understanding of it. The first time I was driven to think with any seriousness about the assumption of the Blessed Virgin was when I was serving with the British Army in North Africa just after World War II, and was granted the privilege of two weeks' leave so that I could visit the holy places of Palestine. The actual year was 1946, and this detail may be worth mentioning, for that was not only two years before the founding of the State of Israel, so that I was one of the last people to see the Holy Land as it was in an era now passed away, it was also four years before the dogma of the assumption was officially promulgated by the Vatican, so that at that time it was a 'pious opinion'.
One day we were taken to see the Church of the Assumption, built over the tomb that is said to have received the mortal remains of Our Lady. I did not know at that time that there is a rival site in Ephesus, for there is an alternative tradition which holds that the falling asleep of the Virgin did not take place until after the fall of Jerusalem, by which time she had gone to live in Ephesus in company with the beloved disciple. At any rate, I found myself in the Church of the Assumption, located not far outside Jerusalem and near to the Mount of Olives. This church was for many years in dispute between Latin and Eastern Christians, and finally passed to the latter. I remember it as a singularly gloomy and cavernous church, just about the last place that would lead one to think of a glorious assumption. Yet somehow I found myself kneeling down and praying. I did not understand what an assumption could be, yet somehow I knew that the assumption is an authentic part of that whole fabric of truth that we call the catholic faith, and that some day I might come to understand it better. I remember all this so clearly because among my army companions were some of a skeptical or even ribald turn of mind, and they teased me for having prayed there. To them it was all a joke, an absurd superstition. I did not know how to answer them. Of course, even in 1946, though no one had ever been in space at that time, we knew that outer space is a dark freezing trackless desolation, the very opposite of the nearer presence of God, so the event of the assumption could not mean that the Virgin's body had floated off into the empty wastes. It must be a theological event, to be theologically understood, but I could not make a beginning. But it sometimes happens in the Christian life that one first believes, even if one is not too clear about the belief, and then understanding comes later. I saw that many people believed, and it must make sense to them. We may recall St Anselm's words: 'I yearn to understand some measure of your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand in order to believe, but I believe in order to understand.'4
Four years later, I had to think again about the assumption. In 1950 Pius XII, in the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus, promulgated the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a dogma of the Church. It was declared that 'the Immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, on completing the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory' (immaculatam Deiparam semper Virginem Mariam, expleto terrestris vitae cursu, fuisse corpore etanima ad caelestem Gloriam assumptam)? The expression 'heavenly glory' indicates that we are talking about a condition, a relation to God, rather than a place. Earlier the reason for this assumption had been stated: 'it seems impossible that she who conceived Christ, bore him, fed him with her milk, held him in her arms and pressed him to her bosom, should after this earthly life be separated from him in either body or soul.'6 The closeness of Jesus and Mary could not be broken by the end of their earthly sojourn, and we see how her assumption follows on his ascension. It is the answer to the promise that 'where I am, there you may be also.'7
Of course, the act of Pius XII in raising the assumption to the status of a formal dogma was not greeted with universal rejoicing. Among Anglicans, there were serious misgivings. I shall mention three.
Some feared that in making the assumption a dogma, a new wedge was being driven between Rome and Canterbury. For many centuries, belief in the assumption was common in both east and west, but was it necessary to make it de fide? I have myself considerable sympathy with this point of view, and question the value of making too many and too precise dogmatic definitions. If a theological proposition is true and an integral part of Christian faith, it will eventually establish itself, but this process will not be helped and may even be hindered by authoritative attempts to make the belief obligatory. There is no doubt that belief in the assumption of the Blessed Virgin had been steadily gaining ground in the Anglican Communion for a long time. In the two branches of the Anglican Communion with which I am best acquainted, the Scottish and American churches, the fifteenth of August has its honoured place in the calendar. In Scotland, it has long been celebrated as the Feast of the Dormition, while in the United States it is known simply as the Feast of St Mary the Virgin, and is the major festival in her honour. Unfortunately the Church of England lags behind her sister churches and makes no official provision for the day, though one may hope that this will change. But it is more likely to change through spreading a better understanding of what the festival is really about, than through forcing the issue by promulgating a formal dogma.
A second misgiving arose from the contention of some scholars that belief in the assumption arose from Monophysite sources in the fifth and sixth centuries. This, of course, raises large questions of historical scholarship, and these have been treated very ably by John Saward in a learned paper.8 Even if some monophysite influence can be demonstrated as historical fact, it would still be the case that the assumption can be shown to be an implicate of orthodox Christian doctrine and could only be rightly understood as such. However, it has also to be remembered that there is now going on a reassessment of the monophysite churches, now more often called the non-Chalcedonian churches, and that it appears that they may be less heterodox than used to be supposed.
A third objection was that 1950 seems pretty late in the day for the discovery of a Christian dogma. This argument is broadened by pointing out that in the earliest centuries, no Christian theologian seems to have heard of the assumption of the Virgin. Only from the late sixth century on do we find a clear tradition of the assumption among orthodox Christian writers. However, even such central Christian doctrines as the Trinity and the incarnation took several centuries to formulate, so we need not be surprised if less central doctrines took longer, especially one so complex and dependent on others as the assumption. Moreover, since Christianity is a living and growing entity and not something static and unchanging, we must not be surprised if new insights and understandings come even in the twentieth and subsequent centuries — these are in fact a tribute to the vitality of the Christian faith and to the inexhaustible riches which it contains.
We go on now from the apostolic constitution of 1950 to the new atmosphere of Vatican II, a little more than a decade later. From the point of view of an inquiry into the assumption, what is important in Vatican II was the designation of Mary as Mother of the Church. To quote the words of the decree on the Church, 'she is hailed as a pre-eminent and altogether singular member of the Church, and as the Church' s model and excellent exemplar in faith and charity. Taught by the Holy Spirit, the Catholic Church honours her with filial affection and piety as a most beloved mother.'9
This firm linkage which Vatican II established between the Church and Mary as its mother, type, model and pre-eminent member may now be used to go back and interpret the dogma of 1950. It will be remembered that in that document, a reason given for the assumption was the impossibility of supposing that Mary who conceived Christ, bore him, gave him milk, held him and so on, could be separated from him by the termination of earthly life. Mary's solidarity with her Son is such that his ascension implies her assumption, that where he is she will be also. But now we see that on the other side Mary is inseparable from the Church. So the Church too must be inseparable from Christ, his ascension must imply the assumption of the Church as well as of its Mother and pre-eminent member, Mary, the whole Church is the recipient of the promise that 'where I am, there you may be also,' In saying this, we see that the significance of the dogma of the assumption is immeasurably broadened. It is not just a personal dogma about Mary (though it remains that) but a dogma about the whole body of the faithful of whom Mary is the type. Mary's glorious assumption is the first moment in the glorious assumption of the Church. We recall some further words from John's Gospel: 'The glory which thou has given me, I have given to them... Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world.'10 The Feast of the Assumption must be reckoned one of the most humanistic festivals in the Church's calendar. It is not just a celebration of Mary (though it certainly is that) but a celebration of redeemed humanity. Christian theologians have often denigrated the human race, dwelling on our sin and depravity, as if they could only glorify God by putting down man and pointing to the infinite distance between them. But that is not God's way and is contrary to his intention. He created human beings in his own image that they might enjoy communion with him, he sent his eternal Son, the one who descended, that he might also ascend again and bring with him the men and women whom he had gained in the world to share his glory with him. We are now coming in sight of the full meaning of the dogma of the glorious assumption, and we can see it as one of the most hopeful and encouraging items in the Church's belief, and one that gathers up the implications of many other doctrines, christological, soteriological, anthropological and so on.
This was the kind of understanding of the assumption to which I was coming after almost twenty years of reflection since that visit to the dismal old Church of the Assumption in Jerusalem in 1946. In 19661 composed a hymn to the Virgin, which I entitled 'Mother of the Church'. It was not a very good hymn (though it was published in a journal of spirituality n) but it tried to set out the various episodes in the life of our Lady in relation to her role as Mother of the Church. It began:
Hail, blest Mary! Church's Mother!
Virgin Mother, full of grace!
Mother of our elder Brother,
Mother of our renewed race!
I pass on to the last three verses, where I was able to affirm belief in the assumption with an understanding that had not been possible for me twenty years earlier
You, dear Lady, station keeping
At the Cross while Jesus died,
Heard his voice amid your weeping,
'These your children now!' he cried.
With apostles you were praying,
Saw the Church, in finest hour,
Spirit-filled, to men displaying
God's regenerating power.
Blest at last in your dormition,
Jesus called you to his side.
All your labours find fruition,
You are crowned and glorified!
At this point I can imagine some of our progressive friends in the Church holding up their hands in horror — assuming that they would have deigned to come to a lecture on the assumption at all! 'This is sheer triumphalism,' I can hear them say — and, of course, 'triumphalism' has become a very bad word. But I would like to make two replies to our imaginary objectors.
First, we have to consider just what 'triumphalism' means, and in what sense it is a pejorative term. If triumphalism is a pride in the human institution, an arrogant identification of the Church with the kingdom of God, then it is a snare and a delusion, and we have to ask God's forgiveness for betraying his trust. But I don' t think' triumphalism' needs to mean that. 1 would understand 'triumphalism' as the opposite of 'defeatism', and in that sense I would declare myself an unashamed triumphalist. I believe one holy catholic and apostolic church, 1 acknowledge it to be the people of God, the body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit, I am convinced that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. In spite of all its sins and errors, the Church remains God's Church and cannot utterly depart from him. We see in it gleams of glory that bring hope and promise. Not least among these gleams of glory are the saints that the Church has known in all ages, and chief among whom is the Blessed Virgin. Whether or not we call it 'triumphalism', a sober hope and confidence in the Church is an essential part of our response to the calling of God. To put it in another way, we have to understand the Church eschatologically. Its unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity, will reach their fulness only in the end when the purposes of God are complete. Yet they are not just dreams for the future. Already in innumerable ways, in deeds of love, in moments of communion, in experiences of grace, there are flashes of the final glory to encourage the Church on its way.
My second reply depends on the first one, but it also deepens our understanding of the dogma of the assumption. It is that assumption is not a once-for-all event, but a continuing
process. That was already implicit when I said that assumption is a theological event, for a theological event is not tied to a moment of time. It can take effect at all times. The assumption began with the dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but it continues throughout the history of the Church and it will be complete only when the Church is fully united with Christ, the body with the Head, and his glory is manifest in all.
Incidentally, this means that we need not worry very much whether Mary died within three years of the crucifixion and was assumed from Jerusalem, as one tradition avers, or whether she lived for fifty years and accomplished her dormition in Ephesus. We need not worry either that for about five centuries the Church was silent on this subject of the assumption. These historical questions are not really important when one considers the theological issue. Certainly, we can affirm that at some time in the first century of our era, in some place, the Blessed Virgin fell asleep and went to be with her Son and to receive the glory he had promised to bestow on his own. That is the classic moment of the glorious assumption and is worthy in itself of celebration. But it is the beginning of a vaster, indeed, cosmic assumption. That assumption is going on at this very moment. Wherever in the Church militant here on earth there is a gleam of glory, a faithful act of discipleship, a prayer offered in faith, assumption is going on. We believe too that in the Church expectant, souls are being perfected toward the day of Jesus Christ. Finally, in the Church triumphant, the work will be complete, and with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, the faithful people of God will take their place in his eternal kingdom of glory and light.
In this lecture, I have permitted myself a more autobiographical style than theologians commonly employ. But perhaps all that any of us can do is to testify to what has been significant in his or her own experience, in the hope that it may help others to find meaning in Christian faith. From a vague half-belief, for the most part not understood, I have come to see the dogma of the assumption as the expression in appropriate theological symbols of some of the most hopeful affirmations of the Christian faith. Perhaps a glimpse of the same truths was present however vaguely to the mind of the less than half-believing but nevertheless sensitive poet when he penned the famous lines:12
Ave Maria! 'tis the hour of prayer!
Ave Maria! 'tis the hour of love!
Ave Maria! may our spirits dare
Look up to thine and to thy Son's above!
Ave Maria!
Notes
1. Genesis 5, 24; II Kings 2,11.
2. Deuteronomy 34, 5-6. The Assumption of Moses is a work of the first century A.D., now existing only in fragmentary form.
3. John 3, 13.
4. Anselm, Proslogion, ch. 2.
5. H. Denzinger, Enchiridion Symbolorum (Editio 31), p. 716. 6.1bid., p. 715.
7. John 14, 3.
8. John Saward, The Assumption (The Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1976).
9. Walter M. Abbott, S.J, ed., the Documents of Vatican II, p. 86.
10. John 17, 22 and 24.
11. Holy Cross Magazine (May, 1966), p. 23.
12. Lord Byron, Don Juan, Canto III, 102.
GLORIOUS ASSUMPTION
by Father John Macquarrie
In the expression, 'Glorious Assumption', the adjective and the noun go together, traditionally and inevitably. An assumption could not be any thing other than glorious, for it means a taking up from the drabness of earthly life into the unimaginable glory of the divine presence; on the other hand, there could be no greater glory manifested in any human person than that he or she should be so taken up. According to the Old Testament, Enoch and Elijah were both taken up to heaven at the end of their earthly lives as a mark of signal divine favour;' a late Jewish tradition spoke of an assumption of Moses, whose end is indeed veiled in some mystery in the Old Testament and who, before all the Old Testament heroes and prophets, might have been considered the most likely candidate for assumption.2 In the Christian Church, it is of course Mary whose assumption we celebrate, but it is worth remembering that the idea of an assumption was already there in the Jewish tradition, including the canonical scriptures. The idea in itself was certainly no innovation.
We should note the distinction between assumption and ascension. As I have already said, 'assumption' (analepsis) means 'taking up', that is to say, it is an act of God in the performance of which the person assumed remains passive. 'Ascension' (anabasis), on the other hand, means 'going up', which gives an active role to the person who so ascends. The only person who ascended to God, that is to say, went to the Father as of right, was the divine Son. As John's Gospel tells us, 'No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.'3 As we shall see, the assumption of the Blessed Virgin is dependent upon the ascension of Jesus Christ, and indeed, a corollary of it because of the clearing and glorification of our human nature through him.
Off and on, I have been thinking about the assumption for thirty-five years, and if I may be allowed to do so, I think I shall expound the doctrine by tracing the stages in my understanding of it. The first time I was driven to think with any seriousness about the assumption of the Blessed Virgin was when I was serving with the British Army in North Africa just after World War II, and was granted the privilege of two weeks' leave so that I could visit the holy places of Palestine. The actual year was 1946, and this detail may be worth mentioning, for that was not only two years before the founding of the State of Israel, so that I was one of the last people to see the Holy Land as it was in an era now passed away, it was also four years before the dogma of the assumption was officially promulgated by the Vatican, so that at that time it was a 'pious opinion'.
One day we were taken to see the Church of the Assumption, built over the tomb that is said to have received the mortal remains of Our Lady. I did not know at that time that there is a rival site in Ephesus, for there is an alternative tradition which holds that the falling asleep of the Virgin did not take place until after the fall of Jerusalem, by which time she had gone to live in Ephesus in company with the beloved disciple. At any rate, I found myself in the Church of the Assumption, located not far outside Jerusalem and near to the Mount of Olives. This church was for many years in dispute between Latin and Eastern Christians, and finally passed to the latter. I remember it as a singularly gloomy and cavernous church, just about the last place that would lead one to think of a glorious assumption. Yet somehow I found myself kneeling down and praying. I did not understand what an assumption could be, yet somehow I knew that the assumption is an authentic part of that whole fabric of truth that we call the catholic faith, and that some day I might come to understand it better. I remember all this so clearly because among my army companions were some of a skeptical or even ribald turn of mind, and they teased me for having prayed there. To them it was all a joke, an absurd superstition. I did not know how to answer them. Of course, even in 1946, though no one had ever been in space at that time, we knew that outer space is a dark freezing trackless desolation, the very opposite of the nearer presence of God, so the event of the assumption could not mean that the Virgin's body had floated off into the empty wastes. It must be a theological event, to be theologically understood, but I could not make a beginning. But it sometimes happens in the Christian life that one first believes, even if one is not too clear about the belief, and then understanding comes later. I saw that many people believed, and it must make sense to them. We may recall St Anselm's words: 'I yearn to understand some measure of your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand in order to believe, but I believe in order to understand.'4
Four years later, I had to think again about the assumption. In 1950 Pius XII, in the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus, promulgated the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a dogma of the Church. It was declared that 'the Immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, on completing the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory' (immaculatam Deiparam semper Virginem Mariam, expleto terrestris vitae cursu, fuisse corpore etanima ad caelestem Gloriam assumptam)? The expression 'heavenly glory' indicates that we are talking about a condition, a relation to God, rather than a place. Earlier the reason for this assumption had been stated: 'it seems impossible that she who conceived Christ, bore him, fed him with her milk, held him in her arms and pressed him to her bosom, should after this earthly life be separated from him in either body or soul.'6 The closeness of Jesus and Mary could not be broken by the end of their earthly sojourn, and we see how her assumption follows on his ascension. It is the answer to the promise that 'where I am, there you may be also.'7
Of course, the act of Pius XII in raising the assumption to the status of a formal dogma was not greeted with universal rejoicing. Among Anglicans, there were serious misgivings. I shall mention three.
Some feared that in making the assumption a dogma, a new wedge was being driven between Rome and Canterbury. For many centuries, belief in the assumption was common in both east and west, but was it necessary to make it de fide? I have myself considerable sympathy with this point of view, and question the value of making too many and too precise dogmatic definitions. If a theological proposition is true and an integral part of Christian faith, it will eventually establish itself, but this process will not be helped and may even be hindered by authoritative attempts to make the belief obligatory. There is no doubt that belief in the assumption of the Blessed Virgin had been steadily gaining ground in the Anglican Communion for a long time. In the two branches of the Anglican Communion with which I am best acquainted, the Scottish and American churches, the fifteenth of August has its honoured place in the calendar. In Scotland, it has long been celebrated as the Feast of the Dormition, while in the United States it is known simply as the Feast of St Mary the Virgin, and is the major festival in her honour. Unfortunately the Church of England lags behind her sister churches and makes no official provision for the day, though one may hope that this will change. But it is more likely to change through spreading a better understanding of what the festival is really about, than through forcing the issue by promulgating a formal dogma.
A second misgiving arose from the contention of some scholars that belief in the assumption arose from Monophysite sources in the fifth and sixth centuries. This, of course, raises large questions of historical scholarship, and these have been treated very ably by John Saward in a learned paper.8 Even if some monophysite influence can be demonstrated as historical fact, it would still be the case that the assumption can be shown to be an implicate of orthodox Christian doctrine and could only be rightly understood as such. However, it has also to be remembered that there is now going on a reassessment of the monophysite churches, now more often called the non-Chalcedonian churches, and that it appears that they may be less heterodox than used to be supposed.
A third objection was that 1950 seems pretty late in the day for the discovery of a Christian dogma. This argument is broadened by pointing out that in the earliest centuries, no Christian theologian seems to have heard of the assumption of the Virgin. Only from the late sixth century on do we find a clear tradition of the assumption among orthodox Christian writers. However, even such central Christian doctrines as the Trinity and the incarnation took several centuries to formulate, so we need not be surprised if less central doctrines took longer, especially one so complex and dependent on others as the assumption. Moreover, since Christianity is a living and growing entity and not something static and unchanging, we must not be surprised if new insights and understandings come even in the twentieth and subsequent centuries — these are in fact a tribute to the vitality of the Christian faith and to the inexhaustible riches which it contains.
We go on now from the apostolic constitution of 1950 to the new atmosphere of Vatican II, a little more than a decade later. From the point of view of an inquiry into the assumption, what is important in Vatican II was the designation of Mary as Mother of the Church. To quote the words of the decree on the Church, 'she is hailed as a pre-eminent and altogether singular member of the Church, and as the Church' s model and excellent exemplar in faith and charity. Taught by the Holy Spirit, the Catholic Church honours her with filial affection and piety as a most beloved mother.'9
This firm linkage which Vatican II established between the Church and Mary as its mother, type, model and pre-eminent member may now be used to go back and interpret the dogma of 1950. It will be remembered that in that document, a reason given for the assumption was the impossibility of supposing that Mary who conceived Christ, bore him, gave him milk, held him and so on, could be separated from him by the termination of earthly life. Mary's solidarity with her Son is such that his ascension implies her assumption, that where he is she will be also. But now we see that on the other side Mary is inseparable from the Church. So the Church too must be inseparable from Christ, his ascension must imply the assumption of the Church as well as of its Mother and pre-eminent member, Mary, the whole Church is the recipient of the promise that 'where I am, there you may be also,' In saying this, we see that the significance of the dogma of the assumption is immeasurably broadened. It is not just a personal dogma about Mary (though it remains that) but a dogma about the whole body of the faithful of whom Mary is the type. Mary's glorious assumption is the first moment in the glorious assumption of the Church. We recall some further words from John's Gospel: 'The glory which thou has given me, I have given to them... Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which thou hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world.'10 The Feast of the Assumption must be reckoned one of the most humanistic festivals in the Church's calendar. It is not just a celebration of Mary (though it certainly is that) but a celebration of redeemed humanity. Christian theologians have often denigrated the human race, dwelling on our sin and depravity, as if they could only glorify God by putting down man and pointing to the infinite distance between them. But that is not God's way and is contrary to his intention. He created human beings in his own image that they might enjoy communion with him, he sent his eternal Son, the one who descended, that he might also ascend again and bring with him the men and women whom he had gained in the world to share his glory with him. We are now coming in sight of the full meaning of the dogma of the glorious assumption, and we can see it as one of the most hopeful and encouraging items in the Church's belief, and one that gathers up the implications of many other doctrines, christological, soteriological, anthropological and so on.
This was the kind of understanding of the assumption to which I was coming after almost twenty years of reflection since that visit to the dismal old Church of the Assumption in Jerusalem in 1946. In 19661 composed a hymn to the Virgin, which I entitled 'Mother of the Church'. It was not a very good hymn (though it was published in a journal of spirituality n) but it tried to set out the various episodes in the life of our Lady in relation to her role as Mother of the Church. It began:
Hail, blest Mary! Church's Mother!
Virgin Mother, full of grace!
Mother of our elder Brother,
Mother of our renewed race!
I pass on to the last three verses, where I was able to affirm belief in the assumption with an understanding that had not been possible for me twenty years earlier
You, dear Lady, station keeping
At the Cross while Jesus died,
Heard his voice amid your weeping,
'These your children now!' he cried.
With apostles you were praying,
Saw the Church, in finest hour,
Spirit-filled, to men displaying
God's regenerating power.
Blest at last in your dormition,
Jesus called you to his side.
All your labours find fruition,
You are crowned and glorified!
At this point I can imagine some of our progressive friends in the Church holding up their hands in horror — assuming that they would have deigned to come to a lecture on the assumption at all! 'This is sheer triumphalism,' I can hear them say — and, of course, 'triumphalism' has become a very bad word. But I would like to make two replies to our imaginary objectors.
First, we have to consider just what 'triumphalism' means, and in what sense it is a pejorative term. If triumphalism is a pride in the human institution, an arrogant identification of the Church with the kingdom of God, then it is a snare and a delusion, and we have to ask God's forgiveness for betraying his trust. But I don' t think' triumphalism' needs to mean that. 1 would understand 'triumphalism' as the opposite of 'defeatism', and in that sense I would declare myself an unashamed triumphalist. I believe one holy catholic and apostolic church, 1 acknowledge it to be the people of God, the body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit, I am convinced that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. In spite of all its sins and errors, the Church remains God's Church and cannot utterly depart from him. We see in it gleams of glory that bring hope and promise. Not least among these gleams of glory are the saints that the Church has known in all ages, and chief among whom is the Blessed Virgin. Whether or not we call it 'triumphalism', a sober hope and confidence in the Church is an essential part of our response to the calling of God. To put it in another way, we have to understand the Church eschatologically. Its unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity, will reach their fulness only in the end when the purposes of God are complete. Yet they are not just dreams for the future. Already in innumerable ways, in deeds of love, in moments of communion, in experiences of grace, there are flashes of the final glory to encourage the Church on its way.
My second reply depends on the first one, but it also deepens our understanding of the dogma of the assumption. It is that assumption is not a once-for-all event, but a continuing
process. That was already implicit when I said that assumption is a theological event, for a theological event is not tied to a moment of time. It can take effect at all times. The assumption began with the dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but it continues throughout the history of the Church and it will be complete only when the Church is fully united with Christ, the body with the Head, and his glory is manifest in all.
Incidentally, this means that we need not worry very much whether Mary died within three years of the crucifixion and was assumed from Jerusalem, as one tradition avers, or whether she lived for fifty years and accomplished her dormition in Ephesus. We need not worry either that for about five centuries the Church was silent on this subject of the assumption. These historical questions are not really important when one considers the theological issue. Certainly, we can affirm that at some time in the first century of our era, in some place, the Blessed Virgin fell asleep and went to be with her Son and to receive the glory he had promised to bestow on his own. That is the classic moment of the glorious assumption and is worthy in itself of celebration. But it is the beginning of a vaster, indeed, cosmic assumption. That assumption is going on at this very moment. Wherever in the Church militant here on earth there is a gleam of glory, a faithful act of discipleship, a prayer offered in faith, assumption is going on. We believe too that in the Church expectant, souls are being perfected toward the day of Jesus Christ. Finally, in the Church triumphant, the work will be complete, and with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, the faithful people of God will take their place in his eternal kingdom of glory and light.
In this lecture, I have permitted myself a more autobiographical style than theologians commonly employ. But perhaps all that any of us can do is to testify to what has been significant in his or her own experience, in the hope that it may help others to find meaning in Christian faith. From a vague half-belief, for the most part not understood, I have come to see the dogma of the assumption as the expression in appropriate theological symbols of some of the most hopeful affirmations of the Christian faith. Perhaps a glimpse of the same truths was present however vaguely to the mind of the less than half-believing but nevertheless sensitive poet when he penned the famous lines:12
Ave Maria! 'tis the hour of prayer!
Ave Maria! 'tis the hour of love!
Ave Maria! may our spirits dare
Look up to thine and to thy Son's above!
Ave Maria!
Notes
1. Genesis 5, 24; II Kings 2,11.
2. Deuteronomy 34, 5-6. The Assumption of Moses is a work of the first century A.D., now existing only in fragmentary form.
3. John 3, 13.
4. Anselm, Proslogion, ch. 2.
5. H. Denzinger, Enchiridion Symbolorum (Editio 31), p. 716. 6.1bid., p. 715.
7. John 14, 3.
8. John Saward, The Assumption (The Ecumenical Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1976).
9. Walter M. Abbott, S.J, ed., the Documents of Vatican II, p. 86.
10. John 17, 22 and 24.
11. Holy Cross Magazine (May, 1966), p. 23.
12. Lord Byron, Don Juan, Canto III, 102.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Catholic News Service Article
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0802540.htm
Deacon Brandon Jones, a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Charlotte, N.C., who will be ordained a priest in June, grew up as a Southern Baptist with his twin brother, Chandler. The Rev. Chandler Jones is now an Anglican minister.
Deacon Brandon Jones, a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Charlotte, N.C., who will be ordained a priest in June, grew up as a Southern Baptist with his twin brother, Chandler. The Rev. Chandler Jones is now an Anglican minister.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Podcast from the RC Diocese of Charlotte
My brother's impending ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte is featured in a podcast on his Diocesan website this week. He discusses his vocation and personal history, as well as his identical twin and his Anglicanism! The podcast is an excellent and very professional production. Interestingly, the first part of the podcast regards the reimplementation of the Traditional Latin Mass in the Diocese of Charlotte. Give a listen and in the second half you will hear a voice eerily similar to my own!
The Anglican Province of America is getting more press right now from the Roman Church than from any other news entity, Anglican or otherwise!
http://thedocpodcast.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=336900
The Anglican Province of America is getting more press right now from the Roman Church than from any other news entity, Anglican or otherwise!
http://thedocpodcast.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=336900
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
'An Anglican Minister' - Zenit
Just for the record, I am a Priest in Apostolic Orders and the Apostolic Succession, not just 'an Anglican minister'!
http://zenit.org/article-22507?l=english
Third of US '08 Ordinands Are Foreign-born
Survey Shows Profile of Those Ordained This Year
WASHINGTON, D.C., MAY 6, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Priests in the United States are as varied as the country in which they live -- some are past retirement age, others were not born Catholics, and others have sought the priesthood after other careers or vocations.
"The Class of 2008: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood" was performed by the Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. The annual survey was prepared for the U.S. bishops' Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.
"We are blessed with the enthusiasm the newly ordained will bring to the mission of the Church," said Cardinal Sean O'Malley, chairman of the bishops' Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. "We pray that through their good work and example more men will generously respond to the Lord's call to serve as priests."
The report reflects a response rate of approximately 84% of the 401 potential ordinands reported to CARA. These 335 ordinands include 242 for the diocesan priesthood and 77 for the religious priesthood. Another 16 ordinands did not specify whether they were being ordained to diocesan or religious priesthood.
Surprising stories
Some of those to be ordained have unique histories: Hai Duc Din, 46, of the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, spent a year in a Vietnamese labor camp. Doctor Martin Laird, 40, of the Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana, comes to the priesthood after a medical career. Kevin Bauman, 47, of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, is a former vice chairman of the Romance Language Department at the University of Notre Dame. David Link, 72, of the Diocese of Gary, Indiana, is a former dean of the University of Notre Dame Law School and a widow. He heard the call to priesthood through prison ministry. For some, religious service is a family affair. Thomas Niehaus, 30, of the Diocese of Winona, Minnesota, has two brothers who are priests and a sister in the Schoenstatt movement. Some of the 2008 class began their journey in another denomination. Mark Barr, 29, grew up as an Episcopalian and converted to Catholicism in college. Jeffrey Wharton, 38, a former Episcopalian minister, is being ordained for the Diocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Brandon Jones, 37, of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, has an identical twin brother, Chandler, who is an Anglican minister. Both were raised as Southern Baptists.
Statistics
The average age is 36 for newly ordained diocesan priests and 39 for newly ordained men in religious orders. About 30% of new priests are between 25 and 29 years of age. About 39% are in their thirties. About one-third of this year's new priests were born outside the United States, with the largest numbers coming from Mexico, Vietnam, Poland and the Philippines. The percentage of foreign-born is nearly the same in 2008 as in 2007 but has increased from the 22% reported in 1999. Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian ordinands are over-represented among diocesan and religious order priests, relative to their proportion of the U.S. adult Catholic population, while Hispanic/Latinos are somewhat under-represented. Asians/Pacific Islanders constitute 3% of U.S. Catholics overall but are 12% of responding ordinands. By contrast, Hispanics/Latinos constitute approximately 35% of U.S. adult Catholics but only 16% of responding ordinands. The ordinands identified a total of 31 countries of origin. Most ordinands have been Catholic since birth, although close to one in ten (9%) became Catholic later in life. Half of responding ordinands (51%) attended a Catholic elementary school. Ordinands are somewhat more likely than other U.S. Catholic adults to have attended a Catholic high school and they are much more likely to have attended a Catholic college. The youngest ordinand is 25 and the oldest is 76. Five ordinands are being ordained to the priesthood at age 65 or older.
On the Net: More information: www.usccb.org/vocations/classof2008
http://zenit.org/article-22507?l=english
Third of US '08 Ordinands Are Foreign-born
Survey Shows Profile of Those Ordained This Year
WASHINGTON, D.C., MAY 6, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Priests in the United States are as varied as the country in which they live -- some are past retirement age, others were not born Catholics, and others have sought the priesthood after other careers or vocations.
"The Class of 2008: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood" was performed by the Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. The annual survey was prepared for the U.S. bishops' Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations.
"We are blessed with the enthusiasm the newly ordained will bring to the mission of the Church," said Cardinal Sean O'Malley, chairman of the bishops' Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. "We pray that through their good work and example more men will generously respond to the Lord's call to serve as priests."
The report reflects a response rate of approximately 84% of the 401 potential ordinands reported to CARA. These 335 ordinands include 242 for the diocesan priesthood and 77 for the religious priesthood. Another 16 ordinands did not specify whether they were being ordained to diocesan or religious priesthood.
Surprising stories
Some of those to be ordained have unique histories: Hai Duc Din, 46, of the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, spent a year in a Vietnamese labor camp. Doctor Martin Laird, 40, of the Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana, comes to the priesthood after a medical career. Kevin Bauman, 47, of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, is a former vice chairman of the Romance Language Department at the University of Notre Dame. David Link, 72, of the Diocese of Gary, Indiana, is a former dean of the University of Notre Dame Law School and a widow. He heard the call to priesthood through prison ministry. For some, religious service is a family affair. Thomas Niehaus, 30, of the Diocese of Winona, Minnesota, has two brothers who are priests and a sister in the Schoenstatt movement. Some of the 2008 class began their journey in another denomination. Mark Barr, 29, grew up as an Episcopalian and converted to Catholicism in college. Jeffrey Wharton, 38, a former Episcopalian minister, is being ordained for the Diocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Brandon Jones, 37, of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, has an identical twin brother, Chandler, who is an Anglican minister. Both were raised as Southern Baptists.
Statistics
The average age is 36 for newly ordained diocesan priests and 39 for newly ordained men in religious orders. About 30% of new priests are between 25 and 29 years of age. About 39% are in their thirties. About one-third of this year's new priests were born outside the United States, with the largest numbers coming from Mexico, Vietnam, Poland and the Philippines. The percentage of foreign-born is nearly the same in 2008 as in 2007 but has increased from the 22% reported in 1999. Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian ordinands are over-represented among diocesan and religious order priests, relative to their proportion of the U.S. adult Catholic population, while Hispanic/Latinos are somewhat under-represented. Asians/Pacific Islanders constitute 3% of U.S. Catholics overall but are 12% of responding ordinands. By contrast, Hispanics/Latinos constitute approximately 35% of U.S. adult Catholics but only 16% of responding ordinands. The ordinands identified a total of 31 countries of origin. Most ordinands have been Catholic since birth, although close to one in ten (9%) became Catholic later in life. Half of responding ordinands (51%) attended a Catholic elementary school. Ordinands are somewhat more likely than other U.S. Catholic adults to have attended a Catholic high school and they are much more likely to have attended a Catholic college. The youngest ordinand is 25 and the oldest is 76. Five ordinands are being ordained to the priesthood at age 65 or older.
On the Net: More information: www.usccb.org/vocations/classof2008
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Anglicanism: First Millennium Church or Protestant Sect?
This is precisely what Anglican Catholics have been saying to their own Churches all along...
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000273.shtml
Anglicans must choose between Protestantism and Tradition, says Vatican
By Anna Arco
6 May 2008
The Vatican has said that the time has come for the Anglican Church to choose between Protestantism and the ancient churches of Rome and Orthodoxy.
Speaking on the day that the Archbishop of Canterbury met Benedict XVI in Rome, Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council of Christian Unity, said it was time for Anglicanism to "clarify its identity".
He told the Catholic Herald: "Ultimately, it is a question of the identity of the Anglican Church. Where does it belong?"Does it belong more to the churches of the first millennium -Catholic and Orthodox - or does it belong more to the Protestant churches of the 16th century? At the moment it is somewhere in between, but it must clarify its identity now and that will not be possible without certain difficult decisions."
He said he hoped that the Lambeth conference, an event which brings the worldwide Anglican Communion together every 10 years, would be the deciding moment for Anglicanism. Cardinal Kasper, who has been asked to speak at the Lambeth Conference by the Archbishop of Canterbury, said: "We hope that certain fundamental questions will be clarified at the conference so that dialogue will be possible. "We shall work and pray that it is possible, but I think that it is not sustainable to keep pushing decision-making back because it only extends the crisis."
His comments will be interpreted as an attempt by Rome to put pressure on the Church of England not to proceed with the ordination women bishops or to sanction gay partnerships, both serious obstacles to unity. They have come at an extremely sensitive time for the Anglican Communion, as cracks between different factions in the church are beginning to show ahead of the conference in July.
Dr Rowan Williams faces rebellion from conservative and liberal Anglicans over homosexuality and women bishops. The Rt Rev Gene Robinson, the Anglican bishop of New Hampshire, whose attempts to enter into a civil union with his gay partner have angered conservative Anglicans, plans to attend the public events of the conference despite the fact that he has not been invited by Dr Williams.
On the other side of the spectrum, rebel conservative bishops, headed by Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, dismayed by the Archbishop of Canterbury's refusal to condemn homosexuality outright, plan a rival conference in the Holy Land in June. Ecumenical dialogue between Rome and the Anglican Communion ground to a halt in 2006. Cardinal Kasper said at the time that a decision by the Church of England to consecrate women bishops would lead to "a serious and long lasting chill". But last month the Church of England's Legislative Drafting Group published a report preparing the ground for women bishops, who are already ordained in several Anglican provinces.
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/articles/a0000273.shtml
Anglicans must choose between Protestantism and Tradition, says Vatican
By Anna Arco
6 May 2008
The Vatican has said that the time has come for the Anglican Church to choose between Protestantism and the ancient churches of Rome and Orthodoxy.
Speaking on the day that the Archbishop of Canterbury met Benedict XVI in Rome, Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council of Christian Unity, said it was time for Anglicanism to "clarify its identity".
He told the Catholic Herald: "Ultimately, it is a question of the identity of the Anglican Church. Where does it belong?"Does it belong more to the churches of the first millennium -Catholic and Orthodox - or does it belong more to the Protestant churches of the 16th century? At the moment it is somewhere in between, but it must clarify its identity now and that will not be possible without certain difficult decisions."
He said he hoped that the Lambeth conference, an event which brings the worldwide Anglican Communion together every 10 years, would be the deciding moment for Anglicanism. Cardinal Kasper, who has been asked to speak at the Lambeth Conference by the Archbishop of Canterbury, said: "We hope that certain fundamental questions will be clarified at the conference so that dialogue will be possible. "We shall work and pray that it is possible, but I think that it is not sustainable to keep pushing decision-making back because it only extends the crisis."
His comments will be interpreted as an attempt by Rome to put pressure on the Church of England not to proceed with the ordination women bishops or to sanction gay partnerships, both serious obstacles to unity. They have come at an extremely sensitive time for the Anglican Communion, as cracks between different factions in the church are beginning to show ahead of the conference in July.
Dr Rowan Williams faces rebellion from conservative and liberal Anglicans over homosexuality and women bishops. The Rt Rev Gene Robinson, the Anglican bishop of New Hampshire, whose attempts to enter into a civil union with his gay partner have angered conservative Anglicans, plans to attend the public events of the conference despite the fact that he has not been invited by Dr Williams.
On the other side of the spectrum, rebel conservative bishops, headed by Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, dismayed by the Archbishop of Canterbury's refusal to condemn homosexuality outright, plan a rival conference in the Holy Land in June. Ecumenical dialogue between Rome and the Anglican Communion ground to a halt in 2006. Cardinal Kasper said at the time that a decision by the Church of England to consecrate women bishops would lead to "a serious and long lasting chill". But last month the Church of England's Legislative Drafting Group published a report preparing the ground for women bishops, who are already ordained in several Anglican provinces.
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