Dr John Macquarrie on Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

Outdoor Benediction - at the May 2016 National Pilgrimage 

to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham 

Originally ordained to the Presbyterian ministry, the Scottish theologian and philosopher John Macquarrie (1919-2007) became an Anglican in 1962. He is best known as a key existential theologian. Among his many works are Principles of Christian Theology (1966), Jesus Christ in Modern Thought (1991) and Mary for All Christians (1991). Macquarrie was Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford, and a Canon of Christ Church, Oxford.

In this paragraph Macquarrie tells of a time when his world was falling apart and he discovered the little service of Benediction (which, in the Anglican tradition usually follows Evensong):

I was serving in the British army and had received notice of posting overseas. On the Sunday evening before we sailed, I was wandering through the streets of a sprawling suburban area near to where we were stationed. I came to an Anglican Church. The bell was summoning the people, and I went in. The first part of the service was familiar to me, for it was Evensong. But then followed something new to me - the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. This new service meant a great deal to me. I did not know what lay ahead of me or when I might come back to these shores again, but I had been assured of our Lord’s presence and had received his sacramental blessing. I was reminded of Jacob, when he was far from home at Bethel and he heard the divine voice: 'Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you.'

Subsequently, in a pamphlet on Benediction, Macquarrie writes:

Benediction is a beautiful word. It means a blessing, a greeting, and expression of kindness and love. Benediction is also a beautiful service of the Church. It is a service that makes real to us in an impressive way the fact that God is always reaching out to us, to bless, to strengthen, to assure us of his loving kindness toward us. 

The greatest blessing that God could ever bestow upon mankind was the sending of his Son. That was like the beginning of a new day for the human race, like a new sunrise bringing light and hope. And it is a day that will never end, a sun that will never set, for the Eternal Son has promised to be with us until the end of the world. 

He is no longer with us in the physical body that was his in Palestine many centuries ago, but we believe that he is really present among us in the Sacrament which he appointed. 'This is my Body', he said over the bread at the Last Supper with his disciples. The same words are said over the bread at every Eucharist, that it may be to us the Body of the Lord, so that he may come again among us today as he came at his first appearing in Palestine. And just as that first appearing was like the rising of the the sun over a darkened world, so today when the Host is lifted up either in the Mass itself or in Benediction, it is like the rising of the sun upon us and we receive the radiance and warmth of God's blessing through him whom he has sent. 

Many people have the idea that Benediction has become out of date in the course of the liturgical renewal of the past few years. It is true that Benediction has now less prominence than it once had in Catholic worship, but it would be sad indeed if this service were to be undervalued for it is a very helpful item in our spiritual heritage and it has special contributions to make toward building up the life of prayer and devotion in these busy noisy times in which we live. 

Let me now say something about the meaning of Benediction. 1 shall do this by developing more fully the thought that the blessing conveyed to us in this service today is simply the vivid renewal of that great blessing of God in the sending of Jesus Christ. Just as men in ancient times were waiting for the Lord, eager for a glimmer of light through the gloom, so those who come to Benediction come with waiting, expectant hearts. 

Benediction is a popular service, that is to say, a people's service. The clever and sophisticated do not come much to Benediction, but the simple, the poor, those who acknowledge an emptiness in their lives that only God can fill. Even those who might not come to Holy Communion will sometimes come to Benediction where God reaches out to them though they think they are only on the fringes. I think of some of those with whom I have knelt at Benediction: harassed city-dwellers in New York, working- class people from the back streets of Dublin, soldiers serving in the deserts of North Africa, Indian Christians living as a tiny minority in a great Hindu city . . . They have all had the grace of humility - a quality which, alas, is not greatly encouraged in our new liturgies. But those who seek a blessing come with empty hands. 'How blessed are those who know their need of God' ' (Matthew 5:3 NEB). God cannot give a blessing to the proud, the self- sufficient, the superior, those who secretly despise the simple devotion of their brethren. So we can only come to Benediction waiting and expectant. As we sing the hymns and look upon the Host, we open our hearts to God, knowing that he who sent the blessing of his Son to lighten the darkness of the world still sends through the same Son his blessing to us. 

We do not wait on God in vain. Lifting up the Host in a monstrance (sometimes in a ciborium) the Those quiet opening moments of Benediction are very precious indeed. We take time to compose ourselves, to put ourselves together, as it were. These may be only a few minutes, but they have something of the quality of eternity. We put aside our own busy plans, policies, activities, and remain passive before God so that his voice may be heard and his grace received. This brief time of quiet alone is of inestimable value in that crazy hurried world in which we all have to live nowdays. officiating priest makes the sign of the cross in blessing over the worshippers. Christ, the Light of the world, shines upon us, and my comparison with the rising sun was appropriate because the monstrance is usually fashioned to resemble the sun's disc, with rays streaming out in all directions. Through Christ, God bestows his blessing upon us and all who are willing to receive it, just as the sun shines on all, bringing light and health. 

The seekers, the pilgrims, the weary are assured of the blessing of God in Christ, and every time Christ comes to men and women it is with the promise of a new life of hope and freedom. 'The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined' (Isaiah 9:2). 

Then a very remarkable thing happens. For we find ourselves saying the words of the Divine Praises: 'Blessed be God', 'Blessed be his holy Name' We came seeking God's blessing, and now we find that we are blessing God! This belongs so naturally to what might be called the spiritual logic of Benediction. A benediction is not something that we can selfishly keep for ourselves. It makes us too want to give a benediction. 'We love, because he first loved us' (1 John 4:19). We begin by coming in our need to God, seeking his blessing. He gives us that blessing, and our response is to bless and adore him. This is indeed the goal of all our worshipping - that we may come to love God better. And we cannot love God without loving our neighbours who are God's children, so that in seeking God's blessing, we are praying that in blessing us he will make us a blessing to others. This is how it has been since the very beginning of the people of God, when the Lord said to Abraham, 'I will bless you, so that you will be a blessing . . .' (Genesis 12:3). 

These, then, are some of the meanings contained in the service of Benediction and some of the reasons for prizing it. Let us not miss this time of precious quiet while we wait upon God in humility. Let us not miss the blessing he bestows through the Christ who conies into our midst. For in such acts of devotion we learn to love him better, and he can make us a benediction to all whom we meet.

Benediction at S. Luke's Kingston, April 2015

Here we go again . . .

A new Lockdown - the Prime Minister hopes it is just for four weeks. Public worship has been banned, but not churches being used for private, personal prayer. So, as in the previous Lockdown, each Sunday morning, Jesus in his Holy Sacrament will be enthroned on the nave altar from 8.30 a.m. to 12.00 noon for private and personal prayer. We encourage the church family as well as our neighbours to slip in for as short or long a time of prayer as you wish. All Saints' Benhilton, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 3DA

All Saints' Benhilton open for Private Prayer

The Blessed Sacrament exposed on the Nave Altar

for private prayer

each Sunday morning, 8.45 a.m. to 12.00 midday

until public celebrations of the Mass are permitted.

Yesterday at All Saints' we had a working bee to dust, clean and tidy the church in preparation for opening this morning for private prayer, for the first time in twelve weeks of ‘lockdown.’ It was really wonderful to see people from our church family working together again (socially distanced, of course, and many wearing gloves and face masks!), enjoying renewed fellowship and interaction, and sharing a great sense of anticipation. 

We do not know when public worship will be allowed, but permission to open the church for private prayer is a very welcome first step in that direction.

So, over the next few Sundays, the church will be open from 8.45 a.m. to 12.00 noon for private prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament which will have been placed on the nave altar beforehand, surrounded by candles and flowers. We invite you to visit All Saints’ for prayer and reflection during that period each Sunday, and to stay for as little or as long a time as you wish.

TO JESUS IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

Jesus, our Lord and our God, 

Son of the Living God and Son of the Virgin Mary, 

we believe that you are here, and we adore you. 

Veiled beneath the whiteness of the Sacred Host, 

we believe that you are present, 

in all the perfection of your manhood and divinity, 

and we adore you. 

With all the angels of heaven, 

with your holy Mother Mary, 

and with all your saints, 

we kneel in humble adoration.

We come to you, dear Lord, like the apostles, saying: 

“Increase our Faith.” 

Give us a firm and lively faith in your Real Presence. 

Give us the faith of the beloved disciple to recognise you and say, 

“It is the Lord.” 

Give us the faith of Peter to confess you and say, 

“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” 

Give us the faith of Mary Magdalen to fall at your feet crying 

“Rabboni, Master!” 

Give us the faith of Thomas who in the end believed and said, 

“My Lord and my God.”

Give us the faith of all your saints 

to whom this Blessed Sacrament was heaven on earth. 

In every Communion, at every Mass, 

at every visit to you in the Blessed Sacrament, 

increase our faith, and inflame our hearts with love for you. 

Lord, help us by your grace 

always so to believe and understand, 

to feel and firmly hold, 

to speak and think 

of the exceeding Mystery of this Blessed Sacrament, 

as shall be pleasing to you and profitable for our souls. 

And may your priests continually offer the Holy Sacrifice 

in the beauty of holiness, 

and your people more and more with delight gather at your altars.

And grant us, Lord, 

that, adoring and receiving you upon earth, 

we may finally by your mercy be admitted to the heavenly banquet, 

where you, the Lamb in the midst of the throne, 

in unveiled majesty, are perfectly worshipped and glorified 

by countless angels and saints for ever and ever. 

Amen.

The amazing truth about the miracle of Holy Communion

HE COMES TO US AS FOOD

Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s there was a huge sign painted on the side of a building facing the railway line between Redfern Station and Central in inner Sydney. Tens of thousands saw it daily on their way to work. I read it almost every day for my first two years at University. I cannot remember the product being advertised, but the sign said: ‘WHAT YOU EAT AND DRINK TODAY WALKS AND TALKS TOMORROW.’

It always made me smile and think of S. Augustine, bishop of Hippo in Northern Africa in the 4th century, who some friends and I had begun to study. It was he who said that as we eat the Body of Christ in Holy Communion, we become the Body of Christ in the world. We also know that as he gave Holy Communion to his people, Augustine would actually say to them, ‘Eat what you are, and become what you eat’! 

We are in the aftermath of Corpus Christi, having celebrated in a special way the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. With the vast majority of mainstream Christians down through the ages we know that he comes to us supernaturally as FOOD so as to share his life with us, to deepen our union with him and with one another, to strengthen us for our lives here in this world, and to sustain us on our journey to heaven. He comes as Food to nourish and transform us.

SUCH REALISTIC LANGUAGE

‘But it’s just symbolic’ is what some Christians still say, and they criticise what they sometimes call 'that high church catholic nonsense'!

Well, the extraordinary realism of S. Paul’s language in 1 Corinthians 11, also in the Gospel narratives of the institution of the Eucharist, and in John 6 where Jesus feeds the five thousand and then explains that he himself is the ‘Bread of Life’ seems to be very clear. So clear that one of my predecessors here at All Saints  Benhilton, - Father Marcus Donovan, Vicar from 1945 to 1961 - could write:

‘In the Holy Sacrament Jesus conceals Himself under the veils of bread and wine. He is as truly present as in Bethlehem or in Galilee. Outwardly the “veils” are all we can see, but after the Consecration they become the Body and Blood of Christ. He chose the most ordinary things (‘“elements” as they are called) in which to give us this treasure. In Holy Communion we receive the life of Christ, and so we must regard the Most Holy Sacrament with the utmost reverence. It is the greatest of all Sacraments, for while they give us grace, Holy Communion gives us the Author of grace Himself.’ (in Faith and Practice SPCK, 1950

Is this really the faith of the Church? Well, if we have any doubts about that, we can turn to those generations of the early Church nearest to the apostles for an indication of how the New Testament’s language about Holy Communion was understood in their day.

IGNATIUS

Writing between 80 AD and 110 AD, - most likely while the Apostle John is still alive - S. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, calls the bread of Holy Communion, 

‘the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in his graciousness, raised from the dead.’ (Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 6)

JUSTIN MARTYR

S. Justin Martyr says the same kind of thing a little later on - around 150 AD: 

‘We do not consume the Eucharistic bread and wine as if it were ordinary food and drink, for we have been taught that as Jesus Christ our Saviour became a man of flesh and blood by the power of the Word of God, so also the food that our flesh and blood assimilates for its nourishment becomes the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the Eucharistic prayer.’ (First Apology)

IRENAEUS

And then,  in 189 A.D., S. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons writes: 

‘If the Lord were from other than the Father, how could he rightly take bread, which is of the same creation as our own, and confess it to be his body and affirm that the mixture in the cup is his blood?’ (Against Heresies 4:33–32)

He also writes: 

‘He has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own body, from which he gives increase unto our bodies. When, therefore, the mixed cup [wine and water] and the baked bread receives the Word of God and becomes the Eucharist, the body of Christ, and from these the substance of our flesh is increased and supported, how can they say that the flesh is not capable of receiving the gift of God, which is eternal life - flesh which is nourished by the body and blood of the Lord, and is in fact a member of him?’ (ibid., 5:2). 

A MIRACLE

The realism of this language is startling. It comes from a time when the successors of the Apostles were defending the Gospel and the Faith, which is all about the coming of God into real human life and joining himself to it (and to the creation of which human life is part) in order to redeem, renew and transfigure it. And who were they arguing with? You guessed it . . . the SPIRITUALISERS who couldn’t conceive that ‘the flesh’ could be saved. So - did these early Christian leaders expect to be taken ‘literally’ in their language about Holy Communion? You bet they did!

Since the dying and rising of Jesus, his followers have gathered at the altar Sunday by Sunday (and where possible more often than that!) in order to receive him in what is the most precious, sacred, awesome, life-giving encounter possible this side of heaven.

'O come, let us adore Him - Christ the Lord.'

The Bishop pf Fulham's teaching for Corpus Christi

Click on this link:

https://youtu.be/kXCRQ5cQ4sE

Bishop Jonathan Baker on the Risen Christ coming to his people

So many people have said how much they have appreciated the meditations given throughout this Holy Week by Bishop Jonathan Baker. This one helps us to understand how powerfully the risen Lord comes to us in the Blessed Sacrament, so that we know him as did the disciples at Emmaus 'in the breaking of the Bread'. Bishop Jonathan ends with Benediction.

Christ is Risen. Alleluia!

He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

FATHER DAVID’S WEEKLY LETTER TO PARISHIONERS - 19th March, 2020

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

I write this letter to you on S. Joseph’s Day, the second anniversary of my becoming your parish priest, and I sincerely give God thanks for every one of you. Your faith and devotion, your loving support for one another, your care for the things of God, and your kindness to me, have been so real. Furthermore, in our short time together we have had the joy of seeing new people become part of our fellowship at the altar of God.

It is unfortunate that on this day I have to share with you special measures we as a parish must put into place in response to the coronavirus outbreak, following advice from both the Government and the Church of England. But your safety and your peace of mind is important to the Churchwardens and to me, as is our determination not to do anything that could aid and abet the spread of the virus.

We are a Catholic parish, and as such the centre of our worship and life is the Mass, the great Sacrifice of Jesus that unites heaven and earth, in which we actually receive Jesus himself, the Lamb of God and the Lord of glory, in Holy Communion. It is desperately sad that of necessity public Masses are suspended from this coming Sunday (22nd March). However, I want you to be assured that the centre of our prayer as a parish community will continue to be Jesus, lovingly present to us in the Blessed Sacrament. I share with you the arrangements that will come into being from Sunday, and pertain until further notice:

1. SUNDAYS

I will celebrate a ‘private Mass’ at 8.00 a.m. each Sunday with only the Churchwardens in attendance. It will be offered for all the people of the parish, for all on our intercession list, and for others, living and departed, for whom you ask us to pray. Week by week, please continue to let us have the names of those for whom you wish the Mass to be offered.

The church will be opened for personal, private prayer each Sunday from 8.30 a.m. until 12.00 midday.  I encourage you, as well as others from the neighbourhood, to visit All Saints’ for a time of prayer during that period each Sunday. You will be able to light candles and pray at the shrines. You will be able to stay for as little or as long a time as you wish. To this end our cleaning team is ensuring that all surfaces in the church that are easily touched are regularly disinfected and cleaned. Each week there will be a different pew bulletin available to use and then to take home containing Scripture readings, set prayers and spiritual teaching.

The focus of our devotion on these Sunday mornings will be Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, placed in a monstrance on the nave altar surrounded by candles and flowers. This Sunday is Mothering Sunday, and I know that the very best way to observe it during the current medical emergency will be to come in family groups for a short time of prayer and thanksgiving at All Saints’, not forgetting to light a candle at the Shrine of Our Lady, the mother of Jesus and our mother, too.

One last thing about these Sunday mornings. When you spend time before the Lord in this special way, do come with love and expectancy in your heart. For from the miracle of his sacred presence in the Blessed Sacrament, enthroned on the altar, cascade wave upon wave of healing love to touch your life and to give you his blessing. 

2. WEEKDAYS

Just last Sunday during my address to the APCM I said that the most important - and really, the only indispensable - thing I do every day, is to go to the altar of God and offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Reflecting this priority for the parish community, although public Masses will not be held, a ‘private Mass’ will be offered from Monday to Saturday at 7.30 a.m. Two people will be invited for each day. If you would like to be invited, please send me an email or write me a note. It is also important to let me know of any prayer requests for a particular day.

3. GOING ONLINE

Since 2008 I have written a blog. It is at www.fministry.com and contains many teaching articles following the themes of the Church Year, as well as general insights to help in our discipleship of Jesus. I will be using this blog to share with friends and parishioners.

Ten years ago I published a book of prayers in traditional language for Anglicans of the Catholic Tradition. I then created an online version which can be accessed here:

www.forwardministryonline.com/prayerbookfront.html 

It is a veritable treasure trove of devotion that many of you might find helpful.

You will be relieved to know that I do not intend to use my iPhone to make amateurish videos of myself saying Mass each day! But I will in due course provide you with a list of reliable, well produced, good quality and spiritually enriching daily Masses streamed on the internet that you might find helpful.

4. PASTORAL CARE

As your parish priest I am committed to ensuring that you have access to the sacramental and pastoral ministry of the Church. I am supported in this commitment by the lay ministers of the parish. I do understand that those who are self-isolating face particular challenges, and  that in order not only to keep safe but also to help prevent the further spread of the coronavirus, special care must be taken with personal hygiene. To this end, the priest’s hands will always be washed thoroughly, immediately before and immediately after any sacramental ministry.

A range of people regularly receive our e-pew-bulletin. If you would like to be put on that email distribution list, please send me an email and ask!

Likewise, please get in touch with me if you wish a pastoral visit and/or to receive the Blessed  Sacrament.

Other aspects of the pastoral ministry such as funerals and weddings need to be considered with respect to the possible size of the congregation, and therefore the risks thought to be involved. There may well be a further development in the legal situation with regard to these celebrations. 

Finally, there will be opportunities within our parish family for help to be offered to some who are shut-in, or those who are self-isolating. This help might well be as simple a task as going to the shops for them. Please let me know if you can manage to give this kind of help, or if you need it.

It is difficult to predict how things will transpire in this evolving and challenging situation. But you can be confident that as instructed by the Diocese, the Churchwardens and I have put together a ‘Parish Continuation Plan’ that - as far as possible - helps us to be ready for whatever happens.  Above all, as Bishop Jonathan Baker has reminded us, we must be anchored in our confidence that God is with us. 

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Father David Chislett

Vicar

The joy of Corpus Christi

In some countries the great festival of Corpus Christi will have been kept last Thursday, while in others today is the big day. What a wonderful celebration of the presence of Jesus among us in the Blessed Sacrament! I am still getting to know the customs of my new parish. I was so pleased a few weeks ago to discover that not only does All Saints' Benhilton keep Corpus Christi on the Sunday with great rejoicing, but also that at the end of Mass we have a procession of the Blessed Sacrament into our neighbourhood, before going back into the church for Benediction.

There have been many revivals and times of renewal prompted by the Holy Spirit over two thousand years of Church history. One such movement in the Western Church during the Middle Ages was the upsurge in love and devotion to Jesus in the Sacrament of the Altar. This resulted in the practice of elevating the Host and the Chalice for the people’s adoration during the consecration at Mass. To satisfy the widespread prayerful longing for these sacred moments of love and worship to be extended, processions of the Blessed Sacrament became common, as did devotions that evolved into the little service of “Benediction” as we know it today.

“Corpus Christi” (Latin for “Body of Christ”) as an exuberant festival of thanksgiving for the Blessed Sacrament was officially proclaimed in Belgium in 1246. It was extended to the entire Western Church in 1264.  

Our Eucharistic procession at the end of today’s Mass reminds us that Jesus, present among his people in the Sacrament of his love, accompanies us, not just as individuals, but also as a community of faith walking together, supporting one another in our journey through this life.

One of the more eccentric and colourful characters of the Catholic Revival in the Church of England was Father Sandys Wason (1867-1950), poet and for some years Vicar of Cury and Gunwalloe in Cornwall. He was greatly persecuted and suffered much for the Faith. A number of his poems have been included in the biography, Mr Wason . . . I Think, written by Roy Tickner. Particularly moving is Father Wason's poem written for the solemnity of Corpus Christi:

CORPUS DOMINI
At every doorway of the rose-hung street,
On the stone stair-heads, in the angled shade,
Peasants in old-time festival brocade
Took refuge from the unrelenting heat;
These, all by some Mystery made one
With those who dozed or whispered, kissed or played
As silver trumpets rang through the arcade,
Leaned to the far-off sound like wind-blown wheat.

A dark-haired boy, sandalled and naked save
A shift of camel's hair, came first as John
The Baptist: in his wake a yearling lamb,
A crucifix, blest incense; next, a score
Of sunburnt singing-boys in lawn and black
Swept gaily on before a company
Of girls in long lace bridal veils and wreaths
Of oleander, telling rosaries,
But none so fervid that she failed to screen
The lighted taper in her small brown hand
Lest any love-lorn breeze mistake and woo
Its flame for some gold flower.

A group of children who from ribboned frails
Unendingly were flinging to the Host
Flowers of genista, poppy, myrtle, bay;
At last, as from a mist of frankincense
And candle-light and waving cypress boughs,
A priest in silver vestments flowered with gold
To which, as by a spell, his eyes were held;
He gazed, as if these transitory things
Were with the earth, all they had been before
They were created; as if our life were but
A greying garland doomed to pass away.

To him, within the pale orb of the Host,
All he had ever dreaded or desired,
Truth, wisdom, power, peace and righteousness,
As in a crystal mirror, stood revealed,
And so, adoring his uplifted God,
Wonder, profoundest wonder filled his soul.

This Host he held before him was, he knew,
But one of thousands he, with Christ's last words,
Had blessed and raised to God at break of dawn;
As known to him, as dearly natural
As his young olive trees, his violin,
The cedar press where lay the folded alb
He would at death be clothed in, the pale crown
Of 'everlastings' on his mother's grave.

This Host was close to these persisting things.
In this, then, dwelt the marvel; here abode
The Lord who made the beauty of the world,
The sun, the moon, and all the stars that be,
The solace and the menace of the sea.

Came holding, shaded by a baldaquin
Of white and silver tissue, thin with age,
A golden monstrance like an outspread fan.

A Eucharistic Litany to Christ the King

Lord Jesus Christ,
reigning in the glory of heaven,
living in the hearts of your people,
and truly present before us in this Blessed Sacrament,
we come before you in adoration and love.
We thank you for making us your people
and drawing us into your love.
We thank you for all the blessings
and the strength you give us
as we make our pilgrim way through this world
to the heavenly country.

v. Lord Jesus, our Eternal King,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, most Merciful King,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, who came among us in great humility,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, who offers us healing and new life,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, who rose glorious from the dead,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, our Eucharistic King,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, the King foretold by the prophets,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, King of Heaven and earth,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, in whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, we are one,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, whose Kingdom is not from this world,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, who will come upon the clouds of Heaven with Power and Great Glory,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, whose Throne of Grace we are to approach with confidence,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, who, hanging on the cross, gave your Mother, Mary, to be our Mother also,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, who heals us of division and disunity,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, wounded by our indifference,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, who sends the Holy Angels to protect us,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, before whom every knee shall bow,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, whose reign will never end,
R. Reign in our hearts.

v. Lord Jesus, whose kindness toward us is steadfast, and whose faithfulness endures forever,
R. Reign in our hearts. ​

v. Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world:
R. Have mercy on us.

v. Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world:
R. Have mercy on us.

v. Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world:
R. Grant us peace.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the living God,
we hail you as our King. ​
Through you all things came to be;
in you all things will reach their destiny. 
You are the image of your Father,
the richness of his grace,
his free gift to us of life and love. ​
You love us with an everlasting love.
You share with us your mission
to bring the Good News to the poor,
to proclaim liberty to captives,
to set the downtrodden free. ​
Lord Jesus Christ,
we hail you as our King;
use us to bring your life, your love,
and the glorious freedom of the children of God
to all with whom we share our lives;
for you live and reign with the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Monsignor Augustine Hoey, R.I.P.

On Tuesday of last week (26th September) the death occurred of Monsignor Augustine Hoey who was 101 years of age. Formally a Mirfield Father, a well-known missioner and spiritual guide, he was received into the Roman Catholic Church at the age of 78 when the Church of England's General Synod decided that the ministerial priesthood should include women.

Following a rich ministry of spiritual direction in London, he went to live in Walsingham at the age of 97. When asked about his routine, he said, "Well, I just carry on much as I always have done,”  as if, at pushing 100, nothing could be more natural. “I am on a sevenfold Office, so I get up at 4.30am for the Office of Readings at 5 am and continue from there, ending with Compline back at my house at 8 pm.” He always prayed for unity, saying “ I believe that Our Lady weeps at these divisions. So I pray in each of them [i.e. the churches] daily for Christian unity.” Appointed a Chaplain to His Holiness by Pope Francis,  Monsignor Hoey has left a memoir, Trembling on the Edge of Eternity (published by St Michael’s Abbey Press). A short article on his remarkable life can be read HERE. 

One of my favourite stopping off places in the days when I would occasionally travel between Australia and the USA was the Continuing Anglican church of St Mary of the Angels, Hollywood, California. On my first visit, I picked up a leaflet containing the transcript of a sermon Father Hoey preached there in 1980. It is a moving meditation on the Blessed Sacrament, beautifully expressed, deserving of a wider circulation:

Sometimes I think that we grow overfamiliar with holy things. We take them all for granted. I wonder, for example, how much time each one of us has spent in preparation for receiving the Body and Blood of Christ this morning. I wonder, did we spend last evening in such a way that it was a suitable preparation for our Communion this morning?

In the early days of the Church our Christian forefathers used to gather together about midnight every Saturday evening; and they would then spend the whole night in vigil waiting for the Sunday Mass, which was celebrated just before the dawn—being the traditional hour of the Resurrection.

Well, we’ve come a long way since then, in the kind of preparation that each one of us makes.

Don’t let us grow familiar with holy things. It is so easy to be familiar with the whole Mass - to forget the Awful Mystery in which we are shortly to be plunged. Having ears, we no longer hear: Our ears have grown deaf to the truth of the mystery of the Mass. Our eyes have grown blind. We are overfamiliar.

What do we really mean when we say that every single Mass is the proclamation and is the setting forth of the Birth, and the Death, and the Resurrection and the Ascension of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? What do we mean by that?

How would you explain what you mean by participating, as we are each going to in a few moments, in the birth, the dying, the rising and the ascending of Christ?

On the first Christmas Day we know that God came down into our midst, that He clothed Himself in the flesh of a newborn baby boy. Outwardly there was nothing unusual to see. When those shepherds got to the stable, the child in the manger didn’t look any different from any other newborn baby boy. The only difference was that the conditions of birth were more squalid and sordid than usual. There was no mysterious light playing ‘round the head of the child or of our Lady or St. Joseph, such as we love to put on our Christmas cards. It all looked so ordinary . . . And yet you see those shepherds - and this is incredible, really, when you reflect upon it - they had the faith to see the truth beneath the ordinary outward appearance.

They had the faith to see what their eyes could not see: that this child was indeed God of God, Light of Light, and Very God of Very God. Amazing thing! And it is the same faith we have to bring with us to every Mass. Because our eyes do not tell us the reality; all we can see with our eyes is the outward appearance of bread and of wine. And we have to have faith, the faith that the shepherds had, to say, “I believe this is the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ.”

In every Mass you see how we participate in the birth of Christ as He comes again into our midst; and we have to bring the same act of faith as the shepherds brought.

It is quite clear to any of us that as we reflect on the Words of Institution which Jesus used at the Last Supper, that when He said over the bread “This is my Body,” and over the wine “This is my Blood,” we realize that these words only have any kind of significance when they are seen in the context of the crucifixion.

They don’t mean anything without the crucifixion, do they?

Then what is the connection between the crucifixion and every Mass we celebrate? What does St. Paul really mean when he tells us that at every Mass we “show forth the Lord’s death until He comes”? Does it mean that at every single Mass Christ is crucified again? Does it mean that? No, it does not! Christ can never be crucified again in a physical sense. We know! We’ve often sung “once, only once, and once for all His precious life He gave.” He cannot be re-crucified physically. Well, then, what is the connection between Calvary and every single Mass? What does it mean when Jesus, speaking through the lips of His priest at the altar, says once again, “This is my body which is given . . . This is my blood which is shed”?

It helps me to think of it like this: that when a musician has composed a piece of music - as he writes down the last note on the paper - that piece of music, that composition is finished, finished once and for all. Because if he alters it, it is another piece of music. It is finished, it is completed! But although it is finished and completed we can go on playing it over and over and over again. So is the connection between Calvary and the Mass. Calvary is finished once and for all! But in every single Mass we, as it were, go on playing it over and over and over until the end of time.

But above everything else, the Mass is the proclamation of the Resurrection, because the Christ who comes into our midst at the altar is the risen Christ. It is no dead Christ! He is risen! That’s the Christian Gospel. None of us would be sitting here this morning if Christ had not risen! The Christian Gospel is not that “Christ is crucified,” but “Christ is risen.”

You read through all the early sermons of the Apostles, and that is what they preached about, always: “Christ is risen.” This is the foundation stone of Christianity. And it is the risen Lord who comes to the altar. It is the risen Christ - the power of the Resurrection - that you and I take into our lives in the act of Communion.

“I am the bread of Life,” says Jesus. “He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. Every Communion we make is a pledge - a guarantee, if you like - of our resurrection to which we look forward after the physical experience of death.

And so the risen Lord is coming to you and me this morning. He is coming into our hearts. But alas, so often we receive Him into our hearts, and what do we do? We treat him not as if he were alive, but as if he were dead.

We roll the great stone across the door of our hearts, and we entomb Him there; we imprison Him there. And yet Christ has come to each one of us in order that we might take Him. He wants to go with us into the place where we work, into the place where we live, and to the people we meet when we take our pleasure and recreation. He longs to go, He longs to speak! How can He speak unless it is through our lips? How can He walk where He wants to walk unless it is on our feet? How can he love as He wants to love unless it is with our hearts? And so he comes to us in all the power of his risen life, in Holy Communion. He comes to us that he may go with us, that we may take Him.

But the Mass is also the Ascension, because as we kneel at the altar and receive the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation, our Lord takes us up with him into the heavenly places, into the bosom of the Father. Every act of Holy Communion is an ascension with Christ into heaven.

Oh yes, I know we can’t see anything: it all looks just the same. We don’t hear anything unusual: we all heard it before, so many times. We don’t feel anything. And we certainly can’t understand it - completely. Nevertheless, we do ascend with Christ in Communion to Heaven. And so you see what I mean. And one could go on talking about this forever, because the depths are so profound, the mystery is so great; and all that is implied by saying that the Mass is the setting forth, the living out of the Birth, the Death, the Resurrection and the Ascension of Jesus Christ. The Mystery so great, the wonder beyond all wonders, that really we should fall flat on our faces before the holiness of Jesus - born, died, rising, and ascending.

For me there are some words with which I’m sure you are familiar, which best express a kind of disposition we should bring with us to Mass. They’re words which are used very frequently by Christians in the Orthodox Church; and I’m sure you’ve often sung them. This is how I think we should feel: 

“Let all mortal flesh keep silence,  
And with fear and trembling stand,  
Ponder nothing earthly minded, 
For with blessing in his hand, 
Christ our God to Earth descendeth,  
Our full homage to demand.”

* * * * * * * * * *

"It is the impossible that has to be done..."

At Walsingham on 12 December 2015, following a Mass marking his 100th birthday, Monsignor Hoey spoke movingly about Christian unity. Here is what he said:

Jesus truly present . . . where should the Tabernacle be?

  

Devotion to Jesus, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, is common enough among Anglicans these days. Over many years, however, I have observed that this devotion tends not to exist among “rank and file” worshippers where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved out of sight in a side chapel. Indeed, in that scenario, prayer to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament becomes the habit of the devout few rather than of the many.

On his excellent blog, Father John Hunwicke reminds us of Eric Mascall’s disquiet over the same phenomenon. He quotes from Mascall’s Corpus Christi: Essays on the Church and the Eucharist (1965 ed). Thankfully, after much experimentation – and even architectural vandalism - there is a movement in Anglican and Roman Catholic circles to restore the centrality of the tabernacle. If any readers have doubts about this, I urge you to think about the passage from Dr Mascall:   

The fundamental facts about the Blessed Sacrament are its publicity and its centrality. It is not a secret treasure, hidden away in a corner to be the object of devotion of the abnormally pious; it is the gift of God to his body the Church. The method of reservation which is advocated by many - though fortunately a diminishing number - of our [Anglican] bishops . . . whereby the Consecrated Elements are placed in a safe in the church wall and removed from association with the altar, seems calculated to encourage almost every wrong view of the reserved Sacrament that is conceivable. Could anything be more likely to detach the reserved Sacrament from its organic connection with the Church’s Liturgy than the provision that the place of reservation ‘shall not be immediately behind or above a Holy Table’?. . . It is therefore, I would suggest, most desirable that the Blessed Sacrament should normally be reserved in as central a place as possible, upon the high altar of the church, and that regularly some form of public devotion to the Eucharistic Presence should be held, if possible when the main body of the congregation is assembled. 

Wisdom from Carlo Carretto (2)

These snippets are typical of Carlo Carretto at his best. Simple, yet truly profound.

ON PERSONAL PRAYER

Prayer is not so much a matter of talking as listening; contemplation is not watching but being watched. On the day when we realize this, we will have entered finally into possession of the truth, and prayer will have become a living reality. To be watched by God: that is how I would define contemplation, which is passive rather that active, more a matter of silence than of words, of waiting rather than of action. What am I before God? If He shuts, no one opens, and if He opens, no one shuts. He is the active principle of love, He is before all, He is the one who makes within me His own prayer, which then becomes my prayer . . . It was He who sought me in the first place, and it is He who continues to seek me.  (From God of the Impossible)

Personal prayer is the meeting place between the Eternal One and me; the Blessed Sacrament is the visible sign of my covenant with him.  That is why I believe in personal prayer, and why every day I wait to meet him in the Eucharist. To pray means to wait for the God who comes. Every prayer-filled day sees a meeting with the God who comes; every night which we faithfully put at his disposal is full of his presence.  And his coming and his presence are not only the result of our waiting or a prize for our efforts: they are his decision, based on his love freely poured out. His coming is bound to his promise, not to our works or virtue.  We have not earned the meeting with God because we have served him faithfully in our brethren, or because we have heaped up such a pile of virtue as to shine before Heaven. God is thrust onward by his love, not attracted by our beauty.  He comes even in moments when we have done everything wrong, when we have done nothing . . . when we have sinned. (From The God Who Comes)