Tales from Canterbury - part XII

On Friday I was treated to a different perspective. Many of us had the opportunity to climb the very long spiral stair case to the top of Bell Harry Tower. The tower was completed in 1498 and is 249 feet tall, at the top is the bell that calls everyone to service. The bell is named for Prior Harry (Henry) Eastry.

Climbing that tower provided a very different perspective. From about the mid-point you can look out on the inside of the church and see the quire and the nave from very different perspectives.

A little further up is a large wooden wheel, it looks a bit like a water wheel at a granary. Two men would have stood inside the wheel and walked in one direction or another to raise and lower building supplies for the tower. It is a “modern” convenience from a different time and culture. Though now tied off the wheel is still functional. The trap door in the ceiling used for the rope and basket is now used for hanging television cameras when a service is to be broadcast.

High upon the tower you can look in all directions and see the city of Canterbury. From this perspective you can see that the town was built around the Cathedral in rings moving out from the center, like rings in a pond when a stone is dropped in. Interspersed among the many old buildings in the city are new buildings dating to the mid 20th century. These buildings were placed there out of necessity; the bombings of WWII had destroyed their predecessors. In many cases the exact date of the bombing that destroyed a particular building could be identified. Seeing these holes in the fabric of the building history is most noticeable from the perspective of the tower.

Climbing this tower provided a very different perspective on this Cathedral, the surrounding town, and the Anglican Communion.

On the surface it would seem that two priests from the same country, both women, would have similar stories. Yet one priest is from a First Nation. There are some aspects of her ministry that have more in common with a First Nation priest from North America than her colleague in the same country. They share different perspectives.

Other members of the Anglican communion can literally face death for what they preach. Speaking out in opposition to a rival group can lead to a quick and final retribution.

Another perspective shows us that in some areas widows and orphans are not cared for, they are cast aside. In that community people can eat for weeks on the amount of money many in the Western world spend on a coffee at Starbucks each day.

We share different perspectives on the Episcopate and Bishops. The US Episcopal Church is often remembered for the advertising campaign that said “You don’t have to check your brains at the door in an Episcopal Church.” Yet in some parts of the Anglican Communion the bishop will tell a priest where to serve, what to preach, and what to believe. One brother on this pilgrimage was informed by his bishop that with his ordination to priesthood only months away he must find a wife and be married prior to ordination.

Or consider the country where Anglicanism is relatively new. If a priests talks about the history of the Anglican Church in terms of King Henry VIII and his desire for a divorce the faith is not received well; however if the history begins with Saint Augustine arriving in England in 597 there is great acceptance. It is simply a matter of different perspectives.

This pilgrimage has provided a very different perspective on many areas of ministry and of the Anglican Communion.

My prayer from Canterbury is that you are blessed by different perspectives,

Tales from Canterbury - part XI

Early in this Anglican Pilgrimage we were reminded to look and listen. Several days later the Arch Bishop of Canterbury reminded us to look and listen. Scripture tells us that Jesus did what he saw the Father doing; he also was practicing a ministry of look and listen.

Have you ever read the Bible and heard the stories and wondered why there are two Creation stories? Have you ever looked and listened and wondered why there are two flood stories? Did the animals come two by two, or where there seven of each kind? Have you ever wondered why and questioned what difference does this make? Have you ever looked and listened to the stories about Jesus and wondered why Mark, Matthew, and Luke are so similar and John is so different? Why would that occur and what difference does it make? Have you ever wondered why some of the Bible is written in prose and other in poetry? Have you ever wondered what the world was like when the Bible was written, what was occurring and what did life look like? Have you ever wondered why one translation uses a particular word and a different translation found a different word more fitting? What is the effect when we consider that many of the original Greek words have multiple definitions? Looking and listening to the Holy Scripture brings these questions and so many more.

Asking these questions is how many, though not all, Anglican seminarians and clergy learn to look and listen to Scripture. As I look and listen to my brothers and sisters from around the world I find that for some their education and their ethos does not lead to reading the Bible in this same manner.

Every November or December the same conversations occur; some people complain about the use of “X-Mass” in lieu of “Christmas.” They say you should not take the Christ out of Christmas. This argument is not about intelligence or education level, it is about different education. An education in Biblical Greek will inform the recipient that “X” is the letter chi; the first letter in Khristos or Christ. With that knowledge Christ is very much a part of X-Mass, it is a matter of a different education.

In our pilgrim journey walking 12km along Saint Augustine’s trail to Canterbury we all walked differently. Some walked and constantly paused to look or listen to the sounds of nature. Others strode confidently as if in a race. Some listened to music and others to nature and some talked with their walking companion. In our pilgrimage in quiet in All Saints Chapel some sat in silence, some prayed, some fidgeted and left as soon as possible, and some struggled with the silence. We all manifest our pilgrimage differently.

We also read the Bible differently, the same words but different meanings. Some of that is a result of different seminary and theological education. Some of that is the pressures of the hierarchy of the Church. Some of that is culture.

In some ways the 800 pound gorilla in the room was recognized today; Americans are ordaining homosexuals and lesbians. Unfortunately there was little looking and listening. I was told that as Americans we don’t read Scripture properly and that we don’t take the Bible seriously enough; as a result we have all these problems with “the gays.” Sexuality is not a new issue. In the mid 1900’s the bishops at Lambeth Conference discussed ordination of women. Some fifty plus years later the Lambeth Conference was preoccupied with sexual orientation and ordination. Hundreds of years prior to all of these contemporary questions the celibacy and marriage of priests was questioned. These are the same issue, just different perspectives.

I am saddened that not all brothers and sisters of the Anglican Communion are ready to look and listen. Not all are ready to find an understanding of the other. Until understanding occurs, note I did not say “agreement,” the 800 pound gorilla will continue to sit in the corner and eat much of our valuable time and efforts. It takes a lot to feed an 800 pound gorilla.

I am also pleased that dialogue does exist with others, many do look and listen. And I am pleased that we can find common ground on so many other parts of our ministry. This view is true for the Anglican Communion, it is also true for differences within a parish.

Looking and listening is so simple, but clearly not easy. Reading the Bible is so simple, but clearly not easy. This is not a me - you, or us - them problem; we all struggle with looking and listening at different times.

Saint Augustine’s grave (pictured above) lies among the ruins of the monastery that he built in Canterbury. When Augustine arrived in 597 he had been instructed by Pope Gregory to look and listen. He was to take what was good of the customs of the existing Christians and of the pagans and use those customs as appropriate. Our religious practices today incorporate elements of these other cultures. Saint Augustine looked and listened and Christianity flourished.

From Canterbury I pray that you may be blessed by looking and listening,

Tales from Canterbury - part X

“In my Father’s house there a many mansions.” House within a house? That does not make much sense does it? The Latin word mansio is the root of mansion; however it is more accurately translated as a resting place.

On a journey a resting place might be a brief stop, or it might be a longer stay for rejuvenation. During a pilgrimage the mansio may be the destination or it may be found along the path. Finding the space that rejuvenates you could be invaluable.

Yesterday, Tuesday, we took a pilgrimage that traced a probable 12km route along Saint Augustine’s path to Canterbury. Today we made a very different type of pilgrimage. Along this pilgrimage we rested in a small chapel up a very narrow set of curved stone stairs. We found ourselves in the Chapel of All Saints. This Holy Space high above the south transept dates to about 1400.

It was in this resting place, this place of hospitality that, after a reflection on a Bible passage, one of our fellow pilgrims led us in the singing of Dona nobis pacem.

The Chapel of All Saints became a mansio for me. I have other spaces like that as well, whether it is the office of my mentor, the sea, a mountain top, a kneeler before a candle, or my new found space Christ Church Canterbury Cathedral. We all need a space of hospitality and rejuvenation.

Sometimes that space is the journey, sometimes that space is the destination.

I pray that you find your own mansio and in the silence of the hospitality you remember that “silence is the language God speaks and everything else is a bad translation.”

From Canterbury I pray, Dona nobis pacem,

Tales from Canterbury - part IX

It is no surprise that learning occurs in and out of classrooms. Tuesday was a day out of the classroom. We traveled by coach to Ebbsfleet on the Kent coast. This is the sight of Richborough Fort.

Richborough Fort was founded by the Roman Empire about the year 43. It is also the probable site of Saint Augustine’s landing in Britain in 597. The Roman settlement would have been the first spread of Christianity to the British Isles, and Saint Augustine would have brought the more formal and recognizable religion that we know today. This is where Christianity began for Britain and, through colonization, for America. It is Holy Ground.

Augustine would then have traveled by foot and horse to Canterbury, a distance of 25 miles. The exact path of his journey is not documented, though there are probable routes. We walked 12km of that route from Grove Ferry into Canterbury. It was a pilgrim’s journey.

One never knows who they will meet on a journey, though along the road to Emmaus a particularly interesting traveler was revealed. Did we meet Jesus on the pilgrim’s path to Canterbury? Certainly not in the same way that Cleopas and his companion did, but I strive to see Jesus in everyone I meet, though through my own failings I am not always successful. We did see the beautiful country side of Kent, and we certainly saw Holy ground, and the bonds of lifelong friendships were solidified on the journey.

As Christians we are called to be in community. Our community and the friendships of that community were strengthened. As we walked the trail of Saint Augustine we certainly witnessed Jesus at work.

Tales from Canterbury - part VIII

Contemporary tradition; I am not sure if that is the best term but it came to mind and will have to work for now. Here I am resident in a community with a history dating to 597. This space and this faith are deeply rooted in tradition. That is a factor that makes the Anglican Church attractive to many people. The deep full history enriches the worship experience and provides a foundation for the spread of the faith to others.

Yet here we are in the year 2011. A period where many would suggest that traditions from a thousand years ago, or even a hundred years ago are out of touch with the realities of today. I find that nothing could be further from the truth.

Evensong tonight followed the usual pattern, one that has existed for centuries with little change. Every movement, song, and Scripture reading would be recognizable to someone from the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries. As is tradition, following the choir anthem, we pray for the Anglican Communion near and far, and for those in need. It was at that moment that a tradition that is alive in a contemporary context became apparent to me.

The first of the intercessions offered this evening was to pray for those suffering the darkness of depression. I was transformed from being attentive to being hyper-attentive. Two years and one month ago my sister ended her twenty five year battle with depression. I have forever been changed by that experience. Depression is a disease that is hidden and people are loath to discuss, like the disease itself depression hides in the darkness. This centuries old cathedral now resounded with prayers for this contemporary illness.

Lord Jesus Christ, who for love of our souls entered the deep darkness of the cross: we pray that your healing love may surround all who are in the darkness of great mental distress and who find it difficult to pray for themselves. May they know that darkness and light are both alike to you and that you have promised never to fail them or forsake them.

The disbelief of that morning two years ago as I learned of my sister’s death still resonates strongly with me. Feeling a total loss for direction that morning I remembered the words of a priest who has walked with me in my formation. She had shared with me advice that she had received at her own ordination; that advice was to make the Daily Office (Morning and Evening Prayer) your own, because there would be days that the Daily Office was the only thing you could hold on to. With the news of my sister’s death I had entered one of those days. For the next several weeks it was Morning Prayer, a tradition dating back more than 1,000 years, that allowed me to move forward each day.

Today hearing a prayer in a traditional service of Evensong for those suffering the darkness of depression, a very contemporary issue, made me realize that beneath the deep emotion and tears that I was experiencing I was supported by the love of Christ and the Anglican faith. A faith that is alive with contemporary tradition.

My prayer from Canterbury is that your days be filled with light,

for my brothers and sisters who are in darkness may you be reborn in the light.

Tales from Canterbury - part VII

Sunday was our first day with a full sung Mass at the Cathedral. We celebrate Eucharist every day, along with Matins and Evensong; however Eucharist is usually said, not sung, and any hymns are a cappello. Today the Mass included the Cathedral Choir, perhaps you can tell that I am overwhelmed by this choir.

The Eucharist is celebrated at the High Altar. When it is time for Communion the choir processes to the High Altar to receive first; this is not unusual otherwise Communion hymns become an issue. Now here is the difference, the choir did not process back to their seats.

Following the reception of Communion the choir ascended twelve steps above and behind the High Altar to the area known as Trinity Chapel. This is where the shrine to Saint Thomas Beckett stood prior to 1538 when King Henry VIII had it destroyed. From this lofty position above the High Altar the choir began to sing without accompaniment. The song choice was Psalm 150. During the administration of Eucharist the entire Cathedral reverberated with the voices of the choir and these words:

Hallelujah!

Praise God in his holy temple;

praise him in the firmament of his power.

Praise him for his mighty acts;

praise him for his excellent greatness.

Praise him with the blast of the ram’s-horn;

praise him with lyre and harp.

Praise him with timbrel and dance;

praise him with strings and pipe.

Praise him with resounding cymbals;

praise him with loud-clanging cymbals.

Let everything that has breath

praise the Lord.

Hallelujah!

High above the altar these words of praise rang out. There were no projection screen TVs, no praise band, no smoke machine, no flashing lights. Simply the sound of twenty seven pure voices singing praise to the Lord.

This simple act took my breath away.

Peace and Blessings from our Anglican home,

Tales from Canterbury - part VI

With Angels and Arch Angles,

Liturgy in the Cathedral has been flawless and wonderful. There are nine vergers employed full time at the Cathedral, as a comparison the National Cathedral in Washington has two full time vergers and five volunteers. These professionals see that the services are without unintended distraction.

Evensong, sung each day, has been blessed this past week with the choirs of Saint Martins in the Fields, and the University of the South Sewanee Tennessee. While these services are beautiful there is little space for active participation by the congregation. The service is sung by a priest, and the choir. The Creed and the Grace are the only active parts for the congregation. My own personal habits have involved services with more active involvement. These services are asking for emotional and spiritual involvement.

The Cathedral Choir has been on holiday and that is why the talented voices of these other choirs joined us this past week. On Saturday the Cathedral Choir returned; and with Angels and Arch Angels the service was sung.

The Cathedral Choir consists of choir master, fifteen young boys and twelve men. The songs and chants of this choir are truly, as expressed by Saint Augustine, best described as “He who sings prays twice.”

With this choir in place I no longer felt the void of not actively participating in the Evensong service. I was deeply involved in the service, involved on a very spiritual level.

In liturgy there is definitely a place for congregational participation. There are also times when we should allow others to take us to spiritual spaces. Working with that balance and providing different experiences for different people and different times is a duty to not be taken lightly. Recognizing the gifts and ministries of others so this can be facilitated is important. Liturgy is after all, not for our own glory, but always for the glory of God.

Peace and Blessings in the continual worship of Our Lord,