AND SO IT BEGINS...

From Ruth Gledhill in the London Sunday Times, which you cannot read online without a supscription:

Priests and worshippers from to 20 Church of England parishes are to convert to Catholicism under a new scheme that allows Anglican opponents of women bishops to defect to Rome.

The founding members of the new Anglican Ordinariate, who include three former Church of England bishops, two of their wives and three Anglican nuns, will today be received into the Catholic Church in a low-key ceremony at midday Mass at Westminster Cathedral. The bishops are due to be ordained as Catholic priests in two weeks.
....

John Broadhurst, former Bishop of Fulham - whose resignation from the Church of England took effect at midnight last night and who is among those being received - told The Times: "This could herald a real transformation of the religious scene and be an aid to the conversion of England." (My emphasis)

Besides Father Broadhurst, the others being recieved today are Andrew Burnham, former Bishop of Ebbsfleet and Keith Newton, former Bishop of Matabeleland who retired to England in 2005, Edwin Barnes, former Bishop of Richborough and David Silk, former Bishop of Ballarat in Australia.

Not simply low-key, but nearly under the radar unless you're paying attention, which Ruth Gledhill always does. So the "stampede" out of the Church of England begins.

Anglican opponents to women bishops did not need a special scheme to defect to Rome. They were always free to do so. And "Father Broadhurst" won't be "Father" for two weeks, because as of the stroke of midnight, he was, and still is, a layman.

Some might say layman Broadhurst's commentary, the words in bold print, on what the reception will mean to all-England is a tad over-hyped, and I might be one who would say just that - "an aid to the conversion of England"? Really?

From America Magazine:

The 1230 Mass today at London's Westminster Cathedral looked like any other. But for the hint in the booklet for the feast of Mary, Mother of God, that after the homily would be a "Rite of reception and confirmation", there was nothing at all to indicate the significance of what was to happen. The celebrant, an auxiliary bishop of Westminster, Alan Hopes, said nothing at the start of Mass, and it wasn't until the end of a lengthy homily on Mary as Theotokos, or God-bearer, and the controversies of the fourth-century Council of Nicea which led to this Feast, that Bishop Hopes mentioned that they would be receiving some former members of the Church of England into full communion.

They included, he said, three former bishops and their relatives, as well as three Anglican nuns.

It would have been hard, if you had just dropped into the Cathedral for Mass, to understand the significance of what was happening.There was nobody around to explain that these are the founding members of the world's first Ordinariate, the scheme created by Pope Benedict to allow for the corporate reception of Anglicans.

Is there not a touch of irony in that the anti-women bishops bishops and nuns were received into the Roman Catholic Church on the feast of Mary, Mother of God? What would Mary say?

H/T to Jim Simons at Three Rivers Episcopal for the link to the article in America, and thanks to Ann V. for calling the post at "Three Rivers" to my attention.

NEW YEAR'S WISH

Paul (A.) strikes again!

On New Year's Eve, Marilyn stood up in the local pub and said that it was time to get ready. At the stroke of midnight, she wanted every husband to be standing next to the one person who made his life worth living.

Well, it was kind of embarrassing.

As the clock struck twelve, the bartender was almost crushed to death.


Cheers (and Happy New Year!),

Paul (A.)

PLEASE PRAY FOR TRACY AND MRS MADPRIEST

After just getting over a nasty chest infection, Tracy now starts the new year with an infection in her leg.

O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Tracy the help of your power, that her sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Tracy blogs as Petty Witter at Pen and Paper. You may want to drop in and leave an encouraging word. She's been confined to the house for a month, except for Christmas day before the leg infection set in, with only her husband Neal (Themethatisme) for company (poor baby!).

UPDATE: MadPriest says:

Mrs MP suffers from migraines. Of course, being Mrs MP she is not content to just have headaches, flashing lights and nausea she has to have the type of migraine that causes sinus pain. This (which sometimes happens twice a month) is an agony which she can only compare to acute toothache.... Please pray for Mrs MP. She is so miserable at the moment as her Christmas holiday has been pretty much ruined by it. And migraines and depression go together like pouring water onto a chip pan fire.

A BLESSED AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I bind unto myself this day
the strong name of the Trinity.
I humbly praise the aweful name:
the Three in One, the One in Three,
of whom all nature hath creation -
eternal Father, Spirit, Word,
Praise in the God of my salvation!
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

I bind this day to me for ever
by power of faith:Christ's incarnation,
His baptism in the Jordan river,
His death on the cross for my salvation.
His bursting from the spicèd tomb,
His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming on the day of doom,
I bind unto myself today.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ be with me this day.

From Celtic Daily Prayer.

"AULD LANG SYNE"

Robert Burns - "Auld Lang Syne"
As sung by Dougie MacLean on the album "Tribute".

A lovely version with lyrics. I was there, you know, in August. In Scotland, I mean. A lovely place.

"ANGLICANISM IS A COMMUNION, NOT A CHURCH"

From Malcolm+ at Simple Massing Priest:

When he retired in 2004, Michael Peers (who confirmed and ordained me) was the senior primate of the Anglican Communion. Here is what he had to say in 2000, four years before this Covenant silliness ever raised its head.

[W]orldwide Anglicanism is a communion, not a church. The Anglican Church of Canada is a church. The Church in the Province of the West Indies is a church. The Episcopal Church of Sudan is a church. The Anglican Communion is a 'koinonia' of churches.

We have become that for many reasons, among which are the struggles of the sixteenth century and an intuition about the value of inculturation, rooted in the Incarnation, which has led us to locate final authority within local churches.

We are not a papal church and we are not a confessional church. We are autonomous churches held together in a fellowship of common faith dating from the creeds and councils, recognizing the presidency of a primus inter pares (the Archbishop of Canterbury), often struggling with inter-church and intra-church tension, but accepting that as the price of the liberty and autonomy that we cherish.

As I said to the members of the Council of General Synod last month, the price of this includes a certain measure of messiness.'

Read Malcolm's entire commentary. As I said in the comments:

Malcolm, this is gold, pure gold. I think I never saw a better description of the Anglican Communion - what it was, what it is, and what it will not be if the daft Anglican Covenant is put in place.

UPDATE ON AILEEN

Ann, my sister in Christ---Prayer requests continue for Aileen. This young woman is still in a battle, and we know the Lord is with her. This is the latest update from her husband, Mike. My heart goes out to both of them and their two little boys. Christmas blessings to you and those you love---Sally (Aileen and Mike's priest)

"Thanks so very much for all your prayers.The surgery went very well, however there is a problem. The surgeon was disheartened to find that there is a good deal more infection around the pancreas in an area that he had just cleaned out during the surgery on Christmas Eve. Just checked with the nurse this morning, and her white cell count continues to climb. Please, Lord, help this situation with my wife. Please!"---Mike

May God the Father bless you, God the Son heal you, God the Holy Spirit give you strength. May God the holy and undivided Trinity guard your body, save your soul, and bring you safely to his heavenly country; where he lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Pray for Mike and all who love Aileen as they pray, and watch, and wait, and for Sally, as she continues to minister to Aileen and the family.

Sanctify, O Lord, those whom you have called to the study and practice of the arts of healing, and to the prevention of disease and pain. Strengthen them by your life-giving Spirit, that by their ministries the health of Aileen may be promoted and your creation glorified; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD - A VISION

From today's Lectionary:

For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth;

the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.

But be glad and rejoice for ever in what I am creating;

for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.

I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people;

no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.

No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days,

or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;

for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,

and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.

They shall build houses and inhabit them;

they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

They shall not build and another inhabit;

they shall not plant and another eat;

for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,

and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

They shall not labour in vain, or bear children for calamity;

for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—and their descendants as well.

Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox;

but the serpent—its food shall be dust!

They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain,

says the Lord.

(Isaiah 65:17-25)

Will the year 2011 at all resemble the description from Isaiah?

Yet the passage is our joy, our vision, our hope for the coming year. The words are a call to us, God's people, by the grace which God bestows in abundance, "to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with [our] God", to do our part, as best we can, to bring to reality the vision of the Kingdom of God.

In the words of Archbishop Óscar Romero, who was murdered for his efforts:

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.

PLEASE PRAY FOR RICH

From Wade:

I took my best friend Rich to Massachusetts General Hospital Monday for a Catheterization, thinking we'd return to Portland that evening, but they wouldn't let him leave. He had a quadruple bypass yesterday and is doing well, albeit in much discomfort. Any prayers would be much appreciated.

O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servant Rich the help of your power, that his sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

HOW DID YOU KNOW...?

A widowed Jewish lady, still in good shape, was sunbathing on a totally deserted beach at Ft. Myers. She looked up and noticed that a man her age, also in good shape, had walked up, placed his blanket on the sand near hers and began reading a book.

Smiling, she attempted to strike up a conversation with him.

"How are you today?"

"Fine, thank you," he responded, and turned back to his book.

"I love the beach. Do you come here often?" she asked.

"First time since my wife passed away 2 years ago," he replied and turned back to his book.

"I'm sorry to hear that. My husband passed away three years ago and it is very lonely," she countered. "Do you live around here?" She asked.

"Yes, I live over in Cape Coral," he answered, and again he resumed reading.

Trying to find a topic of common interest, she persisted, "Do you like pussy cats?"

With that, the man dropped his book, came over to her blanket, tore off her swimsuit and gave her the most passionate lovemaking of her life. When the cloud of sand began to settle, she gasped and asked the man, "How did you know that was what I wanted?"

The man replied, "How did you know my name was Katz?"

Don't blame me. Blame Doug.