Recently in Communion of Saints Category

Anglican Angst

The remaining Anglican (Episcopalian, for us Americans) bishops are holding the Lambeth Conference this year. As you are probably aware, there has been a serious split within the Anglican communion over such questions as the ordination of women, gays, and whatever. Liberal bishops have taken over the denomination over the last 10 years or so. As Jordan Hylden writes on the First Things blog, the difficulty lies, essentially, with these liberals' firm dedication to the idea of licentiousness:

Unfortunately, there are several factors in play that will make the Lambeth bishops' task very difficult. Most fundamentally, the bishops will have to confront a theology, held by many of their own members, which places little value on doctrinal unity and scriptural authority and instead exalts near-unbounded freedom and diversity in matters of faith and ethics. Liberal Anglican modernists, many of them from North America, believe that doctrinal latitude is central to what it means to be Anglican. They argue that the 2003 consecration to the episcopate of Gene Robinson, an actively gay man, was fully in keeping with Anglican tradition, even though the 1998 Lambeth conference had held homosexual practice to be incompatible with scriptural norms. Several American and Canadian bishops continue to publicly bless same-sex unions, in defiance of the repeated requests of the international organs of Anglicanism and the canons of their own churches.

It seems an impossible task to bring full, Christian communion back to the Anglican church, and this is both sad and trying for those who remain members. As Mr. Hylden writes,

Two weeks ago, many conservative Anglicans met at GAFCON to produce their own statement of doctrinal foundations and to begin their own way forward. It is not difficult to see why many faithful Anglicans felt that such a move was needed. But it should be no less difficult to see why the GAFCON path will only lead to further schism. In essence, if it is followed as an alternative to the existing structures of Anglicanism, it amounts to the creation of a new evangelical church in the Anglican tradition. Many orthodox Anglicans will not in good conscience be able to join them, and where there is one split, more are sure to follow.

The prayers of all Christians over this matter are much needed.

Prove your love and zeal for wisdom in actual deeds.

St. Callistus Xanthopoulos

Today is the feast day of St. Joseph, a saint I have a particular devotion to.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

When a man walks in the fear of God he knows no fear, even if he
were to be surrounded by wicked men. He has the fear of God within
him and wears the invincible armor of faith. This makes him strong
and able to take on anything, even things which seem difficult or
impossible to most people. Such a man is like a giant surrounded
by monkeys, or a roaring lion among dogs and foxes. He goes
forward trusting in the Lord and the constancy of his will to
strike and paralyze his foes. He wields the blazing club of the
Word in wisdom.

St. Symeon the New Theologian, The Practical and Theological
Chapters

I ran across this remarkable and beautiful story from the Nigerian Daily Independent. It starts out thus:

Benedict XVI: One Year On The Papacy

By Michael Uchebuaku

“Nobody is so poor that he has nothing to give, and nobody is so rich that he has nothing to receive.�
-John Paul II

A man of God asked a small boy, “My child, do you love God?�

“Oh yes, sir!�

“Do you love him with all your heart?�

“No, my heart is too small for that. I love Him with all His heart.�

For men like Pope Benedict XVI who love God with all their hearts, April 2, 2006 was the day to remember the life of one of the world’s greatest moral and spiritual leaders. The grand moral icon was Pope John Paul II who died on April 2, 2005.

It was Kant, the German philosopher, who said that the only bad thing in the world is a bad will. Thus, the first anniversary of the death of the departed supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II was celebrated with great joy both within the Catholic Church and in the international community as a time to remember a man of towering hope and courage, who, through a life of immense faith and love, tried to impress good will and compassion on a world disfigured by bad will and conflict.

“John Paul died as he lived, moved by an indomitable courage of faith,� Pope Benedict told tens of thousands of people from around the world who flocked to the Vatican last Sunday to mark the first anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II and pray that he be made a saint soon. Pope Benedict said his predecessor had “left a deep mark on the history of the Church and of humanity,� and added that John Paul suffered without complaint, like Christ.

It seems inconceivable to imagine such a story being printed in, say, the New York Times, doesn't it? It is a wonderful tribute to our late Holy Father.

This just reported by the Oberlin Times:

Afghan Court Drops Case Against Christian Staff and agencies 26 March, 2006

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan court on Sunday dismissed a case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity because of a lack of evidence, and he will be released soon, an official said.

He said the case has been returned to the prosecutors for more investigation, but that in the meantime Rahman would be released.

The court, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, had been under intense international pressure to drop the case against Abdul Rahman, who faced a possible death sentence for his conversion.

I just wonder what happens to this man, now that he will be out on the streets. I think he will need our prayers.

This comes from a story published yesterday in Zenit.

Pope Sends Greetings to Monks of Monte Cassino Cardinal Poupard Presides Over Mass in Abbey

MONTE CASSINO, Italy, MARCH 21, 2006 (Zenit.org).- A Vatican official conveyed the Pope's greetings to the Benedictine monks of Monte Cassino as they celebrated a day for their founder, St. Benedict, the Holy Father's namesake.

Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Councils for Culture and for Interreligious Dialogue, conveyed Benedict XVI's greetings today to the monks of the historic monastery 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of Rome.

The Pope "has asked me to express to you his closeness in prayer, his spiritual participation in this celebration and his profound and continuous interest in the destiny of Europe and of the peoples who comprise it," the cardinal said during a Mass.

St. Benedict (c. 480-543) was proclaimed patron of Europe in 1964 by Pope Paul VI.

Although the Church celebrates the feast of St. Benedict on July 11, the Benedictine order celebrates his "birth" in heaven on the first day of spring.

The father of Western monasticism, St. Benedict wrote his monastic Rule, still in use today, in the Abbey of Monte Cassino, which he founded. The Rule has been one of the fundamental instruments for the evangelization and making of Christian civilization in Europe.

Every once in a while, a story like this catches me by surprise and makes me realize just how long the Church has been around. These monks celebrated yesterday in a monastery founded nearly sixteen hundred years ago. They've likely been doing this same celebration for most of those years, interrupted only by war. To put it in perspective, this monastery was in place nearly a thousand years before Martin Luther appeared on the scene.

I find it humbling, and gratifying. The gates of hell shall surely not prevail against the Church.