Maundy Thursday

Last week I added details of work on a mosaic by iconographer, Aidan Hart. This led me to some equally amazing singing by a relatively small church choir sampled in the video above. I find their singing all the more poignant as the noise of the altar and sanctuary being striped is accompanied by noise of every day life going on outside the church. Passers by will be ignorant of the drama taking place inside, much as it must have been when Jesus prayed, but now they will see this "All-powerful" image of Christ drawing them to Himself:

Take up thy cross

Palm Sunday sees the start of Christ's journey to the cross. He was not alone in being crucified then and He is not alone now. A few days ago we witnessed the inaugurations of two of the most significant church leaders, Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby, both of whom have taken up the cross in their own distinctive styles. Also in an 'historic first' after nearly 1,000 years, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople attended the inauguration of Pope Francis. Few are called to be priest and bishop, fewer still to be Patriarch or Pope but all Christ's disciples are called to take up their cross.

With humility and reconciliation giving each other the space we need to live and worship according to conscience we may yet all be one.

'Take up your cross', the Saviour said,

      'If you would my disciple be;

      Deny yourself, forsake the world,

      And humbly follow after me.'

World Water Day 2013

Down in the dumps with rain, rain, rain and flood alerts or, as friends in New Zealand tell me, no rain and water restrictions? Caught between these extremes are hundreds of millions of people without access to clean water and proper sanitation, a problem for Everyone, everywhere.

Today, 22 March 2013 is World Water Day. WaterAid's goals are set out in this short film

As WaterAid says, "this is our best chance in 15 years to put water and sanitation at the heart of global efforts to tackle poverty — so please email your MP today and ask them to urge David Cameron to read WaterAid's Everyone, everywhere report". 

Our support can make a difference.

Hope and despair

Following his pilgrimage of prayer there is an interesting BBC interview with Justin Welby here as he prepares to be placed in the Anglican hot seat. As ever the headline indicates that sex is the main focus of media attention but this obsession masks a broader understanding of what it means to Abp Welby to be a Christian and an Anglican in particular. 

Less encouraging is the Archbishop's fatalistic 'conviction' that the role of Archbishop of Canterbury will eventually be held by a woman, something that his predecessor alluded to. The BBC's coverage of the inaugural Mass of Pope Francis conveyed a similar approach to religion from a secular perspective with emphasis on the role of women in the church in an age of so-called equality. This conveys a lemming-like inevitability that must be resisted if we are to avoid the example of the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church in the United States.

Postscript

I was on the school run today so I missed what was described afterwards by Jane ('Um') Hill in the BBC News headlines as the first Archbishop of Canterbury to be enthroned by a woman.  I managed to catch the beginning and the end of the service. True to form 'Auntie's' guests were, in order of introduction, the retired Bishop of Manchester, the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch KCVO, Christina Rees - introduced as a member of the Archbishops' Council - and the Rev Dr Giles Fraser, parish priest, 'Loose Canon' and former Canon Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, all of which was enough to make Mrs Briton retire from the room in despair. As readers will know Ms Rees is the ex-WITCH WATCH spokesmanperson who is determined to see Christianity adapt to her way of thinking. Asked for her thoughts she trotted out the usual feminist approach to Christianity, women first, Jesus Christ second as she continues to press for women bishops regardless of the occasion and Abp Welby's constant stress on reconciliation. 

Unlike the inaugural Mass of Pope Francis commentators could not complain of the absence of women. First, looking very pleased with herself, was the new Archbishop's Chaplain, the Rev Dr Jo Bailey Wells, as was the Archdeacon of Canterbury who, in the Mail Online picture caption is described as "Presiding: Sheila Watson, Archdeacon of Canterbury, enthroned Mr Welby as a bishop". I didn't see the Presiding Bishop in the throng but I glimpsed her disciple the Archbishop of Wales behind the throne, a position no doubt he regards as his being one of the CNC selectors.

Christ Pantocrator

News yesterday of an important new work by Aidan Hart whose work will be familiar to many but not in mosaic form. This image shows 'work in progress' giving an idea of scale of the mosaic which has been installed above the entrance porch of the church of St Martin in Roath, Cardiff. This is one of the churches which featured in an entry twelve months ago after being targeted by Muslims who have been going around the country trying to convince people that Jesus was a Muslim! What a magnificent response.

A link from the church website gives access to some superb singing by their liturgical choir. For anyone in  the Cardiff area on Palm Sunday (24th March 2013) the liturgical choir sings the St John Passion with an icon based devotional presentation starting at 7.30pm. The best of both worlds AMDG.

You're free!

Actor Frank Thornton whose death was announced today, aged 92, was one of last two survivors of the BBC hit sitcom Are You Being Served? which ran from 1972 to 1985. Its humour relied heavily on sexual innuendo and double entendres which were liberally employed. Recently my wife and I have been watching a re-run of another sitcom of the period 'Allo 'Allo!. We have frequently looked at each other in disbelief at some of the double entendres. I doubt that they would be allowed today which is ironic since the actuality is now constantly thrust in our faces. The picture above is taken from a clip which well illustrates the tensions but free acceptance of difference at that time without all the baggage that we are now expected to carry at the behest of the gay lobby pushing unwelcome legislation through Parliament and rubbishing the Christian faith. 

As floor walker Capt Peacock symbolised the standards of yesteryear when the customer was paramount giving rise to the catch phrase "Are you being served?" followed by "Are you free? directed at one of the sales assistants, often the camp Mr Humphries. Perhaps there was a naive innocence in those days which others in their PC hats will now regard as hypocrisy but at least we had a good laugh compared with the misery constantly pumped out today. 

Capt Peacock, you're free! RIP

Francis: Assisi and Xavier; the Ignatius link

Pope Francis has ended the speculation about his choice of name. He said that he chose the name Francis to remember the poor after the example of St. Francis of Assisi who represented "poverty and peace". But there remains a link with St. Francis Xavier.

Francis Xavier was a student of St.Ignatius Loyola with whom he was a founder of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). Ignatius was noted for following the example of Francis of Assisi. He and a few followers bound themselves by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. He was also responsible for the prayer I remember from my Sunday School days in line with the Jesuit motto, "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man":

Teach us, good Lord, to serve thee as thou deservest;

To give, and not to count the cost,

to fight, and not to heed the wounds,

to toil, and not to seek for rest,

to labor, and not to ask for any reward,

save that of knowing that we do thy will. 

St Ignatius Loyola