Ordos from Rene Vilatte Press

Don't know what to get as a Christmas present for that liturgy geek in your life?

Rene Vilatte Press now offers two traditional ordos for 2009 -- guides to reciting the office for a given year -- the Monastic Diurnal edition and the Oratory of St. Michael & St. Timothy, which mostly follows the Anglican Breviary.

You can check them out here: http://stores.lulu.com/vilatte. The Independent Catholic Christian Church canons are also there, and more items will be added.

Canons and Policies of the Independent Catholic Christian Church

I'm baffled as to why anyone who is not a member of the Independent Catholic Christian Church or a scholar of the Independent Sacramental Movement (hi, John!) would be interested, but should anyone be interested in purchasing a printed copy of the Canons and Policies of this jurisdiction (which will at some point be posted at www.inclusivecatholics.com for free), they may do so at http://stores.lulu.com/vilatte. There will be other works at this site, Rene Vilatte Press, available in the near future.

Sermon for Sunday, July 20, 2008

This is the text I wrote out before preaching it -- I don't preach from a manuscript or from notes, and the sermon was more fleshed out than it is here. The text for the sermon was the first reading from the Revised Common Lectionary, Genesis 28:10 - 19.
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Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. How awesome is this place – this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

I love visiting churches, when there is no service in progress, just to experience the architecture. One of my favorite churches is St. Bartholomew’s in New York. The main church is grand and majestic and truly awe-inspiring. It is especially nice to visit when the organist is practicing, to hear the space fill with glorious music. There is also a beautiful little stone chapel off the chancel containing the font and an altar with a stone carving of the Last Supper, in which I love to pray. For those who prefer a simpler setting, there is a long hallway off to the side, with clear windows, a simple altar, and chairs for meditation. Rounding out the chapels are a large chapel where most of the weekday services are held – they have a full round of Morning and Evening Prayer and Eucharist each day – and a downstairs crypt chapel with a columbarium containing ashes of departed parishioners.

Of course, one of the greatest achievements of the human spirit expressed in art is the Gothic cathedral. These soaring edifices, truly “sermons in stone”, are a testament to the transcendence, majesty, and glory of God. But there are also many simple country churches in which, when one walks in, one can almost tangibly feel the prayers that have been offered through the years.

We Independent Catholics don’t have the opportunity to build grand edifices, or in most cases, even to have a space to call our own, and so we meet in homes or rented spaces such as this. (Many of us establish chapels or prayer corners in our own homes, of course, and these are one of the great things about our movement.) But we meet, create our own sanctuaries, and worship as the church nonetheless, not being bound by the space or the lack of it.

In today’s first reading from Genesis, Jacob is on the run. He and his twin brother Esau never got along from the moment of their birth – in fact, Jacob was fighting with Esau to see who could get out of the womb first, and although Esau won that competition, Jacob had his heel in his hand when he came out. Esau was the favorite of his father Isaac, and Jacob of his mother Rebekah. Jacob bought Esau’s birthright as the firstborn with a bowl of lentil stew, and he and his mother conspired to trick Isaac into giving Jacob the better blessing by having Jacob pretend to be Esau. Esau threatened to kill Jacob after their father died, and their mother sent Jacob to stay with relatives for awhile to be safe (and find a suitable wife).

But as scared, and as demoralized as Jacob must have felt – and as rootless as he was, fleeing from the place he had lived his entire life to a place he had never been – it was at the place he camped out for the night on his journey that God chose to appear to him. God appeared in the dream, showing Jacob a ladder with angels ascending and descending from earth to heaven and back again. And his response was to say, “How awesome is this place – this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven”. He took a stone and made a pillar to commemorate this profound encounter with God – the first time we are told in scripture that God talked to Jacob. He named the place “Bethel”, which means “House of God” in Hebrew.

Jacob schemed, from birth, to get the things he needed by tricking his brother – and he ended up on the run, alone and scared. It was only when he got to that place, where his own efforts had failed him and he had no other resources, that God appeared and promised him great blessings. It was in this place of loneliness and fear that God was able to establish the House of God – the Gate of Heaven.

And so it is with us. We scheme, we struggle, we strive – and our own efforts, which may get us material wealth, social prestige, intellectual achievement – or not – cannot satisfy our spiritual hunger. As Augustine said, in the Confessions, in his famous prayer, “God, You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.” But God comes to us, in our greatest hour of need, and puts down a ladder between our temporary sojourn, and heaven, and builds for us the House of God, and opens the Gate of Heaven. We may not even always be aware of the presence of the Lord – “Surely, the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” But when we look back, we see the evidence of God’s presence.

So let us allow God to build within us the House of God, the Gate of Heaven, knowing that, as the hymn says, “Christ is made the sure foundation, Christ the head, the cornerstone.”

Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. How awesome is this place – this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

Caturday Blogpost

This is a picture of the cats in the opiu-, er, catnip den.

CAThedra

It is traditional for a bishop to have a cathedra, or chair/throne, in which to sit when s/he exercises episcopal ministry. I don't really have one, but I am happy to announce that the bishop's cat now has a CAThedra. I helped a friend move in with his significant other today, and they were giving away some items, and talked me into taking a trunk. Charles has decided to make it his throne:

Friday Cat Blogging

Today, I thought I would post pictures of the cats as they frequently appear. Here is Charles, on his hind legs guiding my fingers holding a cat treat to his mouth with his front paws:

I hope his end is not destruction, and I don't think his glory is his shame, but another part of Philippians 3:19 certainly applies to Charles!

Allie loves to sit on the chairs in the chapel:
In the morning, I sometimes have to have my breviary in one hand, and my other petting her!

Friday the 13th Cat Blogging

Chris Tessone posted a picture of Mahler blocking access to the Anglican Breviary. Allie, in contrast, reads a section from it and then meditates on it:


Charles saw me taking a picture of Allie and was jealous, so I took a picture of him as well:

Friday Cat Blogging a couple of days late

First, a friend who was moving ended up leaving most of his books with me. One of the books is "The Life and Times of St. Francis", and both Charles and Allie seem to know that St. Francis is the patron saint of animals, because each of them at different times today took a nap lying on top of it.

Second, the dish that Charles has his head in contained catnip. Allie was actually roughly where he was (there was another dish on the floor with Charles' catnip), but Charles chased her away to take her catnip. I can only assume that the wild party held by the potsmokers across the hall influenced him to behave this way. I'm glad to see that Allie did come back to sleep on the arm of the couch.

Bride of Christ Imagery in Religious Profession and Spiritual Maturity

A postulant in the Augustinians of the Immaculate Heart of Mary posed the question of how the members and oblates of the order related the traditional imagery of nuns as brides of Christ to their own spirituality. Here is my reply:

The image of marriage to Christ is used not only of religious profession, but also of the church (as the "bride of Christ", imagery used by Paul in the New Testament). One of the most important aspects of this for me is the idea of a solemn, permanent covenant. Adolescents date a lot before settling down with their spouse (if they do), and there is a certain intimacy that can only come from a permanent commitment. Now, making a permanent commitment in marriage to one person, saying "I do", at the same time means saying "I don't" to everyone else (in the traditional language of the marriage service this is expressed as "forsaking all others"). And that can be scary -- as humans and more especially as American consumers, we like options and choices.

Similarly, in our spiritual journeys, while it is fine to date, or play the field, in trying out various religious options, ultimately, spiritual maturity requires that we choose a particular path in serving God, and saying "yes" to a particular call means saying "no" to other calls. But there is a depth and a maturity in one's relationship to God and the church that can only come from making that commitment.

In my own life, I "played the field" with various denominational options, and with ministry options, but it has only been in the last several years as I have really committed to the Independent Catholic path that I have been able to come to an adult relationship with God and the church. Whenever I am tempted to wonder "what if" I had ended up staying in the Episcopal or Roman churches, I must remind myself that I didn't do that, and the parameters of our Independent Catholic community -- good, bad, and indifferent -- are the parameters in which I must serve God.

Now, having said all this, while we are all called to commit ourselves to particular calls in our Christian life, just as one shouldn't rush into marriage, so one shouldn't rush into a permanent commitment in one's ecclesial life. And that is what postulancy and novitiate are for. They are like times of "dating", when one can try on a particular religious expression. And it may be that one discovers that there is not a good fit -- and that is okay. God has a call for us, and all of us should spend time discerning what it is -- but once we've found it, we're called to commit our lives to it.

Response to Alexis' Post on Why One Blogs

Why blog?

I had hoped to use this blog as a means of thinking through various issues facing the IC/OC/ISM/EIEIO part of the Christian Church. But one of the things that has happened since I started this blog is that the jurisdiction of which I am a part has grown, and with that growth, so have demands on my time also grown, and I have found it well nigh impossible to devote the time and energy to blogging in a thoughtful way (and see below for my rules about how to go about this). Hence the many cat blogging posts.

What are the rules?

First, do no harm. I am a very opinionated person, and I am used to expressing my opinions quite freely. But one of the things that I have discovered as a bishop is that having pastoral responsibility means that I must keep many of my opinions to myself. Jesus said that he did not come to extinguish a smoldering wick or to crush a bruised reed, and I feel obligated to attempt to follow in His footsteps. So even when I disagree with some of those for whom I have a pastoral obligation, I must refrain from criticism or confrontation if it does not constitute a central matter of faith or interfere with the functioning of the church. And even in those situations where a loving confrontation is necessary, airing my views in a way on this blog that might cause offense or pain (or defensiveness) on their part would be wrong.

Second, observe appropriate privacy – my own and others. On both secular and religious blogs, I have encountered bloggers revealing the most intimate details of their relationship with their spouse, or their children, or with other family members. One can only wonder how the other family members feel about this (or will feel, in the case of children once they are adults). While some self-disclosure is appropriate, there are certain things that should not be entered into the permanent record that is the Internet. When television first became popular, some observers of popular culture observed that “the medium is the message”, and I believe this is true of the Internet as well. The Internet has given us an amazing ability to connect with one another across previously insurmountable geographical and cultural barriers, and this is a very good thing. But it has also encouraged a narcissistic exhibitionism and voyeurism that is quite unhealthy. I think blogs are great for the discussion of ideas. Some aspects of personal lives – pictures of vacations and new babies, details of the lives of ones’ cats, etc. are perfectly appropriate. But there are things that are best left unsaid – at least in a public forum such as a blog. (And, of course, there is a gray area in between.)

Unfortunately, much of what interests me most about church life is the practical lived reality of the church community. While there is much that is written about this topic that is of great interest, what insights I have gained are mostly the result of practical experience – which means that much of it is not appropriate to share on the blog.

Third, I am not one who thinks best out loud on a blog, so for me, I am not ready to post something until I have given it some reflection. (This will not apply to all bloggers, of course – it has to do with particular personality styles.)

Those are the three that come to mind.

I am going to omit the tagging, but would be interested in what others have to say.

Friday Cat Blogging: The Right Paw of Christian Fellowship

When I was growing up in the Baptist denomination, when members transferred their membership from one congregation to another (by "letter", as opposed to by "baptism upon profession of faith"), the pastor would usually invite everyone to come forward and "extend the right hand of Christian fellowship" to them. Of course, some wags would refer to the fairly frequent practice of a pastor being fired as giving the "left foot of Christian fellowship".

So this picture shows Charles extending the right front paw of Christian fellowship to Allie:

Expanded Liturgical Opportunities

The Independent Catholic Christian Church is a very small jurisdiction, but I'm very happy that we are now offering three services weekly, with an additional service each month (see here for a listing). Of course, St. Mary of Grace parish offers Mass each Sunday at 6. Each Monday night at 10:30 EST, the Traditional Liturgy Apostolate offers Vespers and Compline by the innovative method of conference call. Wednesdays, we offer Vespers and Eucharist here at the chapel in my home, as a joint effort of the parish, the AIHM order, and the cathedral chapter. And on the first Friday of each month, the Heart of Jesus Healing Ministry offers a healing Mass.

Through the liturgy of the Eucharist and the Divine Office, we are drawn by Christ into the hidden life of the Trinity, and I am pleased that we are able to offer people these regular opportunities to be so drawn into the divine life.

ICCC Priest Accused of Heresy!

Fr. Chris Tessone is completely orthodox in his adherence to the creeds and ICCC doctrine. He offers insightful commentary at his blog, Even the Devils Believe, and he has recently started the Traditional Liturgy Apostolate of the ICCC, with seminarian Michael Shirk, to provide opportunities for traditional liturgical prayer, including Vespers and Compline from the Monastic rite each Monday. So why is he being accused of heresy, and by whom?

The above committee feel that he has committed a grave offense against both faith and morals by his recent post "Friday Cat Blogging: Canine Edition", defiling the holy and sacred Cat Blogging tradition by the inclusion of profane dogs. This committee is currently deliberating about the penalties they will demand -- my suspicion is that Allie will demand the skinning alive of the dog in question (given her constant fears that I, the phone, random pieces of dust, etc. might skin HER alive), whereas Charles will demand that Fr. Chris feed him cat treats (Charles' solution to most situations -- my putting clean laundry in the sock drawer while he is sleeping there, my leaving for work, Tuesday, etc.).

Seven Dolours of Our Lady

In honor of the Seven Dolours of Our Lady, Charles and Allie put aside their differences to sleep on my bed together. Here is the picture:

Friday Cat Blogging

Charles and Allie do not always get along in perfect harmony. Allie frequently growls and hisses at Charles, and even chases Charles and swipes at him. Charles is peace-loving and will usually just withdraw from the room when attacked (even though he is significantly bigger than she is).

So I was happy, a few minutes ago, to see them sitting next to one another in one of Allie's favorite spots, on top of the kitchen cabinet above the refrigerator:


For more pictures of Charles and Allie, see Chris Tessone's blog. He stayed with me before and after our jurisdictional gathering last weekend.

Bible Meme

In general, I vehemently oppose memes, and tend not to read posts responding to them -- but the Bible meme is kind of interesting, so I'll do it.

1. What translation of the Bible do you like best?

For liturgical use, I prefer the King James; for non-liturgical use (and for modern liturgies), I prefer the NRSV. My LEAST favorite versions are those that are paraphrases or rely far too heavily on "dynamic equivalence", such as the TEV, the NLB, and the NAB.

2. Old or New Testament?

I like both -- one thing I miss from my Baptist upbringing is the assumed familiarity with OT narratives. One reason I like the Revised Common Lectionary is that is much better about including those narratives.

3. Favorite Book of the Bible?

The Psalms.

4. Favorite Chapter?

Psalm 139.

5. Favorite Verse? (feel free to explain yourself if you have to)

Acts 2:42.

6. Bible character you think you’re most like?

Abraham. I've done a lot of journeying in my life, and am more concerned than I ought to be with other's opinions (see his dealings with Pharaoh and Abimelech and his being caught in the middle between Sarah and Hagar).

7. One thing from the Bible that confuses you?

The genealogies of Edom -- I can see the genealogies of the Israelites -- but why do they care about the Edomites? I can easily see why the Kabbalists came up with commentaries to say that the Edomite genealogies were in fact sources of deep esoteric teaching (even though I am decidedly not an esotericist).

8. Moses or Paul?

Moses. I can empathize with his murder of the oppressive Egyptian. I understand his control-freakish nature that required Jethro to point out that he needed assistants. I'm with him in striking the rock the second time out of frustration and breaking the tablets out of irritation with idolatry.

9. A teaching from the Bible that you struggle with or don’t get?

The teachings that are interpreted as referring to eternal damnation -- I'm pretty much a universalist.

10. Coolest name in the Bible?

Zophar the Nephite.

Request for Prayers

This coming weekend, the Independent Catholic Christian Church will be having its first jurisdictional Gathering. On Saturday, God willing, I will be ordaining our seminarians Michael and Carol to the minor order of Doorkeeper and our seminarian Marian to the minor order of Acolyte. Please pray that the Gathering is a time of grace for our community, and please especially pray for those being ordained.

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter at Antioch

Chris Tessone, a priest of the jurisdiction of which I'm a part, has an excellent post about today's feast, and the issues of church polity it raises. I would just add one thought, about infallibility.

The essence of idolatry is to attribute to a creature attributes that properly belong to God. Only God is infinite -- we as humans are by definition finite in every respect. God is omniscient -- we are not. God is omnipresent -- we are not. God is eternal -- we are not, and only know eternal life through God's gift.

Infallibility belongs in this category. No human being, regardless of the office he or she holds, can ever make any statement that is infallible. Nor can any book or institution claim infallibility or inerrancy. The belief that was promulgated by the Roman Catholic denomination at its first Vatican council, that the bishop of Rome is infallible when speaking ex cathedra, is an attempt to claim for a human being something that properly belongs only to God. Similarly, the teaching of the Southern Baptist Convention and others that the Bible cannot contain error is an attempt to claim for a book something that properly belongs only to God.

The Scriptures are a great gift to us, and through them we come to know God's self-revelation through Jesus Christ, fully God (and therefore genuinely infallible) and fully human, and our great redemption through Christ's death and resurrection. We believe that bishops and other church leaders are given grace to lead the church. But to attribute infallibility to either the Bible or church leaders is to distort their roles and put them in the place of the God to whom both are meant to point.

Friday Cat Blogging

First, here is a picture from a couple of weeks ago of Allie peeking out from behind the refrigerator -- it came out very surrealistic:
Next, here is a picture from a couple of nights ago of both cats on the couch -- I've created a little cubbyhole for Allie, which she finds comforting -- I've concluded that she's somewhat agoraphobic:
Charles is not shy at all -- when friends were over for Vespers on Wednesday, he jumped up by one of them and promptly rolled over and demanded that she give him a bellyrub (a demand with which she happily complied).

Book Meme

Chris tagged me with a book meme that is going around (Grab the nearest book that is at least 123 pages long, open to p. 123, go down to the 5th sentence, type in the following 3 sentences.) My book is Cyril of Jerusalem's Catechetical Lectures.

"The Son of Man shall come to the Father, according to the Scripture which was just now read, on the clouds of heaven, drawn by a stream of fire, which is to make trial of men. Then if any man's works are of gold, he shall be made brighter; if any man's course of life be like stubble, and unsubstantial, it shall be burnt up by the fire. And the Father shall sit, having His garment white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool Daniel 7:9."