After this morning’s Parish Mass the Annual Parochial Church Meeting will take place and as has been my practice from time to time I intend this morning’s homily to also be my Chairman’s Address.
First of all want to thank everyone who contributes to the life of our Parish Church. There are many people who engage in practical work on behalf of the parish and I am sure that with me you are very grateful to them all for all that they do for us. Every year I run the risk of missing groups or individuals out and so, with one exception, this year I want to simply say “thank you” to everyone for all they do. The one exception is Larry who will not be seeking re-election as Churchwarden – an Office he has served diligently in for seven years, and I am sure that you all would wish to join me in expressing our gratitude to him for his loyal and devoted service.
A Chairman’s address often turns into a sort of “State of the Nation” address, but this morning’s Gospel reading albeit the shorter form of the Emmaus Road story commands my attention as it always does due to its profound exposition of the meaning and structure of the Mass. It also describes the journey to faith in the Risen Lord and is a metaphor for our own spiritual journeys.
The imagery of journeys and travelling figure significantly in the Scriptures and the Christian Life has often been seen in the same light. Interestingly, journeys from Jerusalem have very significant meanings if we consider them carefully.
Firstly, there is the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem which leads to the Word made flesh where we are to become an adorer with the magi (Matthew 2:8-11). This is the road of the worshipper who comes to Christ and kneels at his feet bringing a gift: the gift of one’s self to be put to use in his vineyard.
First of all want to thank everyone who contributes to the life of our Parish Church. There are many people who engage in practical work on behalf of the parish and I am sure that with me you are very grateful to them all for all that they do for us. Every year I run the risk of missing groups or individuals out and so, with one exception, this year I want to simply say “thank you” to everyone for all they do. The one exception is Larry who will not be seeking re-election as Churchwarden – an Office he has served diligently in for seven years, and I am sure that you all would wish to join me in expressing our gratitude to him for his loyal and devoted service.
A Chairman’s address often turns into a sort of “State of the Nation” address, but this morning’s Gospel reading albeit the shorter form of the Emmaus Road story commands my attention as it always does due to its profound exposition of the meaning and structure of the Mass. It also describes the journey to faith in the Risen Lord and is a metaphor for our own spiritual journeys.
The imagery of journeys and travelling figure significantly in the Scriptures and the Christian Life has often been seen in the same light. Interestingly, journeys from Jerusalem have very significant meanings if we consider them carefully.
Firstly, there is the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem which leads to the Word made flesh where we are to become an adorer with the magi (Matthew 2:8-11). This is the road of the worshipper who comes to Christ and kneels at his feet bringing a gift: the gift of one’s self to be put to use in his vineyard.
Secondly, there is the road from Jerusalem to Jericho which leads to a man waylaid by robbers upon whose wounds we are to pour the oil of compassion after the example of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). This is the road of Christian Service where the worshipper having travelled the first road comes to see that he must not only believe and worship, but also serve.
Thirdly, there is the road from Jerusalem, which leads us astray into an alien land where we squander our youth and innocence, and eventually become a prodigal son who returns to the house of the father (Luke 15:1-32). This is the road that leads us astray – leads out of that which is true and permanent, and into what is false and fleeting. This is where we discover that we cannot save ourselves and that we are proud and arrogant in our false belief that we don’t need our heavenly Father. It is only when we come to admit that we need God and cannot save ourselves that we come to our senses and have the courage to return confessing our sins and need of reconciliation with God.
Fourthly, the road we hear of in today’s Gospel from Jerusalem, the City of Peace, to Emmaus, seven miles up the road, frees our downcast spirits from all our shattered illusions, and helps us to recognise the Lord not where we were hoping he would be, which is often in the material and mundane, but where he truly is, “in the breaking of the bread”(Luke 24:13-35). This is road of maturing in the faith. A crisis has rocked us and we are once again at a loss as to know what the answer is, but as we walk along we become aware of the truth being with us, but it is only when we come to Mass with hearts on fire and inspired by the love of Christ that our eyes are opened and we recognize Truth – that is Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
The problem with us human beings is that all too often we try to miss out on some of these roads and others (like that to an alien land) we think of as being acceptable because we think that God “will not mind” or that he will excuse us anyway. So some of us don’t even set out very often on the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem because we don’t think it matters if we miss the celebration of Mass. In-habitual worship has become a national disease and has made us weak. Brother priests up and down the land tell me that they are very impressed at our worshipping numbers, but when we compare them to the number on our Electoral Roll (203) we see that on most Sundays 25% of us aren’t here – of those some are housebound and receive Holy Communion at home, but it means that on average one fifth of us who could be present are not. Is that good? No it isn’t. The road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is one that we should tread frequently and at least on Sundays and giving God time in the week is also a good thing to do.The road from Jerusalem to Jericho is one we should all walk in the manner of the Good Samaritan. The world is a place where souls are in peril and where people are in need. But do we care that souls are in peril or that people are in need. There are many, even in our own parish, who fall into these categories, and I would like us all to reflect on how we may serve Christ in them and to ask ourselves what we could do to help them. And by “we” I do not mean the Vicar or the Churchwardens or other volunteers, but all of us including you. Each of us is called to serve Christ as well as worship him.
From time to time each one of us journey along our own road from Jerusalem to an alien land. It is the journey of sin and disobedience where we find ourselves lost and alienated from Christ and his Church. It is at these times when we need to have courage to return, to seek reconciliation and peace. We need to acknowledge our need of God; and the Sacrament of Reconciliation is there for all to unburden themselves and discover the loving mercy of God who runs to greet the Prodigal Son. Sadly, some do not consider the seriousness of sin and abandonment of the Truth Faith. St Augustine of Hippo warned that those in the Church who tell people who are sinning that they can continue in sin are not only leaving someone in sin and their soul in peril, but doing the same to themselves. The Church cannot condone departure from Christian Truth and Sacramental Faith – when it does it is in error and we are seeing the fruits of this in what remains of the Anglican Church throughout the world. In our own land the Church of England is facing similar consequences and over the next five years will be faced with a choice of continuing as part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church or of ceasing to be part of it. As in the USA it appears that there are those who can command a majority who want to force Orthodox believers out – but if that happens what remains will be a parody of Christian Truth and Sacramental Life. While this is true of the Church of England as a body it is also true of us a individuals – we cannot seek to separate Truth and Unity for they are inextricably linked together. Denial of the Faith and seeking to bring into the Church the culture of the day (what the Lord would call “the world”) will not lead to renewal in the church but its continued decay as it will have effectively wished God dead as did the younger son when he asked for his inheritance and the right to do with it as he pleased; having said that there is a warning for those who are orthodox, in the person of the Older Son. The Older Son had to learn that forgiveness and reconciliation are always given to those who come to their senses and return to the True Faith.
The road to Emmaus is one where we journey in company with the Lord. We may not always recognise him, but he will always be with us explaining the Scriptures to us and making our hearts burn within us. This is the journey of Christian discipleship and one that ultimately leads us to the Lord’s Supper: the Mass; where in union with each other we come into communion with the Lord and where we are prepared for the heavenly banquet prepared for us from the foundation of the world. This is where Truth and Unity are completely one. Truth is explained and received on the journey – note that “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” – in other words the truth, and then Jesus – he who is Truth itself – reveals himself fully to them as he breaks bread, that is celebrates Mass. The two men then return to Jerusalem to the Upper Room and to the Eleven – to the Upper Room where that first Mass had been celebrated, that is: the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church where they have the Faith confirmed by the Apostles: “The Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon” – the Church is one and no denomination can exchange truth for anything less.
We live in an aggressively secular society where people are treated as mere commodities, where people of Christian Faith are routinely held up to ridicule, and where Pilate’s cynical question “What is Truth?” is on the lips of many of our political leaders, opinion makers in the media and shamefully on many in the Church.
It is always easy to outline the problems facing us but the answer is never palatable, but it lies in the right response to these four journeys from Jerusalem. In this parish, despite all the worries over raising the Parish Share and the frustrations with seeking to further our Regeneration Project, may each one of us not be afraid to continue our journey with Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life and without whom no-one can come to the Father.
N.B. I intend to reflect more on these four journeys in future posts on this Blog.
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