There's more on the soul...

... Over at the Christ Our Hope blog.  This week we explore the dynamics of the cycle of sin in the human heart (and more importantly how to gain the victory).  Come check it out!

Another new post...

...over here.

Understanding the Soul

Throughout Lent I taught a series at the parish I serve on the structure, dynamics, hurts and healing of the human soul. By popular request I have begun making the notes from those talks available on the Christ Our Hope blog. I will be releasing them slowly over the next several weeks (it takes a bit of work to edit them from my personal outline into actual readable text). If you're interested check out that other blog and look for the posts titled, "So I Have a Soul...Now What?!"

Triduum Sacrum

In her book, Worship Without Words, Patricia Klein observes that liturgical worship reflects the monarchy of the Roman Empire (and more importantly, the Kingdom of God) which was the hierarchical social structure which Christianity was born into. But monarchy is a concept that is often foreign to our modern, democratic paradigm. In the same way, in our word-based, information saturated age symbolism and mystery are often lost on us. So I have collected a few thoughts to help you interpret the liturgical actions of the days ahead. Some may be new to liturgical worship and these concepts may seem foreign. Others have been going through these liturgies for many years. Wherever you are approaching this week from, I trust that greater understanding will only enrich our corporate (and your personal) experience of worship.

The Triduum Sacrum (roughly meaning the 3 Holiest Days of Holy Week) are upon us, they are the apex of the liturgical year. Beginning tonight with Maundy Thursday and continuing through Holy Saturday (when the Great Vigil of Easter is held) we prepare for the greatest of all celebrations, Easter Sunday.

On Maundy Thursday (from the Latin mandatum, meaning mandate) we remember Christ’s final instructions to the 12, his demonstration of love and humility in the washing of their feet and the institution of the Sacrament of the Kingdom in the Last Supper. In

this service we will take time to wash one another’s feet in obedience to Christ’s words, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.”

After the service proper is complete we fade into silence and observe the stripping of the altar. This practice (like many in the Church) serves 2 purposes: first, it allows us to take down the Holy Week decorations in order to make way for those of the Feast which will soon follow. But secondly, it serves a symbolic purpose to strip away any vestige of a celebration and prepare for the starkness and desolation of Good Friday. The altar stands in the church as a symbol of God’s presence (this by the way is why the priest and servers bow in reverence when they approach it). As a symbol of Christ then it reminds us of his stripping and beating that occurred in the night watches between Thursday and Friday.

Accompanying the stripping of the altar is the setting of the watch. After departing the upper room Jesus went out to the Garden to pray and begged his companions to watch and pray with him. Thus on Maundy Thursday we end in silence with the opportunity for those who wish to remain and pray a while, watching with the Savior.

Good Friday is one of only two prescribed fasts within the Anglican calendar (Ash Wednesday being the other). On this day we remember all of the events that accompanied the sacrifice of the Son of God for the sins of the whole world. On Good Friday everything is done in solemnity, a symbol of the mourning each of us should have over the death of our friend and Savior, as it was our sins that drove him to this dramatic act of Atonement. The service begins with prayer as people and clergy alike enter in silence. As we focus on the Passion through the readings and the sermon, we also bring to the foot of the Cross all the needs of the world in prayer through the solemn collects (an old English word for prayers that serve to collect our hearts and minds and focus them on the particular intercession).

After this we have

the opportunity to focus with reverence upon the symbol of Christ’s suffering and death, the symbol which brings us life – the Cross. A cross is brought in and processed to the front of the church while the people sing anthems and hymns extolling the greatness of the Sacrifice. We receive Communion on Good Friday, but since a celebration seems inappropriate, we receive from elements that are consecrated the night before and held in reserve for this occasion.

As we come forward to receive Communion there is opportunity to pause (for as long as is necessary) before the cross, reverencing Christ and praying before it. Concluding with a prayer, the service ends as it began as we leave in silence.

Holy Saturday is the fulfillment of the ancient Jewish Sabbath. This is the day God once again rested from His Labor as our Lord’s body rested in the grave – his earthly work now complete. It should be for us therefore a day of rest and a day of anticipation. In stricter observances (such as the Eastern Orthodox) it is a day for continuing the Good Friday fast which is usually broken at sundown with the beginning of the Easter Vigil.

The Great Vigil of Easter is the first anticipatory celebration of the Resurrection. Traditionally begun after sundown (when the ancients accounted the beginning of the next day) the Vigil begins with the sanctuary darkened. The priest, other clergy and servers begin the service outside the sanctuary, pounding on the doors which are then opened, a symbol that through the Resurrection of Christ, the Gates of Hell were trampled and the Gates of Glory have been opened to all. The procession enters and declares:

Dear friends in Christ: On this most holy night, in which our

Lord Jesus passed over from death to life, the Church invites

her members, dispersed throughout the world, to gather in

vigil and prayer. For this is the Passover of the Lord, in which,

by hearing his Word and celebrating his Sacraments, we share in

his victory over death.

The Vigil then proceeds with the lighting of the Paschal Candle. A symbol of the new life in Christ; it will burn in the sanctuary now until the feast of Pentecost in 50 days. The candle is processed to the front of the sanctuary and then the celebrant sings the Exultet, and ancient hymn calling on all of heaven and earth to join with the Church in giving praise to God for the finished work of Christ. While this hymn is sung the entire congregation are welcomed to light their own individual candles from the flame as a sign that in Christ we too share in the newness of His resurrection life.

The service proceeds with an extended liturgy of the Word. In keeping with this night as a celebration of the Christian Passover, we remember. The readings trace the entire history of God's saving acts from the Creation of the World, through the Fall of humankind, The Flood, Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac, Israel's Deliverance at the Red Sea and then several passages from the Prophets which turn our focus toward the Hope of God's ultimate redemption of His people in Christ. In our parish each of these readings is not only read by a narrator but artistically and theatrically interpreted to us to make the story ever fresh and resonant. Despite its length, children absolutely love this service and in many ways it is for them. Just as the father of the household recounts the saving acts of God each year in the Jewish Passover, so we as the community of Christ are recounting for our children and our children's children God's ultimate plan of deliverance.

After this we celebrate baptism as the Sacrament whereby one is covered by the Blood of the Lamb. In the absence of baptismal candidates we still pause to re-affirm our baptismal covenant, remembering that we too have been buried with Christ in His death and raised with Him who is our life.

After all of this anticipation it is finally time to celebrate the unveiled radiance of resurrection glory. The Celebrant shouts out the first Easter greeting, "Alleluia, Christ is Risen!" And the whole congregation responds, "The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!" And the first Eucharist of Easter proceeds; the fulfillment of the Passover meal where Christ endowed it with new meaning declaring, "This is my body...This is my blood of the NEW COVENANT" So we obediently partake in remembrance of all of His saving work as we have passed through these days of prayer, servanthood, death and now finally, resurrection. In our parish the Vigil is a great celebration filled with music, energy and by the time its all said and done, probably even some dancing.

In many ways Easter Sunday seems self explanatory. This should be the greatest celebration of the entire year. The church is decorated with color as a joyful contrast to the blackness of Friday and as a symbol of the new life that the resurrection of Christ has breathed into the world. This is the day that changed all of history! The death of Christ is fulfilled in His Resurrection as the Orthodox hymn proclaims, “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death!” Come ready to celebrate!

You Believe What?!

So what's with angels anyway?

Recently a friend who serves as a missionary in a mountainous region of Asia Minor recounted the story of a teammate who had to make a treacherous crossing from the remote village area where she was serving back to the capital city in order to catch a flight. The road was closed due to repeated avalanches and mudslides and no vehicles could get through. So she took a vehicle as far as possible on the road and then crossed the obstructed area of road (several miles) by foot until she could catch another ride in a vehicle waiting at the other end of the closed off section. This missionary reported that it was harrowing crossing through an area where the cliffs around her had so recently given way and where they could have again at any given moment. But, she reports that she had a sense the entire time of God's holy angels holding back the very rocks and debris and protecting her on her journey.

This got me thinking, in the contemporary West we do not think much about the angels of God. In fact, sadly when most Americans think of angels the image is usually something like this:

Can you envision these two holding back a landslide for you? Neither can I. The fact of the matter is that angels as they are presented in the Scriptures are generally arrayed as warriors and they inspire awe, fear-hinging-on-dread, and even at times the temptation to worship. The angels of God are ministering spirits and protecting warriors. Traditionally they are depicted more classically like this:

I love this particular depiction with its inscription of promise from Psalm 91. Angels are very real, very present though unseen. And so we can ask Almighty God for the protection and ministry of them. Thus I close with the following prayer from St. Augustine's Prayer Book (An "Anglo-Catholic" devotional supplement):

"O Lord our God, who orderest all things in Heaven and earth; we beseech thee, look upon us, toiling in this sinful world, and mercifully vouchsafe to refresh us by the protection and ministry of thy Holy Angels. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Why Do You Do That?!

Auricular Confession Part 2

Well, it has taken me longer to get back to it than I wanted. But as promised here is the text of the Office of Reconciliation that the American prayer book offers as a form for organizing auricular confession. Note first of all the directions given at the outset:

The ministry of reconciliation, which has been committed by Christ to his

Church, is exercised through the care each Christian has for others,

through the common prayer of Christians assembled for public worship,

and through the priesthood of the Church and its ministers declaring

absolution.

The Reconciliation of a Penitent is available for all who desire it. It is not

restricted to times of sickness. Confessions may be heard anytime and

anywhere...

When a confession is heard in a church building, the confessor may sit

inside the altar rails or in a place set aside to give greater privacy, and the

penitent kneels nearby. If preferred, the confessor and penitent may sit

face to face for a spiritual conference leading to absolution or a

declaration of forgiveness.

When the penitent has confessed all serious sins troubling the conscience

and has given evidence of due contrition, the priest gives such counsel

and encouragement as are needed and pronounces absolution. Before

giving absolution, the priest may assign to the penitent a psalm, prayer,

or hymn to be said, or something to be done, as a sign of penitence and

act of thanksgiving.

The content of a confession is not normally a matter of subsequent

discussion. The secrecy of a confession is morally absolute for the

confessor, and must under no circumstances be broken.

The Office itself begins like this,

The Penitent begins

Bless me, for I have sinned.

The Priest says

The Lord be in your heart and upon your lips that you may

truly and humbly confess your sins: In the Name of the

Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Penitent

I confess to Almighty God, to his Church, and to you, that

I have sinned by my own fault in thought, word, and deed, in

things done and left undone; especially__________. For these

and all other sins which I cannot now remember, I am truly

sorry. I pray God to have mercy on me. I firmly intend

amendment of life, and I humbly beg forgiveness of God and

his Church, and ask you for counsel, direction, and absolution.

Here the Priest may offer counsel, direction, and comfort.

The Priest then pronounces this absolution

Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has left power to his Church to

absolve all sinners who truly repent and believe in him, of

his great mercy forgive you all your offenses; and by his

authority committed to me, I absolve you from all your sins:

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy

Spirit. Amen.

The Priest adds

The Lord has put away all your sins.

Penitent

Thanks be to God.

The Priest concludes

Go (or abide) in peace, and pray for me, a sinner.

It is truly such a beautiful meeting on Holy Ground to enter more deeply into the mercy and grace of God.

Why Do you Do That?!

Auricular Confession, Part 1

As Anglicans we seek to cultivate a culture of confession. A General Confession is traditionally a part of all Anglican public prayer from Morning or Evening Prayer, to the Eucharist to Compline. But one blessing that few avail themselves to in our tradition is the option of auricular (or private or "sacramental") confession. I have offered this form of private confession throughout my ministry but it has not been until this Lent that a number of people have been taking me up on it. And I am motivated to write on it largely because of the power and the fruit I have seen in such a context.

Private Confession (for ease of the conversation, lets just call it "confession" from here on out and you'll know what I mean) takes pastoral care to a whole new level. Repentance is the basis of Christian healing and so the power of unburdening and hearing a personal word of direction, penance and absolution brings that healing on a level that I simply have not seen anywhere else in my ministry (or really in my life within the Christian Church). It is simply a shame that after the Reformation much of the Christian West did away with the practice.

In Anglicanism too for the first 400 years of our history Confession was a lost practice. Perhaps owing to the abuses of Late Medieval Catholicism (and its strong association with penances and indulgences etc.) it was informally rejected in favor of the forms of corporate general confession which, as I have noted, the Reformers made a part of every public service. But in the late 1800's as a part of the Anglo-Catholic revival which brought many of the more "High Church" practices and paraphernalia back into the life of the Anglican Church auricular confession was brought back by an obscure few.

This was not initially met with enthusiasm on the part of the broader Anglican Communion. Many saw it as crossing a line and diverging from the Anglican tradition and returning to Rome. But the champions of the practice appealed to the pastoral sensibilities that have always been innate to the Anglican churches. Even within the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (the theological standard of Anglican liturgies) there is a pastoral provision that when a minister visits the sick the sick person may make a special confession of his sins if, "he feel his conscience troubled with a weighty matter. After which confession, the priest shall absolve him." The proponents argued that the sense of auricular confession is plain, though the form (with the exception of the absolution) is not prescribed. There is nothing ungodly about a form or Office for making particular confession they argued. And so the practice began to make its way into the consciousness of the Anglican Church. Before long, the practice spread from pastoral application exclusive to the sick to all of the "sin sick" who are in need.

As a result, in several of the "modern" prayer books a form for confession is included. Still, true to our ethos of "reformed-catholicity" confession is offered as a pastoral option, never a mandate. In Anglicanism the aphorism goes "all may, none must, some should." As I said at the outset, based on my personal and pastoral experience probably more of us are among the some that should than what actually do.

So what exactly does confession involve? Well, the first thing is to make an examination of conscience. That is, to take a time of personal prayer, silently and uninterrupted to ask the Holy Spirit what things you need to bring to the priest and confess. Of course, some who come don't have to take more than 10 seconds to think on this one. Some are haunted by the memory of a word or action or a pattern of thought that they want to cast far from themselves. But others, especially those who decide to take on confession as a disciplined part of the maturation in the Lord will need to take the time to pray and ask for Divine illumination of those subtle sins that we have given into without even thinking twice about it.

The second step is to make an appointment with the priest. Some priests (like myself) make particular times available for confession especially in penitential seasons such as Lent or even Advent. Others may be "by appointment only." In either case most Anglican churches do not have the traditional Roman style "confessional booths". The priest may meet with the penitent in the sanctuary, both facing the altar or in some other designated place. Typically, to ease the mind and nerves of the penitent the priest faces away from him or her and both priest and penitent orient themselves toward a cross or some other symbol of the faith. The priest will don the purple stole, a symbol of his God-given authority to absolve penitents (purple being the color associated with repentance).

Anything that is said within the confessional stays within the confessional. Priests are held to the absolute strictest standards of confidentiality when it comes to confession. The Church of England's canons state, "if any man confess his secret and hidden sins to the minister, for the unburdening of his conscience, and to receive spiritual consolation and ease of mind from him; we...do straitly charge and admonish him, that he does not at any time reveal and make known to any person whatsoever any crime or offence so committed to his trust and secrecy." I have known more than one priest (self included) that would rather face the legal charge of obstructing justice than face the judgement of God for transgressing the sacred nature of confession. I always tell penitents when they come to me that after I pronounce absolution I will never again bring up whatever we have talked about. If they wish to pursue counsel on how to make life-changes or restitution I am happy to talk to them but I will never pursue it. The confessional is between the penitent and God with the priest as spokesman and witness and when we confess our sins they are truly put away from us as far as the east is from the west. I personally pray that when I remove my stole and leave the confessional that I will be stricken with holy amnesia and actually forget everything that occurred there. Most times that works. But I believe it is the holiness, the set apartness of that time and space and the confidence in the complete confidentiality of the act that encourages penitents to share and receive pastoral care on this deeper level that just grabbing a cup of coffee with your priest doesn't get you.

Well, I guess this is what I get for not posting for so long. This has become quite the lengthy missive. In Part 2 I will actually post the liturgy for the Office of the Reconciliation of a Penitent as well as talk a little bit about Penance as it is understood in contemporary Anglicanism.