A little story about Real Presence

A long time ago in an Episcopal Diocese far far away a Bishop lead an Episcopal priest to a parish with the request that he get them back on track with the Book of Common Prayer and celebrating Holy Eucharist.

The priest tried and failed.  People got angry at the priest and his family.  They threw stuff like gossip and opinions at them.  Eucharist was not to become the center and the priest couldn't do what the Bishop wanted.

The Blessed Virgin Mary intervened and took the Episcopal priest and his family away and has taken care of them ever since.

As the years progressed a few more rectors attempted to lead the congregation but did not stay.

Still, when the moon is full and that old congregation awakens its' inner tumultuous past--the name of that priest, and perhaps even his family, now three times removed from the rectorship-- is whispered and even published as one of the  'aborted rectorships'
Why do they need to keep bringing it up?

It must have something to do with Eucharist.

Pope Benedict Eucharistic Adoration
photo from St. Anne's parish

It has to have something to do with Eucharist.


Moral of the story:  Real Presence--what are you doing with it?

Interested in a little more on Real Presence?

The best thing to do--is go and sit and kneel and stand and whatever you need to do--before the Blessed Sacrament.  And if you can't make a visit today--then do it in your heart...like right now.

If a soul kneels to receive and there is no archbishop to see does it matter to God?

**Warning--rant ahead**

So an Archbishop in Scotland has told his 'flock' to stop kneeling for the reception of Holy Communion.

Give me a break.  Really?
If someone kneels--they are what?--drawing attention to themselves?  Maybe.  Or maybe they have an agenda?  Or maybe they just want to have a moment with Christ?
Does it really matter?

Haven't you ever been brought to your knees?
Hasn't it ever hit you what miracle you just received?
Not that it's every time--but occasionally doesn't it just knock you down?
----off your high horse?

What's the big deal if a person approaches God that way?

We've focused so much on the 'gathering of the assembly as the Body of Christ'--that we've lost the reason why we are gathering.
Maybe a little kneeling would help slow us down and not be concerned about the constraints.

Maybe more people who are confecting and distributing Eucharist ought to kneel.

I have heard the argument that standing in western culture is a sign of respect.  I've heard the argument that we are an "Easter" people standing in the midst of the Resurrected Christ present before us.  Yep, I've heard them--and I've stood.  I'm just saying a little kneeling when the Spirit so moves is not a bad thing.

What is the greater issue is that an Archbishop has decided that people must conform to his liturgical mandate.  Really?  Everything else must be going pretty well in his diocese for this to become the focus of the latest liturgical energy.

Now, this blog entry is on the heels of a rather disheartening experience of Eucharist an Episcopal church (remember Jesus in the plastic baggie) -but in all fairness I want to share the following.
One of my holdovers from my Episcopal priest days was the altar rail--There was something humbling about the whole action.
The priest and chalice bearer would distribute Holy Communion from behind the altar rail.  Contrary to popular belief it was still very efficient and you didn't feel like cattle being lead to milking.  And, if you don't want to kneel, then don't--it was never and issue.
One day I stood waiting for an elderly gentleman who was having difficulty kneeling down.  At first I grew impatient and thought "Why doesn't he just stand?"

My heart was opened as I watched him humbly kneel and hold out his worn arthritic hands to receive his savior.  He looked at the Host as I held it, "The Body of Christ."
"Amen" --his eyes welling with tears.

The Breakfast Club

Sometimes the third time may be the charm.  This is, after all, is the third time this post has been published in just as many days.

I wasn't sure whether it actually fit into the 'praylium' world of blogging.

A couple of days ago I was at a rather unusual breakfast gathering.
Around the table sat;
My lovely wife and son.
Myself (who, for the sake of this story, will be referred to as the 'ex-episcopal rector')
A rather eccentric man who hails from Texas--the convener of the breakfast
A recently-fired-church organist, her husband, and son
A recently fired Anglican priest and his wife.

The bond?  The Anglican priest, myself, and the organist all at different times served the same Episcopal congregation and we were all fired.

Before any accusations of gossip and slander are thrown--the breakfast was really more about laughter and perspective-with an occasional horror story thrown in.
While the organist and priest were much closer to their departure date--myself and my family were years out.  I felt bad for them.  I couldn't imagine going through what the others at the breakfast table went through--because when I was fired--the Virgin Mary was already leading us back home.

But here is what I want to talk about...
At one point the Anglican priest asked me, "Do you miss it?"
"Nope."  I quickly answered, then added. "I do miss celebrating Eucharist and hearing confessions."  (Yes Reconciliation is in the Book of Common Prayer--but in my five years I never heard one sacramental confession)
I then went on to talk about how the Episcopal bishop (at that time) wanted me to re-institute the proper celebration of Holy Eucharist at that church on a weekly basis---
"No problem"  I thought.
Boy was I wrong.
When I first arrived at the church I found consecrated Hosts stored in a plastic baggie in the aumbry (tabernacle)
For my remaining time we used a ciborium.

I found out at breakfast that when I left that church--the plastic baggie returned.
If that is true--how sad.

That church is still seeking a new rector.
I hope they find what they are looking for.


Now, the reason I finally decided to share the above story is because of an article I read concerning the population of the Episcopal Church in the United States. Episcopal Church Numbers 

You can make all the necessary connections.

Leaving the Church

A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call asking me what I thought about the latest news concerning an ex roman priest who wrote a book.  He was making his way on the morning news shows telling everyone about his life, his love, his leaving Rome and going to England. 

                I have no problem with a guy leaving—remember, I have a glass house.

                I have no problem with a guy wrestling with love and celibacy and all that—I know it all too well

                I even have no problem with a guy who decides to go over to the cousin’s house and hang—I also became an Episcopal priest when I left and felt as though my family and I had no home.

                However, I do have a problem with the argument he is using—and sadly enough I also used it at one time.  It went something like this:

1.       Rome shouldn’t be a voice of morality.  (Men with pointy hats ought to stay out of the bedroom)

2.       Did you know that there was a time when the Popes had mistresses and children?  So why should the church now require celibacy of its clergy?

                Let me get this straight--"I don’t want to follow (or belong to) the Roman Catholic Church when it comes to some things but I will appeal to that same Church's history when it did something in the past that I agree with and fits my life today. " ??

                Really?

The Lost Sacrifice

It never fails.  Whenever someone finds out that I “used to be” a priest they quickly follow up with asking; “Do you miss doing anything?”

                “Yep…Holy Eucharist.”

                The older I get the quicker my response. 

                But, before I elaborate I want you to know a couple of things.  First, I am happily married and the love and constant forgiveness of my wife is what allows me to be forthright with you.  I also offer a disclaimer to any priest or lay person who may read this and feel slighted, challenged, or pushed just a little.

                Last year (outside my diocese--maybe…and not in my current diocese—maybe) I was trying to ‘pray along’ with the celebrant.  Unfortunately he appeared to be suffering from some kind of spiritual angst.  His voice changed during the Eucharistic prayer and he seemed to be in some sort of physical pain.  It just seemed way over the top and just a little too much acting.  Then, following Holy Communion he stood up, told a joke, handled the announcements and his voice was back to normal!

                 It was a dual personality experience.   

                That very well could have been me—acting and playing the crowd.

                When I was a young priest,  I never really ‘offered’ the sacrifice of the Mass.  Sure, I was spiritually formed in the theology and liturgy of the Mass.  But, on my part, something was always missing.  Maybe because as  young priest I was taught that I needed to be more relevant to the people in the pew.  I was told that what was needed were action plans and success plans and professional leaders who had clear goals and objectives and job descriptions.  During my first years of priesthood I watched as Altars of sacrifice were replaced with ‘mission statements’.  And I bought into it.  I was to be more than a priest.  I was to be a leader and a manager and a presider at liturgies.  Here I was a priest and I never did a personal holy hour or just went and sat in the confessional—at an unscheduled time.  No wonder I was empty.

                The result of such an approach, years later, is a consumer based social phenomena gone rampant in the Church.  A priest no longer offers sacrifice but a product.  Priests and lay people buy books and programs and go to seminars to learn to be ministers and offer a product—not an invitation to sacrifice. 

                Sacrifice has been lost.  It has completely flipped.  Satan has to be snickering.

                In a world of identity theft we are faced with the very identity of the priesthood and the church being stolen by secular ideals, approaches, and desires to make the church more ‘relevant.’ 

                Relevant is for an American Idol contestant—not the priesthood, not the church.  When you go down the road of relevancy you end up in relativism…and that is for another time.