All things come in time

I was recently reminded that my blog was still stuck in the snow.

Well, some things take time. It has taken me seven and a half years of being at St Martin's to get round to visiting the remains of Dunstable Priory just up the road. Dunstable was once one of the great towns of England. It boasted a royal palace - part of which remains as a pub! Here Edward I's beloved Queen Eleanor rested on her journey to burial at Westminster - though the NatWest Bank now occupies the site of the former Eleanor Cross.

The remains of the Priory sadly consist of the nave only of the ancient church, together with about two thirds of the facade - including the sadly vandalized triumphal arch of the Great West door which would once have been a splendour of stone carving. Interestingly enough, because of the importance of the town and the wish of King Henry VIII to have smaller dioceses, following the suppression of the monasteries the Priory Church survived intact despite the demolition of the monastic buildings. The plan was for Dunstable Priory to become a Cathedral (as happened at St Albans and at Gloucester) for the county of Bedford, and plans even went as far as selecting the first Bishop of Dunstable. However, following Henry's break with Rome the scheme came to nothing and over the following years most of the church was destroyed as it became a convenient quarry for local people wanting building stone.

One wonders how the history of Dunstable might have changed had it in fact become a Cathedral City.

Nw is the winter....

Before it all becomes a distant memory, I thought I'd publish this picture of St Martin's in the snow. It's amazing how much is disrupted these days when we have a moderately heavy snowfall such as this. I suppose it's because we've got unused to it - and probably also because some loonie will come up with all sorts of 'Health and Safety' regulations concerning what can and (more usually) can't be done.

Still, I hope we all made the most of it, because who knows how long it will be before we see it again!

...we play endlessly

...could be a reference to the weather at the moment. Working in the office yesterday evening I looked up to see a few youths throwing snowballs at each other in the garden. It was in my mind to point out to them that this wasn't a public area - but then I thought, why? They're doing no harm - just enjoying thmselves in a way that is proper for boys to do!

The heading refers to the Icelandic band Sigur Ros whose album Meth suth i eyrum vith spilum endalaust I have been listening to for the last few days. (With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly) In fact I've been listening to almost nothing else for the last five days. Just occasionally an album comes along which is a once in a lifetime experience. The fact that the band don't see any need to translate from Icelandic to English for an international market is perhaps a sign of their confidence.

The album itself is a thing of rare beauty and depth. It's difficult to think of much to compare it with. As the songs are sung one finds fun, wonder, passion, glory and comfort at different times. Sadly (not speaking Icelandic) I don't know the words of any of the songs and am therefore forming impressions based on the music itself. Perhaps with a track titled 'Gobbledigook' it doesn't matter too much. This is a light hearted stomp. But a song such as 'Festival' with its hints (conscious or otherwise) of Sibelius' Andante Festivo, it might be helpful to know the words. Ara batur is a track of hypnotic beauty gradually building up to grandeur. Illgresi forms a good contrast - quieter and meditative mainly for voice and guitar.

None of the songs on this album are neccesarily what you expect, but everything is better!

In short, go out and buy it! My other 2000 or so CDs have not been touched these few days.

Away from it all (2)

Let's try again, here with a picture of the outside of Barfreston church. In fact, it is clear that the lesser arches on the inside would not have had apses for their altars.

To the left of the wheel window is a figure (now headless) of a man on horseback, reminiscent of similar figures found in many French churches, and many in the empire also - most famously at Bamberg Cathedral in Franconia.

This 'atmospheric' shot of the church of St Nicholas at Ash shows the weather during these few days. The sun was shining through a bright fog as it neared the close of the afternoon and I ended the day (and this post) in Sandwich, which claims to be the country'smost complete medieval town. Its days of prosperity are undeniably past as present day Sandwich does not actually occupy the full space within the old port's ancient walls. Still, well worth a visit and in the village of Worth, where I was staying I was really made to feel at home and welcome. That says a lot.

Away from it all

Away from it all in Kent, by the seaside, I must have missed all the ceremonies of the swearing in of president Obama and so much else that is happening in the world. However, a few days after getting back it began to seem that I had never been away. It doesn't take long to catch up on what's happening in the world.
On a very enjoyable break driving round the back roads and side roads and cart tracks of Kent I did, as always, come across some wonders to be seen.

First among them was the church at the tiny village of Barfreston - one of the most sumptuous Norman churches in the whole country. The interior is dominated by the great threefold triumphal arch. The two side arches may have contained apses, with their own altars. Both interior and exterior are dominated by a wealth of carving. The Normans may have tended to build fairly simple buildings from an architectural point of view compared to the Gothic ages, they decorated them with a wealth of almost baroque imagination. The wild carving on the tympanum over the main door is a masterpiece of Norman work influenced by either Celtic or perhaps more probably Scandinavian art. The central figure of Christ is seated as is customary, within a mandorla - but the chaotic swirlings of foliage around Him are not typical at all! Above Christ is the figure of a Bishop - presumably St Nicholas, to whom the church is dedicated.

For some reason, the blog won't let me post any more pictures here! I shall maybe put a couple more on later - if it's in a better frame of mind. The remarkable East end is dominated by the richly carved wheel window. Likr the tympanum, this was work where presumably the stone carvers were allowed to let their minds run riot - and they did have extrememly fertile imaginations - not only carving scenes such as the signs of the Zodiac and the labours of the months, but also such wonderful scenes as a bear playing a

harp while a human being dances to its tune!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year.
In the face of so much that is happening in the world we might be forgiven for asking: what is happy about it?
Our faith does not deny the evil that happens in the world. It does not demand that we ignore it. It assures us that God is in charge. And it is because of this that we have hope.
I cannot change much of what is done in the world. I cannot bring the Israelis and the Palestinians to sit down together to talk. I cannot prevent one terrorist outrage. I cannot turn the hearts of children towards their parents, and of parents towards their children. I cannot prevent a mother and her boyfriend from killing a child. I cannot prevent a mother from arranging the kidnapping of her child for financial benefit.
But this does not mean that I am helpless.
In the face of all that is evil I express my own hope and confidence in the promises of God. And this is what brings me hope.

The fact of the Incarnation is a sign that there is hope in the world despite the incredible ammount of evil thst is to be found in it. There is hope precisely because God has come into the world. He does not simply permit this suffering, but He shares in it.

What, then, can I do. I can seek to make Christ more present in ky own life. I can seek to become more loving, more patient, more prayerful. This is what is needed. This is all that is needed.

If I become more prayerful then I will also become more generous, more tolerant, more patient. I will become a better and more faithful witness to the Gospel of Christ. And in this Year of Grace 2009 what more could I ask?

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

It might seem churlish to have a real moan as a Christmas offering, but I have to admit that for the last week and more I have been simmering over the remarks attributed to Bishop Kieran Conry in his Catholic Herald interview. It is possible that his views have not been fairly represented, in which case I would assume he will issue a correction. But as his comments stand many of the faithful - clergy and laity alike - have been shocked by some of what he has to say.
Much of it has been touched on elsewhere. Here I would like to look at just three points.

First, regarding the sacred liturgy, the Bishop speaks of the centrality of the community. This is manifestly wrong. While liturgy is the action of the community, it is the service of the community. Thus the One Who is served must be greater than the one doing the serving. The Liturgy plainly does not centre on the community but on God Himself. To suggest that we are central in this action is to make our worship pointless. In all the Sacraments the things that we see, hear, touch and taste are the signs and symbols of that greater reality - the action of God that is behind them, inspiring the community's worship.
He also speaks of the community as being supreme over the individual, playing with words. As the Bishop knows perfectly well, the opening word of the Creed is not pistuomen but credo. The Greek word was used by the Fathers of the Councils as they gave their assent to the credal statements that were produced - the Councils speaking with one united voice. In the Liturgy things are different. Each one of us can only speak for ourselves before God, so we say 'I believe'. For exactly the same reasons do we say 'I am sorry' and 'I am not worthy.' These statements are signs of our own relationship with God, and it is the multitude of 'I's which make up the community.

Secondly the Bishop's statement on frequent confession is extremely disturbing - seeking to undermine the work that many of us are doing in trying to encourage people back to this wonderful Sacrament. Any priest will be aware that there are many who come to confession without a deep sense of conversion, and many who come back with the same words each time.
However, we do not, as priests, have a window into men's souls. There may be cases when a penitent's desire to avoid sin is getting stronger - even if the sins remain the same. And how many times does the Grace of the Sacrament prevent them from sinning? These are things we cannot know - but when I look at myself I can see that if I am letting it go for a longer time between confessions I am committing more sins. The Bishop's statement - as reported - seems to imply a lack of faith in the transforming power of Sacramental Grace.
And if people do come merely making routine confessions, is the role of the priest not rather to seek to lead them into a deeper appreciation of the Sacrament rather than to repel them? We need to try to help them come to a fuller understanding of the nature of sin, of Grace, of forgiveness. This can of course take longer - but St John Vianney found the time for it! It seems that the Bishop would rather turn people away than seek to teach them.

A sense of being unable to teach seems also to be present in the extraordinary statement that it is impossible to speak to young people about salvation because they won't understand. This is either lazy (not wanting to bother to teach) or patronising (not thinking they are bright enough). Of course it is not sufficient if we simply use theological jargon on its own - but the fact that such knowledge is not innate doesn't mean we shouldn't even try to teach it. That harks back to the discredited child-centred methods of education of the 1970s whose ill effects we are still suffering from.
To talk to teenagers about sin and death is to talk with them about things that are, in one way or another, part of their lives. Mostly they will say they don't want to sin. Certainly they will say they don't want to die! Jesus Christ has come into the world to save us from these realities over which, without Him, we have no control. What is difficult to understand about that? And how would talking to them about not over-filling kettles help to make it clearer?
Saving the world is, according to St Paul, an important part of our work as Christians. But to enter into that work we need first to encounter Christ as Our Personal Saviour and to develop a personal relationship with Him.
This we need to be taught - and who will teach it if our Bishops will not?