I noticed this sharp, waspy Tweet a day or so ago, by a veteran Vatican commentator, Austen Ivereigh:
It is striking how those who believe they are saving the Church from itself — Jesus’s promise of the HS being, they presume, at best unreliable — never think of themselves as schismatics. https://t.co/a9UpNG3ilV
— Austen Ivereigh (@austeni) June 27, 2026
It is (in my experience) easy to forget the Holy Spirit. Trusting in our own efforts (for any purpose in life, not just ecclesiastical purposes) is much more immediate and likely (to ourselves at least) a reliable way to achieve something. Now Ivereigh is commenting on the brinkmanship (as I write) of SSPX threatening to ordain bishops with or without the Pope's authorization, and "without" means, so pundits say, according to canon law, that there will be excommunications. I have no comment to make on this particular matter, not least because I am no kind of expert in Roman canon law.
But it is a thought, is it not, that we might wonder more about what the Spirit is doing in the life of the church, than what we ourselves might do about the life of the church. The wondering, Ivereigh makes the point, includes whether we might wonder about what kind of faith we have in the promises of Jesus.
Now, this, surely, is a thing to consider whatever our station in life or the church, and whatever church we belong to, whether one on the verge of schism or just on the verge of deciding what kind of instant coffee to buy for next Sunday's morning tea. (Yes, no need to comment on the word "instant" being paired with "coffee", I know there are strong feelings about these things.)
Dare we believe that the church is Christ's and he has the church in hand, working the purposes of God out in ways we cannot imagine, to a timetable our impatience disables our discernment thereof, and with greater power - the Holy Spirit - than is in the possession of any synod or bishop or session clerk or patriarch/matriarch?
As the ACC meets in Belfast through these days, I must say to myself, you might also choose to say to yourself,
"Holy Spirit, come, fill their hearts (and our hearts) anew, refresh your Communion, open our ears to hear what you are saying to your church."
It's the centenary of the birth of James K. Baxter, who is probably in disgrace for a generation. His marriage to a strong Anglican lady didn't work out well when he became a Catholic, did it? Maybe we are all schismatics today.
ReplyDeleteFor some of us, indeed a great many, the Holy Spirit is leading us to the edge of the church and beyond. This is a genuine movement of longing, anger, and joy – a genuine religious exile and diaspora - driven by many reasons no doubt; some of them theological (e.g. to move beyond exclusivist notions of truth (no salvation without Jesus) that are unsustainable, except in aggressive, ignorant, and deeply insulting ways, in the age of religious pluralism; a desire to affirm the divine feminine within and all around in the face of the ongoing insistence to speak of God as male only; an urgent and ardent longing to affirm the sacredness of Earth; a desire to move beyond disparagement of human nature and sexuality), some of them trauma-based (e.g. experiences of clerical abuse and cover ups), some of them cultural, and some spiritual (a sense of more nourishing spiritual forms outside traditional religious settings – e.g. the person who works out they receive more spiritual nourishment from walking in the hills or having a coffee with friends or attending a shamanic drumming workshop etc than attending the rather lukewarm, same-old grey church service in their neighbourhood). My point is that the church often seems to regard non-attendance, falling numbers, closing/struggling parishes etc., as “secularization”, “loss of faith”, “falling away from Christ” etc., rather than as a genuine movement of the Spirit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post +Peter and Mark for your comment - especially seeing as I'm one of the "beyonds" - while still being in active "conversation" (a lot)! It's difficult.
ReplyDeleteFrom my "beyond" position I'm noticing a lot more activity in reaching across boundaries from various denominations, and even various faiths. I'm surprised, and open, to what's happening, and simply observing with interest.
The latest thing of this nature that I stumbled across recently was an RNZ article referencing the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints making a $250,000 donation to the Christchurch cathedral fund.
Quote:
"As followers of Jesus Christ, we believe in building strong communities and extending friendship across faiths. We are grateful for the opportunity to support the restoration of this important place of worship and heritage in the city of Christchurch."
Also,
"CCRL said it was not the first time it had received interfaith support, with the New Zealand Buddhist community making a significant gift in 2023."
And I was like, wow! I love the generosity of spirit and the appreciation/commitment offered - in action and not merely words - that affirms the ongoing value of local community.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/community/601359/global-church-donates-250-000-to-christ-church-cathedral-restoration
That's an interesting example, isn't it Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteWith the Diocese opting for the most expensive rebuild option, I was concerned that the money was really more needed elsewhere - especially in a cost of living/homelessness crisis.
But I have also been concerned that, in order to be rebuilt, the Cathedral would need to seek and accept money from other sources and actors - mainly government - in a way that may compromise its independence and prophetic office, its mission to be true to the Gospel and speak truth to power.
But you point to a different possibility. That the church needs help, needs to work with all sorts of groups beyond its traditional borders - the (very) secular State and City Council, other faith groups, private donors - to rebuild, which might also be a metaphor for how the Spirit is moving.
Yes, you've laid it out beautifully Mark! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnother question arises: if "we" (the local Christian Church, Anglicans etc) had the funds to spare - and, perhaps, even if we didn't - would we be as generous as the Buddhists and Latter-Day Saints have been in terms of our Cathedral rebuild? Would we give our church money, just as charitably, without seeking anything in return, to assist in rebuilding their temples and churches (or mosques or gurdwaras etc) in the event of natural disaster and funding shortfalls?
ReplyDeleteI suspect we wouldn't. I suspect we wouldn't be able to get past our own, centuries-old theological objections and roadblocks - to charity and a more generous truth.
But I am happy to be proved wrong!
I would like Anonymous to tell us more about James K. Baxter, his "disgrace", and Anglican wife. It might be part of a bigger conversation in terms of what we do about shadow alongside light in the life of a public person.
ReplyDeleteThe Anglican Church, in its NZ Prayer book, treasures at least two of Baxter's poems, from memory, and recommends them for use in midday worship (and perhaps in other liturgies, too). Sadly, The Māori Jesus is not one of them:
https://youtu.be/J_PUf4pvGqE?si=Q6sxdEBRZbSXx213
https://hellopoetry.com/poem/692203/the-maori-jesus-james-k-baxter