THE P RTAL
January 2011 Page 7
Snapdragon
Our leaving is important
Those preparing for reception into the Ordinariate face an uncertain future . It is a challenging time for us . We look forward with joyful hope to a life of sacramental assurance within the Catholic Church , but first must deal with the inevitable sacrifice , loss and separation that is heading our way .
Saying goodbye to family members is never easy and we all walk away from dear friends with a shared history . How we manage this period of upheaval is crucial . If this is an authentic movement of the Holy Spirit then the manner of our leaving is every bit as important as the act of leaving itself .
Journey on our knees
It is for this reason that each group is being encouraged to look forwards and not backwards . This is a journey to be made on our knees . And just as Saint Peter left everything to follow his vocation so we must be prepared to leave buildings , their contents and our savings if we are to avoid being drawn into destructive recriminations with the Anglican authorities .
This will not prove easy having invested so much in the places where we worship . Many of the devotional items were given by Ordinariate enquirers in memory of loved ones . We should not underestimate the pain of separation when we are forced to close the doors for the very last time .
Grace
But it is essential to our spiritual health and Christian witness that we do so with good grace . One look at the millions of dollars spent on litigation amongst the warring factions of American Anglicanism brings this point home forcibly . No one benefits when things turn sour and our behaviour as and when we leave will reflect on our status as Christians .
Ordinariate seekers must therefore act graciously at all times . We stand on the moral high ground and ensure that forgiveness , joyful sacrifice and courage are the watch words of the day .
In one parish over 75 per cent of worshippers wish to embrace the Ordinariate . Those leaving and those departing were happy to remain friends and suggested a sharing arrangement of the current building . This not only makes pastoral sense but also practical sense .
The small remnant remaining Anglican have no hope of meeting the bills alone and the parish will certainly benefit from the strength of a united
Christian presence . It was therefore depressing to that the Diocesan representatives , who descended on the parish uninvited , were uninterested in considering how to retain the strongest Christian presence within an underprivileged part of town .
Lack of love
Those departing are told to leave with nothing and , the priest should leave town out of consideration to his successor ! Lack of love or respect is never attractive . How we now respond is vital . We must continue to love and refuse to engage with bitterness .
The Ordinariate is a loving response to cries for help born from genuine predicament . We are bemused as to why the Anglican authorities so resent our leaving . Is the only response to roll over and accept the innovations .?
Pray
As we prepare to depart let us all pray that the current stance of the Anglican Church might change . Let us hope that the words of Archbishop Williams will yet be taken to heart . “ I think the challenge will come in working out shared use of churches , of how we as Anglicans ‘ recommend ’ people ” : Rather than the bishop who declared that not a single church within his diocese would open its doors to the Ordinariate .
Ultimately none of this is terribly surprising . England is , after all , a nation with a history of Catholic intolerance . Even today the monarch cannot marry a Catholic and the media shows particular hostility to the papacy .
What Ordinariate members must do then is work and pray for change . We must love when love is not coming our way . We must build bridges and maintain friendships in spite of the challenges before us .
For my prayer is that the Ordinariate will develop into an authentic bridge between Christians and not an insurmountable wall . A vital tool for the true unity of Christians which might help re-evangelise this once Catholic country .
Let us leave in love and walk in hope that we might change the hearts of many and reflect the light of Christ to the watching world .