(Homily at St Martin - my last for the time being. Without a parish priest to keep the church catholic in liturgy and order I have decided it is better that I withdraw to St Saviour - at least for the present).
Jesus can give faith even to walk on water. We only sink when we take our eyes off Him and focus on our human weakness and sin. When we come to Jesus we come to the Church - His Body, of which He is Head.
There is only One Body, One Head, so all disunity is sin and a consequence of human failure. The call of the Head of the Body to the Church of England today is to heal the division created by the Reformation. The recent invitation of His Holiness the Pope to take up 'The Apostolic Constitution for Anglicans' is Jesus saying to us "Courage! Come!" We are being offered faith that will enable us to walk across the Tiber to the Vatican.
Both St Peter and St Paul were martyred for their faith in Rome. Their faith cost them their lives as it has cost so many others in every generation since, including in our day. T.S. Eliot has a line about discipleship 'costing not less than everything' and Dietrich Bonhoeffer said 'when Jesus calls he bids us come and die'. Only by grace can we respond to the Lord's 'Courage! Come!' with 'All for Jesus, this our song shall ever be. All for Jesus, thou wilt give us strength to serve thee, hour by hour; none can move us from thy presence whilst we trust thy love and power'.
There is no better place to receive this grace than through His Word and at His Table. So 'Courage! Come!'.
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